#healthy church

[markmcole]

The Power of Unity in the Body of Christ

Psalm 133:1 declares, “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” This verse highlights the beauty and power of unity within the family of God. Jesus Himself, in His final prayer before going to the cross, prayed for His followers, saying, “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one” (John 17:21, NLT). If unity was a central concern for Jesus, then…

[chadbrodrick]

Guiding Change in the Local Church: A Biblical Approach to Effective Leadership

Leading change in a local church setting is significant and often challenging. Effective leadership requires a deep understanding of biblical principles, a clear vision, and practical strategies.

Introduction Leading change in a local church setting is significant and often challenging. Effective leadership requires a deep understanding of biblical principles, a clear vision, and practical strategies. This blog post will explore how to be an effective leader in guiding change within the local church, drawing from biblical examples, actionable steps, and insights from contemporary…

[craigtowens]

For a Christian the issue is not IF we will have conflict with others in the Church, but HOW will we navigate and resolve these conflicts. Check out my post “Embracing Conflict” on my blog (link in bio).

[r-aindr0p]

Mr. Flamme never works (unpaid) overtime

He might reconsider

[aldisobey]

🕳️ WIP Wednesday (on Thurs) 🕳️

edit: full release on AO3

Tagged by @heylittleriotact

WELL this one was supposed to be released by now but I have had the absolute delight of needing to write confronting truths to the worst sorts of people. Menace is a way of life. I bring you this. I don’t know what to title it. Weeping Lizards? Sodden Hole? Muddy Salt? Help. I blame @emmg for its creation this is your fault. We’re in Hossberg and Emmrich is crying over a muddy hole that reminds him of Worne (Rook).

———-——-

“Now, please, I have to see to Emmrich, shoo. Everyone’s off.” Rook motioned it with a flick of his hands this time; well aware he might have better luck physically urging the ground below to trot on before budging the Qunari. Thankfully Taash needed no further encouragement and long strides were soon taking them past Emmrich. They paused at a shout from behind.

Rook, calling like a concerned parent, “And get something nice for Lace first!” Taash waved back, looked over their shoulder, regretted that once the Warden started mouthing further instructions, what was he saying? “Floooowers.” And he was pointing at himself, and at Emmrich and. Taash rolled their eyes. Took a moment to turn and mouth back an exaggerated but silent, “Nooooo.”

Rook flipped them off, they sent two back. Rook’s eyes went wide, and he pointed a stiff finger at them. Taash groaned and rolled their head full round. Mouthed a “Fiiiiine.” And finally disappeared down the path back to Lavendell.

The Warden quickened his step. Emmrich hadn’t moved in the time it took to send Taash away for errands. The mage remained locked in place, red and wet faced, staring long at a muddy hole.

Rook didn’t question it, did his best to not startle him, that hazel gaze was far, far away. “Emmrich.”The hushed tone was followed by a soft touch. Fingers entered at waist, trailed up the spine until they went up to hold that opposite shoulder steady, gave a firm grip, a gentle pull towards the rogue. The necromancer was trembling, Rook eased into a shape that fit close, that first touch a needle of first stitch, and like thread he pulled them flush together.

Emmrich didn’t startle, seemed to expect him, subtle movements meeting Rook as he settled into the Warden’s hands finding their way to their places. Still, he kept a bit tense, hands tight together in front. White knuckled as he spoke sniffing,

“Rook. Darling, it’s…look, I…” and then Emmrich laughed, piercingly loud, a wincing crack that made Rook flinch to a confused smile. But the noise was manic prelude, and it was swallowed in the sob that drove it free. The mage’s eyes welled, wet trails provided easy paths for fresh tears as flood resumed. He turned his head down and into Rook, lips quivering to recall words. Shine on his face wrenching the rogue’s gut, Rook listened, attentive as possible, but the necromancer’s trembling smile stretched the sounds.

