#direct thy requests to my ask box if you have any!

[silveryinkystar]

Hey, so I saw that you were open to giving a rec list of Fire Lord Zuko fics, which I’m in love with. If it’s no too much trouble, could you possibly compile some fics for a hungry fandom child? Thanks!

Of course! I adore Fire Lord Zuko stories (which you can probably tell from my tag for him lol) so I don’t mind at all! (also tagging @en-sam-malas because look at all the amazing fic!!!)

Once again, this is by no means a complete list of even my favourites, because the tag has so many amazing stories in it that I couldn’t possibly include them all

the men who hold high places must be the ones to start by klainelynch  

Summary:  Seven years after Fire Lord Zuko ended the war, a young servant accidentally burns the Fire Lord and sees a side of him that he didn’t expect.

It’s POV outsider, which happens to be a trope I really like about this particular brand of fic, and has healthy amounts of Zuko being a considerate ruler and very dad-like to a younger, newer member of the kitchen staff

This Barefoot Estate by JustGettingBy

Summary: The palace staff can't say they're exactly pleased with the attitudes of the royal family, to say the least. Now, after a few wild fights, the old banished Prince is sitting on the throne and leading their nation. What are they supposed to make of it all? OR The five times the palace staff weren't sure what to think about the new Fire Lord + the one time they were.

Another outsider POV along the same lines, but it’s now 5+2 scenes!

a friend indeed by aloneintherain

Summary:  Toph says, “It’s never nice when someone tries to make you feel small. Especially when they’re grown adults who should know better.” Zuko blows out a breath. “Yeah. It’s--yeah.”  Toph and Zuko, protecting each other at cross-national balls.

Some Toph and Zuko bonding, well after canon events. I adore them in canon and it’s a pity we didn’t get to see more of Zuko appreciating Toph’s bluntness.

see your son rising at last by aloneintherain

Summary: When Zuko dashes into the sitting room, it is with the same wide-eyed panic that he ran from Azula’s smoking hands when he was a child. Iroh bites down on a smile. Zuko looks the same, even now, a decade later with a scar blossomed over one side of his face, green and brown robes replacing the solitary reds of his childhood. His hair is puffed up around his face. He looks like a very frightened, very windswept turtle-dove. Zuko dives behind Iroh just as Aang breezes to a stop in the doorway. Five times Zuko hid behind Iroh, plus one time Zuko stood proudly in front of him.

Another 5+1 story, but this one’s kind of cheating - some of the scenes happen before and during canon, and not necessarily when Zuko’s appointed Fire Lord - but it’s so well-written and most of it fits this category anyway

a night at the theatre by aloneintherain

Summary: The director could get on his knees, and talk about honouring Zuko all he liked, but it didn’t erase the fact that the Ember Island Players had trivialised—had actively mocked—his struggles. His friends’ struggles. This man had Zuko murdered on-stage to the rapturous applause of the audience, and now he was trying to smile sweetly at Zuko, and welcome him onto his set, as if there weren’t exaggerated versions of his friend’s outfits tucked away backstage, as if he hadn’t orchestrated Aang’s death at the hands of his father— Fire Lord Zuko meets the Ember Island Players.

This is pure crack and all the best parts of it. Just... read it, it’s absolutely hilarious

moments like this by  MashpotatoeQueen5

Summary: The war is over, but that doesn't mean everything is fixed. The battles are fought and won, but that doesn't mean all the scars are healed. The Gaang has been through hell and back, but that doesn't mean they can't find solace with each other and the help of a good food fight. Alternatively known as that fic where Aang is stressing out and not sleeping again, Zuko finally gets to be a big brother to someone who appreciates him, politics make Zuko's head hurt, and Zuko is far too attracted to angst for his own good. Alternatively alternatively known as Zuko has weird friends but he loves them anyway. Fluff. SO much fluff. There is the GAang, acting as their own little happy family unit. And adorable, sleepy Aang. And kids dealing with stuff. And Food fights.

There’s a bit of political aftermath discussed, but that’s somewhat background compared to all the Gaang fluff

Do You Hear The People Sing? by generic__username

Summary: The Fire Nation has only rebelled once in its long history. They are a proud people, and a loyal one. They do not turn against their own for no reason. They protect their own. Especially their Prince. ~~~ Basically this was a What if the Fire Nation said Fuck Ozai and rebelled AU. along with a sprinkling of world building built in. Enjoy!

I’m absolutely cheating with this one, because it’s mostly during canon and very little of it is actually Fire Lord Zuko, but it’s absolutely brilliant and a must read because it’s FL Zuko in spirit

Thank you for the ask, I loved making this list! I’m open to making more lists (might make another Gaang+Zuko list to accompany this one) if you have specifics, but otherwise all I have to say is happy reading!

[cuppajj]

Ask box open!

Okay, I’m going to try this out! I’m opening the box for anyone with a tumblr account cause I wanna hear from the people!

Oh but there are rules though, so please make sure you read them before you submit.

I’m experimenting with this so depending on how successful it is, I might keep it open all the time or only do it on certain occasions when I’m confident. However, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say so go on and feel free to tell me what’s up!

For mobile users: Below are the rules if you are having trouble accessing the blog page.

Askbox Rules

While the box is open, I will be accepting asks from people with preexisting accounts (sorry Anons - one day though!). However, I am not open to everything, as there are certain things I will not accept. Here are my rules!

Stay relatively within the bounds of media such as TF, IL, GW2, so on and so forth. I WILL NOT talk about any real world events, conflicts, or politics, as I want that to be free from my blog!

No NSFW stuff of ANY kind. I also want this blog to be open to minors. This means no language, scenarios, anything of the sort. If you are an NSFW blog looking to ask me something, I would prefer you ask with an alt account -but if else, I can answer it in a DM. (you can still let me know what your main is - I just don’t want to have the direct link to your blog on the front of mine so minors are less likely to click on it.)

Be Patient! I don’t have all the time in the day to do asks, and I have a sleeping schedule, so there will be times when I don’t answer your ask as soon as you submit it. (Also - if you find that I have not answered your ask, there is a chance that I either lost it or didn’t accept it because it violated a rule or two.)

Control thy asks! I appreciate it when you have a lot to ask me, but please try to keep your submissions to the ask box at one per day. Since I will only be doing a max of six asks every day, I would like other submissions to have chances at being answered.

Don’t ask me about my personal life. While questions such as “what’s your favorite color” or “what kind of games do you play” are all game, I will NOT answer asks about my age, where I live, my background, or anything of the sort.

Don’t be a jerk. Straightforward here; if you send me anything that attacks me or someone else, I will not accept it and I have the right to block you.

This is a preference, but I would appreciate no cuss words (unless it’s abbreviated/toned down)! I may still accept asks that do but it’s a matter of what I want the whole image of my blog to be as of now. ^^

FOR ANONS - if you ask something that is outside of my comfort zone, I will not be able to reach out to you. If your ask goes unanswered, it is most likely because it was discarded and I couldn’t agree to an alternative way to answer.

Know that I have the right to delete any ask that makes me uncomfortable, and I have the power to block you (for a period of time or indefinitely depends on what you do) if you are rude or hateful in any way.

Also please note - Your ask is not guaranteed to be answered. It is highly likely that I will, but I won’t have a good response for every submission that comes in! Though it does not mean that I do not read it, so even if I do not answer your ask, it was still seen and appreciated. :)

Whew! Now that those are out of the way, here are some of the things I will accept!

Feel free to ask me anything, as long as they are within the rules listed above!

You can ask about projects I have in mind!

