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Amid COVID-19 I desire to foster faith, not fear; therefore I have chosen “Think on these things” as my point of focus, taken from Philippians 4:8. “...whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise - dwell (think) on these things.” This following commentary may have put my cat Crosby to sleep (tap my name to see my header picture) but I find Pauls letter to the Christians at Philippi an encouragement like none other. My present isolation severely pales in comparison to what awaited Paul as he sat in a Roman prison. My faith is totally fostered by examining his example. “It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him. Several times in this letter Paul urged the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this. It’s easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. (Not to say our present circumstance isn’t very serious) but; If you haven’t been joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective. What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, honourable,just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent and praiseworthy. Do you have problems with impure thoughts and daydreams? Examine what you are putting into your mind through television, Internet, books, conversations, movies, video games and magazines. Replace harmful input with wholesome material. Above all, read God’s Word and pray. Ask God to help you focus your mind on what is good and pure. It’s not enough to hear or read the Word of God or even to know it well. We must also put it into practice. How easy it is to listen to a sermon and forget what the preacher said. How easy it is to read the Bible and not think about how to live differently. How easy it is to debate what a passage means and not live out that meaning. Exposure to God’s Word is not enough. It must lead to obedience. Although Paul was writing from prison, Joy is a dominant theme in his letter. The secret of his joy is grounded in his relationship with Christ. People today desperately want to be happy but are tossed and turned by daily successes, failures and inconveniences (or our present circumstance with COVID-19). Can we, like Paul, be joyful in every circumstance, even when things are going badly, even when we feel like complaining, even when no one else is joyful. Christ still reigns, and we still know him, so we can rejoice at all times.” - taken from the Holman Christian Standard (Life Application) Bible. Be encouraged! In His Joy, Jen Graham

[faithfulnews]

The “spiritual high” doesn’t have to end at camp

USA (MNN) -- Christian camp directors are passionate about fostering a fun experience for children and teens that ultimately points them to Jesus. But what about after cabins are closed, bags are packed, and campers go home? Keys for Kids Ministries executive director Greg Yoder says he spoke with a camp director who expressed his concerns: “One of the challenges Kevin [Grifhorst] had at Pine Ridge Bible Camp was, ‘How do I keep the kids in my camp in the Word all year long? How do I stay connected with them other than inviting them back to camp every year? How do I stay connected to my [campers'] parents? How do I develop a long-lasting relationship?’”

(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)

To bridge the gap between the spiritual high at camp and the rest of the year, Keys for Kids created a unique resource called Keys for Camps! It has Keys for Kids and Unlocked devotionals as well as a letter and advertisements from the camp distributor. Keys for Kids proposed Keys for Camps to several other camp directors at the Christian Camp and Conference Association in 2016. Yoder says the idea was received warmly. “About 90 percent of them said that they would sign up today if it was available!” In the three years since, Keys for Camps has taken off as a program and grown exponentially. Last year, almost 100 camps signed up for Keys for Camps quarterly devotionals, including 30,000 kids and teens. However, kids and camp directors aren’t the only ones who appreciate Keys for Camps. Parents are also using quarterly devotionals to lead their kids in family time with the Lord. “When mom and dad get these materials in the mail, they're thinking to themselves, 'Well, wait a minute. This camp cares more about my kid's spiritual well being than they do about coming to camp. And now I've got a resource to disciple my kids and my teens.' In fact, we heard countless stories of moms and dads thanking us for providing these Keys for Kids and Unlocked devotionals to them so that they could lead their kids.” Click here to learn more about Keys for Camps!

(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)

Yoder says, “My challenge to parents and grandparents...is to propose Keys for Camps to any camp that you have a relationship with. It's a program that really has seen not only kids come to know Jesus, but disciple them along the way.” You can also pray for kids and teens reading Keys for Camps throughout the year. Ask the Lord to solidify a biblical foundation in their hearts and grow their love for Jesus. Pray for camp directors and parents to be spiritually encouraged as they pour into kids with the Gospel.     Header photo courtesy of Ben White via Unsplash.

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[upshotre]

