#while moses is on the other end surrounded by all his loved ones

[mxtxfanatic]

There are a few places in mdzs where, in the midst of Wei Wuxian trying to placate him, Jiang Cheng says something so terribly, egregiously misrepresentative of Wei Wuxian and his morals that all Wei Wuxian can do is stare at him—like an adult realizing for the first time that the tantruming child they are attempting to calm may just be spoiled—before deciding to give up on the conversation. “Sure, Jiang Cheng,” he says, “it’s whatever you feel. It’s whatever you want.”

People like to say that the problem with the Yunmeng friendship is simply communication issues, but I think the real problem is that when true conflict happens between them, they both realize that they truly do not like each other. The difference is that Jiang Cheng reacts to this realization by trying to force Wei Wuxian into the shape that he wants, which is submission—“Do as I say! Listen to me! Obey me!”—while Wei Wuxian stands at the other end of the torched bridge he plans to never cross again and goes, “Sure Jiang Cheng, it’s whatever you feel, it’s whatever you want.”

[drunkenskunk]

So, obviously I've been infected by the Metal Gear nanomachines Brainworms lately. And one of the things running through my mind is Revolver Ocelot.

Because, like... his characterization would change a lot over the course of the series. He'd eventually become this reverse-quadruple agent who betrays everyone multiple times for a very specific goal, and that also includes betraying himself, technically. After all, he was never actually possessed by the spirit of Liquid Snake after grafting on the arm to replace the one Gray Fox cut off, but he instead used hypnotherapy to make himself think that he was.

But I'm not actually thinking about any of that. I'm not thinking about his love for Big Boss or his decades-long revenge plot or any of what would come later. I've been thinking about his characterization in the first Metal Gear Solid, specifically.

On the surface, he seems like an absurd character, just for the sake of it. Because think about it: he's a former Soviet spetsnaz operative who specializes in torture, but dresses up like a cowboy from the American Old West, armed with a pair of Colt Single Action Army revolvers that he seemingly can't help but spin at all times. It's ridiculous, and he's ridiculous, but it fits perfectly with all the other quirky ridiculous characters in FOXHOUND.

But scratch the surface just a bit, and you realize that his character exists in the first Metal Gear Solid to act as a foil for both Liquid and Solid Snake. Liquid and Solid are ridiculous characters, sure, but they're taking everything seriously; Ocelot is ridiculous, because he refuses to take anything seriously. He dresses up like a cowboy, playing pretend, because war is just a game to him. He's a nihilist, simply trying to amuse himself while surrounded by all this needless human suffering he inflicts. While Solid and Liquid are focused on their missions, locked in with each other in this intense cat-and-mouse battle of wills with incredibly high stakes... Ocelot, meanwhile, spends the back half of the game treating his arm getting cut off as merely a mild inconvenience.

I feel like this was the original reason he was one of the few people to actually make it out of Shadow Moses alive. Like, ignore all the sequels and the convoluted backstory that would come later, but just treating the first Metal Gear Solid as a self-contained package. By the end of the game, the rest of FOXHOUND is dead, including Liquid, Solid Snake is thoroughly disillusioned with the US government and the military industrial complex (even more than he was at the beginning), and while the day is saved it's done at incredible cost to nearly everyone involved... but as for Ocelot?

It's impossible for him to be broken by war, because he doesn't actually believe in anything strongly enough to die for it.

... I dunno, I don't really have a point here. I've just been thinking about this, and I wanted to get it out of my brain.

[sunflowervoltwentyeight]

Happy 28th! Here is my January 2024 fic rec, organized by word count, from longest to shortest. You can view my other fic recs here. Enjoy!

It's Fine To Fake It 'Til You Make It ('Til It's True) by sunflouwerhabit / @sunflouwerhabit (150k)

Harry Styles @HarryStyles_KE hi again! so, i wanted to apologize one more time for the whole “helogogjs good gksdjid” thing, and also say that i didn’t just accidentally open your DM’s when i wasn’t paying attention earlier. i sort of had a question about a tweet you posted yesterday? like. the whole “rent a boyfriend” thing? is that something you were serious about? and if so, how does one come to hire you to be their boyfriend? i’m, um, asking for a friend

*****

Harry dreads an impending visit to his hometown, where he’ll be forced to reunite with a newly engaged ex-boyfriend, a childhood best friend turned near stranger, and a family who never understood just how desperately he needed to leave.

In the midst of it all, a ludicrous Twitter proposition brings him to Louis.

(Almost) Exes-to-Lovers (Series) by nonsensedarling / @absoloutenonsense (93k)

Been Waitin' (After Weekend After Weekend After) (3k) Louis and Harry meet at a laundromat. Part 1 of (Almost) Exes-to-Lovers When the Trouble Comes (89k) The Queens Trafficking case is the biggest one of Louis’ FBI career so far; eleven reported missing girls all disappeared under a similar set of circumstances. Louis has done everything he can to try and solve this case over the last nine months… while also absolutely ruining his marriage. Harry has been co-host of Banter at Breakfast for five years, and finally has the opportunity to create his own radio show with the network. Unfortunately, it comes at a time where Harry’s thoughts are consumed with his impending divorce from his (caring, loving, infuriatingly thoughtful) husband of eight years. Harry and Louis have both been willing to lose themselves in their work… but are they willing to lose each other? * Or a story of (almost) exes-to-lovers. Part 2 of (Almost) Exes-to-Lovers

And Down the Long and Silent Street by whimsicule (86k)

The year is 1881 and if you’re alone in this world you might as well be dead, because starving dogs have no mercy.

Or: Wherein Louis and Harry are on the opposite ends of the social ladder, but their paths still cross on the filthy streets Louis calls his home. The odds are staked against them from the beginning, and even more when Louis' past finally catches up with him.

Baby Steal My Heart Away by Snowy38 (61k)

Louis headed into the hall, seeing the Moses basket right away.

"Wah-wah-wahhh!"

Was that...

Fuck.

It was. It was a baby! A loudly crying, clearly unhappy-actually properly distressed baby. It was already red in the face and--

Why was there a baby?

He looked up and around, palm flattening to his forehead to push his scruffy hair away from his clammy skin, checking he wasn't being punked.

Light Me Up, Put Me on Top by CuckooTrooke / @larrydoinglaundry (24k)

Harry takes Louis back to Northern Europe to experience his first Nordic Christmas in their beloved cabin, surrounded by nothing but peace and snow. So much snow.

Short "spin-off" to 'Love is a word, you gave it a name' universe. Takes place after the second part of the main story, but before the final epilogue.

Part 3 of love is a word, you gave it a name

No One Like You by myownspark (19k)

Dear Niall,

I was glad to have the chance to talk with you again at the AHA conference. Your idea that the Musee D’Orsay Tomlinson painting is in fact not a self-portrait is an intriguing one, and I may have discovered something that will have a bearing on that theory.

Some background: as you may remember, I’ve been researching for a book I’m writing about Harry Styles. I’ve been in communication with Styles’ last living descendant, who is in possession of a trunk that her family believed to have belonged to Styles himself. It held some personal items she presumes to be his, including two unmounted paintings and a small collection of letters.

Upon spending the last few days in Provins studying these items, I believe there to be a connection between Tomlinson and Styles, and I would very much like your opinion.

Are you up for a trip to France?

Sincerely, Liam Payne

Where Liam and Niall are art historians discovering the truth about two nineteenth century painters on opposite sides of an artistic divide.

[nerdygaymormon]

Exodus 10: 7-11, 24-26 - Passover is an annual reminder that we do not leave others behind

Moses and Pharaoh met together several times to negotiate the terms for the release of the Israelites. Pharaoh initially agrees to just letting the men go, then just the adults, then all of the people but not the animals. In the end, the Israelites young and old, and their animals, leave Egypt.

Moses never caved to Pharaoh's counter offers. It was to be all Israelites & their animals or none. In a stirring moment, Moses states, "Not a hoof shall remain behind."

Passover celebrates the events surrounding the Israelites leaving Egypt and is an annual reminder that we don't negotiate for our benefit at the expense of others. In our journeys toward freedom, we don't leave a single hoof behind. Civil Rights and freedoms aren't to be doled out sparingly but are to be obtained for everyone.

The Passover story has served as a prototype of liberation for centuries. The Passover is a reminder that peace, justice and liberation are not fantasy but a reality that can be obtained. Passover arrives in the spring, a period of new growth and hope.

One lesson of Exodus is that when you have privilege, it's easy to become blind to the fact you hold privilege. Initially Moses didn't recognize the privilege he had, it seemed like the natural order of things. When he learned the truth of his background, it transformed his understanding of things. As a consequence, he was willing to stand with and for all Israelis.

It's not a coincidence that in the United States and Europe, straight, white, able-bodied, cis men are the least likely to use the word "privilege" to describe their situation. They are the least likely to know and understand the privilege they hold. It seems normal and natural to them.

Sadly, some in the LGBTQ community are at times blind to the privileges that we hold, and are too willing to wield them in a way that harms others despite our own status as second-class citizens. We are too often a movement that favors white, cisgender, middle class gay men. Our most visible advocates portray our cause using traditional family structures — monogamy, marriage, and kids — while leaving behind people whose ideas of love and family make us uncomfortable or push our limits. Some gay and bi people fear losing the progress made for themselves by the backlash occurring against our transgender siblings, and consequently some speak of removing the T from LGBT. This is not a queer ideal. Nor is it a Passover ideal.

Transgender rights are human rights, we're all in this together. When the more vulnerable are taken care of, the rest of us are also taken care of. When transgender rights are secured, the rights of other queer people are secured.

There's a famous example of sidewalk cutouts, the curb ramps which make moving onto or off of a sidewalk less difficult. Kalamazoo, Michigan installed curb cuts in the 1940's as a way to aid veterans with disabilities. In the 1970's, Berkeley, California installed curb cuts as a way to help the disabled to better live independently.

Although these were intended for the benefit of people with a disability, such as people using a wheelchair or crutches, they are used by walkers who may be a little unsteady, by people pushing a stroller, by those pulling a cart, by children riding a bicycle, roller skate or skateboard. By making accommodations for a small group, we all benefited.

This is a vibrant illustration of how laws and programs designed to benefit vulnerable groups, such as the disabled or people of color, often end up benefiting all. We are all humans, we rise or fall together. If gender-affirming care is protected for trans people, such care is protected for all people, including a breast reduction for a male with gynecomastia, hormone blockers for young people who enter puberty too early, hormone replacement therapy for people experiencing the effects of age, hair removal, and so on.

[dragoneyes618]

Judaism is an amazing religion that has so many benefits. Here are my top seven reasons why I love being Jewish.

1. Women are valued and held in high regard.

Women are honored and respected in Judaism.

Don’t roll your eyes at this one; it’s absolutely true. While it’s possible that certain individuals don’t respect women the way they should, that’s not what Judaism promotes.

Women play a central role in Jewish survival. Every story of persecution throughout history ends with a woman saving the day. The Torah, our primary Jewish text, states that in every generation it is the righteous Jewish women who saved the entire generation. Miriam merited our Exodus from Egypt in the story of Passover. Esther is front and center in saving us from the wicked Haman in the story of Purim. Yehudit slayed our biggest opponent and won the war in the story of Hanukkah, when everyone else was beginning to give up.

Throughout the Torah, women are respected and spoken of positively. For example, when Abraham and Sarah have a disagreement, G-d tells Abraham to listen to the voice of Sarah, his wife (Genesis 21:12). “Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice.” Commentaries explain that Sarah’s prophecy was more potent and powerful than her husband’s.

The marriage contract, ketubah, is primarily concerned with the husband’s obligations to his wife. It delineates his requirement to provide her with food, shelter, and clothing. He is also obligated to ensure he is responsive to her in all ways.

2. Physical pleasure is important, too.

While some religions call for the denouncement of the physical pleasures of the world, Judaism emphasizes the importance of physical pleasure in general. We are commanded to eat meat and drink wine at certain times and beautify our surroundings and belongings. It is a mitzvah, a commandment, to physically beautify and enhance the observance of Shabbat with physical pleasures. Buying jewelry and wearing beautiful new clothing is promoted for holidays. We are meant to enjoy the physical instead of neglecting it.

Even the care of our physical needs and the needs of our family is a commandment.

Many other religions negate the physical claiming that it takes away from higher spiritual goals. Judaism demands that we partake in the physical and elevate it. That is the primary way to attain holiness – through proper engagement in the world, not from running away from it.

3. Nobody is perfect.

In Judaism, it’s not all or nothing. No one is expected to be perfect. That’s why the Torah gives you the commandment called teshuva, which can only be fulfilled after you mess up.

We are humans, not machines. Perfection isn’t the goal; growth is. Even the greatest leaders in Jewish history, starting from Abraham and Moses, made some serious mistakes. No one is infallible.

We are meant to learn from our mistakes and keep moving in the right direction.

Mistakes are valuable, and are even at the core of developing real self-esteem. Judaism recognizes this and encourages growth through learning from our mistakes.

4. Judaism is a relationship, not just a religion.

Judaism is about developing a relationship with G-d one that promotes love, not fear of punishment.

I was visiting my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia, when I needed a haircut. As an observant, married woman, I cover my hair in public, and therefore asked a salon if they would accommodate me in a private room.

We headed into a back room, and the hairdresser actually expressed that she had never met a Jewish person before. She was intrigued by all the laws and details that accompanied Orthodox Judaism.

With a heavy southern accent, she asked me, “So…what happens when you sin?”

