#it needs to be stated three times a day on the worlds loudest speaker

[primarining]

saw a vegan say "it's not about making change, it's about not being cruel" in reference to stopping climate change & switching to all vegan diets. what an unserious and insane line of thought. idk about you but I think making actual real changes to stop climate change is far better than not eating meat because you think it's meanie behavior.

[crayonwriting]

05 - Just How Much I Missed You

Summary: Maiko just wanted her good ol’ dad to walk her down the aisle. So, she invited the three men from your past in hopes of meeting him. The only problem was, which one of them is it?

Pairings: Oikawa Tooru x Reader, Bokuto Koutarou x Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader

Disclaimer: This is based on the movie directed by Phyllida Loyd and written by Catherine Johnson which is inspired by the music of the pop group ABBA.

catch up here!

Maiko’s bachelorette party was in full swing. Everybody danced and swayed their bodies to the rhythm of the song. She downed a shot of some hard liquor passed on to her by Eri. It burned the back of her throat but she didn’t care.

Just as the song ended, there was complete silence. Everyone waited for the music to come back, but it didn’t. Then Yoshiko’s voice was heard loud and clear through the speakers.

“Ladies, and no gentlemen, presenting the best girl power group to ever walk the earth,” there was a drumroll as everyone waited with bated breath, “Shojotai!”

Maiko has only ever heard of that group in stories exchanged between you and your friends. She couldn't stop the excited squeal that left her lips when you, Yoshiko and Rika emerged from the main villa doors, wearing extremely sparkly and glittery outfits which she assumed was all that during your college days.

The three of you positioned yourselves in the middle of the courtyard, ready to perform. Shojotai is the name of your girl group ever since the three of you met in junior high. You’ve continued it all throughout your high school lives—even until college—and you all used to perform for every single occasion of your class.

As the first few beats of the song started, you gave Maiko a small wink. She's witnessed you belt out songs before but she hasn't seen you perform on this kind of level.

All the ladies danced and vibed to the song as they cheered for the three of you. This song was a classic and it's one of your favorite songs to perform as you can be as silly as you want without ruining the performance. 

The three of you blended and sang to the crowd. You couldn't help but dedicate a certain part of the song to your daughter, caressing her cheek as you sang to her. She kissed the palm of your hand in gratitude. When you turned away to meet in the middle once again, you noticed three looming figures at the back of the party.

You glanced over at them and, as if mocking you, Kuroo was dancing—albeit quite terribly—to the song. You rolled your eyes at him but you weren't sure if he saw.

Why are they still here?! I thought they already left! Has Maiko noticed already? They need to leave, ASAP., you screamed in your head while trying to maintain your happy demeanor. Just as your choreography required you to turn around, you had managed to whisper to your two best friends to look towards where the three men were.

You continued with the rest of the song, making wild gestures here and there—things you know will embarrass Maiko—to keep her attention on you. The sight of her mortified face peeking in between her fingers made you laugh. After a few more verses, the song had come to an end.

The crowd cheered for the three of you loudly. Maiko screamed the loudest and she couldn't help but run up to you and give you a tight hug.

"You were amazing!" She beamed, jumping up and down. You gave her a tight-lipped smile and a slightly stiff hug.

"I think I need some air. I'll see you later, Maiko-chan." In a haste, you pecked her forehead affectionately and exited towards the main villa doors. Maiko looked towards where you disappeared to, confused. Was it something she said?

"Excuse me! Yoohoo!" Rika said into the mic, getting the attention of Kuroo. Oikawa and Bokuto. "This is a hen party. Women only. Thank you." She smiled sarcastically and motioned her hand to shoo them away. The whole crowd was now looking at them which felt uneasy. Kuroo smiled apologetically, waving his hand in surrender. He turned to leave with the other two copying his actions. 

Yoshiko patted Rika's shoulder proudly as they went to the main villa to go after you. Maiko could only stare at the scene. Tonight's not going to be good.

***

"Oh god! Why are they here? What if they ruin Maiko’s wedding?" You paced around the room, nipping at your nails nervously.

"But I thought you weren't so keen on this wedding?" Yoshiko asked. She was right. You didn't want this wedding to happen at all. It's not that you don't like Minoru—the kid's too nice to be honest—but you just think that getting married so young would result to regrets and you didn't want that for Maiko. But what could you do? Your daughter was as headstrong as you were when you were her age.

"I know that. But I don't want them spoiling it." Rika handed you a cold beer she had snatched from the bar after your performance. She just had a hunch that you'd need a few drinks to get you through the night. You took the drink from her and took a long sip. 

"They don't have the right to turn up like this! What have they ever done for their daughter, huh?"

"How could they, Y/N-chan? They didn't know she existed." Rika stated matter of factly.

"They didn't need to know did they? I've done a great job with Maiko all by myself and I won't be replaced!"

—

Meanwhile, Bokuto and Oikawa headed to the bar to get a few drinks before heading out. They didn't expect for Maiko's whole party to pull them away from said bar and back to the courtyard. The two men were pushed against the poles of the awning with their hands tied behind their backs.

The girls started running their hands across their toned bodies. Bokuto was loving the attention and Oikawa did his best not to. Kuroo had managed to escape, opting to take a walk nearby and just have some peace and quiet.

—

"Aaargh!" You shouted your frustrations into the night as you pushed open the window to let in some fresh air. You then plopped beside Yoshiko and Rika who were almost passed out both from the performance you did earlier as well as the flight of steps it took to get to their villa.

"Someone must hate me up there." You muttered pointing at the ceiling. "Must be my mother."

"Wasn't she a ray of sunshine, huh?" Rika commented.

"I need to get them out of here." You scrambled to get up from the bed but your friends stopped you.

"If you go in and confront them head on, there're gonna be some questions." Yoshiko said as she groaned in pain. "Help me out of these boots, please. My feet are killing me!"