You can ask me about my OCs or ask my OCs directly! (Drillburst, Scotta, Blitzlove, etc.)

I will take minor doodle requests! Nothing too big though, so expect what I draw to be more along the lines of how I draw in my animations. (Or chibi if characters are involved – what I’m tryna say is that drawing normal anatomy is hard and a pain LOL) I may open commissions down the line for bigger requests. If you wish to request me anything, be patient because it’ll take me longer to answer than a normal ask.

Requests are currently closed.

[Fair warning:  if you’re planning on giving me compliments then know that I will probably respond with a series of gibberish and screaming. I love and cherish all the support I have and get but for the liFE OF ME??? taking them is hard to me aHAHA >>;; you rock though ily]

Memes :D

P.S. Note that I may loop similar asks together to save the risk of clutter. Since I can’t answer multiple asks at once, I will leave a mention in the post instead to make sure you’re notified! (Bundles count as one ask!)

Feel free to submit something to the box! I might not always have it open, but when I do, I will try to answer everything. I will try to answer a max of THREE PICTURELESS (asks that don’t require a drawing) AND THREE PICTURE (asks that require a drawing) ASKS PER DAY, but know that this can fluctuate! These rules are not set in stone as I am the one making them, so I DO have the right to change anything if anything new happens. Please understand and read thoroughly. Otherwise, enjoy!! ❤

[alchemisland]

Wizards and Lizards - II

Easy as a switch flicked, he starts on in his stage accent, 'That's because I'm not a clown, you afroed goat. I am a seer. I am an oracle to rival Delphi. I choose not my gift, merely I am a mouthpiece, a vessel to amplify the will of the universe. A clever man once said that we, humans, are a way for the cosmos to know itself,' He points to the stars, then with soot-stained hands invites Bozo to look around, 'only some are born to more knowing than others.' He traces a button's circumference with his index finger, then nods glibly to finish.

'Drop it, Shiree. I've heard the shtick. Save it for the horny cowherds.'

The seer flashes a toothless smile. His thin lips, for his sins, were etched in a permanent sneer, two pale pigmentless worms that barely quivered when he talked. 'If what I heard from those sows is true, your knees must be sore. Will we see if I've a tincture for it?'

Bozo spits and stoops to his haunches, oversized strides mudcaked ankle to knee. One foot is unshod, his favoured poulaine lost in the fervour. 

Argument was futile. He knew how this went, concede defeat or argue until the seas dry. Shiree never let a thing go, not a borrowed penny, not a stringless favour, let alone an exchange of barbs.

Bozo sighs, 'We'll argue until the cows come home. Forget it. What's your plan anyway, magic man?'

Shiree laughs, all arch and theatrics even in direst straits. 'Strange you'd have to leave when the cows come home, is it date night already?'

'Fuck off.' Bozo exhales a plume of cigarette smoke, the same foundry grey as the steam-laden morning mist. Shiree imagines a dragon vomiting carcinogenic fire, selfsame as those stitched on his breast.

'No spiel, master jester. Merely my tongue and the secrets of the Gods. There are no plans either. The Perfumed Persian makes no plans, he alters the fabric of the universe to suit his desires.'

'Fine, have it your way, sandman. In what manner will you alter the fabric of the universe?' Bozo, growing impatient, taps his foot like a heated beast.

'I appreciate your correction, but I must rudely ask that you rescind your request for information. Shiree discusses not matters of celestial importance with baseborn whelks.'

Bozo poises to sigh again but stops himself mid gasp, realizing his last ten breaths had been sighs, which medically is considered hyperventilation. 'Have it your way, Wizard.'

He stood enormous, a modern titan. Six foot three easy, no mean feat in crueller ages, when only the silkskinned could afford to import the top tiers of the nutritional pyramid. His shoulders were broad, built for tossing bails, although one could not easily tell through his baggy playsuit, a loose fitting one-piece decorated with blue and orange orbs, twinned with yellow stripes. The platforms he wore performing raised him six feet eleven.

A profound stoop resulting from excess spine made him appear glum, eyes always to the ground, though he was of pleasant temperament, if not charismtically challenged.

'If you fancy a jaunt I'm bound for Duffy's. Lecho said he's looking for performing types for the jubilee. Shouldn't take three nights hard going.' With that he leaves, turning at the gate to see if the imp followed which he didn't. The forest's mouth devours him. 

Shiree begins to mutter. 'Shiree wanders not in the company of minstrels, lest their airs be praising him.' His child's knees barely buckling to stoop, he leans and picks up Bozo's cigarette still smouldering in the muck. He wipes it clean before bringing it to his lips, whispering the magic words into the moist filter. Smoky tendrils curl animatedly from its charred tip, shifting to form an ethereal bowl suspended in the air, smokelike and strange, at once foggy and clear, diaphanous almost. Shiree stands on his stilts and stares hatefully into the summoned cauldron. Quicksilver bubbles below.

It shifted in the fashion of living thing, a writhing mass of metal worms. Finally settling, the sheen parted in the center to reveal a vignette unfolding, a living dream in thin air. The Magician watched the Fool struggling through the dense foliage, pinecones exploding beneath his heavy tread, darting like a frightened deer trying to gain any sense of direction. He fell crossing a fence, hoist by own enormous shoe. Tumbling backwards he fell some distance, rolling toward the base of the rise, crashing into a patch of briar. He rose from the undergrowth patting the breast pocket of his overalls, desperate for a woodbine. Finally luckless, he cursed, crushing the empty box in his bailed fist before casting it aside. Pushing himself upward he pressed onward with grimfaced determination, displaying a dogged courage Shiree reluctantly respected.

The silver smoke shifts to form a drama. Bozo is far from the circus, dumping pebbles from his shoe in a clearing. Filth encrusted, bramble whipped and generally dishevelled, he had never been closer to the lanky streak of misery the mean kids used to accuse him of being. Shiree smiles. Now whose countenance could freeze time. A fire crackles, sodden overalls dry on a branch. When the mud dried, Bozo would scrape it away with a twig.

Resourceful knave. A keen scout.

Shiree whispers more gutturally into his cup of mist. Hell winds brew in the lungs of the earth mother and she exhales from her cavernous maw a breeze to shake Babel. Howling through the makeshift camp, the wizard's tempest attacks. Bozo holds his wig tight. Stumbling, he seeks shelter in the breast of a hollowed oak. For a moment he sees the flames resist and is emboldened, tongues wildly lashing in every direction, but the gale persists on until the fire gutters, then splutters and dies.

All calms. Leaves dance downward at an owl's flight. Its departure marks the end of Shiree's vision. Before him a viscous liquid rises, filling the sucking void where the projection had appeared. The bowl disappears like smoke in a hurricane.

This is his true gift. Possession of animals. Mostly birds and bugs. Occasionally wolves and larger creatures were employed, when mother necessity called. Transformations require enormous energy. He would require rest before another attempt such-like. Until horizontal, he feels cloudy, his instincts dulled.

This gave a hint as to what went on behind the wizard's curtain, to coin a phrase. Patrons eager for good tidings sat wide-eyed while Shiree asked the birds. Robin, breast inked with Christblood, what is prophesied. Wag tail bouncing by the brook, what whispers the ripples. Crow, sagely corvid, obsidian Prince, permit me thy portents.

Of course the owl, a favourite, offering a circular view of all creation. When the Persian asks, the birds respond. Their caws yield the secrets of creation and knowledge of all men. Never anything less than grizzly; visions of starving farmers prying open the coffins of dead children to pry rings from fingers; wives blood-soaked, trowel in hand. He spares the unwashed masses the true horror of their cosmic destiny.

