#one of gods little gifts 2 mankind.

[intertexts-moving]

canton noodles r a audhd things best friend.....

[toto-the-cactus]

Ayo! Finished this damn thing. Hope this is still good. Tell me who we should go find next <333

Tagging some people that have been waiting for this update:

@danart501 @ilikemytittieswithwarmmilk

Summary: As a perpetual, you have been by the Emperor's side for most of your immortality. There's no name for what strange dynamic you both share, but you do trust him and your loyalty eventually pays off over millennia once he fulfills an old promise he made during your first ever encounter.

Pairing: Emperor of Mankind x Perpetual!Reader (Female)

CW: None

Part 1 - Part 2 - ?

The Mother (2)

The pregnancy had been a success and the development was nothing short of fast and strenuous. You should have expected Him to mold your body in a manner that would serve Him better for his wishes and plans to be fulfilled.

His Great Crusade needed to be accomplished and you suddenly became part of the means to that end.

What a dreadful fate. To be nothing but his petri dish.

And so, Horus was born. His little form being held against your chest like the precious treasure that he was, making the sorrow of not having the rest of your children there too be momentarily forgotten by his awaited arrival, cooing and grunting in delight at the warmness of your encompassing heartbeat once he settled at your bosom.

A memory you cherished to the end of time while it had burned itself on your soul to leave a lasting mark. You had cried in joy, hunched over yourself to blanket your newborn with your whole begin and feel him real, psychical, between your arms.

His accelerated growth didn’t deter you enough from enjoying any time with your baby boy, from supporting him during his unforgiving training to reading with each other's company at the main library of the Imperial Palace. All for the sake of letting him be loved by you.

It was a matter that (while not ideal) didn't interest the Emperor much, for his plans were already taking proper form and the ‘gift’ of not taking away your son from you was enough of a blessing that didn’t need to be addressed again.

Even if that notion tasted like ash on your mouth.

Your little boy wasn’t so little anymore and that sometimes worried you, as you knew very well the kind of expectations the Emperor held for Horus; the true born Primarch, a warrior to serve under his Father’s light as a tool despite his own Mother’s unyielding love. You couldn’t help but feel like this was a prelude of some sort of omen.

Most of the days eventually became grey on its core, for your son was now in charge of his Legion, the Luna Wolves, marking his very first start as an official Primarch under the service of his Father… laying you to the sides like you have always been when regarding the Emperor.

Did Horus know how much it hurt his distance? How much it hurt to witness his crave for the approval of a man made god… when you simply wished to read a book of old literature in his company?

You hated being made again this tragic effigy of the woman with the eyes of a dying lamb. You felt forgotten… a ghost from these golden walls.

But the eventual call of Erda served to stray you away from such gloom thoughts. Her psyker powers a breach through your mind’s wall but clear enough for a single sentence to make your heart take a leap out close to your throat.

“I found one of them”

You couldn’t have been faster in your life to get a lunar cruiser ready to reach the needed destination; not even willingly to explain yourself when the Emperor saw you boarding the vessel. But as always, He went and proved to still be an enigma to you thanks to his ever unnatural actions.

“Go along with her… and make sure to protect her and obey her during the travel only” his command was absolute when he addressed four of his Custodes, their impassive disposition only showing the barest of emotion when fulfilling their Emperor’s orders like a gospel, but the specifics of his directive weren’t lost to you: to obey you just this single time. Nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, you weren't ungrateful to his gesture and thanked him deeply for it with a kiss to the palm of his armored hand when he caressed your cheek, but He quickly dismissed the matter. He knew what you were about to do and it wasn't like he Himself hadn’t been picking any possible clues to find the other Primarchs out there that you two wholeheartedly believed to still be alive.

Sometimes you wondered if the Emperor had managed to have a tiny, small part of instinctual fatherhood to be awakened within him after all the time he had spent with Horus. It was a nice thought. A hopeful one, but you knew better than to get your expectations up.

Once settled inside the cruiser, the coordinates were introduced to start the travel to retrieve one of your children.

Erda’s voice still echoing inside your mind when she told you the planet that you needed to search for: Nuceria.

-°-

The sight had been painful.

The worst nightmare a mother could ever expect.

Your arrival had been anything but discret at the revolting planet of Nuceria, having been informed of the life that the elites carried at the expense of the blood and flesh of slaves forced to fight for any resemblance of survival by their supposed masters. The irony wasn’t lost on you, but millenia of serving the Emperor had made you receptive to his ideals and methods. Justifying your own purpose by standing on his side could derive a vulnerability that you weren’t ready to confront. You needed to believe in the Emperor even if he took too far the phrase “Any means justify the end”.

After all, immortality has only made it easier for your troubling love to persevere longer in your stubborn heart and for fickle human lives to become an afterthought. You were well aware that you weren’t any better than Him in the ever present inhumanity you carried. 

When your child had looked at your direction, imposing form towering over your smaller frame and covered in so many slashes and blood, your heart had seized in a painful knot. Those scars were injuries you hadn’t been able to sooth with compassion. You had failed your son and that was something you’ll never forgive yourself.

The only mercy you could offer was to take him away from this wretched place.

Just when you were ready to take a step towards him, you saw his eyes harden and his posture change in defense with squared up shoulders. A warning if you decided to go against him and the thorn inside your chest only bled even more.

The Custodes that had escorted you as per their orders maintained a cold and terrifying disposition, deterring any of the guards surrounding you and your son’s tribe to take a last step. The commotion at the fighting pit had been great but you cared little for these people and their sick sense of entertainment. Fighting was an art of the honorable and the strong; to be used in epic battles to build history and civilizations. Using it as a careless trick was absolutely insulting.

It was beyond you to do this. Against any of the natural ingrained fighting instinct that had saved you for years, but the desperation of a mother overrode any of that to mere dust and motivated you to do the one thing you wished to believe will make your son realize who you were.

“I’ve been dreaming of finding you… for so long. I’m here now, my son”

And you saw it behind his hardened eyes, and you rejoiced in the recesses of your mind. There was a semblance of recognition shining through his stare at the timbre of your voice.

A far away lullaby that accompanied him in his lowest moments.

An step became two, then three and so on until you found yourself right at your child’s side after a few strides, hand gently touching his roughed one until the grip over his twin axe became slack, allowing you to take a better hold in an attempt to convey all the encapsulated emotions that stormed within your soul.

Grief, sadness, frustration, longing, relief… love.

You’ve been waiting for so long.

No one moved beyond you, tugging his huge arm towards you while softly telling him “It’s time to go home”, but those words instead of making him relax in your presence, had the opposite as his stance became once again defensive. At least this time he genuinely looked conflicted on the matter, glancing back at the other slaves that simply stayed behind as mere spectators of the whole encounter, unable to properly react when not just a few moments ago they were ready to lose their lives in the pits.

Ah, you understood.

“I can’t… not without my people…” he seemed to want add more into that sentence, his eyes straying just a little towards a man that looked to be quite tall by mortal standards, covered in too many scars that told stories of his battles in this wretched place but carrying himself with enough dignity to be respected.

This is where you must make a decision that will carry quite the weight. You knew that there was space enough to carry the slaves, not comfortably, but it could be arranged to be a thigh fit. You knew He wouldn’t even have hesitated at the idea of just forcibly taking your son and leaving all these humans to die with their fate already chosen. The Emperor had no time to dwell in the aspects of mercy and compassion, you could acknowledge that very well and that had been the main reason he had kept you long enough around. To remind him about the nostalgia of the humanity he once possessed. He couldn’t provide the proper love Horus and these children dreamed of… so you would carry that responsibility and dry your heart to make sure your precious sons knew they were loved no matter what.

Your loyalty will always belong to the Emperor, just as much as your body, soul and mind… but you didn’t belong to yourself too anymore… the pittance of individuality you were sure to hold crumbled into dust once you had wished to be the mother of these children and that was something you would proudly carry.

And so, your decision was made.

“Custodes!” you call them, their attention fully on you now and waiting for your command. The grasp over your son’s hand became tighter in an attempt to reassure him once you felt him go tense at your stern tone. He had probably expected the worst and that notion only made something vile twist inside your stomach. “We will be taking the slaves with us too”

There was a beat of uncertainty and you could already guess that this choice would not be well received by the Emperor… but that was something you were willingly to bear over your shoulders like many times you have done in the past.

Things will work out. You can only trust blind hope, but that is enough for now.

You stretch your arm towards his face with some effort, for he is still taller than you, but he lets his head tilt towards you to help a bit and gives you the chance to offer a sweet caress over his cheek. You can feel the rough texture of his messy shave, of the scars, and your heart throbs painfully when you think about all the hardships he had to face.

You couldn’t assure him a better life away from battle, but you could at least give him the solace of a greater future along for his people.

“I’m here now… and I will not abandon you… ever” there had been an edge of something feral in your tone. The side you rarely showed but a reminder of why you had been beside the Emperor this long.

You hoped Horus would be open at the idea of some siblings.

Just messing around with this idea, don't get ya hopes up pls.

Love ya, fellas!

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

The Great Exchange

“A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18NIV

Salvation— You can’t get to heaven without it. How to obtain salvation is the question asked by this “certain ruler” and many people today. The common thing is— they desire to work for their salvation— anything but believe in the work of the cross and the salvation through Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and blood.

As the “certain ruler” conversed with Jesus, he called Jesus ‘good Master.’ When Jesus told him, only God was good, the “certain ruler” replied by addressing Jesus only as ‘Master.’ Proving he didn’t believe Jesus to be God, but a teacher or prophet. Christianity is the only religion with a Savior, and which recognizes Jesus in His rightful role as the a part of Godhead. Amazingly, all the religions recognize Jesus— like the “certain ruler” did— as a prophet.

Make no mistake— JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD— not a prophet. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:6ESV. Only the Son is the doorway to God.

Peter repeated this— Acts 4:12NIV “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Always before, I’ve heard salvation described as ‘accepting Jesus into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior.’ That’s only partial truth, salvation is realizing you’ve been accepted and loved by God, in the midst of all your unpleasantness and filth; and believing in Him. You don’t have to ‘clean up your act’ to meet Jesus. Accepted—just as you are. Isn’t that exciting?

Before Christ, God dealt with us through the Law. After thoroughly studying the Law, I can tell you— not breaking the Law is impossible. Only two things aren’t considered breaking a law— breathing and praising God. Everything else breaks God’s laws. Andrew Womack says the law is like glass. Shoot a BB, [little infraction] through it or throw a boulder, [huge infraction]— it’s broken. And someone has to pay for the glass. Salvation is the great exchange— our sinfulness for Christ Jesus’ sinlessness. He pays for it all.

Breaking the Law is called ‘sin.’ Paul declares in Romans 6:23KJV “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Salvation is called “gift of God.” A ‘gift’ is a free, undeserved blessing. Jehovah God didn’t think it was enough to just accept and love us humans. He wanted to give us undeserved gifts— mercy and grace— to erase our filthy sins.

Paul told us how to be saved in Romans 10:9-10ESV “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one BELIEVES and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Emphasis mine)

Then Paul proceeds to tell where the faith to believe for salvation comes from, Ephesians 2:8NIV. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, IT IS A GIFT OF GOD—” (Emphasis mine.) Faith is His gift to us as well.

Knowing the how and why of our salvation is very important. When the lie comes to tell us— ‘You have to obey this rule and that rule to be saved,’ we can lean on the foundation of truth in faith. Saying— ‘No devil! I believed in Jesus with the faith God gifted to me. I believe and I’m saved.’ Or you can be a Galatian, falling for the lie and trying to earn your eternal life. It’s your choice. You choose.

