#charlie and glenn p much look the same

[howertism]

babiessss

[dacergirl369]

s14 trailer breakdown!!!

okay so from the trailer there are six clear episode plot line we can see- a zoo episode, a laser tag episode, what i will refer to as the ‘melon episode’, dines out 2.0, a noir episode, and an episode where he whole gang seems to have a corporate meeting and then watch a movie at a private screening that they find *very* exciting. So, let’s go through what we can see about these plotlines from the trailer and what we can piece together from bts info, and then look at what’s missing from trailer and what this could mean. buckle in, because my ted talk is about to get started. in the essay i literally will. Let’s go.

So, we have an episode list, but only the description for the first ep, “tg gets romantic”. we know that in “tg chokes” the gang goes to guiginos at least once due to a scene rob leaked on instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/B1NBx6-HOxM/?igshid=yg2ql5uyu4w1, https://www.instagram.com/p/B1zgApEHXhv/?igshid=1ge7qkgw5bm0d), so let’s start there.

We can see the entire opening scene for tg chokes on robs instagram, which shows us the gang are back at guiginos for a meal all together (which is also shown in the trailer). But the trailer has another guiginos scene (where dee appears to have a reaction and the waiter appears to use an epipen on her), where the gang (bar charlie and mac, who both only own one quote unquote “nice” outfit), are all wearing different outfits. So we know they visit guiginos at least twice this season. These more than likely happen in the same episode (what i called “dines out 2.0” before but we know is actually called “the gang chokes”).

Moving on to the laser tag episode. It’s... a laser tag episode. Unfortunately I don’t have much to say about it, but it’s a very clear plotline featuring the whole gang. It’s hard to tell if they wear the same outfits at another point because of the vests, but based on dees shirt i don’t think so. This plotline most likely takes up most or all of an episode (maybe dee day? my girl seems to be really enjoying the laser tag, so maybe?).

Then we have the noir episode, which we know is “the janitor always mops twice”. A whodunnit where the premise is to find out who diarrhoea poisoned frank. features the whole gang + the waitress, based on cast instagrams.

Then we have the screening episode (?) which i will go on record as saying i believe will be the thundergun episode (thundergun 4: maximum cool), but that is just personal speculation and not really based in any “facts” or “real world observations” or whatever pussies and people with small meat base their predictions on. we see the gang in a meeting in a corporate style office (the scene where charlie thinks the window is a two way mirror) and then later towards the end watching something on the big screen in an empty cinema and cheering (wearing the same outfits as before). Personal prediction: they’re gonna try convince a studio to let them make thunder gun 4 like they did with lethal weapon. i WOULD like to point out that in robs instagram pictures with dolph lundgren he is wearing a grey v neck shirt sleeve t shirt and in the shots i just mentioned he was wearing a baseball shirt with a print on it, so just keep that in mind when assessing the realism of this theory. But those might have just been backstage or after shooting pics. Anything is possible in iasip.

Okay, next I’m gonna talk about the zoo episode. This is the first episode i’m gonna discus where there are gang members missing from what i can figure out of the plotline. So, we have a very clear story in the trailer of mac and charlie going to the zoo, seeing the meerkats, charlie pisses on mac. Later in the trailer, frank is shown tormenting a gorilla. dee and dennis do not appear to be at the zoo with them, and kaitlin and glenn don’t seem to have been on set at the zoo based on social media posts. dee and dennis are only seen alone together in one scene during the trailer, which is this puppy (0:05), where they appear to be at some kind of fair/stand/protest or something? I’m not sure what it is, but dee appears to be texting while dennis laughs mockingly at her, so potentially (WILD SPECULATION ALERT) the zoo episode is the gang texts and dee and dennis have the main plot of this episode. this is the only dee and dennis solo scene in the trailer however we do have unaccounted for plotlines so this could be a part of that and their plot in this episode may not have a shot in the trailer.

Finally (not finally, but lastly out of the plotlines i have lovingly sherlock-ed together), we have the melon episode. This is probably the episode the trailer gave us the most information about, and we can out together almost a whole plotline from these shots. This seems from the trailer to be crickets only episode of the season, although there is a video of david hornsby on robs instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/B1zEOJjnPG8/?igshid=yfciekezwnc3) of him wearing a different outfit, so maybe there’s another episode in store for rickety cricks this season.

The gang appear to be watching a show in the bar, dennis tells them to shut up so he can watch, they gasp and remark how much they love the show, although dee says the plot is absurd. Dennis says humans are stupid and should be eradicated, which is met with agreement. Seems like we’re gonna have some good ol fashioned meta references this season, folks! Anyways, after this they somehow stumble across franks melon in a safe, ask him and it, and drop it from a ladder (from which cricket catches it). they also seem to be looking at the office computer while dee gags. this looks to be a classic “gang finds a thing and is surprised and intrigued by it so investigate but in an idiot way” episode, although we don’t know what frank is up to during this melon madness. he doesn’t seem to wear that shirt at any other point during the trailer. hmmmmmmm frank wyd

that brings me to the end of clear episodes in the trailer, but there are a few other things that, while they don’t really fit in with any specific plot, gives us a little info about what else is going on this season.

we have a plotline where frank is in the waiters house with him and his mother, not sure what the gang is up to but we see frank wear that shirt earlier in the trailer with charlie. we don’t not see charlie wear his shirt again in the trailer so it’s most likely a plot not in the trailer. there’s also a shot of frank and charlie in their pjs in their apartment, potentially from the first episode (tg gets romantic) as according the episode description it appears to be the episode this flyer is from (https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ZZB-PnDeB/?igshid=nta7myvov0t2), which would make sense for the boys in their pjs, although they could really do that at any point in the season. we ALSO see mac and dennis in their apartment, also in pjs, talking about lunatics. this is likely from the same episode as the charlie & frank pj shot to mirror them, which strengthens the argument that it’s from the first episode due to both sets of guys having the same set up and problem just in different ways (both advertise for a person to come live with them, it goes wrong). dee is also there in this macden shot. maybe she is the lunatic in question? idk. we have dee and mac on what looks like a basketball court, dee is dancing, and after that we also have mac and charlie in the macden apartment and mac tries to swipe charlie’s boaba. i have no idea about these, so i don’t have much to say. just thought i’d bring em up.

NOW, onto what we didn’t see in the trailer. we KNOW there is an episode with poppins because of this instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/B01Cqu4nwMK/?igshid=1cc2y1uvonml0). none of the outfits these three are wearing come up in the trailer, so i’m forced to believe this is an episode we have not seen any shots of yet. not sure what dee and dennis are doing. it could be that shot i mentioned before in the zoo section, but we can’t be sure. we didn’t seem to see anything about the global warming episode that has been teased, either.

so let’s recap what we know (or what i think i know). there’s ten episodes this season. we can deduce six coherent plots from the trailer (laser tag, noir, zoo, melon, chokes, potential thundergun). we know there’s an episode with poppins with mac charlie & frank, and the global warming episode. the first episode is tg gets romantic, which we have the description of and most likely those pj shots. so that’s nine plotlines overall we seem to have a grasp on right now. i believe the one we don’t have any info for right now is the finale, and that both the plot details and the shots are being kept under wraps so that the finale is more hard hitting when it comes out. i do believe they’re gonna go hard, we’re living post mfhp, anything is possible, and last seasons finale is an awful lot to top. i can’t even guess at the finale plot. i am so excited.

so that’s my official trailer breakdown and review, i hope this was coherent and if you know anything else or know that im wrong about something please tell me, i’m just so excited i want to have as clear a picture as possible bcs i can’t wait to know what the seasons gonna be!!!!!!

((thank you to @lesbian-mac for listening to my two hours of trailer related rambling and telling me to post this lmao <3))

[iasipranked]

IASIP Episodes Ranked: #127 of 144 - The Gang Cracks The Liberty Bell

dir. Matt Shakman, written by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, & David Hornsby, aired November 6th 2008, Season 4 Episode 11

summary: in order to get paddy’s certified as a historic landmark, mac, dennis, and charlie make up an intricate story surrounding how their ancestors were responsible for the cracking of the liberty bell.

abby’s favorite line: “nayeth!” -mac

luce’s favorite line: ‘yeeEeEeEEEEeEessss!’ -dennis

positives:

this episode is a huuuuge risk in terms of storytelling and narrative but rcg really pulls it off! it’s a very entertaining and amusing 20 minutes that’s pretty different to regular sunny but in a way, also exactly the same 

the attention to detail that rcg and crew put to this: the props in the bar, the costume design, the dialogue, fitting history into the gang’s wild imagination, is very very cool and commendable

mac, dennis, and charlie coming up with this elaborate and overly complicated story Just to lead up to a single moment where the dudes who are carrying the liberty bell drop it just bc they get distracted by cricket wearing a pumpkin for a head....shouldn't expect anything else tbh

the dissonance of the gang’s broken old english in this episode is hilarious and again shows how dumb they are

the frank and charlie teamup this episode is really funny, like them just casually testing out guns on each other to see if they work is peak dumbass

the trash trio thinking that george washington is just So ugly that they wanna cut him out of the goddamn frame

frank getting scalped It’s What He Deserves

random but i wish dee would spit on me like she spit on cricket :////

dee in general this episode is the best character overall, being only mildly exasperated about her brother owning her as a slave, claiming to be an activist and support the revolution (only because it meant she would no longer be a slave) until her superfluous shallowness draws her to the other side almost immediately - plus the badassery of her spitting on cricket multiple times with no consequences even though she is a slave

the gang’s sexism and racism in this episode is actually put to comedic effect as frank is almost scalped by native americans, and dee being accused of being a witch by dennis is social commentary of the time period as well as indicative of dennis’ continued manipulation of dee throughout her life

negatives:

mac uses the word ‘she-male’ in this Hhhhhh Kill Me just that blatant and nonchalant transphobia is Tiring

as a brit the use of the slur p**fs is quite jarring as i’ve never heard it used in a setting other than overt homophobia before. while the use is comedic and representative of the time period it is an uncomfortable moment watching the episode, however as rcg are american they might not have realised how bad/antiquated it is (not dissimilar to f*ggot)

in this episode the four men characters feel quite two-dimensional and many of their scenes are drawn out too long as they explain too much what they’re doing (re: dennis teaching mac how to pronounce the words, this was funnier when dennis was actually doing the accent before)

the gang circling back to the liberty bell after going on such a tangent, while funny as it is a peak dumbass conclusion to their story, can feel quite abrupt as the audience will likely have forgotten about the liberty bell part of the story by this point

tldr: while this episode has the occasional use of slurs, being made pretty early on and constructing a unique premise gives us a different look into the gang

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Fear 4x15: Analysis

Okay, who watched Fear last night? I really loved this episode. I totally freaked out about three different times. Let's just dive right in.

 **As always, spoilers abound for FTWD 4x15. Don’t read until you’ve watched! You’ve been warned!**

In the opening credits, we saw a car with flashing lights. This is because we had several instances of walkers or people falling onto cars from great heights, making the alarms went off. Just having the car symbol makes me side-eye it, though.

So, just as we suspected, Alica and Charlie found Strand and John. They had to go looking for some way to get them off the island.

John told Strand that he had symbolically relegated himself to an island before, but that "someone else took me off that island." I thought that was a really cool way to explain it and it definitely parallels to Beth and Daryl. We all know Daryl goes into survival mode intends to emotionally maroon himself on an island. It was Beth who brought him out of that, just as June brought John out of it. Yet another parallel between the two story lines.

Searching for a boat to help John and Strand, Alicia and Charlie first look at a bathtub. It's one of those things they don't use and has no relevance to the story, so it must be symbolic. 

There haven’t been tons of bathtubs in the show, but there've been a few. The one that first occurred to me was with the governor in 4x06. In the same scene where he gets the backgammon game and sees a wheelchair, he finds a legless walker in a bathtub. A bathtub, by definition, could also be part of the Bathroom/Toilet Paper Theme.

Alicia and Charlie meet up with Martha (Filthy Lady). She tries to kill them, but then passes out from blood loss. They end up taking Al’s truck back from her and use it to go rescue John and Strand. I noticed they did actually find a canoe on top of the car, but didn't use it. So, the symbolism here was very strong.

They see a bathtub and then a boat, both of which have major connections to water. (Beth = water)

The other thing that occurred to me is that we saw the boat, and we all know that ocean/boat/sailor stuff is reminiscent of Beth. And right after that, Martha started shooting at Alicia. She didn't hit her, but she hit the car window and the glass broke. (Broken Glass Theme) It reminded me of 5x16 where Sasha fights with FG over the gun and shoots the glass picture. I'm just pointing out that we have an instance of water-related objects, followed by a gunshot that breaks glass.

Eventually, they do manage to rescue Strand and John from the island and reunite with all the others.

Morgan's group is still stranded at hospital. First off, Jim pees off the side of the building, onto the walkers. He had reasons for doing so, but I couldn't help but be reminded of Daryl peeing in the moonshine shack. And remember, Jim is the one who makes his own homemade alcohol. So, we have a person associated with that peeing, just like there Daryl did.

Morgan's group (sans Jim) decides to go back down to the hospital and look for Al. She got out her own way and has disappeared. They don't find her in this episode. But all the walkers that were clustered at the doors of the elevator are gone. Something drew them away. And why did they not come back when Morgan tapped his stick on the ground? Because the roof had caved in and trapped them all.

Guys, that is EXACTLY what happened in TWD 4B, when Glenn was looking for Maggie. Remember in that case, they were in a tunnel and the roof caved in, trapping all the walkers. In both cases, we didn't see the actual cave-in, just the aftermath. In both cases, a couple (Glaggie and John/June) reunited directly after.

Morgan decides he will stay behind and distract the walkers so the group can get away. This whole situation was very much like S1. The rooftop even looked a whole lot like the one they left Merle on. Some people people (Morgan in this case) created a distraction so the others could get out, just like Rick and Glenn created a distraction so that they could rescue the others from the mall in S1.

Morgan ends up throwing a walker onto a car, setting off a blaring alarm to lure walkers away from the hospital’s entrance. That's very much like the car alarm Glenn used in S1 to distract walkers away from the entrance of the mall.

Now, at this point it's obvious that this hospital is not Grady. Remember we wondered before if the hospital scenes in FTWD could possibly have been shot at the same location as Grady. At this point, it's obvious that is the case. Even if it didn't look the same in the show, I think they would've told us on TTD that it was the same location. They always do that.

They actually named the hospital this episode. It’s called St. Luke's, and we see a Travis County ambulance. I checked and there is more than one St. Luke’s Hospital in Texas, and Travis County is real as well. But at this point, it really doesn't matter. This parallels to Grady are crazy-strong.

Morgan decides to stay on the rooftop with Jim, mostly because the generator is out of juice in the elevators not working. So, he really has no way down because walkers are filling the stairwells. He tells June that “at least, I got you on your way back to John." That struck me as something that could be Beth-ish. Maybe he'll help her on her way back to Daryl and TF.

I noticed they use the phrase “class A asshole” twice. I wondered if perhaps we could relate that to the A theme. Not only because of the “class A” part, but because remember that during S7, tptb said the A on the back of Daryl’s shirt at the Sanctuary stood for “asshole.” We knew that couldn't be all the A stood for because it wouldn't go with other instances, but obviously they’re repeating the same patterns.

The entire group comes back for Morgan because they need him. He's become their leader. (Which is interesting because I remember a lot of people asking who the new leader would be when Madison died. (“Died.”) People speculated either Alicia or Strand, although neither seem quite up to par. It's obvious now that Morgan has become the leader, rather than one of them. This gives him a lot of parallels to Rick because in S1, Rick was trying to make it back to his family ended up leading a group of people he didn't know. Morgan has now done the exact same thing. And of course, by extension, this gives Morgan parallels to Beth as well.

Here's the part that made me pretty much split water out of my nose. When Team Fear Family comes to rescue Morgan from the hospital, what do they show up in but a FIRE TRUCK!!!

(ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?)

I mean, we have this hospital, and Morgan is trapped in it (technically on top) and all these different parallels with Grady. And then the group shows up in a fire truck? I seriously choked on my water when I saw that fire truck. I had to go rant to my group about how we don’t have to work for these parallels. They’re practically rubbing our noses in it. You don't get any closer to Grady than hospital with a fire truck in it.

 (Yes, I know there were spoilers about this some time ago, but I’d completely forgotten about them and my jaw still dropped when I saw it.)

Interestingly, they leave the fire truck behind and just take Al's truck. So, just like in TWD, the fire truck doesn't go with the group or show up again. We don't know exactly what happened with that fire truck in TWD. Obviously it was left behind at some point too. But keep in mind that they used it to rescue Morgan in this episode. I don't know how or why, but somehow that fire truck had something to do with rescuing Beth.

(P.S. I have more to say concerning this hospital and the generators and how they relate to the Battery Theory, based on a conversation I had with @boltthrutheheart right after watching this episode, but I’m gonna make that it’s own theory later in the week.)

We saw the Breaking Glass Theme here when Morgan is trying to get down to the fire truck. He jumps down to a different level of the hospital and immediately a walker breaks through some glass and attacks him. I love that John Dorie shot the thing in the head all the way from the ground. That just makes him more freaking awesome than he already is.

Jim gives his recipe for alcohol to Sarah before sacrificing himself so the group can live. He tells her to put the walkie to her ear so he can tell her that something only she can hear. That, too, is a parallel to S1. Remember that Dr. Jenner whispered something in Rick's ear that no one else heard. We now know it was that they were all infected. The rest of the group didn't learn that until the end of S2. Sarah seemed happy about whatever Jim told her, so I don't think it's a doom-and-gloom message. Even so, the parallel is there.

Martha gets away. She writes the recipe on Jim's face and takes him as her new pet walker. (Does she strike anyone else as Michonne’s evil twin? Just wondering.)

What I predicted at the beginning of 4B is what exactly what has happened and is happening in terms of the plot of the show. (That it would probably take the entire back half of the season for them to all reunite and get back on the road to Virginia.)

At the end of this episode, Morgan stated that they were find Al (obviously what next week’s finale will be about), and then they will go to Virginia together. So, things are on track as far as I'm concerned. I'm honestly not thinking we’ll probably see Beth next episode. It's possible we might see her as a final cliffhanger sort of thing, but I just don't feel like we’re quite there yet in story. If they meet her, chances it will be on the road back to Virginia. But still, everything we predicted so far for Morgan’s group has happened.