Shiree is sick of the circus. Sick of howling faces, cackling hyenas. Laughter contorts the face and makes apes of men. He hatee acrobats, envying their sprightliness, making him further loathe his twisted form.

He hates clowns most. Hates being considered among their number. In the ancient world clairvoyants were elevated to high societal positions, close to the ears of pharaohs. To converse with the Gods was to become a God. Present culture did not glorify his gifts.

Following the mummer's trail, Shiree enters the woodland with its churchlike vaulted ceiling. Trees, every length and thickness meet, forming a thick umbrella. Ducking between the sturdy boughs, he emerges at the familiar clearing. Evidently some thought went toward its selection, situated inside a natural ridge formed by mossy stones and thick entanglements of spadelike hogweed. He locates the remnants of Bozo's passing. Inside a stone circle shining with mica, embers glow. 

For the site of Bozo's demise, he chose a festering swamp, planning to nestle in the brackish swell, sink beneath the algal covering and bide his time until the moment struck. Where else could Bozo go but through?

He rests a while in the wooden cloister, the heat of its former occupant present still. At last restored to peak wickedness, he follows a trail of single bootprints, as if tracking some unilegged abomination to its marshy abode - the wounded Grendel toward his domain lurches.

Shiree came to the boundary shore between mulch and black mud, marking the forest's domain from that of the festering swampland. Bloated and buzzing, enormous bloodsuckers make homes among the roots. Corklike reeds project from the silty banks across its breadth like tangled crossbeams give the illusion of security. Truly if one fell, a proper tumble necessitating outside agency, any branch grasped would snap like an old man on a rugby pitch.

Amphibious lizards wait, half buried in the silt like filthied statues, snapping should any shoal of lesser denizens dawdle. A menagerie of killers for the wizard to choose from.

Shiree enthrones, planning evilly from his newfound eyrie. He utters incantations blunt and meandering, each to the same fatal design. Feeling the hard surface against his backside, he wants vengeance all the more. That a man such as he should be forced to take counsel on a boulder was insult enough to warrant retribution.

It would be a crime of passion, a passion of crimes. He tosses back his head and met a beautiful sight. However the canopy met, with its various dips, hollows and straightways like avenues on a map, the carved light met him in golden bars.

This will do, he smirks.

[dgtully]

Worship Guide for 9/20/20

{The Facebook Live event begins Sunday, 9/20/20 at 11:00 AM, EDT.}

Order of Worship

(If you have a candle available, light it as a sign of this time being set apart as sacred and as a confession that God, who is our light, is present with us.)

Greeting/Welcome

Call to Worship & Opening Prayer:

Read aloud: 1 Chronicles 29:10b-13

Read (bold) aloud:

Who is like you, O Lord, majestic in holiness and awesome in splendor?

We will sing to the Lord, for God has triumphed gloriously. 

God is our strength, our might, and our salvation!

Pray aloud: 

We sing and speak your praise, O God, grateful for the many ways in which you have directed, upheld, provided for, and healed us. Keep our hearts, our minds, and our spirits open to your ways—in which we might offer healing love for others. We gather together now as one people; seeking your presence and to both be reminded of and recommit ourselves to living your story. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

Song of Praise:

Sing along with the words of the song, “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” (displayed on screen) during the Facebook Live event, OR recite /sing the following verse if only making use of this worship guide:

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace! My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy name. 

Confession of Faith:

Recite aloud our proclamation of faith today, from The Apostles’ Creed:

(“In remembrance of our/my baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we/I now make proclamation of you, who in your nature and ways are the foundation of the life we seek . . .”)

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

                  *meaning the universal Christian church—all believers in Jesus Christ

                 Prayers of the People

If you are gathered online during today’s Facebook Live event, type in the comments any prayer requests, praises for God’s actions, or concerns you have for yourself or others, that we may all lift them in prayer together. Use this time to bring your concerns and petitions to God, praying along with the leader if you are participating online (Facebook Live) worship, or by yourself if not.

Let us pray:

Lord, your blessings abound in our lives and we lift our voices in gratitude for these gracious gifts from you. We also lift our voices as our hearts cry out our concerns for those who are ill, who mourn, who feel lost. We offer to your both our joys and concerns, so often intermingled in our lives. Be with each of us and with those whom we name with our voices and in our hearts. (Take time for naming people or situations in need of God’s healing love.) For those suffering in sickness, bring your healing touch. Lift the heavy burden of those weighed down in heart and mind. Where there seems to be no way, Lord, clear the path and illuminate it with your light that we may follow where you lead. May we always trust that you are with us and will provide. Through Jesus Christ we pray, AMEN.

Loving God, we your children never pray alone, but only with all your saints in all the world. Therefore, we pray now as Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory; Both now and forever. Amen

Feasting on God’s Word/Sermon:

Read Exodus 14:1-31

{If you are NOT making use of today’s online service, reflect on the following in light of the reading . . .}

How would you have felt witnessing the events describe in this passage? Would you have had compassion on the Egyptians as you watched them driven into the sea? Why or why not? 

What do you think the Israelites would have learned about God from this experience? What do you learn?

Recall a time you felt God liberated or freed you. How was God with you during this difficult journey?

What might it mean to “fear” the Lord (v. 31)? How does that connect with the belief that God is our hope?

Holy Communion:

With bread and Cup (juice or wine) before you, join in The Great Thanksgiving in preparation of receiving God’s grace through this sacrament (for which our resident Bishop has allowed clergy to consecrate online during this time, for participation at home) speaking what is in bold, or all should you desire:

Invitation

Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another. Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Confession and Pardon

Lord, your grace and mercy are ever-present in our lives, your forgiveness is boundless in mercy when we fail to live in Christlike ways. And yet, we are quick to carry a grudge—quick to find fault, quick to assign blame, quick to harden our hearts toward others. Set us apart, loving God, to extend and model the grace you have shown us by offering grace to others. We pray in the name of the One who died so that we might fully live. Amen.

Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Glory to God. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving

May the Lord be with us. We lift up our hearts to the Lord. Let us give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ is with us; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on we who are gathered in your name, in this and all places your people gather in the union of worship this day, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet. 

Through your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in you holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

(Share in the bread before you with the words, “The body of Christ, given for us.” Share in the cup before you with the words, “The blood of Christ, given for us.”)

The Devotion of Giving

God has blessed us with an abundance of gifts. We are called to offer all that we are to God—our bodies, our spirits, our minds, our time, and our money. As the body of Christ, we are called to be in ministry with others. With true generosity, let us give of ourselves this day.

Consider making this time your opportunity to give a financial offering to God through his church. There are two ways you can do this through financially supporting the ongoing ministry of Fall Branch UMC:

Mail a check to:

Fall Branch United Methodist Church

P. O. Box 86

Fall Branch, TN 37656

     2.  Online Giving: 

Go to holston.org/churchoffering and fill in your contact information.

Select Appalachian District in the first pull-down menu. Select Fall Branch United Methodist Church—Fall Branch, TN in the second pull-down menu.

Click the blue bar at the bottom to be taken to a secure site to put in your credit / debit card information and the amount of your offering and submit. That’s it!—100% of your offering will go to the ministry of Fall Branch UMC.

Prayer of Thanks & Gratitude:

As a way to show gratitude in our giving, offer the following prayer as a part of your act of worship:

Giving God, all we are and all we have come from you. We offer back to you what has always been yours. As you have entrusted your gifts to us, so we return these gifts to you, trusting that you will multiply them to the great glory of your kingdom on earth. We pray through Jesus who gave his life fully for us. AMEN.