LET’S PRAY: Papa God please lead these readers out of bondage and into the truth of grace, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2024 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.

[rosesinbloom7love]

RaruFumi Prompt

Gods & Goddesses Au + Hades & Persephone Au 

(A little prompt i’ve been sitting on for like 2 or 3 years now and finally decided to post it for ya’ll. inspired by the myth of hades and persephone, but with my own little twists added to make the story stand out. Buckle up ya’ll this gonna be a long one. hope you enjoy!)

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Long ago in the early days of humanity, the earth was ruled by darkness and chaos. Humans had to fight for survival and lived in constant fear of being attacked by demons and other monsters.

Many humans prayed to the gods for any kind of help to vanquish these dark forces, but their prayers were left unheard as the gods simply ignored the pitiful mortal in favor watching from their realm above the clouds.

This caused all of humankind to stop worshiping the gods as they felt the gods had forsaken them to their cruel fates. This, of course, enraged the gods, who retaliated on the humans by unleashing several calamities on them for daring to go against their creators.

Mankind spent the next few centuries faced with a variety of catastropes such as floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, famines, and even plagues.

However, when humanity was nearly brought to the brink of extinction, a new faction of gods started to emerge and gradually began amassing a following of worshippers.

At the helm of this new group of gods and goddesses is The God of the Skys. As the leader of the new gods, the Sky God led the charge against the old gods in order to take their place as rulers of the earth.

It was a long and grueling battle, but in the end the new gods triumphed over the old ones and the few remaining old gods were banished to the lowest depths of the Underworld.

The new gods then set off to fix the world.

They waged war against the demon clan led by the evil demon lord and eventually drove them to the darkest corners of the earth.

The gods then went about restoring the earth to its former glory with an abundance of lush greenery and animals roaming around. 

Certain gods then went on to teach humans a better means of survival such as learning to farm and crafting better weapons for hunting.

Grateful for the gods improvements of their way of life, humans worshiped these new gods more than they ever did with the old gods.

Temples and statues of the old gods were torn down or destroyed and replaced with ones of the new gods. Yearly festivals were held in honor of the gods and people would leave offerings of fruits, meats and precious metals and jewels, while praying.

The most worshiped god of the pantheon was undoubtedly, The God of the Skies. After defeating the old god as well as the demon clan, the sky god received the title of King of the Gods by both mortals and gods alike.

Soon after acquiring the title, the Sky God decided to take a wife and chose the four most powerful goddesses to be his spouses.

These four goddesses were the gods of the four elements and each had control over a specific element.

The first goddess had dominion over the element of Fire. Her flames were bestowed upon humanity as a gift to warm them during the cold nights. She was an alluring beauty, who fury could ignite a raging wildfire that could destroy everything in its path.

The second goddess had dominion over the element of Wind. Her winds were used to carry people across great distances. A soft beauty, whose presence could calm anyone. However, she was said to be quite capricious and her moods would change as often as her winds do.

The third goddess had dominion over the element of Water. Her rains healed the world below and breathed life into it. An elegant goddess known for being as tranquil as a flowing river, but could also be as fearsome as the crashing waves of the ocean.

The fourth and final goddess had dominion over the element of Earth. Known as the Mother of Life, this goddess had control over any and all plant life. She is the head of the elemental goddesses and one of the most powerful gods second only to her husband, The God of the Skies.

She is also the most beloved of the Sky God’s wives. She had a very gentle and nurturing disposition and cared deeply for those she held dear.

These four goddesses were often worshiped alongside the God of the Skies, but were also worshiped separately as powerful gods in their own right.

Upon becoming the Sky God’s wives, they were bestowed the title of, The Four Queens of Nature. 

In the years following, each goddess fell pregnant with the offspring of the Sky God and later each bore a child. A son.

The Fire Goddess bore a son with hair as yellow as wheat and eyes as red as a raging fire. He was given the name Motoyasu by the goddess.

The Wind Goddess bore a son with hair as brown as the desert sands and eyes that shimmered like gold. He was given the name Itsuki by the goddess.

The Water Goddess bore a son with hair as dark as the night sky and eyes as blue as the deep ocean. He was given the name Ren by the goddess.

Finally, the Earth Goddess bore a son with hair as black as the wings of a raven and eyes green as sparkling emeralds. He was given the name Naofumi by the goddess.

Both the mortal and god realms celebrated the birth of these for new gods and bestowed them with the title of, The Four Princes of The Seasons, as each son had received an aspect of their mothers’s powers as well as their father’s.

Motoyasu became the God of Summer, bringing forth hot, sunny days where humans spent most of their time outside in the lengthened daylight.

Itsuki became the God of Autumn, bringing forth cool, windy days where humans spent their time gathering their harvest from months prior.

Ren became the God of Winter, bringing forth cold, snowy days where humans spent their time inside admiring the beautiful white snow and awaiting the return of warmer days.

Lastly, Naofumi became the God of Spring, bringing forth warm, rainy days where humans spent their time planting fruits and vegetables while admiring the beauty of the flower and other plants.

Out of the four gods, Naofumi was undoubtedly the most worshiped by humans. As the son of the Goddess of Earth, Naofumi inherited his mother's ability to control all plant life and humans would pray to him for a good harvest that year.

Naofumi also inherited his mother’s beauty and nurturing nature, having a love for both plants, animals and humans.

Humans and gods alike marveled at the Spring God’s beauty and when he finally came of age, many gods petitioned for his hand in marriage, but were all turned away by his mother, the Goddess of Earth.

Naofumi’s mother cared for him deeply and was very protective of him. She knew that all those gods were only after Naofumi for his beauty and she wasn’t going to allow her son to be treated as some common bedwarmer!

So, Naofumi often spent his days with his mother in their private meadow, occasionally being visited by his brothers or aunts.

However, despite Naofumi being a widely beloved god, there was one person that hated him. A god that absolutely despised the Spring God with every ounce of their immortal being.

The Goddess of Beauty and Wealth, Myne.

Myne was a goddess famed for her stunning beauty as well as her vain and haughty personality. Myne had countless gods vining for her attention and showering her with gifts to try and win her hand in marriage.

However, the only god Myne thought was worthy of her was the king of the gods himself, The God of the Skies.

Myne believes she should have been the wife of the Sky God and queen of the gods as she was by far, the most beautiful of all the goddesses. Yet the Sky God chose the four elemental goddesses as his wives and didn’t even consider her.

This enraged the Goddess of Beauty, who grew to despise the four goddesses with a particular hatred for the Goddess of Earth as she was the most loved by the Sky God.

Her distaste for the Earth Goddess only grew upon the birth of her son, Naofumi.

Suddenly, Myne’s numerous suitors that constantly fought for her hand, started ditching her in favor of chasing after the Naofumi. 

Now, that was already enough for the Beauty Goddess to loath the Spring God, but what truly tipped Myne over the edge was when humans and even some gods began to whisper of how Naofumi was so beautiful that even the Goddess of Beauty himself could not compare!

This caused the goddess to finally snap and she began to devise a plan to get rid of the Spring God and his mother.

One day, Myne descends down to the human realm in disguise and travels to the darkness parts of the world, where all demons reside. 

There she reveals herself as a goddess and demands to meet with the demon lord. Once taken to the demonic leader, Myne offers the demon a deal.

She explained her hatred for the Goddess of Earth and the God of Spring and her wish to be rid of them, but she needs the demon lord’s help. Myne then explains her plan.

Every year towards the end of winter, the Earth Goddess and Spring God descend down from the heavens to begin their yearly trek through the mortal realm to melt all the snow and ice of winter and make way for spring.

Myne’s plan is to have the mother and son pair be ambushed by the demons during their journey. Myne will give the demons a special poison that temporarily turns gods mortal thus rendering them powerless.

All the demons need to do is get some of the poison on the two gods leaving them completely powerless and giving the demons the perfect opportunity to kill the two.

When the demon lord asks what exactly he gets out of this deal, Myne suggests that the demon lord kidnaps the Spring God and makes him his bride stating that having such a powerful god as a spouse would yield strong heirs.

Myne truly doesn’t care as long as both Naofumi and his mother are out of her sight. After thinking it over, the demon lord agrees and Myne leaves happily awaiting news of the two gods deaths.

Fast forward a few months and it’s the end of winter, Naofumi and his mother descend down to earth and begin their trek through the human realm.

However, their travels are quickly interrupted when the two gods are suddenly attacked by demons. 

At first, the mother and son duo easily fended off the demons, but things quickly took a turn for the worse when one of the demons suddenly threw a strange powder on them.

Naofumi immediately felt something was off as his legs started to give out on him and he felt significantly weaker than before. Naofumi looked over to his mother to she was in the same state as him.

However, before Naofumi could do anything to help, his mother yelled at him to run. Naofumi wanted to argue, but the look on his mother’s face told him now wasn’t the time. 

So, he did as his mother ordered and ran.

As Naofumi ran through the snowy forest, he could hear a few of the demons chasing after him. Naofumi ran as fast as his weakened and tired legs could take him, until he tripped on a loose tree root and fell into the denser part of the forest below.

Naofumi slowly picks himself up and continues on running until he can no longer hear the demons chasing after him. By this point, Naofumi is completely exhausted and is fighting to stay awake, his eyesight going in and out of focus.

However, through his blurred vision, Naofumi notices the figure of a cloaked man in the distance. The man seemed to be saying to him, but Naofumi couldn’t hear what he was saying.

The last thing Naofumi saw before blacking out was the image of the cloaked man rushing towards him. 

When Naofumi awakes hours later, he was no longer in the snowy forest. Instead, Naofumi found himself laying on top of an enormous bed with soft black silk sheets.

Naofumi was also shocked to find that the white gods robes he had been wearing had been replaced with a long, black tunic that reached just past his knees.

Naofumi scanned his current surroundings and noticed he was in someone else’s bedroom. The room itself was dim with black painted on every wall, which made it hard for Naofumi to see as he was used to brightly, lit spaces.

Luckily, the room was illuminated by giant, glowing crystals that were attached to the ceiling that lit up the room allowing Naofumi to see.

Just then, the door to the room opened and the cloaked figure from before entered.

Naofumi readied himself for a fight, but the cloaked man quickly disarmed him by stating his intentions not to hurt Naofumi.

The cloaked man then took off his black cloak to reveal a handsome man with dark, crimson red hair and eyes. He was wearing long, black robes that reached his ankles and was held up by a single loose strap over his right shoulder.

 The robes did nothing to hide the man’s well-toned, muscular body. Strong, tan arms and chest were on full display.

Naofumi forced himself not to stare at the man and asked who the man was. the man introduces himself as L’arc, The God of Death and Ruler of the Underworld.

This shocks Naofumi. He’s heard a few things about the Death God from passing gods and mortals, most of which was negative, but he never pictured the god to be so handsome and kind, at least seemingly.

Naofumi explains who he is and everything that has happened to him. L’arc is shocked by this information and explains there’s only one kind of poison that works on gods.

After L’arc explained what the powder was and what it does, Naofumi was left horrified and outraged. 

Mortals can’t enter the realm of gods and since Naofumi was now a mortal, at least temporarily, he cannot return and inform his father what had happened.

To make matters worse, Naofumi knew that if he tried to return to the surface, he’d inevitably get caught by those demons again. Naofumi wanted to go find his mother, but in his current state, he was as good as dead.

Naofumi asked L’arc how long the effect of the poison lasts, but the Death God just shrugged and said he wasn’t sure. It could last anywhere from a few days to a few months, maybe even a year, it all depends on how powerful the god is.