Emmrich’s hands unclenched from each other and dove round Rook in a desperate clinging embrace. The Warden answered with whispered soft ‘shhhh’s’ and diligently caressed the tall man’s back. They held there for long moments, Rook bearing their weight as the quivering necromancer eased into fewer wails and more whimpers.

Blubbering, mumbling, further shuddering chuckles, but eventually, helped by Rook’s firm embrace, calming touch, and steady pace of lungs, the breaths came even enough for thoughts. Emmrich squeaked out, “...it reminded me of you.”

He gestured towards the filthy hole. And then a lizard popped its head out. Mud obscured its sight, some kind of weed stuck to its chin, and its big dumb face was wide, letting nary a thought bother its whim. Emmrich snorted. Then started weeping again.

—————

tagging: @caffeinatedmunchkin @thepalehorsevictoria @ollypopwrites (look I know you’ve likely been tagged but this is me saying tag me on all your writing updates because imma miss it if you don’t I’m staying away from this place as much as possible to write. Sincerely haha I’ll catch up on commenting when I caaaaan because holy shit all the writing is so good. I’m forgetting people TAG ME I need to post or imma edit the whole thing again.)

[moliathh]

I do think what most people bothers is the possible 'grooming' aspect, since Alucard met Integra as a child before forming a romantic connection with her. Seras was already 20 when they met.

I was about to make a post about the grooming situation too. Firstly I want to address how both Alucard/Integra and Alucard/Seras was largely perceived as a father and daughter relationship. I disagree with both cases. And secondly, Alucard groomed both Integra and Seras. He is a very clear case of victim becoming abuser. I could at least say this in his defense, that whatever he have done to Integra and Seras, was not out of hatred nor intentional malice for them.

We were barely shown his time with Integra when she was underaged. But grooming is a manipulation tactic imposed on any people of any age. Alucard treatment towards Integra and Seras are non-sexual grooming: Isolation, coercion, provocation and (mental) violence abuse to exploit and/or manipulate them. It was graphically shown, not implied. By definition, Integra was also groomed into becoming Hellsing leader (and into a religion that deemed a woman's value lies in her virginity too since we are on the topic) and every adult around her is complicit in that. So are the Iscariot kids, groomed by the church's system.

I understand why people feels "icky" with Alucard/Integra because of that aspect. Of course many relationships in Hellsing are abusive but people might felt less repelled by abusive relationships between adults than between a child and an adult. It's fair. Even Alucard/Integra shippers are discomforted by it, I have seen several headcanons and reinterpretations avoiding that aspect. Also I do believe a fictional depiction of an act doesn't equal the act itself. People should be prioritize over fiction and shouldn't receive harm because of fictions. Hellsing is a controversial work, liking the work doesn't inherently means your moral is deranged.

And on that note, even if you removed or changed how Alucard met Integra when she was at a young age, their relationship is still extremely abusive. Alucard displayed behaviours of an age regressor, he is emotionally stunted. Integra used it to her advantage. Alucard mentally abused Integra. They formed an unhealthy codependency. Both of them are placed in a situation where they're groomed into. THEY KILL AND EAT PEOPLE. There is no "ethical" way to perceive their relationship, platonic or not. Shipping doesn't always mean you think the situation is desirable. To me it is to explore fictional imaginary situations within the scope of fiction and doesnt bring harm to anyone. If anyone is discomforted by Alucard/Integra as a ship, either a platonic or not, they are rightful to feel so, A/I relationship is EXTREMELY nuanced. But it would be unfair to assume all of the shippers are morally deviant jusf for shipping them. I could say the same about any Hellsing/Hellsing ship fans too.

[paula-of-christ]

married!!! omg can’t wait for you to divorce congratulations!!