I looked at her somewhat confused and responded, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You know, like what happens when you do something wrong? Does lightning strike, or something? Do you get punished?”

I was shocked by her question, but was happy to answer that Judaism doesn’t view G-d as a big, bad wolf-type figure, looking to punish us whenever we sin. I explained that nothing physical happens per se, and that it’s always a person’s choice as to whether or not she wants to follow G-d’s command.

Judaism takes the opposite approach of the fire and brimstone as a form of motivation to serve G-d. We always have free will to choose how and if we honor G-d in our life. The goal of Judaism is connection, and performing commandments is meant to develop a deep relationship.

Mitzvot, like prayer, helps us develop a relationship with G-d. It is a way to hand our burden to G-d and lean on Him. He is our unchanging rock and support, no matter how we choose to live.

5. Judaism helps you stay happy.

Torah is the instruction manual for life. G-d gives us life, and tells us how to live it the best way possible by providing guidelines for living your best and happiest life.

For example, Judaism values connection over accomplishment – unlike what society promotes. A healthy, thriving family is the ultimate goal, rather than earthly pursuits such as professional success and the mass accumulation of fancy possessions.

When you think about your happiest moment in life, it probably has to do with connection. That is because connection is the root of all joy.

Prayer, giving charity, and laws governing marriage all have benefits to them that help us live our best and happiest life.

6. Intellectual pursuits have their own rewards.

A family friend of ours graduated from Harvard and was one of six people accepted into a fellowship program out of thousands that applied. He is one of the youngest doctors appointed Chairman of Anesthesia in the history of the U.S., and was recently presented with the Doctor of the Year award amongst a nationwide group of anesthesiologists.

Essentially, he’s a super smart, hardworking guy.

He did not grow up observant, and only learned about Judaism as an adult. Despite attending an Ivy League school and working hard all his life, he claims that there is no subject more intellectually stimulating and challenging than Judaism.

I agree.

Every word of the Torah is perfect and intentional, and they all weave together like a massive puzzle. There are layers of depth and no end to how deeply you can learn the material. Dive in and see for yourself.

7. We are eternal, never going anywhere, and that’s G-d’s promise.

l love being Jewish because we are an eternal nation. Every Jewish person reading this is a walking miracle.

According to the Nazis, we aren’t supposed to be here. Egypt would have loved to wipe every Jew off the planet. The Crusaders wished to destroy us by death and forced conversion, but we escaped and survived. According to any scientific calculation, the Jewish nation is not supposed to exist today. Yet, walk into any Jewish day school, and you will find vibrant children in the classrooms laughing, singing, and learning Torah freely! Despite all odds, we are still here, all of us walking, breathing miracles.

When all else is forgotten, we will still be here. This is G-d’s promise to us. We are the eternal nation, forever connected to G-d.

These seven reasons and more are why I love Judaism. Why do you love being Jewish? What’s your top reason? Leave a comment below:

[almaqead]

"The Farthest Mosque." Introduction to Surah 17, Al Isra.

Muslims believe that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel over a period of about 23 years, beginning in 609 CE and ending in 632 CE, the year of Muhammad's death. Surah Al-Isra', also known as Banī Isrāʾīl, is the 17th chapter of the Quran and contains 111 verses. 

Surah 17 is called Al Isra, which is Hebrew for "On a Straight". Islam, Is-Salam means "Providing Straightness." In Arabic it means the Night Journey, or the final ride one makes from Mecca, "the place of striking" to Jerusaem, "version of the sea, the auditorium."

The Israʾ and Miʿraj (Arabic: الإسراء والمعراج, al-’Isrā’ wal-Miʿrāj) are the two parts of a Night Journey that Muslims believe the Islamic prophet Muhammad (AD 570–632) took during a single night around the year AD 621 (1 BH – 0 BH). Within Islam, the majority of scholars agree that the journey was both a physical and spiritual one.[1][2] A brief mention of the story is found in the 17th surah (chapter) of the Quran, called al-Isra',[3] while details of the story are found in the hadith (the later collections of the reports, teachings, deeds and sayings of Muhammad).

In the Israʾ ("Night Journey"), Muhammad is said to have traveled on the back of Buraq (a winged horse-like animal) to Al-Aqsa (i.e. the Noble Sanctuary), where he led other prophets including Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus) in prayer.[4]

Muhammad then ascended into heaven during the Miʿraj (Ascension), where he individually greeted the prophets, and later spoke to God, who agreed to lower the number of required ṣalāt (ritual prayer) from 50 a day to only five. The journey and ascent are marked as one of the most celebrated dates in the Islamic calendar—27th of the Islamic month of Rajab.[5]

Muhammad was in love with Jerusalem:

In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city after Mecca and Medina.[21][22] Muslims believe that Muhammad was transported to Jerusalem during his Night Journey.[23] The Qur'an describes how the prophet was taken by the miraculous steed Buraq from the Great Mosque of Mecca to Al-Aqsa ("the farthest place of prayer") where he prayed, and then to visit heaven in a single night in the year 621.[24][23]

Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

Although the city of Jerusalem is not mentioned by any of its names in the Qur'an, it is mentioned in later Islamic literature as the place of Muhammad's Night Journey.[25] The story of Muhammad's ascension from Al-Aqsa Mosque was understood as relating to the Temple in Jerusalem (referred to as Bayt Al-Maqdis).[26] The Al-Aqsa Mosque is specified of being in Jerusalem in numerous hadith (prophetic traditions):

When the people of Quraish did not believe me (i.e. the story of my Night Journey), I stood up in Al-Hijr and Allah displayed Jerusalem in front of me, and I began describing it to them while I was looking at it.

The most holy spot [al-quds] on earth is Syria; the most holy spot in Syria is Palestine; the most holy spot in Palestine is Jerusalem [Bayt al-maqdis]; the most holy spot in Jerusalem is the Mountain; the most holy spot in Jerusalem is the place of worship [al-masjid], and the most holy spot in the place of worship is the Dome

Zayd ibn Thabit reports that the Prophet said, "How blessed is al-Sham! The Companions around asked: "Why is that?" The Messenger replied, "I see the angels of Allah spread their wings over al-Sham". lbn Abbas added, "and the Prophets lived in it. There is not a single inch in al-Quds (Jerusalem) where a Prophet has not prayed or an angel not stood".

Al Sham=who we are named after.

The spiritual importance of Jerusalem in Islam is further emphasized due to its status as the first Qibla (direction of prayer). Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad led prayers towards Jerusalem until the 16th or 17th month after his migration from Mecca to Medina, when Allah directed him to instead turn towards the Kaaba in Mecca.[23][Quran 2:142-151] Another part of Jerusalem's significance and holiness to Muslims derives from its strong association with Abraham, David, Solomon, and Jesus. They are all regarded as Prophets of Islam and their stories are mentioned in the Qur'an.[30]

Today, the Temple Mount is dominated by three monumental structures from the early Umayyad period – the Dome of the Rock (691 CE), the Dome of the Chain (691–692 CE) and the al-Aqsa Mosque (705–715 CE).[31]

So let's look at the news today, July 22, 2024. The world is not showing signs of recovering from the attacks on Ukraine by the Russians nor the attacks by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and its allies on Israel. No decisive action in either case has been declared. Jersusalem is at the heart of both of these conflicts. Unholy men like Charles Mary, Vladimir Putin, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump and his running mate Trey Falwell, worried about its holy powers are trying to make it their own. They have done the wrong thing, twice. First is the absurdity of this. Second is they tried to blame Muhammad's Isra for it.

The world must officially blame the Mormons and exonerate Muslims at once. Jerusalem, a place above all places is where the truth about the Spirit of God and the condition of man must be clear. Real Muslims must be outraged over being enmeshed in a lie they have never spoken.

As we begin our Dua on the 17th collection of verses in the Quran let us pray the truth is told and the safety and meaning and importance of Jerusalem and its tortured partner, Damascus are lifted up in priority and their enemies meat the serrated edges of God's lightning at once.

Thus begins the Surah.

17: 1-11:

Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs.1 Indeed, He2 alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guide for the Children of Israel, ˹stating:˺ “Do not take besides Me any other Trustee of Affairs,

˹O˺ descendants of those We carried with Noah ˹in the Ark˺! He was indeed a grateful servant.”

And We warned the Children of Israel in the Scripture, “You will certainly cause corruption in the land twice, and you will become extremely arrogant.

When the first of the two warnings would come to pass, We would send against you some of Our servants of great might, who would ravage your homes. This would be a warning fulfilled.

Then ˹after your repentance˺ We would give you the upper hand over them and aid you with wealth and offspring, causing you to outnumber them.

If you act rightly, it is for your own good, but if you do wrong, it is to your own loss. “And when the second warning would come to pass, your enemies would ˹be left to˺ totally disgrace you and enter that place of worship as they entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever would fall into their hands.

Perhaps your Lord will have mercy on you ˹if you repent˺, but if you return ˹to sin˺, We will return ˹to punishment˺. And We have made Hell a ˹permanent˺ confinement for the disbelievers.”

Surely this Quran guides to what is most upright, and gives good news to the believers—who do good—that they will have a mighty reward.

And ˹it warns˺ those who do not believe in the Hereafter ˹that˺ We have prepared for them a painful punishment.

And humans ˹swiftly˺ pray for evil1 as they pray for good. For humankind is ever hasty.

Commentary:

We know from the above Muhammad wrote a document called Al Quran al Kareem, "the very best cream of the verses" in order to spark commentary about the Torah in the language of Arabic. It pays homage to the Jewish people and their descendents and threatens any who would threaten them.

In this it refers to the same subject matter as the Talmud, the Pillar of Night that took the first born of Egypt for enslaving the Jews.

If the Mormons, all of them, not just their firstborn are not vanquished by the Pillar of the Night, Muslims and their sacred towns will be enslaved by them forever. Donald Trump and Jerry Fallwell's piglet must be stopped or the Holy Land will belong to them and they will further desecreate it. This is the way to begin our interpretation of the Surah.

The Second is to restore all Israel and Syria back into habitable places and show their people some compassion. They have been in hell for a long time, it is time to give them a lasting reprieve. Any place on this planet that is suffering from war and corruption and it not habitable must receive a reprieve.

The world is melting down over Al Aqsa the Mosque dedicated to the Mi'raj, the Maha Shabbat of Muhammad, the fulfillment of all the dreams of all spirited persons. It is owned by Dar al Islam and has been since Muhammad's Mi'raj in the 7th Century. In Muslim hands world must allow it to stay. As the Hadith says, its Imam must encourage persons of all beliefs to be changed within its walls. Thus alone will all eyes will turn to Israel and the Holy City and find peace.

The Surah will continue. The Isra and Mi'raj are the most important sacraments in all of Islam as they prove Muhammad was called by the One God to the place that gave birth to a multitude of civilized men. He saw this with his own eyes. The Surah which represents a Third Pilgrimage is the Account.

[christian-perspectives]

God's Unfailing Love And Faithfulness

In Genesis a couple of people made references to God's unfailing love. But in our verse for today, the Lord Himself revealed His unfailing love as a part of His character. Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Exodus 34:6 Earlier in Exodus, Moses received the Ten Commandments when God wrote them the first time. Upon returning to the camp, he observed the Israelites performing godless acts of worship. Thus, he smashed the stone tablets containing the commandments. In today's chapter, Moses chiseled out two other stone tablets and took them for God to write the commandments again. This time, the Lord came down in a cloud and stood with Moses. He passed in front of Moses and made some declarations about Himself, beginning in verse six. In the next verse, we see God's unfailing love and justice working side by side. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations. Exodus 34:7 So, how should we define God's unfailing love? Some of the characteristics of love include faithfulness, kindness, loyalty, and mercy. Those Characteristics in God never fail. God's unfailing love goes even further. He offers compassion to those who don't deserve it. His love is perfect and unchanging. No matter how many times we fail, God's love never fails.

God's Unfailing Love Never Fails

Even in our unfaithfulness, God does not stand at a distance. He remains faithful because that's who He is. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.2 Timothy 2:13 Because we rub shoulders with wicked and sinful people, we must rely on God's love. King David, one who knew and appreciated God's unfailing love, wrote about it in Psalm 33. Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. Psalm 36:5-6 You can depend on the Lord whether you are experiencing your highest high or lowest low. You can rely on God's faithfulness, righteousness, justice, and, of course, His unfailing love. David continued in that Psalm by telling us that God cares for us. He also makes His shelter available to anyone who wants it. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:6-7 When we think about God's justice, our minds often turn to the negative. Some of us might feel that justice and love are opposites. In God's justice, He judges us by what's in our hearts. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see. Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts. Psalm 36:9-10

God Demonstrates His Love

In Romans, we read about how God demonstrates His love. It says while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The Psalmist told us how we should respond to God's unfailing love. - Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him. - Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. - Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy. - For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. - He loves whatever is just and good the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth. Psalm 33:1-5 The 33rd Psalm praises the Lord by responding to God's attributes, beginning with His unfailing love. Look how this wonderful Psalm ended. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Psalm 33:20-22 Have you ever done something wrong or act stupid? You get a knot in your stomach and wonder if the other person will forgive you. You don't have to worry about that with God.

