#you can find them through my main! my twitter was also spirited away themed and if i ever manage to do admin my ao3 will change accordingly

[yuukri]

5, 6, 15, n 19! also, it looks like you rlly like spirited away, have you ever written or considered writing any spirited away fics?

5. satosugu adopt kids (yikes) (jujutsu kaisen) - i feel like every jjk writer has one little self indulgent family fic squirrelled away and here’s mine: firstly i’ve deleted everything to do with curses because they pose too much potential for angsty and also because i can’t write action scenes whdjdj! secondly, gojo steals (legally) megumi (no tsumiki in this au because i’m afraid of how to write her), while getou saves the girls from a bad situation. mostly it’s just daily dramatic domestic shenanigans with some kids :D

“only one of the bunnies is paying him any real attention, happily sniffling at his ankles, and for it’s troubles suguru lifts it up gently, as he makes his way into the living room. he’s sure eventually the rest will get bored and follow. even before he enters, the sounds of national geographic on the television are barely distinguishable from the volume of satoru’s laugh and nanako’s petulant whines.

megumi is sprawled on the floor by the table, one of his two dogs is most definitely in the corner eating his homework, for the third time that week; this time, suguru decides, he will not help the boy try to fix it in a panic before the deadline. satoru should have been a responsible parent and prevented it from happening. the other dog is unsurprisingly, being used as an oversized cushion.”

6. temple au (jujutsu kaisen) - one of my three endgame itafushikugi wips! nobara and megumi help yuuji revive the cult of sukuna after sukuna accidentally messes up and reincarnates into yuuji, nobara realises she has ancestral blood in the cult and megumi stumbles upon the temple while avoiding his own clan issues. it’s a super fun, supernatural au which is more silly than serious tbh.

“nobara was sometimes not unlike a piranhas, less prone to attack than people expected, but easily riled up by the scent of fresh blood.

as though to prove that just sometimes, he was some god’s favourite, their destination comes into sight. amongst the wane light of a waxing moon, the structure stood hulking and proud. it was eerie, with the way the wood gleamed as though newly polished, the shine carmine of the tiled roof. the silence of it. buildings this grand, this intricate, should creak in their foundations, the windows should rattle in their frames, the walls should groan under their load.

they come to a natural stop. nobara somehow manages to rock on her heels despite the uneven mud.

“we’re here.” megumi says, just to be annoying. “

15. watermelon sugar type beat (jujutsu kaisen) - another of the three itafushikugi wips! set semi-canon this time, it’s just a silly one shot (?) spawned from my own hcs for the trio, where they go to sendai and do silly teenage things in yuuji’s hometown! i also wanted to try and write the visiting the grave scene a la chainsaw man. no expert sorry because the state of this wip is best left for my own eyes jsjdjjd (it’s a mess OTL)

19. take a deep breath, take a deep breath, take a deep breath- (genshin impact) - zhongli loosing his gnosis isn’t as straightforward as he explained (or expected) and through plot armour magic shenanigans, our favourite liyue teens have been de-aged at his behest. it’s blatantly an excuse for me to have zhongli play house and maybe if i’m up for it explore his loneliness and detachment for his people and humanity as a whole. anyway, as they saying goes: “from the mouths of babes” for the wisest of introspections.

“zhongli holds hu tao upside down by her ankle. now this would be quite feat perhaps, if he wasn’t a millennia old god and the girl in question had been her normal size. unfortunately, as he listens to her squealing laughter and forces his grip a tad tighter as she shakes in his grasp, hu tao was very much not her normal size.

there are other issues, of course. there’s the fatui mages unconscious on the ground, the remnant sparking of electro over the dark lake of wuwang hill, the other not quite normal sized people clustered around his leg.

“mr zhongli,” xiangling says in a very quite voice, much higher than her usually chirping tenor, “what are we going to do now?” ”

spirited away! -

firstly nonny you’re totally right! i love spirited away and it’s probably one of (if not my number one) favourite movies of all time! funnily enough, despite loving ghibli movies and content, i’ve never thought to or attempted to write a ghibli based fanfic - spirited away included! i feel like most of the time when i write fics it’s because there’s something else from canon my mind wants to run away with and see. however, in the case of spirited away, i don’t think there is? the film and story are so well made and self contained i am want for literally nothing jsjdjd. i could (do) just watch it again and again and enjoy the way things play out. same could be said for other films like howl’s moving castle and kiki’s delivery service, which feature heavily in my other social media accounts (and make up far too much of my personality). but it’s not just ghibli that gives me this vibe funnily enough, some anime/manga i consume also feel complete enough that i’m happy to just leave them be fic free (the shock and horror of it)... others however, i have a personal vendetta to bend to my emotion driven will OTL...

wip title ask game!

[heartofether]

Bonus Episode #5 - Cherry on Top TRANSCRIPT

[You can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts, or go to our “Listen” page if you’re on desktop.]

VAL

Hey folks, Val here! So, by now you’ve probably figured out that this isn’t Episode 16 of The Heart of Ether. Due to some technical difficulties—and also just the fact that our schedules are all one collective dumpster fire—Episode 16 has been, unfortunately, delayed. It’s a big episode, and we didn’t want to rush it.

It will either be coming out next week, October 1st, aka when Halloween begins, or the week after. At the time of recording this, I’m aiming for October 1st, but we will see how it plays out. Thank you all so much for your patience, and if you’d like updates, you can follow us on Twitter and Tumblr @heartofether.

In the mean time, this one is actually a fluff episode, I’m not joking this time. Enjoy!

AUTOMATED VOICE

[SLIGHTLY SLOWED & PITCHED DOWN] Please state your message.

[THEME SONG PLAYS.]

[PHONE BEEP.]

[INT. CHERRY ON TOP DINER, EARLY EVENING.]

[THERE IS THE SOUND OF CLATTER, CHATTER AND 50’S ROCK MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND.]

AGENT MAY

Agent June, may I ask why you were so insistent on coming here?

AGENT JUNE

We’re supposed to be investigating the whole town, right? This diner seems to be pretty popular. Never know what might happen. [OVER-THE-TOP] Might see a monster pop out of the shadows! [HE LAUGHS.]

