#but we find out who aaron's godly parent is in this one!!!

[linaseraphina13]

Preview of Chapter 2 (that pjo au i haven’t updated in like a month lol)

Call dreamed of the stars.

“You should get inside. It’s late,” Alastair’s voice floated out from the porch, batting moths away from his face. Call just hummed. He felt comfortable lying on his back in the grass, fireflies darting in and out of his vision. He didn’t want to ever get up.

Looking up at the night sky, at the moon and the millions of stars and that one airplane blinking in the distance, Call wished he could fly away and live there forever. It would be better than down here in boring old Enoree, where the old people were racist and the kids took pleasure in wailing on those unfortunate enough to look the way Call did. Like they could beat the Mexican out of him until he started looking, acting, and talking like them.

The grass rustled and Alastair settled down beside him, bones creaking and sighing like his joints needed grease. Sometimes Call thought his dad was like one of the many old cars he worked on. Rusty, broken down, and perpetually covered in motor oil.

“What’s wrong,” Alastair asked gruffly. His voice was always gruff. And tinted with a slight accent that made him sound like a bad guy in an old Western film.

Call just shrugged. He didn’t like to share his emotions that much. He was like his father that way. “Nothin’. Just stargazing.”

“Stargazing,” he repeated at length, then let out a sigh. He did that a lot when he talked to Call, like he was trying to figure out the mystery that was his son. “You’re just like your mother. Always looking at places you can never be. Always looking for a place to escape to.”

They didn’t talk about his mom much. Call picked at a loose thread in his jeans. “Do you think she’s watching over us right now?”

“What, from the stars?” Call nodded. He chuckled. “Probably. That seems like something she would do, huh?”

Call didn’t know if that was something she would do. He didn’t know anything about his mother, who left when he was a baby. There were no pictures, no clothes, no evidence that she’d even been in his life at all. Sometimes he wondered if she was dead.

But he knew better. Alastair didn’t talk about her much, but when he did, it was always in the present tense. Never past tense. Like he expected her to walk back through the door any day now.

He cleared his throat like he was gearing up to say something important. Call waited patiently. He uttered, “You came home with a busted lip.”

It was a statement. Not a question.

“Yeah.” He ran a tongue over the cut, which had already scabbed over. “Some kid tripped me in the hallway. Hit my face on the water fountain.”

Alastair hummed. “You kick his ass?”

“I got my knuckles wet before I punched him. Like you said,” Call told him. “It stung him real bad. He cried like a baby.”

Most fathers would frown at this type of behavior, but Alastair just nodded resolutely. “Good. You make sure those punks know what happens when they mess with you.” His gaze softened. “You need ice or something?”

“Nah. Doesn’t hurt anymore.” This was a lie. It still throbbed every time he talked, but Call didn’t want to seem weak in front of his father. “Besides,” he grinned wickedly. “Battle scars.”

“Battle scars.” He clapped a hand on his son’s shoulder and then stood with some difficulty. “Just don’t get into anymore fights. If you get expelled again I’m going to have to send you off to that Catholic school you hate so much.”

“We’re not even Catholic,” he muttered, but he stood as well. He knew a threat when he heard one. It was an unspoken warning, not born from malice, but more because it was the only option they had left. Call hated that he was causing his father to spend so much money on him, whether it be from medical bills or paying for stuff he’d broken, but his dad never complained. Not once. Call was lucky to have him.

“Let’s get inside,” said Alastair, and led his son into their tiny farmhouse. The stars twinkled above the clouds. Call liked to imagine that meant his mom was winking at him.

Five hours later Call woke up to utter chaos.

He heard yelling, footsteps, the obvious sound of panic as people rushed back and forth. Shadows danced across his eyelids. Call felt unnaturally cold, like the air was crisper than it should’ve been.

“...can’t believe this,” a voice was saying quite loudly, clearly vexed. “Like, gods, six Empousa? It’s a miracle we even made it out alive! What next, all three Furies and a flock of Stymphalian birds?”

Call’s head hurt. His leg hurt. But, most of all, his stomach felt like someone had ripped it open, laid his organs out, and put them in ascending alphabetical order. The pain was unbearable. He felt like he was going to die.

“Is he going to be okay?,” another voice asked anxiously, this one closer than the others. Someone gave a response, but it sounded muffled to him, like his ears were filled with cotton.

A hand pressed to his forehead and Call reflexively smacked it away. More mumbling.

“Unclaimed. Greek. Moderately powerful,” a third voice muttered, then went softer as it addressed him, “Hey little guy, it’s alright. How are you feeling? Can you look at me please?”

Call opened his eyes.

Through the foggy vision, he could see an unfamiliar teenage boy bending over him; older, blond, who sort of looked like what you would get if you brought one of those Greek statues to life and gave it a military haircut. He also seemed to be covered in some sort of weird yellow blanket.

Wait, no. Not a blanket. As his vision cleared, Call came to the sudden realization that he was, in fact, surrounded by a pair of giant golden wings.

“Oh, thank goodness. You lost quite a lot of blood there,” said the boy, whom said giant golden wings belonged to. And it might’ve been because he still couldn’t see clearly and because the setting sun was providing a lot of good lighting here, but Call could’ve sworn up and down that the boy in front of him looked like a divine being of God coming to take him away to the gates of Heaven themselves.

“Are you an angel?,” Call asked stupidly.

“Uh.” The winged blond jolted a little, like a very startled bird.

“Oh, give me a break,” someone else said, pushing themselves through until they were standing directly in front of Call, and shoved something under his nose. “Here. Eat this, it’ll make you less stupid.”

Call instinctively shied away. “What is that?,” he slurred. “A pot brownie?”

“A pot brownie,” came the incredulous whisper. “Gods above. Kid, just take it.”

Before he knew what was happening, rough hands were shoving a square of food into his mouth and he choked on it before he remembered to chew. An explosion of flavor danced across his tongue, the distinct taste of black coffee and his father’s homemade pecan pie filling his senses. Normally the two flavors together would be terrible, but right now it tasted like the best thing in the world.

