#startlistening

[killdeathratio]

Here's something that drives me crazy. Christians LOVE to use the argument of "nature" and "the way God intended" to justify their homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, etc. It's their go-to. Now dont get me wrong, I'm a Deist; I believe in God, but I believe that they are kind of like my mother, they only show up when it's too late. So, if Christians can't let out their deep dark secret of why they themselves hate or fear it so much, why not hide behind the façade of their deity's will for humanity and order of the universe? Nature should prove the true will of God, right?

Sure! That's why earthworms are asexual and agender, right? That's why the female species of a lot of insects have the body parts we visually consider to be male, but are still identified as females? Or why a lot of insect and animal systems are run by the females, while the males are simply used to reproduce, and are left to die once their purpose has been fulfilled? Why birds mating processes almost always depend on whether the males earn the respect of the female and get her permission to be her mating partner? Or maybe, it's why some species can have both the male and female reproductive organs, in order to procreate. Christians are right. Nature is quite literally screaming in our faces, and we're ignoring it. We're animals too, no matter how sophisticated we've adapted to become. We're part of nature. And we are mimicking everything that Earth has already established as good and right. So why are we ignoring it?

[sliceoflife-stories-blog]

Get ready to join us for Season 10!

#NewEpisodes #TuneIn #SeasonOpening #ListenUp #MustListen #NewSeason #NewSeasonIsComing #StartListening #JoinUs #StayTuned #HelloNewSeason #NewSeasonLaunch #PodcastLove #PodcastAddict #Podcasts #Podcasting #Podcaster #Podcasters #PodcastLife #PodcastNetwork #PodcastSeries #PodcastEpisode #PodcastListening #Youtuber #StoryTime #ITunes #ListenNow #Season10 #GetReady #ListenUp

[the-ambitious-student]

A calling . . .

It is funny how we are certain what our path is, and then God comes in and tells us he is going to change our direction. I personally have tried the college path more than once and failed. I had myself psyched out that I was not college material for the longest time. I had actually given up the idea of ever obtaining my degree. God said, don't give up because I am not done with you yet. That is when he put Full Sail University directly in the middle of my path. I am a firm believer, that God used Full Sail as a tool to prove to me that the very thought I had been saying to myself for so long was simply not true.

For the last 7 months I have been pursuing a Sports Marketing degree at Full Sail University. I could not be more thankful for the professors, classmates and student liaison staff at Full Sail University. They have helped me achieve a 4.0 GPA through hard work, adversity and there may or may not have been a conversation with the Lord mixed in there. I was just getting ready to start storytelling in marketing class when God put something on my heart.

I was not sure what to do with the feeling he put on my heart. So I did what any normal person would do, I prayed. Then, I prayed some more. I started making it a point to listen extra hard for God's voice on what he wanted me to do. I started going with my son every Sunday morning and sharing coffee with him. We talked about our struggles, and the things that were challenging us. It turned out to be one of the best things we had ever done. It is funny, when we truly start listening, I mean really listening to God, his voice is so loud.

Be careful when you ask God for an answer, because he is surely to answer. Psalm 37:4-5 says "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." So that is exactly what I did. I cannot tell you how I feel when I talk about my God and make him the center point. It is a feeling like no other and if you ever want to share it with me, then you can drop me a line any time. I have started putting a daily scripture out on my social media platforms to try and get God's word out on the platform I have. I feel like for the first time in a long time, I know the direction that I am supposed to be going.

That being said, I am working on transferring to Grand Canyon University to get my Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies with an emphasis on youth leadership. It looks like all my credits are going to transfer to the new school and GCU is going to let me do the program with alternating core classes and classes with my major. We are in a time now where we need God in our hearts more than ever. The media out there wants us to be divided, but God wants us to pull together to be the body of Christ. I am not expecting this to be an easy path. In fact, I believe it will be quite the opposite. It will be a challenge both in my academics and my personal life. I say that, because when you start making Jesus Christ the center of your mind and the cornerstone of your decisions, the enemy tends to get stirred up and do whatever he can do to try and make you fail. But MY GOD is bigger than that. MY GOD is up to any challenge that the enemy can come up with. MY GOD didn't call me to this challenge to watch me fall on my face. He will be the light on my path when it gets dark and the strength to lift me up when I get tired.

Do yourself a favor today and make it a point to start listening for God's voice. I promise you, he will be there. Make it a point to start being a positive beacon in a world that is full of negativity. Start telling people how God has changed your life and how he makes you feel if that is the case. As usual, go out there and be a blessing to someone today. We are all part of the same body. Now is the time for us to start working together.