City demolish Watford 6-0, complete treble with FA Cup

A merciless Manchester City demolished Watford 6-0 at Wembley with the help of a Raheem Sterling hat-trick to win the FA Cup and become the first men’s team to complete the English domestic treble. After Watford went close through Roberto Pereyra and saw strong appeals for a penalty waved away, City took the lead through David Silva’s smart finish from 12 yards (26), on their way to equalling the biggest FA Cup final winning margin (Bury beat Derby 6-0 in 1903). They doubled their advantage through Sterling, who hammered home on the goal-line after Gabriel Jesus had steered the ball towards goal (38), before substitute Kevin De Bruyne got City’s third with a close-range finish having rounded Heurelho Gomes (61). Edin Dzeko to score first while Jesus, who started ahead of top scorer Sergio Aguero, got his goal (68), finishing coolly under Gomes after De Bruyne had slipped him through on goal, and Sterling got his second late on (81) at the far post from Bernardo Silva’s fine centre. With Watford’s defeat, Man Utd will go into the Europa League group stage in September, rather than a July start in the second qualifying round. Wolves, meanwhile, have made the Europa League second qualifying round due to their seventh-place finish. Sterling rounded off a stellar season with his third and City’s sixth (87), as City claimed their sixth FA Cup victory to go alongside their Premier League and Carabao Cup success this season. Watford, meanwhile, are still searching for a first major trophy in their history. Watford were bright early on and should have took the lead as semi-final hero Gerard Deulofeu squared for Pereyra, but he was met by the onrushing Ederson, who denied him superbly at his feet just inside the box. Watford then had a strong call for a penalty turned down by Kevin Friend as Abdoulaye Doucoure’s shot hit the arm of Vincent Kompany. Though the hand was by his side, we have recently seen penalties given by VAR for similar incidents, particularly in Europe, though the VAR controversially opted against a spot kick this time. City took advantage and were ahead shortly after; both David Silva and Sterling did well to win headers, before Silva span Kiko Femenia and finished left-footed into the bottom right corner. City made one change from their final Premier League game as top scorer Aguero made way for Gabriel Jesus. There were two Watford changes as Mariappa and Gomes came in for Kabasele and Foster. It was 2-0 before the break as Bernardo Silva’s sublime ball over the defence was met by Jesus at a tight angle at the far post, and though his touch was heading over the line, Sterling rushed in to make sure by a matter of millimetres on the line. Read the full article

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Blink (An AU Fosters family fic) Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

 It’s always a bit like a shock coming back to Grandpa’s cabin from Pearl’s.  It’s like going from a place Jesus feels completely understood to a place where he just...doesn’t.  Just isn’t.  He has to repeatedly accept the fact that Moms and his sibs just won’t get things as well as Pearl does.  And that there are limits to all the ways Pearl actually can help.  Which is a bummer.

Also a bummer?  Holding his breath every single time he comes in the door at dinner.  Because of Monday.  And even though they talked about it, being afraid that Moms might freak out again.  They don’t.  But the fear’s still there.  Mama tells him again she appreciates him coming back on time, and Mom invites him to sit down.

 Tonight it’s mac and cheese and hot dogs.  He wonders if Frankie planned this menu, because it seems like all her favorite things, and some of Jesus’s absolute least.  He really struggles with cheaper food.  It’s not like he’s...how had Pearl said it?  A food snob...  It’s that when he was There, and starving He would only leave Jesus with so many packages of Ramen and so much water.  And when it ran out?  Then, Jesus was screwed.

 Mac and cheese isn’t exactly the same.  In fact, Callie makes some that’s more homemade, and Jesus digs that.  But this is straight out of the blue box.  Powdered cheese.  Frozen hot dogs.  Not to mention (again) there’s almost nothing to save.  So even though his bag is super full, it doesn’t really matter that much.  Because he always feels better having more food, not the same amount, not less.  By now, they’ve played some old board game called Parcheesi and pretty much all the other sibs have grabbed a shower.  

 “Wasn’t that so good, Jesus?” Frankie asks as he walks her upstairs.  

 “Did you ask Moms to have that?” he wonders.

 “And they said yes.  And I even got to stir,” she says, pausing to concentrate.

 “Nice.”

 “I’m so happy Moms hided that one deer inside of a place where we don’t have to see him and be so sad.”

 “Yeah.  Me, too.”  (Jesus had relented at the idea of taking it down when Moms promised he could know exactly where it was going to be, so he wouldn’t accidentally be face to face with it.)  For now, it was hidden in Grandpa’s bedroom closet.

 “Will you color with me?” Frankie asks once they get to the top, and he walks her far enough from the head of the stairs that he’s not worried about her taking a header.

 “I will, I just got something to take care of first,” Jesus promises.

 If he wasn’t feeling gross from binging on all the New Year’s Eve food, and not showering in the morning, Jesus is definitely feeling it now.  Their dinner tonight reminds Jesus of countless nights stuck standing behind a kitchen chair watching Him eat, and complain about how crappy Jesus cooked.  Never mind that he’d been nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…  Never mind that no one actually taught him to cook anything.  It always put him on edge.  He needed a shower.  It made him feel dirty.

 “Okay, so do you promise?” Frankie asks.

 “Yeah, I totally promise.  Go play with somebody else, and I’ll find you when I’m done, okay?”

 He gets down and pulls out sweats which he hasn’t actually worn to sleep at all since he’s been here.  It might be cool not to sleep in jeans.  Mariana’s busy talking to Jude about something.  Jesus won’t bother her tonight.  He needs to make the shower quick anyway, because Frankie’s waiting for him.

 Jesus focuses on that.  On hanging out with his little sis once this is over.

 He turns the water on, and adjusts the temp.  It isn’t until he steps in, that he realizes that the water pressure sucks, and it’s barely lukewarm, even after running a while.  Even standing here in swim trunks and a tank isn’t helping.  The terrible combo of being cold and alone is always gonna equal getting stuck.  He should have asked Mariana to hang out in the hall, but of course, Jesus had thought he could handle it.  And now?

 Now, he’s stuck remembering other showers where the water pressure sucked and the water ran cold.  Where he wasn’t alone.  Where the curtain could be jerked back at any time.  Where he could get looked at or have his pic taken or worse.  

 Lots of bad stuff happened in the shower.