He coughed and sat up, feeling marginally less sore. “What was that?”

“Ambrosia, food for the gods. Think you can form a coherent sentence now, tough guy?”

Call found that he could. The pain in his stomach had somehow lessened until it was a barely tangible ache in his lower abdomen. He struggled to take in his surroundings.

He noticed that there were two boys in front of him; one tall and blond (the one with wings) wearing a purple t-shirt and some weird looking armor, and the other one very short and wearing an orange t-shirt that clashed horribly with his bright red hair. While the blond one was looking at him in worry, the other had just stood up and was scowling at Call like he’d personally offended his mother.

“Ah. The zombie lives,” orange t-shirt said flatly. “You drool in your sleep, did you know that?”

“Who-” Call coughed and sat up. “Who are you?”

The boy snorted. “Good question. Counter argument: who are you?”

Call felt the fabric of his clothes shift and scrape against something on his stomach. Panicked, his hand flew to his stomach, but he was surprised to find it no longer bleeding from an open wound, although there was a fair amount of dried blood on his uniform. From the rips in the fabric he could see three scabbed over stitches going up his abdomen.

Wings said, “Hope you don’t mind us stitching you up. You were loosing a lot of blood and we didn’t have enough time to take you to a hospital. But Elliot did a pretty nice job, so it shouldn’t scar.”

Call blinked. That probably wasn’t safe. “Uh. Thanks?”

Elliot, the redhead, harrumphed. “Yeah, well, next time if you’re going to bleed out, try doing it somewhere far away from us.”

I’ll have this chapter out soon, I’ve just been having a bit of writer’s block with this^^^ one scene. Everything else is finished tho lol

[kevindayscrown]

The Foxes as demigods, presented to you by a greek mythology enthusiast.

Who also happens to be Greek.

Okay, I'm sure there are are many Greek mythology geeks or Percy Jackson fans in the AFTG fandom so here is my opinion over whose children would the foxes be (it makes no sense with their canonical parents but who cares?)

Neil Josten -> Neil is a son of Mars. Many might disagree but hear me out, it would make sense. Unlike Ares, the god of war's Roma persona Mars was the god of military power, not just war, which also includes not only bloodlust and an appeal to conflict, but strategic knowledge. You can't convince me that Neil Josten wouldn't want to run away from this legacy like he wants to run away from his father's legacy. But it is in his blood (which results in the wonderful roasts). Plus, Mars would be appealed and enticed by someone like Mary to begin with.

Kevin Day -> Kevin is the son of Athena. Athena is the Goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice: things someone would not usually attribute to Kevin, but he actually does take after her. She is also Goddess of crafts, and skill, and if there is anything Kevin values the most, it's skill. She is known most specifically for her strategic skill in warfare. Kevin is a known strategist when it comes to playing Exy.

The Minyard Twins -> This one is a bit tricky, because ideally, the two of them would not have the same godly parent but they are twins so we cannot separate them. I think (and this will be an unpopular opinion but hear me out) that Andrew and Aaron are sons of Apollo. And tbh, I'm tired of the stereotype that sons of Apollo are all sunshine uwu children. Aaron got his father's gift in healing, while Andrew got his blatant honesty, as well as a prophetic gift and the gift of delivering the most poetic lines.

Nicky Hemmick -> Nicky is the son Hermes. Hermes was the God of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. He is the most mischievous of the Olympian gods, and a protector of those who lost their way - usually during travels. Likewise, Nicky took in his brothers from their lost path while never losing his flair for the dramatic. He also loves spilling the tea and that's honestly all Hermes is about.

Matt Boyd -> Matt is the son of Zeus. Zeus is known for being wise, fair, just and merciful but also easily angered. Those are basically all things Matt is, but unlike his father, Matt is loyal to our best girl Dan.

Dan Wilds -> Dan is the daughter of the Roman Goddess Bellona. Bellona is the Roman goddess of war, destruction and devastation. She is an important goddess to the Romans, as she also controls the policy of foreign warfare. As a Captain with lots of bite in her, I think Dan takes a lot after her mother, who is often considered a Roman equivalent of Athena.

Allison Reynolds -> Allison is daughter of Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the Olympian goddess of love, beauty and sexual pleasure. While her mother is often consider the weakest of the Gods, some forget she is the eldest of them all and that love is a very powerful weapon. Also, Allison will snap your jaw if you call her weak.

Bonus: Seth Gordon, son of Ares. I don't think I need to enlighten and I find it funny how a daughter of Aphrodite and a son of Ares would get together.

Renee Walker -> She doesn't have a godly parent but Artemis recruited her in her Hunters. The Hunters of Artemis are maidens who have sworn loyalty to Artemis to join her in the Hunt and reject love for men for as long as they live. They gain eternal youth as long as they don't break their vows. Homosexual aromantic Renee would have the time of her life.

[fundielicious-simblr]

(Adalynn's POV)

Back to normal life I go! Getting to see my family at Harvestfest was so fulfilling and upbuilding, every year the family gets bigger and it’s amazing to see! My parents are definitely in their favourite season of life - being grandparents! Though they might be outnumbered quite heavily, they are truly in their element when surrounded by all their grandchildren and make time for each and every grandchild. Getting to announce my pregnancy as well as get the news from Kyleigh, Zoe, and Amira was also such a blessing to me! Whilst it was great to be with family around the holidays, we had to come home and get back to the real world. Waking up early to make breakfast before all the boys wake up is probably one of my favourite times of the day, I listen to hymns as I prepare breakfast as well as do the meal prep for lunch and dinner.

When the boys wake up is when the chaos starts, though they’ve all been asleep they get up and chat as if they have things they need to fill each other in on! I’ll never get tired of hearing them chatting away at the dining table, even if every now and again Mason or i will need to step in and remind them to be nice. Being out in the garden in the fresh air is also something I enjoy, the change in seasons happened so quick that I didn’t spend as much time in the garden as I should have. It’s great having fresh fruit and veggies available to us in our garden, it definitely helps cut our grocery shopping bill down by a bit and every bit helps when you’ve got 9 people to feed (including one growing a baby)! I did our bi-weekly grocery shop and spent almost $400, so finding ways to lower the food shop bill is definitely an on-going project.