[A BEAT AS AGENT MAY ROLLS HIS EYES.]

AGENT MAY

They’re definitely playing up the whole 1950’s Americana theme.

AGENT JUNE

That’s kind of the point, yeah. No way in hell I’d survive living in the 50’s, but the retro aesthetic does have some charm to it, you know?

AGENT MAY

I suppose.

[THE WAITER IS HEARD WALKING OVER]

WAITER

Hey there! Can I get you folks started with anything to drink?

AGENT JUNE

One Cherry-On-The-Top Signature Float, please!

[TO AGENT MAY] Okay, May, hear me out: so, I heard this place has bomb cherry floats. I think they get their cherry cola from this special local place. You’ve gotta try it.

AGENT MAY

Thanks for the offer, but I don’t do ice cream floats. Hardly have time to eat as is, I don’t usually indulge in…dessert.

[A BEAT.]

AGENT JUNE

Well. That’s the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard.

WAITER

You could always get the Sweetheart Special and share it.

AGENT MAY

[FLUSTERED, STUTTERING] We’re not, uh—

[THEN, MUMBLING] I’ll have my own, thanks.

AGENT JUNE

[TO WAITER] Two cherry floats, please!

WAITER

Coming right up!

[THEY ARE HEARD WRITING THE ORDER DOWN BEFORE WALKING AWAY.]

AGENT MAY

Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself.

AGENT JUNE

[SMUG] Worst case scenario, I get two floats, right?

AGENT MAY

Then I don’t want to hear it when you get sick later.

AGENT JUNE

Maybe if you simply allow yourself to enjoy a cold cherry delight, I won’t have to eat so much ice cream.

AGENT MAY

[HUFFING, THEN, CAVING, HESITANTLY AND ALMOST GUILTILY] I will admit, it doesn’t sound half bad.

AGENT JUNE

[GRINNING] That’s the spirit!

[AS THEY TALK, THE WAITER WALKS BACK OVER. GLASS CLATTERS AS THEY SET THE FLOATS ON THE TABLE.]

WAITER

Two Cherry-On-Tops.

AGENT JUNE

[SURPRISED] Oh, wow, that was fast. Say, how did you—?

WAITER

[CUTTING HIM OFF] Can I get you folks started with some food, or do you need a moment to decide?

AGENT MAY

We’ll just start with the floats for now. Thank you.

[THEY WALK AWAY. THERE’S A PAUSE.]

AGENT JUNE

So, I’ve been thinking.

AGENT MAY

That’s never a good sign.

AGENT JUNE

You haven’t even heard what I have to say yet!

AGENT MAY

[HE HUFFS] Alright. Spit it out.

AGENT JUNE

[EXCITED TO GET RIGHT INTO IT] So, one of our main missions while we’re here is to find the Heart, right?

AGENT MAY

[WARY] …right…

AGENT JUNE

Only, I think we’ve been going about it the wrong way. Because, I mean, we’ve been looking for it as if it’s some sort of landmark; As if we could just plug “123 Ether Street” into Google Maps and find out it’s x hours away if we take the highway. Look how far that’s gotten us, though.

AGENT MAY

Are you saying that you don’t think the Heart has a set location?

AGENT JUNE

What I’m saying is I don’t think we’re going to find it just by wandering around and hoping we get lucky! Like—okay, wait, let me borrow your float.

[AS AGENT MAY BEGINS TO SPEAK, JUNE IS ALREADY TAKING THE FLOAT. IT’S TOO LATE.]

AGENT MAY

Hey, give that back!

AGENT JUNE

Relax, I will! So, look at this glorious monstrosity of sugar and carbonation. What do you notice about it?

AGENT MAY

That it looks like a stomachache waiting to happen?

AGENT JUNE

The bare essentials, May. Tell me about the ingredients.

AGENT MAY

Um…it’s vanilla ice cream…

AGENT JUNE

[IN ANTICIPATION] Yes…

AGENT MAY

[CONT.] …with cherry cola and a sticky red syrup poured over it.

AGENT JUNE

Exactly!

AGENT MAY

Do the cherries on top factor into this equation?

AGENT JUNE

Mm, let’s call them the decorative flare of life and all its drama. They’re distractions from what really matters, though.

AGENT MAY

And what’s that?

AGENT JUNE

The ice cream! We’ve been swimming through this sea of soda for so long, looking for answers, and we’ve come up with jack.

[POINTING] We’re here right now: the thick, delectable foam on top. We need to go deeper, but how?

AGENT MAY

What are you suggesting, then?

AGENT JUNE

We have to get rid of all of the distractions. Get rid of the soda entirely and look at it as simply as possible. If we look at it for what it is instead of what we’ve made it out to be, then maybe we’ll realize how easy it’s been to find all along.

AGENT MAY

And how do we do that?

AGENT JUNE

We have to pour the soda out!

[THEN, HE GRABS THE FLOAT AND TURNS IT UPSIDE DOWN. IT SPILLS ACROSS THE TABLE IN A MAGNIFICENT SPLAT. MULTIPLE PATRONS GASP OR WINCE.]

PATRON

[MUMBLING, TO THE LEFT] Oh, god.

AGENT MAY

[SLOWLY] Now, June, I want you to look around and think about what you just did. Slowly.

[A PAUSE AS AGENT JUNE LOOKS AROUND.]

AGENT JUNE

[SUDDENLY SMALL, GUILTY] …I’m sorry?

AGENT MAY

[HE INHALES SHARPLY.] You had your own float! Why did you have to dump mine all over the table?

AGENT JUNE

It was a metaphor, dude! I just—got a bit too into it!

[AS THEY BICKER, THE WAITER WALKS BACK OVER.]

WAITER

Would you like me to make you another one?

AGENT MAY

Actually, I think I’m okay. We’ll take the bill now.

WAITER

No food, then?

AGENT MAY

[GRUMBLING] I had a late lunch.

WAITER

If you insist.

[THEY WALK AWAY. THERE’S A PAUSE.]