You and Rika each took one of Yoshiko's legs and started yanking on the knee-high boots she decided to wear. The both of you did your best to get them off as you heaved and grunted with all your mights. 

"What if we get them wasted tonight," Rika said, gripping tightly to the boot, "And then take them fishing tomorrow?"

"Fishing!" Yoshiko said exasperatingly. She scoffed at the idea.

"Well, what do you suggest we do with three men?"

Just as the question had left Rika's mouth, the both of you had managed to take off the damn boots. The force that did it made you and Rika fly slightly across the room.

"Three men? Wow." Yoshiko said dreamily. "Now that takes me way back."

tags: @yikes-buddy / @ushi-please / @melodiamore / @akaashi-todorki / @honeymoneyy / @minty-mangos-world / @ochabby / @paettonissahotcheeto / @chrisrue15 / @cottage-babe2 / @tsukkx / @yashinosakura / @coconut-dreamz​ / @roseestuosity / @youstydiaa / @shiningstar-byulxx / @mkkhaikyuu / @waywardtrashfam / @otaku-fangirlse / @juni-multifandom / @voids-universe / @chimsblogg / @1-800-imagine 

a/n: aaaaaaaaand, i’m alive! i’m so sooooo sorry for not posting in a long time. i’ve been distracted by an oikawa, iwaizumi, ushijima and sakusa (all separated) fics i’ve been writing on the sidelines, that’s why it took me longer to update.

by the time i was done writing the chapter, i realized that i was actually wriitng chapter 6 and not 5! so i had to start all over. that’s why y’all are getting a double posting today! yay! i do apologize if this chapter seems a bit rushed, hehe. i had a bit of difficulty writing the super trouper scene.

like always, i’m sorry for the mistakes and the slight (or major, i’m not sure anymore) ooc of some of the characters. hope u still like ‘em!

[kivaember]

Plot: In a politcal plot to remove Aymeric from power, the house of lords votes to change his job title to traveling diplomat and sends him to kugane.

(okay i just wrote something for it instead uuuuuuuuuuh no regrets??? man tempted to do a few oneshots of WoL/Aym in Kugane and see how that goes)

“By majority vote,” Artoirel said in a quietly apologetictone, “You have been nominated as Ishgard’s official ambassador to Kugane. Youare expected to report to your new posting by the end of this month, sailingschedules permitting.”

Lucia drew in a sharp breath through her clenched teeth.Aymeric ignored it. He did not flinch, kept his expression one of cool neutralityas he quietly absorbed the blow Artoirel had delivered him. He should begrateful that this had been done in the privacy of his office, and not in thevery public space of the House of Lords session he was meant to be attending inthe next hour. Artoirel himself looked rumpled, as if he had ran here themoment he heard Aymeric had returned from his inspection of Dzaemel Darkhold.

He shouldn’t be surprised. There had been many debates onwho to send as part of the contribution to diplomatic mission in Kugane. TheEorzean Alliance had established an embassy there, eager to try and secure afoothold there to allow better communication and diplomacy with their new Domanally, and sent the call for each City State to contribute. Various names hadbeen drawn up in both Houses, but Aymeric’s had been bandied about the most.

Logically, it made sense: he was charismatic and well knownfor his political acumen. He also had a genuine interest in expanding Ishgard’sforeign ties, was friendly and culturally sensitive to foreigners, and was oneof the loudest supporters for the Eorzean Alliance – and had several enemies inboth Houses that would enjoy neutralising him by sending him as far away asphysically possible without launching him into space. He had already provenhimself too troublesome to cleanly assassinate.

Aymeric folded his hands on his desk, very carefullycompartmentalising his personal feelings on the matter and forced himself toregard it with cold calculation. In all honesty he was impressed at the cunningof this plan – he had been aware there was a voting session whilst he was oninspection, but as it didn’t pertain to any high-profile proposals orlegislation, hadn’t paid much mind to it. If he had known…

Well, what could he have done? From the sounds of it thishad been a plan long in the making and the votes already decided before thedebate had even begun. The majority of Ishgard’s MPs wanted him out of Ishgardand causing trouble for other people. He should, in fact, look at this as anopportunity. He was already coming to the end of his term as Speaker – he hadbeen elected twice, already, and their constitution stated that one could onlydo two consecutive terms at a time – and he had been considering whether to revertto being mainly the Lord Commander or becoming a full-time politician.

It was a prestigious position, on paper. He should behonoured that he was chosen to represent Ishgard and strengthen their ties withtheir allies.

He should be.

(he wasn’t)

“I see,” Aymeric finally said, when three full minutes ofsilence stretched between them, “Thank you for informing me, Lord Artoirel.Should I assume that my presence is therefore not needed in the upcomingsession?”

Artoirel dipped his head, “Correct. It has been decided thatI will carry out the remainder of your duties until the next Speaker is chosenin the upcoming month.”

Aymeric relaxed a fraction at that. At least his exile hadn’twrenched a hole open for the likes of Lord Dounon to slither into, “Am I ableto nominate a successor for Lord Commander, or has that too been decidedwithout me?”

Artoirel winced slightly at that, “If you are able tonominate a successor that meets the Houses’ approval in the next week-”

“Lucia,” Aymeric said instantly.

“Sir,” Luciaprotested, “I am-”

“More than acceptable,” Aymeric said shortly, “LordArtoirel, if the Houses’ have a complaint on my successor, feel free to directthem to myself. Notwithstanding her origins, she has proven herself time andagain as a loyal soldier of Ishgard, unflinching in her service and diligent inher duties. I will accept none other as my successor, if only because she hasbeen carrying out the Lord Commander duties on my behalf for the past few yearsso I know she can do it. She has proven herself.”

A grim kind of humour flickered across Artoirel’s face asLucia stood in stunned silence, “I am sure no one will protest, sir.”

“I will protest,”Lucia said immediately, “Sir, my place is at your side.”