I think you're confusing me for your parents sorry that happened to you! ❤️

[powerpoison]

[unityrain24]

ok but for real tho does anyone know how to actually get all your records removed from the mormon church? bc if you've ever been to one you'll know how actually creepy they are. someone will have visited the church ONCE three years ago and they'll somehow have the persons address and be discussing ways to get them to come back

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

being not at home means I have the option to go get a giant sandwich from Subway and I'm genuinely so tempted to do so

[mars-ipan]

looks at you . realllyyyyy hard.............. hey................ can u tell me more about sinner hajime bearding w. chiaki and his shame over it im thinking about it and how it affects him real bad.. r they dating married.. r they just a random fling i need to know the deets i need the DEETS!!!!!!!!! sits down

OK SO. i have NOT spent a lot of time on this so bear with me bc i’m mostly figuring this part out as i go. it’s going under a cut tho bc i know myself

ok. to start with. chiaki is one of the first people hajime meets when he moves in— they’re neighbors and in true midwestern fashion she brings him a casserole as a welcome gift. from there they become fast friends! i think, like most people in town, chiaki goes to church on sundays, but she isn’t there often outside of that. she’ll show up to events and volunteer from time to time, though! maybe she occasionally helps at sunday school. maybe it’s her that gets hajime thinking about trying to confess in the first place! she’d never pressure him into going or imply that he had any particular sins to confess, but i think hearing someone he trusts speak highly of the priest there would get him thinking.

anywho. chiaki ends up introducing hajime to a few of her friends, though he doesn’t really connect with them too deeply. they all get along nicely though, and while hajime does have his Guilt following him at all times he feels a bit better after he hangs out with her and her friends— takes his mind off of things for a bit. she has a rabbit named usami, too! she reminds hajime of some of the animals he helped raise on the farm back home. but hajime and chiaki end up basically being besties not long after hajime’s moved in. chiaki eventually develops feelings for hajime, and since she trusts him to be kind regardless of whether he reciprocates, she tells him almost right away. hajime is ecstatic— this is an opportunity! a girl, a nice girl who likes him. if there was any girl that hajime could fall in love with, it’d be her. and if he loves her, then he won’t have any of these other thoughts! he won’t be wondering what his priest looks like under the robes if he has a girlfriend— it’s perfect! so he says yes, and they begin to date.

hajime tells Father Komaeda basically immediately— he’s excited! look, Father, your teachings are working! i’m in a heterosexual relationship, this is what God wants! except…. komaeda isn’t as enthusiastic as hajime expects. supportive, absolutely, his smile as bright as ever, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. he doesn’t celebrate. he tells hajime he’s happy for him— chiaki’s a lovely girl, after all— but reminds him that resisting temptation is not a one and done battle. going out with chiaki is a step in the right direction, absolutely. however, he warns, hajime shouldn’t be too surprised if he finds himself struggling to shake away his impure thoughts. these things don’t disappear overnight. in fact, they should continue their lessons to help make sure that hajime can stay on this path to the light. hajime agrees immediately, thanking komaeda for his wisdom. still, though, he feels positive about this! having someone else to focus on will make leaving behind these unwanted lusts much easier.

except… hajime can’t make himself want her, not in that way. he tries. god, he tries. he loves chiaki, truly he does, but he doesn’t feel as fuzzy as he thinks he should when he holds her hand. kissing her feels like kissing a wall. he freezes up uncomfortably every time she tries to initiate anything further, and, saint that she is, she backs off every time without any hard feelings. he enjoys spending time with her, and holding her, but he’s not… he can’t get himself to desire her. not to mention, the impure desires haven’t gone away, not at all. they’re just as bad as they were before— in fact, they seem to slowly be getting worse. he doesn’t know what to do. hajime cares about chiaki, so much, and he doesn’t want to hurt her. she’s his best friend, and the last thing he wants to do is break her heart. plus, if he breaks up with her, then isn’t that like admitting defeat to his sins? like saying he can’t overcome them? and if he breaks up with her, what does he even say? that he can’t bring himself to be attracted to her? that he’s never been able to think of her in that way, only with… no. there’s no way he can tell her that, she’ll be disgusted. but he hates the idea of lying to her and stringing her along. his only option is to keep trying. he’ll be a better boyfriend, he’ll fall in love, he has to. she deserves someone who loves her, and maybe he can be that someone, if he just keeps trying.