He Forgives Us

If you ask Him for forgiveness, He will forgive you and never hold that sin against you. That happens because of God's unfailing love, a love that you can't get away from. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 Even if you decide to walk away from serving the Lord, which you can, He will still love you. God made every human being on the face of the earth in His image. Even though we have a sinful nature, God still wants to have fellowship with us. He also wants us to spend eternity with Him. Therefore, He took the initiative to make that happen. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:9-10 God's unfailing love is real. His love has opened the way for us to come to Him. Jesus told us that He is the only way to the Father. Lord, we have nothing to offer you except ourselves. We know you will accept us because of your unfailing love for us. Check out these related devotions about God’s love. - The Commandment To Love Is Nothing New - What Has God Prepared For Those Who Love Him? - Just Turn and Look, For God’s Love Is There - How Much Does God Love Me? - Love Cannot Be Explained Read the full article

[barbaramoorersm]

June 11, 2023

June 11, 2023

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14b-16a

Moses reminds the people of the way in which God eased their hunger with manna in the desert.

Psalm 147

The Psalmist reminds the people of how God fed them with wheat and security.

 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17

Paul shares his belief that we are one body receiving the “cup of blessing and the “body of Christ.”

Sequence

This poem/hymn, both the longer and shorter version speak of the ways God shares spiritual food with us.

John 6: 51-58

Jesus shares another one of his “I am” statements when he shares with the crowd this phrase.  “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”

 The list of beautiful celebrations following Easter ends today with a feast often called, “Corpus Christi or, “The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.”

When we reflect on the “I am” statements Jesus makes, they generally focus on everyday items and activities.  For example, “light, salt, bread, the way, the truth, the life, and shepherding.”  Their simplicity makes them much more understandable.  But reflection on them and their value has a deeper meaning than we often notice.  Today he speaks of himself as “bread” but adds what kind of bread he is.  “The bread of life.”  He connects bread and wine with his flesh and blood. And he connects them to our individual lives.

These words were and are difficult for some.  Some even left his company when he first shared them.  And indeed, within our Christian traditions there are a variety of views that range from “the real presence of Jesus,” to “the memory of Jesus,” or “the representation” of Jesus.  But among all these views there is a level of respect and presence.

For a few moments let us return to the commonness of the “I am statements” of Jesus.  They deal with everyday reality, life, and experience.  Salt, light, and bread.  I wonder why Jesus uses them in relationship to himself.  What are some of the meanings he may be sharing surrounding his use of bread and wine.

They both were among the most common forms of food and drink the ancient Israelites enjoyed on a regular basis.  In many ways that is true for us as well. But note they were common, affordable, easy to be made and acquired.  They nourish and delight.  And their accessibility speaks to a unity and that is present when we gather and receive them.  The same bread is given to each person, and in my tradition, now after a blessing is Jesus himself.  Coming to everyone no matter their race gender, age, wealth, culture, or orientation. They speak to the universality of Christ a message we often do not see in our culture these days.  While some these days want to deny rights to individuals like transgender folks or limit the voting rights of others, this food, this Communion, is shared openly and generously.

Jesus in his “I am” statements and especially the one today reflects a universality, an adaptability, and inclusion often lacking in our world.  The nourishment Jesus offers is the grace, the power, and the availability of his presence as well as an awareness of his closeness.  He states in the Gospel that this Communion, this Eucharist, is true food and true drink. 

This sacrament’s power has the capacity to be seen in our lives.  By that I mean, since Jesus is so gracious in giving himself to us, it invites us to do the same with all those who enter our lives and with whom we live and work.  During the week when we are having a hard time with someone, it might help if we remember that perhaps they too received Jesus that weekend and they too carry God’s grace and nourishment. 

Our Sequence’s longer version today says, “What he did at supper seated, Christ ordained to be repeated, His memorial ne’re to cease.”  “Do this in memory of me.”  A gentle request and an invitation from one who loves us and welcomes us with all our limits and gifts.

[andybondurant]

New Post has been published on Andy Bondurant

New Post has been published on https://andybondurant.com/2023/01/13/walk-through-the-bible-luke-4-6/

Walk Through the Bible: Luke 4-6

We’re starting the year off by walking through the Gospel of Luke together. It’s a common New Year’s goal to read the Bible more, but I’ve found a common hurdle to this goal…where do I start? I want to help!

First, take a look at this post from a couple of years ago, 5 Steps to Understand the Bible. It’s a great place to start your new goal. Second, if you are beginning in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, I wrote a series of posts on the story of Joseph. Joseph is a major character at the end of the book of Genesis, but the story of Joseph and his brothers is a little messy and complicated. These series of those posts should help you: Joseph: A Story of Redemption.

Finally, I’ll cover a few chapters of Luke each week, and I’ll include some of my thoughts on each chapter. Read along with me, and share your thoughts on these chapters with me in the comments!

Be sure to check out the other chapters too:

Walk Through the Bible: Luke 1-3

Luke 4 – You have an enemy.

There are two camps we tend to fall into when thinking about Satan. Either we give him too much authority, or we ascribe to him nearly no power. Honestly, I fall into the later – I don’t usually believe Satan has much power. I really don’t think about him.

Yet, reading this chapter about the temptation of Jesus, I’m forced to think about our enemy. He’s real. Satan does have power. He wants to destroy us. Satan is a creation of God who has fallen, and he now wants to see the rest of creation fall with him.

Here’s one revelation I had about Satan. He’s not God.

Satan does have power, but he’s not all powerful. Satan does have knowledge, yet he’s not all knowing. It seems Satan can by physically present, but he’s not present everywhere. Satan is limited, and we need to make sure we don’t give him more power than he actually has.

Bonus thought: Jesus, the man, defeats Satan with scripture. Scripture is more powerful than Satan, so it’s your secret weapon.

Luke 5 – What do you think? What do you know?

Up until this point, Jesus has already endured struggles and trials. He went through desert temptation and was rejected by his own community, but neither of those things compared to the consistent adversity he would face the rest of his life. 

Enter the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were a sect of the Jewish faith who believed the rules surrounding entry into the temple, given by Moses centuries before, applied to every day life. Over the course of a few hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Pharisees became the default experts on Jewish law and tradition.

Jesus and the Pharisees both loved the law. What this love looked like in every day life was vastly different from one another. The Pharisees loved the tiniest detail of the law. The detail was as important as the intent. Jesus loved the spirit of the law. The focus for Jesus was the intent of the law, so the details became secondary.

This chapter of Luke captures the Pharisees first run-in with Jesus, and immediately we see the conflict in philosophy and theology. Jesus has the audacity to forgive a man’s sins, and then proves his power by healing him. Jesus and his disciples don’t openly fast (a sign of of purity in the Pharisee tradition), but instead Jesus sits and eats with sinful people. Each of these actions make Jesus unclean in the Jewish law and tradition.

Through these encounters, Jesus pecks away at the heart of the Pharisees. The difference comes down to thinking and knowing. The Pharisees think they know truth. Jesus knows truth. While eating with “sinners” Jesus says,

“I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”  -Luke‬ ‭5:32‬ ‭‬‬

Jesus wants to spend time with those who know who they are, not with those who think they are something else.

What do you think? What do you know?

Luke 6 – Purpose. Design. Call.

For two chapters Jesus and the Pharisees have been like two boxers trading jabs back and forth feeling each other out. The Pharisees don’t realize it, but Jesus keeps coming back the idea of purpose, design and call.

Without asking these questions, this is where Jesus keeps probing. Why was the law created? What is the reason for these rules? Why are we alive?

The Pharisees miss it, and if you’re not careful, you will miss it too. What Jesus is really saying comes in his famous sermon on the mount, 

“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” -‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:43-45‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is an intent or purpose for everything God creates. This is true nature, humanity, the church. What is your purpose? Are you fulfilling that purpose and creating what you were made for? We either produce what we were made for, or what we allow our hearts to devolve into.

You may not know your specific purpose, but I know you were created for life, hope, joy. Are you fulfilling that purpose?

What did you see?

Those are (some of) my thoughts from the first three chapters of Luke. What did you see? What seemed to jump off the page or screen as you read? Share them in the comments and let’s learn together!

[missymurphy1985]

The Extra (part 11 - Final Chapter)

Warning - fluff!!!

Taglist @queenshelby @margoo0 @being-worthy @peakyscillian @peakyciills @janelongxox @elenavampire21 @ysmmsy @cloudofdisney @lauren-raines-x @namelesslosers @misscarolineshelby @screemqueen @cilleveryone @peaky-cillian @misselsbells06 @datewithgianni @heidimoreton

You couldn't quite believe how much your life had changed in just 6 months.

You'd moved into his Kilburn house a month of being back together.

You'd handed your notice in at the university when you moved to London, and you were back onstage in London's West End.

You were close to Cillian's ex wife - closer than he was, which surprised him. You often went for lunch together when they were over from Ireland to visit. You also got on well with his kids, they spent every other weekend at your home, and you adored them. You were even in talks with your director about getting Cillian's son involved with his next stage play to give him a taste of the acting world.

But tonight, it was Peaky Blinders Premiere night, and you were both back in Birmingham. Even your old class and Liane had been invited, and you couldn't wait to see them all again. You'd spoken to Liane earlier that day and she was over the moon for you.

Your car pulled up outside the premiere, lights and cameras flashing everywhere. You'd got used to the paparazzi now, but this was another level entirely. Cillian squeezed your hand and kissed you just before you left the car to reassure you.

On your exit, the screams of the fans could be heard for miles. They were calling Cillian over, and he gladly obliged, heading over to sign autographs and have photos taken. He called your name suddenly.

"They wanna meet you, come over!" You smiled and made your way to his fan group - all wearing Peaky hats and holding out memorabilia for you to sign. You weren't expecting this in the slightest, if anything you were worried about his fans reaction to you, but they were all lovely. Asking how you were, when you'd be back on TV, how long you and Cillian had been together, you couldn't keep up with them! He squeezed your hip, hearing Anto calling you both onto the red carpet. You both waved at the group and headed over, where the rest of the cast hugged you both in turn. Standing next to these actors, you had to pinch yourself. This time last year you were planning lessons and marking papers. Here you were now, on the red carpet of a premiere with Cillian Murphy on your arm...

Later that evening at the wrap party, Cillian kissed you before heading up to the DJ booth to play his set. He'd had it planned for weeks - wouldn't even share the set list with you. He'd been up in the attic of your home preparing most evenings. He played some 90s indie hits that got everyone up on the dancefloor while you sipped a diet coke on the side talking to Liane who smiled at your drink choice and smirked.

"Diet coke in a short glass?"

"Nothing gets passed you, does it? I'm on antibiotics."

"Uh huh. What for?"

"An infection."

"Where?"

Before you could answer, a song came on that made your heart jump. It was your mum's favourite song, Christina Perri, A Thousand Years, and yours too. You'd spoken to Cillian about it a few weeks ago when it came on the radio because it always made you cry when it played. You wondered what on earth he was thinking playing it now as your eyes began to water...

Suddenly the room parted like the Red Sea. Cillian stood on the stage like Moses, microphone in hand.

"You wanted a reason to smile when this song played, remember?" He spoke down the microphone, walking towards you at the bar.

"Can I give you a reason to smile?" He asked, and you wiped your eyes and nodded, choking.

"When I first saw you, I knew you were special. I knew you were the missing piece I'd been looking for. The small piece of my jigsaw that had been missing for so long. When Anto hired you to play the love of Tommy's life, I had no idea you'd end up being the love of mine too. And yet, here you are. These last six months have been the happiest of my life, but the answer to my next question will depend on how happy the rest of my life will be."

He sank down on one knee, the crowd around you gasping in shock as he pulled a small ring box out from his pocket, holding it up and opening it to reveal a delicate white gold band with a shimmering diamond set in the centre, surrounded by emeralds. Your birthstone.

"I promise to love you, protect you, and be by your side for a thousand years. Will you marry me?"

You stood in stunned silence for a minute, making him squi.a little on his knee before grinning. You walked over to him and took the microphone.

"On one condition, Mr Murphy." He looked at you confused.

"Can you promise to love us for a thousand years?" His eyes looked into yours, still confused.

"Us?" You pulled him from his knees, taking the ring out of the box as you did and handing it to him.

"If you can promise to love and protect the two of us, then yes. I'll marry you." You took his left hand and placed it gently on your stomach. The penny suddenly dropped for him, as it did the rest of the room as they erupted into cheers.

"You're... We're having a baby??" He asked, eyes not leaving your stomach, his hand gently stroking it.

"We're having a baby..." You held up your left hand and his shakily placed the ring on your finger, before scooping you up and spinning you around. Within seconds, the rest of the cast and crew had joined you, Sophie had tears in her eyes as she hugged you. You looked over at Liane and laughed - full pelt ugly crying at the bar.

"You soft sod, come here!!" She ran into your embrace and sobbed happy tears. After the congratulations had come from everyone, someone stood at the DJ booth and hit replay. The song playing again, and Cillian reaching for your hand. Everyone stepped back, as he pulled you into his arms and you swayed together to the music.

"Have I given you a reason to smile now?"

"We're smiling Mr Murphy. We love you so much..."

"I love you.. both of you." His hand on your waist moved over your stomach again, sending butterflies coursing through you.

His gentle voice singing the lyrics in your ear softly.

"And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more..."

[nostalgiabones]

Big Sister // C.H

So here is the next installment of the Second Baby series - Mara finding out about the new arrival! I’m not sure how happy I am with how this turned out, but hopefully it’s better than I think. Feedback is appreciated as always! Thanks for all the love on this series so far 🥰

Word count: 3.5k

1. Finding Out 

“Have you got everything, Mara?”