“You would be better served here, Lucia,” Aymeric said, “Irefuse to relinquish this seat to someone who would abuse it. I know I cantrust you with Ishgard and the Temple Knight’s best interests.”

Lucia wavered, but after a pause where Aymeric met her gaze evenly,her shoulders slumped and she inclined her head with a soft, unhappy, “Understood,sir.”

“I shall leave you to your preparations, Lord Commander,”Artoirel said, rising from his seat, “I wish you luck in your new position.”

The door that clicked shut behind the departing Artoirelsounded damningly final. Silence reigned again, until slowly, Aymeric pushedhis seat back and stood up.

Lucia watched him with wary eyes, “Sir?”

“Pardon me, Lucia,” he said with a strange, unsteady sort ofcalm, “I need a moment to collect my thoughts. Please take over my duties untilI return.”

“… yes, sir.”

Aymeric barely remembered the walk back to his home. Hismind was too busy spinning over how he had been exiled from a home he had shed sweat, blood and tears over for all hislife. Should he be surprised, though? From the moment Lord Borel had raised himup from one of the many unwanted, faceless orphans that clogged up the Brume,Aymeric had always had to viciously fight and defend his place in a world thatwas determined to shut him out, had always had to dig his heels in so he wasn’ttossed aside. No one had believed he would amount to anything more than alow-rank knight – and even then, that had been considered too good for a bastardlike him. But he had proven them wrong – had forced them to look at him and admit he was better than his peers who came from good stock.

That did not come from being passive and earnest. Aymerichad to be more ruthless, more calculating and smarter and stronger and moreskilled to achieve his goals. He had crushed more than a few noble hopefulsunder his heel to claw his way into the position of Lord Commander, and while hewas eventually, grudgingly,acknowledged… he was never accepted.

He’d gotten complacent, he realised. He thought things hadchanged enough that he could relax into a position he made himself and not worry about having to continuously prove hisworth to remain there. He was elected! They wanted him there! They wanted him there!

Hah. What a lie he told himself.

When he reached home, he stood in the front hallway for along while, feeling adrift. He should start getting his affairs in order. Heneeded to see if he could transfer his funds from the Ishgardian bank to whateverthe equivalent was in Kugane, he needed to find which ports directly travelledto Kugane, he needed to pack and whatwas he going to do with this house? Should he place everything in storage? Lasthe heard the diplomatic mission in Kugane was a three year posting, but what ifthey just continuously renewed his place there? He’d never come home and thenwhat? There was so much to consider in so short a time – transporting hisbelongings would have to be done the slow way, by ship, even if he possessedjust enough anima and aetherical control to teleport to Kugane. Though it tooka lot out of him and he had to take a day to sleep it off and-

Aymeric closed his eyes and stopped his thoughts, taking adeep, long breath.

…

He couldn’t believe he had been exiled.

Realising he wasn’t going to get anything done, Aymeric satdown on the bottom step of his stairwell and stared at his hands. If this hadhappened differently, if this had been a choiceof his, he knew he would be excited and eager to carry out a diplomatic missionin a foreign country. But it wasn’t his choice. It was a thinly veiledrejection, of the Houses coming together and saying ‘thanks for everything butwe don’t want you here anymore so go be someone else’s problem’, and that…

That really hurt.

Aymeric gently prodded that hurt for a moment and sighed. Itsounded childish even to him. No doubt there were more than a few who genuinelythought he was the best man for the job, who probably thought he’d be overjoyedat such a posting, but emotions rarely took logic into consideration, so he wasleft with a throat-clenching, chest-tightening ache that he had to breathe throughslowly.

He’d get over it, he told himself as he rubbed roughly athis face. He always got over it. He just needed to think how this would be adelightful change of pace, and how it opened so many new opportunities andexperiences for him. He would enjoyit, the initial pain of sorting his admin out aside, and it might, potentially,mean more time with Aza-

-shit. Aza. Aza hated Kugane.

It felt like a stone had dropped hard into the bottom of hisstomach. Aza refused to go to Kuganeunless it was absolutely vital for work or to fulfil a favour for a friend. IfAymeric was trapped there full time, would Aza go against his understandableand visceral hatred of the place to visit him? Even if he did, would Aymericeven ask him of that? It seemed cruel, and he couldn’t force Aza to besomewhere he hated. He would hate it, Aza would hate it, and they’d be equallymiserable.

For a very brief, desperate moment, Aymeric was actuallytempted to do something drastic like commit political suicide and force theHouses to elect someone more ‘proper’… only to realise that they’d probablysend him anyways as punishment for whatever he did. He anxiously stood up,paced the width of his front hallway, and sat down again, feeling a caged animal.

He should call Aza.

Forcing himself to push away his unsettled emotions andfocus, he tapped at his linkpearl, reaching for his partner’s frequency. He wasat Camp Dragonhead today, helping Lord Emmanellain with some task or other, sothe connection should be stable enough without enduring static-

“Hello?”

“Aza,” Aymeric murmured, feeling his stomach do somethingvery weird and potentially medically unhealthy, like it couldn’t decide whetherto twist or sink, “Hello, love.”

“Aym?” Aza’s surprisewas understandable. Aymeric only tended to call his linkpearl for long absencesor emergencies, “What’s wrong? Are youokay?”

“I’m-” he found himself incapable of finishing. He was fine, but also not. He also feltinexplicably foolish. Aza was supposed to be back by dusk, and it seemedridiculous to call him in the middle of work simply because Aymeric’s feelingswere hurt over a reassignment. It wasn’t pressing, or an emergency, and couldvery easily wait for that evening when Aymeric didn’t feel so raw about it.

“It’s nothing,” he said instead, “I’m sorry if I distractedyou. I’ll speak to you to-”

“Bullshit,” Aza interruptedsharply, “Aym, you sound really fucking upset. What happened? Do I have tokill someone?”