 And he can’t move.  And the water’s just getting colder.

 Jesus tries to reach out and shut the water off, but fear stops him.  Those other showers, he wasn’t allowed to do anything without being told he could.  What would happen if he did it now, when it felt so much the same?  God, he needed to get back to San Diego, ASAP.  Where water pressure was good and there was no snow to get stranded in.

 It was the dumbest idea ever to go along with this.

 --

 Brandon decides to take a break from badgering Mom about going into town to see if he can find a music store or a random house with a piano in it, whose owner might let him come in and play.  He’s going nuts without a piano.  Ever since Jesus gave him a heads up that he liked his music...well...that meant something.

 He was used to not getting attention at all for music.  To going to competitions or performances and having everybody forget because they all had more important stuff to do.  No one had really shown an interest in his playing except Grams (who he doesn’t get to see much) and Jesus.

 It’s not that Brandon’s an amazing son or anything and realizes that Mom looks like she is ready to lose her mind if he doesn’t stop talking.  He just has to pee.  Mama’s changing in Moms’ room, which has the cleanest bathroom, so by default, Brandon’s got to go upstairs to the one that’s disgusting.

 He’s seen Mariana and Jude, talking on the living room couch and Frankie and Callie in their room.  So the only other person who could be in here’s got to be Jesus.

 Brandon knocks.  “Hey.  You almost done?” he asks.  

 Nothing.

 And the shower’s running which makes Brandon’s problem so much more immediate.  “I just gotta come in and pee.  Is that alright?” he asks, desperate.

 “Ha ha!  Brandon said pee!” Frankie crows from next door.

 He can hear Frankie giggling.  Callie talking.  Mariana and Jude talking about this new hip hop musical both wanna see.  It’s called Hamilton, and actually sounds really cool.  (Much better than his musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.  He has no idea how he’s gonna get that off the ground.)

 But he can’t hear Jesus.

 “Seriously, I wouldn’t keep knocking like this, but it’s an emergency and Mama’s in the other one.”

 As a last ditch effort, Brandon tries the handle.  Jesus makes it a habit of locking the bathroom door, but luck is on Brandon’s side.  He eases the door open.  

 “Hey.  Just me.  Sorry, I know it’s private and all.  I’ll be quick,” Brandon rambles, not wanting to set Jesus off.

 It isn’t until he’s finished and at the sink washing his hands that he realizes Jesus hasn’t said one word.

 “Jesus?  Are you okay?” Brandon calls.

 But he doesn’t hear anything.  It honestly doesn’t sound like anybody’s showering in there at all.  There would be movement.  Noise.  Brandon would smell shampoo or body wash.

 He gets a feeling in his gut and the hair stands up on the back of his neck.  He’s gotta check this out.

 “Listen.  I’m worried, ‘cause you’re not answering.  I’m gonna pull the curtain back just to see you’re okay.”  He remembers the conversation Mama had with him about Jesus and his boundaries and how important it was that they were followed.

 Brandon grabs the edge of the curtain and sticks his head around.  He can instantly feel the cold water, against the shower curtain.  Against his own skin.  Jesus is just standing there, in his shower stuff.  Blank.  Shaking.  Teeth chattering.

 “Okay.  I’m gonna help  you.  I’m shutting this off and I’m gonna grab a towel,” Brandon tells Jesus.  (The day they went to the movies, he and Mariana had texted in the SUV, about what she did that was different when Jesus was freaked out.  What she did that helped.  Brandon kept those texts.  Read them often.  So he’d be ready, in case Jesus did ever need him.  No more stealth moves without letting Jesus know and consent.)

 Brandon cranks off the water.  It’s cold.  Not even lukewarm.  He scans the room for Jesus’s towel.  “I’m gonna put this around you, to warm you up.”  

 Jesus is still not looking like anything’s getting through.  Nothing is, probably, except the cold.  

 Taking a deep breath, to be sure he’s projecting calm, Brandon puts a hand out.  Stops himself short of grabbing his brother and yanking him out of here.  “Listen, I know you’re cold.  I wanna help.  So I need you to take my hand, okay?  Then we can find Mariana.”

 There’s a flicker of something in Jesus’s eyes.  Agonizingly slowly, he reaches out, and with an ice cold hand, takes Brandon’s own.

 “Okay.  Step out?  Good.  Okay, let’s get you out of here.”  Brandon keeps an arm around Jesus as much for body heat as to make sure he doesn’t stop moving.  He pokes his head around the girls’ open bedroom door and finds Callie and Frankie.  He checks his and Jude’s room.  Finds that Mari and Jude have moved there from the living room and are still talking Hamilton.

 “Brandon.  Hey.  Do you think I could play King George in….” Jude trails off, as he registers Jesus.

 Mariana’s already on her feet, and standing in front of Jesus, sending looks to Brandon that demand to know what the hell happened.

 “Found him in the shower.  He wasn’t answering so I talked to him and told him I was coming to help.”

 “Okay,” Mariana says with a practiced calm.  “I need one of you to grab his bag.”

 “He had sweats in the bathroom.”

 “Okay.  Grab those.  Calmly.  Jude, I want you to check around and see if Grandpa has a space heater anywhere.  Get Jesus’s blanket and some more if you can find them.  Jesus, I got you, okay?  It’s okay.  I’m gonna shut this door for privacy, but you’re not stuck in here.”