Calum checks her backpack, full of the necessities for Luke and his partner to take care of Mara for a few hours. You were yet to tell anyone else of your pregnancy; just a sweet, exciting little secret between the two of you. Calum sleeps with a warm hand over your stomach, his fingertips finding a home under his t-shirt that you stole to sleep in. You’d finally got a doctor’s appointment for your first scan, to make sure everything is okay – it felt like so long since you first took the test, even though it had only been a few weeks.

You hand her stuffed elephant to her, knowing she’d be upset if she left it behind. It’s worn and well loved, after going everywhere with Mara for the past almost four years. It had been covered in food, ended up in the pool, and been through the wash more times than you could count, but Mara still loves it.  

“Yep,” Mara perches on the edge of the bottom step whilst Calum ties her shoelaces. It was something he had been trying to teach her for a little while, but she was taking her time trying to get her head around it. If you were in a rush, she’d happily just let you or Calum do it. “Will you come back soon?”

Calum nods in response, finishing her laces before dropping a kiss to her forehead. “We’ll only be gone for a few hours, okay? You’re going to have lots of fun with Uncle Luke and Delilah, honey. You might even be able to take Petunia for a walk.”

With Luke and his partner becoming parents to Delilah in the week following you finding out about your own baby, Calum felt bad asking him to babysit when they had their own family to take care of. Luke had waved his concern off though, of course, reassuring him that Mara was always welcome at their home, no matter how busy he was. If anything, you and Calum were just curious to know how Mara was around Delilah. It would be an indication of her reaction to your own news.

You worried your own nerves had rubbed off on Mara, as she seemed a little anxious about going to Luke’s, when she’d usually be excited. She didn’t know you were going to the doctors. Luke didn’t know either. Mara isn’t the biggest fan of the doctor, and you know it would only worry her more if she knew that was where you were going.

Something you were trying to keep in mind was how much of her environment Mara absorbed. The night you found out you were pregnant, she knew you were sick, and your morning (or, all day,) sickness hadn’t let up since then. You didn’t want to scare her, and things would make much more sense once she knew about the baby. Calum had taken over most mealtimes in case her food made you queasy, and you were unsure of how much she noticed.

“Okay, lets go,” You take her hand in yours as Calum locks the house, helping her into her car seat so you can head to Luke’s. During the short journey she points out what she can see along the way, as well as singing along to whatever was on the radio. “Oh look, Mara! There’s the baby.”

You spot Luke standing in his doorway with Delilah in his arms, the sweet three-week-old baby curled up in his hold. Seeing Delilah just makes you more excited for your own new arrival – that you get to have a newborn all over again.

“Lilah!” Mara exclaims, running up to Luke and wrapping her arms around his legs in a sweet hug. Luke’s free hand lands on her head, hugging her back the best he can with Delilah in his arms. “Hi Uncle Luke!”

“Hi, sweetheart,” He greets her, moving out of the way so she can step inside.

“Thanks for watching her today,” You tell him, lightly brushing your hand over Delilah’s hair in a silent greeting, careful not to wake her. “You’re brave taking on another child with a newborn in the house.”

“I told you, anytime. I’m an expert now anyway,” He jokes, rocking Delilah in his arms as he speaks to keep her settled. “Where are you headed to?”

Calum answers before you have the chance to. “We just have an appointment to go to.”

It wasn’t that you didn’t want Luke to know — more just that you were determined to keep it between the two of you for a little longer. The doctor’s appointment would provide the reassurance you were looking for, but you wanted Mara to be the next to know.

“Okay, we’ll be back to pick you up in a few hours, Mara.” You lean down to kiss her cheeks, saying goodbye before standing up again. “Be good.”

“I will.” She replies, hugging Calum before the two of you head back to the car. “Bye bye.”

***

“So, you’re around 8 weeks?”

You nod at the doctor’s question, a trembling hand held tightly in Calum’s as you lay on the bed. His thumb rubs soothing circles over the back of your hand, trying to ground you.

“I think so, yeah. If we worked it out right.” You reply, biting your lip from nerves as the doctor nods in response. The anxiety of the first few weeks of a pregnancy would never go away; it was difficult to keep a secret but would be even more difficult to tell them devastating news if it came. It was safer this way, and you enjoyed being in the happy little baby bubble with Calum for a while.

“Okay, we’ll be able to tell in a moment.” She informs you, before asking you to lift your jumper so she can get to your stomach. “Sorry, this will be cold. Is this your first baby?”

You shake your head, a smile on your lips as you think of Mara. “No, it’s our second. We have a three-year-old daughter.”

“Aww, how lovely. Is she excited to be a big sister?”

“We haven’t told her yet,” Calum replies. “But we’re hoping she will be.”    

Calum lifts your intwined fingers to his lips, brushing a soft kiss over your knuckles to distract you as the nurse squeezed the gel over your lower stomach. You shivered at the sensation, laying your head back on the bed as you tried to relax. It felt like a lifetime as the nurse ran the doppler over your barely there bump, waiting to hear the sound that every parent loves so much.

“So, there’s not too much to see since you’re so early on, but there…” She points to the screen, a small flicker in the centre of the screen, the first sight you and Calum got of your baby. “There’s the baby. And if you hold on a second...”

Tears spring to your eyes as you gaze at the screen. It’s not much, but they’re there, and it’s a relief that everything seems to be okay.

“Look at that,” Calum murmurs, chuckling as his other hand wipes the tears from your cheeks. “There they are.”

The nurse flicks a switch on her machine and suddenly, the room is filled with the whooshing sound of your baby’s heartbeat.

“There we go,” The nurse smiles at the healthy sounding heartbeat, confirming that everything is okay. It’s the sound you’d never get tired of – making everything suddenly feel very real, like there’s definitely another baby growing inside of you. “Everything looks and sounds great. Would you like some photos printing?”

“Yes please.” You reply, unable to focus on anything other than the tiny dot on the screen that would soon grow into your baby that you would raise and love. Calum couldn’t help but get emotional too – it doesn’t feel like anytime at all since you were here to have your scan with Mara, and now she’s almost four. It makes him realise how much she’s grown, and how nervous he is to tell her about the new baby in case she got upset. He couldn’t bear the thought of her being sad, especially since it would be such a huge change to her life.

***

“Uncle Luke, can we do some drawing please?”

Mara looks up from her plate at her place at the dinner table, where she had been eating her lunch, made by Luke’s partner.

“Sure, sweetheart. Let me just put Delilah down and then I’ll get the pens out, okay?” Luke answers, moving Delilah’s moses basket into the kitchen with his free hand, so he could watch her. He stands and rocks Delilah for a moment, making sure she was sound asleep before setting her down in the crib.

“Delilah is little,” Mara comments, watching as Luke tucks Delilah in, stroking over her light tufts of hair to soothe her as she settles.

“She is, honey.” Luke chuckles at her comment. “You used to be as little as Delilah too. You used to fall asleep on me like she does.”

“Really?” She exclaims, and Luke smiles at the wonder on her face. He loves watching Mara grow up and learn about the world, and answer as many of her endless questions as he can. She had been inquisitive ever since she could talk – “why?” being one of the first words that she learned. He sees so much of Calum in her. He’d always catch her just sitting quietly, taking in her surroundings – always observing without saying much. He sometimes wonders what she thinks so deeply about in her three-year-old mind, and he usually finds out when she asks her questions. “Did I cry as much as she does?”

Luke laughs again at her question.

“Sometimes,” He replies, having just settled Delilah from crying for a good ten minutes. Mara had seemed unbothered, distracted by his partner making her lunch, but she clearly had paid attention to it. “All babies cry a lot because they can’t talk and tell you what’s wrong. Once you were on the tour bus with us, and you cried all night because you didn’t want to go to sleep.”

Now it’s Mara’s turn to laugh at him. She clasps her hand over her mouth and giggles, clearly finding the story very entertaining as Luke gets out the pens and paper he has stored for her visits.

“What do you want to make?” He asks her, hoping it’s not anything too creative – he once tried to do origami with her, but in his new-dad sleep deprived state, he’s not sure how well it will go.

“I wanna make a card for mum,” She says, a concerned furrow of her eyebrows as she speaks. Luke notices how she wrings her hands together as she talks, a sign that she’s usually nervous about something. “Her tummy has been poorly.”

Luke pauses for a moment, wondering if that has anything to do with the appointment you had gone to, his mind filled with questions.

“Oh, has it? How?” He asks, and he’s not sure how much she knows, yet he’s worried that something is wrong.

“She gets sick when she wakes up.” Mara responds, and it tells Luke everything he needs to know.

Morning sickness?

Suddenly Luke feels as though he knows what’s going on, but he can’t be certain, and it doesn’t seem like Mara knows anything more. “I think that’ll be nice, honey. I’m sure your mum will love that.”

She’s quiet as she colours, needing Luke’s help to draw out the letters to spell ‘Mum.’ He notices she’s getting better at staying in the lines, considering her age. Luke thinks back to the day you, Calum and Mara met Delilah, how Calum’s eyes lit up when his partner asked about a second baby. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, but now from what Mara had said, it makes sense.

It’s not too long before there’s a knock at the door, and you and Calum are back to pick her up.

Mara is too focused on her drawing to pay attention to you speaking to Luke’s partner, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Calum sneaks up behind her, but doesn’t want to scare her, especially if it could ruin her drawing.

“Hey, you.” Calum taps her shoulder gently and her head snaps up, turning around at the sound of his voice. “What are you up to?”

“Hi, daddy!” She squeals as he picks her up, hugging her against his body as she wraps her legs around his waist. “I made this card for mum.”

“That’s so sweet, baby, do you want to give it to her?” He replies, knowing you’ll be joining them in a moment. He’s not sure of how much she’s told Luke, or if he knows anything at all.

You exaggerate a gasp as you spot the card in her hand. “Is that for me, baby?”

“Yes, for you!” She exclaims, handing the card to you from her spot on Calum’s hip.

Luke decides to pry as much as he can without overstepping.

“Oh yeah, Mara mentioned you’ve been sick in the mornings, are you okay?” He asks, a smirk on his lips as if he knows that you’re both going to understand his prods.

His question catches you off guard, knowing Mara had told him so innocently – yet it’s given Luke a huge hint as to what’s going on. Calum looks down at his docs and clears his throat, avoiding eye contact with Luke. “Oh, I’m fine, I’ve just had a stomach bug recently.”

Luke nods but narrows his eyes at you, and you change the topic of conversation before it can go any further.

“I think it’s about time we get you home, hey?”

***

“What if she gets upset?”

Calum sighs at your words and presses a kiss to your hairline, watching as you rub your thumb over the scan photo in your hand. The day had come to finally tell Mara about the new addition to your family, and you were nervous. You couldn’t bear the thought of your sweet daughter getting upset about such a big change to her life.

“We have lots of time for her to get used to it, honey.” Calum reassures you, his fingers grazing over the small, slightly raised bump under his palm. It wasn’t much, nothing that anyone outside of you and him would notice, if you looked close enough. It was small enough that Mara wouldn’t know any different, but you didn’t know how long it would stay that way. “The sooner we tell her, the more time she has to adjust. I don’t think she’s capable of being angry at you.”

You relax into him for a second, your head pressed against his chest as he holds you in the soft comfort of your bed. Mara is still asleep as far as you’re aware – there had been no sign of her calling for you from down the hall or joining you in your bed for a morning cuddle. You thought that a good time to tell her would be after breakfast, so she’d had time to wake up properly.

“I’ll go get breakfast started,” Calum murmurs, brushing his lips over the spot behind your ear. “Meet you downstairs. Stop worrying, okay? It’s going to be fine.”

You lay in the bed for a moment, taking a deep breath, before heading down the hall to get Mara up.

“Mara, honey, can we talk to you?”

Mara looks up from her toys, still comfortable in her pyjamas as she plays for a little while after breakfast. You’re cosy on the sofa, a throw strewn over your legs, as Calum sits next to you. His hand slips into yours, squeezing gently to ground you. Mara hops onto the sofa, snuggling in between the two of you, so you can talk to her.

“So, you know how Uncle Luke and your auntie have Delilah now?” Calum starts and she nods, waiting until you continue. “Well, how would you feel if we have another baby, to live here with us? And you got to be a big sister?”

She furrows her eyebrows in confusion, like she didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“I have a baby in my tummy, Mara.” You smile, giving her a minute to take in what you were telling her, as Calum runs his hand up and down her back, in a comforting gesture. “Do you want to see?”

You pull out the scan photo and set it in front of her, so she can see for herself. “They’re very small for now, but look, that’s the baby,” you tell her, pointing to the small blob in the middle of the photo.

“A baby?” She asks, her big, brown eyes gazing up at you. You nod, brushing her curls out of her face.

“Yeah, sweetheart. How do you feel about that? Are you happy?” You ask her, unable to tell how she was feeling.

“Yeah,” She replies, a small smile on her lips, but it doesn’t reach her eyes like her usual happy smile does. She sits quietly for a moment, her feet swinging against the edge of the sofa. “When will the baby be here?”

“Not for quite a while, honey. So, we have lots of time to get ready, okay?” Calum reassures her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “It’s okay if you’re not excited right now, we know it’s a big change for you, but you’ll be able to help us with the baby as much as you want. They’re going to love you so much, little moon.”

She nods, her eyes not leaving the scan photo in your hand as she observes it. You notice her eyes are lined with tears, and you’re unsure whether it’s from being sad or just overwhelmed by the information. Your heart aches at her not being as excited as you had hoped for her to be.

“They’ll be just like Delilah, baby, but they’ll live here with us so you can cuddle them whenever you like.” You tell her, hoping it’ll help her to warm up to the idea. “You’ll be such a good sister, bub.”