“I- do not sound upset,” Aymeric said unconvincingly, becausehe sounded strained even to his own ears, “No one needs to be killed either.”Unless Aza was willing to eliminate the entirety of Ishgard’s government, thatis.

(Terrifyingly, Aymeric knew Aza would do that, for him, but it was best not to dwell on those things)

“You sure?” Aza’stone gentled, “C’mon, tell me what’swrong. I’m just sitting here watching people fail at mining, so I can talk. Youwon’t be bothering me.”

Fail at mining? “How can you fail at mining?”

“Easily, if you’re a CampDragonhead knight, apparently. They keep fucking up the extraction ofdarksteel,” Aza sighed, “Amateurs,honestly. I’m gonna wait for a few hours before putting them out of theirmisery.”

Aymeric was half-tempted to ask about how one exactly ‘fuckedup the extraction of darksteel’, but that would be procrastinating and both ofthem knew it. Aza would indulge him, but Aymeric really shouldn’t try talkingcircles about this. He took a moment.

Aza patiently waited. On his end he could hear the softcrackle of the aether connection, distant, muffled shouts and the howl of astrong wind.

“… I’m… I’m no longer the Speaker of the House of Lords,” Aymericfinally said, surprised at how much it hurt to say that aloud. It was more realwhen he actually said and acknowledged it.

“You’re… how?” Azagasped, “I thought you had another twomonths!”

“It seems,” Aymeric muttered, his voice brittle, “That theHouses unanimously agreed that I would be better served in Kugane as Ishgard’srepresentative in the Eorzean Alliance’s embassy.”

“They’re kicking youout of Ishgard!?” Aza hissed,understanding immediately, “They can’t dothat! You’re the reason their government isn’t a steaming pile of shit rightnow! You single-handedly-”

“I cannot claim all the credit for Ishgard’s recentsuccesses,” Aymeric said tiredly, “I’m not that arrogant to think the governmentrevolves around me. No, I…” he paused and then continued with a conviction hedidn’t feel, “I have fulfilled my purpose here, and can… do more in Kugane. It’sfine. It’s a prestigious position to have and they clearly think I can do wellin it. It… it will go well.”

“…” Aza sighed, “Aym, you don’t have to lie to me.”

Aymeric felt awful. He wanted this conversationface-to-face. He should have waited, “I’m not lying.”

“You are,” Azasaid firmly, “You’re upset, so be upset.Why else did you call me? C’mon.”

“To give you the good news?” Aymeric croaked out.

“You didn’t even tryto sound sincere then,” Aza said, unimpressed, “Look, I’ll come home right now-”

“You hate Kugane,” Aymeric blurted.

“What?”

“You hate Kugane,” Aymeric repeated, “So, if I’m there… you-”

“Gods, Aym,” Azasounded like he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or yell at him, “Yeah, I hate it, but… shit. I won’t letthat stop me from visiting you or hogging your blankets. You’ll have to pry meout of your bed almost every morning, same as usual.”

“But,” Aymeric began and… faltered, because that part of Aza’spast was always a taboo subject, “Your history…”

“Was over twenty yearsago,” Aza murmured so quietly Aymeric almost didn’t hear him, “I… I’ll be okay. For you, I’ll be okay. Imean, try to have your living quarters as Eorzean as possible and don’t startdressing like a Doman, but… yeah, it’ll be fine.”

Aymeric wavered, “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Aza soundedlike he was smiling, “You’re totallyworth a bit of discomfort, handsome. You just gotta be extra distracting whenever I visit, okay?”

“Easily done,” Aymeric said with unspeakable relief. Thatwas one burden eased from hisshoulders, at least.

“Was that the onlything that was upsetting you?”

Aymeric hesitated, but confessed, “No. I’m… there is more.”

“Okay,” Aza’svoice was gentle, “Let me show these guyshow to mine, and I’ll be home within the hour so we can talk properly, alright?”

“Alright,” Aymeric almost whispered, “Don’t needlessly rush.I can wait.”

“Pfft. No, you can’t. You’remore important to me than a bunch of stupid rocks. Go make your birch tea shitand go relax. I’ll be with you soon.”

“It’s not ‘birch tea shit’,” Aymeric grumbled, “It’s-”

“Love you, handsome!”Aza cut over him cheerily, and made a noisy kissing noise down the line, “Talk to you soon!”

“Aza-”

‘Click!’

Aymeric lowered his fingers from the linkpearl at thatrather rude hang up and sat there for a moment. He felt, surprisingly, a littlebetter. The hurt was beginning to slowly give way to simmering, ugly resentmentand indignation, but Aymeric put a lid on that for when Aza came home and stoodup.

He still felt adrift. He still felt as stunned as if he’djust taken a knife to the back, but… at least he knew Aza would still be withhim, every step of the way. And he’d recover from this. He always bounced backfrom shit like this, from people determined to declaw him and render himharmless. He just needed to brush the dust off his more… ruthless tendencies.

Deep breath. Exhale.

Good.

With his head lifted high, Aymeric made for the kitchens to makehis ‘birch tea shit’, to prepare for his new political battlefield.  

[purplednail]

Faith: A Personal Journey to Understanding

by Thomas A Ernst, Peoria, Arizona

My six siblings and I had the privilege of being raised by godly parents in a Christian home. From a very early age, we memorized Scripture – whole chapters or individual verses. Our parents believed the words of the Psalmist: “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee” ~ Psalm 119:11. Now, as I draw closer to the finish line of this life, Paul’s words come to mind “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7.

It would be nice to be able to define with understanding, exactly what it is that Paul kept; don’t you think? How many who claim “faith” as an integral part of their lives can actually define it? Yet, it is to be the bedrock as well as the guiding light of our lives. “The just shall live by faith” ~Habakkuk 2:4 – and repeated at least three times in the New Testament. Can you define it? In order to define it we have to understand it. Too many use a synonym to put substance to faith: belief or trust. If we are honest with ourselves, while those words have meaning and indeed are facets of faith they don’t convey the understanding we need for a definition. Then again there are those who are satisfied with a cursory definition and ask, “What’s the big deal?” “Why is being able to define something so important?”

