#the inherit intimacy of hand feeding someone you love

[purple-raspberries]

Appy slices 🍎

I like to think the neighbors sometimes come into Howdy’s shop and just hang around while he does other things. Like a cafe! Though, he’d probably tell them to leave at some point. But they may also leave on their own since Howdy’s such a chatterbox! Ha!

[koyurim]

hospital playlist 11

oh god, things are coming to a head here as we near the end. our cast is making big (relatively for the show) moves that shift the dynamics from something comfortable to something unknown. we have only one more episode left, how will i pass the time when this season is done airing?!

we find out that not one but TWO of our 99 crew are planning their departure! i’m distraught for what this means for the band and for their friendship (i love that jun-wan, the one most opposed to the band in the beginning, is like what about OUR BAND?). i’m sure that they’ll still all be tight since it’s been a while since they’ve all been together (given seok-hyeon returning from being abroad, them not working at the same hospital till now, etc), bUT it’s really different from having that comfort and ability to be close enough to drop by someone’s office to hang out. i think that at least one of our two will definitely be leaving (it feels like it would be too convenient for them to both figure things out in seoul by the end), but maybe season 2 will be song-hwa’s return from when she’s finished her year and her neck’s all better... HERE’S TO HOPING....

seok-hyeon’s going through a lot of mixed feelings with his father’s death. how must if feel when someone who hurt you a lot passes? plot wise, it feels really convenient that he passed before the divorce was processed since i am hoping that seok-hyeon will get some of the inheritance, but i could also see dad leaving a mess behind for seok-hyeon, mom, and the mistress to solve. we’ll find out next episode, but i love how much the rest care for him, they won’t even let him say nice things about the mistress’s baby. this is also the first episode we see 99 crew properly drunk, they’re always so responsible with drinking given that they might be called in at any moment, but i feel like jun-wan and jeong-wan really drank in solidarity with seok-hyeon’s grief/happiness/messy feelings. also, best resident min-ha made me LAUGH with less than a minute of screen time! she’s so cute and nervous! i wonder if they’ve interacted much since she confessed. 

jeong-wan’s plot is frustrating me at this point. i feel like we’ve been stuck for a while with the same dilemma, but no movement or growth. since his feelings with gyeol-ul and internal conflict are also not revealed to the viewers, it’s harder to figure out which way you want things to go for him. it’s nice that he’s finally starting to be kinder to gyeol-ul though, she deserves recognition for all her hard work and growth. congrats to her on her first surgery! i dont really care if him and gyeol-ul get together, i just want him to stick around for our crew and rosa! as a side note, i had no idea pediatric surgeons were so rare, jeong-wan, this definitely seems like the higher calling. 

jun-wan’s dealing with a whole bunch himself! he’s growing as a doctor, taking jae-hak’s advice in how to disseminate information to his patients’ family. (lol @ jae-hak slowly nudging him along and giving him cues as to when to say what) his investment in his patients really shows how these cases impact doctors, especially when he was like ‘i cant have a fever now!’ jun-wan! you’re human too! 

on the personal side of things, i’m delighted by how mature his relationship with ik-sun is. their conversations feel real and natural and they actually TELL each other things! in most drama relationships, i feel like we constantly hear ‘i’ll tell you later’ or ‘never mind’ and the dialogue is always something that moves the plot. they’ve decided to do long-distance and even though i agree with jun-wan that three years is short, i know that it’ll also be really hard. it also sounds like ik-sun only wants the happy parts in a relationship and is afraid of change due to her horrible ex. i was surprised to hear how her aversion to marriage is due to seeing ik-jun and u-ju (speaking of, we got to see u-ju/ik-sun!!!). i wonder what about ik-jun changing scared her, is she afraid of a life that’s dedicated only to her (potential) kids? anyway, jun-wan, there are some things you’re holding back from saying though! say it!!! you’re willing to make compromises for ik-sun and i hope she will be for you too. but ik-jun crawling all over jun-wan making the most ridiculous face had me giggling. he Definitely knows about their relationship. 

on to our chi-hong/ik-jun/song-hwa love triangle...

THE FUCKING ELEVATOR SCENE. 

AND THEN THE DRINKING GAME SCENE.

oh my god, where do i begin!!!!!!!! chi-hong, my boy. he really notices everything. the attention to detail and things unspoken does Not escape him. the tension in the elevator was palpable, especially because he noticed that ik-jun stepped into her personal space and gave her a parting touch on the shoulder as he left. when he asked for his birthday present from song-hwa and touched her shoulder, he was imitating what ik-jun did previously. he really wants to have the intimacy and closeness that ik-jun has with song-hwa. and because he wants that position, he notices ik-jun’s feelings. i do enjoy seeing how chi-hong really respects song-hwa and tries to model his behavior from her as a doctor, anticipating and learning where patients are headed as they step into the elevator. 

ik-jun... when you taught the residents and interns how to properly play the drinking game, you were giving them weapons for your own undoing... ik-jun keeps his cards so close to his chest that i nearly DIED from how his hand was forced to reveal his feelings. ik-jun is so nosy himself but he tried so hard to avoid verbalizing his feelings for song-hwa and it wasn’t until chi-hong returned to the question that he said it. cho jung-seok is a phenomenal actor, he dances around so many questions but his face reveals it all. i wonder if he will ever say the words directly to song-hwa. the song was also another roundabout way to describe his love for song-hwa and im slightly worried about how sad some of those lyrics are...

i would give ANYTHING to get song-hwa’s perspective. since i’ve been watching reply 1997, ive realized the thing with ambiguous love triangles is that we don’t really get our female lead’s pov. the lack of POV shrouds our female leads in this air of mystery and creates distance between me and them. while i’ve grown to love ik-jun because we get to see the many layers in him, we don’t necessarily get that with song-hwa since her most inner thoughts are hidden. this is seriously SO frustrating, especially since we don’t have character narration for the show, and i’m like PLEASE GIVE ME SOMETHING ABOUT WHERE SONG-HWA STANDS. at this point, i don’t necessarily know that song-hwa will choose chi-hong over ik-jun, but it’s been 20 years since she first liked ik-jun. i think it’d be completely healthy for her to have moved on, especially given his marriage, and be content with them as friends. ik-jun’s reveal during the drinking game definitely shook up the world around her and i’m wondering how she’s processing this information. i also wonder if asking to be transferred is a way to distance herself from chi-hong or ik-jun...

however this shakes down, i’m going to be really sad to say bye (only temporarily though!) to this show next week. also this week gets honorable mention to the best eating scene--song-hwa and jun-wan stuffing their faces and feeding each other pork belly

ps. somi’s video of nurse mom was lovely, but was it not like a huge violation of privacy? lol

[astroismypassion]

08/14/2003 houston,TX,USA 2:08PM for the bday chart reading!!☺☺☺

Hi! 

So, here it is as promised. I’ve finally finished it now! 

Your dominant planets are: 1. Mercury, 2. Pluto and 3. Sun. Your dominant signs are: 1. Leo, 2. Sagittarius and 3. Virgo. Your main mode is Mutable. You are Fire.

FAMILY, SIBLINGS, EARLY LIFE

You have Pisces IC, a bit of your 4th house is in Aries. I wouldn’t like to expand this part much. Because I know it was probably quite difficult for you and also because I respect your privacy. If you have any siblings, they are Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. You have Leo Sun in the 9th house. This means your father might have a different cultural or religious background than your mother or he is older or younger than your mother. He might be in education, travel, religious, spiritual field of work. You have Pisces Moon in the 4th house. Your mother might have stayed at home or she works as a nurse, is a caretaker or is in the field of education or health, even nursing.  

PARTNERSHIPS AND FRIENDSHIPS

You have Leo Venus in the 9th house. You might be attracted to foreign people, someone from a different religious, cultural background. Or even someone who is older or of different social status than you. You might attract a lot of people from different ethnicities. You have Pisces Mars in the 4th house rx. This indicates troubles with assertiveness and taking action. You are hesitant and second guess your actions often. You like to make sure you took action according to your values and your family. You might overthink and overanalyze your actions, things you're passionate about and all things related to home, house, residence, family, your roots and background. You have Cancer Saturn in the 8th house. You might have a desire to have a child before your Saturn return that is before ages 27, 28, 29 and up. You might desire your own family, because you’d like to give your family what you didn’t receive on your own. Or you might wait with physical intimacy for a long, extended period of time or really make sure that you’re comfortable.

CAREER, PROFESSIONAL LIFE, PUBLIC IMAGE

You have Leo Jupiter in the 9th house. You might be really proud of your beliefs, views, opinion on life and everyone who questions those, you feel like they are personally attacking you. You have Taurus North Node in the 6th house. This indicates your life purpose. Things you have to learn in this lifetime. Such as organisation, establishing healthy boundaries, habits, daily tasks,  You have Virgo MC. You might be great at sharing advice. You could learn anything and master it or perfect your craft. You can consult others, advise them or help organise things for them. You might be an excellent host. You will be appreciated at work. Though it might also produce feelings like you are underappreciated by the general public, on your social media or by your boss and/or authorities. But your Leo Sun in the 9th house is really important here too. So this is an area where you wish to be praised. You like to be recognized for your opinions, reviews, views and beliefs on life. You might be an excellent life coach, mentor to other people or a preacher. You could be an excellent host or host workshops. You have a strong desire to travel. You will be a lifelong student. You have Virgo Mercury in the 10th house. This means you have a talent for communication. You might be in the communication field, public affairs, service, journalism, translation or interpreting. You like to think and work behind the scenes. You dislike too much exposure. You likely overthink and recheck your grammar before you post your posts on social media. You like it to be perfect. Your written and oral skills are great. You have amazing capacity and compassion for truly listening to people. Beware of not criticizing others too much, because you’ll receive that back.  