Calum thinks about his relationship with Mali, his own sister – how he loves to have an older sibling to look up to, and he knows Mara will be that for the new baby. He had always wanted a big family, so Mara always has someone around, like he did with Mali. Even if she doesn’t seem to be excited now, he knows she’ll warm up to the idea eventually.

“So the baby is in your tummy?” She asks, looking at your hoodie covered middle, as if she was trying to see. “Is that why your tummy has been funny?”

You sit up, lifting your hoodie so she can look at your stomach, even though there’s not much of a bump to see yet.

“Yeah, honey, right in there,” You point to the middle of your stomach. “And they’ll keep growing until they’re ready to be born. My bump will look like your aunties did, with Delilah. And yeah, the baby made me sick, that’s why it was funny, but it’s okay.”

“That’s not very nice of the baby.” She frowns, concern in her eyes as she looks up at you.

Calum chuckles at her words. “It’s not the baby’s fault, honey. They’re just trying to grow, and that’s what makes mum sick.”

She reluctantly cuddles into your side and places her hand over the middle of your stomach, patting the spot tentatively. “Aww, you’re so sweet Mara. Are you okay?

Calum’s gaze catches yours and you share a look, both reassured that the fear of telling her was over – yet you can’t help but feel anxious about her reaction. You know she isn’t yet truly happy, since you know how she is when she’s happy, and it’s not as quiet as she’s being right now.

“Can I go back and play now?” She asks, and you nod, kissing her cheek and holding her for just a moment longer.

“Of course, Mara. Love you so much, okay? Having another baby doesn’t change that, I promise. You’ll always be our first baby.” You brush your pointer finger over her cheek as she looks at you, waiting for you to finish talking before she nods, sliding off the sofa with a “love you, mumma” before she goes back to her games.

Calum shifts closer to you, knowing she didn’t react how you had hoped. You hide your face in his neck, trying to hide your own eyes filling with tears as his fingertips smooth up and down your back.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” He murmurs quietly, so only you can hear. “She’ll come around, I promise.”

You just hope that he’s right.

***

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[365days365movies]

Sports September I: Bull Durham (1988) - Recap (Part One)

I really want to get more into baseball.

Which is a weird statement, I know. If I like it so much, why am I not already into it? Well, I’ve only just recently started showing an interest in the sport. After all, I’m an American. And there are few things more stereotypically American than the “America’s greatest pastime”.

And I’ve been surrounded by baseball my entire life. My uncle is a huge fan of the Mets; I’m living in a Red Sox state, despite being Yankee trash; I played baseball as a middle school kid, and I genuinely enjoyed it, now that I think about it; and one of my absolute favorite films as a kid (and as a nostalgic adult) is The Sandlot. I mean, of course. Ain’t nothin’ as iconically nostalgic ‘90s as The Sandlot. And yet, as a kid, I knew about as much as the sport itself as Smalls did.

Sure, I know a bit from playing and watching movies like The Sandlot, The Kid, and Angels in the Outfield (almost forgot about that one, holy shit). Nine innings, three strikes and you’re out, bunting the ball, catcher, pitcher, innuendo (in-your-endo), outfield, infield, home run, three bases, me getting hit in ear when I was up to bat that one time because a kid from my old school was going up against us and kept distracting me while I was up to bat, but I got a goddamn walk from it, so IN YOUR FACE BERNHARDT (not his real name)

So what turned me around on the sport? Why do I now want to learn more about one’s of this country’s oldest and greatest traditions? And the answer is easy:

BASEBALL HISTORY IS CRAZY AS FUCK

Now, there’s a LOT of baseball history. Hell, documentarian Ken Burns made a critically-acclaimed and long-ass PBS series about it (that I have yet to watch, but REALLY WANT TO). So, there being some weird-ass shit in the history of the sport isn’t exactly a surprise. But, like...baseball concentrates it somehow. Don’t believe me? Here are some of baseball’s greatest hits PUN ENTHUSIASTICALLY INTENDED:

The high-five was invented (INVENTED) by Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke of the Oakland A’s in 1977, after celebrating Baker’s 30th home run on the field. Burke was a gay African American man, the first openly gay baseball player in MBA history. And as a result, the high five gained its initial prominence as a way for the LGBT community to greet each other. YEAH! How’s THAT for a fun fuckin’ fact?!? I love it

17-year old pitcher Jackie Mitchell was the first female pitcher in professional baseball history, and was so fucking good, she struck out both Lou Gherig AND Babe fuckin’ Ruth!

Jackie Robinson was NOT the first Black American major league baseball player. Nor was Moses Fleetwood “Fleet” Walker, often called the actual first Black baseball player. No, that would actually be William Edward White, who played for the Providence Grays as a substitute pitcher in 1879. He was also the only baseball player to have been a slave. YEAH.

Enough history, time for the crazy shit. Bill Veeck was a baseball team owner who LOVED sensationalism. He would give away live animals to random audience members, ranging from chickens, to lobsters, to FUCKING HORSES. He gave anyone named “John” a free ticket for a game. He hired the first little person as a pitcher...although that’s a little on the shittier side, given the context, but I digress. He was HATED by other owners, and this culminated in the absolute clusterfuck that was 1979′s Disco Demolition Night. It began with a promotion for free tickets if you brought a disco record to be destroyed. It ended with a riot, the visiting team fleeing in fear, and a crowd that contained 30,000 more people than Veeck expected, most of whom were fucking SMASHED. It’s a fucking glorious moment in baseball history, and I’m BARELY covering the chaos here. Check it out, it’s fucking NUTS.

You want some chaos? I WILL GIVE YOU CHAOS. In 1974, the Cleveland Indians held a promotion known as Ten Cent Beer Night. You now know part of the problem. The other problem was that there was a limit imposed on how many beers could be bought in a single purchase...but not how many purchases one could make. The result? Streakers, mooning, a middle-aged woman walked onto the field and flashed the pitcher like a confident queen, and EVERYBODY rushing onto the goddamn stage, causing the players to beat them off WITH BASEBALL BATS. Jesus Christ, how could this get crazier?

Yankees Pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich...switched wives and kids. I’m not even gonna elaborate on that, THEY SWITCHED FUCKIN’ FAMILIES. It...it gets crazier, but I have somebody else to talk about...

The best for last. There was a man, a beautiful majestic man, named George Edward “Rube” Waddell. My man “The Rube” was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, TO THIS DAY. He was also A WALKING TORNADO OF WHAT THE FUCK.

Rube Waddell chased fire engines. Yeah. If he was on the mound and a fire truck drove by, he left the mound (IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME) and chased that fucker down. He wore red clothes beneath his uniform just in case, despite never being a firefighter.

Fans of rival teams caught onto this, and were able to draw Rube off the mound with puppies and shiny objects. AND IT WORKED. AND I AM NOT FUCKING JOKING. This behavior almost ended his career. Well, that and...

He would sometimes disappear, only to be found bartending at a bar nearby the stadium. He did not work at these bars; he just spontaneously tended at them. He would run into the stadium, then change into his uniform while going through the stands! I’m gonna credit him with inventing streaking.

He wrestled alligators as a job in his off-seasons.

At some point during the off-season, he was bitten by a lion, A FUCKING LION, and NOBODY KNOWS HOW OR WHY. WHAT IN THE EVERLOVING FUCK I LOVE THIS MAN

And, again during the off-seasons, Rube once saved 13 people from drowning IN A SINGLE YEAR. This dude was ridiculous, and somehow also a hero. And this heroism would eventually lead to his death from pneumonia in 1913, exacerbated by the previous year of saving people during a catastrophic flood.

NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

...Oh, right, Bull Durham.

This movie, directed by Ron Shelton and starring walking, mumbling piece of cardboard Kevin Costner, is considered one of the greatest sports films of all-time. It’s also potentially based on a true story, which just fuels my interests more. I just watched The Battered Bastards of Baseball on Netflix last night, so I’m super into historical baseball films at the moment!

With that, let’s go! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap: Part One

We’re treated to a Ken Burns’ style introduction, as we’re brought into the fold by baseball fan and groupie Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon), who loves baseball SO MUCH that she makes an effort to fuck every baseball player she can, provided that they’re actually good. Yeah, there’s a whole diatribe about this, and her worship at the all-hallowed Church of Baseball. And honestly...I’m already sold. It’s very effective, and I’m ready for some worship.

At this Church, in this case being the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, in North Carolina, we’re treated to the dancing and clowning of fuckin’ Max Patkin, the Clown Prince of Baseball, and a real actual baseball clown, performing for audiences since the 1940s. Yeah, didn’t know baseball clown was fuckin’ thing, didja? God, I love this shit. Patkin even worked for Bill Veeck, AS THE COACH FOR THE CLEVELAND INDIANS! Also, that team really needs to change their name, but anyway. Genuine piece of baseball history here! Fantastic!

Making his debut in the stadium that night is Ebby Laloosh (Tim Robbins), a rookie pitcher with a fantastic fastball, and a lackadaisical nature. He’s late for the game, as he’s having a bit of a romp with Millie (Jenny Roberston), daughter of the owner of the stadium. She’s friends with Annie, and she helps to measure the speed of balls thrown by the pitchers.

The game against the Peninsula White Sox commences, and Ebby...Ebby is an absolutely shitty pitcher, holy shit. His speed is extremely high, but his accuracy is non-goddamn-existent! He throws the ball into the stands, the announcer’s booth, the mascot’s fleshy body, a batter’s ass...it’s not a great experience, or demonstration of his skill. Annie and Millie watch this, with Annie passing notes to the coach of the team, Joe “Skip” Riggins (Trey Wilson). 

At the end of the game, Skip and assistant coach Larry Hockett (Robert Wuhl) summarize the game, and Laloosh’s unrealized potential, saying he has a “million-dollar arm with a five cent head”. At this point, they’re greeted by disaffected twelve-year veteran Lawrence “Crash” Davis (Kevin Costner), whom they’ve brought there to try and reign Laloosh in, while teaching him some semblance of accuracy. However, David is REALLY disaffected, and refuses at first...until immediately agreeing to come in as catcher. 

That night at the bar, Max Patkin is talking to Annie, and introduces her to Crash Davis. Now that Annie has begun her pathway towards Inevitable Love Interest (because that’s obvious), she also gets introduced to Laloosh. They briefly scuffle over dancing rights with her, until Annie just ends up dancing with Max instead, as it should be.

Even then, Laloosh prompts a fight with David outside, like a proper dick. But Davis dares him to hit him not with his fists, but with a ball. He guesses that Laloosh is going to miss, even at that range, and he guesses correctly. An enraged Laloosh goes up to hit him, only to get fucking LEVELED by Davis immediately, and he FINALLY introduces himself as the teach catcher. Not bad, Crash.

Although, I have to say one thing...Kevin Costner is still Kevin Costner. He’s...not not the most emotional actor, y’know? He’s actually the exact opposite, and remains one of the driest actors I’ve ever seen. How he’s been successful this whole time, I have no idea. And, like, Max Patkin’s not exactly a great actor, but he’s at lest more convincingly emotional than Costner is at any point. I...I might not be Kevin Costner’s biggest fan. I mean, he’s not bad in The Untouchables, and I guess he’s fine in Dances with Wolves, but...have you SEEN Waterworld? Jesus.

Anyway, after learning lesson number one (”Don’t think.”), they head back inside. Annie invites them both to her place, setting up what is definitely not going to be the source of future conflict. By the way, this is a good time to mention that Annie has this thing she does. See, she selects one specific player to be with throughout the course of a baseball season. And by all indications, her selection progress is, uh...thorough.

As she details this to the pair, and the fact that they’re the two prospects for the season she’s chosen, Crash shows doubts. He leaves, but not before challenging Annie’s beliefs with his own beliefs about matters of the heart.

I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman’s back, the hangin’ curveball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a Constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, softcore pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve, and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. Goodnight.

...Huh. That’s a hell of a speech. Annie agrees, and asks him out on a date formally. He refuses, which intrigues her further, and bids tonight to her and Laloosh, whom he calls “Meat”. As he goes to walk through the town, Annie ties Laloosh to the bed under the pretense of having sex, then just reads Walt Whitman to him. which is, for the record, goddamn hilarious.

The next morning we meet a few more of the ball club members, including the devout Jimmy (William O’Leary) and the Santeria practicing Jose (Rick Marzan). Laloosh comes in to the locker room and reveals both that they didn’t have any sex that night, and that he has a new nickname given to him by Annie: Nuke. Nice name, honestly. Soon after, we get to see the team in action. At bat, Crash has some difficulties at the bat, which we also hear him his inner monologue. Makes sense that he understands Laloosh’s problems, given his own internal monologue. However, he ends up getting struck out, and this is noticed by Annie, who tells him what he’s doing wrong with his swing. He replies with a note of his own, and the two meet at the batting cage the next day.

At the batting cages, Annie seems to have chosen Nuke for the season, with Crash having had his chance. Crash is a little frustrated by this, and tells her off a bit, but the two become friends. This is directly followed by Nuke and Annie having sex, only for her to accidentally call him “Crash”. Yeah, ILE status incoming.

The season progresses, and we get to know more of the team, as well as see some stunts on the field, like dropping money from a helicopter that a bunch of little leaguers are sent to grab. Some real Bill Veeck style shit, which I can dig. All the while, Crash tries to help Nuke out (and tells the opposing batters what pitches he’s throwing specifically to teach him a lesson), but the arrogant Nuke doesn’t listen at first. But eventually, he starts realizing that Nuke actually knows what he’s doing. And he starts improving...slowly.