L’arc then offers to send out some high level spirits to search for his mother and in the mean time the Spring God could stay down in the underworld until his powers return.

Naofumi is hesitant at first, but seeing no other option agrees.

For the next few months, Naofumi spent his days in the underworld waiting for his powers to return.

Naofumi spent most of his time with L’arc, who he found to be surprisingly good company. The god was quite charming and funny, very different from the rumors Naofumi has heard about him.

Over the course of their time together, the two gods slowly began to fall for one another. It started with simple lingering looks and touches, before eventually devolving into the two spending night after night in the other’s embrace.

Sadly, their time together had to come to an end. Naofumi’s powers eventually recover and he had to return to the surface.

This, of course, saddened the two gods, but they knew Naofumi couldn’t stay in the Underworld forever as he had duties to uphold. However, before he left, L’arc handed the Spring God six pomegranate seeds as a sort of gift.

Naofumi then left the Underworld.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon making it back to the surface, Naofumi immediately set out in search of his mother.

While, traversing the still cold and barren land, Naofumi is spotted by another god, who immediately called out to the Spring god.

The god was Therese, The Goddess of Magic and Jewels.

The goddess was both relieved and surprised to see the Spring God.

Apparently, after naofumi’s mother had told him to run, she tried to fend off the remaining demons. Despite being in a weakened state, the goddess still retained a bit of her god-like strength as Naofumi had been the one to inhale most of the poison after jumping in front of his mother to try and protect her. Sadly, it didn’t last long.

Luckily, some local snow spirits happened to be nearby and after immediately recognizing the Earth Goddess, stepped in to drive off the demons.

The snow spirits then took the weakened goddess to their home in a secret cave, where the demons would not find them. There the snow spirits look after the Earth Goddess until the poison wears off.

In the meantime, the snow spirits enlisted the help of other winter spirits to look for Naofumi. However, when they couldn’t, they returned to inform the goddess.

When the Earth Goddess’s powers finally returned a few days later, she tore off in a panic frantically searching for her missing son. When she couldn’t find him anywhere in the mortal realm, she fell into absolute despair.

The Goddess then took refuge in one of her and Naofumi’s main temples, where she still currently resides.

Eventually, word of situation in the mortal realm as well as Naofumi’s disappearance reached the heavenly realm of the Gods. In response, the God of the Skies sent out several gods to search for the missing Spring God. He also sent a few gods to try and persuade the Earth Goddess to leave her temple as without her or Naofumi to bring forth Spring, the harsh winter will continue to rage on. With every passing day it is becoming more and more dire in the mortal realm.

However, none of the gods could find any sign of where the Spring God may be, nor, could they convince the Earth Goddess to leave her temple. The Sky God was close to giving up, until a wind spirit suddenly came forwards.

The Wind spirit explains that one day while flying through the air, they notice two figures below. One had messy, black hair and was wearing a green robe. The other had crimson hair and was wearing a long black robe and cloak.

The man in the black cloak was carrying the other, who seemed to be unconscious, in his arms. The cloaked man then used some kind of magic to crack open the earth to reveal black portal. The man then stepped into the portal and disappeared along with the young man.

Anger began to fill the Sky God. There was only one being among them that matched the cloaked man’s description.

The God of Death.

‘The God of Death has kidnapped the God of Spring...’, The sentence was whispered quietly amongst the gods, before being quickly shushed, but it was too late.

The God of the Sky had heard and flew into a fury. He demanded the Death God to be dragged before him and punished. This, however, was not ab easy task.

You see, it is extremely difficult to enter or leave the Underworld without someone to guide you, otherwise you’re likely to be trapped there for the rest of eternity.

The only people that can move freely between the Underworld and the Mortal Realm is the God of Death Himself and any god he grants permission to.

Currently, the only gods that are allowed to enter and exit the Underworld whenever they please are the Goddess of Fate, Knowledge and Guider of Souls: Glass, the Goddess of Hunting, Travel and Messengers: Kizuna and the Goddess of Magic and Jewels: Therese.

Glass rarely leaves the Underworld as she spent most of her time guiding souls to the proper resting place. Kizuna spends a lot of time with Glass in the Underworld and is even considered a pseudo-guider of the dead. They may not even know what’s going on and reaching them would take a long time.

Luckily, Therese spends a vast majority of her days in the Mortal or Heaven Realm, so she’s easily reached.

The God of the Sky orders Therese to go to the Underworld and bring back the God of Death. Not wanting to anger the King of Gods any further, Therese agrees. That was about two days ago.

After Therese had finished explaining, Naofumi was left shocked and horrified. He couldn’t let the man who saved him be punished for something his didn’t do.

Naofumi knows that refusing an order for the King of the Gods could get both Therese and L’arc in trouble, so tells Therese to complete her task and bring L’arc to the Heaven Realm. Naofumi explained that he’ll be them both there to clear everything up.

First he needed to see his mother.

------------------------------------------------------------

L’arc was busy going over the reports that Glass had given him.

He missed Naofumi. As pathetic as it sounds, he missed having the raven haired god around. He knows it’s stupid considering he only knew the Spring God for a few months at best, but he can’t help it!

In that short amount of time, L’arc had fallen head over heels in love for the beautiful Spring God. Everything from his lovely emerald eyes to his snarky yet charming personality completely entranced the Death God.

While L’arc was lost in his own daydream, his office door suddenly swung open revealing his close friend Therese.

Before L’arc could even ask what brought the goddess to the underworld today, Therese tells L’arc that that he needs to go with her to the Heaven Realm immediately as ordered by the God of the Sky.

This immediately made L’arc worry as the Sky almost never calls upon the Death God unless it is something extremely urgent.

Knowing they probably don’t have time to explain everything, L’arc grabbed his cloak and set off to the Heaven Realm with Therese close behind him.

As soon as L’arc and Therese arrived in the Realm of Gods, L’arc quickly noticed the dirty looks he was being given by the other gods as they whisper quietly to themselves.

L’arc was then bought before the King of the Gods. The Sky God glared intensely at L’arc, before asking the Death God in a low, deep tone if he knew why he was summoned.

Of course, L’arc answered no, which only seemed to enrage the Sky God more.

That is when L’arc is told he was being accused of kidnapping the God of Spring. L’arc, of course, denied this claim, but the Sky God countered by saying there was an eye witness that saw him carrying an unconscious Naofumi, before disappearing.

Just as L’arc was about to explain, who should arrive, but the Spring God himself.

Naofumi steps forward to defend L’arc and clear this misunderstanding. Naofumi explained everything from him and his mother being attacked by demons and poisoned, to him being chased by said demons and backing out, to L’arc rescuing him and allowing him to stay in the Underworld until he was recovered.

After the God of Spring finished explaining, the Sky God was left speechless. Once the god regained his composure, he thanked the Death God for saving his son. For his actions, the Sky God offered L’arc a reward of any one thing his desired most.

When L’arc asked if he could truly ask for anything, the Sky God nodded in agreement.

L’arc then said something that shocked every god watching him.

“I humbly ask for the God of Spring’s hand in marriage.”, The room fell silent as every god present stared in shock, before erupting into a mass chaos of shouts and murmurs.

“Shameless!”

“Has he gone mad!?”

“Arrogant fool!”

“Disgusting lecher!”

“How dare-!”

Despite the insults hurled at him, L’arc didn’t seemed phased in the slightest. Instead, the death god turned and walked towards Naofumi, until he was standing right in front of the Spring God.

L’arc then took Naofumi’s hands into his own and then bent down on one knee.

“Lord Naofumi of Spring, I know I am not worthy of you, but from the moment I laid eyes on you I knew you were the one for me. I know we’ve only known each other for a short period of time, but I can’t image a life without you by my side. So...Would you consider marrying me?”

Naofumi was left speechless. Over the centuries, He has had many gods and goddesses proclaim their love for him, but, none have been so sincere and genuine as L’arc. It made Naofumi’s cheeks warm and flowers bloom on his head.

Naofumi would have said yes right then and there, had his mother not intervened.

The Goddess of Earth was wholly against the two’s union, stating that if Naofumi were to marry L’arc he’d be forced to spend the rest of eternity in the Underworld with the Death God.

The Earth Goddess simply couldn’t handle the thought of never seeing her son again, when she just got him back after nearly losing him already.

The Sky God understood his wife’s fears and reluctance to give up their son, but as King of the Gods, he must uphold his promises.

So, the Sky God offered L’arc a deal. 

He’ll allow the Death God to marry Naofumi, but he’ll only be allowed to spend roughly half the year in the Underworld. From the beginning of Autumn to the end of Winter, the Spring God shall reside in the Underworld. While, from the beginning of Spring to the end of Summer, he shall reside in the Mortal Realm with his mother.

The Sky God thought this was a fair compromise and nether L’arc not Naofumi had any issue with the conditions. After a few moments and a bit of pleading from the Spring God, the Goddess of Earth reluctantly agreed.

L’arc was overjoyed and a month later, he and Naofumi held their wedding.

Instead of his normal short-sleeve, knee-length, spring green tunic-like robe, Naofumi was dressed in elegant, ankle-length, robes made of the best materials in the Underworld. The robes had long, open sleeves and were a black onyx color with shimmering, specks of sliver scattered all over the fabric and gold aligning the hems.

Atop his head, replacing the circlet of flowers and vines, was a regal crown made of black obsidian with sparkling quartz gems adorning it.

The wedding was a lavish affair and by the end of it, there wasn’t a god or mortal that didn’t know that Naofumi was now L’arc’s and the Spring God could not be happier about it.

Sometime after, a few gods and spirits were ordered to locate the demons that had attacked Naofumi and his mother, after all they still didn’t know how those demon got their filthy hands on such a dangerous poison. Those disgusting monsters also needed to be punished for daring to cause harm to one of the Sky God’s wives and sons.

Once the demons were found and captured, it didn’t take long for them to confess to everything. From being approached by the goddess Myne, to her deal with the demon king of killing the Earth Goddess and kidnapping the Spring God to be the demon king’s mate.

Of course, the Sky God was seething at the information and had the goddess dragged before him. 

Myne attempted to deny any involvement in the attack and even tried to shift the blame all on the demons, but the Sky God wouldn’t hear it.

So as punishment for treason, Myne was stripped of goddess status and was cursed to take the form of an old and ugly crone, before being cast out of the Heaven Realm never allowed to return again.

Naofumi was delighted upon hearing the news of the former Goddess of Beauty and Wealth’s banishment. He never really liked her anyway, so the idea of never seeing the bitchy goddess ever again, made the Spring God jump with joy.

Of course, Naofumi was no longer just the Spring God.

Now, he was the God of Spring and King of the Dead, along with his beloved husband.

And so ends the tale of the God of Death & the God of Spring.

[shammah8]

MANY CHRISTIANS LIVE IN REALMS OF DEFEAT and unfruitfulness simply because they do not understand who God created them to be. They never step into creating a beautiful world around them simply because they do not know they can. It is vital that you understand who you are in Christ, so let’s explore the Scriptures together, embrace important truths, and find out who you really are!

Beginning at “the Beginning” In Genesis 1:1-3, the Scriptures declare that in the beginning when the world was without form and void (actually meaning “in a state of formlessness, confusion, and chaos”)2 God spoke into the darkness and said, “Let there be light”… and there was light.

Every time you see the word God in the account of creation in Genesis 1 and 2, it is the Hebrew word Elohiym meaning “Ruler or Divine One,” referring to God, our Creator.

The word created in Genesis 1:1 means “to form, shape, and create.”God is indeed the divine Ruler and Creator of all things.