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS

You have Gemini Part of Fortune in the 8th house. This indicates your natural luck and good charm. You might have an excellent intuition and could know people’s real intentions and motives. You might be naturally lucky when you express yourself, your inner thoughts and ideas. This can serve you well. It also means great intuition. If something is off, then it probably is. You have Taurus Lilith in the 6th house. Your negative Taurus traits might show up in the areas of the 6th house. You might be overly indulgent or sometimes too laid back in your day to day life, your habits, schedule and routines. You have quite a sweet tooth. You have Scorpio Juno in the 12th house. This indicates your ideal partner, soulmate, be it platonic or romantic. You might crave someone intense, loyal, mysterious, hard to figure out, hard to capture and committed. You might also like someone who is artistic, plays an instrument, writes poetry or songs. Or paints. You have Cancer Ceres in the 8th house. This is how you wish to be nurtured and how you nurture others. You like to feed others or share food with them. You might give them attention, affection and your deep bonded trust. You are like a therapist to your friends and loved ones. You have Pluto and Jupiter transiting your 2nd house. This means you experience some unexpected financial losses and gains. For a certain period of time, you struggled with money, food and providing for your basic survival needs. But then there was or possibly still is a period where you unexpectedly gained some money, belonging, possessions or even knowledge. You might change your values. You probably have more self control in the area of the 2nd house. You might not spend as much money on trivial things or clothes, but more on your basic necessities like food. You have Saturn transiting your 3rd house. This indicates that there will be difficulties with travelling, short distance travel, siblings and commute. You might be more isolated at this time. You might not spend as much time with your friends, siblings, family relatives and cousins.

CHART RULER

Your chart ruler is Pluto. The chart ruler of the 1st house is in the 1st house. This indicates that you are the only creator of your life and that you’re in charge of it. Learn here taking responsibility for your life in your own hands. You might develop your personality, character, traits, ego, self worth and self image through your personal life experiences. You probably went through so many different experiences that you might share this with others. Some might not even believe everything you went through!

HOUSE RULERS

The ruler of the 1st house is in the 1st house. You express yourself through the way you look. You express yourself through clothing and makeup. The image you project affects your ability to navigate through life. The ruler of the 2nd house is in the 9th house. You give money to religion and higher education. You spend money to travel. You look to higher education and academia to make you feel secure. You earn money by working in the travel industry. Feeling physically secure depends upon your personal beliefs.   The ruler of the 3rd house is in the 8th house. You gather information to understand things at a deeper level. You want to talk about intimate or taboo subjects. Daily chit chat is a means of discovering the hidden motivations of other people. The ruler of the 4th house is in the 3rd house. Home is a place to have lively conversations. Cultural upbringing has a strong bearing on your thoughts. Feeling included or rejected by your family influences your day to day interactions.  Home is a place where people come and go. You bring your private inner self with you when you write, keep a journal or blog. The ruler of the 5th house is in the 4th house. You find emotional security through performance. One parent influences your creative passion. You use your heritage as a means of personal expression. The ruler of the 6th house is in the 9th house. You specialize in higher education, travel or philosophy. You work in a church, as a professor or as a journalist. The daily work environment should allow you to travel. The ruler of the 7th house is in the 9th house. Partners help you expand your horizons. Your partner needs to be broad-minded. You want to be with someone who likes to discuss philosophical topics. Your open enemies are people from other cultural or religious backgrounds. The ruler of the 8th house is in the 10th house. Shared resources affect your status. You use research and investigation in your career. Your debts become public. Inheritances affect your social status. You make a career out of understanding other people’s motivation. The ruler of the 9th house is in the 4th house. Your family is broadminded. You believe that foreigners should adopt the customs of your country. Your family is religious or has a strong belief system. The big issues affect your family. The ruler of the 10th house is in the 10th house. You want to become known for what you do. Getting out in the world and making a name for yourself is important to you. You want to be known for something. Your career builds your reputation. The ruler of the 11th house is in the 9th house. You plan trips with your friends. You make friends when you expand your horizons. You friends are opinionated and have a strong belief system. Your long term wishes involve the accumulation of knowledge. You belong to academic groups. The ruler of the 12th house is in the 1st house. Your approach is ethereal and hard to pinpoint. You bring imagination to your appearance. You want to merge with everything. You lose your boundaries as you approach life. You make people aware of your pain.

[blueboxesandtrafficcones]

The Nuptial Necessity - Chapter 23

A 12xRose Human AU

Despite an unglamorous job description, Rose loves the work she does with The Thistle Foundation, a charity founded by her best friend’s great-uncle.  It doesn’t hurt that her boss, her friend’s father, is easy on the eyes.  With a great job, wonderful friends and a loving family, life couldn’t be better – except for having someone to share it with.

All of that is threatened, though, when the great-uncle dies – and sets a strange condition for his nephew to inherit, jeopardizing the Foundation and Rose’s future, sparking a chain of events that might just get her everything she dreamed of and more.

Chapters will be posted on Saturdays and Tuesdays.  Many thanks to my beta, @stupidsatsuma

Rated: Explicit, for eventual smut

@doctorroseprompts

AO3  |  Masterlist

—

Monday, cont’d

Peeking over the top of her book, Rose took advantage of the opportunity to watch Malcolm.  They were in the library after dinner, as they had been essentially every night since she moved into the townhouse, though this was the first time they were positioned as they were.  While Malcolm was seated normally, leaning forward with his elbow on his knee as he read over paperwork, Rose was stretched out, her back against the arm of the couch and her feet in Malcolm’s lap.  His left hand was idly rubbing at the arch of one foot, doing little but fanning the flames of desire inside her.

His hair rumpled, jacket long abandoned, glasses perched firmly on his nose, he looked… delectable.  It was nearly impossible to concentrate on her book when he was so close, looking as he did, and she entertained the idea of seducing him then and there, of climbing into his lap and having her wicked way with him with only the books as witness.

“You’re staring,” he noted absently, and she flushed.

“What’cha doing?”

Momentarily abandoning his half-hearted foot massage, he pulled his glasses off with one hand, rubbing his eyes and face with the other before replacing the specs.  “Going over the books, making sure we’re in as good a standing as Jack says.  Not that I don’t trust him, but…  as I like to say, trust but verify.  I want to make sure he’s not hiding problems.”

“Found any?”

“No.”  Leaning back into the welcoming embrace of the comfortable sofa, he smiled at her.  “Well, other than he lets his boyfriend buy expensive ingredients for feeding the household.  It’s not the end of the world, but it does need to be cut back.  I don’t eat this well.”

She nodded, bracing her head on her hand, elbow on the back of the couch.  “You can’t fault him for wanting to spoil a loved one.”

“Yeah, but not sure I should be paying the bill,” he said dryly.  “Then again, he’s taking less of a salary than I expected; I’m fairly sure he was approved for more, not that Wally would really say no to a reasonable request.  Honestly, that’s what concerns me- that there’s a hidden money pit, and he’s docking his pay to hide it.”

Rose rubbed his thigh with the ball of her foot to offer comfort, making him look down at his lap for the first time.  “Sorry, do you want me to-”

“You’re fine,” he cut her off, one hand settling on top of both feet, long fingers spreading out to cover them.  “Really.”

“Okay.  Let me know if you change your mind.”  She wriggled her toes, admiring how the crimson paint on the nails flashed in the lighting.

He watched the movement as if hypnotized, and after a long moment, he looked up and cleared his throat.  “It’s getting late.  Do you… do you want to go to bed?”

The question was more tentative than she expected, but then the proverbial other shoe dropped, and heat flashed through her.  “Yes,” she said quite a bit more enthusiastically than she’d intended, but decided not to be embarrassed.  “Shall we?”

Malcolm all but leapt to his feet, haphazardly gathering up his paperwork.  “Let’s go.”

-

Once in the bedroom she let him use the loo first, which meant he had plenty of time to sit in bed and agonize over what might be about to happen while she went through her nightly routine.  Did she understand what I meant?  Did I even mean that?  Do I initiate?  Will she?  Does she expect me to make the first move, since she did on Saturday?  Would she rather get things started, maintain a sense of control?  How fucking long does it take to change?

The door finally opened then, after a wait that seemed to take several lifetimes though the clock said it was less than ten minutes, and she stepped out- in a dressing gown.

“Today was a good day, wasn’t it?” she asked brightly, turning lights out as she made her way across the room to him.  By the time she reached the bed only his bedside light was still on, and he watched in tense anticipation as she removed the dressing gown to reveal- a cotton nightgown.

He had no idea what that meant.

It fit her like a glove, hugging mouth-watering curves and hiding nothing, but… it was still a cotton nightgown in a soft shade of blue, sexy because of the woman who wore it was, not for any inherent reason of its own.

“Malcolm?”

“Huh?”  His head jerked up to meet her eye, tearing his gaze away from how the fabric clung to her breasts.  “Yeah, today was good.  Sorry about… the horse thing.  Are you okay?”  Good job, remind her of her fear.  Moron.

She settled beneath the covers with a sigh, rolling onto her side and smiling at him.  “Thank you.  It’s fine, I didn’t know I would react like that.  I’m sorry I made a scene, but thank you for being so… kind about it.”

“And the ride back was okay?”  He matched her position, close enough only scant inches separated their noses, breathing the same air.  With the bed curtains drawn they were truly in their own world, safe from outside threats or interruptions.  It gave the moment a sense of intimacy and possibility, and he desperately hoped it ended well, if not the way he truly wanted.

A slow smile spread across her face, one that sent heat racing through him- he’d only seen it once before, and it was right after she invited him into her bedroom.  That smile had led to what was, with no exaggeration, the best night of his life.  “Mhmm, it was wonderful,” she murmured, one hand reaching out to settle on his chest, warmth radiating from her palm through his thin tee-shirt.  “I felt so safe and lo- comfortable with you.  Being held in your arms.  It was…”  Her eyes flickered down, breaking their connection, cheeks flushing.  “It was wonderful.”

“Well, maybe we can try it again,” he whispered back, “go out riding together.  Just us.”

Rose bit her lip, and he ached to free it, to hold it safe between his own lips, to shower her in kisses and love.  Her gaze met his again, searching, and she must have found what she was looking for, because her eyes brightened.  “Well, actually, I had a thought,” she offered, and when his gaze ran over her, he noted with interest that the flush had started to work its way down her neck and chest.

“I’m all ears.  Anything I can do to help make you more comfortable.”  He tentatively set his open palm on her hip before sliding it to her back, tugging her slightly closer, hoping it was alright.

“I’m glad you said that,” she breathed, moving forward eagerly.  “Because I was thinking about one thing that you said…”

“Yes?”  Her face was right there, and unable to resist temptation, he began to rain kisses over her forehead, nose, and cheeks, thrilled when she didn’t resist, instead leaned into his lips.

“You told me to sit up straight and stay centered.”