It has been said (when and by whom other than here and by me, I have no clue) that if you can’t define something then you don’t really understand it. In other words, definition and understanding are integral to each other. I believe that. I’m a math teacher and there are basically two ways to teach math: by rote i.e. learn the formula etc or by understanding. The US is failing miserably in its educational attempts to bring students to understanding. The reason, in my humble opinion, is because you cannot fully engage the mind in the latter without a rudimentary knowledge of the former, meaning memorized math facts. It would be like trying to get a child to increase their reading comprehension skills without ever having learned to read – yeah, that’s the elephant in the Language Arts room. We’re failing at understanding because we haven’t learned the basics. That holds true pretty much across the board. You don’t want a doctor who has simply memorized the symptoms coupled with disease names and the correct pharmaceutical aid that will help solve the problem. No, you want a doctor that understands how the body works and why certain drugs have good affects and others don’t. The same is true with “faith”. If we don’t understand it; if we can’t define it; then, how can we use it to live? Consider these verses:

“To each is given a measure of faith…” ~Romans 12:3.

“Faith without works is dead…” ~James 2:26.

“Without faith it is impossible to please God…” ~Hebrews 11:6.

“Walk by faith and not by sight…” ~2 Corinthians 5:7.

“Faith comes by hearing…” ~Romans 10:17.

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed …” ~Matthew 17:20.

“When the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth…” ~Luke 18:8.

Note that last one. What a sobering thought!

I can remember asking the question of my dad during our home bible study: “What is faith?” He answered with a quote from Scripture. Unsatisfied, I asked the same question of my Sunday School teacher: “What is faith?” He too answered with Scripture. As a young teen, I was part of a larger group of young people called Youth for Christ. It was a national organization seeking to evangelize and bring young people into a relationship with God. At one of our bible studies, I again raised my question to the leader: “What is faith?” and again the response was Scripture. Interestingly enough all the quotes as answers to my question were from the Faith Chapter, Hebrews 11 – a chapter my siblings and I had memorized years before. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1. I came away from each of those encounters with two thoughts: First, I was impressed with the spiritual depth of those answering and second, with my own lack of depth because I still didn’t get it; and, it wouldn’t be until years later that I came to understand that they didn’t get it either!

Fast-forward a number of years. I’m now in my 40’s, a Pastor leading a small bible study and someone raises the question: “Pastor, what is faith?” Wouldn’t you know it! I stepped into the same void of lack of understanding as my mentors had and I answered with Scripture: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things unseen”. At that point I knew that just as I didn’t know the definition of faith, my mentors didn’t either. I locked myself in my study and tried to bring understanding to my lack of the same. I had lots of books and I perused them diligently and I gleaned a lot of opinions but no concrete definition that would satisfy and solve this spiritual equation.

Over the years, one of the things I have learned both by books and by experience is that the meaning of stated thoughts is in the mind of the author. In other words, your perception of what I said may or may not match what I meant. Now get this because our Society is giving lie to this great truth: our perception is not necessarily the meaning. Our perception may be wrong. We have filters, rose tinted glasses if you will; and, things we hear someone say pass through those filters in being processed into what we understand as what the speaker meant. We can be spot on or miss it completely or anything in-between. Today, perception is King – meaning be damned! Listen to the Pundits espouse on what someone meant: Spin, obfuscation, fake news and bold-faced lies all pass as the true meaning of what the speaker meant and the reality is, in all probability none of it is! When was the last time you heard someone ask for clarification about something that was said? Most times the speaker is never given the chance to explain as the spinners rush to be the loudest voice in denouncing the speaker. It’s everywhere: Politics, Media, Courts, Business board meetings and now to the detriment of all, Social Media! Don’t get me started on the morass of “I misspoke” – what the heck does that mean?

Truth lies trampled in the streets (Isaiah 59:14), meaning and even intent be damned!

“When the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth…?” Will he find faith on the earth? Pastor, what is faith? I was ashamed because I had given the stock Christian response bolstered by the use of Scripture. I was determined to find out; yet, my search in others’ understanding or lack of it proved futile. Finally I remembered: Meaning is in the mind of the author. So simple. So profound yet I had never asked the Author, What is faith? “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” ~Hebrews 12:2. There is no doubt, at least among Christians, that Jesus lived a life of faith. “Search the Scriptures” he said, “These are they which testify of me…” ~John 5:39. He said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free…” ~John 8:32. So, I searched the Scriptures and I asked the Author “What is faith?” And He showed me. He answered me and helped me create a definition. Welcome to my journey!

According to the verse most quoted in giving definition to faith, Hebrews 11:1, faith is a gateway to understanding our world. Whether the world viewed through a telescope or the one viewed through a microscope or the one seen with the naked eye “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God”. In other words, without faith as a component there will be no understanding of our universe. Stephen Hawking, noted intellectual physicist, set out to understand the origins of our universe; and, in his latest book, published after his death, he concluded: “There is no God”. In spite of his astounding intellect, he missed it completely. The shepherd king, David, said, “The heavens declare the glory of God the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech and night unto night shows knowledge. There is no speech nor language where his voice is not heard” ~Psalm 19:1-3. David marveled at it, Stephen missed it. Both had a measure of faith. Both saw the same things, although Stephen saw with greater depth and clarity of physical sight i.e. the Hubble telescope. Faith, understanding it, defining it or exercising it is not a matter of degree of intellect. The critical question becomes: “Is faith an integral part of our understanding?” – spiritual and physical!