 “But-” Brandon sputters.

 “Leave the stuff outside the door,” Mariana says before closing it in his face.

 --

 Jesus can think again once he’s got clothes on that aren’t freezing and soaking wet.  Somebody found a heater and it’s blasting.  He’s under lots of blankets.  Mariana is, too.  Because he said she could.  Because he still feels like he’s freezing.

 Mariana’s found a big winter hat of Grandpa’s and urged Jesus to put it on.

 “I feel 73…” Jesus manages, still shaking.

 “But do you feel like a warm 73?” Mariana questions.

 “Kinda…” Jesus ventures.

 “Why didn’t you ask me to come sing?” Mariana wonders quietly.

 “‘Cause…” Jesus admits.  “It started feeling like I was using you.  And I didn’t like that feeling.  I thought I could do it, but then the water was cold from the start…”

 “Listen.  Honestly?  If you, or anyone else was using me, I would tell you.  But this isn’t that.  I sing because I love it.  I love that something I’m good at actually helps you.”

 “I just remember what you said in therapy a couple months ago, about how I used you when I was stressed and ignored you the rest of the time…and I didn’t want you to think that that’s what this was.”  Jesus bites his lip.

 “It’s not,” Mariana says firmly.  

 “Hey, can we open the door?” he asks.

 “Of course.”  She leaves him for the few seconds it takes her to get out of the blankets and crack the door.

 “Where’s Brandon?  And Jude?  Don’t they wanna sleep?” Jesus asks quietly.

 “I think they’re sleeping over with Callie and Frankie,” Mariana confides.

 “Hmm…”

 “Are you okay?  You know, that Brandon got you out?”

 Jesus swallows.  “I think so.  I don’t really remember but I didn’t feel super panicky, so I feel like he must’ve done okay.”

 “We talked,” she admits, snuggling back under the blankets next to him once he gives her a nod.

 “About me?” Jesus breathes, trying not to overreact.  Trying to let her explain.

 “He asked how I helped you.  Because he didn’t want to freak you out again.”

 Jesus can feel some of the tension ease out of him.  “Oh crap.  I told Frankie I’d color with her like hours ago.”

 “It’s okay.  Callie took over.  Showed her how to make a treasure map with coffee and a hairdryer.  Frankie was very impressed.”

 “Grandpa has a hairdryer?” Jesus is so confused.

 “No!”  Mariana laughs.  “I do!”

 “Oh right.”

 “Listen, are you really okay?  Do you need to talk or anything?”

 Jesus shrugs.  “Probably, but not right now.  Hey can you stay?  If I wanted to sleep here tonight?”

 “Yeah.  Of course.”

 “Okay.  Cool.  Thanks.”

 He stays awake a long time.  It’s different than under the table.  Quieter.  And much warmer.  He likes it best because Mariana’s here.  It reminds him of when they were little.  How they would always sleep close.

 She still does.

 They fall asleep holding hands.

[mancitynoise]

Premier League updates from the 6pm BST kick-off

Pearson was too wedded to his formation and selections

And feel free to email Scott with your thoughts

5.39pm BST

Hayden Mullins talks to Sky. “The players are ready, confident and know their jobs. We’re hoping they’ll give a good account of themselves. It’s been a couple of days when all the eyes have been on us, but all the players have prepared really well. I expect a professional, hard-working, confident performance, and one in which we believe in what we are doing. Hopefully we can have a positive result. We respect the opposition, but we are looking for a balanced performance, a defensive one but hopefully we can get up the pitch and attack ourselves.”

5.18pm BST

Hayden Mullins, Watford’s interim head coach in the wake of Nigel Pearson’s surprise departure, makes two changes to the XI thumped at West Ham. Adrian Mariappa and Roberto Pereyra return, while Adam Masina and Danny Welbeck drop to the bench.

Pep Guardiola swaps four players out of the team that lost the FA Cup semi-final to Arsenal. Benjamin Mendy, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and David Silva drop to the bench, with Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva taking their places.

5.15pm BST

Watford: Foster, Mariappa, Kabasele, Dawson, Femenia, Cleverley, Doucoure, Hughes, Sarr, Deeney, Pereyra. Subs: Gomes, Welbeck, Masina, Chalobah, Cathcart, Joao Pedro, Gray, Quina, Pussetto.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Eric Garcia, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling. Subs: Stones, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Silva, Mendy, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Otamendi, Carson.

3.14pm BST

The battle to avoid the drop could be over in five hours or so. Should now-managerless Watford earn a point against Manchester City this teatime, Bournemouth’s relegation will be confirmed. Aston Villa would then need to secure at least a draw against Arsenal later this evening, or they’ll be gone as well. If Watford win, Villa will need to beat the Gunners to retain any slim hope of staying alive.

But Bournemouth and Villa shouldn’t fret too much just yet. Manchester City have won their last 12 matches against Watford, rattling up an aggregate score of 46 goals to six. They beat the Hornets 8-0 back in September, and who could forget the 6-0 debacle that was last season’s FA Cup final? Watford haven’t beaten City in 17 games, a miserable run that stretches all the way back to March 1989, when Iwan Roberts pinged a header past a wandering Andy Dibble at Vicarage Road.