Concluding Prayer of Worship/Devotion:

What part of our worship together did you find most engaging?

Was there something you experienced that pointed you toward greater closeness with God? with other people?

When were you most encouraged? most challenged?

What do you sense God is calling you to be and/or do that helps you better reflect his life and ways?

For what are you most grateful in this time?

Pray yourself, or along with those gathered with you, the following benediction prayer aloud:

Go with the God who can part the troubled waters of your life and lead you through to dry ground.Go with the God who can scatter and subdue all that hinders you on your journey. Go forth in God’s might and in God’s peace. AMEN.

[dailyaudiobible]

02/10/2018 DAB Transcript

Exodus 30:11-31:18, Matthew 26:47-68, Psalms 32:1-11, Proverbs 8:27-32

Today is the 10th day of February. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today at the close of another week. And we just keep taking these steps forward and the weeks go by and we move our way through the Bible. It’s incredible, the rhythm that is established and the change that is available inside of ourselves as the Scriptures speak to us. So, we’re at the close of another week. And we’ve been reading from the Good News Translation this week, which is what we’ll do today. We’ll go back out to Mount Sinai where the first of the law is being given and we’ve seen ordinances put in place toward the priesthood, a group of people that are being set apart out from this people to continually tell the story so that they don’t forget and to minister before God. And also of a tabernacle, a portable temple, essentially. A place that will sit in the middle of the camp with all the tribes encamped around it so that God will meet with them and move around with them, will be with them wherever they go, wherever he leads them, right in the middle of it all. So, today Exodus chapter 30 verse 11 through 31:18.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the New Testament, in the book of Matthew, we are moving through the story of Jesus’ last days. And we’re seeing how alone Jesus was in this. We’re seeing that He was abandoned by His friends, those who had walked with Him, those who had heard Him minister and saw Him heal. And they left.  They ran away. And Jesus was taken from the garden of Gethsemane, so this olive grove on the side of the Mount of Olives and back across the Kidron Valley and into Jerusalem, where the high priest’s quarters were. Ruins still exist today. And it’s one of the places that we will visit when we’re in the land of the Bible. And we’ll be heading off on that trip, whether virtually or in person, we’ll all be going together and we’ll be departing a week from today. But as we read through this story in Matthew, if it doesn’t make our hearts drop, like, if we can’t see this Jesus that we have come to know and love and have sought to be like. Right? To be Christ-like. We’re seeing what He’s going through and it’s so, so heartbreaking. That God, the Creator, would come to earth to rescue people and people reject Him outright.

In a few days, this coming Wednesday, the season of Lent begins. And we’ll talk about that when we get there. You may know all about it, you may know nothing about it. That’s all fine. We’ll talk about it when we get there. But one of the purposes of the season of Lent, this forty days leading up to Easter, is contemplation. Just to understand and try to allow it to sink in, what it cost. What the price of sin is. Right? So, in the Old Testament, the book of Exodus, we’re seeing rituals being laid out that include sacrifice. This is intended to show them what the price of sin is. But in Jesus, we see the awful, awful price that it cost to give us salvation, that is a gift that we cannot earn. So profoundly humbling to contemplate. So, yeah, the season of Lent is about that and it begins on Wednesday, but we’re right here right now in this story. And so just understanding what it was Jesus had to endure is humbling and we should be humbled by it.

Prayer:

Jesus, we are humbled. We are. Because we have run away and abandoned You, too. We have run and run and run in so many directions and You have still kept leaving to find us. And why You would value us individually so much is beyond comprehension. But it’s plain to see. Your word reveals to us Your heart toward us. And, so, what else can we say? Thank you isn’t enough. Like, words begin to fail completely in the face of what You endured on our behalf. You didn’t have to do this. It was love, and it’s reaching across time, beyond comprehension, and spilling into our lives and it should create in us a response of humble adoration and worship. And, so, that's where we are.  We worship You.  It's beyond our ability to grasp, what You endured. And when we look at our lives, it's all because of Your sacrifice. And, so, we thank You, Jesus. Today, we just take these moments to thank You. And, Holy Spirit, we invite You because we want to spend this time in contemplation, to really appreciate what we take for granted so often. Come, Holy Spirit. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it's home base, it's where you find out what's going on around here.

So, as I just mentioned, a week from today we'll be leaving for the land of the Bible and be doing a tour there for the next couple of weeks. And I would ask in advance of the community that we all begin to pray over that. It's a lot of work. It's a grueling thing to be touring all day, maintaining Daily Audio Bible, everything from across the ocean. So, there's a lot of component parts and just a lot involved. Absolutely breathtaking, beautiful to do and we'll be working every day to make this as virtual as possible for those that are not actually there. So, you definitely want to follow the Daily Audio Bible Facebook page or Daily Audio Bible Instagram page. We will be posting from Israel a lot, but we're going to need your intercession. And, yeah, it needs to start now and cover us all the way through - health, transportation, jet lag, fatigue - all of it. So, if it comes to mind, if the Holy Spirit begins to bring that up, thank you for your prayers over that as we pilgrimage to the land of the Bible with the intention of opening up the Bible and making it a real alive place that it is. So, thank you for your prayers.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this is bringing life into your life, then thank you for your partnership in keeping it alive. There is a link that's sitting on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you're using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942 4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi there. I am Peggy and I so appreciate DAB and appreciate the opportunity to hear Brian read the word so clearly because I have a hard time reading. It’s just difficult for me now. And I can’t carry a burden by myself. And, so, I am sharing it with you all. I’ve called several times through the years with a heart concern asking for prayer. I just want you to know that always grateful for those of you who will join the praying of the concerns of my heart. And know that I take the prayer time seriously and lift so many of you before the Lord. I thank you for joining me. And, I will say that I’m in my early 80s, and my husband was a minister, and died suddenly just a few months after he retired. We raised four children and now have 13 grandchildren. Last spring during a routine visit with my ophthalmologist for macular degeneration, I was given a shot. And I found, 12 hours later, through hard pain and in the middle of the night that my eyesight was gone in one eye and it will not be recovered. And it was such a shock and so sudden and so much pain with all that. And, anyway, good medical report one day and the next no sight in one eye and lots of adjustment. I was hospitalized in rehab and that had been home and on my own over the last eight months. And today by Dr. at the medical school said he thought the I should be removed. It’s been hurting him there’s no pressure in the eye which is not a good sign. The thought of going through that kind of surgery is horrid to me. Friends I don’t think I can do it. I am asking that God will keep my eye from deteriorating more, to keep my body from rejecting the eye. I’m frightened of surgery and I don’t want more pain. I’m sad. I just feel like I’m too old to go through that. Anyway, though I’m vital in many ways. Please join me in…

Hello DAB family it’s Akhim from Alberta Canada. I’m calling from my brother Blind Tony. I just heard you calling and asking for prayers with regard to your cancer on the podcast on January 30th. Tony, your poetry has been a real, real an inspiration to me for the past few years. And I just pray for you my brother, that God’s will be done in your life. I know He’s the God our healer and He can do amazing things in our life. My brother, you’ve been so great to so many people through poetry. So, we just take heart and know that God is with you. Let’s pray. Father God, in Jesus name I thank you for my brother Blind Tony. You know his heart, You know his mind, and You know his spirit Lord. So, let Your will be done in His life. May You be with him and his family. Give him a living touch Lord. You know You are better than any doctor we can have Lord. And You can do exceedingly and amazingly more than we can think or even imagine. You can do quickly ___. So, I just pray for Tony, that You touch him and You heal them Lord with Your great hand. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Hey brother. God with you. Thanks.