Why is faith so important? I know a few people who couldn’t care less about understanding the universe. So, what’s the big deal? Well, according to that writer of Hebrews 11; “Without faith it is impossible to please God” ~Hebrews 11:6. And if God’s not pleased and we’re trying to please Him with our good works and do so without faith, it’s a bit like arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. It’s futile. Our end is certain doom because if God’s not pleased, we’re toast – um…literally!

You’ve been very patient in wading through all this to this point and I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. When I searched the scriptures for meaning of faith I looked specifically at Jesus. I then compared what I found out about His life with those other “heroes of the faith” mentioned in Hebrews 11. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and others. Lo and behold, their experiences matched what I found out about Jesus. Their “walk of faith” had the same components. Understanding personal faith reveals why Abel is a faith-hero and Cain is not. Why Jacob is in that list and Enoch is not.

Here is what I found:

Jesus said, “I only do what God shows me to do” ~John 5:19. And “I only say what God tells me to say” ~John 8:28. In other words, Jesus said and did what God told Him to say and do. He told His disciples, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” ~Matthew 4:4. We are also instructed by the Apostle Paul that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” ~Romans 10:17. Faith then, is a result of hearing the word of God.

In New Testament era Greek, there are two words translated as “word” in English: Those Greek words are Logos and Rhema. Logos is universal, meaning everything said; and, Rhema is specific to time and place. Both are used in relation to God’s speaking and both are used in relation to faith. In our simplified understanding, Logos would be the Bible, and the works of creation and Rhema would be specific words that God reveals to us. Now, those specific words, Rhema, can come from anywhere or anyone; but, there is a knowing in our spirit that the Author is God. I have at times been rebuked by a kind word from someone but the knowledge in my spirit was that it was a rebuke or encouragement, as the case may be, from God. Yes, He still speaks and when He does it’s Rhema, specific to our cause, need or situation. Jesus lived by both the Logos and the Rhema the general and the specific. He did so everyday of His life; He lived, he walked by faith. When you look at the Old Testament heroes of faith, the Old Testament prophets or the New Testament disciples and apostles you see they did the same. Paul knew the Logos from God but he wasn’t applying it until he received a Rhema on his way to Damascus and was converted. How can we define that? In the former he heard (in a general sense of understanding) in the latter he heeded the specific word. That was his faith in action. Had he ignored and not heeded he would not have been converted. That’s why James can say with power that faith without a result (i.e. works) is dead. A lot of people know what the Bible says but they don’t heed it – a difference between darkness and light. James went on to say that even the devils believe and they tremble ~James 2:19. So faith is more than the synonym “believe” “He that has ears to hear let him hear [heed]…” ~Matthew 11:5.

When we take all that Jesus is and did and then take the Scriptures that teach us that faith is rooted in God’s Logos and Rhema we can define it. Now, doing so may limit the ability of faith to grow beyond a static definition that is why care must be exercised and we must realize that a definition is often only the starting point of deeper understanding. Like the mustard seed that becomes a gigantic plant. Our definition is just the seed. Here it is:

Faith is HEARING a WORD (Logos and Rhema) FROM God; and, HEEDING the WILL of God. Not with the HEAD but from the HEART!

That truth has given me a freedom to understand that I had never experienced. Check it out and then ask God to make the definition unique to you.

[weldonturner]

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The Luxury of Atheism

Author and atheist, Christopher Hitchens

  While researching the life of the nineteenth century itinerant preacher and abolitionist Sojourner Truth, for an upcoming blog, it became extremely clear that   many of the giants of the abolitionist movement in the United States had a strong Christ-centered faith.  Sojourner Truth was a lay preacher. The famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman—the Moses of her people—both had a strong faith in Jesus Christ. The relationship between the Black Church and the fight for freedom continued into the 20th century, where the church and the Civil Rights Movement remained practically inseparable.

How is it then that those for whom life has been so extraordinarily difficult and unfair, by any stretch of the imagination, could have had such an unwavering belief in God—in Jesus Christ, specifically? Simultaneously, the loudest voices advocating atheism—of a belief in no God–tend to come from men and women of privilege, particularly from academia? The search for an answer to this question precipitated this post.

I originally intended to write the piece as a simple stream consciousness—an uncomplicated, personal account of my heartfelt belief on why I believe atheism is the purview of the privileged, while the poor, the oppressed, those who have few if any of life’s options, lean on the faith of The Almighty. As I got further into the post however, I decided it needed a little more heft, an examination of what the experts—both atheist and theologians–have said and written about faith and atheism.  I’ll attempt to synthesize their arguments—as I understand them—and then summarize with my take.

The first names that came to mind for an examination of an atheist viewpoint was a quartet of speakers who have become known as ‘The Four Horsemen of the Current Apocalypse’. This group included neuroscientist, Sam Harris and philosopher, David C. Bennet. But it is the other two members who have grabbed much of the publicity on this discussion, and it is their work that I’ve chosen to examine, though, admittedly, from a relatively long distance. They are the late journalist and writer, Christopher Hitchens, God is Not Great, and zoologist and author, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion.

Richard Dawkins

Dr. Dawkins created a documentary for Channel Four in England based on his book, The God Delusion. The film is available on YouTube.

From the outset, surprisingly and disappointingly, Dr. Dawkins the scientist slams the door on any meaningful dialogue on the meaning of faith, with wholesale insults trained on the gullible schmucks who dare to believe in a deity. It is immediately apparent that his documentary is not a scholarly examination of a subject that is dear to billions of people, but a wholesale venting of his personal distaste (would ‘repulsion’ be too strong a description?) of those who dare to believe in God. Some examples:  Barely two minutes into the film, before any attempt to understand the idea of faith, Dawkins labels faith as ‘belief without evidence’, ‘a brain virus infecting generations of young minds, [perpetuating] outdated and dubious moral values’, and ‘a process of non-thinking’. On the other hand, people who think as he does, are referred to as ‘people of reason’.  Incredibly, he conflates all religions into one, as if all people of faith are indistinguishable one from another. There is even a sequence where the narrator describes the terrorist actions of   Islamic jihad over pictures of a Catholic Mass.