The Bulls head out on tour, during which Crash reveals his 21-day stint in “the Show”, AKA the Major Leagues. As always, the arrogant Nuke tells him off, taking taking umbrage both at Crash’s advice, and his repetition of the nickname “Meat”, the origin of which is still unrevealed. They get into a fight on the tour bus, which is quickly broken up.

Crash’s comment about Nuke wasting his Major League potential is true, though, as his pitches keep getting hit, and the team keeps up a losing streak as a result. Dude really needs to get his shit together and listen to Crash and Annie. As a result, the team’s morale is low, and Nuke’s morale is especially down. One night, Crash takes a group of the players to the stadium, with a plot to get a rainout for the game the following night. He does this by breaking into the stadium and setting off the sprinklers a bit to early, flooding the field.

That night, Nuke has a dream of the entire stadium laughing at him on the mound, as he’s only wearing a jockstrap and Annie’s garter belt, which she gave him to wear for good luck (and to take his ever-present mind off his pitches). This is on the way back home after their less-than-successful foray out of Durham. In a reunion with Annie, he reveals his frustrations, and she tries to give him advice of her own. And for once, he actually takes it, as well as Crash’s advice. He even wears the garter belt, but goes through a bit of straight guy panic.

But even that has the desired effect, as Nuke actually has a good game! In his own head, he’s even calling himself “Meat”, despite not knowing the origin of the name. As does Crash, although he’s been doing well the entire season, unsurprisingly. Even still, he cant resist sabotaging one of his pitches one more time. But with that, the winning streak begins.

Great place to pause! See you in Part Two!

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:7-19)

"Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed." - Mark 3:6-7

We can hardly realize how wide the influence of Jesus was at this time. The multitude that followed Him, came not only from Galilee - but also from Judea, from beyond the Jordan, and even from the Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon, and the countries surrounding them. The throng was so great, that Jesus and His disciples withdrew to the sea. He wished to do His work without interruption. Thus we have our Lord's example for sometimes withdrawing from opposition. It was not lack of courage that led Him to do this. He knew that he conspiracy of His enemies would in the end be successful, yet He would not throw His life away. Nothing could be gained by His staying in their midst at this time. There was no testimony to be borne. Besides, His work was not yet finished. When, at last, His work was all done, the plots had all ripened, and He knew that the rulers were about to kill Him - He did not withdraw, nor did He show any fear or lack of bravery.

There are times when duty requires us to flee from danger and thus save our lives for further service. We are certainly never to court danger, nor to be reckless in our courage. On another occasion Jesus said to His disciples, "When they persecute you in this city - flee into the next." Christian prudence is an important element in Christian courage. It often requires a higher courage to avoid danger - than to rush into it; to flee away from angry enemies - than to answer back and incite them to further wrath.

The great report of our Lord's works of mercy and kindness, went out everywhere, and multitudes were drawn to Him. One who does good to others - will always have followers. The world is full of sorrow and suffering, and hearts hunger for sympathy. When one who has a gentle spirit and a hand whose touch gives blessing comes among men - people welcome him. Love always finds its mission. We are apt to criticize the motive in such following. "For the loaves and fish!" we say. But people know a friend when he comes among them; and when one suffers and has been helped - it is no wonder that other like sufferers come with their needs. Jesus loved the people - that was His secret! He loved them - and they knew it. People always know when a man truly and sincerely loves them.

The kindness of Jesus was not discouraged by the ingratitude and enmity of men. Though the evil plots of His enemies drove Him out of the city - they did not stop His doing good. Though some rejected His love - His heart was not closed. Capernaum lost much - when He went out of its gates; but on the throngs which followed Him - the gracious blessings fell. Persecution scatters the seed which it means to destroy. When the first Christians were driven from Jerusalem, it was only to carry the gospel into all the countries round about to which they fled. They "went about, preaching" (Matthew 4:23). Opposition must never silence the lips that carry the words of life. If one rejects and scorns you - take your gospel message to another. You will always find some ready to receive the blessing you have to give. Especially are the people, who have "plagues," who are in any misfortune or distress - ready to press upon him who comes to them with a heart of love and with desire to do them good.

The people pressed up close to Him, that they might touch Him. A touch was enough. All who touched Him - were made whole. Life flowed from Him - to them. Health went from His rich, wholesome life - and expelled their sickness. So a touch is always enough. Anyone who really touches Christ is healed. But we must be sure to touch Him. It is not enough to be in the crowd that gathers around Him. Only those are healed - who touch Him by faith. It is not enough to be in the congregation that worships. One sitting or bowing next to us may receive a great blessing, while we receive none at all. It is because he reaches out his hand of faith and touches Christ; while we, physically as close to Christ as he is - do not put out our hand to touch Him; and therefore, receive no blessing.

We ought, as Christ's disciples, to be so full of life and love - that anyone who touches us, shall get a blessing from us. Just to have their handshake is a blessing. Their mere presence in a sick room gives comfort. It is worth while to be such a person. Do you want to know the secret ? It is LOVE. Love people really, truly, genuinely - and there will flow from you always, to every life that touches yours - an influence of healing.

Jesus stood in the throng and called certain men to come to Him. He singled out the people and called them individually. That is the way He is doing continually - standing and calling men to come to Him. He does not call a crowd - He calls people by name, calls them one by one. Everyone who hears His voice should answer - leave the world's company, step boldly out, cross over the line, and take his place by the side of Jesus!

There are several things to be said about the way these men responded to Christ's call to discipleship.

They responded freely. Although He had chosen them out of a whole nation, and called them, there was no compulsion laid upon them to go with Him. They could have refused if they had chosen; Christ never chooses His disciples by force .

Then, they responded promptly. There was no hesitation. They said nothing about considering the matter for awhile. They did not talk about being unfit or unworthy; they did not tell Him that they were afraid they could not keep their word if they promised to be Christians. They did not say, "Tomorrow we will go." The moment they heard their names called - they answered.

Then, they responded resolutely. Whenever they heard the call - they stepped out with firm tread, and, crossing over the space between the crowd and the Master, they joined themselves to Him. It was not done secretly. They did not wait until they were alone with Him, and then tell Him quietly and timidly that they had made up their minds to accept His invitation. They did not propose to be His disciples - and yet stay among their old friends and keep on at the old business. They immediately separated themselves from the people about them, and went over to Him, putting themselves absolutely into His hands, to be His and do His bidding - so long as they lived.

This is the way these men started in their apostleship - and the way everyone should start whom Jesus calls to be His disciple .

He chose the Twelve - that they might be with Him. That is the first thing always - before preaching or teaching or working for Christ. We must be disciples ourselves, before He will use us to make disciples of others, or to carry His messages and blessings to others. He employs none as His servants - who are not His followers. One reason why we must first be with Him - is that we may be taught by Him. The apostles learned from their Master - the things they themselves afterward taught to others. We cannot do any good work for Christ - until He teaches us how to do it.

He teaches us by His Word, by His Spirit, through the impact of His own life, through our experiences. This is one reason we should study the Bible so carefully, that we may be able to teach others by our example and by our words - only the things Jesus would have us teach them. Another reason why we need to be with Him before we go out to testify for Him - is that we may be actual witnesses for Him. We never can impress the world by giving second - hand information about Christ, by repeating things we have heard others say, or have read in books, about Him. We must be able to tell what we have seen and learned for ourselves, from personal fellowship with Him.

These men were chosen not merely to official office - but for service, "to preach, and to have authority to heal sicknesses." This authority to heal, was given to validate their commission. When Moses went to the people and to Pharaoh as God's messenger, and when they demanded evidence that God had sent him - then he was to work certain miraculous signs in their presence, to prove his claim. So the apostles had power given to them to perform works of wonder - as their credentials.

Besides, those works of mercy which they wrought were examples of what the gospel should do wherever it goes. We say there are no miracles now. Is this true? Are no sick people healed now? Are no evil spirits cast out? Are no blind eyes opened, no deaf ears unstopped, no lame made to walk, no dead raised? If miracles are not produced in the physical realm, they surely are in the spiritual. Eyes are opened to see God and heavenly things. Ears are opened to hear the voice of the Spirit. Fevers of passion are cured. Sicknesses of soul are healed. The evil spirits of greed, lust, and selfishness are cast out. These are the validations of all teaching and preaching. Power is given yet to Christ's ministers and to all His disciples - power to heal the sick and cast out demons!

One of the men chosen was known as Simon - but Jesus gave him a surname of Peter. These two names are suggestive. "Simon" shows the crude fisherman of Galilee, with all his rashness, his ignorance, his imperfection. "Peter" shows the apostle of the Acts and the Epistles; the rock firm and secure; the man of great power, before whose Spirit-filled eloquence, thousands of proud hearts bowed, swayed like the trees of the forest before the tempest; the gentle, tender soul whose words fall like a blessing; the noble martyr witnessing to the death for his Lord. Study the two names together - to see what grace can do for a man.

It is not hard to take roses, lilies, fuchsias, and all the rarest flowers, and with them make forms of exquisite beauty; but to take weeds, dead grasses, dried leaves trampled and torn, and faded flowers - and make lovely things out of such materials, is the most severe test of skill. It would not be hard to take an angel and train him into a glorious messenger; but to take such a man as Simon, or Saul, or as John Newton, or as John Bunyan - and make out of him a holy saint and a mighty apostle - that is the test of power. Yet that is what Christ did, and has been doing ever since. He takes the poorest stuff, despised and worthless, outcast of men oftentimes; and when He has finished His gracious work - we behold a saint whiter than snow.

The sculptor saw an angel in the rough, blackened stone which was rejected and thrown away; and when men beheld the stone again, behold - there was the angel, cut from the block! In one of the English cathedrals is a window, the admiration of all beholders, made by a workman, from the bits of glass thrown away by the master. So heaven is filling with glorified souls, gathered from the despised and rejected of earth. We should never be discouraged by our unworthiness, or our many faults. Christ can take us as we are, and in His hands - our life shall grow into purity and loveliness until He presents us at last before His eternal throne - faultless and perfect. There is only one thing that needs to concern us - we must make sure that we are in Christ's school, that we really put ourselves into His hands.

[sulphuryasecretcloset]

Chapter 12/13 F&H, Mose POV

“They got caught.”

“What?” Mose rumbles in Huttese, hearing but refusing to believe the words. It's not possible. They're always so careful. There is no way they could have gotten caught!

Rak shrugs his spindly shoulders. “They were waiting for them. They knew.”

Growling and drooling with fury, Mose wonders who the traitor is. Someone had to have told the New Republic for the ship to get boarded. “Where are they now?”

Cria studies the suction cups on her fingers and the Rodian is the very epitome of indifference. “Does it matter?”

“The Captain is currently on board a New Republic prison ship.” 8D9 says as it enters the ship. “According to a message sent from said ship, she is being brought to be tried for smuggling. Yaya and Su'udor was shot resisting capture.”

Mose clenches his hands into tight fists. “And Veyn? Where is Veyn?”

“Inconclusive.” 8D9 replies in his flat droid voice. “He was not mentioned.”

A brief silence follows, each of them realizing they now knew how the New Republic had caught wind of their little smuggling scheme, then Cria straightens. “Well, it was fun. Let's do this again never.” She walks towards the exit, but Mose grabs her shoulder.

“We're going to get her back.” Mose orders.

Cria looks from his hand and up to his face, snorting a laugh. “She's on a prison ship, surrounded by soldiers and who knows how many ships. Forget it.”

Moving at an impressive speed, Rak disappears out of the ship. “Good luck with that!”

Mose tightens his grip, hears Cria wail with pain and considers just crushing the bones under his fingers in an effort to soothe his rage. He could, easily, but... it wouldn't give him Zev back.

Releasing the Rodian, Mose ignores Cria as she runs out of the ship as well. “8D9, prepare for take-off. We have work to do.”

“It would be pointless to go after the Captain, Master Mose.” 8D9 says. “We have no resources and she will be heavily guarded. Better we walk away. It would be the logical thing to do.”

Mose rumbles, tempted to crush the droid as well. There is no way he's turning his back on Zev. He owes her far too much. Plus, she would never give up on him. Never, despite him being a Hutt. “Start the ship. We're getting her back.”

-

They can't get to her on the prison ship, they can't stop the trial or the sentencing. When Mose hears the amount of years she is given as punishment and the prison she is to serve them in, he knows she will never survive it. He has to save her, like she saved him. But how?

He can't sneak anywhere, his presence is hard to disguise and everyone is instantly suspicious and hostile towards him. There is also no help to be hired as no one wants to work for a Hutt.

“Our sensors are picking up a Razor Crest ship, Master Mose.” 8D9 reports. They are parked on Gincam Minor where they know Zev is currently being held.

Mose glares over at the droid. “So?” It's an old rustbucket, why should he care?

“There is a bounty out on a Razor Crest.” 8D9 reads from one of the files it has stored in its program. “A Mandalorian stole a client's asset and ran off with it.”

Mose blinks. A Mandalorian? That's it. If anyone can get Zev out, it would be one of those battle-loving nutcases. If he could get the ship to land, Mose could steal the asset and make the Mando break Zev out and trade her for the item he'd wanted bad enough to steal it from a client. That could work... as long as the Mando didn't kill Mose first. This would have to be done very carefully.

It is an act of desperation, something Mose would never have considered in the past, even Hutts are forced to acknowledge the skills of the Mandalorians, but desperate times calls for desperate measures.