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Premier League – Manchester City hit six at Watford as Liverpool and Spurs both held at home

Three-goal Sergio Aguero was the star for Manchester City as they embarrassed Watford.

Sergio Aguero completed a hat trick as Manchester City produced a superb away performance to demolish Watford 6-0 at Vicarage Road and go top of the Premier League.

City’s high confidence showed from the off, with Kevin De Bruyne the star of the show as they piled pressure on their previously unbeaten hosts.

The Belgium international played in Aguero, whose chip brushed the roof of the net — and after Watford had come close through Richarlison, his free kick was headed in by Aguero with 27 minutes gone.

City doubled their lead four minutes later when David Silva set up Aguero at the far post, and with half-time still to come they struck again when Aguero turned provider for Gabriel Jesus.

Watford emerged with purpose after the break, Andre Carrillo curling an effort narrowly off target, but City got a fourth when De Bruyne crossed for Nicolas Otamendi to head home and soon made it five when Aguero completed his hat trick.

And with a minute remaining, Raheem Sterling completed the rout from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the area.

An underwhelming Liverpool were held by a sturdy Burnley at Anfield.

Liverpool were left frustrated at Anfield as Burnley held them to a 1-1 draw.

After a subdued start, Liverpool were shocked when the visitors went in front as Robbie Brady headed the ball across from the left and it came to Scott Arfield, who thumped home in the 27th minute.

But the Merseysiders responded within three minutes as Emre Can released Mo Salah, who cut inside to slot home a low finish.

The returning Philippe Coutinho drifted away from a couple of attempted tackles and fired narrowly over as Liverpool began to take control of the game after the break.

Burnley could have snatched it in the closing stages when Ben Mee’s header was scrambled away by the Liverpool defence, but the home side came even closer when visiting keeper Nick Pope made a fine save from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominic Solanke hit the crossbar.

Tottenham had another frustrating performance at Wembley as they were held to a scoreless deadlock by Swansea.

Tottenham’s Wembley woes came back to bite as they were held to a frustrating goalless draw at home to Swansea.

Harry Kane hit the crossbar in the second half and Spurs could have had a penalty when Martin Olsson touched the ball with his hand but Swansea dug in for a hard-earned point.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men looked to have turned a corner at their new base after Wednesday’s pulsating win over Borussia Dortmund but this result means they are still winless here in the league this season.

Jamaal Lascelles scored the winner again for Newcastle as they picked up their third win in a row against Stoke.

Newcastle continued their excellent recent run with a 2-1 victory over Stoke at St James’ Park.

Stoke had been the brighter side in the early stages but Newcastle — with Rafa Benitez back in the dugout after illness — took the lead after 19 minutes when Matt Ritchie set up Christian Atsu to score.

The home team dominated from that point but missed chances to increase their advantage, with ex-Stoke player Joselu denied by keeper Jack Butland.

They were made to pay after 57 minutes when Xherdan Shaqiri levelled, sliding home a tidy finish, but regained the lead when Jamaal Lascelles headed home a little over 10 minutes later.

U.S. international DeAndre Yedlin played the full 90 minutes in his first appearance of the season for Newcastle after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in preseason.

Crystal Palace still haven’t scored this season after their fifth defeat in a row, losing 1-0 to Southampton.

Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge of Crystal Palace ended in a 1-0 home defeat as an early Steven Davis strike sealed the points for Southampton and the Londoners made it five Premier League matches without a goal.

Palace made a positive start as the former England manager looked on from the home dugout, with Christian Benteke getting down the left and swinging in a cross that caused problems before being cleared.

But after only six minutes, the struggling Eagles were behind as Davis played in Dusan Tadic down the right and, when his cross was pushed out by Wayne Hennessey, Davis followed up to sidefoot into the corner.

And they were unable to muster a response as they set an unwanted Premier League record for the longest run without a goal at the start of a season.

Jamie Vardy’s penalty rescues a point for Leicester, who were lucky to see a Huddersfield winner ruled out.

Leicester City recovered from a goal down to take a point in a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield Town.

The Terriers began strongly as they looked to make amends for a disappointing defeat at West Ham, and Tom Ince almost found Laurent Depoitre with a cross before sending an effort over the top.

Leicester were struggling to get going but improved as half-time approached, Jamie Vardy turning inside the area but sending his effort past the post.

In a flurry of activity at the start of the second half, the home side took a 47th-minute lead when Laurent Depoitre slid the ball beyond Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester levelled within three minutes when Andy King was brought down inside the area and Vardy hammered home from the spot, but Huddersfield felt they should have gone back in front when Elias Kachunga headed in, only to be controversially adjudged offside.

Chances were few and far between as West Brom and West Ham finished in a scoreless deadlock at the Hawthorns.

West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United shared the spoils in a largely uneventful 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns.

West Ham’s increased confidence after their first win of the season on Monday showed in a bright start, and they almost took the lead in spectacular style with half an hour on the clock.

Pedro Obiang, around 40 yards out, saw home keeper Ben Foster off his line and his superb effort crashed back off the bar with the keeper beaten, but within moments James Morrison failed to convert a good chance when he completely misconnected with a header.