Dr. Dawkins then makes his way to The New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and interviews, of all people, then Pastor Ted Haggard. (Haggard would later be forced to resign after his alleged sexual encounter with a male escort became public.) Dawkins also makes his way to the Holy Land and interviews a Muslim radical who believes that Islam will eventually dominate the planet. Other interviews include a pastor whose friend and colleague was convicted and executed for murdering an abortion doctor. You guessed it, the interviewee maintains support for his friend’s actions. Are we to believe that these individuals are the only representatives of the faithful that Dr. Dawkins could find?

When Dawkins gets down to scripture he emphasizes the Old Testament. Why? The Old Testament is the root of the Abrahamic religions. Such a statement is nothing short of laughable. Many Christians, who believe in Jesus’ command to ‘turn the other cheek’, will be personally insulted to have their faith characterized by an ‘Eye for An Eye’ philosophy. When he finally does get to the New Testament, Dawkins mysteriously skips over the teachings of Jesus or, as he puts it, ‘whomever wrote his lines,’ and goes straight to Paul. How can you criticize Christianity and avoid the teachings of Jesus?

Finally, Dr. Dawkins asserts the morality of secularism, underscored by science, and stands in stark contrast with the ‘dangerous’ teachings of religion. Science, he claims, reveals the true roots of human morality. ‘Morality stems, not from some fictional deity and his texts, [but] from ‘altruistic genes’ that have been ‘naturally selected’ in our evolutionary past. To bolster his argument, he offers this gem: ‘Fifty years ago just about everybody in Britain was somewhat racist, now, only a few people are.’ How on earth can any serious scientist make such a statement? How do you define ‘racism?’ And how would a famous scientist–white, male, educated at one of the most prestigious universities in the world—be qualified to quantify the dehumanizing stings of racism that still exists today?

Christopher Hitchens

While Dawkins tiptoes around the teachings of Jesus, Christopher Hitchens takes on the Messiah head on.

Hitchens graduated from Oxford University and wrote for several publications in both the UK and US, including the liberal-leaning, The Nation, and Vanity Fair.  In 2007 he published God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. As the subtitle suggests, Hitchens conflates several faiths, and analyzes Judaism, Christianity and Islam as if they are slightly different versions of the same poisonous cocktail. I was drawn to the chapter of the book, ‘The New Testament Exceeds the Evil of the Old.’ The New Testament is quickly dismissed as ‘a work of crude carpentry, hammered together, long after its purported events, and full of improvised attempts to make things come out right.’   He attacks the New Testament from two standpoints: its veracity as a historical document, and the supposed immorality of its content. Here are a few gems. The account of Jesus being born in Bethlehem is probably incorrect, since both parents were from Nazareth, and there is no historical record of a census being conducted at the time of Jesus’ birth, as is written in Luke. Another example, attacking the passage about the Lilies of the field, suggests that Jesus is preaching that ‘thrift, innovation and family life are a waste of time.’

Hitchens wants to have it both ways.  Inconsistencies between the gospels are presented as proof of the illegitimacy of the text, and agreements among the gospels are dismissed as a simple ploy by the authors to shoe-horn events into a narrative to fulfill Old Testament prophesy.

The diatribe against the New Testament is not limited to the books themselves. Contemporary writers who agree with the texts come in for harsh criticism. C.S. Lewis’ asserts in his classic treatise, Mere Christianity, that Jesus must have been either a lunatic, a devil from Hell, or ‘Lord’—he must be one of the three. Hitchens disagrees, implying that Jesus could have been a moral teacher, basing his words simply from ‘hearsay’.  Lewis is right; Hitchens is wrong. Any human being who says he is the son of God, must be either the greatest con-man in the history of he world, a lunatic, or, really the son of God. If you are a con-man or a lunatic, who is going to believe anything you say, regardless of how ‘moral’ your words may be?

The problem with both Dawkins’ and Hitchens’ work is that that they approach their subject matter from a point of pious intolerance, smug academic arrogance, and plain old intellectual dishonesty. Faith, by definition, is foolish, a crutch for simpletons. End of story. No attempt is made to understand why an individual would chose to live by faith.  No attempt is made, simply because they believe they already know the answer: those who live by faith are either stupid, have been hoodwinked by religious charlatans, or both. How can this attitude be intellectually honest? How do you account for the many positive things that have emanated from faith? The Civil Rights Movement? Gandhi’s work on behalf of his people in South Africa and India?  Mother Teresa?

Hitchens’ writings on Mother Teresa is revealing. For Hitchens, Mother Teresa’s decades long work caring for the ‘poorest of the poor’ in the slums of the former Calcutta somehow pales in comparison to her accepting money from persons of dubious reputations, such as the Haitian dictator, Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier. Hitchens along with British-Pakistani journalist, Tariq Ali, produced a documentary that in effect demonized the woman who would one day become a saint. The name of the documentary?  Hell’s Angel. Enough said.

Cornel West

‘My dear brother, the late Christopher Hitchens, whom I loved very much, and respected very much, I just have profound disagreements. Christopher Hitchens was very brilliant, but he was not religiously musical. He was tone deaf and flat footed when it came to religion. He was a reductionist, he becomes a kind of dogma in atheistic space—a secular dogmatist…Secular folk need to read religious texts and religious phenomenon with a sense of not just openness but what they are wrestling with…how are you going to come to terms with the structure through the eyes of meaning in your own life…how are you going to deal with catastrophe in your own context…how will you respond when you’re terrorized, traumatized and stigmatized?’ – Cornel West, Philosophy and Religion Through Words of Cornel West (video).  (Dr.  West is a graduate of Harvard and Princeton, and is a Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice. He’s authored over twenty books including Race Matters and Democracy Matters, www.cornelwest.com).