AGENT JUNE

[STILL GUILTY, BUT SINCERE] Do you wanna share mine?

AGENT MAY

I appreciate the gesture, but—

[HE STOPS HIMSELF, SIGHS, THEN, ALMOST SOFT, IN A WAY] You know what? That would be nice.

[PHONE BEEP.]

[RECORDING ENDS.]

AUTOMATED VOICE

Today's quote is: “To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.”

Benjamin Alire Sáenz in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, 2012.

[OUTRO MUSIC AND CREDITS PLAY.]

[krumbine]

A Sinful Pivot

Coffee. Pandemics. Unemployment.

###

An unusual silence blanketed the City of Saint Charles.

It was almost ten o’clock on a weekday morning. Under different circumstances, the city would have been a scene of bustling metropolitan prosperity. Streets full of traffic. People working. Money transacting.

Coffee—that gloriously capitalistic, black liquid gold––fueling everything.

Under different circumstances.

The heels of expensive Italian shoes clicked against pavement and echoed through the concrete canyon of the city’s downtown district. A gust of wind picked up a scrap of newspaper and tossed it through an intersection.

A deer trotted out from around a building and found a patch of grass to inspect. Sunlight cut through the skyline and illuminated the deer until it was practically glowing.

It was a goddamned picture-perfect moment.

The owner of the Italian shoes grimaced.

This was all wrong. ​The city had ground to a halt. And while the smog and pollution had lifted––nature creeped its way back into the concrete jungle––the people of the City of Saint Charles were as miserable and hopeless as ever. They were locked away, isolated from their fellow humans in a desperate attempt to slow a viral pandemic that was steadily rewriting the future of mankind.

Greg couldn’t help but sneer in disgust as he walked down the middle of the empty downtown street.

He was frustrated. Angry. But mostly, Greg was disappointed.

The world had taken a shit so big, it was suffocating all life on the planet. This wasn’t just one for the history books––this was going to be carved in the Stones of Time.

And Greg wasn’t responsible for any of it.

For the love of fuck.

From the pocket of tailored pants, Greg fished a key out to unlock the main entrance to his coffee shop. It was the flagship store of a successful franchise that peppered the Eastern Seaboard.

Religiously Roasted Every Goddamn Day. Coffee So Devilishly Good, It’s Practically a Sin.

Greg stepped into his black-and-red themed coffee shop and locked the door behind him. He wasn’t going to have any customers, the city’s lockdown orders had made sure of that.

Pocketing the key, Greg looked around the empty shop. He had built the company from nothing––the perfect execution of needlessly expensive coffee that quickly became a compulsive necessity in the daily routines of thousands. Greg made no bones about it––he had shamelessly ripped off those guys in Seattle, put a little Satanic spin on it, and started racking up exponential soul points as soon as the franchisees started signing on.

Sure, the shop was called ‘Religiously Roasted Every Goddamn Day’ but there was nothing special about the coffee beans. There was nothing special about the brew. Greg just marked up the price––six dollars for a cup of otherwise cheap black coffee––slapped together some fancy marketing spin and then sat back to let the coffee do its thing.

It was a motherfucking perfect time to be a demon in America.

***

Above the coffee shop were the corporate offices of Religiously Roasted. Greg sat in his executive conference room––a blacked-out affair with crimson foot lights spilling an ominous glow across the walls.

An ostentatious 100-inch television was mounted to the wall and after logging into the video conferencing network, familiar faces started appearing in a grid on the screen.

“––doesn’t matter what they do! This thing is relentless,” Mr. Paz bloviated. “And the States? With how much those mouth-breathers have been downplaying it, this thing will last for years! Undoubtedly some of my finest work in centuries.”

Mr. Paz realized Greg had joined the call.

“Mr. Mammon!” Paz said with a grin that was unnaturally wide and unnecessarily toothy. “How’s business?”

Mr. Paz put an extra bit of bite on ‘business’.

Greg didn’t like Paz, but then no one did. Mr. Paz was an arrogant, condescending bag of hot air who naturally assumed that all other demonic work was somehow less than the unholy work of disease, pestilence, and death. The problem with that assumption was that in the past decade of Greg’s mini coffee empire, he collected more soul points than Paz’s outbreaks of influenza, measles, and HIV. Combined.

This new virus was like Mr. Paz had scooped up the game board and proclaimed no one else could play any more.

“Simply put, not good,” Ms. Astarr jumped in. She handled the accounting for most demonic enterprises. Her speciality was finding all the loopholes and shortcuts to take advantage of local economies. “In fact, Mr. Paz, your ‘magnum opus’ has greatly handicapped all of our work. If something doesn’t change soon in the States, Mr. Mammon’s business will be insolvent by the end of the month.”

Mr. Paz did a terrible job of containing his glee over his colleagues’ misfortune.

Mr. Abad was red in his round, puffy face. He was also based in the States, although he had a much more mobile operation than Greg. “You cocksucking sonofabitch,” Abad practically spat into his webcam. “You know what doesn’t happen now that everyone is in isolation?!”

“Mass shootin––”

“Mass shootings!” Abad screamed, a vein throbbing in his forehead.

Greg sighed and rubbed his eyes as the demons yelled at each other. This was why he liked coffee. It was a far less messy way to earn those soul points. He picked up the tall glass of pineapple juice that sat on a black coaster upon the black conference table and took a long sip.

Mr. Paz, Ms. Astarr, and Mr. Abad had similar glasses of pineapple juice and had been drinking throughout the call. Demons couldn’t get drunk on alcohol, but there was something about the acidity in pineapples that could get them just this side of buzzed.

Before he realized it, Greg’s tall glass of pineapple juice was empty.

Well, if ever there was a time.

“Excuse me,” Greg said with a wave of his hand, pulling the attention of the bickering demons. “I think we can all agree that Mr. Paz is a cunt––”

Mr. Paz attempted to respond but Greg cut him off as he grabbed a pitcher of iced pineapple juice and refilled his glass.

“––which I obviously mean in the most complimentary of ways. To be the architect of such a devastating virus …” Greg paused and shook his head thoughtfully.