This new baby definitely hanan hasn’t hesitated to remind me that there's a new baby about to join the family, usually at a very opportune time. The other day I had to expertly dodge toddlers to make it to the bathroom in time when afternoon sickness hit! I'm basically at the end of my 1st trimester now, meaning I'm hoping for my belly to properly pop sometime soon. Each pregnancy has been definitely different in terms of how my body shows the physical pregnancy symptoms, with this pregnancy you wouldn't even know I'm expecting if I didn't tell you. I'm excited for my belly to pop though, it gives me an obvious excuse/reason for the extra weight gain 😂 People ask us if we’re going to find out the gender, but with this pregnancy being my 7th and having all boys with my previous pregnancies, I feel safe in the assumption that this baby will also be a boy.

In other news, Mason's sister Molly got married! We'd been praying for this day for some time now and we are so blessed that it happened without a hitch! She's around 5 years younger than Mason, so we never really thought about when the Lord would show her who she'd marry, especially when you think about the fact that not everyone has marriage on the books for them. She met Elijah Olson when she was working as a camp guide along with some of her friends during a youth retreat that she attended when she was younger and outgrew as she aged. Elijah and his family live in Oasis Springs, meaning she's moving from down the road to a few hours away! Whilst we're sad to see her go, we couldn't be happier for her finding her love and starting a new life with him.

It was such an experience seeing Aaron and Angie give away their last child and only daughter away to be married, they've done such a good job raising both Mason and Molly, that they can truly look back and be proud of how they've raised their children who've grown into Godly adults! Ever since i first met them, I've taken Molly under my wing and treated her the way I treat my younger sisters, so watching her grow up and get married was an emotional day for me as well! Molly appointed me as her matron of honour and it was such a blessing to be standing by her on her special day, she'd come over with Angie and we'd help plan all the itty bitty wedding details late into the night once the boys were tucked into bed. I helped host her bridal shower along with her maid of honour, as well as helping coordinate the decorating of the church whenever I could.

My forever wedding date! Every wedding that we go to, especially family weddings that we help plan and execute, takes me back to our wedding all those years ago. 13 years and 7 (almost 8) children down the line, I could do this forever and ever with this man!

[avigenshin]

Oc Idea (Note: This is gonna have a lot of missing info and plot holes cuz i just wrote this for fun and didn’t give too much thought into it) (It’s also gonna be a little messy)

Name: Ava

Age: 15,000

Appearance: White hair and baby blue eyes. (She also has albinism)

-Ava is the princess of a highly respected and prosperous kingdom. The royal family of said kingdoms are the descendants of long forgotten gods and have ruled over the country for millennia.

-The royal family also aged slower than the average human and also held some traits later developed in life due to their lineage such as immunity to poison, the ability to float, etc. Traits differ from each person in the royal family.

-Ava has an identical twin brother named Aaron. Unlike Aaron who was born healthy Ava was born with a weak constitution. Due to this the young princess was abandoned at a long forgotten and old palace with few maids to take care of her.

-However due to her weak condition no one wanted to take care of her except for a young lady by the name of marianne. Marianne was a woman with blonde hair and pink eyes. Marianne had taken care of the princess as a way to cope with the loss of her younger sister. Giving the princess the love that she could not give to her sister.

- 20 Years passed and the princess was now 2 years old. Ava was a bright and cheerful child that longed for the love of her parents. She could never understand why she was abandoned. Had she done something wrong to displease them? She always thought

-Truthfully, It was due to her older twin brother, Aaron. Aaron was known as a genius due to the fact that he could pick up and learn subjects faster than his peers and was always praised for it. Whilst Ava who only had Marianne to teach her what limited knowledge she had could never compare to him.

-One day, on her 4th birthday. She decided to pick some berries in the nearby forest so that she could bake a cake with Marianne when she happened to stumble across a man with white hair and golden eyes.

-The man introduced himself as Runi. Curious, Runi asked the princess what she was doing here and they talked until late into the day. After that fateful encounter the princess would often sneak into the forest to talk to Runi.

- Years passed and Marianne had met her end. Runi took pity on the princess as she had no one else to turn to and offered to stay by her side and teach. The princess not wanting to be alone agreed and became his pupil.

-During her studies under her new master/teacher. She met Runi’s other pupils, a man with black hair and emerald green eyes by the name of Treyton and another man with baby blue hair and orange eyes by the name of Ethan.

-One day, guards swarmed the palace and took the princess to take her onto the battlefield. This was due to the fact that their kingdom was now at war and each noble including the royal family must send a representative from their family to go into battle for their family’s honour. The king and queen not wanting to risk their son’s life chose to send the princess to war instead.

-They justified it as “mercy” for the young princess as she was born with a young constitution and was bound to die soon.

-Thankfully,her master had taught her some skills to defend herself. She managed to survive by using her wits and small stature.

-She however, while patrolling the area managed to stumble across a boy that looked to be of the same age as her. Not noticing that the boy was from the enemy kingdom she called out to the boy and asked if he needed assistance.

-The boy was not interested in idle conversation and immediately lunged for the princess and after what felt like hours of fighting. The princess, out of sheer dumb luck managed to pin the boy to the ground.

-The princess not wanting to harm the boy as he seemed to be in the same situation as her offered her assistance. To which the boy laughed in her face “You're as young as I am not to mention you’re far less experienced than I am. How could you possibly help me?”

-She grew silent and drew her blade. The boy shut his eyes thinking that the princess was going to strike him but then he heard a clinking sound. It was the sound of his collar falling to the ground.

-”How did you…” “My master taught me that!” She exclaimed proudly. The boy after much contemplation decided that he would let the princess help him as she seemed to be much more skillful than she lets on.

-The boy introduced himself as Ray. He explained that he was taken as a slave/soldier by the enemy king after his parents died due to his powers. He was trained as a killing machine and was not allowed to rest until his training had been completed.