There was controversy when Javier Hernandez was brought down by Ben Foster, racing out of his area — but the home keeper was shown only a yellow card when the West Ham players felt he should have seen red.

Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.

The post Premier League – Manchester City hit six at Watford as Liverpool and Spurs both held at home appeared first on Daily Star Sports.

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[footballleague0]

Premier League – Manchester City hit six at Watford as Liverpool and Spurs both held at home

Three-goal Sergio Aguero was the star for Manchester City as they embarrassed Watford.

Sergio Aguero completed a hat trick as Manchester City produced a superb away performance to demolish Watford 6-0 at Vicarage Road and go top of the Premier League.

City’s high confidence showed from the off, with Kevin De Bruyne the star of the show as they piled pressure on their previously unbeaten hosts.

The Belgium international played in Aguero, whose chip brushed the roof of the net — and after Watford had come close through Richarlison, his free kick was headed in by Aguero with 27 minutes gone.

City doubled their lead four minutes later when David Silva set up Aguero at the far post, and with half-time still to come they struck again when Aguero turned provider for Gabriel Jesus.

Watford emerged with purpose after the break, Andre Carrillo curling an effort narrowly off target, but City got a fourth when De Bruyne crossed for Nicolas Otamendi to head home and soon made it five when Aguero completed his hat trick.

And with a minute remaining, Raheem Sterling completed the rout from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the area.

An underwhelming Liverpool were held by a sturdy Burnley at Anfield.

Liverpool were left frustrated at Anfield as Burnley held them to a 1-1 draw.

After a subdued start, Liverpool were shocked when the visitors went in front as Robbie Brady headed the ball across from the left and it came to Scott Arfield, who thumped home in the 27th minute.

But the Merseysiders responded within three minutes as Emre Can released Mo Salah, who cut inside to slot home a low finish.

The returning Philippe Coutinho drifted away from a couple of attempted tackles and fired narrowly over as Liverpool began to take control of the game after the break.

Burnley could have snatched it in the closing stages when Ben Mee’s header was scrambled away by the Liverpool defence, but the home side came even closer when visiting keeper Nick Pope made a fine save from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominic Solanke hit the crossbar.

Tottenham had another frustrating performance at Wembley as they were held to a scoreless deadlock by Swansea.

Tottenham’s Wembley woes came back to bite as they were held to a frustrating goalless draw at home to Swansea.

Harry Kane hit the crossbar in the second half and Spurs could have had a penalty when Martin Olsson touched the ball with his hand but Swansea dug in for a hard-earned point.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men looked to have turned a corner at their new base after Wednesday’s pulsating win over Borussia Dortmund but this result means they are still winless here in the league this season.

Jamaal Lascelles scored the winner again for Newcastle as they picked up their third win in a row against Stoke.

Newcastle continued their excellent recent run with a 2-1 victory over Stoke at St James’ Park.

Stoke had been the brighter side in the early stages but Newcastle — with Rafa Benitez back in the dugout after illness — took the lead after 19 minutes when Matt Ritchie set up Christian Atsu to score.

The home team dominated from that point but missed chances to increase their advantage, with ex-Stoke player Joselu denied by keeper Jack Butland.

They were made to pay after 57 minutes when Xherdan Shaqiri levelled, sliding home a tidy finish, but regained the lead when Jamaal Lascelles headed home a little over 10 minutes later.

U.S. international DeAndre Yedlin played the full 90 minutes in his first appearance of the season for Newcastle after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in preseason.

Crystal Palace still haven’t scored this season after their fifth defeat in a row, losing 1-0 to Southampton.

Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge of Crystal Palace ended in a 1-0 home defeat as an early Steven Davis strike sealed the points for Southampton and the Londoners made it five Premier League matches without a goal.

Palace made a positive start as the former England manager looked on from the home dugout, with Christian Benteke getting down the left and swinging in a cross that caused problems before being cleared.

But after only six minutes, the struggling Eagles were behind as Davis played in Dusan Tadic down the right and, when his cross was pushed out by Wayne Hennessey, Davis followed up to sidefoot into the corner.

And they were unable to muster a response as they set an unwanted Premier League record for the longest run without a goal at the start of a season.

Jamie Vardy’s penalty rescues a point for Leicester, who were lucky to see a Huddersfield winner ruled out.

Leicester City recovered from a goal down to take a point in a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield Town.

The Terriers began strongly as they looked to make amends for a disappointing defeat at West Ham, and Tom Ince almost found Laurent Depoitre with a cross before sending an effort over the top.

Leicester were struggling to get going but improved as half-time approached, Jamie Vardy turning inside the area but sending his effort past the post.

In a flurry of activity at the start of the second half, the home side took a 47th-minute lead when Laurent Depoitre slid the ball beyond Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester levelled within three minutes when Andy King was brought down inside the area and Vardy hammered home from the spot, but Huddersfield felt they should have gone back in front when Elias Kachunga headed in, only to be controversially adjudged offside.

Chances were few and far between as West Brom and West Ham finished in a scoreless deadlock at the Hawthorns.

West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United shared the spoils in a largely uneventful 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns.