I’m very happy about that. ;D (Really not saying this to call myself a genius or anything. Just saying that if you read the signs and symbolism, the direction of the show becomes quite obvious.)

To close, just a couple of notes about things that were sent on TTD.

Aaron Stanford (who played Jim) pointed out that Jim had dialogue foreshadowing. Before they went to the hospital, he complained, saying they shouldn't go because they’d become trapped or separated and die. Everything he said came true. They did become trapped, got separated from Al, and he died.

On the one hand, it's sort of karmic justice because he was the one being negative about it, and therefore he was the one who died. That's just literature 101. The point is that they used a dialogue foreshadow, and then it was fulfilled. Remember how many dialogue foreshadows around Beth pointed to her living.

Jenna Elfman point out something very similar. Talking about Morgan's arc, she said in the first episode of FTWD S4, Morgan ran away from Alexandria and ended up in Texas. Before he left, Rick told Morgan that would he find his way back to people. That eventually he would find people want to be with them again. That happened. In fact, that's what Morgan's entire arc has been about in Fear. But again, my point is that dialogue foreshadows happen and then are fulfilled on the show. Beth’s will be too.

Aaron Stanford also mentioned Cartman from South Park. I won’t go into this too much, but it’s not the first South Park reference people outside the show have made. It’s not even the first one connected with Beth. You can read the other post I did about this HERE and make up your own mind.

So, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this episode of Fear. Anything catch anything I missed?

[johnchiarello]

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4

Tuesday 6-26-18

  NEW- Today I’m posting chapter 4 of my Ephesians study- and plan on finishing it up in 2 more posts.

On the video I made yesterday [Friends] it was interesting how I ran into my friends- I actually parked down the block and was walking to see Rick- under the overpass- and sure enough I ran into Andy and Charlie- I have made lots of videos with them before- and after I shut the video off they wanted to do some praying [which they did- and led in] and were really doing a sort of bible study when I rolled up on them. It was no joke- or just ‘doing it for the video’.

Later on some stuff happened- not between me and any of them- but things that happen on the street.

Some would think ‘hey- those guys were just praying- was it fake’?

No- it wasn't fake- and yes- many of my friends who struggle with addiction- they do stuff- that they actually don't;t 'want' to do.

Many of us have done the same [Read Romans 7]

So- for this short update- I think that's the story I should share.

There are many news stories going on right now- some locally and of course nationally.

If you- or I- or any of us- speak to the issues- I think it is a good thing.

I also think we should be informed- really informed.

I see people seeing stuff for the first time- because the media has decided to shine the light on it- for the 1st time-

And then they get mad- as in if it is a ‘new crisis’- when in reality it is not- to be honest about it.

Many people have become engaged- which I think is a good thing- but I think we should also become ‘engaged’ when there are things being done- real atrocities- even if the media covers up for them- which is what I have spoken on recently on some of the videos I have made.

Ok- please pray for our nation- our leaders- and all leaders- we are citizens of a particular country- all of us [some who I speak to now are not Americans by the way].

Yet- we are a global community as well- and especially those of us who are of the household of faith- regardless of skin color or ethnicity- we are a brotherhood in Christ.

John.-

PS-

This was the reason I didn’t want to write on the ‘re-posts’-

Because I’m busy uploading the nightly videos- and I’m thinking I need to explain some of the stuff I just wrote above.

I realize some will get mad when I say ‘not a new crisis’- and some will disagree.

We have a ‘new’ problem with the way our country has handled immigration- because in the past our congress has passed laws- that actually enforce [supposed to] immigration laws- then- when the present president began enforcing them- it caused more children to be separated from their parents as they entered into the u.S.

I am pro immigrant by the way- but because of the laws that have been passed- and the recent stricter enforcement of them- then yes- this has created a ‘crisis’.

Many are upset because they see it played out on U.S. media- the same media that refused to show you the pictures of Black people being sold on the open slave market in Libya- because they did not want you to see or know of that ‘crisis’- it was for purely political reasons that they covered that up- I spoke about that on the videos.

I could go on and give case after case- so many are truly upset with the immigration situation in our country- but many voted for representatives who did indeed pass laws that caused this to happen.

And many of those same lawmakers are outraged that the laws they passed- are being enforced- to me- this is hypocrisy.

So yes- I too am mad about the crisis- but I was also mad about the Black kids being sold as slaves in Libya- this happened when another president of the U.S. removed the leader of Libya.

And the American media did not want to reveal it- because it went against their agenda.

So lets shine light on all atrocities in the world- not just the ones the corporate media want you to see-

Ok- see why I didn’t want to write on these?

OTHER VIDEOS-

These are the videos I post every night to my various sites- all my sites are linked to the bottom of each post

6-24-18 Glenn Beck- News update- world events https://youtu.be/rCEZaW9U18I

6-25-18 Homeless friends talk about their experiences on the streets https://youtu.be/1NUt5229fRg

 Teaching at the Lexington https://youtu.be/mfKdSHcMURo

Acts 1 https://youtu.be/znfh0pBAssA

Isaiah 61 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgWJw00k7aUChiKp3

Word to the ministers of Corpus Christi https://flic.kr/p/28qvL7h

  EPHESIANS 4 Testing links below- all should be Ephesians 4- https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMa9oOLIoJHhLVQi8 https://hubic.com/home/browser/stream/?uri=default/1-18-18%20Ephesians%204.mp4&X_TOKEN=9873aa7dd9c974f15fe5c9760e0ddfc2 Psalm 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. ON VIDEO .Austin [Texas] The Ark .5 [4] fold ministry .Lectio Devina http://ocarm.org/en/content/lectio/what-lectio-divina .Didache http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/didache.html . ‘That bird has my wings’- prison poem .Unity among reconciled people groups .Gifts for the sinner too [rebellious also] .Restoration churches .Church history .The purpose of the gifts- to build you up- for the work of ministry .What does the N.T. teach about giving? .The nature of local church .The intent of seeing ‘new truth’ .What is ‘apostolic’ doctrine? .Jesus- the Christ of God

Psalm 90:9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. Psalm 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. OTHER VIDEOS

Bob- White Castle [North Bergen- NYC area] https://youtu.be/wt2P8yESN04 John 8 https://vimeo.com/252085857 Rest in peace https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZaPnH7ZifplvvcxOI47y6sc46vefBuKlFBy Romans 8-10 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uEOXe1ummR3SO8GSBvqj0w-OUKrByua3/view?usp=sharing Lexington https://vimeo.com/252258518 Hudson County Park- New Jersey https://youtu.be/ilToGO65Ivk Boys of Sudan https://vimeo.com/252434055 Bringing in the sheaves https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZXvlH7Zji1kJcwm6Eb5VcQ4ArLw2kmKApyV Free among the dead https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jmAC8HuaEyvOWvMzFgtIOKkmvXZihgzg/view?usp=sharing

News- Ruth Bader Ginsburg- media- they do it for cash https://youtu.be/UlTs6ciSAEI

50,000 missing FBI texts and the corporate cash media https://youtu.be/wMQztoNU5Tk Update- 1-24-18 https://youtu.be/i3Y9BI-t1K0 The problem [news- Trump- FBI- JFK] https://youtu.be/CWfoixcGZwA Here are some links about stuff I mentioned in recent news talks- https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/23/congress-fbi-russia-republicans-escalate-probes-364616 http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/01/trey-gowdy-strzok-page-fbi-texts-today-say-text-not-keeping-texts-video/ http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/370204-sessions-says-he-will-leave-no-stone-unturned-to-find-why-fbi-text http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/23/fbis-strzok-and-page-spoke-secret-society-after-trump-election-lawmakers-say.html http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/24/fox-news-first-new-info-on-alleged-secret-society-anti-trumpers-samsung-blamed-for-missing-fbi-texts.html https://nypost.com/2018/01/23/evidence-suggests-a-massive-scandal-is-brewing-at-the-fbi/

[NEW TEACHING BELOW- NEWS NOTE BELOW THAT] Psalm 90:16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. Psalm 90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

NEW- Paul teaches us about the primary purpose of the gifts that God has deposited in the church- Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: Some refer to these gifts [Apostles- prophets- etc.] as the 5 fold ministry- others see the last 2 offices as one calling [the pastor/teacher] Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; Meaning it would be the ‘4-fold’ ministry gifts. Much has been written the last few years about these various gifted ones- and in some movements of the church they believed that the restoration of these gifts were the answer to the problems in the church. When we read about apostles in the New Testament- and how they functioned [Like my recent study on the book of Acts]- We do not see the emphasis on the people themselves- meaning the apostles in the bible [or prophets] did not focus on their callings- Or view their callings as the primary thing. But the purpose of their callings was to bring the people of God to maturity- and the people of God would do the actual ‘work of the ministry’- Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: If the teachings on the gifts- or any other subject we find in the bible- is used to divide Christians- Then the main purpose of the gifts themselves has been subverted. If the focus on the gifts exalts the personalities of people- Then it is the wrong focus. In the last few chapters I have already taught- we saw the reconciliation of man- with each other- as well as being reconciled [brought back] to God thru Christ. When we read about the unity of the people of God- in this context it is a broader concept than simply the people ‘in my church’- or the people of God in your particular denomination. But the unity we strive for is a unity among all the people that God has redeemed. God’s ultimate Salvation looks forward to the redeeming of all things- in heaven and upon earth. As the apostle stated in this chapter- we are one body- with one God ruling over us- as well as being in us- Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The development of the church over the centuries has expressed itself in many different church expressions. Some see this as ok- others see it as being divided. Many of these good expressions of the church do see themselves as the only true church. The apostle does speak to this issue here- Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to KEEP the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. All the people of God already are united in unity- the outward expression of it is not always seen. But truly there is one God- and one Spirit that unites as the church. God has placed gifted leaders in the church- and when the gifts function properly- they bring the people to maturity in Christ- Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: They do not draw people after their particular gift- no matter how noble the gift might be. It is important that we see that these gifts [5- 4 fold] do indeed exist in the church today. Paul teaches us that these ministers were made after the ascension of Jesus- Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Meaning these were not Old testament prophets he was speaking about- Or even the 12 apostles of the Lamb- But these apostles and prophets and pastors were ‘made’ after Jesus ascended to the right hand of God. So yes- these gifts still function in our day. And when they function the right way- the people of God become mature functioning members of the Body of Christ. That was [is] the purpose of these gifts.

NEWS NOTE- Right before I post this- I want to just make a few points about the news videos I did this week. This past year I heard/read some media figures call for treason charges against Trump- and his family. This same person said it was possible that Trump- and some his his family members should be executed [no joke] if they were found guilty of treason. While I realize all do not hold this position- some do. Where they also speaking about his 12 year old son? Now- these last few weeks we have seen evidence of FBI officials using language like ‘secret society- putting Andy’s plan in place’- Language that more than likely is talking about the removal of a U.S. president- by illegal manipulation of their powers. These 2 people- Peter Strzok and Carter Page https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/01/24/sara_carter_fbi_agents_want_to_know_why_strzok_and_page_are_still_there.html were having possible criminal conversations about the removal of a U.S. president- were also having an ongoing sexual affair- and used their authority to sway political charges- on both sides of the aisle. Just the texts alone- of which it seems like the FBI has now illegally deleted about 50,000 of them- Samsung is denying the texts were missing because of a ‘glitch’- but the messages we do have- could at least merit the firing of the agents. Then possible criminal charges [this would be a sort of treason charge] then to possible jail time. I know of no one who is actively calling for their executions [like some in the media spoke about while talking about Trumps family]. So- we- [or me?] the American people call for the immediate firing of Strzok and Page- for them to still be within the department with their ability to continue to obstruct justice- have ‘secret society’ meetings- and to possibly put ‘Andy’s plan’ in place- well- that would be a crime indeed. Last note- By the way- the local paper of our small town has played the media manipulation game for many years now- these last few years they had to merge with the USA today network because they are possibly on the verge of bankruptcy- which is a good thing in my view. They are part of the paid corporate media- and are not to be trusted to ever speak truth to you. So- I would call for a boycott of the Caller Times [I will read it still- just so I can critique them] and I would recommend reading the San Antonio paper [which I also read] they do a much better job at covering south Texas issues- more in depth coverage.

PAST POSTS I either quoted or taught from these bible books on today’s video- Ephesians 4- below are my past studies on those books- https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/ https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ I mentioned the Didache on the video- I talked about it in this book I wrote years ago- https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ Mentioned Pentecost- here’s my link to the chapter- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ Here’s my complete study on Acts https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ I talked about the nature of the church and the 5 fold ministry- here’s a book I wrote on the subject- https://ccoutreach87.com/further-talks-on-church-and-ministry/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/

EPHESIANS- LINKS https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/30/ephesians-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/12/13/ephesians-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2018/01/09/ephesians-3/