- Together, the princess disguised Ray as a knight of her kingdom and they both managed to slip away unnoticed due to the chaotic battlefield. The enemy king yelled at Ray for treason and threatened to murder Ray if he did not kill the princess.

-Ray became quiet and drew his bow at the princess only to shoot the king at the last second and push him off a cliff where he met his demise.

-After the war, Ray was welcomed into the kingdom and was brought in as an honorary knight for his bravery. He was also offered a position as the prince’s personal guard but declined insisting that he would rather stay with the princess who set him free.

-Thus,Ray became a pupil of Runi. Together, the four pupils and their master were inseparable and did everything together. However, the war had taken a lot out of the princess. She collapsed one day and got sick due to it.

-The fact that none of the maids took care of her only made her condition worse and Ray who was only taught to fight had no clue how to help the princess. Her fellow pupils had their own lives and were not able to take care of her 24/7. There was a high chance that the princess would pass away soon.

(At this point I no longer have anymore brain cells so pls bare with me)

-Runi who had gotten too close to her, refused to let her die and so he saved her using his godly magic. Truth be told Ravi is an ancient god that is related to the Royal family however he can’t tell Ava the truth or he will be forbidden from talking to her again.

-After this incident, the princess got better however she and Ray were once again thrown into war . However, unlike the previous war this one had lasted for 10 years. During the 10 years the third prince was born and Aaron was crowned as crown prince.

-However, after the war Ava and Ray had both received official titles and were given better treatment from the maids and butlers. Ava had won multiple battles for the kingdom and was given the position of “General”. At the young age of 10.

-While the princess’ reputation grew so did the bond between her and her twin and younger brother. Despite the fact they grew up differently they had a lot in common. The same could not be said about her relationship between the princess and her parents. She grew to despise them more and more as she grew older and always argued with her parents about everything.

-One fateful day, her parents died due to a car crash. However, the prince was 17 and not of age yet to take the king’s place. There were several arguments about this until a person proposed that they let both the twins rule under the supervision of the royal council and by some miracle everyone agreed. （Don’t ask me how or why idk either lmao)

-And thus began her rule as a queen (ig i don’t know. I’m really tired lmao)

-I’m too lazy to type properly so meh-

-So like- during her rule she one day finds a dragon kid in a burned down village cuz she took pity on him. The dragon’s name is Ravi. Shenanigans happens and she eventually adopts the dragon kid. However, there were multiple protests from everyone. She was like nah f ya’ll i’m keeping him >:D.

-She then got kidnapped at some point in her life and almost got married to some crazy prince but Ray killed him so we good now.

-Then, a child was abandoned by the castle. So she took it in and raised it as her own. She named her “Celeste”

-Then, she found a third kid who’s a mermaid named Ceru who was injured by the shore and at first she wasn’t gonna adopt him but then his mom died and she had to take him home lol.

(That’s pretty much all i got for now)

I wanna d i e now i remember why i don't write much lmao

[frederickwiddowson]

Leviticus chapter 9 comments: all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces

Leviticus 9:1 ¶  And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; 2  And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3  And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; 4  Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you. 5 And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation: and

all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6  And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the LORD shall

appear unto you. 7  And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people:

and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.

 On the eighth day, right after their consecration, Aaron and his sons are called to service with no delay or break. This day the Lord God will appear to them and they must meet with Him with a sacrifice before.

When we want to experience God’s presence we would do well to offer the sacrifice of praise, offering the sacrifice of our lips, in glorifying and thanking the author of all of our blessings and hope.

Hebrews 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

 Matthew Henry reported that Jewish writers said that the bullock was required as an atonement for Aaron making the golden calf, as reported in Exodus.

These priests make atonement for themselves and then the people but our High Priest had no need for atonement.

Hebrews 7:22  By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. 23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,

separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. 28  For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

 Leviticus 9:8 ¶  Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9  And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him: and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar: 10  But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver of

the sin offering, he burnt upon the altar; as the LORD commanded Moses. 11  And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp. 12  And he slew the burnt offering;

and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. 13  And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar. 14 And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar. 15  And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. 16  And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner. 17 And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning. 18  He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about, 19  And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver: 20  And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar: 21  And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded. 22  And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.

 There are two things I want to bring out about this passage. The first is the teaching moment we find here between Aaron and his sons and its importance in regard to family devotions. The second has to do with Aaron acting as a type of Christ in blessing the people as their offering, Christ’s own offering, is accepted.

 One of the things I regret about my life in raising my children was that I did not have family devotions each day. When children are young they are very open to hear the Bible being read and can be taught to pray by their parents. It gets more difficult as they get older. I believe a time of family devotion is of more value than many visits to church. It is the duty of the parents to be the pastors of the family shepherding their children into a walk with Christ that produces lifetime benefits and commitment as well as eternal life. The home should not just be a place of refuge but also a place where teaching by example is paramount.

Secondly, Aaron here acts in Christ’s part as a type of Christ. Yes, there are limitations to all types and they break down at some point as Christ did not need to make sacrifice for Himself. But, Christ is our high priest, as was noted previously.

Leviticus 9:23 ¶  And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. 24  And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

 The LORD Jehovah consumed the burnt offering from the altar by fire. In the context of condemning idolatry it is written:

Deuteronomy 4:24  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

 Paul also references this regarding reverence and godly fear.

 Hebrews 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

 The awe and dread that a direct encounter with the Creator of the universe inspires would lead anyone to fall flat on their face.

Judges 13:20  For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

 Ezekiel 1:28  As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

 But it is also one posture of worship.

 Joshua 5:14  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

 1Corinthians 14:25  And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

[dfroza]

God-breathed.

this is the inspiration of the writing of Scripture by the guidance of the Spirit to illuminate the truth we find in Light and in Love.

and such is True nature of the words we read in Paul’s Letter of 2nd Timothy with Today’s reading of chapter 3:

And know this: in the last days, times will be hard. You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They deny His power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these. They’re snakes slithering into the houses of vulnerable women, women gaudy with sin, to seduce them. These reptiles can capture them because these women are weak and easily swayed by their desires. They seem always to be learning, but they never seem to gain the full measure of the truth. And, just as Jannes and Jambres rose up against Moses, these ungodly people defy the truth. Their minds are corrupt, and their faith is absolutely worthless. But they won’t get too far because their stupidity will be noticed by everyone, just as it was with Jannes and Jambres.