-

A fake Mando'a distress call later, the Razor Crest actually lands and Mose watches as the Mandalorian steps off the ship and takes to the sky due to the jetpack on his back. Mose is congratulating himself on a good idea when he notices movement behind the ship's transparisteel. What? There are others on the ship? Great. Figures. Fine. He'll deal with it.

Sending 8D9 to land on top of the ship, Mose hopes it will lure the other soul out to investigate, which means he would just need to knock the idiot out, grab the asset and get to a safe distance before the Mando returned.

Of course things can't go easy for once. The other occupant of the ship turns out to be a dark haired human with freakishly fast reflexes that manages to avoid being hit by Mose's' tail as well as draw a damn blaster on him. And to make things even worse, the Mando returns. And starts shooting.

Mose has to use an entire tree to hold the crazy man down, hoping to talk some sense into him, but that opens for his dark haired friend to sneak up on Mose and threaten to shoot him.

“Back away, or I will shoot your ugly head off!” The human is scared, but there is determination in his eyes and his aim is deadly. He means every word.

Turning his head, Mose is about to lash out and deal with the threat but sees that 8D9 has found their weakness and no more fighting will be required. “Game over, boy. Put the weapon down before I have to hurt you. Or your Mando friend here.”

“I never got any good at Huttese. Sorry. But I'm guessing you understand Basic. So, one last time; back away from him or I will start blasting.” The human says, his stance screaming ex-soldier.

“Master Mose says for you to lower your weapon or I will put an end to this little one before Master Mose crushes your Mandalorian like the insignificant creature he is.” 8D9 says, holding a blaster to a child's head.

Mose blinks. He said what now?

Oh, the Mandalorian is furious now. He does NOT like Mose threatening his partner and everyone knows not to threaten a Mandalorian child. Mose is dead. He is so very dead.

He just needs to make sure Zev makes it out alive.

The ex-soldier sighs and lowers his blaster. Mose reaches out his hand and asks for it. 8D9 translates and the man obeys. 

Mose casts a quick glance at the weapon, then tosses it away and lifts the human by his throat, choking him. “I have a job for you, Mandalorian. I hope I don't have to kill your friend here to make you accept it?”

“Kill him and you better kill me too.” The Mando snarls with raw fury. “Kill him and you better run, little snail. I will find you and you will beg for me to kill you.”

Mose snorts a laugh, but drops the squirming human. As if Mose doesn't realize he's dead already? He gestures to the droid who is still holding the uneasy child. “You're quite amusing, Mando. But don't forget that the child's life is also in your hands.”

He's dead. Mose is so dead he has no idea why he bothered being born. His life has mostly sucked anyway. He's just going to rescue the ONE good thing in it before the Mando kills him.

“What do you want?” The ex-soldier wheezes from the ground.

Mose grins, light-headed due to the insane situation, and nerves makes him drool. “I want you two to fetch something for me, boy.”

Removing the tree to let the Mando get up on his feet, aiming to give him his instructions, Mose has to dodge roaring flames and feels the heat licking uncomfortably close to his hide. Crazy Mandos! Luckily another threat from the droid makes the man settle down again.

8D9 also manages to give the information they have on Zev's transport, plus some more mandatory threats, to the homicidal maniac and his still coughing partner.

Seeing how unstable and violent the Mando is, Mose has to add; “It is of great importance that there is to be no damage to the cargo.” If they hurt Zev, he will hurt them twice as bad.

“What you should worry about,” the Mando growls, “is if I come back and find one hair out of place on that child. If he has one single complaint about your treatment of him, anything at all, and I will not just kill you, death will be a relief after I'm done with you.”

Mose laughs, almost tempted to point out that he knows how dead he is so why bother with the grand words? ”Be careful, bounty hunter.” He may kill Mose after they get Zev to safety, but until then he has no patience for the Mando ways. “Go. Bring back what I want and do not fail.”

-

The two leave, finally, and Mose has a moment where he feels so exhausted he can barely keep his eyes open, but then there is the sound of an anxious little chirp...

Blinking, Mose turns and looks at the child in 8D9's arms. It is a cute little thing. Big ears, big eyes and a tiny button nose. It's wearing some hideous but comfortable looking clothing.

Mose wants to apologize but not in front of 8D9. The droid is intelligent, but there is a coldness to it that unsettles even him. He has heard rumors what the 8D-droid did at Jabba's place. He considers ordering 8D9 to hand the child over, hoping to comfort it a little as an apology for borrowing his father for a while, but children are always terrified of Hutts so Mose stays silent.

He keeps his distance, but he orders the droid to make sure the child eats, has access to its toys and is free to wander around as it pleases. 

When the little one pauses in front of Mose, looks up at him and chirps, unafraid, Mose feels his heart clench with pathetic gratitude at the complete lack of fear or disgust in those big eyes. He's afraid to move, doesn't want to ruin the moment or startle the child. He can't remember any child looking at him like this...

When the sun sets and the droid places the child in its bed, ordering it to power down for the night, Mose makes sure to leave one light in the ceiling on after the little one points up at it with a worried sound, and he settles nearby to make sure it is safe.

-

Zev'sonya hears the ruckus and waits until the door behind her opens before she gets up and turns around to face either her liberators or executioners. She sees, to her amazement, a Mandalorian, and some pretty faced human she senses has a soft heart peeking over his shoulder.

The Mando mutters a curse. He's angry. “If he thinks I'm bringing his slave back to him...” “Who are you?” Zev'sonya places a hand on her hip and arches an eyebrow at him. “What are you...” Slave? Why are they talking about slaves? Why would they think she was a slave? Who is 'he'? Her heart jumps as she realizes that, of course, these morons must think she's a slave if they have been sent to fetch her by a Hutt. “Mose? Mose sent you?”

“Yeah. He sent us.” The pretty one says and steps up next to the Mando. He's deeply distressed. “He's holding our, my, Din's, our, er, a child hostage, and made us come here to steal him some 'cargo'. We didn't know. We didn't know he meant a slave.”

Idiots. She is nobody's slave. And Mose wouldn't keep one even if one was offered. But it is typically human to always assume the worst and rely on prejudice. Zev'sonya can't be bothered to expand their tiny minds. She just wants out of there, get back to Mose, and these morons can make that happen, so she holds her hands out, showing her shackled wrists. “Just get me out of these. There's a whole bunch of soldiers in the other compartment. They probably heard that blaster shot and are preparing to barge in here, so we better move fast.”

The soldiers arrive before they can flee, there is a scuffle and the Mando is injured. She tries to persuade the pretty one to leave him behind, but the soft heart flares with emotion and he refuses.

Stars save her, this is why she doesn't do relationships. If you think with your heart instead of your head, you will end up dead.

-

8D9 steps into the cargo room. “I picked up a message, Master Mose. It appears that the Mandalorian and the human has succeeded in freeing the captain.” Mose exhales, relieved. “Good.” Which means they are on their way back and the Mando is going to kill him. Oh well, it was worth it. Totally worth it.

“I looked into the bounty.” 8D9 continues. “With the Captain freed, we should terminate the Mandalorian and the human upon their return and bring the asset, the child, to the one who set the bounty; Moff Gideon.”

Mose glances over at the droid. “What?” Moff Gideon. One of the many War Lords trying to acquire as many pieces of the broken Empire as possible to create their own.

“He is offering a generous reward. It would be the only logical thing to do.”

Shifting his attention over to the tiny child, sitting near Mose's tail and chewing on a silver orb, Mose frowns. There is definitely something lacking in 8D9. A soul? “We are not handing a child over to a Moff. End of discussion.”

The child looks up at him and smiles.

Mose flicks his gaze over to the open cargo door and pretends he didn't see it or felt how it made his heart clench again.

-

A little over one hour later, there is the sound of speeder bikes.

Making his way down the ramp, Mose feels a powerful mix of joy and relief when he sees Zev. She's free. She seems unharmed. She's safe. He didn't fail her.

And his joy does not lessen when he sees the Mando sit slumped back against the ex-soldier, bleeding and apparently unconscious. Finally things are going Mose's way!

“We brought you your 'cargo',” The ex-soldier states, remaining seated on the bike to support the lethargic Mando, “so now you hand over the child and slither off.”

Zev'sonya gets off the speeder bike, walks over to take the child from 8D9. She hoists it lightly in her arms and talks merrily to it while sauntering down the ramp.

Mose can't help the glee in his voice. “The Mando got taken out? Too bad. Damaged goods.” Hah, Mose isn't going to die! Which also means he can indulge and give this human currently staring at him like he is a monster, like they all do, a slight scare.

Mose slides closer, twists his tail around to reach out and place the tip under his chin, lifting his face a little. By human standards, the ex-soldier would probably be considered pretty. “With a face like this, we could probably get a lot of credits for you. There are scum with a craving for delicate things out there, who are willing to pay for such a delivery.”

Zev reaches out and delivers a sounding slap to the back of the Mose's head. “Shut up, Mose. We don't do business with slavers, you know that.”

The Hutt yelps, brutally reminded that she doesn't like those kind of jokes, withdraws his tail and rumbles annoyed but subdued. The child giggles amused in Zev's arms.

The ex-soldier realizes the obvious truth. “You're not just a spice runner. You're his boss.”

Zev grins widely. “Definitely more than your looks. Yeah, I'm Zev'sonya Lee Lewna. I run this little gang.”

A blaster shot suddenly flies through the air and punches straight through 8D9's head. The droid collapses in a heap of dead metal and snarling electricity.

Everyone there slowly glances over at the guilty one and the Mando lowers his blaster before he slumps back against his partner again, weak, in pain, but conscious. “Threaten the child again, touch it or Corin again, and I won't stop with shooting just a droid. Okay?” His voice is weary, but determined. Even half-dead, a Mandalorian's anger is not to be ignored.

Mose snarls, draws himself up to his full height, ready to lash out, but Zev raises her hand in a signal for him to stop. The smile never wavers on her face. “Fair enough.”

Mose deflates, trusting her decision even if he's not happy about it. Not that he cared all that much for the creepy droid, he just doesn't like crazy Mandalorians taking such liberties.

Zev hands the ex-soldier the happily warbling child without taking her eyes off Mando's t-visor, still smiling. “Now that we're all friends, I have an offer for you, Mandalorian. I want to hire you for a job.” She winks at him. “And I have the credits to make it worth your while.”

The ex-soldier and Mose simultaneously start and declare in a perfect duet; “No.”

Mose does not want anything more to do with the deranged Mando and his pet soldier. No thank you. The sooner they're out of his and Zev's lives, the better. No good can come from of this.

Beautiful art by @cacodaemonia​ 

[minervacasterly]

First Protestant King of England, Henry VIII or Edward VI? (And why Edward VI's reign was no less important than his father's)

It is important to dispell myths about the most popular English dynasty, so I decided to briefly take on this topic. A common misconception until recent decades is that Henry VIII was the first Protestant King. In reality, it was his son who was the first true Protestant King of England. I’ve written about this before on my blog, building upon the research by great scholars like Chris Skidmore, Loach, and the short introduction to his reign by Kyra Cornelius Kramer. Besides taking after his father in intellect, Edward VI was fairly concerned with the state of the church of England but unlike his old man, he thought that the time had come to make it into the first true Protestant church of England, agreeing to the issuing of the book of common prayer and a revision of it two years later. Edward VI also frowned upon improper clothing. He loved to dance and watch sports, but didn’t think t0 was a good idea to indulge in these frivolities since the Evangelicals believed that this was a gateway to moral decay. (Don’t you just love those who interpret the will of god so good, that they conveniently forget about the passages where their savior rails against the rich and so on?) Edward’s actions had consequences and these, like the contributions of his reign, are often brushed aside in favor of his more famous father and sisters. One of them, was a rebellion in the North and his half-sister’s resistance to his new laws that forbade people to hear the Mass and forced the new English service on everyone. Long story short … lots of people hung, punished and lots of enemies that his councilors (who as always since people couldn’t point fingers at the king unless they had a sick death wish of some sort) were blamed and were punished for during his half-sister’s reign. Some of you might be pointing out that since Henry VIII was excommunicated and labeled a heretic by most of Christendom, that technically he was a Protestant king but no, seriously, he wasn’t. Henry was, despite these labels, still a practicing Catholic. He agreed to Gardiner’s articles of faith that criticized the church and validated his claim as supreme head of the Anglican Church, and God’s representative on Earth, and surrounded himself by obvious Reformists, but other than that, he forcefully kept everyone in line. Catholics who practiced the Mass or adhered to his new rules while still being loyal to their beliefs were tolerated, but if they pulled a ‘Thomas More’ where they denied the king’s supremacy or insulted one of his beloved wives (before he got tired of them, that is) then yes, off to the block with them!

As for Protestants … Ever heard of Anne Askew? She defended Henry’s actions, she thought he was some kind of Moses as his last wife -Kathryn Parr whom she was closely associated with- would paint him as in her two books (primarily in ‘Lamentations of a Sinner’) and then she defied her husband and Henry’s establishment, pushing for a more Evangelist agenda, and what happened? Oh nothing big … she just got tortured and then burned. As long as you played Henry’s sycophant you were fine. There is also a spiritual aspect that ties into his megalomania. As Henry became more obsessed with securing his dynasty, his focus on spiritual matters also grew. By the end of his reign, nobody could predict what the king would say or how he would act so everyone walked a fine line when they discussed important subjects. Kathryn Parr is one of them who learned this lesson early on during their marriage. If it weren’t for gentleness, and the friendship she established among prominent ladies in her household, her accusers would’ve succeeded in convincing Henry VIII that she was a heretic. She would’ve had a sham trial like Anne Boleyn and then beheaded or worse, burned like Anne Aske. Luckily for Kathryn Parr, she was one step ahead of them. Humbling herself before her lord and husband, she told him that she never intended to change his religious views but just challenged him as people did at the beginning of his reign, so he could stir her towards the right path since she was a woman and these things were too complicated for her to fathom, let alone choose on her own. She lived and continued to be a major influence on future Protestant leaders, such as Jane Grey, Elizabeth I and of course, Edward VI.