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ JULY 14, 2017 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT MARK 12 Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. https://youtu.be/VJBAPuroAUY Mark 12 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/7-6-17-mark-12.zip https://ccoutreach87.com/7-6-17-mark-12/ ON VIDEO- .Sandia .Storehouse wisdom .Kingdom to the gentiles [church] .Vineyard- wisdom- tower .Song of the vineyard .Apostles .Leadership .7 dead brothers .Married in heaven? .We are the bride- he is the groom .Burning bush- I AM .Great commandment .Beware of the religious leaders .Jesus has a question too .The common people liked it NEW- Jesus teaches the parable of the vineyard [or tenants]- it comes from the song of Isaiah chapter 5. The parable speaks about the Jewish people- and their rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah. A landowner plants a vineyard- puts a hedge around it- places a wine-press in it- and sets up a tower. He then leases it out to tenants. The Lord of the vineyard leaves- and over time he sends his men back to collect the fruit. The people who have leased the land refuse to give the fruit. They beat and stone those who are sent. And finally the landowner sends his son- and they kill him. The meaning is clear- God sent his prophets to speak to his people [Israel] they rejected them over time- and finally kill the Son. Remember- Jesus is teaching this- before he is crucified. He predicts his own death in the parable. Yet- at the end- he quotes Psalm 118- Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: Mark 12:11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? He predicts his Resurrection as well. The Son who was rejected and killed- becomes the head of the corner. In this chapter Jesus will also quote Psalm 110- Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Psalm 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. He questions the religious leaders- He asks them Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? Yes- Jesus did indeed come from the line of David- but as the eternal logos- he was before David- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The chapter ends with 2 stories- about widows. It’s important that we see them both. Jesus rebukes the religious teachers for taking advantage of widows- for financial gain Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places, Mark 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, Then he commends the poor widow for giving into the offering- Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Over the years there have been many examples of religious leaders taking advantage of the poor- many have enriched themselves by abusing their office as teachers of the bible. Jesus strongly condemns those who do this. Yet- he commends the poor widow for giving to God. The rich were giving out of an abundance- it seems as if they actually learned the principle of abundance in their giving to God. Yet- he sees the woman giving out of her poverty- understand- she is still poor at the time she is commended. Yet the others were rich- and giving. Many in today’s church would look at the rich- who had an abundance- and say they prospered because they were giving- and had a lot. And some would condemn the poor widow- because she obviously must be doing something wrong- because she gives- and is yet poor. But Jesus did not see it that way. The woman gave sacrificially because of her love for God. The rich gave- yet they did it out of their wealth. Jesus honors the poor widow- not because she learned some secret of giving to get a harvest- because she had no harvest. But she loved God- she gave for the work of God- as she understood it. Her giving was not based on the return she would get- because as of now- she has not received a return [poor widow]. Yet in the eyes of Jesus- she indeed gave more. There are a few other things in this chapter that I taught on the video. The challenge of the Sadducees- who do not believe in the resurrection. And Jesus rebuke- Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? I have taught this before- and will try and find those past posts and add them below. Jesus also gives us the great commandment in this chapter- Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. When the common people saw Jesus put the religious leaders to silence- the bible says they loved it- Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. The downtrodden of society were rejected by the religious leaders of the day. Their outward religion caused them to neglect true justice- true love of fellow man. The same things that the song of Isaiah- which Jesus used in the parable- were being rebuked for- Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. The fruit the land owner wanted- was not simply religious works- It was what the other man in this chapter saw- Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. The animal sacrifices and outward religion were the things that Jesus rebuked them for. Those who seemed to use religion in order to have an abundant wealthy life- were not seen in a good light by Jesus. The tenants wanted an inheritance and their lust for the wealth of the vineyard [financial harvest] caused them to reject the actual Son of God himself- Mark 12:6 Having yet therefore one son, his well beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s. Yes- many in the modern church have tried to seize on some material inheritance and given out of an abundance and implemented many of the principles of the bible in order to prosper. But in doing this- they have had to reject many of the plain things Jesus taught- New International Version “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matt. 6:24 Yes- in a way- they have killed the Son- and seized the wealth. But Jesus saw the widow- the poor widow- the woman who seemed to have never gotten a hold of the wealth building principles of those who gave out of their abundance. Yes Jesus saw her- And in the wisdom of God- She gave more than all the others combined- And thus the chapter ends. PAST POSTS- http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/john-complete-links-added.html http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/romans-2015-video-links-included-romans.html http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/2015-video-linksincluded-hebrews-1-3.html https://ccoutreach87.com/further-talks-on-church-and-ministry/ https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ MARK- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/28/jersey-city-ride-mark-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/02/mark-2-north-bergen/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/04/mark-3-isaiah-61/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/14/mark-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/27/mark-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/05/mark-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/16/mark-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/30/mark-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/14/mark-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/07/mark-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/22/mark-11/ I mentioned Bultmann and the Herodians on today’s video- below are some past teachings I did on them- During the time of Jesus you had a divided people. In 1st century Palestine the Jewish people split into 4 basic sects. 2 of them are pretty well known- the Pharisees and Sadducees- they are mentioned often in scripture. The other 2 are less well known- the Zealots and the Essenes. The Zealots are named in the bible- but only in passing. We have no references to the Essenes. The Pharisees were sticklers for the Torah [Jewish bible] and the Sadducees centered their life around the Temple- they were more of a political/religious type group. They stuck to the Torah alone. That is they only received the actual first 5 books of the Old Testament- which is the Torah [also the term is used to speak of the entire Old Testament] and that’s why the Sadducees rejected miracles and angels and stuff. Most of those stories are found in the other O.T. books. The Zealots were a group of people who hated compromise- they were actually a 1st century ‘terrorist’ group- who carried out assassinations. Not on Rome- but on their own people! The zealots hated those who compromised with Rome- and if they felt a leader was too chummy- they killed him. The Essenes were a separatist group who lived in ‘the hills’ [Qumran community] they simply gave up completely on any political solutions for the day- and went and lived in the hills. These are the ones responsible for hiding the Dead Sea scrolls [old bible books found in the last century] in a cave. It’s interesting to note that Jesus had both a Zealot on his team [Simon- not Peter who also went by that name] and Matthew- a Tax collector. Tax collectors were considered the biggest sell outs of all- they actually worked for Rome and scammed their own people- it must have been hard for Jesus to lead this group [the 12 disciples] who came from such opposite ends of the political spectrum. Yet Jesus did lead them- he was even offered earthly rule a few times [once from satan- and once from the people who heard him] he rejected it both times. His kingdom was not ‘of this world’. In the New Testament book of Philippians- the bible says that though Jesus was in the form of God [deity] yet he became a man and humbled himself to the death of the Cross- a shameful way to die. We have one letter written in the N.T. by a ‘family’ member of Jesus- that’s the epistle of James. Protestants believe that Mary had other kids after Jesus was born- our Catholic friends teach that she remained a Virgin her whole life. My purpose right now is not to get into that. James was considered the ‘half brother’ of Jesus [Mary was the mom of both boys- Joseph was the dad of James- Jesus’ father was God]. Okay- James was slow to believe in his brother- but over time as Jesus was declaring himself to be the Messiah- I’m sure James had to wonder- you know- think back ‘gee- come to think of it- I can’t’ remember a time where my brother got in trouble’. Wait- now I remember- yeah- that time when Jesus was 12- we all went to Jerusalem for the big feast- and Jesus stayed behind while we started the trip home. Yeah- we went 3 days before we realized he was gone. Boy was mom mad that day. So we went all the way back to get him- and when we found him- he was sitting in the temple- asking these questions- I mean questions that only theologians knew- Jesus was still a kid. Mom said to him ‘son- why did you stay behind- we were worried’! Yeah- she was mad- if there was ever a time my brother came close to getting in trouble- this was it. But Jesus said ‘why were you worried- didn’t you know I would be doing my Fathers business’ yeah- he sure seemed different- but the Messiah- come on. So as the ministry years of Jesus role by- there are all these reports of miracles and healings- blind people seeing- dead people coming back from the grave. Yeah- James has got to be wondering now- but no- he could not accept that his own brother was the promised Son of God- no- too much. Then the day came- that terrible day where mom had to watch Jesus die on that rugged Cross- on Golgotha- man the hill looked like a skull. Yeah- it was a strange site- I mean the sky got dark- an earthquake shook the place- and even the Roman soldier who witnessed my brother die said ‘surely this was the son of God’. Wow- too much- my bother has carried this thing too far- even in his death he won’t let this obsession go. Then James hears some disturbing reports- his friends are saying that Jesus has come back- that he pulled it off- the greatest miracle ever- the one Houdini himself couldn’t do. But are the reports true? I mean if anyone could tell if this guy walking around is really Jesus- James would know. We don’t read of the account- but all we know is James became a believer- a believer that his brother was indeed the Messiah- the Son of God. I guess it went something like this- Jesus sitting there with his men- James shows up and sees his brother- the perfect one- not a spot on his record. Maybe Jesus looked up- maybe he said ‘brother- do you now see’ and yeah- he saw. James would go on to be one of the leaders/Pastors of the church at Jerusalem- we read about him in Acts chapter 15. Most scholars believe this was the same James who penned the short letter we find in the N.T. that bears his name. One thing James hits on a lot in his letter- is he defends the poor- the downtrodden- and he rips into the rich- the elite of the day. He warns us not to be biased- not to use ‘uneven scales’ when dealing with people. James hit on social justice issues- he picked them up from his brother. We need to be concerned about the world- if a raped woman is forced to marry her rapist- then we ought not say ‘she was pardoned’. When we critique one person for past failures- then we must do that to all. But at the end of the day- Jesus never took the earthly crown- he did not see the solution to be a political one- he brought Simon and Matthew together on the same team- and he showed them what it means to lay your life down for others- to live without the praise of men- the earthly standard of success- he chose another way- and he left that path for us. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com [1622] ARE THE JAPANESE DISPROVING FREUD? One of the narratives coming from the Japan disaster is the response of the Japanese people. In contrast to our Katrina tragedy the Japanese are very self reliant. Jack Cafferty [CNN] read an email from some elderly lady who contrasted the 2 responses. She called the Louisiana residents who looted, killed, complained and wined- she said ‘those scumbags’ [ouch!] What are we seeing in the Japanese people? The media are referring to them as Stoic’s- the philosophy [ancient Greek- one of only 2 philosophies mentioned by name in the bible- Acts chapter 17 mentions the Stoic’s and Epicureanism] that said the secret to life is living on an even plane. Don’t get too ‘up’ or too down- just ride the wave of life as moderately as you can. The other side of the coin is Hedonism- the philosophy of men like Freud- who taught that the problem with man is that he is taught to restrain himself [by religion] and that this restraint is itself a product of neurosis. Freud was a strange fellow, the father of modern Psychoanalysis; his ideas were actually quite weird. As a Jew [non practicing] he embraced the higher criticism of his day [a way of interpreting the bible as not being actually true- just good stories] and he sought to come up with an explanation for mans religious bent. So he came up with the idea of the Oedipal Complex- a strange view of man that said the real problems of man are they have this view of love and hate for the father figure- and the ‘real’ story of Moses and the children of Israel was the Jews killed Moses in the wilderness [hatred for the father figure] they then felt guilty about it- and out of this guilt they would eventually develop a ‘religion of the Son’ [Christianity] and Walla- that’s the real story. You would be surprised how many people hear silly stuff like this in life [or college!] and they never give it a second thought. Like Pope Benedict says in ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ [1st book of a trilogy on the life of Christ] he mentions the theories of the critics [men like Bultmann] and he then responds ‘and how do you know this’? Bultmann [one of the famous liberal theologians of the day] would come up with ideas like this- and he would just espouse them. The funny thing about these critics was they were trying to challenge the historical accuracy of the bible- are the gospels true- stuff like that. And in their challenge they would ‘make up’ their own stuff [Oedipal complex] and simply expect everyone to believe it. So Freud taught that we need to free man from this neurosis of religion- this thing in society that says ‘restrain yourself’ and if we teach man to do and be all that he feels like doing- then we will have healed him of this destructive religious belief that developed out of a secret love/hate relationship of father. Wow. I can think of no greater philosophy to not live your life by than that. How did the Freudian experiment turn out? It was/is a disaster- I’m not just saying this as a Christian who rejects Freud’s atheism- but many of his ideas have also been roundly rejected by the psychologists of the modern day. Freud actually taught that when you counsel a person [yes- he was the originator of the idea of the patient lying on the couch while the counselor listens] that the patient is ‘transmitting’ psychic energy from himself to the doctor- and that’s what makes him better. Freud wrote Moses and Monotheism [his fictional account of the origins of Judaism/Christianity] Totem and Taboo- the fictional idea of the primitive religion of man- and Civilization and it’s Discontents, his explanation of the conflict between mans psychic life and the demands of society. The basic view of Freud [Hedonism] is a failed system that does not work in the real world. To live your life based on the philosophy of ‘if it feels good- do it’ does not work in any area of life- for the long term. In food, shopping, family life, marriage, sexual expression- the basic principle of self restraint and discipline [the Japanese response] is in great contrast to the ‘unrestrained’ view of life [as seen in some of the Katrina response- many of the looters and rioters were raised with a welfare mentality- they were dependant on the state/govt. to do things for them. When things went bad- they blamed the govt. for it]. In the end of the day- the society that practices self discipline- that teaches their children to be self reliant- those are the ones who have the most successful lives. Those who practice Hedonism blame stuff on everyone else. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com VERSES- New International Version As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. John 8:40 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Heb. 13 KJ21 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel” (which being interpreted is, “God with us”). Matt. 1:23 Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. Heb. 6 Mark 12:1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. Mark 12:2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. Mark 12:3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. Mark 12:4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. Mark 12:5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Mark 12:6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s. Mark 12:8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. Mark 12:9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: Mark 12:11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Mark 12:12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. Mark 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. Mark 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Mark 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. Mark 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him. Mark 12:18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Mark 12:19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Mark 12:20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. Mark 12:21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. Mark 12:22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. Mark 12:23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, Mark 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. Mark 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Isaiah 5:1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: Isaiah 5:2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. Isaiah 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. Isaiah 5:4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? Isaiah 5:5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: Isaiah 5:6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg

1010)CORINTHIANS 15:1-19 Paul will deal with the greatest threat yet to the Corinthian church, their doubt over the physical resurrection of the body. Various ‘Christian’ groups over the years have doubted the physical resurrection. Now, some have done this out of a sincere attempt at trying to defend the faith! [their view of it] In the 1900’s you had one of the most popular theologians by the name of Rudolf Bultman [most of his career was spent at the University of Marburg, Germany. Much of the higher criticism of the day originated from Germany] He wrote a book called ‘Kerygma and Myth’. What he tried to say was that any modern man living in the 20th century, with all the breakthroughs in science and knowledge, could not ‘literally’ believe the miraculous stories in scripture. Or even the way scripture spoke of heaven and hell and used limited terms to describe spiritual truths. He used the bibles terminology on Cosmology as an example. How could man believe in a Cosmos where ‘heaven is up there, with the stars and all’ and he felt that enlightened man needed to ‘re-tool’ the bible and cleanse it from all these mythical images, but yet keep the spiritual aspects of it. The moral teachings of Christ and stuff like that. So you have had sincere men doubt the truth claims of scripture. The problem with this attempt [higher criticism] is it throws out the baby with the bathwater. The resurrection of Jesus is presented by the apostles as a real event. The fact of this resurrection can also be attested to by examining the historical events of the day. Simply put, there is a ton of proof for the real resurrection of Christ. Bultman and others meant well, but some of the ‘facts’ that they were using were later  proven to be false. Bultman used a model of cosmology that would later be rejected by science. Yet the testimony from scripture would remain sure. Paul told the Corinthian’s that they needed to reject any attempts at spiritualizing the resurrection of Christ. Sometimes believers grasp hold of limited proof’s for certain doctrines. For instance, the New Testament does speak of a spiritual resurrection. In Ephesians Paul says we are presently raised with Christ. In Romans chapter 6 we have all ready been raised with Jesus. This reality does not mean there will be no future resurrection of the saints. In Johns gospel Jesus speaks of the resurrection as being a future real event, as well as a present reality. Those in the graves will hear his voice and be raised from the dead. And those who were presently ‘dead in sins’ would ‘come alive’ [spiritually] when they heard and believed the testimony of Jesus. It is important for the believer to be familiar with the various theories and ideas that theologians and believers have grasped over the years. It is a mistake to simply see all higher learning as ‘liberalism’. There are some very important things that we have learned thru the great intellectuals of the church. But we also need to stick with the ancient traditions as seen in the creeds, as well as the plain testimony of scripture. If Christ ‘be not raised from the dead, then we are of all men most miserable’.   (1011)CORINTHIANS 15:20-28 here we see the guarantee of mans resurrection based on Christ’s resurrection. ‘As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall ALL be made alive’. Is Paul teaching a form of universalism [all being saved]? He is showing us that all men will someday be raised from the dead. Now, does Paul leave room here for a type of Pre-millennial resurrection? A ‘raising’ of the dead prior to a thousand year literal reign of Jesus. Then another resurrection at the end? Yes he does. If you read Revelation you will see this type of scenario play out. Also Jesus speaks of the resurrection of the just and the unjust. Historically the church has held 3 basic views on this. Pre-millennialism says Jesus returns first [pre] before the literal thousand year rule occurs. ‘Post’ says the thousand year rule is literal, and after that Jesus comes back. Those who held to this view were excited at the turn of the first millennium [1000 ad] they thought it possible for Jesus to have returned after the first thousand years since his death and resurrection. And then you have A-millennial, they spiritualize the thousand year reign spoken of in the book of Revelation as being a symbol of Christ’s present rule and kingdom. Now, today’s most popular form of Pre-millennialism is not historic, it dates back to the 19th century. Today’s form is called ‘Pre-tribulational, Pre-millennial’ this teaching [dispensationalism] says Jesus comes back 2 more times. One is called ‘the rapture’ the other is the second coming [revealing]. The proponents of this form find little [or no] early Christians who believed this. There is one early writing by a Syrian brother who speaks very clearly about a rapture type event. Some think he speaks a little too clearly! The writing is believed to have been a fake. Either way we do have Paul teaching stages involved with the coming of the Lord and the kingdom. It is possible to have 2 future resurrections, this would not mean you need two future ‘second comings’. The first resurrection takes place at Christ’s return. He rules a literal thousand years and ‘the dead are raised again’ at the end of the literal rule on earth [ a literal reading of Revelation]. Also Paul does use the language of Jesus submitting to the Father at the end so ‘God will be all in all’. I feel believers have been confused and at times contradictory while trying to explain the nature of God and the Trinity. I recently read a teaching on the Trinity that tried to compare the Trinity to the nature of the organic church. It seemed confusing to me, they tried to say that just like in the Trinity you have no one ‘being’ having authority over the other, but instead you see all three persons equally submitting to one another [Father, Son and Spirit] so in the church you have equality. Now, I do believe that there is equality in the church, but I felt the example was way off. The New Testament clearly teaches the willful ‘submission’ of the Son to the Father. God [the father] is clearly the one ‘in charge’. Now, I admit it’s difficult and brothers have spent years trying to explain all the ins and outs of this. Here Paul shows us that the Son has willingly submitted to the Father so the father can put all things under him. Then once again at the culmination of the kingdom the Son submits to the father and God receives the glory. We will praise and worship Jesus thru out all eternity, it is his willful submission to the father’s plan that makes this happen. NOTE- Some believers spiritualize the first resurrection spoken of in Revelation, they relate it to those who have been ‘born again’ spiritually. Modern ‘Preterism’ holds to this view.   (1013)CORINTHIANS 15:29-49 the resurrection body is a real ‘spiritual’ body. Paul describes the natural body [us now] as fleshly and like Adams body. He then describes the promised resurrection body as being like Jesus in his raised state. These verses can be a little confusing. When Paul says the resurrection body is ‘spiritual’ as compared to earthy, is he saying it is not real? No. But you can see how some early sects could use these verses and teach a ‘phantom’ type resurrection [Gnostic, Docetist type groups]. I was once asked by a Catholic believer if the church taught the physical resurrection. I assured the person that both Catholic and Protestant [and Orthodox] expressions of Christianity embrace the real future resurrection of the body. Now, is it the same body? Well, the way Paul describes it is by comparing the planting of seeds. When you plant a seed you don’t simply get a bigger seed! But you get various types of growth, whether it’s a tree or plant or whatever. So Paul says our future bodies will be new and glorious in this way, but if it weren’t really you, then it wouldn’t be a resurrection! So you will come back, but it will be a ‘new you’. Over the years I have studied various theologians [Christian ones] and I have seen the penchant for various groups to focus in on a certain doctrine and to stray somewhat from the faith. Now, they aren’t always cults, some of them are highly knowledgeable Christians who seem to be testing the boundaries of orthodoxy. I like N.T. Wright, the famous Bishop of Durham [Church of England] but you need to be grounded in what you believe before you can really read him. I feel at times he is helpful in bringing new perspectives to things, I have seen some of the things he teaches myself. But there is also a danger of ‘re-thinking’ stuff a little too much. By the way Wright has written on the resurrection and has done a great job at defending the historic churches position. He’s in somewhat of a theological controversy at the moment, some of the strong reformed brothers have come out and challenged his view on Justification. Wright teaches that the historic reformers kind of missed what Paul was saying. Wright ‘extends’ the doctrine to mean ‘a sign/badge of those who are already in Gods covenant community’. The historic reformers taught a more forensic meaning of the doctrine. That justification is primarily saying that God imputes the righteousness of Jesus to the believer. That Jesus took our sins, and we get his righteousness. Now, I feel there is some truth to Wrights view. But I would be careful to throw out the reformed view all together. There certainly is much truth to the reformed view. John Piper [a reformed Baptist] just released a book on the reformed view, Wright has one coming out pretty soon [Wrights is already published overseas, but the states wont get it for a few months]. So, the point is I believe the historic church and the ancient creeds ‘got it right’ on the resurrection. It is real, it will happen to all people some day. Those who have ‘done good’ [wow- these are Jesus actual words when describing the final judgment!] will be ‘raised to life’. Those who have done evil will be raised to face judgment. We can all escape the coming judgment, Jesus died for us. If we believe and accept his death, burial and resurrection, then we will be raised to a new life some day. 378- (I stuck this entry in here because it deals with the ‘baptism for the dead’, I didn’t want you to think that I just skipped over the verse) Let me give a little example of the ‘overriding act of redemption’ trumping any little verse or experience. Paul actually tells the Corinthians ‘if the dead are not raised, then why are you baptizing people in ‘proxy’ for the dead?’ This is tough stuff. Let me give you one way to see this. The ‘baptism for the dead’ seems to have been a real cultural thing that took place in a specific time and setting [like the slavery verses I mentioned earlier]. There seems to have been a concern specifically to the 1st century church that said ‘this new doctrine of Jesus is great, but being its only been around a few years, and you are telling us [Paul] that you must embrace it to be saved. Then we have a problem. A lot of our loved ones never got a chance to hear. How do you expect us to quell these concerns?’ And it’s possible that the ‘baptism’ by proxy [like a father or son getting baptized in the place of the loved one who died] was a 1stcentury cultural thing that grew out of this. The fact that they were doing this does not mean that Paul the Apostle was condoning it. Paul was simply saying ‘if you guys really don’t believe in life after death, then why are you bothering with this rite?’ Its like Paul was using their own cultural thing to show them the inconsistency of their thinking. He wasn’t really teaching the baptism for the dead. [This is my view, Mormons believe different. They do practice this today and they use this verse as justification].   (1014)CORINTHIANS 15:50-58 Okay, let’s wrap up this chapter. ‘Flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom’ Paul speaks a little on the nature of the resurrected body. It is real, but not mortal [flesh and blood] without getting lost in the technical aspects of the actual body, Paul does make a distinction between the natural life of man [blood gives life to the mortal man] and the supernatural life of the resurrected body [spiritual life]. Then Paul shows us a mystery [something that was hidden up until the time God reveals it- here thru Paul!] that ‘we shall not all experience death, but we shall all get new bodies’. Paul teaches that some believers will not face natural death, they will be the generation that is alive at Christ’s coming. Paul says this happens at the ‘last trumpet’. For those of you not familiar with some of the silly stuff that passes under the heading of ‘theology’, let me explain some stuff. In the world of ‘dispensationalism’ there is an entire body of teaching that deals with the trumpets in scripture. Basically if Paul is teaching that this event, getting raised from the dead and being transformed, if this takes place at ‘the last trump’ then it is pretty clear that this event is not some type of rapture that takes place 7 years prior to Gods ‘last trump’ [last day, when God wraps things up]. But if you read the portions of scripture that speak about Christ’s return and the resurrection [Thessalonians 4, John 14, Matthew 25] you will see that all these scriptures teach that the resurrection takes place at the end, when Christ returns. So anyway a whole lotta time is spent by the rapture guys to explain that when you are in school, you might say ‘hey, that’s the last bell [trump] before class starts’ and that ‘last bell’ doesn’t mean ‘last bell’, but it means the ‘last bell for now’. It’s kind of silly stuff that preachers do in order to back up their theories. If scriptures ‘last trump’ isn’t really the ‘last trump’ then you can fit the rapture in as a separate event from the second coming. I think doing doctrine like this is silly and hairsplitting. The first century believers who were reading these letters [not all at once, but as they were slowly being penned and sent] simply saw all of the references on the second coming as one event. It’s silly to try and make two separate lists of the New testament verses on Christ’s coming and then place some verses under a rapture heading, and others under a ‘second coming’ heading, especially when the rapture brothers themselves cant agree on which ones belong to which list! Well any way we have a glorious promise of a future resurrection body, the last enemy that Jesus destroys is death. Revelation says ‘death and hell are cast into the lake of fire’ Jesus has power over death, hell and the grave. He will totally eradicate all death some day, Jesus tasted death for every man [Hebrews] so that man does not have to be in bondage under its fear any more.   (1019)CORINTHIANS 16:1-4 ‘When you come together on the first day of the week, let every one of you put some money aside as God has provided for you. So when I come we won’t have to waste any time taking offerings. And we will use this money for the purpose of meeting the needs of the poor saints at Jerusalem. Whoever you approve to take the money to Jerusalem can do it, I might also go with them if the Lord permits. I gave this same order to all the churches in the Galatian province’ [my own paraphrase]. These  verses are usually used to justify the Sunday morning offering. They are also used to teach ‘Sunday as the Lords special day’. Let’s talk a little. Paul gave these instructions to at least this church and all the churches of Galatia. We have no idea if all the first century churches actually did this. But let’s say they did. What exactly are they doing? They are taking a Sunday offering and using it 100 percent for charitable purposes. Remember how I have taught in the past that the main teaching from Jesus on giving dealt with the poor? So if we want to use this text to command believers to give on Sunday, then we need to use ALL THE MONEY for helping poor people. Paul also says ‘do it before I arrive, I don’t want to have to spend time messing around with collections’. I find it interesting that it is common today to spend a good portion of the Sunday service [any church U.S.A.] to kind of do a celebratory offering thing. Lots of time to stop and emphasize the importance of worshiping God with our money. The point I would make is Paul did none of this. He actually said he did not want to have to set aside time for the collecting of money when he arrived, and for this very reason he said take up the offering on Sunday! One more thing; it is obvious that the early believers began a tradition of meeting on Sunday. Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection on 2 consecutive Sundays. Acts 20 has believers meeting on Sunday. Jesus of course rose from the dead on Sunday. But there is no indication from scripture that believers are under some type of New Testament Sabbath law. Sort of like Sunday is now the ‘special day’ just like Saturday for Judaism. Various groups argue over this issue, I have taught on it before. In the New Covenant we have tremendous freedom to meet or not meet on Sunday. Or to meet or not meet on Saturday for that matter! But doctrinally we are free from the law and all of its observances. I appreciate the work that has been done by various scholars [Especially some catholic ones] on showing how Sunday became the special day of observance for believers. But we need to be careful when we read what the believers did in the New Testament and then proclaim it as law. I believe its fine to meet on Sunday, to take offerings and to do all of these types of things. But when we grasp hold of limited ideas, and then exalt them to a place of law, we err. Paul was simply telling this church to collect some money on the first day of the week for the sole purpose of charity. If modern day believers want to apply these scriptures literally, then we should use all of the Sunday offering for charity. If we apply them literally, then there is absolutely no sense of a tithe system to pay for salaries, building upkeep, insurance, on and on. For modern day believers to engage in such things is fine. If these expenses seem needed for the overall purpose of Gods work, then fine. But to use these verses and actually tell believers they are robbing God if they don’t tithe on Sunday is absolutely not true. I have written a lot about these things over the years [you can find stuff on my ‘statement of faith’ section and ‘what in the world is the church’ section] I do not condemn all the churches who practice these things, it’s just we need to be careful when we take examples from scripture, lift them out of context, add a few verses from Malachi and then teach some air tight system that if not obeyed brings the curse of God on someone. Do all things in grace, remember THE POOR, and you will do well. I talked about unity in the church- here’s my past teaching on the prayer of Jesus in John 17- John 17 POSTED BY CCOUTREACH87 ⋅ SEPTEMBER 24, 2016 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT JOHN 17 John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. https://youtu.be/nbUgpSNo7nE John 17 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/9-15-16john-17.zip ON VIDEO- .Hooch grows .Stop draining the lake .Lord’s prayer .Deity of Christ .You see me- you see the Father .Trinity is not Tritheism .Oikos .Pastors .Unity is vital NEW- Jesus prays for his core community ‘that they would be one’- then- he prays for those who will later believe thru ‘their word’. John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. The church is a light in the world- just like Jesus. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matt 5:14 Paul calls us the ‘Body of Christ’. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 1st Cor. 12:27 We often think that when the church is powerful- she will reach the world. If we have the gifts functioning – that will do it. Or how about when ‘we all become rich and grasp the prosperity promises’. Surely that will get the work done. But Jesus says when we are one- unified- then the world will know he has sent us. John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. I apply [on video] some practical application to the verse I posted at the top- ‘Glorify me with the glory we had- before the world was’. Now- to God be the glory- forever. Yet we share in the glory of Christ. John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I like the way John’s gospel says Jesus ‘knew he came from God- all things were given to him from God- and he was going back to God’. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians that we too ‘came from God’ he planned us before he made the world- yes- the bible teaches that. Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: So- before any of us were involved in the things we are doing- Pastors- your church Preachers- you’re calling Whatever ‘world’ God has allowed you to play a part in- your sphere of influence. Before ‘that world’ ever existed- you had this this aloneness with God. Where he revealed his purpose for your life- and you took hold of it- despite what others said. You prevailed by faith to see this ‘world’ come to pass. Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. You learned that ‘all things were given to you by God’. Now- after these things are built- after you saw God use you to build the church- or ministry. Then there comes a time where you say ‘Father- let me not forget the way all this started- it was just me and you- and let me now return to the ‘glory’ that we had- before these things were’. All of us need to know what it’s like to simply walk with God. These last few years I learned to spend whole days- just with God. No ministry- no outreach- no human contact for that day. And it was not easy to learn this. But at the start of the Christian walk- there was indeed this sense that it was just me and him. Then we get involved in all types of kingdom things- good things- ‘world’ things. And we have to come back to the start again- we have to pray ‘Father- let me experience once again- that one on one relationship that we had at the beginning- before all these things were’. And trust that the word that you have deposited in the people you have had influence with- that it will continue- even after you are gone. When you learn to be alone with God again- you will realize you are not alone- but the Father is with you in a very real way- Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. Jn. 16:32 See? PAST POSTS [verses below] JOHNS GOSPEL LINKS- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/amos-5/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/15/jesus-christ/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/father-abraham/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/the-flood/ John 3 https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/the-well-john-4/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/john-5/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/john-6/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/john-7/ https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/8-10-15-john-14.zip https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/16/john-8/ https://youtu.be/f8VpxlYM_kU John 8- ��who the Son sets free’ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/john-9/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/john-10/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/john-11-the-8th-sign/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/i-found-a-verse/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/john-12/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/samuel-john-hebrews-review/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/john-13/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/john-14/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/john-15/ https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/09/15/john-16/ . [1486] ARIUS- a priest from Egypt who would challenge the deity of Jesus in the 4th century. Arius taught that Jesus was the Son of God, but not eternally the Son. He said Jesus was a created being whom the father ‘bestowed’ son ship upon. He taught that Jesus was ‘like God’ but not God. The emperor Constantine would call the famous council of Nicaea in 325 a.d. and the council would agree with Athanasius and say that the Son and the Father were of ‘the same substance’ [homoousios] and Arius’s belief would be rejected. The debate would still rage on thru out the century as Constantine would die and the new emperor from the east would hold to ‘Arian’ views. Eventually Orthodoxy would win out and Arianism would be rejected by the majority of believers. I should note that many of the oriental churches would go the way of Arianism till this day; some of these churches are not like the modern cults that we would automatically reject, but they do hold to beliefs that Orthodox Christianity has rejected. As I have written about before, it’s easy to see how various believers have struggled with these issues over the years, some of the ways people express things can be deemed heresy a little too quickly in my view. There are believers who express the deity of Jesus in ways that some Arians express it, and they are not full Arians! The point being, yes- Arian went too far in his belief that Jesus was a created being, Johns gospel refutes this belief strongly [as well as many other portions of scripture] but too say that Jesus was/is the full expression of the father, because he ‘came out from God’ is also in keeping with scripture. Today we should be familiar with the issues and also use much grace when labeling different groups of believers; and we should strive for a unity in the Spirit as much as possible. As believers we accept the full deity of Christ, one who is of the ‘same substance’ of the father- true God from true God. He who has seen the Son has seen the father- Jesus said to Phillip ‘I have been with you a long time, if you see and know me, you have seen and known my father’ Jesus is God come down in the flesh to dwell among men, the true Immanuel, God with us. [1484] ‘This is why I Paul am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so called. I take it that you are familiar with the part I was given in God’s plan for including everybody… none of our ancestors understood this, only in our time has it been made clear thru God’s Spirit… this is my life work, helping people understand and respond to God’s message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details’ Ephesians 3, message bible. As I said earlier in this study, the ‘mystery’ that God revealed to Paul was the reality that thru Christ all ethnic groups would be on the same footing with God. This specifically related to the religious belief of the day that the ethnic nation of Israel were the only ones with special access to God. For Paul to have been preaching this message in his day would be like us teaching that God’s plan for all people today- Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, Iranians, etc., it would be like saying Gods purpose for our day is to accept all of these ethnic groups as one group thru Christ. To be frank about it, I believe many evangelicals today are not fully seeing the reality of the Cross when they exalt the natural heritage of Israel as Gods special people. Though I realize many of these teachings mean well [end time scenarios and stuff] yet in practice they deny the equal footing that all people have in Christ. Paul was preaching the great news that your ethnic/cultural background no longer made any difference- thru Christ we are all Gods special people. This does not mean that we are all accepted whether or not we believe in Christ, a sort of religious syncretism, but it does mean that the offer of Jesus is available to all. [parts] (1226) 2ND CORINTHIANS 4- In chapter 3 Paul said we are beholding/seeing God in an open way as compared to the old covenant. In this chapter he shows us how we ‘see God’. We see him in his Son. God has chosen to reveal himself to us thru his Son. One of the first Christian councils [after the one at Jerusalem in Acts 15!] was held in the 4th century under the Roman emperor Constantine. The reason was to bring unity to the church on the issue of Christ’s divinity. These councils played political roles as well as theological. After Constantine became emperor he established the great city in the eastern empire called Constantinople. This city [named after him] became both the theological and political seat in the eastern half of the empire. So you had both a religious and political competition going on in the empire. Rome, situated in the west, was feeling like she would lose her position if the eastern half started gaining too much influence. So you had differing reasons for these councils. But you also had sincere men who held to various beliefs at the time. The bishop Arius came to teach that Jesus was the Son of God, but not God himself. This created a stir in the empire and Constantine called a council to settle the question. The debates went forth, both views were discussed and classic Orthodoxy came down on the side of Jesus being God. Now, there would be more councils dealing with Gods nature and Christ’s role, but this was a defining moment in Christian history. The church [and the scriptures] teach that God became man [incarnation] and thru Jesus we ‘see God’. Paul also relates the many sufferings and trials he was going thru. He says he tastes death and bears in his body the death of Jesus. He simply does not give a picture of the Christian life that is common in today’s world. Many believers are taught that these types of difficulties and sufferings are a result of their lack of faith, or their inability to rightfully ‘access their covenant rights’. Paul refutes this doctrine strongly. Paul has already mentioned those who ‘peddle Gods word’ or who twist the scriptures for their own benefit. It always amazes me to see well meaning believers/teachers go thru the entire corpus of the New Testament and never see these things. It’s so easy for preachers/teachers to read the scriptures with blinders on. Here Paul taught that the many sufferings [both physical and spiritual] were an honorable thing, they were his way of sharing in the sufferings and death of Christ. They were ‘death in him, but life in you’ he saw his difficulties thru a redemptive lens. He says the present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us. The first verse of this chapter says seeing we have received this great ministry, we don’t faint. I like Eugene Petersons Message version, he says ‘just because times get hard, we don’t throw up our hands and walk off the job’ I like that. (1227) 2ND CORITNHIANS 5- Paul speaks of the Christian hope- resurrection! This chapter can be confusing if not taken in context. You could think that Paul is saying when we die we have a house/room in heaven ‘waiting for us’ and this seems true enough. But he is really saying something more along the lines of ‘in heaven [Gods realm] we have a promise of a new body. The Spirit in us is the down payment, but full redemption will be complete when we are raised from the dead’ the hope is a new body, not our souls living some type of disembodied existence in a heavenly [parts] JAMES 1 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/5-28-15-james-intro-chapter-1.zip Try and watch this video- I cover lots of stuff that place this letter in context for this study. [ Read acts 10,11,15, Galatians 1-2] Intro- This letter was written by James- the brother of Jesus. He was one of the main church leaders at the church in Jerusalem- we read about him in Acts chapter 15. This [Acts 15] was the first church council in the history of Christianity. I already taught the book of Romans written by the apostle Paul. And as we read the New Testament in context- we can see the reason why James penned this letter- and addressed it to Jewish believers. Paul was the most influential missionary in the early church- he established most of the gentile churches we read about in the bible [Rome being the exception]. He also wrote most of the letters that make up our New Testament. His main teaching was Justification by faith. There was a division we read about in the bible- between some of the Jewish believers at Jerusalem- and the churches Paul was planting [the church council mentioned above- was convened over this issue]. This division was based on the teaching of Paul- and some Jewish believers in Jerusalem accused Paul of rejecting the Mosaic Law. Paul defended himself in the letters of the New Testament [Romans/Galatians] and even talks about his visits to the leaders at the church in Jerusalem. Now- in this context- it seems fitting for James- the main church leader of the Jewish brothers- to ‘set the record straight’. And to write his own letter- showing the importance of GOOD WORKS- and even saying ‘see how a man is justified/saved by works- and not by faith alone’. The higher critics of Christianity [who you have heard me talk about in recent videos] will teach that James and Paul ‘taught different theologies’. I do not agree with them. But- our bibles are an early collection of the Real Time things that were taking place in the early church. At the time these men were writing these letters- they were not writing them as a complete canon [book] – but were writing them as you or I would write a letter to another person. In the wisdom of God- I think it is possible for these men to have seen different aspects of the manifold wisdom of God- and maybe they were not fully seeing the other writer’s point of view. To me- this would not be a criticism of the canon of scripture- but it would show us that God used these men- thru their experiences- and yes- even disagreements- to write the letters that make up our bibles- And in time- they would indeed become the official teaching of the church- Embracing a broad range of Divine Revelation- that in the end- does NOT CONTRADICT itself- but instead makes a complete work- which we call the bible. This letter is short- and packed with short verses of great wisdom. It is the only New Testament letter that falls into the category of Wisdom Literature- Meaning a particular genre’ of writing- like Proverbs in the Old Testament. Because of this- I am going to post each chapter of the letter during this teaching- for those of you who have never read the bible all the way thru- I want to challenge you to read these short chapters over the next few weeks. I will comment and add historical stuff in this teaching- like I did in the other recent studies. But most of all- read each chapter for yourself- ask God to give you wisdom- and apply the instruction of this letter to your life. It is a very practical- straight forward teaching that comes to us from the brother of Jesus himself. As I have been commenting on the other writings that did not make it into our bibles- like the Gnostic gospels- One of the reasons these extra biblical writings have so much appeal- Is because they claim to have other teachings- from/about Jesus- that are not in the bible. For those of us who reject these other writings- as canon- The letter of James kind of fills the void of ‘we want to know more about what Jesus taught’. This would be the letter to read- because James grew up with Jesus- in the same home. He was the oldest sibling of the Holy Family- And he was not a follower of Jesus until after the resurrection of Christ. He was one of the witnesses Jesus appeared to after his resurrection [Paul told us this in Corinthians]. So- if anyone has any ‘secret insight’ into the other stuff Jesus taught- it would be James. James 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: James 1:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass [parts] END NOTES OF POST- WHAT ARE THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS? OCTAVIAN- A GOD? CICERO- MARK ANTONY [or Anthony if you like]. WHO WERE THE ESSENES? DID THE CHURCH ENGAGE IN A GRAND CONSPIRACY? END NOTES [I posted the video for this portion a few days ago- it goes along with Hebrews 7-9 video/post] The past few weeks I had a few friends ask me about the Dead Sea Scrolls- and a few other questions about the ‘lost books of the bible’ and some other common- and mistaken ideas [like the original sin being Eve had sex with the serpent]. So- I figured I would cover a little Jewish history- which would help in this study of Hebrews- And also hit on a few of these subjects. As we read Hebrews- it helps to also understand some of the history that we don’t have in our bibles [though the Catholic bibles do have some of it in the Apocrypha]. Ok- the ruling empire at the time of Christ was Rome- just prior to the appearance of Jesus- the Roman Emperor- Caesar Augustus- consolidated the Roman Empire under his rule- Rome was ruled by a senate- some famous names from history were in it- Cicero being one. Caesar Augustus was the nephew of Julius Caesar- his real name was Octavian [Octavius]. After the death of Julius Caesar- there were some power struggles that took place- between some other famous people. Marc Antony being one of them [Cleopatra too- he was in love with the girl for sure]. Now- we read about Augustus in the New Testament- and we read in the book of Revelation about the Mark of the Beast- and that those who don’t worship- give homage to the Beast- they will be killed. So- Many Christians would be killed because they would refuse to give homage to Caesar Augustus [meaning son of the Divine]. ‘Wow- how did he get a name like that’ [there was more than one Caesar by the way- as well as more than one Herod- who did play a part in these power struggles- it can get confusing- even to me]. When Octavian defeated Marc Antony at Actium [32 BC]. Herod [The Great] had a problem- he had previously sided with Antony and found himself on the losing side. Yet he was smart- did some ‘brown nosing’ as we say-and patched things up. Herod had 3 sons- who would eventually take positions of authority in the Roman government at the time of Christ. Herod Antipas was over the region that we read about in the New Testament where Jesus did most of his ministry- Galilee. Ok- Octavian claimed deity because of a heavenly sign associated with his rise to power- and this is how he became called ‘Caesar Augustus’. He sort of saw himself as a ‘re-incarnate’- of his great uncle Julius Caesar. ‘John- what in the heck does this have to do with the Dead Sea Scrolls’. Ok- good question. The Jews had various responses to the empires that ruled over them during various times. Alexander the Great instituted Hellenization- a sort of cultural compromise over the people he conquered. They could keep their religious/cultural roots- but would be subservient to Alexander and Greek rule. Some Jewish people rejected any compromise- we call them the Essenes- they moved out of town- so to speak, and lived in what we refer to as the Qumran community. This was a few centuries before the time of Christ- and this was where the Dead Seas Scrolls were found in the 20th century. A Bedouin boy was looking for his goats- threw a rock in a cave right off the Dead Sea- and that’s how we found the scrolls. The scrolls might have been hidden there by the Essenes- Now- when my friends asked me about them- I told them that it’s been a while since I read up on any of this- but to the best of my memory the thing that made them significant was the fact that they were very old manuscripts- from the bible- and they backed up what we had had all along. I did read up this week- and basically had it right. The earliest Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament we had previously dated back to around 900- 1000 A.D. These manuscripts went back about 1000 years earlier- and they contained portions from almost every book of the Old testament- and some complete books. The only book missing was Esther. So- this was indeed a very significant find for scholars. But the Scrolls also contain some of the writings from the Essenes themselves- things we never had before- so this too was significant. There were Jews at the time of the first century who tried to ‘get along’ with Rome- and with the person in charge of their region [one of the sons of Herod the Great at the time of Christ]. These are referred to as Herodian’s in the bible. Some wanted a revolution to rid Rome from Jerusalem- these were the Zealots [one of Jesus disciples was in this group]. Some thought if they returned to a legalistic obeisance of the law- that this would bring in a deliverer- like the stories we read about in the Old testament- these were the Pharisees. And some took more of a political compromise- these were the Sadducees. Eventually a war with Rome would be fought [By the way- Josephus- the famous 1st century historian- fought on the side of the Jews in the war- and after Jerusalem was sacked in A.D. 70- he went to Rome and wrote his great works- thinking he would make a case for the Jewish people with the Romans. This is why we have his works today- which are very valuable to scholars]. NOTE- In time I’ll try and cover how we ‘got our bibles’ [called the Canon- meaning Rule/ Measurement]. Frankly- there is a lot of confusion in the general public about conspiracies [like the Catholic Church had some type of plot to keep certain books out]. Or stories about how the Church taught Mary Magdalene was a prostitute so they could discredit her. Actually- we read in the gospels that Jesus cast out ‘spirits’ from a woman who was probably living this type of life- And Jesus had a ministry to the down and out- it is indeed possible that Mary was one of these women- And if true- it would not demean her in any way- That’s how this tradition more than likely developed- But- we don’t know for sure. So a few years back the Church officially said ‘we don’t know’. Ok- Plot? No- just being careful. So there are other misguided beliefs like this- that sincere people have- and over time I hope to get to them. I’ll do one more in keeping with this post. I mentioned above that Caesar Augustus did indeed take the title of ‘son of God’. And some critics of the Church say ‘see- there were all types of religions that had Sons of God’. I watched one show a few years back- and it stated that these religions had ’12 disciples- a leader named Lord and Savior- and he healed and claimed to be God’s Son- and rose from the dead’. Ok- that show was ‘fibbing’ to put it lightly- they went too far [historically speaking] in trying to diminish the Christians claim of Christ by doing this. Now- is there some truth to this at all? Yes- like I just mentioned above- Octavian did indeed claim deity- a ‘son of god’. So- how do we explain this? In the book of Galatians the bible says ‘in the FULLNESS of times God sent forth his Son’. Jesus came at a set time in history- in fulfilment of the Jewish Prophets- to be who he was- and to do what he did. Now- this is not special pleading here- but I find it a masterpiece that God’s Son came at a time when the Roman Empire had one sitting on the throne- who too claimed deity. Yet Jesus was in a region of the lower class- his men were not highly educated- and his followers were people under oppression. Augustus lived in the wealthy and influential capital of ‘the world’- he had all you could ever ask for- he was worshiped as a god. Yet in 3 short centuries- one of the heirs of the empire- Constantine- would have an experience – not with a former Caesar- but with a vison of a Cross- He would convert to Christianity- and declare Christianity to be the religion of the realm. He would then ‘convert’ the pagan temples- into churches for these followers of Christ. So I don’t see the fact that Augustus claimed to be a son of god right before Christ- as some type of discredit to the claims of Christ. No- I see it as God’s way of pulling the rug out from the oppressor- see? [Oh- by the way- only one of them rose from the dead- can you guess?] [parts] [1740] THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING- PLATO. I caught a show the other night on Link TV. It was a spin off from this famous Platonic quote- it was called ‘The examined life’. They interviewed some of the most prominent philosophers of our day. Cornell West, Peter Singer- a few others [I think the name is Singer?] I found it interesting that Singer- who specializes in Ethics- tried to make the case that you really don’t need religion/God in order to do ethics- all you need is to work from the basic principle that says ‘try to treat others like you too want to be treated- and then you will have a foundation for morals’. Now- I caught the contradiction right away- do you see it? Who is he quoting? This is the great moral principle- given to us by Jesus himself- called the Golden Rule. This actual principle- in Theology [the study of God] we call Natural/Moral law. The Argument is based on the reality that all people [not animals- Singer- get to it in a moment] have within them this moral compass [Romans 1] and that this in itself is proof that there must be a higher moral being- a transcendent being- who has put it in man. I just found it funny that Singer- who is supposed to be a prominent atheist/agnostic thinker- would fall flat on his face like this. Singer advocates for legal Rights for animals- and has also argued that viability of the new born baby should determine its personhood- he says that we should be able to abort babies up until around the age of 1- because they can’t really survive on their own until that age. Sad. Okay- why do Philosophy- or Physics- or any other of a number of schools of thought? Because too often Christians abandon these fields- and then when someone from that field says ‘this is why we don’t need God’ we usually have no answer. When we think about philosophy- most of us think about the 3 great big shots- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. While it is true that these guys were the major guys at right around the 5th century B.C.- yet we actually date the beginning point to the early 6TH Century B.C. to a man by the name of Thales. Thales accurately predicted a solar eclipse in the year 585 B.C. and he gained notoriety because of this. Thales was the first Greek thinker to grapple with the idea that there must be one reality that makes up all things. He would argue that Water was this element- that contained being and Motion and life. Many of these pre Socratic thinkers were obsessed with the idea of motion- where did it come from? Thales observed that streams and rivers- and all types of water sources flow- so to him this was a logical source of motion. This idea- that only one element makes up all reality- is called Monism. Monism is not be confused with Monotheism- the belief in one God- Monism actually leads to another religious view- called Pantheism- the belief that God is everything- and everything is God. This is not the historic Christian view. Now- the pre Socratic guys- Parmenides, Zeno, Heraclitus- these guys would challenge Thales view that water was the main thing. Some said ‘maybe it’s Air’ another said ‘Earth’ and some Fire. These 4 elements [Earth, Air [wind] Fire and Water- are the 4 basic elements of the early Greek philosophers. We see these things in the naming of musical groups [Earth Wind and Fire] as well as the themes in movies [fantastic 4- based on 4 basic elements- powers]. Now- one of the thinkers said ‘wait- maybe the reality behind all things is not any one of these elements- maybe there is a 5th dimension [another musical name- and also the famous Bruce Willis flick- called the 5th Element] a Boundless being- outside of time and matter- maybe this 5ht element is the foundation for all things. Of course this view would lead to the more developed view of God that Socrates and his followers would embrace- an early view of God- much like the later Christian view [absent the Trinity]. By the way- the view that 2 or more elements make up all reality is called Pluralism- not to be confused with religious Pluralism [that all religions lead to the same God]. The most common form of Pluralism is Dualism [2 realities equally true] but all non Monists who embrace more than one reality are Pluralists. Okay- maybe a bit much with the 10 dollar words- but it might spark the interest of some. The church has debated for centuries on whether or not Philosophy should be taught to Christians. One of the early church fathers- Tertullian- said no- his famous quote is ‘what does Jerusalem have to do with Athens’. Meaning what does Philosophy have in common with Christianity [Athens- Greece was the seat of philosophy in Jesus’ day]. For the most part- the early church fathers would embrace the study of philosophy- and try to make arguments for the Christian faith by presenting Christianity as ‘thee’ philosophy that best answers the questions of man. These early Christian thinkers are called Apologists- men like Justin Martyr are in this class. Apologist is a word we use to describe those who defend the faith- it comes from the Apostle Peter’s letter in the N.T. where Peter says ‘give an answer to those who ask you about the faith’. In the Greek language- the original language the N.T. was written in- this phrase is talking about a defense- an ‘apology’ in the sense of ‘making the case’ not in the common sense of apologizing. In the book of Acts- chapter 17- we read the famous sermon of the apostle Paul- given at Mars Hill. He was in Athens at the time- and he was debating with all the philosophers of the day. He tells them ‘as I was looking around town- I saw that one of your altars is addressed to The Unknown God’. He would go on and declare unto them that this Jesus is the true God- the one raised from the dead. Paul also said ‘in Him we live and MOVE and have our being’. Kind of a popular verse quoted by preacher’s today- but we often overlook the significance of the MOVE part. I mean- why say we MOVE in him too? Paul was a smart guy- he knew these children of Socrates questioned where motion came from [Remember Thales?] So he was basically saying ‘I am declaring to you the one true reality- the true 5th Element- the missing God particle from your system’ and he went on and preached Christ- being raised from the dead. Paul knew that you can’t really do true philosophy- to grapple with the questions of life and being and ‘motion’ without realizing that God is indeed the ultimate answer to all things. Even Peter Singer- who claimed that you don’t need God or religion in order to do Ethics- even he unknowingly quoted Jesus in attempting to give a basis for his Philosophy- yes- he quoted a God- one unknown to him- just like the altar at Athens- but a God never the less. An inescapable 5th element- the missing part to the whole puzzle. VERSES- John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. John 17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. John 17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. John 17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. John 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: John 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. John 17:25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Tim. 3:16 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com facebook.com/john.chiarello.5 https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg

VERSES- These are the verses I either quoted or taught on the video- Ephesians 4 Hebrews 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Acts 14:14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, 1 Corinthians 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Hebrews 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 15:13 [Full Chapter] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Mark 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. Mark 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Mark 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. Mark 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him. Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, Mark 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Ephesians 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? Ephesians 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

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[lauraramargosian]

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

LOVELOUD 2019 POSITIVE CELEBRITY RATING: 10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVEN IF YOU TRAVEL!

LOVELOUD 2019 not only attracted music lovers, but it was also an excellent way to help raise money for all charities benefiting LGBTQ communities.

In fact, each of the artists took time out of their to spread nothing less than a joy to every soul in the sold-out event.

Dan Reynolds took the stage to welcome all early arrivals to the festival he founded

“It’s not because our LGBTQ youth are broken,” Reynolds shared and pleaded that those who identify as LGBTQ youth “not take your life from us.”

Kesha: Rich, White, Straight Men belongs in a movie!

“We need you. We need every one of you. Your life is always worth living, always. There’s cool things that happen. Things get better.”

Truthfully, Utah has a lot of political control and while it might be difficult to digest, the Mormon church absolutely disagrees with those who have LGBTQ intentions. As far as to kick their own children out of their homes.

Leaving them homeless because they are “sinners,” and other man-made precepts that are not only harmful to one’s self-esteem but false.

“It has to do… with man-made precepts that are just false — that you can tell your neighbor how to live and who to love.”

Further, LOVELOUD was created to help, it’s an event to say “hey we got you.” And sometimes, blood will never be as supportive as your fellow LGBTQ friends and supportive talent.

Matt Easton also attended the event and never imagined he would be up on that stage inspiring other people after he bravely came out during his valedictorian speech at Brigham Young University.

In case you didn’t know, Brigham Young University is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Easton shared his coming out story and how many friends he had who thought of suicide as an option because they were told often “you are not normal.”

Of equal importance, this year LOVELOUD 2019 festival is celebrating their third year of success.

It has always been less about the lineup and more about the cause to help all those that identify as LGBTTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual).

Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds opened up about the ultimate goal.

“The goal is to destigmatize, and in order to destigmatize something, we talk about it, we talk about it, we talk about it. We educate,” Reynolds told the Daily Herald in a red carpet interview before the festival. “I hope that it’s started to penetrate the culture a little bit.”

The singer was accompanied by a pianist, finished the festival with a sincere acoustic set including a few Imagine Dragons hits, an “I’ll Walk With You” duet with Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees and “Stand By Me.”

Kesha Sebert was the headliner for the event, joined by Elias Millan and her amazing dancers were on point.

Setting quite the energetic set singing songs including Tik Tok, Praying and Your Love is My Drug.

With that in mind, Kesha shared that LOVELOUD was important to her because of how she views the LGBTQ community and their well-being.

“It’s something I feel so strongly about,” further she stressed how important it is to love yourself for who you are and never listen to people who put you down in life.

In fact, Kesha even broke down during some of her general conversation with the crowd.

“I just want to encourage everybody here to not only love yourselves but love the person next to you and love the people around you,” Kesha told the audience. “You do not know what they’re going through. You do not know what they’ve been through.”

Kesha headlined the event, performing an energetic set featuring songs like “Tik Tok,” “Praying” and “Your Love is My Drug.” The singer said LOVELOUD was an important gig for her “because it’s something I feel so strongly about.”

Further, she even gave us the opportunity to strip while singing “Take It Off.” Our shirt landed right by her, picking it up she finished the song with it dangling off her guitarist’s gear!

One of her memorable performances was “Praying.”

Many know, Kesha stood up for what she felt was right after being violated in many ways. Most importantly, it seems this is Kesha’s anthem to that piece of crap (yea, we said it, Gotwald is a piece of crap).

The tears she sheds each time she sings that song (this is Positive Celebrity’s 2nd time seeing her perform LIVE) is emotional, you feel with her not for her and if you can relate it’s even more intense.

Throughout the start of LOVELOUD, many artists took the stage with their own stories including Glenn, AJR, Tegan and Sara, Daya, K.Flay, PVRIS, Laura Jane Grace, Paul Cardall, VINCINT, Parson James and former Brigham Young University Cosmo mascot Charlie Bird with former BYU Cougarettes.

Beyond those attending, other high profile celebrities chimed in including P!nk, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars and some of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” cast also recorded short video messages that were shown at the festival between sets.

Kalen Allen told the Daily Herald how “amazingly excited he felt to host at LOVELOUD 2019.

“These are things, opportunities that I never would have thought I would have been able to have because of my sexuality, and so the fact that I am surpassing anything that I would have ever dreamed of, I just want to be an example to these kids that dreams do come true.”

He also shared how he felt the event has “opened some minds.”

“We’re coming at it with love, and so people feel OK to ask questions and explore it,” Glenn said. “I came out as gay in 2014 and personally left the LDS faith a few years ago, and I think from then to now, I’ve seen massive strides in taking down walls, and I think that’s what it’s about.”

With that in mind, we can’t forget the other organizations in town that have been doing their best for longer than LOVELOUD festival.

Yup, that’s my shirt hanging on their guitar. Haha. Excellent performance for “Take it Off!”

Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Colton Tran drops new short Cruella!

“Between Encircle and LOVELOUD and all the other organizations in town that have been at it much longer, the compassion has grown, and I think that the community has evolved,” Barbara Young said. “It’s really fun now because you’re seeing people who get it and you’re seeing hearts grow and now you get to just enjoy in all the love and acceptance that’s going on.”

In fact, they have achieved zero mortalities since it began.

“Encircle, since it’s started a couple of years ago, they’ve had no suicides of any of the kids that have come to Encircle, so super powerful,” Steve Young stated, body language spoke volumes as his eyes welled up with emotion.

Encircle in Utah is dedicated to leaving this world better than they left it with one goal.

“To Bring The Family And Community Together To Enable Our LGBTQ+ Youth To Thrive.”

The mission state itself is powerful.

“Encircle seeks to deepen and enrich the conversation among communities of faith and LGBTQ+ people. By teaching individuals to love themselves and empowering families, Encircle helps cultivate an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals can thrive. Our programs and services meet people wherever they are in their lives with cultural competency and sensitivity, using community partnerships, best practices, and innovative techniques.”

Most importantly, you can volunteer to make an even bigger impact, you never know who you are going to meet and become a big part of their life.

On their official website, you can check out services, friendship circles, programs, therapy, resources, our resources, their community calendar, locations including Provo, Salt Lake City, and Saint George.

Kesha gives a strong and emotional performance and speech!

If you don’t have enough time, do considering donating. The smallest amount can make a huge difference.

However, a simple Facebook share can go a VERY long way.

There are some great life-changing programs, one that stuck out for PCG is their Friendship Circles which provide opportunities for individuals to get together grouped by gender identity/sexual orientation and/or age to find a community of people going through the same things.

The talent on their line-up was beyond words.

K. Flay opened up with such energy even though it was so hot on that stage. She performed “Sister,” which was released prior to revealing her relationship with fellow performer Miya Folick.