The essence of His being fills all eternity, and no being in the universe can ever come near to matching His divine majesty, authority, power, and creativity. He alone is altogether perfect, flawless in nature, and eternal. The attributes of ruling and creating are part of His very nature. Through His creative power, He spoke order into chaos. He created something where there was nothing, light where there was darkness, and form in the midst of disorder.

Reading further in Genesis, we discover that God (Elohiym) created mankind in His image and likeness and blessed them to rule and reign in the earth:

God [Elohiym – Ruler and Creator] created man in His own image, in the image of God [Elohiym – Ruler and Creator] He created him; male and female He created them. God [Elohiym – Ruler and Creator] blessed them; and God [Elohiym – Ruler and Creator] said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:27-28).

This is a powerful statement and a very important revelation that defines who you are. Y ou were made in the very image and likeness of the divine Ruler and Creator – God (Elohiym). This means that God gave you the ability to rule and create within your God-given realm of influence. Y ou could say that you are His little “elohiym.” God’s original intention, before the fall of man, was for you to be His “ruler” and “creator” in the earth realm.Psalm 82:6 says, “Y ou are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.” The word used for “gods” in this verse is “elohiym.” Remember, however, that no human is comparable to our God (Elohiym), and no being will ever be able to usurp Him – never! He is fully sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, BUT He created you with His “DNA.” Y ou were made in His image and likeness, therefore, His abilities abide in you through the Spirit of Christ. Perfection, power, and love are within your new nature, and eternal life is your gift from Him. Y ou cannot earn it and you cannot produce it with human effort.🥀PATRICIA KING

[milune-vox]

The Dawn fo Redeeming Grace (chapter 2)

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You can also read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43003029/chapters/111238186#workskin

Chapter 2:

Hob has been alive for a long time. He went through many ways of life, many ways of keeping a place. Derelict, messy, pristine, outsourced. 

Nowadays, he thinks he has managed to find some sort of balance. The place might be overcrowded, but it is relatively ordered, and thoroughly clean. Many artifacts line the shelves, relics of his past lives he has kept and lost and found again, a large collection of books among them, overflowing from the shelves in high piles on the ground. 

From a Londonian perspective, this place truly and well is luxury : 70m2, modern appliances, a balcony, a bathtub the size of a small jacuzzi (running hot water was one of mankind's best inventions, and he'd been remiss if he didn't enjoy it as thoroughly and as often as possible). 

Maybe now is not the time to think about the fact he has enough room for two people in his bathtub.

He removes his vest, hangs it, removes his shoes as well. 

He had spent a bit of time in Japan this century, and had picked up on a few habits, namely that of having several pairs of slippers at the ready for guests. Dream follows his lead silently, with a focused look on his face as if he were doing these gestures for the first time (which, with how otherworldly he looks and is, might be the case). 

Seeing his regal, otherworldly, proud friend in a pair of fluffy cat-faced slippers, with googly eyes, pointy ears and all, is making his heart go really fast in his chest and a grin creeps up on his face. 

A bunch of colorful woolen birds are perched on the coat hanger, and Dream stares at them curiously.

"Ah, yeah, guess they clash a bit with the dark academia theme going on, but a student felted them by hand and gifted them to me, so I definitely had to give them the limelight they deserve.”, he laughs quietly.

A faraway look on Dream’s face, a wistful smile, as he says:

"There is a raven among them."

"Oh, yes. He's got the cutest little eyes doesn't he? My student is quite talented, eh?”

"Hmm," comes the wordless acquiescence.

"Coat?" Hob asks politely.

Dream seems to hesitate, for a second, and Hob, noticing his discomfort, is about to tell him he can keep it on– but then the man- god- being, removes it and places it by Hob's vest on the hanger. He is left in nothing but a very closely fitted t-shirt. His arms are pearly white, his skin completely smooth, reminiscent of a marble statue. He can see a bit of collarbone and tries not to picture himself tracing its sharpness with his fingers. The thought escapes his grasp nonetheless, so he looks away, trying to collect himself.

Right.

What now?

He remains an Englishman, through and through. When in doubt… 

"Tea?" he asks with a smile, projecting a confidence he thoroughly does not feel.

A beat. Dream has a calculating look on his face. Then, he swallows, in a disarmingly human way, and his eyes escape to assess the trinkets lined on the shelves. 

"I would be amenable." he says, and it has the ring of an admission, voice low and soft, and Hob should really stop shivering every time his friend opens his mouth, shouldn't he?

“You can sit down on the couch.”

Swiftly, Dream does as ordered, and he sits back fairly relaxed, reminiscent of the posture he had adopted downstairs. Hob, having felt a bit of hesitation in his friend before, almost expected to have to guide him to the couch, and to find that he would comply so readily makes him feel a tad unbalanced. He stands there for a second, in a half-aborted movement, looking at Dream, his Stranger, his centennial Friend, seated on his couch, in his living room, like it is the most normal thing in the world, like they do that every other sunday. 

Life really does take a turn for the best, sometimes, does it not? For the strangest, also.

His head is vaguely spinning. It’s brilliant.

“Hm, yeah, right. Tea,” he reminds himself, and leaves for the open kitchen a few steps away.

He feels Dream’s gaze following him, boring in the back of his head. Shivers run down his back. Miraculously, he manages to fall back into his routine, retrieving his fanciest tea, a high quality blend of black tea, spicy and citrusy, that he always reserves for guests, and pouring a decent amount in his fanciest tea-pot (a china with blue, intricate floral motifs), he assembles a decent tea tray, retrieving some biscuits from the cupboards as the water boils.

He glances over at the street from the windows above the sink. Condensation grips the edges of the glass. The sun, below the horizon, sheds its last rays to turn the world a beautiful eerie pink. The glow engulfs the streets and provides a sense of unsettlement and wonder. The familiar sights are so impossibly foreign to him now, as if things of his daily life couldn’t coexist with the fact that his oldest friend, the very one he'd thought he might have lost forever, is at this very moment casually sitting in his living room.

The water has reached its boiling point, and he retrieves it, pouring it from high into the teapot, to try not to burn the leaves. 

“Here you go” he announces softly, making his careful way to the living room, focusing on not messing up the tray and putting it on the small table in front of the couch. His hands are a bit shaky, he notices.

His friend’s presence is doing things to him, alright.

He sits at his side, struggling to know exactly what distance to put between them, but the need to have access to what is on the table doesn’t leave him with much of a choice. Their thighs almost touch, and to his relief, Dream doesn’t recoil from the proximity. He racks his brain for something to say, the unreality of it all getting under his skin. The air feels electric. 

His brain does provide. His curiosity has always been his best flaw, after all.

“So. Bit of something I picked up from what you told me downstairs.” he starts, leaning back, as casually as he can, putting on his most carefree smile, which, he knows, probably comes out more timidly than usual. “You have subjects? Actual subjects?” He raises his eyebrows and a glint of amusement shines in his friend’s eyes. “Always thought you looked posh enough to be nobility, but-”

“I am Dream of the Endless.” Dream interrupts, as if it were answer enough.

“Of the Endless’” he ponders, linking it to what he knows of particle names, “-that a place?”

“It is what we are. Endless.”

“We?”

“Me and my siblings.”

Siblings. He sits with this new information, trying to picture his mysterious friend with… a family. He’s delighted. Confused. Having the time of his life. Unconsciously, he gets closer, leaning forward like he is discussing the best gossip in existence. 

“... So. Okay. You belong to this, hm, Endless family, and you rule over-”

Dream’s lips curl up in an amused smirk.

“Dreams.”

He looks mightily self-satisfied. Hob scoffs.

“Yeah, pretty obvious that one I guess.”

His eyes drift back to the table and he remembers the tea.

“Ah, right.”

He pours a generous amount in both their cups. 

“So, You’re the King of Dreams.”

“And Nightmares.”

“... I assume those are less easy to rule.”

Dream’s face contorts into something akin to a grimace.

“They can be… challenging. Unruly.”

“The way you talk about them… They sound like people. Are they- people? The Dreams, and the Nightmares?”

“In a way. They may be my creations, and under my rule; however, they can show agency. Which can prove… unfortunate, in some instances.”

“Ok. There’s definitely a story here."

The playful tone of his voice is met with a faraway look, and he feels worry start to crawl back into his abdomen, feeling instinctively that, once again, he is breaching a difficult subject, and that he ought to tread carefully. Dream lets him agonize in his anxious musings for a while longer, pursing his lips at the edge of his cup, and, carefully, taking a tentative sip. He swallows it down, his Adam's apple rising and falling, and Hob feels a part of himself try to throw him off his concerns and on better, nicer, hornier thoughts. He lets them slide like water on his skin, taking a deep breath, focusing back on the matter at hand.

After a few seconds of deep thought, seemingly finding the taste satisfactory, Dream takes another infinitesimal sip, and, keeping the mug near, nearly shielding his face with it, he finally says in a soft, equal tone: 

“I was looking to retrieve a dissiding nightmare when I was summoned. … I wouldn’t have been able to be captured had I not been roaming your world in his search."

Hob swallows a lump in his throat. Dream adds with a distant look about him, like he is quoting someone else : 

"Dreams rarely survive in the waking world.”

These words infiltrate his mind and crack at his bubble of safety. Was this the reason why they only met once every hundred years? A sense of impending doom catches him by the throat, and he freezes, tense:

“Is it safe for you to be here?”

“Yes. The knowledge that has been used against me has since been erased from this plane.”

There is a finality, a gravity to the words, and Hob's mind pictures a razing fire annihilating every last bit of forbidden knowledge, leaving only ashes in its wake.

He relaxes, letting go of a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. He then catches Dream watching him with something akin to affection in his gaze, which triggers his laugh, a quick, flustered little thing, and a sigh- he's too full of, of,- too many things. Information, fear, anger, anguish, relief, joy. He nods determinedly.

“Good.”

Swirls of smoke from the tea catches his attention. He watches the particles rise up in the air, dancing with the dying light of the evening. He absentmindedly thinks he ought to turn the lights on, it is starting to get dark. He grants himself a bit of reprieve sipping at his cup. To his surprise, Dream mirrors his movement and does the same. The synchronization makes his stomach flutter. He pushes himself back to the conversation, trying to think of something other than the marvelous feeling of contentment and peace he gets by simply sitting alongside his friend like this.

“So, did you find him? The nightmare.”

Dream's expression sours again, answering in his stead before words leave his lips.

“I did not. He is not the only one missing. I have yet to start looking for them. Many left during my captivity. Few remained. They believed I had abandoned them.”

He remains cold, impassive, but his eyes, as always, betray him. Hob feels his heart break all over again.

"But you wouldn't have."

"You would be certain of it, when I have left you in the past."

The muscles in his jaw tense minutely. This is not a memory he wishes to revisit, not when his friend, which he can now, truly indeed, call his friend, is spending an evening drinking tea in his flat. He breathes in and out, and, staring at his overcrowded library, gaze brushing aimlessly on the spines of many loved stories, finding comfort in it like one would by grazing the fur of a cat, he admits painfully:

“I did believe you would return, at some point. … I’m… sorry I did not believe it enough to go look for you when you didn't show up.” His fists close in shame. “If I had-"

“You need not apologize. I gave you no reason to believe otherwise. ... Perhaps my people also did not have reason to believe I would return.”

“Hm.”

“You seem to disagree?”

Hob runs a hand through his hair, ruffling it up a bit. This might be too forward, but, he has always been one to run his mouth. It has served him well, and badly, and such is life, and such is he. He takes a deep breath and explains:

"Call it a hunch, I guess. You just seem to be... dutiful? Like the kind of person married to their jobs. I can't really see you-” He tries and fails to find an adequate comparison and just goes for the first one his mind provides “-fucking off to Las Vegas and leave your responsibilities behind."