After a moment to collect his thoughts, Greg said: “Mr. Paz, our collective anger is surpassed only by our collective jealously.” He raised a fresh glass of pineapple juice to the screen. “Cheers to your accomplishment.”

The change of tone made Mr. Paz uncomfortable and as the other demons sipped, begrudging Paz his success, Greg paced his conference room.

“I think we can all agree that this is truly unprecedented. Our work––even for you, Mr. Paz––is evaporating.”

“I’ve looked at it in every possible way,” Ms. Astarr stated, “and I just don’t see how a demon is supposed to effectively torture humans under these conditions.”

“Exactly,” Greg agreed. “Mr. Paz, your accomplishments aside, it is humans like that insufferable president that have been screwing things up for us for years.”

“They’re torturing themselves with that one,” Astarr said.

“We can argue amongst ourselves all we want, but it is the humans who have taken our jobs and put us out of work,” Greg said.

Paz shrugged. “I’m still working.”

“But for how long?!” Greg shot back. “These people have traded their sense of survival––their human spirit––for rank stupidity and reality television antics from their Cheeto in Chief!”

A quiet fell over the video conference. Greg finished his glass of pineapple juice and sat down again, defeated and dejected.

“So … what are we supposed to do?” Mr. Abad asked.

Greg shook his head. “I don’t know. Obviously we need to pivot.”

“Pivot?” Ms. Astarr repeated incredulously.

Greg nodded. “Indeed. Pivot.”

Anger was bubbling back up in Mr. Abad’s screen. “No. No-no-no-no. I’ve been doing mass shootings for decades. This is what I do. I can’t just pivot.”

“None of us had backup plans, Mr. Abad,” Greg stressed, growing tired of Abad’s staunch inflexibility. “But this is the reality we’re in. Soul points have plummeted and may even disappear completely. Our very survival on this plane of existence means using a little bit of imagination and fucking pivoting.”

“Gentlemen?” Ms. Astarr had raised a thoughtful finger. “Perhaps we can agree that the fundamental premise of our work here on earth is to torture the humans.”

“Of course.”

“Indeed.”

“Then perhaps it also stands to reason,” Ms. Astarr continued, “that if the humans keep turning to leadership that effectively does our job for us––and bear with me on this––maybe our pivot should be, instead of torturing the humans, we should help them.”

Mr. Abad blinked.

Mr. Paz looked sick.

Greg clicked his teeth pensively. “… help the humans?”

Ms. Astarr shrugged. “It may be the only way for us to survive.”

“To help the humans survive.”

Greg poured another glass of pineapple juice. He drained it in one long sip.

He sighed. “… we could always pivot back to the torture. You know, later.”

“Of course.”

“Indeed.”

Mr. Paz threw up a little.

​###

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jordan Krumbine is a professional video editor, digital artist, and creative wizard currently quarantined in Kissimmee, Florida. When not producing content for the likes of Visit Orlando, Orlando Sentinel, or AAA National, Jordan is probably yelling at a stubbornly defective Macbook keyboard, tracking creative projects in Trello, and animating quirky videos with LEGO and other various toys.

Leave a dollar in the Tip Jar: https://ko-fi.com/krumbine

Short stories: https://bit.ly/2XY5D7I Books on Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/3bsqK5Y YouTube: https://bit.ly/2W41nSG Twitter: https://bit.ly/2VH0Vbu Facebook: https://bit.ly/2VpnylZ LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2xnmk1e

http://www.krumbco.com

[tamachan221]

Name- Tamaki Mutou

Nicknames- Tama, TamaChan ( she was the origin for my username ouo given to me by a dear friend)

Gender- Female

Age- 15

Date of Birth- August 24th

Ethnicity- Japanese

Occupation- Duelist / Professional Translator for Kaiba Corp (future career)

Favorite Food- Strawberries, Dorayaki

Least Favorite food- Kamaboko

Deck- Spellcasters and Angels (fanmade but not used often)

Signature/ Favorite Card- Dark Magician Girl

Other Notable cards- Chaos Sorcerer, Apprentice Illusion Magician, Dark Red Enchanter (one of my absolute favorite cards irl), Dark Blade, Palladium Oracle Mana, Dark Illusion,Skull Knight, and Divine Knight Ishzark, (she’ll also use King of the Swamp whenever she can bring out a fusion especially in tag duels)

Theme- Alice - Avril Lavigne

Tamaki is a kind, confident, but stubborn person and is easily excitable. She cares deeply to those close to her and will go to great lengths to help them. She can be a bit sassy with a slight temper, but calms down fast. Aside from dueling, Tamaki has a passion for learning different languages and writings. Tamaki is rivals with Kaori Amitsu and best friends with Yaniru Hiroyuki.

_____________________________________________

5000 years ago, she was known as Nanu, but after being sent through the Millennium Gate, her body and soul had reset as the gate sent her thousands of years into the future. Eventually becoming a young three-year old Tamaki Mutou (I guess you can say she just, appeared like a paradox sort of, it’s a story arc I’m still developing, in a weird way, she isn’t entirely related to the Mutou’s) . The power she once held had become dormant and sealed away. Tamaki knows nothing about her life as Nanu, but no recollection of anything past the age of three.

In the beginning, Tamaki is shy, quiet, and timid. She has no confidence and always thought very little of herself. She’s not much of a duelist, only having played with her brother or her best friend, Yaniru, a few times. However, that all changed quickly when she had taken part of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. She was originally going to stay home while her brother  but ultimately decided to sneak onto the ship that would go to the island. She runs into Tea and Tristan in a storage container where they find a damaged, rejected Dueling glove that only had one star chip and three of the five tournament invite cards. It was then they had agreed that Tamaki should try for the tournament, as she had a better chance and a better built deck.

Throughout the tournament, Tamaki would often doubt herself, as her brother, Yaniru, and even Joey were much better duelists that she was. She was soon separated from the main group on day two of the tournament, accompanying Mai as she slowly became more confident with herself.