Malcolm paused his ministrations, fighting back a disappointed sigh at having thoroughly misread the situation.  For all the times you thought she was going to make a move, she only did once, he lectured himself.  Stop assuming it would become the new rule, instead of remaining an exception.  “I did.”

“Well, I think it would help if I… if I practiced.”  Her face was now fully red, burning with heat, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand why she might be embarrassed at such an idea.

“They say practice makes perfect.”

She nodded eagerly, fingers curling into his shirt.  “Exactly.  That, erm, you could maybe give me tips on… on posture.  And motion.  Make sure I was… riding properly.”

“Of course.”  His brow furrowed.  Does she really think I’d say no?  “When?”

“How’s now?”

He was surely missing something, but didn’t have the slightest idea what.  “Oh… kay?”

That coy smile was back, and she unceremoniously shoved at his chest.  Surprised, he fell onto his back, only to be utterly flabbergasted when she scrambled over him, straddling his hips.  “Now, be sure to tell me if I’m doing anything wrong,” she instructed.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.  She’s gonna kill me.  “Right, well-”  None too pleased with being used as a horse, he scowled up at her, opening his mouth to give her a piece of his mind when without any warning she crossed her arms, gripped her nightgown, and pulled the fabric over her head, leaving her astride him fully naked.

“Oh.  Oh.”  He felt like a fool, as though he’d been clobbered on the head, and her smile fell for a moment.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry, I thought-”  She scrambled behind her for the nightgown, one arm folding across her breasts, but he was faster, sitting up carefully without dislodging her.

“No, no, no,” he eased the fabric from her fingers, tossing it away before pulling his own tee off one-handed, the other wrapping around her waist.  “I assure you, I am happy to help.  I must warn you though, you can’t learn everything in one- session.  It might require several.”

Lips curling up, her tongue peeked out between her teeth.  “Oh, I can take as many lessons as necessary.  At least, as many as you can give.”

“Oh, challenge accepted,” he murmured, hands sliding up her waist to infinitely more delightful areas.  “I’ll give as many as you can take.”

In the end, he impressed them both.

-

Tuesday

It was late the next morning before they could drag themselves out of bed, and even then he couldn’t bear to be far from her, leaning in the doorway of the bathroom and watching as she put on her makeup- in her knickers and bra.  If I’ve died and this is heaven, please, no one tell me.

“Malcolm?”  Her laughing tone said it wasn’t the first time she’d called him, and he tore his eyes away from her bum to meet her eye in the mirror.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“What are we doing today?”  She leaned forward slightly, which pushed her bum out, and he itched to run his hands over it, fantasized about-  “Babe!”

Straightening and clearing his throat, he entered to sit on the toilet seat lid, tucking his hands under his thighs to prevent them from wandering.  “Right.  Today.  I thought we could go into town, walk the high street, have lunch.  Give you a taste of Scotland that’s not just from the Estate.”  His intention in moving closer had been to change his view, lessen the distraction of her pert posterior, but hadn’t realized that just gave him a new, more tantalizing view of her breasts filling out the lace bra she wore.  “Or we could just stay in bed.”

“Not a chance.”  She applied lipstick, rubbing her lips together and pouting for the mirror.  “Not after all this time spent putting on makeup.  Besides, we should make an appearance- not sure I want everyone in the house to know what we’ve been up to in here.”

He shifted on his perch, positively aching to hold her.  “Who cares what they think?  We are on our honeymoon.  In fact, it would look odd if we never did.”

Turning her head she smiled at him, though she still looked amused.  “Maybe tomorrow.  Today, a day out exploring sounds wonderful.  What’s the name of the town?”

“Village.”

“What?”

“It’s a village,” he repeated.  “Bonar bridge.”

She grinned wider.  “That sounds adorable.  Can’t wait.”  Pausing to lean down and kiss him, she padded out of the bathroom, hips swinging.  “Let me just get dressed, and we can go.”

He followed her out, a moth to her bright flame, and cornered her by the open armoire, wrapping his arms around her waist and molding himself to her back.  “Sure I can’t tempt you back to bed?” he murmured, laying kisses on her neck in a spot he now knew was sensitive.  “I’ll make it worth your while.”

She arched into him, grinding her bum against him and tilting her head to the side to give him better access.  “I believe it, but no.  Let’s get some fresh air, walk around a bit, have something to eat.  You can ravish me after we get back.”

“Promise?”  He sucked at the soft skin, laving the spot with his tongue.

“Promise,” she gasped, clutching at his arms.  “Anywhere you like.  Any way you like.”

With one last kiss to her neck he backed away, making her whimper.  “Deal.  Now hurry the fuck up, so we can go and come back already.”

He already had a few ideas of how to make good on her promise, each more tantalizing than the next.

We’ve got the rest of our lives to fulfill them all.  The only question is- where do we start?

[thezodiaczone]

August Forecast for Capricorn

Stay centered, Capricorn. Your energy could come in waves this month, spiking to a high-pitched intensity one day and dropping into the depths the next. The Sun is taking its annual plunge in Leo and your eighth house of intimacy, merging and transformation, a time when you’ll crave more privacy and one-on-one encounters. Skip the huge crowds that make you feel overwhelmed. You’re an emotional sponge and could soak up everyone’s feelings; or you might just have your mind on one specific matter during this tunnel-vision transit, and it will be hard to engage in lighthearted small talk. With the Sun heating up your erotic eighth house, this could also be one steamy season—hello, sizzling summer escapades!

But be careful where you aim that concentrated Capricorn power, especially when the emotional thunderclouds gather. Communication planet Mercury is retrograde in Leo and this potent zone from July 26 to August 19, which notoriously mucks up communication, technology and travel plans. With Mercury awry in Leo, a problematic ex may resurface, along with some old trust issues or unhealed wounds from a past betrayal. You might be unsure of someone’s true motives and whether they’re being above-board with you.

The eighth house rules joint ventures and shared finances, so money matters could be lit up with both opportunities and complicated entanglements in August. While Mercury is retrograde, go easy on the spending, especially with your credit cards (lock them up—or cut ’em up—if you can!). Guard against identity theft by strengthening passwords and deleting anything in a social media feed or in your email that could potentially be compromising. Better safe than sorry. Watch where you send those racy texts and DMs—during Mercury retrograde, they could end up in the wrong person’s feed. Oops!

The fiercest day of the month arrives August 11, when a Leo solar (new moon) eclipse beams into your alchemical eighth house, bringing a supercharged fresh start to your most intimate ties and financial endeavors. You might receive a windfall through a loan, grant, commission or inheritance or have a chance to buy or sell property or renovate your home. An exciting opportunity to merge your powers for mutual gain may come out of the blue. The eclipse could also bring a soulmate encounter (with steamy benefits!) or unexpected news of a proposal or pregnancy (yours or someone close to you).

In astrology, solar and lunar eclipses are harbingers of change. They push us off the fence if we’ve been procrastinating or wishy-washy, and force events to culminate quickly. While that pace can be jarring, once the dust settles, everything starts to make sense. This is the second-to-last eclipse in a series that’s been touching down on the Leo/Aquarius axis since February 2017, bringing waves of change to your self-confidence, work, money management, living situation and daily habits. One final eclipse will arrive here in January 2019. Anything you invest in at today’s eclipse could start to show returns—or at least let you know whether it will ever pay off—by early next year.

You’ll be glad to let the drama (hopefully) simmer down starting August 7, when combustible Uranus starts a five-month retrograde. Since May 15, Uranus has been in Taurus, causing sweeping change in your fifth house of passion, self-expression and theatrics. This is Uranus’ first visit here since 1942, a once-in-a-lifetime transit for many Capricorns that will last until April 2026. If your love life has suddenly become spicy—or wildly unpredictable—that’s the side-spinning planet playing the role of a quirky Cupid.

The first four months of Uranus’ retrograde could slow down some of the curveballs—or possibly bring the return of an ex, since retrogrades rule the past. You might also decide to get a little experimental in the boudoir or to date someone who’s a dramatically different “type” than the usual. Uranus in your spotlight-stealing fifth house may have brought fame or increased attention. Has it gone to your head a little bit? If you’ve been playing the diva role, Uranus retrograde will remind you to keep it humble. On the other hand, if you haven’t been speaking up for yourself and your ideas, you could work through old confidence issues, perhaps with some mentorship or training. Steady Capricorn, have you become a little fickle? Rambunctious Uranus can make you run hot and cold, so be mindful not to lead people on.

You’ll get another chance to self-assess starting August 12, when energizing Mars plows into Capricorn for its second visit this year (its first trip was from March 17 to May 16). While this would normally give you a jolt of inspiration and sexy magnetism, Mars will be retrograde until August 27, which could cause you to come on way too strong or hit a sour note with people. The silver lining: From August 27 to September 10, you’ll have Mars moving full steam ahead through your sign. Your confidence and charisma should rocket off the charts—and others will surely take note!

This will only accelerate starting August 23, when the Sun starts a month-long visit to Virgo and your expansive ninth house. Adventure, travel and endless possibilities spread out in front of you as you emerge from that emo cocoon. And when the Sun snaps into a rare and harmonious grand trine with radical Uranus in your passion sector and your ruling planet, structured Saturn, in Capricorn, some of those starry-eyed visions could turn into tangible reality. The caveat? You’ll need to ditch some (not all!) of your trademark caution to seize this moment. An opportunity for love, fame or a chance to spread a powerful message could arise. Make sure you’re at your glamorous and charismatic best! (Every Cap we know has secret “stage presence,” even if you only pull it out for select occasions.) You could multiply your fanbase and following…or follow your heart with a love affair, whether that’s a romantic adventure with your one-and-only or a far-flung fling with someone wildly different than your usual type.

The next day, August 26, the year’s only Pisces full moon spotlights your communication house, bringing exciting news or long-overdue dialogue. At last, you’ll get the answer you’ve been waiting for, and you can proceed accordingly instead of staying stuck in limbo. Local events could turn up kindred spirits and great conversations that lead to more. Hit the street fair or late summer festival or host a gathering at your favorite hotspot where you can play superconnector and introduce your savviest friends. Don’t be afraid to “go there” in your conversations—move beyond small talk and voice your opinions and ideas. When sizzling Mars ends its two-month retrograde on August 27 and speeds forward in Capricorn, there will be no holding you back!