You have been a good student. You have closely observed how I have lived. You’ve followed my instructions, my habits, my purpose, my faith, my patience. You’ve watched how I love and have seen how I endure. You have been with me through persecutions and sufferings—remember what they did to me in Antioch? In Iconium and Lystra? I endured all of it, and the Lord rescued me from it all! Anyone wishing to live a godly life in Jesus the Anointed will be hunted down and persecuted. But as for the wicked and the imposters, they will keep leading and following each other further and further away from the truth. So surely you ought to stick to what you know is certain. All you have learned comes from people you know and trust because since childhood you have known the holy Scriptures, which enable you to be wise and lead to salvation through faith in Jesus the Anointed. All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.

The Letter of 2nd Timothy, Chapter 3 (The Voice)

with the paired reading of Exodus chapter 29 describing God’s instructions for consecrating the ancient Hebraic Priests, beginning with Aaron, brother of Moses:

[Consecration of Priests]

“This is the ceremony for consecrating them as priests. Take a young bull and two rams, healthy and without defects. Using fine wheat flour but no yeast make bread and cakes mixed with oil and wafers spread with oil. Place them in a basket and carry them along with the bull and the two rams. Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.

“Then take the vestments and dress Aaron in the tunic, the robe of the Ephod, the Ephod, and the Breastpiece, belting the Ephod on him with the embroidered waistband. Set the turban on his head and place the sacred crown on the turban. Then take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, anointing him. Then bring his sons, put tunics on them and gird them with sashes, both Aaron and his sons, and set hats on them. Their priesthood is upheld by law and is permanent.

“This is how you will ordain Aaron and his sons: Bring the bull to the Tent of Meeting. Aaron and his sons will place their hands on the head of the bull. Then you will slaughter the bull in the presence of God at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Take some of the bull’s blood and smear it on the horns of the Altar with your finger; pour the rest of the blood on the base of the Altar. Next take all the fat that covers the innards, fat from around the liver and the two kidneys, and burn it on the Altar. But the flesh of the bull, including its hide and dung, you will burn up outside the camp. It is an Absolution-Offering.

“Then take one of the rams. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on the head of the ram. Slaughter the ram and take its blood and throw it against the Altar, all around. Cut the ram into pieces; wash its innards and legs, then gather the pieces and its head and burn the whole ram on the Altar. It is a Whole-Burnt-Offering to God, a pleasant fragrance, an offering by fire to God.

“Then take the second ram. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on the ram’s head. Slaughter the ram. Take some of its blood and rub it on Aaron’s right earlobe and on the right earlobes of his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the rest of the blood against all sides of the Altar. Then take some of the blood that is on the Altar, mix it with some of the anointing oil, and splash it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes so that Aaron and his clothes and his sons and his sons’ clothes will be made holy.

“Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the innards, the long lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh: this is the ordination ram. Also take one loaf of bread, an oil cake, and a wafer from the breadbasket that is in the presence of God.

“Place all of these in the open hands of Aaron and his sons who will wave them before God, a Wave-Offering. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the Altar with the Whole-Burnt-Offering—a pleasing fragrance before God, a gift to God.

“Now take the breast from Aaron’s ordination ram and wave it before God, a Wave-Offering. That will be your portion.

“Consecrate the Wave-Offering breast and the thigh that was held up. These are the parts of the ordination ram that are for Aaron and his sons. Aaron and his sons are always to get this offering from the Israelites; the Israelites are to make this offering regularly from their Peace-Offerings.

“Aaron’s sacred garments are to be handed down to his descendants so they can be anointed and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest is to wear them for seven days and enter the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place.

“Take the ordination ram and boil the meat in the Holy Place. At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons will eat the boiled ram and the bread that is in the basket. Atoned by these offerings, ordained and consecrated by them, they are the only ones who are to eat them. No outsiders are to eat them; they’re holy. Anything from the ordination ram or from the bread that is left over until morning you are to burn up. Don’t eat it; it’s holy.

“Do everything for the ordination of Aaron and his sons exactly as I’ve commanded you throughout the seven days. Offer a bull as an Absolution-Offering for atonement each day. Offer it on the Altar when you make atonement for it: Anoint and consecrate it. Make atonement for the Altar and consecrate it for seven days; the Altar will become soaked in holiness—anyone who so much as touches the Altar will become holy.

“This is what you are to offer on the Altar: two year-old lambs each and every day, one lamb in the morning and the second lamb at evening. With the sacrifice of the first lamb offer two quarts of fine flour with a quart of virgin olive oil, plus a quart of wine for a Drink-Offering. The sacrifice of the second lamb, the one at evening, is also to be accompanied by the same Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering of the morning sacrifice to give a pleasing fragrance, a gift to God.

“This is to be your regular, daily Whole-Burnt-Offering before God, generation after generation, sacrificed at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. That’s where I’ll meet you; that’s where I’ll speak with you; that’s where I’ll meet the Israelites, at the place made holy by my Glory. I’ll make the Tent of Meeting and the Altar holy. I’ll make Aaron and his sons holy in order to serve me as priests. I’ll move in and live with the Israelites. I’ll be their God. They’ll realize that I am their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live with them. I am God, your God.”

The Book of Exodus, Chapter 29 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, April 15 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

[dejaaalm]

Interracial Marriages

I feel like writing right now. I normally would have these kind of thoughts reflected and drafted out first before posting but I feel like writing freely and letting my thoughts flow through at this moment. 