[amitpatels]

Simplify your life! Everybody is so busy. Everybody is got a lot of things to do. Someone wants to start a business. Another one wants to become a successful entrepreneur. Few people want to become solopreneurs. Almost everybody thinks that they want money. And everything they do. All action they take is in the direction of getting that money. But we don't actually have a lot of things to do. If we are clear about our needs. How much money do we want? Not much really. We just need to know what makes us happy in life. We need our priorities to be clear. We need to know who we are and what we really want. When we understand who we are and what we really want, we will be doing things that make us happy. That is what it means to simplify our life. So go ahead and simplify your life. That is what will bring you happiness. Happiness is a by-product of everything we do. When we do the right thing we become happy. When we do the wrong thing we become unhappy. So, don't chase happiness, instead, find what makes you happy and then do it. Simplify your life! Follow 👉 @aekmitpatel If you want to become an entrepreneur then watch the video at 👉 bit.ly/startun Share this with someone who is facing a happiness crisis in their life. Someone who is chasing happiness but becoming miserable by the day. Share it for simple ideas can create a lifelong change and bring happiness to someone's life #everybodyhappy #businessworld #businesslife #entrepreneurial #entrepreneurquotes #solopreneur #solopreneurs #solopreneurlife #startliving #startlife #startlearning #startlistening #lifeprocess #lifeline #lifehack https://www.instagram.com/p/BnC8WVSHCO-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1joekv99kr5zo

[themeobsession]

TONY NOMINEE LAUREN RIDLOFF 💫 / So proud - finish the last few shows with a bang! #startlistening #laurenridloff #broadway #childrenofalessergod #deaf (at Studio 54 Theatre)

[spidk]

Rest in Peace Kate Spade! Your life's work has impacted the fashion world in the most important ways. Sunrise 12/24/62 Sunset 6/5/18 #RIP #SIP #onlythegooddieyoung #gonetoosoon #depressionawareness #depressionisreal #stopjudgingothers #startlistening #reachout #talkitout #livebeautifullyeveryday Call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to everyone. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend’s social media updates or dial 911 in an emergency.

[seethreepio]

Finally get to see Children of a Lesser God! Congrats to this fabulous cast! #startlistening #childrenofalessergod #miriamseesaplay (at Studio 54 Theatre)

[angelyuji]

Hi can I request a yandere JJ with yandere spencer with a younger non BAU reader who they try to make dependent on them for comfort and safety

ellooo okay so jeid is not my favorite ship like… at all, so i’ll write two separate headcanons about them <3 sorry babe

tw // manipulation, yandere behavior, mentions of home invasion, mental torture, bad grammar and spelling, conditioning

JJ

jjs pretty normal

she’s almost the type to want to be taken care of and not the other way around

but she can be very touch-starved.

 …you are not

when you first started dating, she hung on to you almost to the point where it’s overbearing

you tried to get her to give you some space, but she didn’t really react well to that

“do you hate me? why do you keep moving away? should i leave?”

nothing worked and she needed you to love her as much as she loved you

so she put a plan into place with help of the bau

with their help, a “criminal” would break into your home and she comes and saves you.

easy peasy lemon squeezy

and it works

you stay at her house in shock

and as u stay, she convinces you that shes the only one that can protect u

and you believe her, of course, she saved your life.

soon u startlistening and depending on her for everything

Spencer

spencer is so touch-starved omg baby just wants to be held

in my mind, spencer is not patient. he has a little but not enough

if youre dating, he’ll be so clingly omg

no matter what youre doing, his hands must be on you

he tries to convince you to move into his apartment too

but youre independent and u have a life that you can’t just drop for him

like i said, spencer isn’t patient

one day, you’ll go over to spencers for a date

and instead end up locked in a dark, empty room.

no matter how much you scream and shout for spencer to let you out,

he wont do anything till the weekend has passed and you’ve quieted down

then when he lets you out, youll be complacent for him to do anything

he knows that all you’ll do his cling to him and hope he won’t lock you in the room again

sorry that this is a lot shorter, hope you enjoyed :) i wrote this a lot differently than i wanted and i didn’t really know what to write for jj, but nevertheless i hope you enjoyed <3 thanks for reading

[speechino]

#ChildlrenOfALesserGod 05-05-2018 @LesserGodBway #Studio54 #StartListening #Broadway #matinee #revival (at Studio 54)

[gregcooperspencer]

Promo for Broadway show Children of a Lesser God thank you @caitlinmcnaney @broadwaycom @dan_does_hair #startlistening #lessergodbway #gregthegroomer #roi #joshuajackson (at Studio 54 Theatre)

[kaylluminati71]

🧘🏿‍♂️ You have 2 ears and 1 mouth. Listen twice as hard and talk less. If we listened to each other instead of talking over each other problems would be solved. 🕉☯️ #namaste #buddhism #tuesdaymotivation #wisdom #startlistening

[090811solost]