After the tournament, she took part in Battle City, with a better deck build and fully determined to give it her all. This tournament is also when she received the first Millennium Wing, this allowed her to somewhat communicate with the Pharaoh’s spirit for a short period of time as it once belonged to her as Nanu (who was close with Atem, this one I’m still figuring out, like I want them to be able to communicate as a lot will happen with the two at the story progresses)

This will also be where Tama meets Sanura for the first time who helps her in a tag duel between some Rare Hunters.

After Battle City, Sanura informs Tamaki of who she really is and gives her the other Millennium Wing. Tama and the gang later go on a trek to locate Angel Cards hidden around different points of the world and eventually lead them to the Ruins of Vanir and the Millennium Gate (Another Arc I’m writing)

-I will write more for the other YGO Arcs as I write more for my current fanfic-

Eventually she’ll be paired with Atem, the shipping name is- MillenniumHeartsShipping and their song is A Thousand Years by Christina Perri

Definitely needed to redraw Tamaki as well, it's been literal years since I last drew her...her present day self that is-

https://www.deviantart.com/tamachan221/art/Tamaki-Mutou-686636587

though maybe it's a good thing I waited because new Spellcaster cards came out that really brought her cards together, especially with her Dark Magician Girl, like Palladium Oracle Mana.

Art- TamaChan221

________________________________________________________________

-Buy me a Ko-fi~!-Commissions- Twitter-DeviantArt-Twitch-YouTube-

[houkagokappa]

Sarazanmai Main PV analysis

Third time’s the charm. With Sarazanmai airing tomorrow I finally want to go through the main PV and give you my thoughts and impressions and observations from it.

The timing hasn’t been too bad since the official English subbed trailer came out yesterday when Crunchyroll announced they would add Sarazanmai to their simulcast for Spring 2019.

I don’t really have any authority to comment on the translation. It’s professionally made and it’s good. There are some translation differences to mine (I never translated the main PV, but they reuse a lot of the phrases I’ve translated in the past). For the most part I’ve been more literal (mainly so that I can retain as much original information as possible, even at the cost of it sounding chunkier).

Japanese is a very contextual language with room for many interpretations, especially when the full context is missing, so seeing differences in the translations are to be expected. The only difference I find eye-catching is the phrase “Suck out the greed” since they clearly use 欲望 desire/lust. Maybe the translator knows something about the upcoming episodes that I don’t? 

The PV starts with the same beautiful gloomy music from the Tsunagaru PV and Kazuki jogging/running in Asakusa. He’s wearing the matching bracelet he shares with Enta around his ankle. We specifically see shots of the red Azuma Bridge as well as Tokyo Skytree and Asahi Beer Hall in the background on the other side of the river. The stage is Asakusa alright.

Then there’s this wild spark in the middle of Kazuki’s melancholic narration about wanting to connect but not being able to.

Pink’s an unusual colour for sparks but plays on Ikuhara’s typical use of colours. It seems to be revealing a grid of some sort. This also feels very Ikuhara, he has a habit of combining the whimsical with the mechanical and technical. Think about the whole “ROCK OVER JAPAN” sequence for example.

The tone shifts, the upbeat ending theme “Stand By Me” by the peggies starts playing and Sara greets us cheerfully. She looks like an idol with her sparkling starry eyes and own TV program. The ア is everywhere. It seems to be used in her show a lot. There’s still no indication what exactly it stands for though.

This screenshot is pretty interesting. The text under “Fortune of today” says “lucky selfie divination”. Is Sara a fortune-teller? Are these her mysterious powers in action? The smaller text says “dish. I can’t see regular people. SARAtto report + Looking for the Prince. Characteristics are [ikevo?] a good smell and fair complexion”. Is that going to be Keppi or the mysterious figure from the last chapter of the manga? Or are they the same?

The focus shifts back to Kazuki. He’s talking about only needing three rules in his life, which could be good or a bad depending what those rules are. Okay let’s face it this is Ikuhara they’ll be bad. 

First he’s on his phone like in the earlier PV’s and then we see him with the kappazon cardboard box in his hands walking among other people. We get a quick glimpse of a weird golden kappa statue that makes the same kind of pose I assume the boys will do when they transform. What looks like a phone strap with Sara’s kappa-like creature swings by. It’s probably Kazuki’s and he’s a fan of Sara. There’s also a not-so-hidden ア that’s just on a tile on the pavement, showing us that they really are everywhere.

Next up we have Tooi. We’re shown a calendar (that I think is hanging on a classroom wall) with an overview of July and August (covering the summer vacation). Is that when Sarazanmai takes place? The illustrations for the calendar are of kappa. One highlights that kappa like/need water in their “sara” plates, the cavities on top of their heads. The other one depicts their love for sumo-wrestling. These are both typical kappa things we know from having studied the lore!

Tooi himself is along the river talking to his older brother Chikai. “Let’s get this over with. You and I aren’t very different”. There’s also one of the funniest reveals yet when we see Tooi’s weapon up close and it turns out to be a ruler. As a final touch there’s another ア to be seen right next to the brothers.

Then we get Enta’s presentation. At first he’s playing soccer by the river and then we see him holding on to the bracelet he shares with Kazuki. The in-between frame shows us a fish shop. What’s remarkable about it is that all the signs on it say “kiss”. Then we get a kappazon.co.jp box that flies away. Enta talks about having a strong bond that can’t be easily broken. Based on what we know it’s safe to assume he’s talking about Kazuki.

Then things get weirder when it’s Keppi’s time to appear on screen. He’s holding on to a cucumber, which is another thing that kappa love. He tells the boys that they’ve been turned into kappa and that they need to get the zombie shirikodama in order to turn back. We see the boys all slimy and gooey in their new kappa forms. Kazuki still has the box, so it might be something that happens during this walk of his that we’ve been seeing the whole time.

This is a very interesting frame. The pictograms behind the kappa boys look like ghosts. Are they supposed to be the boys’ souls or something like that? Or are they actual spirits wandering around? Story wise them being the boys’ makes more sense, but from an artistic viewpoint I think it’s weird to suddenly draw something that’s part of the main characters in the style that’s deliberately simplified and created for background characters. There’s also the “DO NOT ENTER” sign with the otter symbol and a cross over it. Clearly the otter is unwanted, that’s been confirmed by the Reo and Mabu’s keeponly1luv twitter account as well.