"I would, indeed, not do as such."

Dream nods solemnly, and Hob is pretty much certain that the incongruity of the comparison has gone over his head. His obliviousness is… endearing. He continues, succumbing to the pull to tease:

"See, after a few hundred years, I got a tad perceptive. In my next life, I might become a private detective. Get a southern accent and brightly coloured neckerchiefs." He stops, scoffing at himself. "... You probably won't get that reference, sorry. Great movies, though. You should watch them, sometimes."

With me, he doesn't add.

Dream blinks slowly at him. Hob feels judged, much in the way he does when a cat stares at him, secretive, regal, and yet, soothing. In the space of this silent staring, he takes further notice of their closeness, and his skin tingles with the realization. If he were to hunch over but a few centimeters on his right… 

“... You are welcome to stay as long as you’d like, you know.”, he offers a bit weakly, pretty much certain he is far too close to crossing a line –again.

To his surprise, instead of a polite, short decline and an abrupt exit, Dream relaxes further into the couch, and, crossing his legs, he hangs his left arm on the back of the couch, almost encircling Hob’s shoulder. It brings him naturally closer to him, whose heart promptly goes into arrhythmia.

“You built me an inn, Hob Gadling.”, and his smirk reminds him too much of this particular, obscenely attractive facial expression he had made on their 1789 meeting. Hob swallows and readily admits (he would have admitted to anything in this moment, let alone to the truth):

“... Yes? Yes I did.”

“You awaited my return.”

Can he drown in someone else’s eyes, literally? It seems like maybe he is experiencing precisely this. The deepest ocean, distant stars reflected on its waves.

Truth spills out of him, as sure and steady as a stream.

“As long as I live… I always will.”

There’s a moment in which he imagines getting closer still, and his eyes briefly flicker to plush, pink lips, and-

“You proved more faithful than most of my subjects.”

At this, Dream seems genuinely confused, and intrigued.

Hob scoffs, his cheeks insufferably warm. Right. He scoots a bit on his left, trying to escape the powerful pull to get closer. He feels like a planet ripping himself from its sun. Lost in the vacuum of space. A part of him scolds him for being dramatic. He manages to put his mind back in place, after a small coughing fit.

“Well. Not a subject." He waves dismissively. "My loyalty doesn't come from feudality.”, he reclaims his mug to try and busy his hands, his lips, restless. 

“Where does it come from, then?”

Hob is positively hiding behind his cup now, facing straight in front of him. He feels Dream leaning closer to him, and the weight of his unfathomable, otherworldly eyes on him. The air is heavy, he cannot breathe properly anymore. His brain is going in too many directions at once -can he see me blushing-can he read thoughts-why would he ask then-why would he stay then-what if he were to pin him to the couch-what then-

“I just... like your company." He manages to say, shrugging in the most casual way possible. "Even if you can be...”, he adds, feeling compelled to add something less positive, to tamper his ecstatic state.

“Speak freely.”

He can now see Dream's face in his peripheral vision, for he is much too close to his own. 

“Even if you can be a bit too prideful for your own good. Or mine.”, Hob mumbles, lips almost pressed to the ceramic, knuckles white in their grip around the mug.

He feels a puff of air on his temple, and shivers. Then, Dream’s silhouette retracts, going back to his side of the couch. 

“I suppose this is a fair assessment.” He begrudgingly admits with a rather adorable- banish the thought- pout.

The distance between them is reestablished, and Hob can breath again. He is still terribly unsettled. Grappling for a bit of familiarity, he asks:

“You are not going to ask me the question?”

He turns briefly to watch his reaction : Dream frowns, seemingly confused.

Time to elaborate. Hob makes his posture rigid, his face severe.

“Do you still wish to live, Hob Gadling?” he says, in a frankly piss-poor impression of his friend's low, deliberate tone, but it is worth it for the genuine smile that graces his beautiful features, accompanied with a small huff that, for anyone else, would have been a laugh. The immortal man breaks himself into a chuckling mess, too happy to have been the one responsible, and coming down from the previous tension.

“Didn’t we establish that this inquiry was not my reason for coming?” Dream teases back, chin up in a challenge, and were he not seated, Hob would have felt weak in the knees.

“Yes, but I find myself eager to answer.” 

“Hob Gadling. Do you still wish to live?"

"Yes. Even more so now. I must say, though, it is indeed a terribly stupid thing to ask when we’re meeting. Why would one want to cut short a meeting with you by accepting death? Agreeing never to see you ever again? Nah.”

“... I hadn’t thought of it this way. I suppose… I too would be rather disappointed for our meetings to be interrupted by my sister.”

“... Your sister?”

“Death.”

“... Your sister is Death.”

He lets Hob simmer in his bewilderment, unbothered, and sips quietly at his tea. Then, he briefly freezes, seemingly thinking of something.

“She says hi.”

He goes back to drinking, as if he hadn't shaken up Hob's world to its foundations. 

“... Okay. Well." Hob clears his throat, feeling something he cannot describe with words. Apathy? Euphoria? Horror? He couldn't possibly say. "Say hi back, if you see her sometimes.” He answers tentatively, a bit too high pitched. Dream doesn't seem to notice his small panic, or he is ignoring it on purpose. He simply nods dutifully and promises:

“I shall.”

Hob then erupts in laughter. He has to put down his mug lest he splashes them both with how bad he is shaking. Glancing at Dream and being faced with a look of quiet confusion, head tilted like a curious bird, he feels his amusement redoubling. He tries to breathe, to explain: 

“Sorry, small existential crisis here- or, ah, paradigm shift, if you will-ah, I’m going to get over it soon, no worries.” He rubs his eyes, practically crying from the sheer absurdity of it all.

Dream simply stares at him, cup low for the first time since they had started drinking. An open, amused expression softens his sharp features. 

“I understand, knowledge of the Endless isn’t meant for your kind.”

"Oi, I'm sure I could blow your mind too if I wanted, with my pitiful human knowledge!"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah! ... "

He has no idea what he is going to do, or say, next. Suddenly, realizing that the light has dimmed much too significantly, he draws out his smartphone, and, opening the smarthouse app, he prepares himself to click on a button, raising it with great showmanship.

"We've got magic now." 

He taps on the screen. The light fixtures above them light up.  

Dream blinks. There is a beat. Another. Then, his jaw detaches itself ever so slightly, and he seems on the verge of words, but they do not come. Hob knows to recognize the sight of victory.

"Ah! Told you!"

"This is not magic."

"What is magic but misunderstood science?"

He thinks, perhaps, he has offended him, but, slowly, Dream shakes his head in disbelief, another smile, genuine, if a bit confused, creeps up on his lips.

A bird caws. Hob wouldn't have noticed it, if it hadn't felt so weirdly close.

Delicate, pale hands put the mug down slowly onto the coffee table. He looks more tense, but a small smile, shadow of the one he had arbored so readily all along their meeting, remains. Slowly, dragging his words with something like regret, he bows his head towards him, announcing:

"I must take my leave of you."

Hob tries not to wince. The choice of words makes him feel uncomfortable. He hears, as clear as if it were yesterday “Then I shall take my leave of you and prove you wrong.”. A blizzard of fear seizes his chest, and he is compelled to do something, now, before it is too late.

"I... We are friends, are we not?"

"We are."

"I am quite certain friends meet each other more often than once a century."

Please do not leave me again, please do not leave me again, please do not-

"I suppose they do, yes."

The bird caws again, louder. Dream rises to his feet. Hob gets up too, on wobbly knees, already feeling the loss of his presence like a gaping wound in his chest. 

"I shall see you soon, Hob Gadling."

The wound fills itself with the honeyed warmth of hope.

"Dream." He nods back.

They stare at each other for a few more moments.

There is yet another caw, even closer, somehow, and the distinct sound of something sharp tapping on his kitchen's window. Hob frowns and turns around, quite pissed off about the interruption. ... Is that a raven?

When he turns back around to his friend, he is gone.

His eyes search for him in vain.

He looks down at his feet.

… Sand?

Dream... The King of dreams… Realization strikes him like a freight train.

"Oi, my friend is the actual Sandman." 

He lets himself have a minor breakdown here and there, and falls to his knees a bit dramatically.

He has, after all, a lot to process.

And most importantly, he has this unending joy to feel : "Soon" he had said. "I shall see you soon." Hob repeats to himself, delighted tears threatening to spill over.  

And as always, the immortal man would be waiting for his dearest, oldest friend. However long "soon" would turn out to be, as long as he lived.

Always.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for December 7, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 30:1-4 (KJV): 1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Proverbs 30:1-4 (AMP): 1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa: The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal: 2 Surely I am too brutish and stupid to be called a man, and I have not the understanding of a man (for all my secular learning is as nothing). 3 I have not learned skillful and godly Wisdom, that I should have the knowledge or burden of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know?

Thought for the Day

Chapter 30 was not written by Solomon, but by Agur. Solomon, respecting Agur's observations, may have included them in his book, or Hezekiah's scribes might have done so two centuries later. However the words of Agur came to be added to Solomon's proverbs, and we know that they were written and included by the Holy Spirit's inspiration.

Verses 1-3 - Little is known of Agur. This chapter records his words to Ithiel and Ucal, who had evidently come to him to learn wisdom. In response, Agur humbled himself. Rather than boast of being a great man of learning, he confessed his ignorance; knowing that all he had learned of God was nothing compared to what there was to know. His confession brings to mind Elihu's words in the Book of Job. Like Agur, Elihu, was able to correctly assess his own knowledge. These men humbly regarded their own understanding and secular education as nothing, and acknowledged the incomparable greatness of God's wisdom. Elihu knew that neither having great authority nor old age guarantees that a man has good judgment or wisdom, because truth and understanding come from God (Job 32:8-9).

Verse 4 - Agur asks five rhetorical questions that reveal his faith. He describes God as having gathered the wind in His fists, having bound the waters in His garments and having established the ends of the earth. This reveals the wisdom and power of God, the Ruler of all! In Agur's day, the answer to his first and fifth questions was still hidden. The answer to them both, "...What is His Son's name, if you know?" and "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?" is Jesus Christ (1 John 3:13-15). "...When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things) ...And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (Ephesians 4:8-10,13).

When Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, He then was in the grave and hell (or Sheol; the place of the dead), for three days and three nights, before he ascended to heaven. He took all those who were held captive in paradise with Him to heaven above. (Those Old Testament saints who walked in faith were kept in paradise until Jesus paid the price for their sins on the cross. Paradise was a compartment in the lower regions of hell. "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:31-33). Jesus "led captivity captive," which was to lead them out of that place into heaven with Him, after He rose from the dead.) Jesus' death, burial and resurrection made a way for all since then who repent and believe in Christ to follow Him to heaven also.

Agur's questions, written hundreds of years before Christ, foreshadowed this fuller revelation of God. They were indeed prophetic questions!

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, we worship You as the Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth! May we, as Your children, always keep an attitude of being meek and lowly before Your throne. Lord, if we have any wisdom, knowledge and understanding, it is because You have enlightened us. I thank You for Your gift of Jesus to us, so that we do not have to go to hell and can now have our home in heaven with You. I am eternally grateful for Your love and sacrifice. It makes me ask the question David asked, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" I praise You for crowning us with Your glory and honor because of Jesus. Amen.

[yhwhrulz]

Charles Spurgeon's "Morning & Evening" Devotional for December 6

Morning

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

1 Timothy 1

Hitherto we have only read portions from Paul’s letters to churches; we now turn to one of his four epistles to individual Christians. It was written to Timothy, who was very dear to the apostle as one of the most affectionate, faithful, and gifted of his spiritual children.