hajime confesses all of this to Father Komaeda, of course, who hears all of it and simply nods. while he agrees that hajime should keep the true nature of his thoughts from her, he also subtly suggests that hajime break off the relationship if he’s not in love with her— lying is a sin, too, and true, holy love cannot be forced into being. perhaps they’re simply better off as friends?

hajime thinks about that advice, but he can’t bring himself to do it. he doesn’t want to hurt her, and he especially doesn’t want to lose her.

here’s the thing. chiaki is observant. she’s just that kind of person, she’s a good judge of emotion. she can tell that hajime seems uncomfortable showing affection to her, even if he’s trying. at first, she chalks it up to nerves, but when it doesn’t go away and almost seems to get worse, she starts to wonder what’s wrong, why he doesn’t seem to be that into her. so she looks a little closer. she notices that hajime prays a lot more often now than when he first moved in. she hears him mumble to himself when he thinks she isn’t listening, things about being wrong and having to try harder, having to be better. she knew from the start that hajime has some deep insecurities— he’s not very good at hiding it— but it’s worse than she thought. hajime’s been going to church near-daily now, and when she goes with him to mass on sundays she sees the way he watches the sermon, almost enraptured. she knows he gets along well with Father Komaeda— in fact, she’d consider them close friends. eventually, she notices things— hajime blushes with his whole face… when Father Komaeda is close to him. he sings the Father’s praises regularly, often thanking chiaki for telling him about the church so he could find his faith again. in moments of vulnerability, hajime has told her that he confesses somewhat frequently— what about, he never told her, but he assured her that he hadn’t hurt anybody so she never pressed him about it. the pieces click into place, and oh… oh, hajime.

unlike hajime, chiaki has nothing against homosexuality. she believes that god’s love comes in many forms, and so long as the people in a relationship truly love each other, then it doesn’t really matter what gender they are, does it? at first, she’s a bit hurt that hajime didn’t tell her, but she quickly reminds herself that hajime seems to deeply resent this part of himself— chances are, he’s yet to even accept it. she hurts for him, i think. she doesn’t like seeing her best friend be so cruel to himself over how he loves. she keeps up the relationship for a couple weeks, to give him the chance to tell her. when it’s clear that he doesn’t plan on telling anyone anytime soon, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

when chiaki approaches hajime and tells him she thinks they’d be better off as friends, he panics. he practically begs her to stay together, asks what he did wrong, promises he’ll do whatever it takes to keep this relationship alive, anything. chiaki looks at him softly, takes his hands in hers, and tells him that it’s okay, he hasn’t done anything wrong. she knows how much he cares about her, but there’s nothing either of them can do if they simply aren’t romantically compatible. “you can’t help who you love,” she tells him. hajime’s breath seems to stutter at that, and he pulls her into a tight hug, apologizing and sobbing gently into her shoulder. it’s a bit awkward physically, since chiaki’s pretty short in comparison to hajime, but she holds him as best she can. when he eventually pulls back, she tells him that they’ll always be best friends, okay? hajime sniffles, smiles, apologizes for breaking down like that, and agrees. best friends. he still doesn’t tell her. she doesn’t ask him to. he’ll tell her when he’s ready.

hajime tells komaeda about the breakup less than 24 hours after it happens. komaeda offers him a kind, gentle smile, clearly meant to reassure him. it reaches his eyes. “i’m sorry things didn’t work out, but i’m grateful you were able to maintain your friendship,” he says. he promises hajime that being single won’t doom him, and that he can still be freed of his sin even if he doesn’t have a nice girl to settle down with at the moment. they will continue their guidance, and one day hajime will be purified. hajime thanks his priest for all he’s done for him. Father Komaeda says he’d do anything to help someone dear see the glory of God.

[momentsbeforemass]

Toxic People, Part 2

Think about who you have around you. The people that you interact with regularly. You took that job, and they’re the other people that work there. You went to school, and that’s who you saw every day. You moved in, and they were living next door.