Love & Romance

Time to set some love #goals, Capricorn? On August 6, Venus pings into Libra and your tenth house of career and long-range planning for the first of two trips this year. You may get suddenly serious about the future, both in terms of your profession and your relationship. If you’re in one, you might find yourself initiating conversations that begin with, “So, I’ve been thinking about our holiday plans,” or “Next summer, I’d really like to…” Single? Stay open to people you meet at work or industry events. As long as you’re not breaking company policy, consider them fair game.

Keep in mind: Venus will be retrograde for its second trek through Libra, which is from October 31 to November 16. New relationships may hit a speed bump, or issues that you’re working on might take a sideways turn. Here’s where that famous Capricorn patience will come in very handy! An office romance could sour when Venus makes its U-turn later this year, so be very sure you’re both mature adults who will handle things with civility if things don’t work out.

With Mercury retrograde in Leo and your erotic eighth house until August 19, you might be tempted to hook up with an ex or go down a clandestine rabbit hole that’s a clear dead end. What do you really want out of this? Be sure you can answer that before you get entangled emotionally or sexually. For couples, this could be a powerful time to work through a thorny issue, perhaps with a therapist or healer to mediate. Money matters could be a source of tension, but the hidden blessing is that you’ll actually start talking about them—and all the embedded feelings of pain, shame or old baggage that might be underlying those power struggles. If you’re splitting up, you might need to have a painful conversation about how to divide up the shared property.

An especially potent day for building security and having a serious talk about the long term comes on August 7, when cosmic lovebirds Venus and Mars form a rare, harmonious trine (120-degree angle). Attached? Do something luxe and upscale to celebrate your couplehood. Singles should raise your standards and keep the bar high. Skip the local dive bar and go somewhere you have to dress up. That alone could help you meet a successful someone who’s got their life together.

But careful where you cast your charms. Mars is retrograde from June 26 to August 27. It’s been back-pedaling through Aquarius and your zone of career and money, which may have ramped up work stress that cut into your relationship or given you a few waves of anxious insecurity. On August 12, it will back into Capricorn for the duration of the retrograde, which could leave you feeling intensely self-conscious. During this signal-scrambling transit, your message might be lost in translation. Rather than assume everyone knows what you’re saying, make a point of being simple and precise. As a backup, get assurances that people heard you loud and clear.

Key Dates

August 9: Venus-Saturn Square Second thoughts? Cautious Saturn slams the brakes on dreamy Venus, who might be getting a little carried away with romantic pipe dreams or plans for the future. Make sure you both want the same things for the long haul before you start picking baby names or china patterns.

Money & Career

Balance those books, Capricorn. This is one of your annual “money months,” as the Sun visits Leo and your eighth house of property, long-term wealth and shared assets. With an August 11 Leo solar eclipse shaking up business as usual, you might start looking at your personal financial model through a new lens over the next six months. An exciting opportunity to multiply your moolah could arrive unexpectedly—and you’ll need to adapt fast! Keep a keen eye on every transaction while Mercury is retrograde in Leo from July 26 to August 19, which can cause technological glitches, erroneous charges (read those monthly bank statements) and risks to sensitive data.

Another reason not to rush into anything? Hasty Mars is spinning backward for nearly the whole month, which could cause you to miscalculate. Mars has been retrograde in Aquarius and your money house since June 26, which may have heaped on some financial stress. While Mars won’t straighten out until August 27, it WILL leave your money sector on August 12, which could lift some of the tension around work, bills and budgets. Stressful assignments, unexpected expenses and demanding clients may have left you hustling through the summer, and at the same time, colleagues’ tempers could have been short.

You’ll be happy to see Mars go, but unfortunately it will back into YOUR sign for the duration of its retrograde, from August 12 to 27, joining structured Saturn and power-tripping Pluto, which are both retrograde in Capricorn. Whew! If you have any vacation days, take them now. Otherwise, keep a very low profile and work behind the scenes. This is an excellent time to finish a project you started a while back. But hold off on any splashy launches until next month if you can—when Saturn straightens out on September 6, your ideas will have velocity AND staying power.

Key Dates

August 10: Mercury-Jupiter Square When supersizer Jupiter flashes its high beams at a retrograde Mercury, you or someone you work closely with may present an outsized dream but not have any idea how to pull it off. Nip it in the bud before you waste precious time, money or other resources trying to develop this. If anything, this is a good day to revisit an idea and see how much you can scale it BACK.

Love Days: 4, 9 Money Days: 15, 24 Luck Days: 12, 22 Off Days: 6, 11, 19

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for September 25 of 2021 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 4 for the 4th day of Astronomical Autumn and Psalm 118 for day 268 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretending that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

surrounded with silver.

When you humbly receive wise correction,

it adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle snowfall at harvest time.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water refreshes a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 4]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by strings.

Answer my prayers, O True God, the righteous, who makes me right.

I was hopelessly surrounded, and You rescued me.

Once again hear me; hide me in Your favor;

bring victory in defeat and hope in hopelessness.

How long will you sons of Adam steal my dignity, reduce my glory to shame?

Why pine for the fruitless and dream a delusion?

[pause]

Understand this: The Eternal One treats as special those like Him.

The Eternal will answer my prayers and save me.

Think long; think hard. When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.

When night comes, in calm be silent.

[pause]

From this day forward, offer to God the right sacrifice from a heart made right by God.

Entrust yourself to the Eternal.

Crowds of disheartened people ask, “Who can show us what is good?”

Let Your brilliant face shine upon us, O Eternal One, that we may know the undeniable answer.

You have filled me with joy, and happiness has risen in my heart, great delight and unrivaled joy,

even more than when bread abounds and wine flows freely.

Tonight I will sleep securely on a bed of peace

because I trust You, You alone, O Eternal One, will keep me safe.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 4 (The Voice)

[Psalm 118]

Give thanks to the Eternal because He is always good.

He never ceases to be loving and kind.

Let the people of Israel proclaim:

“He never ceases to be loving and kind.”

Let the priests of Aaron’s line proclaim:

“He never ceases to be loving and kind.”

Let the people who fear the Eternal proclaim:

“He never ceases to be loving and kind.”

When trouble surrounded me, I cried out to the Eternal;

He answered me and brought me to a wide, open space.

The Eternal is with me,

so I will not be afraid of anything.

If God is on my side, how can anyone hurt me?

The Eternal is on my side, a champion for my cause;

so when I look at those who hate me, victory will be in sight.

It is better to put your faith in the Eternal for your security

than to trust in people.

It is better to put your faith in Him for your security

than to trust in princes.

All these nations surround me, squeezing me from all sides;

with the name of the Eternal, I will destroy them.

They rose up against me, squeezed me from all sides, yes, from all sides;

with the name of the Eternal, I will destroy them.

They surrounded me like a swarm of bees;

they were destroyed quickly and thoroughly—

Flaring up like a pile of thorns—

with the name of the Eternal, I will destroy them.

I was pushed back, attacked so that I was about to fall,

but the Eternal was there to help me keep my balance.

He is my strength, and He is the reason I sing;

He has been there to save me in every situation.

In the tents of the righteous soldiers of God,

there are shouts of joy and victory. They sing:

“The right hand of the Eternal has shown His power.

The mighty arm of the Eternal is raised in victory;

the right hand of His has shown His power.”

I will not die. I will live.

I will live to tell about all the Eternal has done.

The Eternal has taught me many lessons;

He has been strict and severe,

but even in His discipline, He has not allowed me to die.

Open wide to me the gates of justice

so that I may walk through them

and offer praise and worship to the Eternal.

This is the gate of the Eternal;

the righteous children of God will go through it.

I will praise You because You answered me when I was in trouble.

You have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the very stone that holds together the entire foundation.

This is the work of the Eternal,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the Eternal God has made;

let us celebrate and be happy today.

O Eternal One, save us, we beg You.

O Eternal One, we beg You, bring us success!

He who comes in the name of the Eternal will be blessed;

we have blessed You from the house of the Eternal.

The Eternal is the True God;

He shines His light on us.

Let the feast begin.

Bring the sacrifice, and tie it to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I give You thanks;

You are my God, and I praise You.

Give thanks to our Eternal Lord; He is always good.

He never ceases to be loving and kind.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 118 (The Voice)

[throwntotheair]

Boruto: InoShikaCho Headcanons

Inojin knows all the Yamanaka jutsus. He’s a good son, like that. But he prefers his Papa’s drawing-based attacks. 

He uses specialized ink (hand mixed courtesy of Chocho) as the focal point of his attacks, allowing him to branch out from using scrolls and paper as medium. 

He does graffiti and also prefers spray paint to his Papa’s style. He’s been caught on at least 15 counts of tagging a building. (Some of them are legit works of art though, so he’s definitely done more than 15 but no one’s complaining as much.)

He’s keeps two aerosol spray cans always in hand. This is specific for fighting, infused with his chakra and Chocho’s special poison mix. He tags anyone with the paint from these cans, and they’re likely to die.

He is a budding tattoo artist. He uses a mixture of the Yamanaka jutsu and kage bunshin (taught by Boruto) to apply tattoos on himself. He’s covered from head to toe. (He can also make them move across his body, so he’s like a living painting.)

(Shikadai had to dissuade him from tattooing his dick. “But it’s not like I’m gonna use it??”)

All of his tattoos are battle ready. With careful activation of his chakra, he can release his tattoos to act in much the same manner as Sai’s.

He tattoos his friends too. In case they’re ever in trouble, they’ve got Inojin’s special technique to help them in a pinch. (Chocho has a beautiful set of butterfly wings across her shoulders. Shikadai has a great stag head on his wrist, with the antlers branching out into his forearms. Inojin has a boar’s head on his neck, with the tusks of a mighty boar inked on his collarbones.)

Compared to either of his parents, he doesn’t wear revealing clothing. He doesn’t like to show off a lot of skin - which is great, because he keeps his full-body tattoos as an ace up his sleeve, literally. He’s usually wearing loose sweatshirts and baggy cargo pants.

He’s not really into the whole romance/sex thing all his friends tend to rave about. He had a front row seat to Shikadai confessing to his crush. And it was agonizing. It was torture. And he’s had to sit on actual torture sessions with his mother. So that’s saying something. He prefers drawing to dating. No offense.

Shikadai has a prodigious grasp of the Nara jutsus. He uses this as an excuse not to practice. (Although Boruto and his shenanigans often gives him a workout whether he wants one or not.)