A few weeks ago, I was on Facebook looking around and somehow I landed on a video of a Hmong pastor speaking about being rooted in having values, a vision, and a belief system. Having these things in your life will teach your children how to be good people or Christians. I thought the message was good and on point; I really liked a lot of the motivational things he said. But there was one thing he said that left a really bad taste in my mouth. He said that one (Hmong person) should never think that their soul mate is somewhere among the White people, nor would a black person think that their soul mate is among the Hmong people. In a nutshell, what he was saying is that we need to know our parents' values and incorporate those values into our own which is to say that we should not be in an interracial marriage or relationship. I have nothing against him or what he said. My only concern is that as a pastor, you have the platform and authority to teach, influence, and lead others. With that kind of statement, it creates a ripple effect and impacts the way people view those who are in interracial marriages. I was actually quite sadden by the comment. In case you didn’t know, I married a White guy. Does that mean I devalued my parents' values and my own culture? Or that I am lesser than those who decided to marry their own kind?

He said that when he was determining what his values were, he looked to see if they are rooted in scriptures. It made me ponder, does the Bible really prohibit interracial marriages? I've read many times about being unequally yoked but this is not the same thing. Being unequally yoked has nothing to do with race but more so to do with faith. The apostle Paul wrote "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers." (2nd Corinthians 6:14) Moses was a Hebrew and he married a Cushite woman. In Numbers 12:1-15, Aaron and Miriam were punished for criticizing Moses' interracial marriage. There are also other stories in the Bible about Godly men and women who were in interracial marriages.

My parents have always wanted my siblings and me to marry a Hmong spouse. My older brothers married Hmong women. My older sister married a White guy. I married a White guy. My younger sister, Mk, married a Hmong guy, and now my baby sister is engaged to her African American fiancé.

My dad, the leader of our household, always said to us "My heart desires for you to marry a Hmong person. I cannot stop you from making your decision, but I want you to marry someone you really love and who can love and take good care of you. I do not want you to feel sad that your dad did not stop you from marrying your spouse." My dad's view on interracial marriages is that if there was ever an issue, it will be hard for him to intercede because of the language and cultural barrier. Hmong culture is a collective culture. We do things together and when things go south, we try to find a resolution together. It is not that he hates other cultures but more that he is afraid he cannot help us if our marriage is failing.

My mom, the caretaker of our household, has a much different view than my dad. She is succumb to saving face. Hmong culture places a high value on having a good face, good reputation, good fame, and good everything. Having your child marry someone who is not Hmong is a sign of disgrace. It means you did not do your due diligence of parenting correctly because your child has rebelled against you and the Hmong cultural values. Her view is "everyone will look at me and ask why my kids don't love me." Hmong can be very blunt and hurtful, but they'll say that their words are words of encouragement. When Scott came to my parents' house to pay the bride price, my aunt said to my mom (in front on me), "Tias neej no ces ntshai koj yuav tsis tau txoj hmoov zoo tau ib tig vauv Hmoog. Pab nrog koj tu siab niam hlob." (Translation: In this life, you will probably not have the good fortune of having a Hmong son-in-law. I feel sorry/sad for you.) Supposedly, her saying that was supposed to guilt me into changing my mind.

I feel sad that I have to even write this. I have to get this off my chest because it is heavy. Never once in my life did I ever think that I wanted to be a disgrace to my parents, or purposely rebel against them because I don't love them, or bring humiliation to them. I love my parents. Everything I've ever done or continue to do is to make them proud of me, to succeed for them, to show them how much I appreciate them, and that their sacrifices and survival for all of us was not done in vain.

It's not that I'm not attracted to Hmong guys. I am. In fact, I dated a Hmong guy for 5 years all throughout high school. I was adamant he was the one for me. Of course, the man above had different plans for me. I love my Hmong culture. I value that we are a strong and resilient minority group. I love that we value family, education, and having a good job. I love that we care about our elders, preserving our cultural practices such as the bride price and wearing Hmong clothes during the new year time, and our unique language. What I don't love is this! This saving face crap.

I had the wonderful opportunity to teach people at my workplace about my culture. I spent countless hours reading, researching, observing, and putting a professional presentation together. One of the biggest things I learned is that you can not mix culture and religion together. Sometimes, it seems as though religion drives culture and at other times culture drives religion. The biggest difference is that culture is always changing whereas religion does not. Secondly, culture is about a group of people’s social heritage and religion is associated with God, a god, or higher being. A lot of our Hmong churches with older generation members (Baby Boomers and Generation X groups), has a tendency to mix cultural values and beliefs with what is biblical. Marrying someone who is Hmong is NOT a biblical or Christianity thing. That is a Hmong cultural value. Although, as I mentioned above, culture tends to change. Is it really a cultural value or an individual value? Marrying someone who is NOT a Christian is not a cultural thing, that is a biblical thing.

Here’s another perspective, a Somalian can be a Muslim. Is a Muslim a Somalian? No. A Hmong person who marries a Hmong person can have good values. Is it a good value to marry a Hmong person? Well, that depends on what YOU as an individual believe in. Marrying a Hmong person is not something that I value or place a high regard on. I value marrying someone I am attracted to and who loves me and my family. 

Back to what I said earlier, though, to be a minister and say that kind of bold statement is quite an incorrect thing. It is no wonder why people like my mom would feel ashamed or belittled. I’m not trying to bash on anyone or offend anyone. I just wanted to express how this ripple effect affects people like my mom. I think it’s important that everyone has their own individual values, but don’t try to promote your own personal values as a propaganda to say that it is from the bible. You like grapes. I hate grapes. You might think drinking alcohol is a sin, but I might think drinking alcohol leads to uncontrollable drunkenness that can lead to sin and not the act itself. 

If I lived in a society where all men were Hmong, my chances of marrying a Hmong man is 100%. Here in America, we are exposed to hundreds of diverse cultures. What were the chances of me ever meeting my husband? 1 out of millions. My husband loves me and I love him. We have two beautiful children together. I’m pretty sure the only person who is responsible for me meeting and falling in love with my husband is God. I believe and live by this Bible verse every day: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) After all, God didn’t just create Hmong. He created all of us and we were all created in His image.