West Ham’s increased confidence after their first win of the season on Monday showed in a bright start, and they almost took the lead in spectacular style with half an hour on the clock.

Pedro Obiang, around 40 yards out, saw home keeper Ben Foster off his line and his superb effort crashed back off the bar with the keeper beaten, but within moments James Morrison failed to convert a good chance when he completely misconnected with a header.

There was controversy when Javier Hernandez was brought down by Ben Foster, racing out of his area — but the home keeper was shown only a yellow card when the West Ham players felt he should have seen red.

Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.

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[faithfulnews]

A challenge to Christians hesitant to join “politicized” abortion debate

USA (MNN) -- More and more groups -- political, religious, and otherwise -- are squaring off around the abortion debate. The National Abortion Federation recently announced an Episcopal priest as their new president and CEO. Meanwhile, a Catholic priest denied communion to former Vice President Joe Biden for his pro-abortion stance. And on the debate stage, Democratic presidential candidates almost unanimously advocated for unrestricted abortion access. As pro-abortion and pro-life conversations continue in the national spotlight, there is one question that frames the rest of the discussion. “We have to ask and get down to the root issue -- when does life begin?” says Eric Verstraete, President and CEO of Life Matters Worldwide. “Science of embryology now tells us that life begins at conception. The human heart can even start beating as early as three to five weeks.

(Photo courtesy of Maria Oswalt via Unsplash)

Gone are the days of “safe, legal, and rare” as the pro-abortion camp advocates for fewer and fewer restrictions on abortion. The extremist arguments of abortion advocates today have taken even moderates off-guard. “It saddens us that the conversation has developed to this level,” Verstraete says. “We're thankful in some ways that it's gotten the national spotlight. It gives us an opportunity to really highlight the value of human life and what specific things we can do to help protect those innocent voices that aren't heard because they're snuffed out through abortion.” Verstraete says he still runs into pastors and Christians who are hesitant to join the abortion conversation. “So often, when I have the opportunity to talk to pastors and other community leaders, the reason that people are not talking about abortion is because they say, 'Well, it's a political issue.' Especially in the religious settings, they say, 'Well, it's political. We don't want to mix politics and religion.'

“We have to change the conversation. This is not a political issue. It's a moral and spiritual issue that has been politicized. And frankly, the Church and the religious community, we need to step into that conversation because for so long the Church has been silent.”

Verstraete was personally impacted by the story of a friend who had two abortions and her experience in the Church.

“When she was pregnant for the third time, she was cared for by some people within the church that she was in. But before, she wasn't. There was this shame culture that she felt that she had to deal with.” The voices of post-abortive women in the Church can play a powerful role -- both in showing the reality of abortion’s scars and in telling the stories of grace and forgiveness at the foot of the cross. “It's breaking down that shame culture that's within the Church, which is so desperately needed if we're really going to love these women.” And for women currently facing unplanned pregnancies, what better opportunity for the Church to be the Church? What better time to love the most vulnerable in our communities like Jesus?

Verstraete says, “The stories that come out when churches actually step up are phenomenal because the culture around the Church surrounds these women. 'We love you. You are not a mistake. Your baby is not a mistake.'”

There is so much beauty to be found when we foster a community of life by stepping up and advocating for the unborn and their parents. With his oldest son now 18-years-old, Verstraete says he doesn’t remember everything from that first pregnancy journey with his wife. But he does remember one of the first moments with his unborn son. “We were able to hear the heartbeat and I can tell you, I will never forget hearing that sound. I will never forget just at that moment falling in love with my boy for the first time because I heard that sound of the heartbeat and it's such a memorable experience. When you see the ultrasound even early on and you see hands moving and you see that heart actually beating, it connects you.”

(Photo courtesy of Maria Oswalt via Unsplash)

Pray for women and men in your community and your church who are facing unplanned pregnancies or struggling after an abortion. Ask God to surround them with loving believers who will support them, embrace them, and point them to Jesus. Pray for opportunities to model the Gospel to these women and men. Life Matters Worldwide has more pro-life resources at their website here!     Header photo courtesy of Maria Oswalt via Unsplash.

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[ficdirectory]

Disuphere (An AU Fosters family fic) Chapter 53

CHAPTER 53

NOW

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Home:  3 years and 2 months

It’s been about a week since Jesus’s session with Callie.  So far, she’s been keeping her word.  Her project is in Moms’ room now, and every so often, he goes to the door, knocks, and gets a handful of pictures to look through on his own.  Five pictures at most, five minutes at most at a stretch, each day.  The ones Jesus does not feel comfortable with Callie using, he returns to Moms.  The ones he does like, Jesus sticks in the mailbox outside the girls’ room, in an envelope with Callie’s name on it.

He’s headed downstairs to find Frankie, when a picture catches his eye on the wall.  It’s definitely from when he was gone - a group shot of the kids.  Mariana looks about twelve, so Jesus figures it was taken around a year before he got away.  He loves this picture because - while there are tons of pics of the kids from his Missing Years - this is the only one where Mariana is holding a framed picture of Jesus.  The school picture on all the posters.  In the picture, Mariana’s face is serious, but not unhappy.  Frankie’s less than a year old there, a big smile on her face.  Callie, Brandon and Jude are all there, all smiling, too, but Moms aren’t in the picture.