It’s actually a point of concern with him. Both Inojin and Chocho have branched out from their family specializations. They’re just as capable of the infamous InoShikaCho techniques. But they’ve also got a little extra on the side. 

But, turns out, he inherited his mother’s wind affinity. Since his mother’s battle-fan technique is traditionally a Suna-only technique, she couldn’t teach it to him. (Which breaks Temari’s heart.) He understands and instead, Mirai gives him her father’s trench knives.

He is a deadly mid-range and close-range fighter as a result.

He hides it well, but he inherited his mother’s vicious streak. He is not someone to be crossed.

He wears his hair down in a half-ponytail.

His grasp of shadows lend to his love of black and white photography. He prefers to take candid photos, and hates having people model or pose for him. He finds a certain thrill in catching a moment just as it passes him by. He can spend days trying to get a shot right, staking out a bluebird’s nest to get the perfect angle when the mama bird comes to feed their young.

His friends tease him for being a creeper, because the shots he gets are from semi-hidden places like in the branches or behind telephone poles. Honestly, though none of them mind, because there’s nothing overtly sexual about any of Shikadai’s shots. They focus a lot of familial relationships or friendships with the occasional shot of a couple laughing together or holding hands. It’s his goal to capture fleeting moments of intimacy and pin them down into a photo.

His father likes watching clouds and looking up. He likes watching people and looking down. He prefers camping out on the Hokage monument or in high enough rooftops. It’s how he gets the best shots, really.

Chocho mastered a few of the Akimichi jutsus then promptly stopped caring. She hasn’t mastered the Meat Tank technique her father was known for. She doesn’t want to be a frontline fighter.

She came to Anko-sensei to be dango buddies. She stayed with Anko-sensei to be a poison mistress.

She is an Akimichi. She knows all your food habits. She knows your favorite food. How much soy sauce you put on your sashimi. What you eat for an afternoon snack. Don’t test her, buddy. 

This, coupled with her budding skills in poison mixing, makes her terrifying to anger.

She occasionally branches out of poison mixing to do some experimental chemistry. She makes all kinds of solvents and solutions - acid to melt a chain link fence? No problem. A detergent to effectively clean blood stains? No problem. She also hooks up Inojin with his special chakra-conducting ink for his art.

All Akimichis are known to be big, friendly, and the shields in every battle. They never die pretty deaths. They’re always mauled or mutilated in some fashion due to taking the brunt of the enemy attacks. With all due respect, she said fuck that.

She aims to fight by not fighting at all. Her goal is to be known for her stealth and one-shot killing from the shadows. She will be the first (?) assassin among the Akimichis. 

She’s a lot more politically savvy. The cunning she learns from being a poison mistress coupled, with the inherent affability of the Akimichi, paired with her mother’s cutting temper, molded her into someone who will end fights before the first punch is thrown. She charms her way to people good graces, elegantly argues them into seeing her side, before neatly trapping them into being her ally. (And by the time they realize what’s happened, it’s too late. They’re best buddies now.) (Ino-ba-chan is so proud, incidentally.)

It’s not that she won’t be someone’s shield. Because she will, if she absolutely has to. She’s just trying to make sure she doesn’t have to.

She is popular in the Academy and out of it, befriending everyone she meets. And shamelessly using them as an intelligence network. She knows anything about anyone. If you want the hottest gossip, she’s the girl you go to.

She inherited her mother’s lightning affinity. 

She wears her hair short in a cute bob.

Shikadai is smart and all. He’d make a great assistant, like his dad is to the Seventh. But please. No one knows her girl, Sarada, like she does. If anyone is gonna be her right hand, it’s gonna be her.

[musemoodboard]

30 (More) Facts About Gallifreya That People May or May Not Know

Can’t sleep in a bed. She’s spent too much time in the wild, and now sleeping in an actual bed is far too uncomfortable for her. It’s too soft. Over time, she’ll grow used to it again, but if she were to share a bed with someone, she’d wait until they fell asleep so she could slip out of bed and likely sleep on the floor.

Keeps a small house in the ruins of Gilneas, in Stormglen Village. She’s only ever really there when she’s sick, or when the weather is particularly foul. It was the one house she could find that was in the best condition. Since finding it, she’s put in a lot of time keeping it maintained and clean. It’s a far cry from the house she shared with her second husband, much smaller and less elegant looking.

Has a fondness for lingerie, to the point where she often wears something delicate and lacy underneath her leathers. Most of the time, however, she usually chooses something soft and made of cotton, often with a cute print. Her love of strawberries carries over into her selection of delicates.

Makes her own leathers, and while she can be rather clever with the awl, needle, and thread, she reserves her more showy skills for pieces she intends to give as gifts.

She isn’t much of a cook nor baker, but has grown to be a rather clever gardener. She managed to find and revive an abandoned kitchen garden in the gnarled woods of The Blackwald near her little house in Gilneas.

Most of her “at home” wardrobe in Gilneas consists of abandoned clothing she finds in the old houses. She’s rather fond of wearing the men’s shirts to sleep when she’s there.

In that case, much of her home furnishings are also found pieces. Whatever she can’t fix, she goes scouting for. As a result, none of her dishes, cups, or flatware matches. Some of it is fine silver, much of it not.

She does have a bed in her little solitary home, but she doesn’t sleep in it, either. She’s not sure why she still keeps it, but it’s too heavy and cumbersome for her to remove on her own. She does lounge in it from time to time, and keeps the mattress clean and fresh just in case she should ever decide to try to sleep in it.

For all her hardness and fierceness, she’s quite delicate. Aside from her father and late Tauren lover, nobody has ever told her that they loved her and meant it. As it is, she’d probably cry if someone did.

It’s very hard to earn her trust. You either have to prove yourself over time, or have an in with someone she trusts completely. Once you lose her trust, it’s gone. You’re back at square one, and trying to gain her trust again will be like trying to ice skate uphill.

She doesn’t let herself love so easily. It requires a great deal of trust, loyalty, and reassurance on the part of her potential partner. She longs to be loved, but she’s often terrified of getting hurt. She sees it as being tamed and owned, which she tries to resist as much as she can. She doesn’t always succeed, and winds up falling, much to her dismay and endless pleasure.

When I say that she loves strawberries, I am not kidding. It’s embarrassingly easy to distract and placate her with strawberries if she knows and trusts you. Promise her strawberries, and she’ll stick around. Kind of like a stray cat after you feed it. If her partner hand feeds her strawberries (possibly after or before intimacy), they’ve pretty much caught her. She might even feed them a few just to kiss them afterward so she can see how their kisses taste.

Her favorite thing to do is to lay out on a clear night and stargaze. She’s a bit of a dreamer, and will often lose herself in her thoughts while her eyes are on the sky.

Her favorite color is midnight blue.

For both of her weddings, the color of her dress was chosen for her. The first, white, as tradition demanded. She was a virgin going into her first marriage. Her second, red, as selected by her husband. She doesn’t think marriage will happen a third time, but if it does, she’d want her dress to be midnight blue. Possibly with a star motif.

Loves having her hair caressed. Loves being touched at all, really. She genuinely does like having her hair long, but keeps it short out of necessity and ease of care. In a fight, long hair can be grabbed at, get caught in or on things, and be an extra source of pain. It’s easier to pull short hair out of an opponent’s grip.

Is a quick shot archer. She wears a belt quiver, and can get off 10 arrows in about 5 seconds. She’s also able to use her bow in either hand, and in a pinch, use her feet.

She has a strange gait due to the hypertrophic scarring on the bottoms of her feet. Prior to that, she was absurdly graceful. She still is to an extent, but on bad days, she doesn’t so much walk as hobble. The whipping to the soles of her feet were punishment for serving her first husband with divorce papers.

All of her whip scars (back, underside of forearms, soles of feet) are hypertrophic and hurt. On particularly bad days, she holes herself up in her little house in Gilneas. Some days, they aren’t so bad, and she moves almost like she did before she got them. Most days, the pain is the background radiation of her life. She just lives with it.

She has no idea what happened to her father. After he arranged her marriage, he disappeared. She had no other family, and nobody to walk her down the aisle. Her mother died when she was very young, but she doesn’t know why or how. Her father wouldn’t talk about it.

Her family was seen as a disgrace. Rather than participate in the war effort, her father chose instead to focus on scholarly pursuits, a firm believer that culture should also be followed and maintained and studied. Especially during war times. He refused to allow his only child to fight, for fear of losing her, and conscripted her as his assistant.

As such, she was subjected to relentless mockery and downright harassment in Silvermoon City. She still gets it from time to time, but had learned not to let it get to her.

Her father ran the local observatory, and studied the heavens. The equivalent of an astrophysicist.

After her father disappeared, his research was seized, and the observatory razed.

While her passion lies in the wilderness and Archaeology, she can probably still rattle off facts about the stars, their composition, and other such tidbits of information at the drop of a hat.

Wouldn’t admit it for love or money, but she’s actually really deeply intelligent.

Inherited her mother’s rose garden when she was very young, the equivalent of about seven years old or so. Her first husband destroyed it as a punishment for a perceived slight.

Her second husband left her because she was unable to have children with him. They tried several times, but she never got past the first trimester. He eventually grew cold to her and left her in favor of a more fertile, younger woman.

She isn’t much of a drinker or a smoker. Never acquired a real taste for it. The only thing she’ll imbibe happily is sweet wine with a low alcohol content.

Her diet is largely vegetarian, but she certainly isn’t opposed to meat at all. Any meat she catches, she butchers herself. She occasionally keeps some for herself, but mostly chooses to sell it.

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for july 25 of 2021 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 36 for the 36th day of Summer and Psalm 56 for day 206 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretending that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

surrounded with silver.

When you humbly receive wise correction,

it adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle snowfall at harvest time.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water refreshes a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 36]

For the worship leader. A song of David, the Eternal’s servant.

Sin speaks in the depths of the soul

of those who oppose God; they listen closely to its urgings.

You’ll never see the fear of God

in their eyes,

For they flatter themselves—

convinced their sin will remain secret, undiscovered, and so unhated.

They speak words of evil and deceit.

Wisdom and goodness, they deserted long ago.

Even as they sleep, they are plotting mischief.

They journey along a path far from anything good,

gravitating to trouble, welcoming evil.