Hear me dear Lord as I go through this day To glorify You in every single way And not bring reproach by the things that I say To believe in your word and just trust and obey There’s darkness around me please give me more light Let me know Father that everything is all right Dispel all the shadows make everything clear And when I get lonely God please linger near Strengthen my faith God and let me shine bright Knowing in all things that I’m truly alright And when there is sadness Lord help me to smile To believe and hope with the faith of a child Dependent in all ways just like life is to the sun Not my will Father but thy will be done

blindtony1016@gmail.com I’d like to thank everybody for their many, many prayers. And also, does anyone know anything about Bill B? I haven’t heard about brother Bill in a long time. And thank you once again, Brian, for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flown’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Billy in Montgomery, Show Me God’s Love, Melissa in Alabama, Walta, Shantee in Detroit, Terri, Drew in the bay area. Salvation is Mine, Blind Tony, Pastor Gene. I am calling these names out because you guys have been on my heart, deeply, for all that you are going through. And when I am praying for you I am praying for myself, that God is going to claim the victory, that whatever it is we are all battling in this moment, God is in it, God will bring us through it. He is going to heal us from the top of our head to the soles of our feet. I want all of these prayer warriors that are a part of this DAB family to all come together and lift up all of those that have called in, all of those who have not called in. All of the names that have gone unspoken, know that your names are not unspoken. To all the new callers, you think you know what this is about. You have no idea. I have been listening to the DAB for 13 years, 13 years. And when I tell you I thought I was just joining something to listen to a podcast about God, I had no idea the connections that I would make. Living so far away in Munich Germany, I have found a family. I have found a deeper relationship with the Lord. Brian Hardin, you and your family, China with the chronological Bible, is just blowing it out the park. You guys have just no idea how wonderful this is. And to all the people behind the scenes, Sarah Jane in her entire staff, everyone that makes this happen. I pray prayers a blessing over you, prayers of your household. Victoria soldier I love you, Melissa and I Alabama, I…

Hi family. It’s Shannon from Texas. And I have a message for Jordan from Michigan. Is it Michigan? Jordan the teacher, I want to say LA. I don’t know which one. But Jordan, I love you so much. I’ve always listen to you and when you called in and prayed for my son to Jadrian, we just him Jay, I know Jadrian’s hard to say, it was so on point and so led by the spirit, everything that you said. And I was thinking about how you’re a teacher and how God has to be using you so mightily. I know He is. I’ve known from every time that you’ve called. And how it would’ve been so nice when my son was in school if he would have had someone like you. He really didn’t, not here we live now. The Lord told me just to take him out of high school and it’s kind of a long story but it was awful. We didn’t have anyone. And I know that the Lord can use you mightily. He is using you mightily. If you look at it every day like you were going in, and I know that you do this, you’re going into a ministry, and it is a ministry, and know that the enemy has come against you, come against your mind, tried to come against you in every way. But know that God has put you and ordained you and purposed you for this life, that you are being used mightily, and you can overcome this this feeling of it always being a battle. I know it feels like this right now, but if you just stay in him and keep pressing in, you will get past this and this will be a glorious life for you at the service for the Lord. This is your purpose, this is your passion, and this is God’s plan for you. So, just press in, don’t give up, we love you and we are praying for you.

Hi this is Lara calling from Lionel Lake Minnesota. I just wanted to say thank you everybody for this program. I am so, so, very, very happy I found this program. I do listen carefully to everything that everyone says and it just means so much to me. So, please keep sharing everything because you have no idea how much you impact others. So, bless you all and just know that God not only is listening, but other people are too. I wanted to say the purpose of my call is to encourage you all and also to let you know that I am struggling with my spiritual walk with God. And, so, that’s why I found this program, to help me finally just grow spiritually. And I have a son that I raised in the word of God when he was little and now he’s a 17-year-old child who’s really struggling to find his way in the world. And he’s kind of strayed from God’s word. He started doing that since he was 12 and he’s been living in a situation with custody shared. He lives with his dad and his dad is…let’s just say it’s not a very good environment for him. So, I pray…

[kiwispideys]

Prince Babysit (Tom Holland X reader)

Tom Holland X reader

A/N: This is just a random AU but hey! I’m back to writing! Sorry it took awhile to write another one but I honestly forgot about writing and mindlessly scrolled through Tumblr. I hope you’ve enjoyed your day/night and sorry if this is really cringe, I haven’t written in awhile but I will try write more. 

note: REQUESTS ARE OPEN! I DON’T DO SMUT!!!                                                   IF YOU’RE NOT SURE OF A CELEB / FANDOM JUST ASK ;)

Summary: Your older brother makes you look after your niece (your niece is called Ellie but you can change it if you want) while he goes on a date with his girlfriend, unfortunately you already had a date planned with your boyfriend Tom Holland...

Y/F/I/F = Your favorite Ice-cream flavor 

Y/B/N = Your brother’s name or if you don’t have a older brother just put a random guys name

“But I have plans!” You yell at your brother through the phone.

“Please Y/N!” He begs. “Just this one time! It’s important I swear!”

“That’s what you said last time.” You grumble as you hear the doorbell ring. You walk over and open the door to find your boyfriend Tom standing there with a cute smile that he always seems to have on his face. “Do I have to do this?” You whine waving Tom in as you talk to your brother. “Like can’t you get a Nanny or something?” You question.

“Where’s your freezer again?” Tom asks you showing you Y/F/I/F ice cream that he got on the way here.

“The small bottom drawer in the fridge.” You say covering the phone so your brother doesn’t hear. “Y/B/N I’m not looking after her!” You continue on with your rant as Tom goes back into the kitchen.

“Please? I will warn you in advance next time?” Y/B/N pleads.

“That’s still... you need to pay me with something.” You say falling down onto your couch.

“He could always get us pizza?” Your boyfriend suggests extra loudly so your brother can hear him through the phone, as he sits down next to you pulling you into him so your head is laying on his lap.

“Was that Tom?” Your brother asks not quite recognizing who’s voice it is.

“Pizza and some popcorn and lollies will do! Thanks! Love you! Bye!” You say avoiding the subject and finally ending what seemed like an hour long argument.

“What was that all about?” Tom asks starting to play with some of your hair as you sigh exasperatedly.

“Do you mind looking after children?” You ask hoping he doesn’t say no as he might hate looking after children due to probably babysitting his brothers all the time.

“Do we have to babysit?” He asks with a small smirk on his face and a glint in his eye that tells you he’s excited to babysit with you.

“She’s my four year old niece and she’s quite a handful so I understand if you want to leave at any stage.”

“Why would I leave my girl to handle all the trouble?” He smirks leaning down and kissing you, of which you smile into and kiss back. The kiss unsurprisingly lasts longer than expected and turns into a make out session as Tom starts to move so he’s lying above you to make it easier for the two of you. Only to be interrupted by your brother banging on the front door, making both of you jump back from each other in fright. You sigh in annoyance and walk over to the door fixing your messy hair while Tom frantically looks around for something to make him look less suspicious.

“AUNT Y/N!” Your niece squeals as she sees you open the door tackling your legs with a big hug.

“Hi Ellie!” You say with slight confusion in your voice as why she is so excited. “Why are you so excited to see me? You see me all the time?” 

“Daddy said you’re looking after me instead of Nanny and Pop!” She says looking up at you with innocent eyes and walking into the house.

“But Nanny makes you pancakes! And I can’t cook!” You exclaim following her into the house.