Thank you, brother West. This is exactly why so many who have been ‘terrorized’, traumatized, and stigmatized, can’t afford the luxury of atheism.

James Cone and Taylor Branch

Professor James H. Cone is a Professor of Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He is known as the founder of ‘black liberation theology’–interpreting Christianity through the eyes and experience of the oppressed.  Among his books are Black Theology and Black Power and The Cross and The Lynching Tree). Taylor Branch is an author perhaps best know for the three-volume history of the Civil Rights Movement, America in the King Years. In an interview with journalist Bill Moyers, Professor Cone and Branch discussed the Civil Rights Movement of the fifties and sixties and how it was influenced by the Black Church.

A year to the day before his assassination, Dr. King gave a speech in New York City where he referred to a ‘radical revolution of values’. According to Branch, this radical revolution of values is ‘to see people first, to see Lazarus at the gate and not pass them by, so I think the revolution in values is Christian and democratic, but it starts with people—they have equal souls and equal votes, but we are very stubborn in human nature in denying that and wanting to see anything but…’

Was it theological? Moyers asks.

‘Oh yes,’ Professor Cone responds, ‘because people are created in the image of God. If you are created in the image of God you can’t treat people like things.’

Later in the interview Professor Cone provides a succinct description of ‘liberation theology’:  Liberation Theology has its meaning primarily in seeing Jesus as one in solidarity with the poor to get them out of poverty’.

In another interview with Moyers, where he discusses his book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree, Professor Cone provides a concise definition of religion:

Religion is a search for meaning when you don’t have it in this world. So while they [the dominant society of the American South] may have controlled the black people physically, and politically and economically, they did not control their spirit. That’s why the black churches are very powerful forces in the African American community, and always have been, because religion has been that one place where you have an imagination that no one can control. And so as long as you know that you are a human being and nobody can take that away from you, then God is that reality in your life that enables you to know that.

How would an atheist respond to such a statement?   Should people who are politically and socially weak–poor and oppressed–should they be denied the belief that their lives are legitimate, that there is a God who sees them as every bit as valuable, as every bit as humane as their oppressors? Well, the atheist may counter with, ‘the morality gene determines equality among all people.’ The problem with that argument is that there is no authority by which that statement is made. What if I don’t believe in a ‘morality gene?’  What if the only authority is the authority of the powerful? Not the authority of God.  In that case, Dear Oppressed, you’re just of luck. You were born holding the short end of the stick and there’s absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

When Wrongs Are Made Right

The New Testament provides hope for the oppressed in another way.  And that is, in the hope that, even if circumstances aren’t set right in this life, justice will be meted out in the next.  This may be controversial, and is certainly not promoted by activists, since it may be interpreted as promoting passivity in the face of injustice.  But there will be instances where, despite the best efforts of the marginalized and their supporters, their situation will not be made whole.  For them however, like the parable of Lazarus, there is hope that injustices will be remedied in the afterlife. Who could not be comforted by the story of Lazarus? Lazarus, his body covered with sores, begging at the gate of the rich; and the rich man, blessed with material possessions, dutifully ignores the filthy beggar. They both die, and their fortunes are reversed.  Pipe dream? Who knows? But when a dream is all you have, what right does anyone have to say, ‘No, that’s a fairy tale. You can’t have that either! You live. You suffer. You die.  I, on the other hand, get to enjoy this wonderful world I inherited by sheer accident of birth!’

Howard Thurman

Howard Thurman, 1899-1981, was a theologian, pastor and author. He was a friend of Martin Luther King, Sr. and a mentor to a young Martin Luther King, Jr. His best-known work is Jesus and the Disinherited. First published in 1949, the book draws on similarities between Jesus, whom he describes as poor and a member of a minority group—aspects of which the poor and dispossessed of any age can identify. But what is perhaps most intriguing about this little-known but extremely influential figure in the Civil Rights Movement was his relationship with his grandmother. A former slave, she raised him from the time he was seven years old. In Jesus and the Disinherited he tells the story of how, as a child, he would read the Bible to her, for she could neither read nor write. (The story is found on page 19 of the 1976 edition, published by Beacon Press.) He says she was very particular about the Scriptures he was permitted to read to her—the more devotional Psalms, portions of Isaiah, the Gospels ‘again and again’. However, the Pauline epistles, except for the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians? Never!

When he was older he summoned the courage to ask her why he was not allowed to read Paul’s letters. She replied: ‘During the days of slavery…the mater’s ministers would occasionally hold services for the slaves.  Old man McGhee was so mean that he would not let a Negro minister preach to his slaves. Always the white minister used as his text something from Paul. At least three or four times a year he would use as his text: “Slaves, be obedient to them that are your masters…as unto Christ.” Then he would go on to show how it was God’s will that we were slaves and how, if we were good and happy slaves, God would bless us.  I promised my Maker that if I ever learned to read and if freedom ever came, I would not read that part of the Bible.’

The story of Thurman’s grandmother is strikingly similar to a story in Sojourner Truth’s narrative. The itinerant preacher was illiterate as well. The Bible had to be read to her. She made a point of having a child read it to her, not an adult. Why? Children would read the passages, simply, as they were written—without putting a personal slant to them, without inserting their own agendas. That way she could determine for herself the true message of the Scriptures.

And so there you have it.  Two slave-women, unable to read or write, but with enough wisdom to seek the true meaning of the word of God, wisdom that somehow has eluded two of the most erudite writers and speakers on the planet, complete with degrees from prestigious institutions, and the respect of the world’s academic elite. For these slave-women, and the millions of their spiritual descendants, atheism is truly a luxury they could not afford.

© Weldon Turner, 2017. All Rights Reserved

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Author, Christopher Hitchens Credit: Peter Power / Contributor Collection: Toronto Star Date created: 01 January, 2010 Editorial License secured.