A real and true friend is someone you can go to with anything without fear of judgement! If you fear judgement from a friend then they are NOT your friend!! Remember this people, If you have a friend that feels they can't or don't come to you about ANYTHING & EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THEIR EMOTIONAL STATE, YOU ARE NOT A FRIEND!! Being a Homeboy or Homegirl is NOT enough, YOU NEED TO BE A REAL FRIEND!! It makes me sick to my stomach knowing that so many lives have been lost to suicide, all because they feel trapped, alone, scared and CAN'T show it due to the JUDGEMENT their SUPPOSED FRIENDS will pass!! Take a good look in the mirror people, How many if you have something that bothers you daily, yet you have no one to talk to in fear of judgement, so in turn you judge others!!! WAKE UP!! You are killing each other by not being there for one another!! If you have a friend or family member who you have lost to suicide, it is NOT only their fault they are gone, it is ALL if you who choose not to listen, who choose to judge, who choose not to help!! Don't cry poor you for loosing them, cry poor them for NOT being there for them!! #suicideprevention #suicideawareness #everylifematters #weareallsomeoneschild #stopjudging #startlistening

[dreamslaymakeup-blog]

Lil treat to me from me #beats #beatsep #headphones #beatsbydre #mattblack #musictomyears #startlistening

[themeobsession]

@laurenridloff did amazing in her performance for Children of a Lesser God! ❤️❤️❤️ #startlistening #broadway (at Studio 54 Theatre)

[belizedeservesbetter]

There is a Good Way To Direct Children of a Lesser God

But this is not it

The music was just terrible. 

There was music that played at certain points and it was just awful. Silly Love Songs popped up twice. Twice. And it was so jarring. And then there’d be random mood music that was oddly intense? Which also didn’t make sense to me because half the actors in the play are deaf/it is a play about deafness so why add more sound than there already is? 

Anyways.

Kenny Leon pretty much directed this exactly as it is written on the page. It was boring and kinda weird. It was almost like he handed each actor the script and told them to just do it as written. 

But the problem is, is the script still good? The play takes place inside the mind of James Leeds as he recounts falling in love and having a falling out with Sarah Norman. He works as a speech therapist at a school for the deaf and is frustrated by Sarah’s unwillingness to learn to lipread and speak. There aren’t any actual props or scenery in the play, just the miming of it a la Our Town, but because there’s one noticeable set piece and a few noticeable props, that doesn’t really work. It’s an all or nothing kind of thing. Likewise, the play is about James but James is insufferable. He’s the worst character in the play, and half the things he says in the play (which takes place in the 70s) would never fly today. 

Likewise, James literally repeats everything Sarah signs before speaking himself, which is so bad. It’s just writing and reminds me of the one sided telephone call parodied by John Mulaney and Nick Kroll in Oh, Hello because Sarah will sign something and James will say, “Oh you don’t like?” and then say whatever thought he has to add and then she’ll sign something back and it’ll be like, “But why do I do it? Because–” and you get the idea. 

I’ve taken to thinking of Children of a Lesser God not as a great play, but an interesting one. There are a lot of interesting ideas in this play, and a lot of great lines too, but not many of them are elaborated on in favor of James aimlessly wondering around. There is something super profound in this play that just needs to be found by a director who connects to this play at their very core. 

They used this cool thing that captioned the play and it would’ve been great if it stayed on time with the actors. Also, it didn’t caption any of Sarah’s signing. This would’ve been super helpful and they could’ve cut half of James’ lines, which are just reiterating what Sarah is signing, and kept the play moving along. It also let you know which lines the actors altered/skipped, which made me laugh. 

There was a weirdly noticeable rift between who was a good actor in this and who was bad. 

Anthony Edwards and Julee Creda were not good in this. Their acting was stiff and very “I’m in a play speaking my lines.” It was almost embarrassing to watch, actually, because there are so many good actors out there who could have easily played these parts. 

Kecia Lewis (who I loved in Marie and Rosetta), Treshelle Edmond (who I loved in Spring Awakening), John McGinty, and Lauren Ridloff were all wonderful. 

I do want to talk a bit about Lauren Ridloff as Sarah Norman especially though because she was excellent. She was so expressive and so emotional and so present throughout the entire show. We almost didn’t need Joshua Jackson’s James Leeds repeating all her lines out loud because we could tell exactly what she was saying through her emotions/beautifully expressive signing. 

Which leaves us with Joshua Jackson, who plays main character James Leeds, falling directly into that rift. Sometimes he was great. Sometimes he was bad. It really all depended on where in the show we were. He was great during all the emotional moments, but would suddenly be kinda terrible during other scenes. He was a mixed bag, and I wish we saw more of that consistent greatness from him. 

Like I said before, there is a good way to direct Children of a Lesser God. There is. There must be. I just don’t know what it is. 

We’ll end on the final image of the play, which is the hashtag #StartListening. Ending a play set in the 70s on a hashtag made my skin crawl. Ending any play on a hashtag would do the same thing. It took me right out of the play and made me remember that yes, theatre is a capitalistic venture. Yes, they’re going for publicity so they can make money. 

But I didn’t need to be reminded of it.