Jesus hears a gasp and glances down at the stairs to see Frankie, grabbing for the railing and only finding empty air. She’s falling, but Jesus is there, reaches out and grabs a handful of her shirt.

She’s gonna cry - no doubt about it.  Jesus remembers his epic roll down all the stairs right after he got home.  It had shaken him up and he’d been way older than Frankie.  Jesus scoops her up and holds her in his arms, just as she starts to cry, clinging to him.

“That was scary, huh?” he asks.  

She nods.  Her voice is a whimper.  “It’s too slippery and I can’t hold on…”

Jesus looks at her feet.  Socks.  “Why didn’t you scoot?”

“I just forgot to, okay?  It was an accident…” she wails.

“Okay.  I’m sorry.  Listen.  I was looking at this picture,” he boosts her in his arms to point it out.  “I like it.  Do you know who took it?”

“Callie did.”  Frankie hiccuped, rubbing her eyes.  “You don’t like that picture, I bet.  You don’t like any of Callie’s pictures, right?”

“It’s complicated,” he offers.  “You know about privacy?”

“Don’t come in a closed door without asking.  Don’t touch a person without asking.  If they say stop, stop.”

“Another part of privacy is if somebody takes pictures without asking.  Like, if somebody took a picture of you just now when you were upset after almost falling.  Would that feel good or bad?”

“Bad,” Frankie says, nodding.  “‘Cause I felt scared about that.”

“Right.  Pictures are hard for me because the bad guy took pictures of me a lot when I was scared.  He did it when I didn’t know.”

“I punched him for ya, okay, buddy?  ‘Cause it’s okay to fight bad guys, right?” Frankie says, looking him in the eyes.  

“Thank you, buddy.  So then Callie took pictures a lot when I was scared.  And I didn’t know again.  She didn’t ask, “Jesus, can I take your picture, yes or no?”

“Just took it no asking?”  Frankie looks horrified.

“Yeah,” Jesus nods seriously.

“She would go in timeout at my school.”  She pauses, thinking.  “Is that how come you yelled and pushed?”

“That scared you, huh?”  When Frankie nods again, Jesus holds her close.  “I’m sorry, buddy.  Sometimes my feelings just get too big.  Remember when you got mad because I couldn’t come with you to school?  You were really mad then, right?”

“Yes,” Frankie admits, embarrassed.

“You needed Mama’s help to calm down.  Even when you’re older, it’s okay to need help calming down.  It doesn’t mean I’m mad at you, though, okay?  It’s not your fault.”

“Will you hold my hand?” she asks.  “I wanna go downstairs.”

“Can we talk for one more second, though?  I have a question about superpowers, and I really need your help.”

“I want to fly!” Frankie says, excited.  “That’s my superpower, okay?”

“Okay,” Jesus laughs.  “That’s not my question, though, listen.  Are you ready?”

Frankie nods.

“If you had superpowers that could fix the stairs so you could use them super easy, what would you do?  How would you make them the best way for you?”

“Not slippery and more to hold onto,” Frankie said, sure of herself.

“Okay.  Cool.  Hold onto me, buddy.  We’ll go downstairs together.”

Jesus gets pulled into playing Frozen where they turn each other into ice sculptures.  Half an hour later, Moms, Jude and Brandon come in from working in the yard.  Jesus sends Frankie in the kitchen with Jude to get a snack and snags Moms.

They sit down in the living room and Mama is immediately checking in with him:

“You look worried, bud, are you okay?”

That slows him down.  Jesus stops and thinks.  Asks if they have gotten the chance to talk to the other kids about picture-taking and consent.  They assure him they have.  He checks in with Mom about where her handcuffs are - not usually an issue - but in winter when Jesus is used to being chained, they worry him more.

“You wouldn’t use them on me, right?  Like, even if I really screwed up, or you had to go somewhere for a long time?” he asks.

“If you really screw up, we talk to you about it.  If we go somewhere for a long time, we make arrangements for all of you kids to go somewhere safe, like Grandma’s, or you come with us.  I do not use my handcuffs on my family.  Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, I just, you know...might need to hear it a lot…”

“Absolutely,” Mom nods.

“What else?” Mama prompts.  (He loves that she can tell there’s more.)

“I get that it’s probably way expensive, and it’s the holidays already, but…we need to fix the stairs.”

“What’s wrong with the stairs?” Mom asks.

“I just caught Frankie from taking a header down them today.  She needs, like, a better handrail or something and some carpet or runners down.  It’s too slippery for her and she can’t get a good grip on the big railing.  I could work on it.”

“Thank you for telling us, Jesus,” Mama says.  “That’s too big a risk for her.  We should have fixed it a long time ago.”

“You know how to carpet stairs and install a railing?” Mom asks, confused.

“There’s YouTube,” Jesus shrugs.  “How hard can it be?”

“Wait.  How do you know what she needs?” Mama asks.

“I just asked her.  Same as you guys ask me.  She’s little, but she knows what she needs.”

“You’re a good brother, Jesus.  Thanks for looking out for her.”  Mom says.

“No big deal.  We’re family.  You do what you gotta do for family.”

“Right you are,” Mom smiles.