[heymich]

My unlikely pro-life, pro-science, pro-God views, Part 5

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

I often feel I have more questions than I have answers. But these are my current thoughts on these questions on my mind. I would love to hear your thoughts, if you care to share. May the Lord grant us wisdom to discern through these difficult questions. The reason why I want to write is just to simply organize my thoughts. You are welcome to read. Please don’t feel pressured that my way is the only way you should think. These are simply my thoughts. Ultimately my “opinion” does not matter but God’s word is the only thing that really matters. Let’s keep seeking His will. Search it for yourself! I have a growing list of questions and concerns to work through so thank you to anyone willing to read this so far.

What if you feel called by God to do a certain ministry that requires you to have fewer children?  - I was reading recently in 2 Chronicles 26 how King Uzziah (v 16-21) decides to burn incense on the incense altar even though only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron have the right to offer incense. My CSB describes Uzziah as “he grew arrogant... acted unfaithfully against the LORD his God...” I find that this is a good story to see that God wants to be approached on His terms, as great as humans might have ideas on what it means to serve God may be. Not everyone can be called to the same tasks, even ones that they desire for “sense” God calling them to do. Also if God clearly calls you to a certain task (e.g. becoming a parent for example), you might have to adjust your expectations and sacrifice other seemingly godly desires to fulfill your calling. Though I think it sounds like a really great calling to be in ministry, I don’t think God would call someone to enter in to a certain ministry if it required them to compromise His other instructions. So perhaps missionary callings that involve a level of risk to children might be more suitable to singles, or families who don’t have children for whatever reasons that God ordains. And perhaps for the young family that has intentions to grow their family and be open to the Lord’s will for their fertility... it seems to make sense to consider ministries that your family can fully participate in for that season and to be faithful with the calling of raising your family for the glory of Christ and seeing the family as ministry as well. For some families, the husband feels called to include their family in dangerous missionary journeys, and for some families, the couple agree to separate for the sake of God’s calling for the husband’s life. I’ve also heard of stories where the woman leaves the husband for missionary work. Though I may not agree with some of these decisions, I have not probed enough to understand the reasonings for their decisions. It’s not up for me to judge, but I would will like to seek understanding for how they discerned the see what the fruit of those decisions are. For those ministries that prefer “smaller” families... well I don’t have enough experience to speak into that but I definitely have a lot of probing questions. I also have tons of questions about how others families function in ministry, and how they decide their family planning with their ministry callings, but I’ll have to pick on those families brains when I meet them... there’s really a lot I don’t understand about the missionaries I’ve read about, where they have denied or sacrificed what I consider family responsibilities for the sake of furthering the Gospel to unreached areas. I’m willing to learn but right now my mind is fixed on how do I be faithful in the ministry of family.

If you do choose to reduce the amount of potential children in your family, how do you go about doing that in a way that honours the Lord and does not compromise God’s other commands and intentions for your life? - See here is where my brain is really puzzled. How exactly do families choose to limit their children? Because in my mind I’m walking through a minefield of compromise. I mean if you don’t see any mines in this field I’m looking at, or you see them and you are able to successfully avoid them... great, good for you. I just am troubled and don’t think I can cross this field. - Barrier Methods like condoms and diaphragms- in a pro-life stance, yes you aren’t killing anyone. Great. It is not 100% effective, so... are you saying you are still going to protect that life if life is formed (against your original intentions to not have more children?). Also at the end, I share my attitude concern * - Birth control Pill or IUD- abortafacients are against my Christian conscience, I don’t think any Christian should use any of these methods but I understand there is a level of ignorance people are willing to carry to continue on with their personal decisions. More info here  - Abortion, or morning after pill- I don’t think I have to explain this, but for those Christians who are “pro-choice”... I’ll have to save that for another discussion. But yeah, the 6th commandment is do not kill. Science affirms that life begins at conception. Abortion is the termination of the life of the unborn baby.   - Natural family planning, abstinence- see this is where the “natural” folk and pro-lifers might consider this as a good option. However I do have a concern again about the heart attitude*. In The Birth Control Movie Project, one of the speakers, who I have come to love, Nancy Campbell explains well (I paraphrase from the top of my head) that during the women’s fertile time when she is going to ovulate, it is when her sexual desires are increased. It’s like God designed it to be that way because He wants increase! This is fascinating to me, as I have noticed in the past during my single years, how my emotions, longings and desires would change during my cycle and I would feel such a relief after my period came (I know, TMI, gross period talk, sorry). But to learn this is part of God’s amazing design... I can’t help but think... yay God you are all-wise!! Okay back to my concern about NFP... so if a couple (or either partners in that couple) decides to AVOID sex during a time where the woman is most fertile... it could result in denying either spouse intimacy which is also contrary to Scripture (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). I once was looking up NFP and learned a couple from a blog I used to follow wrote a book about the benefits of NFP. I learned later that they ended up divorcing. One might consider the dangers of NFP and what impact that has on a marriage if at certain seasons you are having to deprive one another... and for what reason? I hope it’s a godly reason! And for those who might consider long-term abstinence as a married couple (does that actually happen?) I guess I don’t fully understand why that couple would get married in light of 1 Corinthians 7 but perhaps there are single for Christ minded people who want to get married and have a partner for Gospel ministry and are willing to live like they are “single”? As long as they don’t forget that when they covenanted with God and their spouse in marriage... there will be marriage responsibilities. Not everyone should get married if they aren’t open or ready for the responsibility of being a husband/wife and father/mother.  - Vasectomy, tubal ligation, hysterectomy- for normal, healthy, functioning body parts... why “fix” something that isn’t broken? I haven’t read too much on the ethics of these procedures but... from what I know some couples experience hormonal changes that can impact mood and intimacy, sometimes the procedures are irreversible and the couple later on wants to have more children and can’t. God gave these body parts to be used for His purposes! 