Edward VI was greatly influenced by his beloved stepmother’s religiosity and mourned her deeply. He referred to her as his mother. Kathryn encouraged his passion for books and aided his Protestant tutors in stirring him towards their faith, ensuring that he’d become the king they’d all be waiting for, that would transform England into a fully Protestant nation.

It was Edward who began to force religious codes on his people in a way that hadn’t been done before. His father cracked on religious houses on the basis of cleansing them from corruption and because of their disloyalty, and open defiance against his supremacy; but Edward made things worse. The monasteries that were sold to his father’s noblemen left many people begging on the streets while forcing others to adapt to their new environment. When people could no longer handle it, they rose up in open rebellion and like in his father’s time, these were brutally squashed. But here is where it gets interesting … Whereas Henry VIII is blamed for all the evils of his reign, Edward VI is not and the reason for this? He was a kid, don’t be so mean. Leave the poor tot alone. Fact: Edward VI died at the age of fifteen and by renaissance standards, he was not a little boy anymore. Even if he hadn’t come of age, he was not an innocent boy anymore who was oblivious to the world around him. In fact. When Edward VI found out that his uncle had been executed, he was like ‘meh … okay’. And sure, Thomas Seymour was a brash individual who thought he could get away with everything but even after he tried to kidnap his nephew, to act in such a manner and for an uncle who was married to your favorite stepmother and someone you claimed to be your favorite relative, that’s pretty cold. But it gets better. After Edward VI finally got rid of his tedious uncle and his irritating set of rules, Edward wrote in his diary (showing no emotion at all) that the former lord Protector died and that was that. Getting rid of Edward Seymour probably made the little critter sigh in relief because out of all his uncles, the Lord Protector was the one who always reminded him of his duties and responsibilities, not to mention all those rules and not letting him be king! How unfair! And then there was also that issue about the rebellions. Edward VI saw these people as traitors and agreed with Northumberland that they should be dealt with immediately but his uncle didn’t think that was wise, which was why people called him the ‘good Duke’ because they saw him as a friend of the people. Now that he was out of the way, his kingdom would not have to suffer any more dissenting voices, nor any threats of isolation or future skirmishes with Scotland. Edward VI was fully committed to the Protestant cause but convinced by Northumberland, he realized that he would not go far if he did not have any allies. And the whole campaign in Scotland had gone awfully wrong and with Mary, Queen of Scots in France, the only way to neutralize that threat was making an alliance with that country, betrothing him to Henri II and Catherine de Medici’s daughter, Elizabeth Valois. Sadly, Edward VI did not live to marry her or do more for the Evangelicals. He died and before he did, he wrote a paper called “my device for the succession” which became the basis to disinherit his sisters in favor of their cousin, Jane Grey. That opened a can of worms that could have easily escalated into another civil war like the wars of the roses but thankfully for everyone involved it didn’t and his sister won her crown fair and square. But as with every Tudor, once her sister became Queen, she began to make good use of the propaganda machine to portray her sibling as a puppet of Northumberland and other evil lords who had corrupted him and turned him against her. Why was this done? Same reason why people who rebelled against their kings often pointed their fingers at their councilors -because doing so against an anointed king meant that they were upsetting the natural order. It was only in extreme cases, when someone had enough support and belonged to a different dynasty, that they would point it directly at them. Edward belonged to the same dynasty as Mary, and a dynasty divided was bad business for everyone, especially for the first Queen Regnant of England who had inherited a divided country.

Mary I also did something else and that was appropriating some of Edward VI’s religious achievements in an effort to make Catholicism appealing to those who were still unsure whether or not they wanted to return to the church or side with the various groups within the Protestant movement. Sections from the book of the common prayer were added to a new set of prayers in Latin and English, and adapted in a way that didn’t contradict church doctrine. During his reign, Edward encouraged many poets and artists to express themselves. These would reenact passages from the bible, or create allegorical paintings that depicted Edward as England’s messiah, and all those who followed him as true Christians as opposed to the decadent Catholics who were portrayed as heathens.

Edward’s religious reformation became the basis for Elizabeth I’s reign who continued with many of these reforms. Although she did not go as far as Edward or his chosen heiress, Jane Grey, would have liked. Elizabeth I was far more pragmatic, recognizing that if she wanted to rule over a divided country she had to maintain some of the older traditions or else, she’d risk losing everything she had. Unlike her siblings, Elizabeth I wasn’t thought of as legitimate by many of her Christian peers. Ideological purity was a luxury that she couldn’t afford and in any case, she did not want because many Evangelicals didn’t like the idea of the supremacy of kings (or queens). Nevertheless, Elizabeth I built her religious establishment upon her brother’s by issuing a new revision of the book of common prayer and encouraging artists and poets to create works that extolled the Anglican Church and the Tudor Dynasty.

[dicapriho]

Important quotes to take from this article, that sums up perfectly why Daenarys’ treatment in season 8 was so heartbreaking..(long post with bullet points for easy reading):

Game of Thrones is "a world where women are often treated as disposable objects, Daenerys outwitted and overpowered her male enemies. As the sole protagonist in her own storyline, far from the rest of the characters, she was set up to be one of the few unambiguously [female] heroic figures in the series."

"in just a few episodes, she quickly transformed from a woman who has prided herself on saving the downtrodden to one who burns the innocent."

"[Daenerys’] treatment this season from the makeup of the writers’ room: The writers and directors on the show have always been overwhelmingly male, and women were shut out of both writing and directing jobs for every episode in season 8."

"Throughout her life, Daenerys has shown a commitment to justice...She freed the slaves in Meereen... When Drogon burned one child, she chained up her other two dragons, leaving herself more vulnerable...She put her fight for the Iron Throne on pause to fight in Jon’s war against the White Walkers [in the North where she knew she would feel unwelcome]."

"She was called the “Breaker of Chains” for a reason. When she misstepped, we forgave her, as we forgave, say, Tyrion for strangling Shae." [And Jon for killing a child for betraying him!]

“Daenerys has certainly used “Dracarys” to punish plenty of people during her reign... she always gave some compelling reason for doing so.”

She first used her dragon’s fire to kill a warlock who tried to imprison her, and again against a slaver who tried to cheat her...she crucified all the masters in retaliation for them having killed slave children — but they had killed children...She burned all the Khals who were threatening to keep her as a slave or rape her, or both."

Dany’s advisors gave awful advice:

"Daenerys agreed to make Tyrion her hand because Tyrion said he “knew things”...specifically, he claimed to know how to make alliances in Westeros and exploit people’s hate of Cersei in order to put Daenerys on the throne. Except, Tyrion did…none of that."

"...when did Tyrion convince a single lord that if they joined their side, they could get a new title and nice castle and see the land’s most hated woman [Cersei] burned to a crisp? Never."

"...what Tyrion did do: Try to cut a deal with slavers that would have kept slavery legal for a longer period of time, until Daenerys decided to burn their ships instead; convince Dany not to fly to King’s Landing and burn the Red Keep, which would have resulted in far fewer Kings Landing deaths; come up with the horrible plan to capture a wight that almost got Jon killed and lost Daenerys a dragon and still didn’t earn Cersei’s allegiance; convince Daenerys to trust Cersei, who has never proven herself to be trustworthy; forget to remind Daenerys that Euron and the Iron Fleet would almost certainly be waiting near Dragonstone, thus losing Daenerys another dragon; free Jaime from captivity in an effort to help both his brother and Cersei escape death at Daenerys’ hands..."

"Don’t even get me started on Varys, who didn’t write a single letter to a single lord to gain intel against Cersei or an ally for Dany but did find time to spread the word about Jon’s true parentage...”

“Tyrion and Varys were supposed to be her helpers. They failed her. Instead of owning up to this and realizing the part they have both played, Tyrion and Varys begin to worry that Daenerys is a flawed ruler exactly because she’s losing faith in them over their terrible decisions."

On the Sansa v Dany struggle:

"...The writers of the show cited much more petty reasons for their [Sansa and Dany's] conflict: “[Daenerys is] also very pretty, and how much does that factor in? Sansa starts off this season very suspicious and not at all friendly with Dany.”"

Her Isolation:

"In the last few episodes, Daenerys finds herself envying the love that Jon’s people feel for him...it’s destabilizing for her to arrive in Westeros and find that people are not eager to see her. Why, exactly, the Northerners don’t appreciate her dragons — without which they could not have defeated the Army of the Dead...."

"Daenerys rightfully glowers at Jon as his countrymen celebrate the fact that he mounted a dragon a couple of times when Dany has been riding one for years [Not to mention she is the first Targaryen in hundreds of years to have successfully mothered & raised/trained dragons]...In a mission to make Dany feel as isolated as possible, the show killed off her closest advisors, Jorah and Missendei."

"Daario is controlling Slaver’s Bay in her absence. Yara Greyjoy is sworn to her. In theory, the new Prince of Dorne would be allied with her since Daenerys struck a pact with Ellaria Sand. Daenerys could have called on any of these allies when she faced Cersei’s army but didn’t — simply because the show needed her to be alone ."

On Missandei:

"Game of Thrones fridged Missandei. There’s no other way to put it. Her capture and death happens just so Daenerys would feel isolated. The fact that the writers turned the only major black female character on the show into a device to motivate Daenerys feels even more cringeworthy."

"The fairly quick transition from complicated hero to totally mad villain leaned heavily on an oft-repeated line: “every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin”. But should Daenerys’ Targaryen blood necessarily doom her? After all, Jon is half Targaryen, too. So why does he get to sit comfortably on the other side of the coin?...The show has long been obsessed with various characters’ struggles to shake their family’s legacies. Tyrion killed his own father and joined Team Daenerys, only to betray Daenerys in order to help his family again." 

"Daenerys has long tried to differentiate herself from her father, the Mad King, only to become her father’s daughter."

"...the show’s most recent plotting flaws was Varys’ rushed decision that Daenerys was a terrible enough queen that he would endeavor to poison her — quite a stretch for a man who served under King Joffrey...Remember that Varys once wanted to put Dany’s brother Viserys, a demonstrable megalomaniac, on the Iron Throne."

"...when Varys found out Jon was a Targaryen, he began openly conspiring to undermine and overthrow Daenerys...He accused her of being paranoid while simultaneously conspiring against her, which means she had every right to be suspicious...Again, it’s a failure of the show that the man who was once revered as Master of Whispers walked up to Jon in the middle of a crowded beach and suggested he usurp Daenerys."

"Other rulers we think of as heroes in this story have executed men for less than attempted murder: Robb Stark executed Rickard Karstark for killing the Lannister hostages, against Robb’s orders...Ned Stark executed someone for abandoning the Night’s Watch...Jon Snow executed the men who succeeded in murdering him (before he was resurrected) including Olly, a young boy."

"...Jon betrayed Daenerys’ trust by telling his family, and Tyrion betrayed her — twice. Davos also betrayed her too for totally inexplicable reasons by helping Tyrion smuggle Jaime to Cersei...Her advisor’s lie to her and gaslit her, plain and simple. And yet the way that Daenerys’ destruction of King’s Landing is shot, we are supposed to see her as the irrational one and Tyrion as one of the victims of her terror."

"...either due to time restrictions or lack of source material or just plain lack of creativity, the show took shortcuts this season...And those shortcuts tended to rely on the laziest of sexist stereotypes about crazed, power-hungry women."

"Maureen Ryan at the Hollywood Reporter put it best: “Inescapably, infuriatingly, what we’re left with is apparently the central message of Game of Thrones: Bitches are crazy.” "

"...Had [Dany's] paranoia been seeded many episodes ago and grown over the course of several seasons, it would be an epic Shakespearean tragedy. Instead we must infer this descent based on her frizzy hair."

"Worse, the moment when she seemingly decides to rule with fear, not love, comes after she’s romantically rejected by Jon...” [Suggestible that the lack of requited love is a strong enough reason for a level-minded strong woman to fall into a pit of craziness, despite all the good she has ever done and vows to continue doing..]

"Varys suggested that Jon would be a better ruler exactly because he did not want to rule. Figures in mythology and history ranging from Moses to George Washington to Harry Potter have been heralded as heroes because they came to power reluctantly. Those figures also tend to be male. How do our stories cast women eager for power? As evil queens. And now Daenerys is a cliché."

"There have been a lot of problematic characterizations of women this season, as revealed by the writers’ own commentary surrounding the episodes...Sansa essentially parroted what the writers have been saying for years about her rape by Ramsay Bolton — that it made her stronger...and the showrunners called Cersei, one of the smartest, most vicious characters on Thrones, “just a girl who needs the comfort of a man..”

"...in the end, Daenerys cycled through several tired stereotypes: Another evil, power-hungry queen literally shot with a dragon’s wings behind her; the crazy lady that a noble man has to heroically overcome..."

Like Cersei, Dany was a character introduced in the first episode, who ws incredible meaningful in the narrative of Game of Thrones. Instead of going out with a bang, Daenerys’ death wasn’t a bang like she truly deserved, but a whimper and forgotten to emphasise the man’s conquer and victory.