It’s never easy to come out to family and friends as it is, can you imagine coming out to a complete world where the spotlight is always on you?

Imagine Dragons sang “Believer,” which is also the title of Reynolds documentary regarding the Mormon church and their attempts of treating LGBTQ youth. In fact, its the protest anthem, talent love singing this song with their emotion.

Truly, it has to be one of the best songs to sing at festivals. This one is all truth.

Tegan and Sara sang “BWU,” and it truly made us all stand up and dance, celebrating everyone who was there for who they were, not only did they sing amazing, their stage presence was on the spot, with light comedic teasing.

Daya sang “Insomnia”

The song dropped in the 2000s and talks about clubbing and forgetting your ex. The beat makes for a great crowd-pleaser.

Kesha sang “Rainbow”

The gorgeous lady just changed her hair from blonde to brunette. As a matter of fact, she looks fantastic and truly got the crowd singing, jumping and feeling that very emotion she felt on stage.

She even gave out bracelets that were triggered during her performance and the whole crowd lit up.

It only took one word for Kesha to describe everyone at LOVELOUD 2019.

“Beautiful.”

Rainbow was made for her LGBTQ fans and talks about life being hard but at the end of the trials in your life, there will surely be a rainbow.

PVRIS sang“No Mercy”

Headbanging was strong during PVRIS “No Mercy.” There wasn’t a mosh pit but there were people dancing in circles and having fun. It was literally PLUR for a hard-rock track.

Isn’t it amazing that the environment truly changes the effect of the song on those at LOVELOUD versus at a headline rock concert?

Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Daniel Radcliffe talks charity, his favorite role and more!

We stand corrected: if you’re going to headbang to one song at LOVELOUD, it’s “No Mercy.” This hard-rock track from the pop-rock outfit is guaranteed to get at least one moshpit going.

Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers sang“Apocalypse Now (& Later)”

What’s better than a fun upbeat song about having those blissful moments with the person you love, even if the world around you is crumbling to the ground.

LOVELOUD 2019 was one of the biggest shows since its birth and we are completely proud of those who showed up and stood up for what the believe, “just love.”

We interviewed Jaden Holly who opened up about his past with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He shared his thoughts on compassion and the lack of it during the time of his life where he was active in the Mormon faith.

“I wouldn’t have been able to feel the compassion I’m feeling right now had I been active. During my time being active in the church, it was always “wrong,” and my parents didn’t help. Adding to the whole topic of gay marriage and other topics that truly don’t make sense. Even with the straight evidence supporting the church and its false doctrine, they continue to think it’s a “sin,” and people should be saved (maybe through therapy, you know pray the gay away).

LOVELOUD brought a lot to light and I’m thankful I can feel and love endlessly now without a fogged view of the world.

Love who you want to love, be with who you want to be with, stand proud and remember who you are because you are perfect.

Everyone here looks happy and I’m happy and it’s been fun.”

Honestly, Holly’s opinion was nothing less than the truth. It has been fun and sometimes we feel so judged and held back from the world.

It’s hard to know that there are still people who don’t live their life and experience the world because of judgment, recommendations, and other false misconceptions.

Unfortunately, Salt Lake City, Utah loves to attend church on Sundays and then harass those who were celebrating pride month.

Saddening, don’t you think? Oh, and let’s not forget hypocritical.

Most importantly, it doesn’t matter what “God,” you believe in or what you follow in life. You should always treat all people with love and respect.

Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Duo Transcend talks about AGT, charity and more!

What’s the use in hate, rejecting your children and basically f*cking some of us up to the point where heavy therapy and healing is needed?

The world can be a dark place but LOVELOUD 2019, it’s sponsors and those who have devoted their lives to helping those who have been affected…

That right there… is the reason we all fight for what’s right.

Did you attend the festival?

Positive Celebrity News handed a select few cards so be sure to stay tuned for the full photo album and Spectacles by Snapchat videos in HD!

Let us know what you thought and felt throughout the day in the comments below.

Dan Reynolds announces star-studded LOVELOUD Festival lineup

Made a new friend? Shout them out? Want to tell a celebrity something, post a comment, you never know who might be lurking.

Lastly, here’s a huge shoutout to the whole LOVELOUD team, you guys did amazing and we cannot wait to return next year.

Honestly, Kesha and others who are interested should always be considered as they make the show even more powerful.

LOVELOUD is meant to grow, inspire and create a community and so far, they’ve done nothing less than help people all over the world.

Inspiring, it’s exactly what the world needs, more love.

Great line-up, great time and great new friends!

Stay tuned, each day we will be updating each talents album! Feel free to let us know if you’d like to use any of these images for your own stories!

Blessed be

KESHA at LOVELOUD 2019

Celebrating 3-years since it’s inception! Go LOVELOUD!

Dan Reynolds opens up about LOVELOUD 2019!

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

Laurara Monique is known by various celebrities as the youngest and kindest celebrity blogger. PCG has been described as a "celebrity safe zone."

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

My goodness, LOVELOUD 2019 was absolutely amazing. The environment was positive, fun and very inspiring. Thank you Loveloud Fest 2019 for all your hard work, the crew, the talent, everyone getting things together to celebrate who we are is people did a phenomenal job. I am proud of everyone who came and let their light shine! Albums are being updated daily! Enjoy what we had to share and stay tuned! Kesha K.Flay Daya AJR Tegan and Sara PVRIS Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers Dan Reynolds #KallenAllen #LOVELOUD2019 #kesha #DAYA #KFLAY

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors! Check it out right here on PCG magazine!

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[torentialtribute]

Sunderland on the verge of takeover by consortium including 25th richest man in the WORLD

Sunderland at the point of takeover by consortium including 25th richest man in the world as owner Stewart Donald prepares to sell majority interest

Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies, participates out of consortium leading takeover

Sunderland & majority shareholder Stewart Donald is ready to sell its stake

Dell and its consortium must EFL & Fit and correct passing of person test

by by Alec Fenn for Mailonline

Published: 12:24 BST, August 23, 2019 | Updated: 12:27 BST, August 23, 2019

Sunderland can be set for a substantial cash injection after a takeover bid from a consortium including the 25th richest man, Michael Dell.

Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, is part of a rich group of US investors who are ready to buy out Stewart Donald & majority interest in the club.

Sportsmail understands that Dell, recently ranked by Forbes as the 25th richest man in the world, is a minority investor in the takeover bid, while partners Glenn Fuhrman, John Phelan and Robert Platek are the potential are buyers.

Michael Dell is part of a American consortium hoping to complete an acquisition of Sunderland

Dell, ranked by Forbes as the world's 25th richest man, would be a minority be investor

Stewart Donald is ready to sell his stake to MSD Partners, just 12 months after buying club

If the acquisition is successful, Donald will remain the same responsible for the day-to-day running of Sunderland

Donald and fellow director Charlie Methven, who used the club's parachute payments to fund their acquisition m Ellis Short in 2018, take advantage of their initial expenses.

The couple would, however, continue to lead the club's day-to-day management, but would hand over total control to the MSD Partners consortium.

According to The Telegraph MSD Partners have considered a takeover bid for an English club for a number of months and have arrived at Sunderland earlier this year after several meetings with Methven.

Methven and Donald bought the club in 2018, but have since been looking for investors. The pair has convinced MSD that a relatively small investment can now bring huge benefits if the League One club is promoted to the Premier League.

In an interview last week, Donald confirmed that the acquisition came close after talks with investors that could help the club compete in the long term.

& # 39; We have a preferred partner & # 39 ;, said Donald last week. & # 39; Someone we think can really do what we were talking about and who will join us to take the club to a higher level. I hope we can get the deal over, because I think it's a hugely exciting deal for the right reasons.

Who is Michael Dell?

-Michael Dell is the founder and CEO of Dell, one of & # 39; the world's largest technology companies, best known for producing computers and laptops.

– Away from technology, Dell is also an active investor in sports teams because he has pumped money into Miami Marlins, the Major League Baseball team.

& # 39; To record the football club, we said we wanted it and the way we want it.

& # 39; We don't want people who talk a good game, say they have money and then they don't get it back or people who have money, but they don't know how to spend it.

& # 39; We want it structured, sustainable and the people we are talking about are talking about long-term investment, a long-term plan, not built on sand and I hope that as much as everything now we have to convince them to to join us on this trip.

"Where we are absolutely fine, to remain competitive as we are and to be financially secure, but I think we have now attracted people who can do what we said."

Before the acquisition is completed, the MSD consortium will have to pass the test of the EFL's fit and right person.

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[jazzworldquest-blog]

USA: The Glenn Crytzer Orchestra CD Release Party Wed., May 9th 7:30pm @ the Montauk Club

The Glenn Crytzer Orchestra "Ain't It Grand?" CD Release Party Wednesday, May 9th 7:30pm @ the Montauk Club 25 8th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11217 Tickets & Info New Double CD Set

Artist: THE GLENN CRYTZER ORCHESTRATitle: AIN’T IT GRAND? Label: BLUE RHYTHM RECORDS (self produced) Artist Website: glenncrytzer.com Release Date: MAY 9, 2018 UPC Code: 088907213631 Glenn Crytzer (g, bj, v, dir, a) Sam Hoyt, Mike Davis, Jason Prover (t) Rob Edwards, Joe McDonough, Jim Fryer (tb) Jay Rattman (as, ss, cl) Mark Lopeman, Marc Schwartz (as,ts,cl) Matt Koza (ts,cl) Henry “Ricky” Alexander (as,bar,cl) Rob Reich (p) Ian Hutchison (sb) Andrew Millar (d) Hannah Gill, Dandy Wellington (v) TRACK LISTING DISC ONE 1. The 408 Special 2. Black Beauty 3. Just Like A Broken Record 4. Up and at ‘Em 5. Ain’t It Grand? 6. When I Get Low I Get High 7. A String of Pearls 8. Blue Jay 9. Steppin’ In Rhythm 10. Who’s Yehoodi? 11. A Woman Needs A Man 12. Jive at Five 13. I’m Nuts About Screwy Music 14. Thank You for the Moments 15. Well, Git it! TRACK LISTING DISC TWO 1. Rhythm is our Business 2. The Glory of Love 3. Jubilee Stomp 4. Who Needs Spring? 5. Shorty’s Got to Go 6. Solo Flight 7. Marche Slav 8. I Get Ideas 9. The Ugly Duckling 10. The Little Orange Man 11. The Mooche 12. Massachusetts 13. Swing My Soul 14. Bear Foot Blues 15. Traffic Jam

Available From: Amazon•CDBaby•iTunes• Bandcamp

This may sound like a left-field introduction to this exceptional album by Glenn Crytzer, but bear with me: have you ever heard any of the classic big bands of the 1930s as recorded by the Associated transcription service? (Technically, the company was known as “Associated Music Publishers” and in 1936, their office was located at 25 West 46th St, Manhattan.)  The recordings made by Associated sound very different from the standard 78 RPM singles that were commercially released by the various labels, major and minor, and they also sound very different from the other transcription services at the time, like Thesaurus, Standard, or MacGregor. The Associated recordings all sound like they were made in a huge studio space, with lots of reverb, and plenty of sonic space around the instruments; they’re incredibly “live,” as an engineer might say.  When you listen to the Associated recordings of, say, the John Kirby Sextet, Teddy Wilson, the Ray Noble Orchestra, or that rather amazing 1934 Joe Venuti big band date (with Louis Prima and Red Norvo), just to name a couple, there’s a very specific kind of a disconnect happening. You don’t quite feel like you’re listening to historical recordings from 80 years ago, but you know they’re not newly-recorded either. They seem to exist in a unique space all their own, one that’s completely timeless.

  That’s the same way that this album landed upon my ears: it doesn’t quite feel like any kind of a recreation, rather it seems like some contemporary scientist who specializes in both sound recording and astrophysics found a way to send a microphone drone into the past and make new recordings of historical big bands.  I had a similar sensation when I watched the 2013 re-release of The Wizard of Oz, in which the classic 1939 film was re-jigged somehow for two 21st century movie technologies, digital 3D and IMAX.  (I’ve also heard the original soundtrack adapted for 5.1 surround sound on DVD.) The 3D IMAX Oz was fascinating and highly illuminating.  Naturally, going forward, I would still want to re-watch The Wizard of Oz in the original 1939 format again - this might have been just a one-off experience - but that it gave me a whole new way to look at a classic.  And that’s what this album does, it allows us hear vintage big band swing in a whole other way, auditorily speaking, and takes classic music and makes us hear it in the audio equivalent of 3D IMAX - it’s a quite a wonderful, unique sensation.

  The combination of the familiar and the unfamiliar is consistently startling, to the point where we can say that the music is being re-imagined rather than re-created.  I keep feeling like some collector friend of mine stumbled across a set of previously undocumented Associated transcriptions recorded in the immediate pre-war period. In some cases, where the tune is very familiar, I feel like these are newly-discovered versions by alternate bands, like “Jive at Five” being played by Charlie Barnet rather than Count Basie, say, or Alvino Rey playing the central guitar part on “Solo Flight” with own his orchestra back around the same time that Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman introduced it.  And this “Well Git It” makes me wonder what that classic flag waver might have sounded like if it came from the band book of Jimmy Dorsey rather than Tommy. Other tracks make me feel like I’m discovering some previously unknown local local or territory band that never made it into the history books or the discographies.

Some of Glenn’s arrangements truly sound like a wrinkle in time: the North American popular song “I Get Ideas” originated in 1927 as an authentic and famous Argentine tango titled “Adios Muchachos.”  In 1951, it was adapted into “I Get Ideas” (with most of the tango rhythm extracted), wherein it became a hit for both Tony Martin and Louis Armstrong. Glenn’s treatment sounds like if some early swing bandleader - say, Alex Hill, or maybe the Mills Blue Rhythm Band - somehow got a hold of the 1951 lyrics (by Dorcas Cochrane of “Again” fame), even though they weren’t written for many years.  There’s more than a hint of Louis Armstrong in Jason Prover’s trumpet solo at the heart of it, but more like Armstrong’s 1930s big band, the one led for him by Luis Russell, rather than the groups he recorded with in the 1950s, and Crytzer’s vocal here is clearly part and parcel of the 1930s idiom.

  And I find myself surprisingly impressed by Glenn’s originals; normally I try to encourage contemporary musicians and singers to avoid the temptation of writing their own original songs if only because the overwhelming majority of them are lousy at it.  (Make that extremely lousy at it!) But Glenn has succeeded in his highly commendable goal of creating new songs that sound like they were written in the late 1930s and recorded by bands of the period (if only on Associated Transcriptions). “Just Like a Broken Record,” for instance, really sounds like something that Larry Clinton would have played in a 1938 Vitaphone short - or on a 1938 buff Bluebird.  (So does “Marche Slav”; I had a hard time believing that was a new arrangement of the iconic 1876 Tchaikovsky piece, not a transcription of Clinton or Les Brown’s Blue Devils or some other historic band that specialized in “swinging the classics.”)

  There are also plenty of surprises in the vocal department: Hannah Gill is a name new me, but a formidable singer who sounds so authentic to the period that I don’t think she would even mind if I referred to her as a “band canary.” (That term has somehow become un-PC in the millennial era, go figure.)  I know Dandy Wellington, as does anyone who has attended any kind of swing-centric event in New York, but mainly as a dancer and an emcee for contemporary retro-burlesque events - in fact, so much so whenever I hear his name and his voice, I expect to see a woman start taking off her clothes. Clearly he’s developed into the most perfectly appropriate male singer for this band on both ballads and novelties (especially “Swing My Soul”).  And Glenn also captures the idiom very well, adding vocalist to the list of many hats (and caps) that he wears, along with bandleader, arranger, conductor, composer, lyricist, and guitarist.

  I’ve possibly made too much of a fuss over the way this music plays with notions of chronological time and not enough about how the music is about time in the sense that it really swings - that Glenn and his bandsmen play with a lift, a drive and a danceable imperative that’s all too rare in the 21st century.  Glenn Crytzer has, in fact, achieved something of a temporal miracle, in assembling 17 musicians and singers who have so perfectly absorbed the classic swing idiom that it’s like a language they can speak without any trace of a foreign accent. Astrophysicists may insist that time travel is impossible, but now I have cause to wonder.

-Will Friedwald

NATIONAL PRESS CAMPAIGN:  JIM EIGO, JAZZ PROMO SERVICES, 272 State Route 94 South #1, Warwick, NY 10990-3363 Ph: 845-986-1677 jim@jazzpromoservices.com • www.jazzpromoservices.com “Specializing in Media Campaigns for the music community, artists, labels, venues and events.” NATIONAL RADIO PROMOTION: LISA REEDY PROMOTIONS www.jazzpromotion.com 775-826-0755 lisa@jazzpromotion.com

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[wellnessroutines]

40 workout songs to help keep you motivated

I do not recognize about you, but I could not workout unless I have some great songs pumping in my ears. The more upbeat, the far better, in my opinion. The only problem is that, considering that I visit the health club so frequently, I wind up paying attention to the same tunes over as well as over (as well as over!) once again, which can be kind of boring. Whenever I load new songs onto my iPod Shuffle, I in fact look ahead to going to the gym, as well as I locate my exercises fly by much faster.

I attempt to upgrade my health club playlist every 2 weeks or so, which implies I have actually accumulated A GREAT DEAL of magnificent workout tracks over the previous year or so, as well as since I know I'm not the only one attempting to pointer up my exercise routine in an initiative to shed weight as well as obtain toned in time for bikini season, I determined to discuss 40 of my faves with you.

I'm really digging 5, 7, 10, as well as 21 right now, but all of these workout tracks will certainly maintain you pumped and also (with any luck) provide you the motivation you require to get back in form (and also stay in shape)!

Good luck, and please share your preferred exercise tracks in the comments area as I'm ALWAYS seeking fresh tunes to include to my iPod!