The PV continues with its interesting imagery. The next shot is of this circular shape with the words “no start”, “no end” and “no connection” getting revealed. We’ve heard these words before so they’ll be important.  They all tie together, but we’ll have to wait and see just how. It’s possible that they each apply to one of the three boys. Kazuki can’t connect, Enta doesn’t want to let go (end) and Tooi doesn’t want to uhh... get involved and start anything?? I’ll have to think about this more another time, or please send me your theories!

The background isn’t the same as it was for the spark earlier, but it’s the same style. I wonder if it’ll have anything to do with what the cops are up to because they’ll be introduced soon and they were the ones talking about no beginnings or endings.

The PV continues and there’s a small explosion hiding the boys in a cloud of black smoke while they let out a surprised scream.

Then there’s a pling, which I think resembles the sound an elevator makes when it reaches the right floor and opens its doors. The background is a metallic grey so it might as well be where the scene plays out. Reo and Mabu appear with their weird new catchphrase “Suck out the greed” (or desire!) and there’s some mechanical action that starts. Lights get turned on, gauges reach their max and a bunch of signs with the kanji 吸 “suu”, to suck or inhale appears.

I guess this is their machine for sucking out the greed? Or desire. I’ve pointed out the heart in the upper right corner before but it’s worth pointing out again. Earlier I wondered if this machine was somehow alive, but now I’m thinking that it might just stand for “desire”.

This is all controlled by the otters, the next cut shows us otters decals that are peeling. The otters seem to be controlling some circular objects, not unlike the construction we saw light up earlier.

Then there’s the “desire extraction” that covers all of Asakusa. The cops throw their hats. Celebrating their success? In an attempt to be dramatic? You decide.

Next up the opening there “Massara” by KANA-BOON starts playing and we see the three boys striking poses while in their kappa forms. I’m guessing it’s from the actual OP although it might be part of their transformation sequence.

Following this there’s a scene where the otter symbol all over Asakusa (or Sumida where Tokyo Skytree is located) burning red. It definitely looks like a bad infestation. There’s also a spiral with text reaching down from the heavens. The text is the same as we got in the first teaser PV’s and says “CHARGE” and “desire”. As something new there’s also ハコ which is the word for “box” written in katakana. I think this is a reference to the Box Zombie which is supposed to be the first zombie we’ll be introduced to. There are certainly boxes everywhere in the following shots while the zombie seems to have a lust for more cardboard.

Are the otters summoning the zombies? There’s definitely a connection between them.

Then we see Keppi run with a cart (or whatever it’s called) where the kappa boys sit. They seem pretty chill so I wonder if this is after their fight with the zombie? Next up we see one of these legendary shirikodama balls. It’s a ball with the kanji for butt on it. Then the three kappa boys are flying around, apparently connecting through the sarazanmai. They managed to connect in one way at least by holding on to each other’s hands.

I also find this next image interesting, it really plays up the “connection” part of Sarazanmai. We get the ア again and what looks like a mobile signal. It’s a very modern and a very literal interpretation. Ikuhara has mentioned the era of the internet and how easy it is to connect through the use of smartphones and apps several times when he’s talked about the inspirations behind Sarazanmai. Old vs. new has been another topic and this highlights that as well.

After this we see another shot of the Asakusa Sara TV program. The text is the same as previously but this time the image is of a traditionally drawn Japanese woman. Is this where the “old” is brought in?

Then this is another one of my favourite shots! It’s the Niimi Yoshokkiten kitchenware department store, that’s also the building where Reo and Mabu’s “Asakusa Sara Kouban” is located. Their police box/station is the red structure at the bottom of the building and I think we can see their silhouettes inside of it. What I really love about this image though is the otter that’s next to the giant chefs head on top. To be clear, the chef’s head is actually there in real life actual Asakusa while the otter is something the anime added there. I think this highlights the fact that Reo and Mabu are working under the otter (literally! - pun not intended).

The signs on the building are a bit difficult to decipher, but I see ウソ a lot which means lie. There’s also something about the world and food/eating? The text on the top that says “kawau” is probably in reference to “kawauso” which means otter.

As a side note I want to point out that the second teaser PV that featured the otter symbol had a narration about lies and otters. Could it be about Reo and Mabu? Who’s the one with the strong desire…

Right after that split second image we get this one. That’s an otter! Clearly controlling/ordering all the other otters around! Mabu makes a comment that someone tries to get in their way, which we can assume will be the three boys. Are they confirmed villains now? I feel like a lot of people aren’t buying it. With Ikuhara first impressions are often deceiving and characters can have good reasons for their seemingly horrible actions, so I wouldn’t count in it.

Next Asakusa Sara TV reports on flying boxes. The text that is show on screen is absolutely horrible to read and full with silly puns on Sara’s name and her using “dish” instead of “desu”. It’s cute as long as you don’t have to translate it yourself. The time here is 19:00 which makes me think that this PV covers the entire first episode and will end here with this (it was 7:55 at the start).

Reo and Mabu have their little quasi villain speech and then Keppi talks to the boys and says “you’re as dead as you are alive”. Does this have to do with the “turning into kappa” process and the “ghosts” I mentioned earlier? Are the boys’ actually half-alive, half-dead? Isn’t that what zombies are? Suddenly things are starting to make more sense!

There’s quite a lot going on visually. Keppi’s eyes look terrifying. They’re large, read, black and purple. He seems to clapping, so I’m guessing this happens after the boys have dealt with the zombie successfully. One of the ア signs falls down and is heavy enough to break the pavement. There’s a close-up of Kazuki’s face where he looks kind of frightened and surprised and then in classic Ikuhara fashion there’s a shot of hands trying to hold on to each other but not being able to do so. However, unlike in his previous works there are now three of them. It’s most likely for the three boys, although it could also be one boy using both of his hands.