1 Timothy 1:3 , 1 Timothy 1:4

Jewish “teachers of the law” introduced into the churches a kind of mystic philosophy, made up of foolish legends, spiritualizings, and ascetical precepts, which Paul did not hesitate to call “old wives’ fables” and “profane babblings.” Timothy was stationed at Ephesus, to do battle with these mischief-makers, and to set the church in order. In these times there are tendencies to absurdities of the same kind, and we should be upon our guard against them. That which pretends to be wiser, deeper, or holier than the word of God must come from the father of lies.

1 Timothy 1:5-7

Some teachers of our own day are for ever raising questions upon points of no practical value. Such vain jangling let us keep clear of, and follow the simple teachings of our Lord Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:8-15

This is a Christian proverb, an axiom of our creed, “familiar in our mouths as household words,” and right well does it deserve to be repeated and received by all mankind.

1 Timothy 1:17

At thought of the grace which saved him, Paul broke forth into a doxology, and well he might.

1 Timothy 1:18-20

Perhaps they were left to follow out the natural tendency of their doctrines under the influence of Satan until they should see by actual experience where their teachings would land them, and would then have grace to repent. May the Lord keep us free from all false doctrine lest we come under the like condemnation.

Now to the God of victory,

Immortal thanks be paid,

Who makes us conquerors while we die,

Through Christ our living Head.

Evening

“Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine.”

1 Timothy 4

In this letter to Timothy Paul denounces many of those forms, of error which have been the plague of the Christian church in all ages. Those who deal with spirits, or profess to do so, those who multiply forms and ceremonies, those who make religion to lie in meats and drinks, and those who attach importance to legends and traditions, are all heavily censured, as they deserve.

1 Timothy 4:1

leading on to the worship of angels, fear of demons, and attempts at commerce with the dead. In every age some deceivers and deceived ones have wandered in this direction. Far from us be such darkness.

1 Timothy 4:2

As a hot iron deadens the part which it burns, so is their conscience no longer sensitive, and they can utter falsehood unblushingly.

1 Timothy 4:3

How well this describes the Church of Rome, which combines both superstitions. Other sects also have decried marriage, and issued laws as to eating and drinking, making that to be sin which is no. sin.

1 Timothy 4:6

To hold fast the true faith is one of our first duties. To be for ever chopping and changing is a most unhappy and dangerous condition.

1 Timothy 4:8

For bodily exercise profiteth little: or a little; it may, when rightly used, promote bodily health, but that is all

1 Timothy 4:9 , 1 Timothy 4:10

All men derive some benefit from Jesus death. They are spared, they enjoy the common blessings of providence, and they are placed under mediatorial rule; yet redemption has its special design and effect, and these have to do only with believers. The Saviour has bought some good things for all men, and all good things for some men. Are we believers? Then, in a special sense, Jesus is our Saviour.

1 Timothy 4:14

Even when the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were in the church the most favoured ministers were to study and meditate: how much more then is it now their duty! Those who speak without thinking seldom say anything worth thinking of.

1 Timothy 4:15 , 1 Timothy 4:16

Or “be thou wholly in them.” Be absorbed in thy work,

Care as to our doctrine will both preserve the teacher himself from serious error, and keep his hearers from the same evil. This should lead us to be very prayerful, and careful as to what we receive, and what we communicate to others. Doctrines are not to be trifled with, they are life and death matters. Lord teach us thy truth.

Make me to understand

Thy precepts and thy will;

Thy wondrous works on every hand,

I’ll sing and talk of still.

Copyright Statement This resource was produced before 1923 and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

[wyrmfedgrave]

Pics: Lovecraftian Humor.

1. Lovecraft Simpsonized!

2. Inner Demons indeed!!

3. Howard's overt racism...

4. Why their should be safeguards put on the Necronomicon!

5. A pro-lifer before it became a dreaded political thing...

6. The laugh riot that we all missed out on!!

7. Yes, there's stuff out there that's worse than the Cthulhu Mythos...

8. The proper way to punish peepers!

9. Sorry, Cthulhu. Astronomy replaced astrology awhile ago...

Output: Quotes.

1. "I can look back... at 2 periods... whose foundations I later came to distrust."

"... Before 1919, when... classic authority unduly influenced me & another period (up) to... 1925, when I placed (a) great value on... revolt, florid color & emotional... intensity."

2. "What I... respected was not (the) aristocracy, but a set of personal qualities..."

"Whose merit lay... in a philosophy of... disinterest, truth, courage &... good education, minimum economic stress (&) an assumed position..."

"That's... as achievable thru socialism as thru (the) aristocracy."

3. "In it's... grace &... self-sufficiency, I have seen... the... beauty &... impersonality of the universe itself..."

"Considered objectively,... in its... silent mystery, there resides - for me - all the wonder & fascination of the unknown."

4. "Race prejudice is a gift of nature,... preserving - in purity - the various divisions of mankind, which the ages evolved."

5. "I am only... half alive. A large part of my strength is (used up) in sitting or walking."

"My... system is a... wreck & I am (completely) bored & listless, (unless) I (find) something (that) interest me (&) so many things do interest me - intensely... so that I have never... desired to die nor entertained... suicidal designs."

"(Not what is) expected (from a per- son) with so little (connection) with ordinary life."

6. "Take away the herd's... gods & saints & they will... come to worship... something else."'

7. "It is... the inferior thinker who... explains the singular & the complex by supernaturalism."

8. "It is... unlikely that... a central cosmic will, a spirit world or an eternal personality exists."

9. "Religion, as a vital issue, is dead - except on paper... Whatever... baiting the future might witness, will be (due to) greed & trade - not of honestly... facing (the) cosmos."

10. "Religion itself is... absurd... Paganism is acceptable... because it represents (the) orgiastic (type) of religion (that's) farthest from reality."

11. "It is... black legendry (that) packs the most macabre (excitement). Here is material for a... profound study in... neuroticism; for... no one can deny the morbid streak in... Puritan imagi- nation."

[tasmiq]

Jumu'ah Sohbet: 24 May 2024

After a technology meltdown, Alhamdulillah we are here! Shukran Ya Allah (Divine gratitude) for your Nana for reinventing this into a "new" phone, according to Mahfouz! Our week led to the highlight where Mahfouz's question about what age you need to be, to join Silat - landing both him and Muntaha as possibly the youngest members to join this Silat school, Subhana'Allah (Divine glory!). In that midst, these were some additional blessed insights, Bismillah:

#1. We were blessed with a reunion with Anne's nur (Allah's light), and she happened to relay our Nabi's PBUH "Prayer of Light." Before that, she reflected that we talked about taqwa (self-vigilance / Allah consciousness) in Ramadan, along with Rabita (purposeful heart connection), because that's how we know what Allah wants us to do. She explained that yes, Allah's word is in the Qur'an, but there are many situations that come up in one's life that require a different energy. We thus need our connection to Allah to go forward. To this day, she tearily yet deeply recollected her "honey's," that's Shaykh Taner's latest words about one's conscience. Our conscience is when Allah is speaking to us.

We all have Allah's voice in us, even as little kids. When we kids misbehave; we may ask, is Allah happy with this? From birth on, we have Allah's voice in our hearts, and our conscience is one of the names for this. The latest message from our Shaykh Taner is that conscience is when Allah's voice speaks to us, as the part of us that is telling the truth. It points out that we are always connected. When we think about all our different life situations, it is when our conscience speaks very loudly.

And those of us that say, 'I do Rabita, but I don't hear Allah's voice!' We must remember that Allah is As-Sami and Al-Basir and answers prayers. Allah hears, Allah sees, and He answers all of our prayers. It is us that needs to remove the veils from our seeing and hearing so that we can perceive Allah! This is what necessitated a focus on how to perform Rabita, the importance of it, because how are we to connect and devote ourselves to Allah without it? We are not doing anything that is outside of the Qur'an. However, she added that there is not one way to connect because Allah has created us each in a particular way. In the "Aqim es-Salat" book, we talk about connecting to Allah through Zikr / Dhikr (Divine remembrance) always, prayers / dua'a where we are sincerely talking to Allah and acknowledging Him as our God. Dua'a are powerful too! As our Nabi's SAW emotive "Prayer of Light."

#2. We just passed the sad and dramatic passing of Irani President Raisi in a helicopter accident. I was not only born in Iran, but President Raisi was beloved amongst the working class people of Iran and actively supporting Palestine during this horrendous time! We lived amongst many of the working class and Iranian villagers who have hearts of gold 💛 They wouldn't wash their veggies that they grew and often come to your Nana and Nanu with stomach issues. But we were often gifted with scrumptious food and produce from their gardens out of their endearing gratitude!

Above: President Raisi's funeral proceedings in Iran, as emotive as the Shia commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and lot (may Allah be pleased with all of them) in Karbala.

I was reflecting with your Aunties how interesting it is that I have been exposed to traditional systems and modern systems amongst mankind. I appreciate some aspects of both and belong to neither! I choose our Shaykh Taner's identified Allahistan! Allah please forgive and bless everyone in our spiritual chain, especially my humourous introduction to it through Shaykh Taner, and guide Anne as our worldly representative!

#3. Khalifa Rubina this week focused on Surah Yasin of the Qur'an. She made me realise why it's considered the heart of the Qur'an. This late into my journey of Islam and through Sufism, nogal - colloquially speaking - or for Pete's sake! I am guilty of approaching the Qur'an with my arrogant preconceptions: Ya Gafoor Ya Afu (Seeking Divine forgiveness for my past misgiving.) Allah of course is the greatest Poet, if in its verses He can succinctly proclaim of His powerful ability, Kun faya kun (Be, and it is!)

Surah Yasin, like Surah Fatiha, is a common Surah that we've grown up with. Recited during times of death, and Nabi SAW identified it as the heart of the Qur'an. It is because all the tenets of Islam are in Surah Yasin as the Surah of guidance. It is a reminder of Nabi SAW as our messenger, the Qur'an being revealed by Allah, and all the aspects of us understanding our relationship with Allah. The other reminder is what Shaykh Taner spoke extensively about in Surah Yasin. We use the first 12 verses for spiritual, mental, and emotional cleansing. Shaykh Taner and Shaykha Muzeyyen Ansari have noted this in the healing book below. A message throughout Surah Yasin is guidance and the beautiful understanding of "qalb" as the heart that is to turn. The understanding and contemplating on Surah Yasin helps us to repeatedly turn to Allah. Our purpose is to be khalifa (representatives) of Allah by turning to Him repeatedly. Therefore, working with and connecting to our hearts is what we are striving for Insha'Allah! May we be people of "Qalbun Saleem" possessing spiritual hearts that Allah is pleased with.

The Surah of the Qur'an that begin with Arabic letters, Shaykh Taner explains are secret codes of the Qur'an to ensure that it is protected. You can learn more from different mufassireen (scholars who interpret Qur'an and hadith). Another understanding is that it is another name for our Nabi SAW. "Seen" is the letter that appears in "insaan" as human beings, implying that Nabi SAW was the most perfect representation. Nabi SAW is described as the best character and example. These first 12 verses are recommended to read daily and the intent is for all-round cleansing. With that we can recite 3 Surah Ikhlas, 1 Surah Falaq, 1 Surah Nas and Aytul Qursi. This is shared with us in the book "Alternative Healing: The Sufi Way"

In conclusion, Shukran Ya Allah that your Ammu can be a multitasking researcher because she noted what you reflected during Silat class last night!:

"Kiddy feedback:

Why was Guru @⁨Rennie S⁩ talking to me (us) so often? 😇

Were we the first kids to join Silat? 🤷🏽‍♀️

I can't wait to show my friends my new Silat moves! 🤭

@⁨~Gasan⁩ looks so strong 😉💪

It's fun that the moves have a story 🐟 @⁨Ilana⁩ (Your breakdown of the moves and dance was magic!)