1. Boom Clap by Charli XCX

2. Farewell (feat. Islove) by Glenn Morrison

3. Fancy (task. Charli XCX) by Iggy Azalea

4. Open up Wide (task. Huge Sean) by Calvin Harris

5. Lips Are Movin by Meghan Trainor

6. Stylish Funk (accomplishment. Bruno Mars) by Mark Ronson

7. Prayer In C (Robin Shulz Radio Version) by Lilly Wood as well as The Prick as well as Robin Schulz

8. Summer by Calvin Harris

9. Animals by Maroon 5

10. Waves (Robin Shulz Radio Edition) by Mr. Probz

11. FourFiveSeconds by Rihanna and Kayne West as well as Paul McCartney

12. Wake Me Up by Avicii

13. Outside (feat. Ellie Goulding) by Calvin Harris

14. Promesses (accomplishment, Kaleem Taylor) by Tchami

15. Secured Out of Paradise by Bruno Mars

16. Sugar by Maroon 5

17. All of Me by John Legend

18. Raise Your Glass by P!NK

19. Overviews by Mike Mago and Dragonette

20. Relocations Like Jagger (feat. Christina Aguilera) by Maroon 5

21. Instead Be (accomplishment. Jess Glynne) by Tidy Bandit

22. All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor

23. Not a Bad Point by Justin Timberlake

24. Howl as well as Shout (task. Britney Spears) by will.i.am

25. Am I Wrong by Nico and Vinz

26. Celebration Rock Anthem (accomplishment. Lauren Bennett and also GoonRock) by LMFAO

27. Finest Day of My Life by American Authors

28. Tale of My Life by One Direction

29. I'm an Albatraoz by AronChupa

30. Work B ** ch by Britney Spears

31. Pompeii by Bastille

32. Considering Loud by Ed Sheeran

33. Very same Love (feat. Mary Lambert) by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

34. Run This Town (task. Rihanna as well as Kayne West) by JAY Z, Rihanna and Kayne West

35. Happy by Pharrell Williams

36. Turn Me On (task. Nicki Minaj) by David Guetta

37. Cost Tag (accomplishment. B.o.B) by Jessie J

38. Jealous (I Ain't Worth It) by Chromeo

39. Profane (feat. 2 Chainz) by Jason Derulo

40. Thrift Store (task. Wanz) by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

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[junker-town]

Matt Rhule gets a mulligan year at Baylor in 2017, but might not need it

Let’s talk about the Bears’ upcoming season.

This preview originally published May 15 and has since been updated.

I said everything I could think to say about the Baylor scandal in last year’s preview, and I’ll go ahead and keep it there. Art Briles and every assistant coach are gone, sent out of Waco after a lot of wins and a permanent stain.

Matt Rhule and an entirely new team have come to town. So let’s talk about that team.

A New Yorker by birth and a Penn State Nittany Lion by choice, the 42-year-old Rhule fulfills the “opposite of your last hire” philosophy that a lot of schools seek when replacing a coach. His background, playing style, and accent couldn’t be more different than Briles’.

But he also brings success to the table. In four years as Temple head coach, here’s what Rhule accomplished:

2013: 2-10, 106th in S&P+

2014: 6-6, 81st

2015: 10-4, 55th

2016: 10-4, 32nd

Under Steve Addazio, Temple had run aground after success. Rhule stripped it to the studs in 2013, then began building a house worthy of Magnolia Homes.

Under Rhule’s guidance, Temple won 10 games in a season for just the second and third times in its history. His defenses, led by Snow, ranked in the S&P+ top 25 in each of the last three years, peaking at 11th in 2014 and returning to 16th in 2016. The offense was explosive but inconsistent, ranking between 78th and 86th in Off. S&P+ three times in four years, but behind that defense, the Owls were ruthless and competitive.

Not including last year’s bowl loss to Wake Forest — Rhule had already left by then — Temple lost seven total games in his last two seasons, all to teams that won at least eight games. They were focused and strong against bad teams, and they won their share against good teams; they beat Penn State and nine-win Memphis in 2015, and they took the 2016 AAC with wins over 11-win USF and nine-win Navy.

Based on what we assume he wants to build in Waco, Rhule inherits a strange set of personnel. He takes on a team that ranked in the Off. S&P+ top five every year from 2011-15 and a respectable 38th during last year’s awkward Jim Grobe experiment. The defense peaked at 26th in Def. S&P+ in 2013 but slid out of the top 50 in each of the last two seasons.

Baylor was reliant on offense to win games. Rhule was not. Baylor operated with extreme tempo. Rhule did not.

This becomes a game of optimist vs. pessimist, really. An optimist might see that leftover offensive personnel, combined with Snow’s defensive influence, as a top-20 team in 2017. A pessimist might see an offensive reset coming, and without enough of Snow’s personnel to make up the difference.

S&P+ likes Baylor’s chances in 2017, mostly because S&P+ is not programmed to deal with Baylor’s coaching turnover. On paper, though, there are a lot of pieces. We’ll find out soon enough whether paper applies to Rhule’s 2017 squad.

2016 in review

2016 Baylor statistical profile.

A reader asked whether the 2017 Baylor preview would just be a shrug emoji:

Monday, and I’m strongly considering just writing “You know what? Let’s not” in the “2016 in review” section. https://t.co/XbO2c1FaBs

— Bill Connelly (@SBN_BillC) May 12, 2017

With so much of a sea change, there really isn’t a reason to take a long look at the Bears’ 2016 campaign. But it was pretty unique all the same.

Under Grobe’s leadership, Baylor started out strong, rocking bad Northwestern State and Rice teams, overcoming a slow start to beat SMU by four touchdowns, and taking down Oklahoma State at home. They needed a fourth-quarter surge to get past Iowa State in Ames, but they responded with an easy win over Kansas. They reached the midpoint unbeaten.

With the first setback, however, came many more.

First 6 games (6-0): Avg. percentile performance: 81% (~top 25) | Avg. yards per play: BU 6.6, Opp 4.2 (plus-2.4)

Next 6 games (0-6): Avg. percentile performance: 35% (~top 85) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.9, BU 5.7 (minus-1.2)

The offense went from excellent to average, and the defense went from excellent to awful until rebounding in a 24-21 season-finale loss to West Virginia. That the Bears rallied to look awesome against Boise State in the Cactus Bowl was further proof that bowls are a total motivational crapshoot and ended one of the odder 7-6 seasons you’ll ever see.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Rhule’s Temple offenses were about as exciting as barely-top-80 units can be. The Owls ranked 77th in success rate but 21st in IsoPPP, which measures the magnitude of successful plays. And despite a slow tempo and inefficiency issues, they ranked 27th in the country with 75 gains of 20-plus yards. Meanwhile, they were great at pulling rabbits out of hats — they were 80th in Standard Downs S&P+ but 24th in Passing Downs S&P+. They were bad at falling into third-and-long but pretty good at digging out of it.

Looking at the 2016 Temple offense applies a little bit to Baylor; Glenn Thomas, Rhule’s coordinator, is on staff as co-coordinator and QBs coach. Line coach George DeLeone also made the move. But really, the 2006 Temple offense applies almost as much as 2016. And that’s a bit of an oddity.

DeLeone was Temple’s coordinator in 2006, Al Golden’s first year in charge. The Owls went just 1-11 in the quintessential Year Zero situation, averaging a woeful 10.9 points per game. DeLeone and assistants Jeff Nixon (running backs coach) and Bob Bicknell (offensive line) had almost nothing to work with and came up with few answers.

Bicknell and Nixon both moved on to NFL assistant coaching jobs in 2007 (which opened the door for Rhule, also a Golden assistant, to move from defensive line coach to the offensive side of the ball) and remained there through 2016. They were both working for another bad offense — that of the San Francisco 49ers — last fall. But now the band is getting back together. Nixon comes on as offensive co-coordinator and running backs coach, and Bicknell is leading the receivers.

It goes without saying that the 2017 Baylor offense has a little bit more talent than the 2006 Temple attack. And there could be a unique influence in the form of tight ends coach Joey McGuire, three-time state championship coach at Cedar Hill High School in Texas. Rhule was canny in bringing on a guy with obvious Texas ties, but we’ll see what that means for the Baylor spread.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Terence Williams (22) and JaMycal Hasty (6)

There’s plenty of reason to guess Baylor might look a lot like Temple did last year: explosive and volatile.

The starting quarterback will likely either be sophomore Zach Smith, senior Anu Solomon, or freshman Charlie Brewer. Smith was explosive but inconsistent and interception-prone in 2016, Solomon had an up-and-down tenure as Arizona’s on-and-off starter, and Brewer is a true freshman. All three have unproven upside.

Leading returning rusher Terence Williams had average efficiency and above average explosiveness while backup JaMycal Hasty had solid efficiency and minimal explosiveness.

Of the three returning receivers who were targeted at least 10 times last year — junior Chris Platt and sophomores Blake Lynch and Pooh Stricklin — none had a 50 percent success rate, but Platt and Stricklin both averaged at least 16 yards per catch.

Three line starters return, as does a fourth with starting experience, but perhaps the two most important starters — three-year starting center Kyle Fuller and left tackle Dom Desouza — do not. [Update: New starting center Tanner Thrift has since retired.]

There’s plenty of upside, and Baylor’s offense was rather efficient a year ago (30th in success rate), but most of the sources of stability — receiver KD Cannon, quarterback Seth Russell, Fuller, Desouza — are gone. Add to that a completely new offensive coaching staff, and there will probably be plenty of misfires and growing pains. The question is, how many big plays can the Bears come up with to offset the inefficiency? The answer could determine whether Baylor is a Big 12 contender.

Defense

While Briles’ offense in his back pocket, former defensive coordinator Phil Bennett felt the best way to create wins was to get as aggressive as possible, risking big plays in the name of turnovers and three-and-outs. When he had an experienced secondary, as he did in 2013, this worked beautifully.

But last year, with a less consistent offense and a drastically inexperienced defensive front, the Bears had an identity crisis. They almost became a bend-don’t-break unit. And when the offense began failing a bit more over the second half of the year, the defense began failing a lot.

Snow doesn’t do “bend don’t break.” His Temple defenses were physical and efficient, constantly forcing three-and-outs with few big plays. The 61-year-old has been around the block — he was a coordinator at Boise State, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington, and Eastern Michigan — and he works well with Rhule. How well will he work with Baylor’s personnel?

He inherits experience. Every lineman returns, as do four of the top six linebackers and four of six defensive backs. His first Baylor defense could have as many as eight junior or senior starters. And while the wrong people left in the secondary, it does seem like he’s got some aggressive pieces.

We’ll start in the back. Safeties Orion Stewart and Patrick Levels were Bennett’s most exciting defenders last year (they combined for 17 tackles for loss and 11 passes defensed), and they’re both gone. But seven returnees each defensed at least four passes, and Travon Blanchard combined nine TFLs with six PDs.

Granted, most of the experience is at safety. Blanchard, Chance Waz, Davion Hall, and a returning-from-injury Taion Sells are all senior, as is reserve Tyler Jaynes; meanwhile, gone are the two leading tacklers at CB. Sophomores Grayland Arnold and Jameson Houston and junior Verkedric Vaughns all saw time in the rotation and combined for 15 PDs, but Baylor’s an injury or two from being green at corner.

That puts pressure on the front. Bennett deployed a deep rotation last year, and that should pay off. Four returning linebackers logged at least 18.5 tackles, and all four had at least three TFLs. Meanwhile, six returning linemen had at least 14 tackles, and all of them had at least 2.5 TFLs. That’s a lot of havoc potential.

Baylor’s run defense was soft; the Bears didn’t allow many big plays but ranked 80th in success rate and 126th in power success rate. But they were also young up front. Of those six returning linemen, four were sophomores and one was a freshman. Pass rusher K.J. Smith was the only veteran. Now they’re all experienced, and they could get a boost a two former four-star recruit — sophomore tackle Bravvion Roy — who had a nice spring.

Between the depth and attacking talent up front and the serious veteran presence at safety, Baylor should be able to overcome potential inexperience at cornerback. I don’t see Snow turning this into a top-15 defense overnight, but it’s easy to see a top-40 unit.

Special Teams

Baylor’s been miserable in special teams for two straight years. Chris Callahan was inconsistent in the place-kicking department, and while then-freshman Tony Nicholson was an efficient punt returner, he didn’t have much to work with on kick returns. Thanks mostly to a No. 114 ranking in field goal efficiency and a No. 125 ranking in punt return efficiency, the Bears ranked 110th in Special Teams S&P+.

That Nicholson is no longer a freshman will help, as will the return of decent punter Drew Galitz. Still, the best hope is for a mediocre unit.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Liberty NR 31.2 96% 9-Sep UTSA 91 18.8 86% 16-Sep at Duke 65 4.1 59% 23-Sep Oklahoma 5 -11.3 26% 30-Sep at Kansas State 35 -0.9 48% 14-Oct at Oklahoma State 22 -6.2 36% 21-Oct West Virginia 69 11.0 74% 28-Oct Texas 16 -3.2 43% 4-Nov at Kansas 107 17.7 85% 11-Nov Texas Tech 66 9.3 71% 18-Nov Iowa State 57 8.1 68% 25-Nov at TCU 21 -6.3 36%

Projected S&P+ Rk 28 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 37 / 40 Projected wins 7.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 13.5 (16) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 24 / 32 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -5 / -7.1 2016 TO Luck/Game +0.8 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 56% (45%, 67%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 7.8 (-0.8)

Briles and his staff are gone. President Ken Starr is gone. Athletic director Ian McCaw is gone. Sure, most of the roster is made up of Briles recruits, and lord knows the school is still figuring out ways to stay in the wrong spotlight, but as far as the football product is concerned, this is a new Baylor.

Rhule was a pretty incredible hire, both because of his reputation for character and his impeccable head coaching résumé. We don’t know how he’ll handle Texas recruiting, and we don’t know how his impenetrable defense will handle the high-octane Big 12.

You never know how a hire is going to work out. Rhule’s lack of experience in Texas could backfire, as could the massive culture change he’s attempting. But considering the negative headlines, landing Rhule was a damn coup. He aced his first head coaching exam at Temple.

In the short term ... we’ll see. There’s reason to be skeptical of the offense, and it might take Snow a year to get all the pieces in place on defense. (Then again, there are enough seniors that it could take two years.)

Then there’s the schedule. Yes, Baylor begins with likely wins against Liberty and UTSA (though UTSA could be tricky), but the Bears embark on a trip to Duke and could begin Big 12 play as an underdog in each of their first three games.

It could make Baylor quite the wildcard. If the Bears are 5-1 when West Virginia comes to town on October 21, they are well-positioned to become conference favorite if Oklahoma slips up. But they could also be 2-4.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[lerin1024-blog]

Top 20 Movies (in my opinion) from Jan-June 2017, first half of the year!

1. GOLD - (Stephen Gaghan) Starring Matthew McConaughey. The release date of this was December 30, 2016. But, I couldn’t help but put this on my list. A true story of the biggest gold mining scam in history, with the mystery surrounding who was involved and who is actually still alive today. Very intriguing all the way through. Such a touchy subject to touch base on! The way McConaughey warps into each and every one of his characters is something so incredible and memorable. This is a must see.

2. MEAN DREAMS - (Nathan Morlando) Starring Bill Paxton, Sophie Nelisse, & Josh Wiggins

Bill Paxton’s last movie released after his unfortunate passing earlier this year. Mean Dreams was an adventure. Sophie & Josh worked so well together in this film, which is why it really worked so well for me. On a mission to run away from her father who is a dirty cop, this combination of young actors really ran away with the show! I hope to see them work together in a future film.

3. THE DISCOVERY - (Charlie McDowell) Starring Robert Redford, Jason Segel, & Rooney Mara

We all have questions of what happens when we die. Is there an afterlife, and if so...what is it like? The Discovery attempts to explain a scientific finding and I think it’s findings were pleasant enough to make me enjoy this movie, as well as shed a few tears. It’s moving and incapsulating...even sentimental to say the least. It never bored nor confused, as many movies will when this is the topic. Easily memorable with no frustrated questioning afterwards. Charlie McDowell also co-wrote this with Justin Lader. Two thumbs up guys. 

4. GIFTED - (Marc Webb) Starring Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, & Jenny Slate

Raising a child prodigy isn’t easy. Especially when you are the uncle and your niece is so intellegent you would move the earth to help her, protect her, and keep her challened and safe. But what IS best for little Mary? I absolutley adored this movie and I know you will too. An emotional and heartfelt drama.

5. KING ARTHUR LEGEND OF THE SWORD (Guy Richie) Starring Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Astrid Berges-Frisbey & Eric Bana

Growing up in a sweltering city and brothels unknowing his own birthright brought this movie to life, as so many Arthurian movies have been made, this is my first look at one, and I was impressed. Very impressed with the way that Guy Richie made this action packed film. The sound effects and music were outstanding and really got it moving. Saw it twice, back to back. The sword coming out of the stone and wall like butter and Hunnam’s extrordinary acting abilities really made this truly the “one and only” Arthur movie, I believe. It opened my eyes to a whole other genre of films I’ve probably been missing!

6. THE SHACK - (Stuart Hazeldine) Starring Sam Worthington & Octavia Spencer

A story about a family tradgey, which leads a father to question his faith. This sends him on a mission to find answers. And answers he gets, and maybe even more than that. A kind of myseterious movie that surprises you mid-way through with picturesque beauty and underlying emotion. Tip: Grab a box of tissue and stay with it. You’ll be glad you did,

7. GET OUT - (Jordan Peele Writer & Director) Starring Daniel Kaluuya & Allison Williams 

I have never seen a movie quite like this before! Peele deserves much acknowledgement from this. During a trip to visit the parents of his girlfriend Rose, Chris is in for the shock and awe of his life. I don’t want to spoil anything here, but this is a must see and I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a “horror” film as it suggests, but certainly a strong thriller. Parts played by all were spot on and flowed well throughout this nail biter. OR should I say nightmare? (But in an entertaining way...) 

8. A DOGS PURPOSE - (Lasse Hallstrom) Starring Josh Gad & Dennis Quaid

A dog who is looking for his real purpose in life. He experiences his life and death reincarnated five times. A movie with so much soul, it is not easily forgotten. A nice one for the family to see together. It’s a tear-jerker for sure, but during the happy times as well as the sad. Josh Gad does a great voice for the dog in all the phases of his lives. A wonderful book to movie adaptation. 

9. BLACK BUTTERFLY - (Brian Goodman) Starring Antonio Banderas & Jonathan Rhys Meyers

“A Killer Story with a Twist”....Now who doesn’t love that type of movie! I know I do! This was a thrill to watch, more so because I didn’t read about it first, not even the cover. So, I was really happy with the storyline. I will admit, Meyers performance didn’t match up equally to Banderas, but that comes with eons of experience! Or, perhaps I just wasn’t use to the way he talks. Don’t get me wrong, this story was GREAT. Make sure you stay with it though. It also had the potential to be so many other things as well, but for what it was, I think it was a great watch and would recommend this to anyone!