Then there’s text on the screen that says “even if you connect”. Tooi fills in that he “won’t let you have it”, Enta says that he “doesn’t ask for anything else” while Kazuki “can’t bear to lose his connection”. Tooi’s just angsting in front of the lockers, Enta’s shown where he was practising football, but what’s interesting is that he has a kappazon box right next to him. It looks like the one Kazuki was carrying. Could it be the same? Could it have been for him? Kazuki’s chilling somewhere (at home?) out of frame with his phone in his hands. He has the Sara strap on it and a tiny otter icon appears on the screen.

Then the most mysterious thing in the PV happens with all these ア signs flying around and uhh... through Kazuki? The pink things look a little bit like buildings, are they perhaps reflections? The sparkles and the rainbow give this image the impression there’s something reflective. I really don’t have that much else to say although I’d love to be able to do so.

The PV ends with the three boys appearing as kappa yelling “sara” and “sarazanmai”. The final shot shows us the iconic look over Asakusa and Sumida with the tagline “Don’t let go. Desire is your life.” The ア’s are everywhere.

[shidiand]

How do you imagine Tenco's Story ending in your head?

that is a GREAT but UNEXPECTED QUESTION freshlybaked "spider" bread and i'm really happy to have the opportunity to try and answer this ageless question that has burned within all of us in the tenco's story iv waiting room community since 2013. it is an incredible coincidence (or is it? 👀) that i was just talking to Risa about tenco's this (edit: yesterday) morning so i am extra double super in the mood to talk about Tenco's Story today. so excellent of a coincidence is this that i am tempted to refer you to them in case you wanted to hear their thoughts on the matter that would probably turn out super cool, but that is neither here nor there; let us talk Tenco's Story.

i of course must mention my unadvertised and modestly detailed commentary on tenco's i-iii at https://shidiand.tumblr.com/tencos, presenting slightly interesting facts in an unwieldy and difficult-to-use format, but as it dates back to june 2017, i want to take some time to understand my feelings about the series once more.

tenco's story is a series that has a lot of meaning to me.

i took on my current name of shidiand in november of 2013. i was still in 11th grade at the time, 4th year of high school, and a very socially isolated person. i should say i was introduced to touhou in 7th grade, 2010, so i was still working through a 3 years-strong phase of trying to simultaneously both find an outlet for and bottle up an endless wellspring of awkward weeaboo-gamer nerd energy at the time.

i had my first real foray onto the internet in 2010, tried out twitter, followed some RPers and other people who had Cool Touhou Usernames. didn't really go anywhere. i had maybe 50 followers, i dont really know the count but it was definitely a) double digits and b) pretty low. didn't know what to tweet about. didn't know how to hit it off with others. i think there was basically maybe only 3 other people i ever properly interacted with. oh shit i was playing league of legends at the time. oh my god. i really did play league of .. oh my god. let's move on.

aw shit im super digressing amn't i. well.

this is just how it goes when i write essays on tumblr.com.

i'm afraid you're just along for the ride at this point so please do your best to enjoy it.

i got kind of tired of twitter at the time because i didnt know what to do with it. didnt know how to interact with people and didnt find the people i was following interesting, so i ghosted on out of there by the end of 2012. didnt deactivate it until like 2015 but at that point that was just burning away my dark history. anyways. november 2013.

--im taking a lot of time here trawling through old files on my computer, my tumblr blog, notification emails still lying around in my gmail inbox from twitter, the dropbox i didn't actually use but it had several tenco's story pictures on it but i deleted them so this was useless, ... to trace the timeline of this story and im really seeing a lot of remnants of dark history here you know? did you know i wrote a letter to a girl i had a crush on valentine's day 2014, slipped it into her locker, and anxiously hung around nearby at lunchtime to see how she reacted at lunchtime? i certainly didn't, or at least i made darn ass sure to forget about this incredible virgin incident and not remember it, ever, until i came across the records of it that i thoughtfully preserved for the me of 5 years later today. ok well now i have to read the letter to see if it was as bad as it just sounded there brb

ok so the good news is that it was actually very focused on being positive and full of admiration for the cool things she did instead of being a confession letter so i am very glad i was able to be a respectful chad 5 years ago, but the bad news is that the jokes, the actual sentences i put together. oh my god. but i mean. well. at least i got the spirit. its certainly a step up from this other person in my grade, WEEABOO ANDREW, YOU MAY RECALL THIS STORY AND HIS NAME FROM PREVIOUS STORYTIMES, THE MAN THE MYTH THE LEGEND who came to school on halloween once cosplaying kirito from sword art online and got very possessive about people asking if they could hold his black replica plastic sword, and probably worse, dropped a "will you be my girlfriend" letter into the locker of my homie and fellow trombonist samantha, who was a little bit nerdy, hung out with the anime-likers who were actually sociable and fun to be around so you can imagine why weeaboo andrew was into her, which had i) a direct quotation from SAO chapter 16.5 (origin of the famous "glopping noise" line), and ii) a condom. jesus christ. i dont want to talk about this any more. next topic.

i also put this drawing of iku nagae and her skarmory (actually an albinoss from 18 DRAGONS) on the other side of the letter because it was the coolest thing i could think of drawing at the time. and i completely agree with 2014 me because it IS super fucking cool. hell fuckin yeah

https://shidiand.tumblr.com/post/76301993387/iku-nagae-ft-that-thing-that-supposedly-is-a

alright that was a fun little trip down memory lane but lets get back on track. november 2013. i started anew as shidiand. still awkward, still learning how to express myself and looking for my place among others. i followed some touhou bloggers, hung around r/touhou a lot as well. in december i got my first tablet for christmas, a wacom bamboo splash. i still use this thing! the usb cable disconnects if you bump it so i have to find just the perfect position to sit in whenever i want to draw, but its served me well. anyways. i was just starting to play around with digital art but i remember, probably just before new years, for some reason i wanted to find out more about tenshi hinanawi (i don't remember why. tenshi wasn't even one of my favourite characters at the time) so i went googling and right there on zerochan i found this:

https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=23525572

this was during my dark souls phase so i just went BANANAS at the sight of this. this was literally the coolest image i had ever seen in my internet life. That image alone made me want to draw in hopes that I could make something as cool as that someday.