Gratitude for such an endearing welcome to the "Silaties", as their dad calls them 💓🙏"

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

Joy To The World

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:8-14NIV

For myself, my family plus most of our acquaintances, it’s too late to bring us into woke thinking. Unilaterally we understand Psalm. 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” There is no better lifestyle available on earth than trusting and serving Jesus.

The angels were correct. When they said, “good news that will cause great joy.” Joy strengthens and encourages. Over the course of history, more songs have been written, more joy has been given to those who know Jesus intimately.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, had her own take on joy. Luke 1:46-47NIV “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” Then she proceeded to explain why she was joyful….. V49-54NIV “for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Do you see how prophetic Mary’s words were? Throughout the centuries of time all of these things have been done, bringing joy to all of the recipients of His mercy and goodness. His help to the helpless against bad government has even extended to our day.

Barney Warren penned the song, Joy Unspeakable: ‘It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Full of glory, full of glory. It is joy unspeakable and full of glory; O the half has never yet been told!’

Ponder the words of this non-Christmas song a moment. Joy Unspeakable? Why does the birth of this Babe give such joy? Look further at what Jesus’s coming did for us. His arrival removed the power of sins, blessed the poor while casting down the rich: taken down evil rulers. He will rule with truth and grace. Not a code of rules and impossible demands.

At the birth of one tiny little baby, the entire history of mankind changed. Love came to earth, not rules and regulations, but intimate love and fellowship. The angels said His birth would bring GREAT JOY! Nothing but Jesus can bring joy to the world, contentment, peace and love. If you do not know Jesus personally, as you celebrate His birthday, please, invite Him into your heart as a permanent resident. Then you can know JOY for yourself. Will you accept Jesus and rejoice in His free gifts of love and joy? It’s your choice. You choose.

PRAYER: Precious Almighty God, I choose His joy. Papa please help everyone to find JOY in Jesus as they celebrate this year, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2024 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.

[maguro13-2]

Shattered Hero ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Episode Maka Pt.20 (2/2)

[Crisis City (Whirlwind Ver.) - Tomoya Ohtani]

Grim : Everyone, triple boost immediately!

Maka and Moirai : Roger!

(the three does a triple boost)

*BOOST!*

Maka : So grim! What are we exactly running at mach speed?

Moirai : Yeah, what does it have to do mach speed!?

Grim : There's only one thing's for sure in this dystopian city. And I have one very important phrase ask yourselves.

Maka : Oh I see. The reason why were running at mach speed because...(Gary meows) That's right! That Tornado behind us is carrying a car!

Moirai : I was hoping that you were going to say it!

Grim : I really had enough of these Tornado Jokes. Can't a blue hedgehog say his line before chased by anything?

"10 minutes later..."

Maka : The Tornado is still carrying car.

Moirai & Grim : Shut it, Maka!

Moirai : This is going to take forever to get there!

"10 more minutes later..."

Maka : So, are we still running from the tornado?

Moirai : Quite so.

"10 times more minutes later..."

Maka : *panting* I need a break from running behind that tornado!

Moirai : Yeah, you were right about that. We need a break from mach speed.

Maka : So any news on where in the heck are we?

Moirai : So yeah, this is where the database is here and technology remains here inside this place.

Maka : Doesn't seems to be any technology around here...Huh? That light coming from that room. You think there might be some monitor or something?

Moirai :[quietly] Quiet, and keep your voice down!

Silver : So, umm, do I even to believe that you're the son of Amaterasu, second son of the first pillar?

Mephiles : Correct? So what do I have something in common for the creation of Destroyer of life. I assume that you would be gradually helping me out on taking out the target that is the Iblis Trigger. You hardly understand that Shinra is the father of me. That poor old fool! He'll be such a drag when he finds out the real world we'll be in the palm of my hands for the sweet taste of revenge!

Silver : Then I'll do it! And to make sure about that, I forgot to get a happy presidents day card in Virginia!

*ZAP!*

Moirai : So that was Mephiles alright. What was he planning on destroying the...these drawings and pictures. These are part of his grand plan of genocide...death and destruction that he craved for. Was this a gift for avenging his mother to go against Shinra's transgressions? My god! So let me explain to this on the drawings he did when he was little. Obviously for Amaterasu aka the first pillar and Spectral woman, she gave birth to the god of time known as Mobian Sun God Solaris 1000 years before the Time Eater arrived in the Ohkuboverse, in which a science project called the Solaris Project led to the birth of two of her sons Mephiles and Iblis. The men of influence must've kept them hidden their selves with secrecy till the Mad scientist himself started the attack during the sun festival.

Maka : Now we finally collecting the pieces together. Amaterasu gave birth to Solaris, then it gave birth to the two of her sons first. Second ; was that Iblis was sealed inside Elise and Mephiles sealed inside the scepter of Darkness. And 10 after that, the Mad scientist begans an attack on Soleanna and started the Solaris Incident.

Grim : Thus, Sonic 06 the worst game existed in all of mankind.

Moirai : How did you know about that?

Grim : Because...

*flashback*

Sonic : Grim! Why didn't you tell me that Sonic 06 was gonna be bad from the start! So it wasn't Yuji Naka that hadn't been to blame? So who did he blame?

Hibana : Sonic!

Sonic : Kunoichi star Hibana!

Hibana : You! Your co-creator put the blame on Shinobi's creator! And now thanks to you, Sonic 06 has officially becoming your worst nightmare and the developers work so hard that Yuji Naka would put his reputation on the game, but then he left and Shinobi producer had to go make everyone rushed it's development.

Beat : Yeah! It's all Sega's fault their creator has left the company! The same goes to us, the Sega stars! What about our reputations! We have got those you know!

Sonic : If you really think that I would ever save a human princess thinking it's a mix species couple thing from beauty and beast, consider that for ruining my life! My life is over! (runs away and cries)

Karen Erra : Mr. Sonic! Come back! I thought that...2006 would've been a great for you.

*flashback ends*

Grim : Now I finally remember. 2006 was the year that it was company's biggest mistake that it ever happened to Sonic. Where did this years went wrong? And I was hoping that Pluto considered to be a planet. But thanks to science, Pluto's reputation was far from over. Now I understand why the 06 has became a horrible year for Sonic, bad things happened. Eggman Nega might be on the loose. But there's more information on the computer. Take a look.

Moirai Albarn : Oh my God! Princess Elise and Dr. Ivo Robotnik passed away in the explosion of his newly battleship, quite known as Egg Carrier 06. How did two people and a bunch of robots went aboard on the battleship that exploded?

Grim : It's all because one thing that in that kind of theory Shadow. Maybe this was all part of the Solaris incident because of conspiracies and theories that are happening over Sonic's world. If this this hadn't been for the ancients' migration on Mobius, the Miracle Planet would have the Time Stones to cleanup Amaterasu's mess.

[Deadlock - Fumie Kumatani]

Maka : Mephiles knew that all along. Homura exactly knew that he was doing all of that. So what if the Solaris Project was just a start of the incident? Why would Homura be enstruted if she doesn't knows about her family, is she creation of Drawcia as well? A part human and part witch or something.

Grim : She wasn't a witch. She was a creation of Drawcia, the witch world, Walpurgisnacht, It was all part of the grand plan of the Drawcia Family ages ago. Homura Akemi, the girl in the year 11 is the only relative who has the powers to control time and space, and she could easily rewrite another universe!

Maka Albarn : What difference that it matters. If Homura Akemi was the only girl that has ever used Time Traveling powers, could she be a relative to the Time Eater, the same one that destroyed half of the ohkuboverse 1000 years ago?

Moirai Albarn : Yes, sister. The Time Eater might be the same as Mephiles, but it's also a relative to Homura Akemi, who has the same power as the entity does! Her powers will might work if the Time Stones would be in order!

(Sonic CD SFX : Time Warp)

Moirai Albarn : Ahh! That light!

Maka Albarn : Could that be the Time Eater?!

[Forth into the Black - Jun Senoue]

Maka Albarn : What's going on? Who is that?

Moirai Albarn : Mai Thi Hoang! Mabuki from Soul World! Are you here to time travel with us in the part of this incident that was spreading? Wait a minute, you're not Mai Thi Hoang. Where is she? What on earth did you--

Homura Akemi : The girl named Mai Thi Hoang is safe and cured, she's fine from Erazor Djinn's control. But I am not that Mai Thi Hoang and best be sured that you will cooperate in the grand plan of fixing time and history.

Maka Albarn : So what do you want us before?

Homura Akemi : 2006. This is year, I am going to clean up the mess to this entire incident caused by Solaris. With the pseudo god of time collapsed by three hedgehogs, I will clear up all of the evidence and fix this year's greatest mistake. And do not even forget my introduction.

Maka Albarn : So you got a name to introduce your self.

Homura Akemi : Homura Akemi, I time traveled to fix up the mess caused by conspiracings and theories happened from the Solaris Incident. The incident that happened when Sonic 06 existed. I'm looking for Solaris the Flame of Hope, before the Time Eater does.

Maka Albarn : Wait, the Time Eater?

Homura Akemi : Yes, the Time Eater. The Time Traveling entity and destroyer of all universes, who happens to be my father.

Maka Albarn : What! The Time Eater's your....Father!?

*Buzzing*

Voice : Transmission Interrupted.

~ Act 20.5 : Mother of Flame and Darkness Pt.2 ~

[almaqead]

"The Bones of a Donkey." From Surah 2, Al Baqarah, "the Heifer."

Al Baqarah was written by Muhammad between the 11th and 13th Centuries in Syria. All verses in the Holy Quran were written by Muhammad under the guidance of the Spirit of God with the help of His Angels. This perplexing section of Baqarah, which explains Masjid is heavily influenced by Judaism, where it is called Mashiach.

The terms one hundred years and a day and a part of a day are likened by Allah to be the same increment of time. The parable refers to how much and how little time changes us.

Our flesh does not change. Humankind has always needed water, grain, clement temperatures, disease freedom, imperviousness to the causes of war. In our minds, we have must change. Any threat to the flesh in the mind has to change.

In Judaism, this change of mind is always revered in the form of a donkey, which has the magical significance of the Messiah.

In order to properly understand the words Allah spake to His Prophet in Syria 700 years ago, I will use the Gematria, a way of translating Hebrew on the passages. This will reveal the real prophecies hidden underneath, a gift of God to people who believe in the Quran:

2:259:

Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin.

He said, "How will Allah bring this to life after its death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him.

He said, "How long have you remained?" The man said, "I have remained a day or part of a day."

He said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time.

And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people.

And look at the bones [of this donkey] - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh."

And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allah is over all things competent."

Commentary:

As with many passages in the Torah, there are 7 "shells" to this section of the Quran. I will reveal the Numbers for each below:

259.1: Towns are persons. They consist of the thought communities within each. There is a saying from the Torah, "one person does not a party make." An unhappy town is a man who is alone.

The Value in Gematria is 5902, הט אֶפֶסב‎, het Ephesus "the Town is burning behind us."

259.2: the Value in Gematria is 6596, לוטו‎‎‎, the lotto. Quranic references to the Lottery are found here:

(2:219) They ask you about wine and games of chance. Say: “In both these there is great evil, even though there is some benefit for people, but their evil is greater than their benefit.”

5: 90-91:

 "O you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows are an abomination of Satan's handiwork: Eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper."