Your love, O Eternal One, towers high into the heavens.

Even the skies are lower than Your faithfulness.

Your justice is like the majestic mountains.

Your judgments are as deep as the oceans, and yet in Your greatness,

You, O Eternal, offer life for every person and animal.

Your strong love, O True God, is precious.

All people run for shelter under the shadow of Your wings.

In Your house, they eat and are full at Your table.

They drink from the river of Your overflowing kindness.

You have the fountain of life that quenches our thirst.

Your light has opened our eyes and awakened our souls.

May Your love continue to grow deeply in the lives of all who know You.

May Your salvation reach every heart committed to do right.

Give me shelter from prideful feet that hunt me down

and wicked hands that push me from Your path.

It is there, far away from You, that the wicked will be forced down,

face to the earth, never again returning to their feet.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 36 (The Voice)

with these lines mirrored in The Message:

How exquisite your love, O God!

How eager we are to run under your wings,

To eat our fill at the banquet you spread

as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water.

You’re a fountain of cascading light,

and you open our eyes to light.

Keep on loving your friends;

do your work in welcoming hearts.

Don’t let the bullies kick me around,

the moral midgets slap me down.

Send the upstarts sprawling

flat on their faces in the mud.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 36:7-12 (The Message)

[Psalm 56]

Trusting in God

For the Pure and Shining One

King David’s golden song of instruction composed when the Philistines captured him in Gath To the tune of “The Oppression of the Princes to Come”

Lord, show me your kindness and mercy,

for these men oppose and oppress me all day long.

Not a day goes by without somebody harassing me.

So many in their pride trample me under their feet.

But in the day that I’m afraid, I lay all my fears before you

and trust in you with all my heart.

What harm could a man bring to me?

With God on my side, I will not be afraid of what comes.

The roaring praises of God fill my heart

as I trust his promises.

Day after day cruel critics distort my words;

constantly they plot my collapse.

They lurk in the dark, waiting, spying on my movements in secret

to take me by surprise, ready to take my life.

They don’t deserve to get away with this!

Look at their wickedness, their injustice, Lord.

In your fierce anger cast them down to defeat.

You’ve kept track of all my wandering and my weeping.

You’ve stored my many tears in your bottle—not one will be lost.

For they are all recorded in your book of remembrance.

The very moment I call to you for a father’s help

the tide of battle turns and my enemies flee.

This one thing I know: God is on my side!

I trust in the Lord. And I praise him!

I trust in the Word of God. And I praise him!

What harm could man do to me?

With God on my side, I will not be afraid of what comes.

My heart overflows with praise to God and for his promises.

I will always trust in him.

So I’m thanking you with all my heart,

with gratitude for all you’ve done.

I will do everything I’ve promised you, Lord.

For you have saved my soul from death

and my feet from stumbling

so that I can walk before the Lord

bathed in his life-giving light.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 56 (The Passion Translation)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for june 25 of 2021 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 6 for the 6th day of Summer and Psalm 26 for day 176 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretending that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

surrounded with silver.

When you humbly receive wise correction,

it adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle snowfall at harvest time.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water refreshes a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 6]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by the lyre.

O Eternal One, don’t punish me in Your anger

or harshly correct me.

Show me grace, Eternal God. I am completely undone.

Bring me back together, Eternal One. Mend my shattered bones.

My soul is drowning in darkness.

How long can You, the Eternal, let things go on like this?

Come back, Eternal One, and lead me to Your saving light.

Rescue me because I know You are truly compassionate.

I’m alive for a reason—I can’t worship You if I’m dead.

If I’m six feet under, how can I thank You?

I’m exhausted. I cannot even speak, my voice fading as sighs.

Every day ends in the same place—lying in bed, covered in tears,

my pillow wet with sorrow.

My eyes burn, devoured with grief;

they grow weak as I constantly watch for my enemies.

All who are evil, stay away from me

because the Eternal hears my voice, listens as I cry.

The Eternal God hears my simple prayers;

He receives my request.

All who seek to destroy me will be humiliated;

they will turn away and suddenly crumble in shame.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 6 (The Voice)

[Psalm 26]

A song of David.

Declare my innocence, O Eternal One!

I have walked blamelessly down this path.

I placed my trust in the Eternal and have yet to stumble.

Put me on trial and examine me, O Eternal One!

Search me through and through—from my deepest longings to every thought that crosses my mind.

Your unfailing love is always before me;

I have journeyed down Your path of truth.

My life is not wasted among liars;

my days are not spent among cheaters.

I despise every crowd intent on evil;

I do not commune with the wicked.

I wash my hands in the fountain of innocence

so that I might join the gathering that surrounds Your altar, O Eternal One.

From my soul, I will join the songs of thanksgiving;

I will sing and proclaim Your wonder and mystery.

Your house, home to Your glory, O Eternal One, radiates its light.

I am fixed on this place and long to be nowhere else.

When Your wrath pursues those who oppose You,

those swift to sin and thirsty for blood,

spare my soul and grant me life.

These men hold deceit in their left hands,

and in their right hands, bribery and lies.

But God, I have walked blamelessly down this path,

and this is my plea for redemption.

This is my cry for Your mercy.

Here I stand secure and confident

before all the people; I will praise the Eternal.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 26 (The Voice)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading in the ancient book of Psalms and Proverbs

for Wednesday, march 25 of 2020 with Psalm 25 and Proverbs 25 accompanied by Psalm 7 for the 7th day of Spring and Psalm 85 for day 85 of the year

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 7]

A David Psalm

God! God! I am running to you for dear life;

the chase is wild.

If they catch me, I’m finished:

ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,

dragged into the forest and left

unlooked for, unremembered.

God, if I’ve done what they say—

betrayed my friends,

ripped off my enemies—

If my hands are really that dirty,

let them get me, walk all over me,

leave me flat on my face in the dirt.

Stand up, God; pit your holy fury

against my furious enemies.

Wake up, God. My accusers have packed

the courtroom; it’s judgment time.

Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel,

throw out the false charges against me.

I’m ready, confident in your verdict:

“Innocent.”

Close the book on Evil, God,

but publish your mandate for us.

You get us ready for life:

you probe for our soft spots,

you knock off our rough edges.

And I’m feeling so fit, so safe:

made right, kept right.

God in solemn honor does things right,

but his nerves are sandpapered raw.

Nobody gets by with anything.

God is already in action—

Sword honed on his whetstone,

bow strung, arrow on the string,

Lethal weapons in hand,

each arrow a flaming missile.

Look at that guy!

He had sex with sin,

he’s pregnant with evil.

Oh, look! He’s having

the baby—a Lie-Baby!

See that man shoveling day after day,

digging, then concealing, his man-trap

down that lonely stretch of road?

Go back and look again—you’ll see him in it headfirst,

legs waving in the breeze.

That’s what happens:

mischief backfires;

violence boomerangs.

I’m thanking God, who makes things right.

I’m singing the fame of heaven-high God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 7 (The Message)

[Psalm 85]

Mercy and Truth

For the Pure and Shining One

A prophetic song, composed by the sons of Korah

Lord, your love has poured out

so many amazing blessings on our land!

You’ve restored Jacob’s destiny from captivity.

You’ve forgiven our many sins and covered

every one of them in your love.

Pause in his presence

So now it’s obvious that your blazing anger has ended and

the furious fire of wrath has been extinguished by your mercy.

So bring us back to loving you, God our Savior.

Restore our hearts so that we’ll never again

feel your anger rise against us.

Will you forever hold a grudge?

Will your anger endure for all time?

Revive us again, O God! I know you will! Give us a fresh start!

Then all your people will taste your joy and gladness.

Pour out even more of your love on us!

Reveal more of your kindness and restore us back to you!

Now I’ll listen carefully for your voice

and wait to hear whatever you say.

Let me hear your promise of peace—

the message every one of your godly lovers longs to hear.

Don’t let us in our ignorance turn back from following you.

For I know your power and presence shines on all your lovers.

Your glory always hovers over all who bow low before you.

Your mercy and your truth have married each other.

Your righteousness and peace have kissed.

Flowers of your faithfulness are blooming on the earth.

Righteousness shines down from the sky.

Yes, the Lord keeps raining down blessing after blessing,

and prosperity will drench the land with a bountiful harvest.

For deliverance and peace are his forerunners,

preparing a path for his steps.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 85 (The Passion Translation)

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretend that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

and surrounded with silver.

To humbly receive wise correction

adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle breeze blowing at harvest time—

cooling the sweat from his brow.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t[m] brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water to a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient book of Proverbs and book of Psalms

for may 25 of 2021 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 67 for the 67th day of Spring and Psalm 145 for day 145 of the year

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretending that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

surrounded with silver.

When you humbly receive wise correction,

it adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle snowfall at harvest time.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water refreshes a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 67]

For the worship leader. A song accompanied by strings.

May God pour His grace and blessings into us

and turn His face to shine His light on us.

[pause]

So all those on earth will learn to follow Your way

and see Your saving power come to redeem all nations.

May all people live to praise You, Our True God;

may all come to praise You.

May all nations celebrate together, singing joy-filled songs of praise to You

because You judge the people fairly

and give guidance to all the nations of the earth.

[pause]

May the people praise You with their whole hearts, O God;

may every man, woman, and child on the earth praise You.

The land has supplied a bountiful harvest,

and the True God, our God, has poured out His blessings to us all.

God is the source of our blessings;

may every corner of the earth respect and revere Him.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 67 (The Voice)

[Psalm 145]

God’s Greatness

King David’s poetic song of praise

My heart explodes with praise to you!

Now and forever my heart bows in worship to you,

my King and my God!

Every day I will lift up my praise to your name

with praises that will last throughout eternity.

Lord, you are great and worthy of the highest praise!

For there is no end to the discovery

of the greatness that surrounds you.

Generation after generation will declare more of your greatness

and declare more of your glory.

Your magnificent splendor and the miracles of your majesty

are my constant meditation.

Your awe-inspiring acts of power have everyone talking!

I’m telling people everywhere about your excellent greatness!

Our hearts bubble over as we celebrate the fame

of your marvelous beauty, bringing bliss to our hearts.

We shout with ecstatic joy over your breakthrough for us.

You’re kind and tenderhearted to those who don’t deserve it

and very patient with people who fail you.

Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness.

God, everyone sees your goodness,

for your tender love is blended into everything you do.