BEAUTIFUL 10 - (Mark Pellington) Starring Shirley Maclaine & Amanda Seyfried 

Shirley does it again, and this should be in my number one spot, but this isn’t in any specific order. Harriet’s character was wonderful and powerful as Shirley’s characters always are...Strong, Independent, Wise, and Indifferent. This incredible movie teaches you to treat each day as a challenge to yourself. “Have an honest day”, Harriet will say. The risks she would take in her life would define her and she deeply wanted to be remembered, not forgotten. “Make mistakes because that’s living...” This was an honest movie, with a grest cast, storyline, music was SUPURB! And the vocabulary of basically every sentence written was perfect. Thank you Stuart Ross Fink! Many life learning messages throughout this movie, which I loved. It will not EVER be forgotten as one of the best movies I have ever seen.

11. EXTORTION - (Phil Volken) Starring Eion Bailey, Barkhad Abdi, & Danny Glover

A man in a desperate situation, without the time or the resources he needs to save his family while on vacation in another country. These things really happen, and in a world that can be uncertain at times, this movie really tuggs at the heartstrings for this man...and for the viewers! Brilliantly played by who I thought was Michael Fassbender...So sorry to Eion Bailey, who did a remarable job! I am one of your newest fans! Thriller for sure, so if you settle in with popcorn...get ready for one fast paced movie that will make time pass so fast, you won’t know it until it happens! I dare you to fall asleep during this! I’m so glad this is a nominee. Much respect.

12. THE SPACE BETWEEN US - (Peter Chelsom) Starring Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Gary Oldman, & Carla Gugino

Men are from Mars & Women are from EARTH. That’s the story. But don’t be fooled by the online reviews by others. Yes, it’s a “coming-of-age” movie, but it certainly has a big spark inside of it’s whole. Born on the planet Mars, “Gardener” wants nothing but to go down to earth and live a normal life. This has consequences to his health, obviously. Undetermined, yet, even by the astronauts and medical staff astronauts, and life itself on earth...things seem pretty clear...until they aren’t. Upon finding out and missing out...the end of this movie was great...it didn’t leave me hanging (I hate that!). So, take a chance on this one and see it for yourself.

13. BRAIN ON FIRE - (Gerard Barrett) Starring Chloe Grace Moretz

She was a professional reporter, living her dream in the big city, when something goes unexplainably wrong within her. This a true story, so it stood out to me in a huge way. No spolier’s here. Although, it’s an amazing movie! So many people with this same undiagnosed conditioned have been saved because of this woman’s parents never giving up to find answers. Enough said.

14. THE LOST CITY OF Z - (James Gray) Starring Charlie Hunnam & Robert Pattinson

Based on a true “legend” of a story.... A persumed lost city in the Amazonian rain forest. British research and map explorer Persy Fawsett travels into the deep debths of the rainforest to find the truth. Is there another civilization? And if so, can he proove it? Can he even get back home alive, or at all? What is the sacrifice worth? Watch this stellar movie, which is at it’s best, although it may leave you to find the true meaning of it all for yourself.

15. I DONT FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE - (Macon Blair) Starring Melanie Lynskey & Elijah Wood

After a home invasion, Ruth shows the normalcy of how sometimes theres just nothing the police can do. Irritated with rude people, its clever that she enlists the help of her abnoxious neighbor, Tony to help her find her computer through her GPS laptop finder on her phone. This is a dark comedy, to me...I loved every part of it. But it also moves into the suspense catagory as well, making it even better. This is Sundance! Nice to see it got the Jury award this year. Much deserved.

16. HIDDEN FIGURES - (Theodore Melfi) Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer & Janelle Monae...and Kevin Costner.

An untold true story of the launch of astronaut John Glenn into space. Back when African American women weren’t treated equally, these three brilliant woman’s minds go to work everyday at NASA and are the real (competent and confident) brains behind the whole operation. This story was powerful, and got much appreciation and respect from me and many others who have seen it. 

17. BEFORE I FALL - (Ry Russo-Young) Starring Zoey Deutch & Kian Lawley

How can the power of one single day have an impact on your whole life? Based on this best selling novel by Maria Maggenti. Sam seems to have the perfect life, but she wakes up living the same exact day over and over again, tring to change things and figure out what it all means. It’s a fun watch and the book is amazing! So, give this one a shot if you want to see something teenager-ish with big twists. I have a girl teen myself, and we enjoyed watching this together! It just had to make my “Top 20″.

18. COLOSSAL - (Nacho Vigalondo) Starring Anne Hathaway & Jason Sudeikis

Now this was just FUN. Not usually my style (Monster’s)... but this was the exception because of the story and the amazing cast. A Rivalry, between two friends happens to be a very dangerous one! I enjoyed not just the cast, but how grounded it was. An easy watch, and like I said...pretty fun, and quite original in itself. 

19. SPLIT - (M. Night Shyamalan Writer & Director) Starring James McAvoy

Split personalities come out to play around in a kidnapping of 3 teenage girls in this deep seated thriller. One they leave a surprise, although each and every one is played brilliantly by McAvoy and told in a clever way by Shyamalan. All of his movies are great, in my opinion with this one taking a top spot in my mind. I loved how darkly insanely crazy this was, watching each character emerge on screen. And just knowing that the final personality took over 15 years to create. Wow! 

20. LIFE - (Daniel Espinosa) Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson

On board the International Space Station, astronauts go on a mission to brig back proof if there is life on Mars. Extraterrestrial Life. And their findings proove to be very dangerous and life threating to everyone on board. Clever, and suspenseful, I would watch this one again. It’s interesting and the cast is great. There may or may not be a few twists! 

Honorable Mention: THE BELKO EXPERIMENT, where “Office Space” meets “Battle Royale”. A disturbing game insues inside of a huge titanium or crazy metal impenetrable building full of office workers. Very blood thirsty & a thriller that does have its twist, which of course, I’m all into. Not for everyone, thats for certain, but if you like “games” like these on the screen, this is a great new one to see! 

[junker-town]

Matt Rhule gets a mulligan year at Baylor in 2017, but might not need it

Let’s talk about the Bears’ upcoming season.

I said everything I could think to say about the Baylor scandal in last year’s preview, and I’ll go ahead and keep it there. Art Briles and every assistant coach are gone, sent out of Waco after a lot of wins and a permanent stain.

Matt Rhule and an entirely new team have come to town. So let’s talk about that team.

A New Yorker by birth and a Penn State Nittany Lion by choice, the 42-year-old Rhule fulfills the “opposite of your last hire” philosophy that a lot of schools seek when replacing a coach. His background, playing style, and accent couldn’t be more different than Briles’.

But he also brings success to the table. In four years as Temple head coach, here’s what Rhule accomplished:

2013: 2-10, 106th in S&P+

2014: 6-6, 81st

2015: 10-4, 55th

2016: 10-4, 32nd

Under Steve Addazio, Temple had run aground after success. Rhule stripped it to the studs in 2013, then began building a house worthy of Magnolia Homes.

Under Rhule’s guidance, Temple won 10 games in a season for just the second and third times in its history. His defenses, led by Snow, ranked in the S&P+ top 25 in each of the last three years, peaking at 11th in 2014 and returning to 16th in 2016. The offense was explosive but inconsistent, ranking between 78th and 86th in Off. S&P+ three times in four years, but behind that defense, the Owls were ruthless and competitive.

Not including last year’s bowl loss to Wake Forest — Rhule had already left by then — Temple lost seven total games in his last two seasons, all to teams that won at least eight games. They were focused and strong against bad teams, and they won their share against good teams; they beat Penn State and nine-win Memphis in 2015, and they took the 2016 AAC with wins over 11-win USF and nine-win Navy.

Based on what we assume he wants to build in Waco, Rhule inherits a strange set of personnel. He takes on a team that ranked in the Off. S&P+ top five every year from 2011-15 and a respectable 38th during last year’s awkward Jim Grobe experiment. The defense peaked at 26th in Def. S&P+ in 2013 but slid out of the top 50 in each of the last two seasons.

Baylor was reliant on offense to win games. Rhule was not. Baylor operated with extreme tempo. Rhule did not.

This becomes a game of optimist vs. pessimist, really. An optimist might see that leftover offensive personnel, combined with Snow’s defensive influence, as a top-20 team in 2017. A pessimist might see an offensive reset coming, and without enough of Snow’s personnel to make up the difference.

S&P+ likes Baylor’s chances in 2017, mostly because S&P+ is not programmed to deal with Baylor’s coaching turnover. On paper, though, there are a lot of pieces. We’ll find out soon enough whether paper applies to Rhule’s 2017 squad.

2016 in review

2016 Baylor statistical profile.

A reader asked whether the 2017 Baylor preview would just be a shrug emoji:

Monday, and I’m strongly considering just writing “You know what? Let’s not” in the “2016 in review” section. https://t.co/XbO2c1FaBs

— Bill Connelly (@SBN_BillC) May 12, 2017

With so much of a sea change, there really isn’t a reason to take a long look at the Bears’ 2016 campaign. But it was pretty unique all the same.

Under Grobe’s leadership, Baylor started out strong, rocking bad Northwestern State and Rice teams, overcoming a slow start to beat SMU by four touchdowns, and taking down Oklahoma State at home. They needed a fourth-quarter surge to get past Iowa State in Ames, but they responded with an easy win over Kansas. They reached the midpoint unbeaten.

With the first setback, however, came many more.

First 6 games (6-0): Avg. percentile performance: 81% (~top 25) | Avg. yards per play: BU 6.6, Opp 4.2 (plus-2.4)

Next 6 games (0-6): Avg. percentile performance: 35% (~top 85) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.9, BU 5.7 (minus-1.2)

The offense went from excellent to average, and the defense went from excellent to awful until rebounding in a 24-21 season-finale loss to West Virginia. That the Bears rallied to look awesome against Boise State in the Cactus Bowl was further proof that bowls are a total motivational crapshoot and ended one of the odder 7-6 seasons you’ll ever see.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Rhule’s Temple offenses were about as exciting as barely-top-80 units can be. The Owls ranked 77th in success rate but 21st in IsoPPP, which measures the magnitude of successful plays. And despite a slow tempo and inefficiency issues, they ranked 27th in the country with 75 gains of 20-plus yards. Meanwhile, they were great at pulling rabbits out of hats — they were 80th in Standard Downs S&P+ but 24th in Passing Downs S&P+. They were bad at falling into third-and-long but pretty good at digging out of it.

Looking at the 2016 Temple offense applies a little bit to Baylor; Glenn Thomas, Rhule’s coordinator, is on staff as co-coordinator and QBs coach. Line coach George DeLeone also made the move. But really, the 2006 Temple offense applies almost as much as 2016. And that’s a bit of an oddity.

DeLeone was Temple’s coordinator in 2006, Al Golden’s first year in charge. The Owls went just 1-11 in the quintessential Year Zero situation, averaging a woeful 10.9 points per game. DeLeone and assistants Jeff Nixon (running backs coach) and Bob Bicknell (offensive line) had almost nothing to work with and came up with few answers.

Bicknell and Nixon both moved on to NFL assistant coaching jobs in 2007 (which opened the door for Rhule, also a Golden assistant, to move from defensive line coach to the offensive side of the ball) and remained there through 2016. They were both working for another bad offense — that of the San Francisco 49ers — last fall. But now the band is getting back together. Nixon comes on as offensive co-coordinator and running backs coach, and Bicknell is leading the receivers.

It goes without saying that the 2017 Baylor offense has a little bit more talent than the 2006 Temple attack. And there could be a unique influence in the form of tight ends coach Joey McGuire, three-time state championship coach at Cedar Hill High School in Texas. Rhule was canny in bringing on a guy with obvious Texas ties, but we’ll see what that means for the Baylor spread.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Terence Williams (22) and JaMycal Hasty (6)

There’s plenty of reason to guess Baylor might look a lot like Temple did last year: explosive and volatile.

The starting quarterback will likely either be sophomore Zach Smith, senior Anu Solomon, or freshman Charlie Brewer. Smith was explosive but inconsistent and interception-prone in 2016, Solomon had an up-and-down tenure as Arizona’s on-and-off starter, and Brewer is a true freshman. All three have unproven upside.

Leading returning rusher Terence Williams had average efficiency and above average explosiveness while backup JaMycal Hasty had solid efficiency and minimal explosiveness.

Of the three returning receivers who were targeted at least 10 times last year — junior Chris Platt and sophomores Blake Lynch and Pooh Stricklin — none had a 50 percent success rate, but Platt and Stricklin both averaged at least 16 yards per catch.

Three line starters return, as does a fourth with starting experience, but perhaps the two most important starters — three-year starting center Kyle Fuller and left tackle Dom Desouza — do not.

There’s plenty of upside, and Baylor’s offense was rather efficient a year ago (30th in success rate), but most of the sources of stability — receiver KD Cannon, quarterback Seth Russell, Fuller, Desouza — are gone. Add to that a completely new offensive coaching staff, and there will probably be plenty of misfires and growing pains. The question is, how many big plays can the Bears come up with to offset the inefficiency? The answer could determine whether Baylor is a Big 12 contender.

Defense

While Briles’ offense in his back pocket, former defensive coordinator Phil Bennett felt the best way to create wins was to get as aggressive as possible, risking big plays in the name of turnovers and three-and-outs. When he had an experienced secondary, as he did in 2013, this worked beautifully.

But last year, with a less consistent offense and a drastically inexperienced defensive front, the Bears had an identity crisis. They almost became a bend-don’t-break unit. And when the offense began failing a bit more over the second half of the year, the defense began failing a lot.

Snow doesn’t do “bend don’t break.” His Temple defenses were physical and efficient, constantly forcing three-and-outs with few big plays. The 61-year-old has been around the block — he was a coordinator at Boise State, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington, and Eastern Michigan — and he works well with Rhule. How well will he work with Baylor’s personnel?

He inherits experience. Every lineman returns, as do four of the top six linebackers and four of six defensive backs. His first Baylor defense could have as many as eight junior or senior starters. And while the wrong people left in the secondary, it does seem like he’s got some aggressive pieces.

We’ll start in the back. Safeties Orion Stewart and Patrick Levels were Bennett’s most exciting defenders last year (they combined for 17 tackles for loss and 11 passes defensed), and they’re both gone. But seven returnees each defensed at least four passes, and Travon Blanchard combined nine TFLs with six PDs.

Granted, most of the experience is at safety. Blanchard, Chance Waz, Davion Hall, and a returning-from-injury Taion Sells are all senior, as is reserve Tyler Jaynes; meanwhile, gone are the two leading tacklers at CB. Sophomores Grayland Arnold and Jameson Houston and junior Verkedric Vaughns all saw time in the rotation and combined for 15 PDs, but Baylor’s an injury or two from being green at corner.

That puts pressure on the front. Bennett deployed a deep rotation last year, and that should pay off. Four returning linebackers logged at least 18.5 tackles, and all four had at least three TFLs. Meanwhile, six returning linemen had at least 14 tackles, and all of them had at least 2.5 TFLs. That’s a lot of havoc potential.

Baylor’s run defense was soft; the Bears didn’t allow many big plays but ranked 80th in success rate and 126th in power success rate. But they were also young up front. Of those six returning linemen, four were sophomores and one was a freshman. Pass rusher K.J. Smith was the only veteran. Now they’re all experienced, and they could get a boost from two former four-star recruits — Texas A&M transfer James Lockhart and sophomore Bravvion Roy.

Between the depth and attacking talent up front and the serious veteran presence at safety, Baylor should be able to overcome potential inexperience at cornerback. I don’t see Snow turning this into a top-15 defense overnight, but it’s easy to see a top-40 unit.

Special Teams

Baylor’s been miserable in special teams for two straight years. Chris Callahan was inconsistent in the place-kicking department, and while then-freshman Tony Nicholson was an efficient punt returner, he didn’t have much to work with on kick returns. Thanks mostly to a No. 114 ranking in field goal efficiency and a No. 125 ranking in punt return efficiency, the Bears ranked 110th in Special Teams S&P+.

That Nicholson is no longer a freshman will help, as will the return of decent punter Drew Galitz. Still, the best hope is for a mediocre unit.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Liberty NR 31.2 96% 9-Sep UTSA 91 18.8 86% 16-Sep at Duke 65 4.1 59% 23-Sep Oklahoma 5 -11.3 26% 30-Sep at Kansas State 35 -0.9 48% 14-Oct at Oklahoma State 22 -6.2 36% 21-Oct West Virginia 69 11.0 74% 28-Oct Texas 16 -3.2 43% 4-Nov at Kansas 107 17.7 85% 11-Nov Texas Tech 66 9.3 71% 18-Nov Iowa State 57 8.1 68% 25-Nov at TCU 21 -6.3 36%

Projected S&P+ Rk 28 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 37 / 40 Projected wins 7.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 13.5 (16) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 24 / 32 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -5 / -7.1 2016 TO Luck/Game +0.8 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 56% (45%, 67%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 7.8 (-0.8)

Briles and his staff are gone. President Ken Starr is gone. Athletic director Ian McCaw is gone. Sure, most of the roster is made up of Briles recruits, and lord knows the school is still figuring out ways to stay in the wrong spotlight, but as far as the football product is concerned, this is a new Baylor.

Rhule was a pretty incredible hire, both because of his reputation for character and his impeccable head coaching résumé. We don’t know how he’ll handle Texas recruiting, and we don’t know how his impenetrable defense will handle the high-octane Big 12.

You never know how a hire is going to work out. Rhule’s lack of experience in Texas could backfire, as could the massive culture change he’s attempting. But considering the negative headlines, landing Rhule was a damn coup. He aced his first head coaching exam at Temple.

In the short term ... we’ll see. There’s reason to be skeptical of the offense, and it might take Snow a year to get all the pieces in place on defense. (Then again, there are enough seniors that it could take two years.)

Then there’s the schedule. Yes, Baylor begins with likely wins against Liberty and UTSA (though UTSA could be tricky), but the Bears embark on a trip to Duke and could begin Big 12 play as an underdog in each of their first three games.

It could make Baylor quite the wildcard. If the Bears are 5-1 when West Virginia comes to town on October 21, they are well-positioned to become conference favorite if Oklahoma slips up. But they could also be 2-4.

Team preview stats

All preview data to date.