“Excuse me! Bags!” Your brother demands making Ellie quickly run back to the door and pick up her backpack and a small bag of groceries holding the lollies you requested.

“Thank you grumpy bum!” You say in a sing-song voice taking the boxes of pizza off your brother and closing the door in his face, making you niece laugh at your childish behavior.

“Love you too.” He shouts through the door as you arrive in the kitchen to find Ellie dragging a stool in the direction of where you keep all the lollies and your personal junk food. It even has a lock on it because everyone keeps eating them. The only person you would share these treats with would be Tom.

“No!” You say picking her up and putting her in the lounge where Tom is sitting. She sits on the couch next to him for a few minutes, just staring and looking at him, seeing if he’s a friend or foe. Before starting to giggle, still looking at him.

“You know it’s rude to stare.” He says putting down the random magazine he picked up.

She quickly runs off and hides behind your legs, tugging on your shirt as you lean on the doorway as you watch her reaction.

“Yes Ellie?” You ask crouching down to her height knowing that she wants to tell you ‘a secret’ from the tugging of your shirt.

“That boy is funny.” She giggles trying to whisper but Tom can clearly hear her.

“Why is he funny?” You ask wondering what nonsense has gotten her in a giggling fit this time.

“He was reading of Nanny’s knitting books!” She giggles, finding it hilarious.

“Well, he can read one of Nanny’s books if he wants!” You laugh at her nonsense.

“It was upside down too!” She squeals.

“Well that is a little strange isn’t it.” You laugh as you see him going bright red because of a four year old.

“Can we play princess’ ?” She asks suddenly getting over her laughing fit.

“I don’t know. Maybe you should ask that boy, he might not want to play princess’ .” You say gesturing over to Tom. Ellie slowly walks over to Tom, still not sure about whether he’s nice or not.

“Excuse me?” She stammers nervously. “Can we play Princess’ ?”

“What’s his name Ellie?” You say.

“Excuse me, what’s your name?” She says repeating herself.

“My name is Tom. What’s yours?” He asks smiling at how nervous she is.

“Ellie.”

“That’s a beautiful name Princess Ellie.” He says. Making Ellie’s face light up at being called Princess as she knows he wants to play. She quickly turns to look at you with a big smile on her face, asking for permission to get out her box she leaves at your house as you look after her often.

“Go on!” You smile with a small nod of your head. Making her jump off the couch and race up the stairs.

“You have no idea what you just got yourself into.” You laugh, knowing what’s about to happen to Tom.

“Y/N!” Ellie calls out from upstairs.

“Yes?!” You call back looking up from your phone and towards the stairs. The pair had been up in her playroom for about an hour and a half now. You occasionally went up there to offer them food or see what they were doing but there was a note on the door that said you weren’t allowed in. So you just knocked and told them whatever food you left at the door.

“Video us please!” She says with a hint of excitement in her voice.

“Okay?” You question it but pull your phone out anyway. “Ready!” You shout once you’ve started filming the staircase.

“Presenting!” You hear Tom call from upstairs where you can’t see. “Princess Ellie from Pretty Uni-corn Land!” This being Ellie’s cue to walk down the stairs elegantly she has a big smile on her face as she’s all dressed up with her hair in a small bun and her makeup having been done, as you donated all your old makeup you never used to her or bought her $2 makeup. This makeup being obvious of who’s done it. She finally finishes walking down the stairs in her tiny plastic heels and walks up to the camera and blows a kiss.

“Beautiful!” You say obviously pleasing her, as she giggles at the compliment before waddling to the stairwell.

“Presenting!” She shouts giggling. “Prince Tom... Poopy-Bum of Farts-a-lot!” She says pausing to think of that childish name.

“Hey!” Tom yells from upstairs being offended. “It’s Prince Tom from Puppy-land!”

“Hurry up Prince Slow Coach!” You yell waiting to see what he’s let your niece do to him.

He waltzes down the stairs in one of your black singlets and a black skirt he must have also found in your wardrobe. His face looking quite pale from all the light foundation Ellie has put on his face along with some obvious pink cheeks, bright blue eye shadow and smeared red lipstick.

“Oh wow.” You laugh, not believing that he actually let her do this. “Who’s this sexy beast coming down the catwalk.” You say sarcastically only encouraging him.

He winks and blows a kiss to you before doing a quick pirouette for you. Making Ellie clap and you roll your eyes, stopping the video before getting up. Doing a small turn in your socks that’s not nearly as fancy as Tom’s. Making him raise his eyebrows at you and laugh.

“And who may this Damsel in Distress be?” He say taking a bow. “Why? She must be the finest Madame in all the lands.”

“Only the young scullery maid thy shall be.” You say curtsying.

“Where shall this scullery maid lie. As I would search the seven seas to find her for even a moment.” He says making you laugh.

“We’ll take a quick photo and then we’ll get both of you in your pajamas.”

“Awww!” They both say in unison but get ready for a photo anyway. You take a few photos of them hugging each other before Ellie kisses him on the cheek taking you and Tom by surprise.

“Oopps.” Tom laughs.

“Excuse me Missy Moo!” You say looking at your niece who’s gleaming that she got to ‘kiss’ him. “He’s my Prince Charming!” “For that you have to get in your pajamas now.”

“Now!” She whines.

“Now before I get Dad to come get you.” You try to growl at her, making her squeal and run up the stairs.

“Am I Prince Charming now?” Tom smirks.

“Oh hush. Just hurry up and go take my clothes off, they’re too small for you.” You say smacking his butt. He looks at you insulted, only for you two pull a weird face back at him.

“So I am Prince Charming?”

“You’re Prince... Babysit.”

“Prince Babysit?”

“Prince Babysit.”

[dgtully]

Worship Guide for 9/13/20

{The Facebook Live event begins Sunday, 9/13/20 at 11:00 AM, EDT.}

Order of Worship

(If you have a candle available, light it as a sign of this time being set apart as sacred and as a confession that God, who is our light, is present with us.)

Greeting/Welcome

Call to Worship & Opening Prayer:

Read aloud: Exodus 15:1b-3, 13, 17-18

Pray aloud: 

Gracious God of mercy, we thank you for your presence with us. As we gather as a community to share and express our faith, we open our hearts to your ways and life that is the present call and future fulfillment of this church. We ask that you make us a blessing to others. Prepare us to serve and celebrate the opportunities to love you place before us. Giver of everlasting life, fill us again with your spirit, for it is in Christ’s name we pray. AMEN.

Song of Praise:

Sing along with the words of the song, “Song of Love” (displayed on screen) during the Facebook Live event, OR recite /sing the following verse if only making use of this worship guide:

Song of love and my surrender; How I have my life to him; and the joy from knowing Jesus, nothing else could ever bring. I will sing of my redemption, and the love I don’t deserve; how I found my precious Savior, when the voice of God I heard. . . . And my soul will live forever, love divine and hope fulfilled. 

Confession of Faith:

Recite aloud our proclamation of faith today, from The Apostles’ Creed:

(“In remembrance of our/my baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we/I now make proclamation of you, who in your nature and ways are the foundation of the life we seek . . .”)

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

                  *meaning the universal Christian church—all believers in Jesus Christ

                 Prayers of the People

If you are gathered online during today’s Facebook Live event, type in the comments any prayer requests, praises for God’s actions, or concerns you have for yourself or others, that we may all lift them in prayer together. Use this time to bring your concerns and petitions to God, praying along with the leader if you are participating online (Facebook Live) worship, or by yourself if not.