Everything you have made will praise you, fulfilling its purpose.

And all your godly ones will be found bowing before you.

They will tell the world of the lavish splendor of your kingdom

and preach about your limitless power.

They will demonstrate for all to see your miracles of might

and reveal the glorious majesty of your kingdom.

You are the Lord who reigns over your never-ending kingdom through all the ages of time and eternity!

You are faithful to fulfill every promise you’ve made.

You manifest yourself as kindness in all you do.

Weak and feeble ones you will sustain.

Those bent over with burdens of shame you will lift up.

You have captured our attention

and the eyes of all look to you.

You give what they hunger for at just the right time.

When you open your generous hand, it’s full of blessings,

satisfying the longings of every living thing.

You are fair and righteous in everything you do,

and your love is wrapped into all your works.

You draw near to those who call out to you,

listening closely, especially when their hearts are true.

Every godly one receives

even more than what they ask for.

For you hear what their hearts really long for,

and you bring them your saving strength.

God, you watch carefully over all your devoted lovers like a bodyguard,

but you will destroy the ungodly.

I will praise you, Lord!

Let everyone everywhere join me in praising

the beautiful Lord of holiness from now through eternity!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 145 (The Passion Translation)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for April 25 of 2021 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 37 for the 37th day of Spring and Psalm 115 for day 115 of the year

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretending that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

surrounded with silver.

When you humbly receive wise correction,

it adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle snowfall at harvest time.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water refreshes a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 37]

A song of David.

Don’t be worried with evil workers

or envy the gains of people with all-wrong-upside-down ways.

Soon enough they will wither like grass,

like green herbs fading in summer’s heat.

Believe in the Eternal, and do what is good—

live in the land He provides; roam, and rest in God’s faithfulness.

Take great joy in the Eternal!

His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!

Commit your path to the Eternal; let Him direct you.

Put your confidence in Him, and He will follow through with you.

He will spread out righteousness for you

as a sunrise spreads radiance over the land;

He will deliver justice for you into the light of the high sun.

Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right.

Don’t get upset when you see the worldly ones rising up the ladder.

Don’t be bothered by those who are anchored in wicked ways.

So turn from anger. Don’t rage,

and don’t worry—these ways frame the doorway to evil.

Besides, those who act from evil motives will be cut off from the land;

but those who wait, hoping in the Eternal, will enjoy its riches.

You’ll see . . . the wicked won’t know what hit them;

you’ll blink, and they’ll be gone;

you’ll go out looking for them, but you won’t find them.

But the humble-hearted will inherit the land;

they will take pleasure in its peace and enjoy its abundance.

How that wicked man devises evil against God’s righteous ones!

He grits his teeth, consumed by hate for the upright.

But oh, how the Lord laughs at him!

He knows the wicked man will get his; the day is coming.

The wicked unsheathe their swords, pull taut their bows;

the poor and needy are their victims,

and evil is on the prowl to kill those with integrity, God’s beloved.

But their swords will bend back to pierce their own hearts—

yes, their bows will snap in two.

The righteous are better off with the little God blessed them with

than living under the curse of the wealth of the wicked.

Their time is short, their arms will be broken,

but the Eternal will hold His righteous children high.

All their days are measured and known by the Eternal;

their inheritance is kept safe forever.

When calamity comes, they will escape with their dignity.

When famine invades the nations, they will be fed to their fill.

But immoral ones will find their lives cut short;

they’ll vanish as quickly as wildflowers in the fields.

Yes, enemies of the Eternal will vanish

like smoke into the cool night air.

Evil people borrow and never repay their debts,

while the good give generously from their hearts.

For God’s blessed children will inherit the land,

but those cursed by Him stand to gain nothing.

If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey;

the Eternal will be pleased with your life.

And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face

because He holds you by the hand.

Through my whole life (young and old),

I have never witnessed God forsaking those who do right,

nor have I seen their children begging for crumbs,

Because they are always giving and sharing;

truly, their children are a joyful blessing.

Walk away from evil. Do good

so you, too, will enjoy never-ending life

Because the Eternal cherishes justice

and will not abandon those loyal to Him.

He will guard and care for them forever,

but any child born of evil will be rooted out, cut down, and destroyed.

Those leading God-pleasing lives will inherit His land

and settle there forever.

Wisdom fills the mouth of the right-living;

justice and truth roll from their tongues.

The True God’s law is imprinted upon their hearts,

and they do not stumble.

The wicked stalk God’s good ones,

looking to kill them,

But the Eternal will never leave them to the dogs of evil,

nor will they be found guilty when the verdict is read.

Wait for the Eternal. Keep to His path. Mind His will.

He will come for you, exalt you; you will inherit the land.

Before your very eyes you will see the end of the wicked.

I passed by a wicked man with a cold-blooded nature;

I looked, and he seemed as large as a cedar of Lebanon.

But then again, I passed that same way and there was nothing left of him.

I went out looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Keep your eye on the innocent. Model your life after the blameless.

Everyone who loves peace has a future.

But sinners will be doomed.

The forecast for the wicked: utter destruction.

There will be none left, not one child of darkness.

The Eternal saves His faithful;

He lends His strength in hard times;

The Eternal comes and frees them—

frees them from evildoers and saves them for eternity—

simply because they seek shelter in Him.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 37 (The Voice)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for monday, january 25 of 2021 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 36 for the 36th day of Winter

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 36]

For the worship leader. A song of David, the Eternal’s servant.

Sin speaks in the depths of the soul

of those who oppose God; they listen closely to its urgings.

You’ll never see the fear of God

in their eyes,

For they flatter themselves—

convinced their sin will remain secret, undiscovered, and so unhated.

They speak words of evil and deceit.

Wisdom and goodness, they deserted long ago.

Even as they sleep, they are plotting mischief.

They journey along a path far from anything good,

gravitating to trouble, welcoming evil.

Your love, O Eternal One, towers high into the heavens.

Even the skies are lower than Your faithfulness.

Your justice is like the majestic mountains.

Your judgments are as deep as the oceans, and yet in Your greatness,

You, O Eternal, offer life for every person and animal.

Your strong love, O True God, is precious.

All people run for shelter under the shadow of Your wings.

In Your house, they eat and are full at Your table.

They drink from the river of Your overflowing kindness.

You have the fountain of life that quenches our thirst.

Your light has opened our eyes and awakened our souls.

May Your love continue to grow deeply in the lives of all who know You.

May Your salvation reach every heart committed to do right.

Give me shelter from prideful feet that hunt me down

and wicked hands that push me from Your path.

It is there, far away from You, that the wicked will be forced down,

face to the earth, never again returning to their feet.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 36 (The Voice)

to be accompanied by these lines from The Message:

How exquisite your love, O God!

How eager we are to run under your wings,

To eat our fill at the banquet you spread

as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water.

You’re a fountain of cascading light,

and you open our eyes to light.

Keep on loving your friends;

do your work in welcoming hearts.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 36:7-10 (The Message)

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretend that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

and surrounded with silver.

To humbly receive wise correction

adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle breeze blowing at harvest time—

cooling the sweat from his brow.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water to a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for Wednesday, november 25 of 2020 with Proverbs 25 and Psalm 25, accompanied by Psalm 65 for the 65th day of Autumn, and Psalm 30 for day 330 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 3rd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 25]

Solomon’s proverbs, published by the scribes of King Hezekiah:

God conceals the revelation of his word

in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed

by how they thoroughly search out

the deeper meaning of all that God says.

The heart of a king is full of understanding,

like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.

If you burn away the impurities from silver,

a sterling vessel will emerge from the fire.

And if you purge corruption from the kingdom,

a king’s reign will be established in righteousness.

Don’t boast in the presence of a king

or promote yourself by taking a seat at the head table

and pretend that you’re someone important.

For it is better for the king to say to you,

“Come, you should sit at the head table,”

than for him to say in front of everyone,

“Please get up and move—

you’re sitting in the place of the prince.”

Don’t be hasty to file a lawsuit.

By starting something you wish you hadn’t,

you could be humiliated when you lose your case.

Don’t reveal another person’s secret

just to prove a point in an argument,

or you could be accused of being a gossip

and gain a reputation for being one

who betrays the confidence of a friend.

Winsome words spoken at just the right time

are as appealing as apples gilded in gold

and surrounded with silver.

To humbly receive wise correction

adorns your life with beauty

and makes you a better person.

A reliable, trustworthy messenger

refreshes the heart of his master,

like a gentle breeze blowing at harvest time—

cooling the sweat from his brow.

Clouds that carry no water

and a wind that brings no refreshing rain—

that’s what you’re like when you boast

of a gift that you don’t have.

[Wisdom Practices Self-Control]

Use patience and kindness when you want to persuade leaders

and watch them change their minds right in front of you.

For your gentle wisdom will quell the strongest resistance.

When you discover something sweet,

don’t overindulge and eat more than you need,

for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing.

Don’t wear out your welcome

by staying too long at the home of your friends,

or they may get fed up with always having you there

and wish you hadn’t come.

Lying about and slandering people

are as bad as hitting them with a club,

or wounding them with an arrow,

or stabbing them with a sword.

You can’t depend on an unreliable person

when you really need help.

It can be compared to biting down on an abscessed tooth

or walking with a sprained ankle.

When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering

in the deepest grief and heartache,

it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a blizzard

or rubbing salt in a wound.

Is your enemy hungry? Buy him lunch.

Win him over with your kindness.

Your surprising generosity will awaken his conscience

and God will reward you with favor.

As the north wind brings a storm,

saying things you shouldn’t brings a storm to any relationship.

It’s better to live all alone in a rundown shack

than to share a castle with a crabby spouse!

Like a drink of cool water to a weary, thirsty soul,

so hearing good news revives the spirit.

When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness,

it can be compared to contaminating a stream with sewage

or polluting a fountain.

It’s good to eat sweet things,

but you can take too much.

It’s good to be honored,

but to seek words of praise is not honor at all.

If you live without restraint

and are unable to control your temper,

you’re as helpless as a city with broken-down defenses,

open to attack.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 25 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)

[Psalm 65]

What a Savior

For the Pure and Shining One

King David’s poetic song

O God in Zion, to you even silence is praise!

You are the God who answers prayer;

all of humanity comes before you with their requests.

Though we are overcome by our many sins,

your sacrifice covers over them all.