Most of the time, you are surrounded by people who just kind of happened to you. Some of whom are toxic for you.

Since some of them are toxic for you, what can you do about it?

It starts by being intentional. Stop letting people just kind of happen to you. Part of dealing with toxic people is being intentional about who gets close to you.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus does just that. Jesus looks over His disciples. All of the people who follow Him for whatever reason. Or none.

Jesus looks at all the people who just kind of happened to Him. Jesus decides to be intentional about who gets close to Him. No one has a right to be close to Him. That’s His gift to give.

Jesus looks for people who understand who He is. People who are willing to help Him. People who will support and encourage Him. That’s who Jesus chooses.

Be like Jesus.

Stop letting people just kind of happen to you. Be intentional about who gets close to you. No one has a right to be close to you. That’s your gift to give.

Look for the people who understand who you are. People who are willing to help you. People who will support and encourage you. That’s who you choose.

The more you choose who gets close to you, the less room you’ll have for toxic people.

But that’s only part of it. Being intentional also means protecting who God made you to be. By separating yourself from toxic people.

Separating yourself from toxic people doesn’t mean that you have to have a big confrontation with them. You don’t have to tell them that they’re toxic. You don’t owe them an explanation. If they truly are toxic, you’d just be wasting your time anyway.

Sometimes separating yourself from toxic people can be as simple as ghosting them. Disappearing from their lives. Completely.

Sometimes separating yourself from toxic people isn’t simple. Especially if there are connections you just can’t break. Maybe you’ve got a child with them. Maybe they’re your parent. Maybe they work at the same place.

How do you separate yourself when ghosting them isn’t an option?

Step away. Little by little, start distancing yourself from them. Gradually spend less and less time with them.

They may try to draw you back in. They may hit you with a bunch of “shoulds.” They may try to appear less toxic when they feel you slipping away.

Don’t fall for any of it.

Keep stepping away. Be less and less available.

That shared connection doesn’t give them a right to be close to you. That’s your gift to give.

Interact with them when you have to. But do it on your terms.

Protect who God made you to be.

Today’s Readings

[brandileigh2003]

I'm not looking forward to 8 hours in car and then non child proof house with special needs kid who's been having a rough couple of weeks.

With in laws where I flip a coin whether they're going to be assholes or not.

And I'm still sick with a not so fun new... I don't know what to call it. Not necessarily side effect. Or complication. But. It's freaking embarrassing.

(ha! Tumblr goes... You've reached 30 tags. So write in your post. Not in tags. It's not the p.s.s.s.s. that you used to write to your best friend 😂)

[saskia-mae]

✞ how to be ‘that christian girl’

go for prayer walks

get involved with your church

Bible before your phone

pray when you wake up and before going to sleep

listen to worship music

eat healthily

prayer journal

Bible study

exercise

make christian friends

help others

be kind to everyone

give to those in need

I hope this helps! I am still quite new in my faith, but this has helped me, and if i can help just one person that will make me happy! God bless you!💗

[spurgie-cousin]

It it common or normal in fundie circles to basically say “I can’t wait until we’re all dead and in heaven together” on a regular basis? Or is this phenomenon specific to Jrod, who hates saying goodbye to Nurie so much that she apparently regularly wishes they were both dead so they can be together for eternity?

Short answer, yea lol, although they word it carefully. Even in my more mainstream/fundie lite church community, people would often mention "leaving" this world and being together in heaven as a comforting thing in many different kinds of situations, and it was almost always mentioned in emotional sermons. I can imagine Jill talks about it with her children regularly.

It's hard to explain how that can not only sound normal, but encouraging lol when you've grown up to believe that you're actual life won't begin until you get to heaven. This whole life on earth in a body is basically framed as a long, miserable test to see if you deserve to get to heaven, and the if you pass you get to spend eternity with everyone you've ever loved and everyone that's ever lived, without any negative feelings or circumstances. So you can imagine if you actually believe in it, it could almost be an exciting thing to think about.

[theprayingteacher]

#Prayer Against #Negativity