Let us pray:

Let there be praise and joy in our hearts, O God. We have many suggestions about how things could be different and better. It could be cooler; there could be more rain; we could be less busy; we could have more vacation; we could have fewer bills to pay. The unfortunate we smart over, the good we take for granted. Forgive us when we fret so much about the way things aren’t that we forget to be thankful for remarkable blessings which are ours in the way things are.

In these moments we will remember enough to let there be praise and joy in our hearts. Call to our mind the joy of a good stretch when we’ve slept soundly; the exhilaration of a day when we don’t have to follow a regular routine; the grace of a drink of cold water on a hot day. Review for us the pleasure in the song of the bird. Call to our minds the good feeling when we are comfortable with a loved one; the excitement when we look forward to being with friends or family; the richness of watching children grow and mature; the full heart experienced when a child says “I love you grandpa.” The list is longer than we can finish. We have enough—and more—for there to be joy and praise in our hearts. Let it be, dear Lord.

Yet, we do not desire to gloss over the pain and hurt which is a part of life. We know one who is bowed down with heavy responsibilities; one who is trying to gather the pieces of broken relationships; those who wonder what it would be like to feel healthy again; persons who both accept and struggle against physical limitations. (Take time for naming people or situations in need of God’s healing love.) By your Spirit, Lord, when any of us are confused or in pain, we are able to live in strength and courage if, in trust, we remember to ask for your help. Let it be so for all who need you. Let your blessing touch each one who joins in this prayer. And in response, you shall hear in our hearts a song of praise and joy. Through Christ Jesus we pray, AMEN.

Loving God, we your children never pray alone, but only with all your saints in all the world. Therefore, we pray now as Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory; Both now and forever. Amen

Feasting on God’s Word/Sermon:

Read Exodus 12:1-14

{If you are NOT making use of today’s online service, reflect on the following in light of the reading . . .}

What is one thing that stands out for you in this passage?

On whom does God execute judgement (v. 12)? 

What do you think the Israelites would have learned from this experience? What do you learn?

Why is the act of remembrance so important (v. 14)?

These “directions for worship” are stuck in the middle of the larger “action story” of the exodus from Egypt. What does that tell you about the story you’re living? How can it help you live it more fully and richly?

Holy Communion:

With bread and Cup (juice or wine) before you, join in The Great Thanksgiving in preparation of receiving God’s grace through this sacrament (for which our resident Bishop has allowed clergy to consecrate online during this time, for participation at home) speaking what is in bold, or all should you desire:

Invitation

Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another. Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Confession and Pardon

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Glory to God. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving

May the Lord be with us. We lift up our hearts to the Lord. Let us give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ is with us; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on we who are gathered in your name, in this and all places your people gather in the union of worship this day, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet. 

Through your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in you holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

(Share in the bread before you with the words, “The body of Christ, given for us.” Share in the cup before you with the words, “The blood of Christ, given for us.”)

The Devotion of Giving

God has blessed us with an abundance of gifts. We are called to offer all that we are to God—our bodies, our spirits, our minds, our time, and our money. As the body of Christ, we are called to be in ministry with others. With true generosity, let us give of ourselves this day.

Consider making this time your opportunity to give a financial offering to God through his church. There are two ways you can do this through financially supporting the ongoing ministry of Fall Branch UMC:

Mail a check to:

Fall Branch United Methodist Church

P. O. Box 86

Fall Branch, TN 37656

      2.  Online Giving: 

Go to holston.org/churchoffering and fill in your contact information.

Select Appalachian District in the first pull-down menu. Select Fall Branch United Methodist Church—Fall Branch, TN in the second pull-down menu.

Click the blue bar at the bottom to be taken to a secure site to put in your credit / debit card information and the amount of your offering and submit. That’s it!—100% of your offering will go to the ministry of Fall Branch UMC.

Prayer of Thanks & Gratitude:

As a way to show gratitude in our giving, offer the following prayer as a part of your act of worship:

Lord of all mercy and compassion, bless these gifts lovingly offered and all the people gathered together during this time. Help these gifts to be used for ministries of hope through your church and into our community, nation and world. In Jesus’ name and for his sake, we pray. AMEN.

Concluding Prayer of Worship/Devotion:

What part of our worship together did you find most engaging?

Was there something you experienced that pointed you toward greater closeness with God? with other people?

When were you most encouraged? most challenged?

What do you sense God is calling you to be and/or do that helps you better reflect his life and ways?

For what are you most grateful in this time?

Pray yourself, or along with those gathered with you, the following benediction prayer aloud:

May the love of God the Father, the steadfastness of Christ the Lord, and the guidance of God the Holy Spirit be with us all. AMEN.

[dailyaudiobible]

04/13/2017 DAB Transcript

Joshua 7:16-9:2 ~ Luke 16:1-18 ~ Psalm 82:1-8 ~ Proverbs 13:2-3

Today is April 13th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today and we’ll take the next step forward.  That is what we do here and that is what we do every day, another step forward as we move our way through the scriptures, completing the Bible from front to back, every word spoken out loud in a year.  

So we have crossed the Jordan River, we have found ourselves in the promised land, we have seen the first battle, which was the taking of Jericho, we have seen the second battle, which was a defeat to a small town named Ai, which is not too far from Jericho and has an active archeological dig happening now in the land.  That was quite confusing.  A great city, the city of Jericho, one of the oldest settlements on the planet was defeated, so a powerful city, only to find defeat to a small city and the people are confused.  That is where we pick up the story.  Reading from the Contemporary English Version this week, Joshua chapter 7, verse 16 through 9, verse 2 today.  

Commentary

Let's think about something.  How many words do you say every day?  I mean, I know there are studies on this, but how many do you think?  10,000?  20,000? 50,000?  How many of those words would you say are ill-tempered?  How many of those words would you say have a little bit of a sting to them, some sarcasm, some meanness in them for whatever reason?  And how many of them would you say are intentionally kind?  We kind of weigh that in the balance and which way do you think the scale is tipping?  

And then how many of those words spoken in any day are about someone else, maybe a juicy story, a nice bit of information that is just waiting to be passed along?  Maybe you’re grabbing coffee with a girlfriend or maybe a couple guys are getting together, a few guys are getting together for coffee, another person that is not there comes up in conversation.  How many words in a day do we spend saying things that we’ve heard and we’re passing along about someone else?  Then we kind of weigh that in the balance.  

The book of Proverbs, what we just read, speaks directly to that:  You will be well rewarded for saying something kind, but all some people think about is how to be cruel and mean.  Keep what you know to yourself and you will be safe.  Talk too much and you are done for.  

This isn’t metaphoric language.  This is just direct, straight up talk.  Sometimes we have to weigh these things in the balance because the way that the scales tip shows us the trajectory of our lives and I'm not saying that as a metaphor.  I mean, our tongues kind of are the rudder for steering the ship of our lives and the things that we say, they do matter.  Sometimes if we’re thinking ‘why doesn’t anybody like me?’ it's because we don’t like anybody really.  It's because we’re not truly really in relationship with anybody.  We can backstab anybody at any moment to the next person that comes along that is also our kind of, sort of fake friend, our sort of acquaintance, but we would betray them if we had to.  That's not good though because it's not true.  That's the real problem here.  It's not true.  Our words and deeds and thoughts are not in alignment with each other.  So may we take the counsel of wisdom and may we remember this.  When we began the book of Proverbs, it was a female voice speaking as wisdom, calling, pleading, begging, but then she goes on to say later that she was there when God created people.  She was there when God created the earth and she rejoiced in what he had made and she is here to help us.  So may we listen to the voice of wisdom when it comes to what will come out of our mouths today because we certainly can choose to be cruel and mean and snappy and biting and that may be our normal course of action, but we will be well rewarded if we say something kind.  