And your priestly lovers, those you’ve chosen,

will be greatly favored to be brought close to you.

What inexpressible joys are theirs!

What feasts of mercy fill them in your heavenly sanctuary!

How satisfied we will be just to be near you!

You answer our prayers with amazing wonders

and with awe-inspiring displays of power.

You are the righteous God who helps us like a father.

Everyone everywhere looks to you,

for you are the confidence of all the earth,

even to the farthest islands of the sea.

What jaw-dropping, astounding power is yours!

You are the mountain maker who sets them all in place.

You muzzle the roar of the mighty seas

and the rage of mobs with their noisy riots.

O God, to the farthest corners of the planet

people will stand in awe,

startled and stunned by your signs and wonders.

Sunrise brilliance and sunset beauty

both take turns singing their songs of joy to you.

Your visitations of glory bless the earth;

the rivers of God overflow and enrich it.

You paint the wheat fields golden as you provide rich harvests.

Every field is watered with the abundance of rain—

showers soaking the earth and softening its clods,

causing seeds to sprout throughout the land.

You crown the earth with its yearly harvest,

the fruits of your goodness.

Wherever you go the tracks of your chariot wheels drip with oil.

Luxuriant green pastures boast of your bounty

as you make every hillside blossom with joy.

The grazing meadows are covered with flocks,

and the fertile valleys are clothed with grain,

each one dancing and shouting for joy, creation’s celebration!

And they’re all singing their songs of praise to you!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 65 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 30]

A song of David. For the dedication of the temple.

I praise You, Eternal One. You lifted me out of that deep, dark pit

and denied my opponents the pleasure of rubbing in their success.

Eternal One, my True God, I cried out to You for help;

You mended the shattered pieces of my life.

You lifted me from the grave with a mighty hand,

gave me another chance,

and saved me from joining those in that dreadful pit.

Sing, all you who remain faithful!

Pour out your hearts to the Eternal with praise and melodies;

let grateful music fill the air and bless His name.

His wrath, you see, is fleeting,

but His grace lasts a lifetime.

The deepest pains may linger through the night,

but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning.

When things were quiet and life was easy, I said in arrogance,

“Nothing can shake me.”

By Your grace, Eternal,

I thought I was as strong as a mountain;

But when You left my side and hid away,

I crumbled in fear.

O Eternal One, I called out to You;

I pleaded for Your compassion and forgiveness:

“I’m no good to You dead! What benefits come from my rotting corpse?

My body in the grave will not praise You.

No songs will rise up from the dust of my bones.

From dust comes no proclamation of Your faithfulness.

Hear me, Eternal Lord—please help me,

Eternal One—be merciful!”

You did it: You turned my deepest pains into joyful dancing;

You stripped off my dark clothing

and covered me with joyful light.

You have restored my honor. My heart is ready to explode, erupt in new songs!

It’s impossible to keep quiet!

Eternal One, my God, my Life-Giver, I will thank You forever.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 30 (The Voice)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for friday, november 20 of 2020 with Proverbs 20 and Psalm 20, accompanied by Psalm 60 for the 60th day of Autumn, and Psalm 25 for day 325 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 3rd revolution this year)

[Psalm 20]

For the worship leader. A song of David.

May the Eternal’s answer find you, come to rescue you,

when you desperately cling to the end of your rope.

May the name of the True God of Jacob be your shelter.

May He extend hope and help to you from His holy sanctuary

and support you from His sacred city of Zion.

May He remember all that you have offered Him;

may your burnt sacrifices serve as a prelude to His mercy.

[pause]

May He grant the dreams of your heart

and see your plans through to the end.

When you win, we will not be silent! We will shout

and raise high our banners in the great name of our God!

May the Eternal say yes to all your requests.

I don’t fear; I’m confident that help will come to the one anointed by the Eternal:

heaven will respond to his plea;

His mighty right hand will win the battle.

Many put their hope in chariots, others in horses,

but we place our trust in the name of the Eternal One, our True God.

Soon our enemies will collapse and fall, never to return home;

all the while, we will rise and stand firm.

Eternal One, grant victory to our king!

Answer our plea for help.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 20 (The Voice)

[Proverbs 20]

Too much wine begins to mock you,

too much strong drink leads to noisy fights,

and whoever is misled by either is not wise.

A king’s wrath strikes fear like a lion’s roar;

those who provoke him to anger sentence themselves to death.

Honor is due those who refuse to fight at the drop of a hat,

but every fool jumps at an opportunity to quarrel.

A slacker procrastinates when it is time to plow;

so when it’s time for harvest, there are no crops in the field.

The real motives come from deep within a person—as from deep waters—

but a discerning person is able to draw them up and expose them.

Most people claim to be loyal,

but can anyone find a trustworthy person?

The right-living act with integrity;

the children who follow their example are happy.

When a king sits on his throne as judge,

he ferrets out all evil and scatters it with his royal stare.

Who can say, “I have cleaned my heart”?

or who can proclaim, “I am purified from sin”?

False weights and differing measures are alike:

both are disgusting to the Eternal.

Youth reveal their true natures by their actions

whether they do what is pure and right or not.

Ears to listen, eyes to see—

the Eternal designed them both.

Do not fall in love with sleep, or you will awake a poor person.

Stay awake, get to work, and you will have more than enough food.

“Bad quality for a bad price,” bargains the buyer;

but then he runs off with his prize in tow, bragging, “What a steal!”

Gold and rubies abound,

but lips that utter knowledge are a rare jewel.

If someone guarantees a stranger’s debt, hold his garment as collateral;

if that stranger is a foreigner, hold the creditor responsible.

At first the bread of lies tastes sweet

until guilt reduces it to gravel in the mouth.

Plans are finalized on the basis of good counsel,

so only go to war when you have wise instructions.

A gossip will reveal your secrets!

So avoid the company of people who talk openly and foolishly.

If someone pronounces a curse on his parents,

the lamp of his life will be snuffed out as complete darkness creeps in.

An inheritance acquired hastily at first

will end up not being blessed after all.

Do not say, “I will get even for this evil.”

Wait for the Eternal; He will defend you.

He despises dishonesty in business;

false weights and deceptive scales are wrong.

Every one of our steps is directed by Him;

so how can we attempt to figure out our own way?

Those who rashly dedicate something to God are trapped;

only afterward do they realize what they’ve promised.

A wise king weeds out the wrongdoers,

then drives over them with his threshing wheel of justice.

The lamp of the Eternal illuminates the human spirit,

searching our most intimate thoughts.

Loyal love and faithfulness safeguard the king;

his throne is perpetuated through loyal love.

The best asset of youth is the strength of the body,

but the beauty of age is gray hair.

Severe punishment scrubs away evil,

and tough blows scour the innermost parts.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 20 (The Voice)

[Psalm 60]

Has God Forgotten Us?

To the Pure and Shining One

King David’s poem for instruction composed when he fought against the Syrians with the outcome still uncertain and Joab turned back to kill 12,000 descendants of Esau in the Valley of Salt

To the tune of “Lily of the Covenant”

God, it seems like you walked off and left us!

Why have you turned against us?

You have been angry with us.

O Lord, we plead, come back and help us as a father.

The earth quivers and quakes before you,

splitting open and breaking apart.

Now come and heal it, for it is shaken to its depths.

You have taught us hard lessons

and made us drink the wine of bewilderment.

You have given miraculous signs to those who love you.

As we follow you we fly the flag of truth,

and all who love the truth will rally to it.

Pause in his presence

Come to your beloved ones and gently draw us out.

For Lord, you save those whom you love.

Come with your might and strength!

Then I heard the Lord speak in his holy splendor.

From his sanctuary I heard the Lord promise:

“In my triumph I will be the one to measure out

the portion of my inheritance to my people,

and I will secure the land as I promised you.

Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh,

they are all still mine!” he says.

“Judah will continue to produce kings and lawgivers,

and Ephraim will produce great warriors.

Moab will become my lowly servant.

Edom will likewise serve my purposes.

I will lift up a shout of victory over the land of Philistia!

But who will bring my triumph into the strong city?

Who will lead me into Edom’s fortresses?”

Have you really rejected us, refusing to fight our battles?

Give us a father’s help when we face our enemies.

For to trust in any man is an empty hope.

With God’s help we will fight like heroes

and he will trample down our every foe!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 60 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 25]

A song of David.

ALWAYS I will lift up my soul to You, Eternal One,

BECAUSE You are my God and I put my trust in You.

Do not let me be humiliated.

Do not let my enemies celebrate at my expense.

CERTAINLY none of the people who rely on You will be shamed,

but those who are unfaithful, who intentionally deceive,

they are the ones who will be disgraced.

DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.

Teach me to understand so I can follow.

EASE me down the path of Your truth.

FEED me Your word

because You are the True God who has saved me.

I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

GRACIOUS Eternal One, remember Your compassion; rekindle Your concern and love,

which have always been part of Your actions toward those who are Yours.

Do not HOLD against me the sins I committed when I was young;

instead, deal with me according to Your mercy and love.

Then Your goodness may be demonstrated in all the world, Eternal One.

IMMENSELY good and honorable is the Eternal;

that’s why He teaches sinners the way.

With JUSTICE, He directs the humble in all that is right,

and He shows them His way.

KIND and true are all the ways of the Eternal

to the people who keep His covenant and His words.

O LORD, the Eternal, bring glory to Your name,

and forgive my sins because they are beyond number.

MAY anyone who fears the Eternal

be shown the path he should choose.

His soul will NOT only live in goodness,

but his children will inherit the land.

ONLY those who stand in awe of the Eternal will have intimacy with Him,

and He will reveal His covenant to them.

PERPETUALLY my focus takes me to the Eternal

because He will set me free from the traps laid for me.

QUIETLY turn Your eyes to me and be compassionate toward me

because I am lonely and persecuted.

RAPIDLY my heart beats as troubles build on the horizon.

Come relieve me from these threats.

SEE my troubles and my misery,

and forgive all my sins.

TAKE notice of my enemies.

See how there are so many of them

who hate me and would seek my violent destruction.

Watch over my soul,

and let me face shame and defeat

UNASHAMED because You are my refuge.

May honor and strong character keep me safe.

VIGILANTLY I wait for You, hoping, trusting.

Save Israel from all its troubles,

O True God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 25 (The Voice)