= Mankind is not allowed to gamble regarding its future prospects and expect God to supply us with more time to waste.

259.3: the Value in Gematria is 5154, האהד‎ "the Sympathizer."

Muhammad had a dear friend named Zayd ibn Harithah, whose wife married Muhammad. Muhammad raised her sons as his own. God tells Muhammad to sympathize with her and to fight the people on her behalf as looking after her and her sons was His Direct Order:

From 33:37:

"(Remember) when you (O Prophet,) were saying to the one who was favored by Allah and favored by you, “Keep your wife to your self, and fear Allah.”

And you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal, and you were fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you.

So, when Zaid finished his desire for her, We gave her into your marriage, so that there may not be a problem for the believers in marrying wives of their adopted sons, when they finish their desire for them; and Allah’s decree had to be enforced."

This is why Muhammad is called "the Sympathizer". The implications of the Prophet's behavior to the success of Masjid, "the Refuge Town" are clear.

259.4: the Value in Gematria is 6557, מה‎זה‎‎ "What is this?"

=Al Fatihah and the elements contained in the Qiblah, which leads to Mecca and Haram, are the food that do not change. We change, the foodstuffs do not change. The knowledge contained in the Torah is also referred to as various kinds of food.

259.5: the Value in Gematria is 4706, דזאֶפֶס‎ו‎, dezapesu, "understand the meaning of the peace inside you" = Refuge belongs to everyone.

"The second personal pronoun συ (su) or σοι (soi), means you.

Whether that notice has any substance to it is for all to guess at, but it would correspond with the function of the English language that relates some indefinite "other guy" to the word body: anybody, somebody.

Note also that the verb σωζω (sozo), to save, comes from the adjective σως (sos), meaning safe, whereas the word σος (sos) is the possessive adjective of the second person plural: yours, which indeed derives from the second personal pronoun συ (su). In fact, the Greek σω- root yields quite an array of words that have to do with wholeness.

Another so- word of unclear pedigree describes the familiar concept of σοφια (sophia), commonly translated with "wisdom".

Those at a loss for wisdom will confuse it with the pursuit of knowledge or perhaps even that of truth, but those in command of it know that sophia pursues convention: sophia explores ways to accomplish agreement between parties without demanding that they compromise their integrity or curb their concerns.

This obviously goes hand in hand with understanding the laws of nature, which in turn starts with respect for the Creator (ROMANS 1:20, Proverbs 9:10).

Better yet: natural law is not at all alike human law; it's not a set of rules that is established somewhere separate from the world it is to govern, but much rather a statistical expression of the behavior that all separate elements in their freedom "chose" to pursue.

Natural law, quite literally, is most alike language, that naturally forms from the cooling chaos of wild interactions and collisions, into a system of rules that folks may reject at will or accept at will.

Those who reject the rules of language will stay mute, misunderstood and bound by darkness. Those who accept the rules of language will achieve freedom-of-speech, a union of minds and true spirituality. It's this same kind of freedom-by-law (ελευθερια eleutheria) that Muhammad says is the purpose of the Religion."

259.6 : the Value in Gematria is 6769, ו‎ז‎וט‎‎, "And Zot" "This One is..."

The demonstrative pronoun and adverb זה (zeh) or זו (zo) or זאת (zo't; feminine), meaning that or which, happens in various but comparable forms all over the Semitic language area. It probably has nothing to do with the root זהה (zhh).

Although it looks related, the similarity is coincidental; our particle is an expanded form of what in antiquity was probably just the letter ז (zayin).

259.7: the Value in Gematria is 4466, דד‎‎וו‎ , dedwo, "the transition to all loved ones hooked together."

The particle δε (de) indicates a mild objection or simple transition and can sometimes be translated with "but" or "indeed, but" or "also". More often, however, it carries the mere force of a sentence's natural progression and as a result leaves little to be translated in English.

The masculine noun דוד (dod), meaning beloved or loved one (Song of Solomon 1:13, Isaiah 5:1).

The particle ו (waw) is the most occurring verbal unit in the Bible. Its name means peg or hook and its shape resembles one, and its job is to tie words, statements and sentences together.

We cannot leave the Town burning behind us, nor can we leave many bastard sons or abandoned children. Refuge is a human right, conferred by God upon all of us by the hymns of the Righteous, not at the whims of the wicked.

Refuge is a natural law for us, we need it to survive like a tree needs soil, water, the sun, and pollinators. We need these and we need stellar international cooperation.

This, the Quran and the Torah say begin when we become even more bound to each other than just by natural law but willingly. To convince us and save our lives for better times are the reasons He gave us the Prophet and the Quran.

We are performing this Dua around the globe in order to complete one cycle of Tawaf, One day and One Half of the study of the Quran. Then come's Muhammad's Prayer at the end of the Quran and the Tawaf called a Khatimah, the "closing", which is actually the onset of Masjid.

And now that we know Allah and the God of Israel are surely one and the same, building the momentum and unity for the Khatimah, the Closing Door on the Era of Agony should not be too arduous a task.

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

And besides, it is unchristian. You don’t believe that? Then read Hebrews 8:13:  “When God speaks of “A new covenant,” He makes the first one obsolete. And whatever is becoming obsolete (out of use, annulled) and growing old is ready to disappear.”

The ten commandments are poart of the Old Covenant. Christians don’t live by the commandmands of the Old Covenant but by the Grace of the New Covenant, as  Ephesians 2:7 f. declares: “ …in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast …“ Bringing Christians back under the law, ios called a heresy by the New Testament, see the Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians (chapter5, 7 ff.):

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.  “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. v Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision (= the law), why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! Life by the Spirit  You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

So the New Testament makes it crystal clear, that bringing people back under the Old Testament Law is completely contrary to the Message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and must be called, what it is: antichristian. If these people really wanted to promote the Christian Faith, they would have ordered John 3:16 to be displayed: " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Because THIS is the most liberating and inclusive message mankind will ever get.

James Talarico is the perfect spokesperson to explain religion and government, and how Republicans are deeply un-Christian.

#TenCommandments #Texas

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for December 7, 2023  

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 30:1-4 (KJV): 1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2 Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom nor know the holy. 4 Who hath ascended into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Proverbs 30:1-4 (AMP): 1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa: The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel, and Ucal: 2 Surely I am too brutish and stupid to be called a man, and I have not the understanding of a man (for all my secular learning is as nothing). 3 I have not learned skillful and godly Wisdom, that I should have the knowledge or burden of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know?

Thought for the Day

Chapter 30 was not written by Solomon but by Agur. Solomon, respecting Agur's observations, may have included them in his book, or Hezekiah's scribes might have done so two centuries later. However, the words of Agur came to be added to Solomon's proverbs, and we know that they were written and included by the Holy Spirit's inspiration.

Verses 1-3 - Little is known of Agur. This chapter records his words to Ithiel and Ucal, who had come to him to learn wisdom. In response, Agur humbled himself. Rather than boast of being a great man of learning, he confessed his ignorance; knowing that all he had learned of God was nothing compared to what there was to know. His confession brings to mind Elihu's words in the Book of Job. Like Agur, Elihu was able to correctly assess his knowledge. These men humbly regarded their own understanding and secular education as nothing, and acknowledged the incomparable greatness of God's wisdom. Elihu knew that neither having great authority nor old age guarantees that a man has good judgment or wisdom because truth and understanding come from God (Job 32:8-9).

Verse 4 - Agur asks five rhetorical questions that reveal his faith. He describes God as having gathered the wind in His fists, having bound the waters in His garments, and having established the ends of the earth. This reveals the wisdom and power of God, the Ruler of all! In Agur's day, the answer to his first and fifth questions was still hidden. The answer to them both, is "...What is His Son's name, if you know?" and "Who hath ascended into heaven, or descended?" is Jesus Christ (1 John 3:13-15). "...When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things) ...And no man hath ascended to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (Ephesians 4:8-10,13).

When Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, He then was in the grave and hell (or Sheol; the place of the dead), for three days and three nights, before he ascended to heaven. He took all those who were held captive in paradise with Him to heaven above. (Those Old Testament saints who walked in faith were kept in paradise until Jesus paid the price for their sins on the cross. Paradise was a compartment in the lower regions of hell. "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:31-33). Jesus "led captivity captive," which was to lead them out of that place into heaven with Him, after He rose from the dead.) Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection made a way for all since then who repent and believe in Christ to follow Him to heaven also.

Agur's questions, written hundreds of years before Christ, foreshadowed this fuller revelation of God. They were indeed prophetic questions!

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, we worship You as the Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth! May we, as Your children, always keep an attitude of being meek and lowly before Your throne. Lord, if we have any wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, it is because You have enlightened us. I thank You for Your gift of Jesus to us, so that we do not have to go to hell and can now have our home in heaven with You. I am eternally grateful for Your love and sacrifice. It makes me ask the question David asked, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" I praise You for crowning us with Your glory and honor because of Jesus. Amen.

From: Steven P. Miller @ParkermillerQ,  gatekeeperwatchman.org Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups, Thursday, December 7, 2023, Jacksonville, Florida., USA.  X ... @ParkermillerQ #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

[god-whispers]

apr 3

get as close and stay as close

"so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." acts 17:27

do you want to know where the "inner sanctum" is?  it is in His presence and it is within you.  moses cried out to the Lord, "if Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." exo 33:15  do you know what it means to be cut off from God's presence?  just look around at the horrible things done today.  then multiply it a thousand times; horrors and evil unimaginable.  after all, "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." james 1:17  just try to imagine a world with no goodness in it, no kindness, no love.

yes, one might well call it hell.  the great tragedy of it all, hell was not made for mankind.  it was made for the rebellious satan and angels that followed.  hell had to enlarge itself to accommodate all those who reject the great gift of grace purchased by the blood of Jesus.  "for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 cor 5:21

"if the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success." eccl 10:10  we have to use more strength when we depend on ourselves.  all our persuasion and pursuit is wasted effort.  the word of God can pierce places we never could.  "for the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." heb 4:14

i have an uncle that i love dearly.  if i'm as old as i am, then just imagine how old he is.  he has not confessed Jesus as his Lord savior.  now the sands of time flow swiftly through the hourglass.  talk and persuasion has not gotten the job done.  the Holy Spirit must now touch him in ways i cannot.  i feel such an urgency for him.  in fact, i'm feeling a sense of urgency for us all.  even now as we are feeling the full emergence of spring, i am feeling a change of seasons in the spirit.  things which must be done, must be done now.

i don't know how things are affecting you now, but i know how they are affecting me.  i can no longer watch the television shows i used to tune in regularly.  the Holy Spirit in me is uncomfortable with all the ideology they are trying to indoctrinate us with.  all i can say is, "if the Holy Spirit is not comfortable somewhere, neither am i."

i would cry out like king david, "take not your Holy Spirit from me."  grieving Him would be the last thing i want to do.  it is He who chastens me when needed, comforts me when i hurt and ushers me into the very Presence - the holy of holies.  the ways of satan, once subtle are now blatant.  it has taken years but slowly and surely, our morals have been eaten away.  little by little the unthinkable has become the norm.  even heathen countries are displaying more morality than america is now.  the innocence i knew as a child will never be known by this generation.

"not that i have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but i actively press on so that i may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own.  brothers and sisters, i do not consider that i have made it my own yet; but one thing i do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, i press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." phil 3:12-14 amp

like the apostle paul, whatever loss i have suffered in life, i count it as rubbish as compared to what i have gained in Christ Jesus.  why?  that i may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."  i want each of you to know Him that way too.  His grace is not in short supply.  come and drink freely of the word of life.