- Sure you can pull out the “stewardship” argument, but then I would want to ask, what was the thing God gave to us intended for? Voddie Baucham has mentioned frequently “If you don’t know the purpose of the thing, you’re doing to abuse it” (sorry if I misquoted it). What are these reproductive body parts intended by God for? What are my arms and legs meant for? It would be ridiculous for me to purposefully disable myself by cutting off my arms or legs and be physically handicapped but I could say it is for the sake of stewardship (I don’t know, I serve in the handicap ministry and people might get jealous I have functional arms and legs? That sound stupid I know. Or maybe I work in an area where my arms and legs might cause me to stumble... I mean Jesus would support it right?). But yeah it sounds crazy because it is. Yet for some reason if we alter our reproductive parts so they no longer work the way it was intended for, it might be in some minds, be considered “good stewardship”. Because you know, we are living for the kingdom... I have more questions and thoughts about “stewardship” later (e.g. financial, mental, emotional, etc.)

* And ultimately it is the heart attitude is what I am more concerned about. Separating sex from procreation seems to me, to be very unnatural and against God design for sex (which includes "glorify God, bring forth children, express intimacy, provide comfort, and bless the spouse.”- CARM). Seeing children being in the way of the plans you have for your life (or the plans you think God has for your life) doesn’t seem right to me... is this really okay with God? I mean if God was wanting a married couple/family to participate ministry and children would be detrimental to that ministry, God in His wisdom could just make the couple infertile right? I would love to see someone bring up Scriptures that can help me see that this is something exemplary to do. I am boggled by the amount of choices available to people today and the ethics that follow these decisions. 

I understand I know it’s not a simple journey for some people and families who are trying to obey God in other areas of their lives and don’t see the issue I am talking about as being a “primary” one to consider, or may think this compromise is not worth spending so much time on... for me though, if God has brought this concern to light in my life, sometimes when I see others choosing to “compromise” with out much thought, I find it discouraging and tempting that maybe I can just throw my own convictions out of the window. Is it fair to say... brother or sister, please consider that you don’t cause me to stumble? I can imagine a response like “oh, you just follow what God wants you to do, and I’ll follow what God wants me to do”. I can see that happening regarding many decisions in life but regarding the creation of life... I don’t know, it just would be nice if we were all on the same page about what attitude to have about this. I mean think about it, are you aware that in the States, in the late 1800′s contraception was considered illegal? Doesn’t that say something? And apparently in Canada we didn’t have divorce laws until 1968... I would have to research more. I’m just saying... just because something becomes normal for a culture doesn’t mean it was always normal. And if it wasn’t normal before, I would like to know... how did we get here? Was it moral upgrade or downgrade that led us to this kind of normalization?

Inquisitive Michelle

[foxcroft-rpg-blog]

Congratulations, Charlie! Your custom character has been accepted with the face claim of Diego Luna. I really like the idea of a godly man fallen from grace, cast out into this town full of sinners and being told fix it. I think that there’s a lot of opportunity for him to go up against Val, and I think that he’d be an interesting connection for one of our upcoming characters -- Beth. I’m really excited to get to work on his bio.

Note: This character’s biography is under construction. They will be posted to the main as soon as possible. Once posted, the applicant will have the chance to apply without any competition. Should the applicant not complete the application within a week from the post date, the character will open for applications.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Name: Charlie

Age: 25

Preferred pronouns: She/Her

Time zone: GMT

Activity: 7/10, I can generally be online and posting every day.

Anything else?: None

CHARACTER PITCH (questions with asterisks must be answered)

*Give me your “30 second pitch” (5 sentences, or bullet points max. What is your idea for the character? If you can, tie them into the overall plot.):

Count the reasons why a popular big city preacher would be abruptly pushed into a town like Foxcroft, and beating a man into a bleeding, crying wreck might be one of very few. He had his excuses of course – it was self-defence, or else it was the broken marriage and the whiskey – but they did nothing to change the outcome. An excellent defence lawyer was hired, then the church quietly covered up the event and sentenced him to a town that had cast out religion. If he was not a good man then he was at least a devout man, and he vowed his redemption would be restoring godliness to a place that was sorely lacking. But when he made the promise he had not anticipated the unsolved murders hanging in the air, the cult of would-be immortals meeting in his church, nor the naked hostility he would face – in truth, the longer he lives in Foxcroft, the more he suspects it was the devil who brought him here.

How long have they been in Foxcroft: (1-3 sentences) Approximately six months. I see this character arriving shortly after the discovery of Adam Foxcroft’s body, and struggling to find their place or the role of the church in the town in the wake of it.

*FC ideas: (in no order of preference) Henry Cavill, Lee Pace, Oscar Isaac, Aaron Tveit, Jake Gyllenhaal, Diego Luna

*Personality ideas:

[+] Charismatic / The kind of man with a joke and a smile for everyone he meets, he shakes hands with half the town and remembers the names of their children. At the pulpit he is transformed, a booming voice carrying to the back of the church and filling his congregation with the words of the Lord. Back in the city they called him inspirational, in Foxcroft they might just call him crazy.

[-] Hypocritical / The face he presents to the world is a generous man with a good heart, but underneath the surface lurks the violence, the late night whiskey and the family who wouldn’t follow him here. He hasn’t yet found the Bible passage to justify that. He goes to great pains to relax his posture and sound jovial, but inside there is a taut string just ready to snap.

[+] Ambitious / Once he was a man with a sparkling future ahead of him. The charity work with inner city kids and long days spent feeding the homeless were not insincere, but there is no denying another motive behind them. He dreamed of the day when he would have a leadership position in the church, a chance that was ruined in one dreadful night.

[-] Obstinate / His faith is fixed firmly in his mind, and even in the darkest of days he has not wavered from its path. Not every idea might run deeply as his belief, but once his mind is set it is difficult to change - no matter the arguments that go against it.

Do you want this character to be non-human?: (If so, please list at least two species. This does not guarantee that they will be non-human. We are not currently accepting immortals.) I would be totally happy with them being human, but I can also see a dream stealer, wyrth or moonbound adding an interesting twist to the character.

Does this character have any ties to Hazel Abrams? To Adam Foxcroft?: (It’s ok if they don’t, but if you have any ideas on this, it could add to the role.) In Hazel’s description it states that her parents were god-fearing but didn’t go to church. Perhaps the grief of their daughter’s death drove them back, or else they chose to see the preacher in private.