Prayer

Father, we say things before we think about them a lot.  We find ourselves reacting to things a lot.  We don’t pause before we speak.  We just speak.  Yeah, we’ve scorched the earth before with things that should have never been said into this world ever, and so we ask your forgiveness for that and we thank you for your counsel from the lips of the beautiful wisdom today that we should think about what we’re saying.  We should weigh those things in the balance and see which way the scales are tipping because that is informing the direction of our lives.  So we invite your Holy Spirit into this moment and we’re choosing to listen to wisdom's voice and speak kindness even in the face of someone being cruel and mean to us.  Come Jesus, because we need your help.  We ask this in your name.  Amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It's home base.  It's where you find out what's going on around here.  The thing that I’ve been mentioning here for a little bit is the fact that we’ll be going back to this promised land, the land where the majority of the Bible takes place for another pilgrimage.  We’ve been doing this for years.  My story is I didn’t care to go, but then once I went, I got it and I never looked at the Bible the same ever.  I can’t.  I couldn’t because just kind of understanding how far things are from each other and the dramatic change in such a small area, the dramatic change in geography and climate, it is very striking.  But just to have these things in context as we move through the stories of the Bible is life-changing because you don’t approach the Bible the same anymore.  You know what is being talked about.  You know what it looks like.  You know what it smells like.  You know what it sounds like and you can put yourself in the story in a much more deep and meaningful way.  So we do this because it really is a pilgrimage.  Every part of our lives gets touched in some way and it's remarkable.

So we’ll be going back February, February 19th through March 4th of 2018.  You can get the details at www.DailyAudioBible.com in the Initiatives section.  You’ll find Israel 2018.  It's easy to find.  Click that link and you’ll get the information that you need and, yeah, if this is something that has been on your list of things that you would really like to see, then you are invited.  Check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that www.DailyAudioBible.com.  There is a link.  It's on the home page.  Thank you profoundly for being a life-giving source to this community so that we can continue forward into the future.  If you're using the Daily Audio Bible App, press the More button in the lower right-hand corner and if you prefer the mail, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, of course, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that's it for today.  I'm Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

[Singing] I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will never die.  I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will never die.  I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will never die.  [Singing ends]  The Spirit and the Bride say come and let those who hear say come. Whoever is thirsty, let him come and whoever wishes, let him drink the free gift of the water of life.  O Dear Jesus, I, Candace from Oregon, am one of a great cloud of witnesses who brings you praises.  We thank you, Lord, with all our hearts for saving us from sin and death.  We claim all the power of what you have done for us and we rise now to walk in the newness of life.  Thank you, Lord.  

This is Truth Speaker 5, 2, calling in to read a collaboration of scripture prepared by Jonathan Baxter, 1813-1872.  I am black but comely.  Behold, I was shapen in inequity and in sin did my mother conceive me.  Thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty for it was perfect through my comeliness which I had put upon me, saith the Lord God.  I am a sinful man, O Lord.  Behold, thou art fair, my love.  Behold, thou art fair.  I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.  Thou art all fair, my love.  There is no spot in thee.  When I would do good, evil is present with me.  Be of good cheer.  Thy sins be forgiven thee.  I know that in me, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.  Ye are complete in him, perfect in Christ Jesus.  Ye are washed.  Ye are sanctified.  Ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  Song of Solomon 1:5, Psalm 51:5, Ezekiel 16:14, Luke 5:8, Song of Solomon 4:1, Job 42:6, Song of Solomon 4:7, Romans 7:21, Matthew 9:2, Romans 7:18, Colossians 2:10, Colossians 1:28, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 1 Peter 2:9.  Be blessed even now, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

Hello my friends and family out there in Daily Audio Bible land.  Hey, this is Annette from Oklahoma City.  Oh my goodness, what an amazing conference, huh? Oh!  I tell you what, every one of you people touched my life.  I cannot believe it.  What a great time that we had learning how to overcome things and break bondage and rewrite truths in our life.  And I tell you what, Biola, my sister, I love you so very much.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I had such an amazing time with you and everyone else that I met.  Hey, we had a lady from Norway, way at the top, and she is next to people from Russia at the top of her country.  I would like to pray for her and I hope that she gets to spread the message not only in her country, but to the people of Russia up there and help spread the word around there.  It's amazing. I wanted to thank the gentleman from Northern California for praying not only for us, but mainly for the people who had stayed behind and when I told that to my husband that you had prayed, it was like he almost started crying because I know that it is difficult for people to let their wives go to places that are outside of their comfort zone where they can’t protect them and watch out for them.  And they got their __________, eh, Lisa?  So anyways, I really thank you for praying for that because the reason we want to turn our phones off is because I know like three of us got hit with sick animals and kids and had we actually looked at our phones, that would have been a bad distraction.  So I thought that was kind of interesting.  

Good morning DAB family.  Today is Monday, the 10th of April.  This is Yvonne from California.  I haven’t called in a little while.  I just wanted to call in to say hello to all my DAB family, to ask for prayer for this week for me.  Yesterday, Sunday I started a fast for seven days, Sunday to Sunday, for 7 days this week. A fast for everything, for my __________, my sons, the obsession with the alcohol that, thanks to the Lord, is diminishing day by day.  I just wanted to offer these seven days to God, to my Father, my Heavenly Father, and to praise Him and just to have these seven days to contemplate all the suffering and the leading to his death of this week and then, of course, the resurrection on Sunday.  I haven’t been to a church, a physical church in a long time and I'm already making plans to go to the church where I was baptized, at Berkeley Mount Zion.  I'm going to go to church after a long time this coming Sunday, Resurrection Day, and complete my fast and just worship and honor God.  That is what I'm doing this week, just being very present with God and just every day and every moment trying to just ask him to be with me and to strengthen my faith, strengthen everything that needs to be strengthened in me.  I'm asking for your prayers.  Thank you.

This is The Greatest Trucker from Way Out West.  Got a prayer request for you.  A lady called in, well I'm hearing it on the 10th.  Sherry from La Estancia, CA called in for her sister's great-grandson.  His name is Lester and she has been listening for two years, but this is the first time she's called in.  Lester I guess is a very, very young boy that has leukemia, he's been in the hospital for six months and I am begging you people to pray for Lester, that he comes home well and whole.  Please pray for Lester, little Lester out there in California.  

Hi family.  It's Shannon from Texas and I need for you to please continue to pray with me for my friend Sonya.  I’ve called in before several times regarding her and her situation with her children. Her son Conrad, the one that was shot and was actually robbing someone when he was shot and was in the hospital and he fled and she went to go pick him up from another state and had him with her here, which wasn't a brilliant idea, but she __________ about that situation and I was at her house one day and __________ felt like I needed to go in and talk to him.  She didn’t go __________ her life goes on, but he had been abusing her and was using drugs.  Anyway, I just started praying about it and wanted him to go to church with us, but of course he wouldn’t go.  But anyway, he ended up beating her up, nearly beating her mother up.  I think he did hit her mother, so, of course, she called the police.  This was after I had been praying and I know she had been praying too.  Of course, this is her baby and he had been sexually abused by his father and I think after she found this out she had so much guilt that it is why she does some of these crazy things.  Anyway, please pray for him.  He's back in jail which is probably where he belongs.  Really, it's not where he belongs.  He needs to be healed, is what he needs, so please help me pray.  Help me pray for her, this whole family, her daughters, her other son. Only God can do this.  Only God can heal this woman's heart after he has beaten his mother and his…