it wasn't immediately after but i soon discovered tenco's story, and it was love. kannnu was my very first artistic inspiration, and for a long time, my only one. i absolutely idolized them at the time. since then, ive found other artists to look up to, in a more healthy manner, but to this day i still look up to kannnu, still admire their work a lot.

i played around with drawing, followed the lives of people on tumblr, started reading touhou fanfiction, made a new twitter. i met a lot of new people along the way. some people i havent stuck with, some i cut ties with, and some people i still keep in contact with today. over those long 5 years of being shidiand, i found a name (i used to use shidian and then shid, but someone called me shidi once and i realized that was a lot better), how to reach out to others, how to express myself, places that i could feel included in. this is why i owe a blood debt to evelyn, who permitted me to kneel at her throne and was like "yea ok you can join my discord server u seem cool". evelyn, if you were confused by me ominously mentioning this blood debt/blood oath in a tumblr reply 1-2 years ago, this is the context. those 5 years were like a coming of age of sorts, that i never had when i was in high school.

and my love for tenco's story, that inspired me to draw that day, has been with me since almost the very beginning of my time as shidiand. from the beginning, i have always encouraged people to READ TENCO'S STORY, like the kin of those who cry PLAY MELTY or WATCH SYMPHOGEAR. i think my very first sidebar description was something akin to a prayer, written in very choral language, hoping for the day tenco's story iv was completed, ..., "meanwhile, furious shitposting". kannnu's work, finding delight in whatever they chose to draw, has been at my side, all along. my true mentor, my guiding moonlight...

so that's why i still to this day love tenco's story so much.

let's talk about tenco's story.

tenco's story is a story told through single pictures. the plot is vague, and details are sparse. dialogue is rare. we only know what has happened; we seldom know why. furthermore, there are many gaps between scenes that the reader is left to fill in for themselves; we see only snapshots that form an hazy outline of the events that occurred, and must imagine the rest. motivations and explanations fail me. but even with a barebones plot, tenco's story has themes, and if nothing else, those have to be carried through.

the main theme, of course, is journey and travel, but there are also other ideas, too. i actually think they start to change as the series goes on:

book i, where tenshi runs away from home, is about striking out on your own. it's a very fun and unpredictable journey, together with a friend.

book ii, where tenshi and iku are separated, forces tenshi to find and rely on companions of her own even more. but they do so, and they are able overcome hardships, and there is food and festival.

book iii marks a climax, reasserting tenshi's goal of finding the sword of hisou. i feel like the journey shifts from a travel (visiting) to a path forwards (making your way through). perhaps this is just something i get from knowing the locations from dark souls (Anor Londo, New Londo Ruins, the Great Hollow), but the locations start to give more of a sense of verticality, like they're emphasizing tenshi's climb to the summit. the hardships and enemies are the greatest they've been yet, and right when they near the top, tenshi and iku start to bleed. the book ends on an uncertain note.

if i had to describe the type of journey and travel that tenshi and iku undertake, there's this sense of wonder at discovering new places, wandering from vista to vista in delight, but also a sense of conquering, making it through a difficult patch. the sequence from pages 2-44 to 2-51, taken together, convey this sense of overcoming the best. it's one of my favourite parts. again, although the tone definitely starts to lean towards struggle in book iii, i think tenco's sense of wonder really is the heart of the series. there's no map of the world, no predicting where tenshi and iku will end up next. and through their travels, though they come across many enemies, they also find friends -- places of refuge, places full of life, people who will look after them for a few days, companions who will stay with them for the rest of the journey. at the end of book iii, we see a long haired tenshi with purple hair being impaled by the sword of hisou (3-33, see also this extra illustration that risa pointed out to me http://sinnnkai.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-195.html), and regular short haired tenshi continuing on her journey (3-42). if we ignore the out-of-story images where tenshi has the sword of hisou, tenshi has actually only ever used her sunlight blade (2-24, 3-26, etc), so i think that the long haired tenshi on 3-33 is a different person altogether. (if i had to guess, she might be the purple haired woman in the top left of https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=35443328 as we have never seen that woman appear anywhere.) she probably has something to do with the flashbacks at the end of book ii and she might somehow be short-haired tenshi at the same time, but this is just speculation.

however, in 3-43, tenshi's hair is rather blue, so i don't know if this is the purple haired woman or not. if it is, tenshi is probably still fine and closing in on the summit, but if it isn't, then it's very worrying to see a picture of tenshi without any of her companions. it's very ominous.

meanwhile, iku, while climbing the red carpeted corridor, is stabbed, and disappears for a few pages. there's a black page, a shot of a shrine that strongly resembles the hakurei shrine, and a picture of iku standing behind someone in a tux, with the line "In the past, I was saved by the lady I was serving, you see?". and then iku wakes up in a field of flowers.

i think what this scene makes clear is a theme that has continued to appear and reappear throughout every book of "being saved, being aided by someone's kindness".

i think another theme that is implied and has to be addressed by this story of running away from home is "return". something im imagining is that the reason tenshi makes finding the sword of hisou her goal is because she wants to have something to prove herself with, to vindicate her when she comes home. but i don't think she needs to prove anything, and i ultimately think that she would be happier spending the rest of her life exploring.

so i think this should be what happens in the ending.

open on iku's journey, and give her a long sequence of travel without seeing tenshi. underline her newfound resolve. she climbs to the summit with albinoss, and finds the rest of tenshi's companions fallen. and in the last room is sword of hisou tenshi, who has lost herself, and it comes down to iku to bring her back. after a difficult battle, when both of them are on their last legs, iku is unable to stand any longer. but at this moment tenshi sees her companions struggling to get back up and reach her, and that's what brings her to her senses. and iku gets to see how many friends tenshi's been able to make on her own, and they finally and properly reunite. together, tenshi and iku carry each other out of the last room.

i don't think it's necessary to return to heaven. as a conclusion, dedicate some time to tenshi and iku travelling together. they're on their way back, revisiting old friends who helped them along the way, enjoying the journey. their last stop is the house of the elderly nawis (1-42). tenshi shows off the sword of hisou; she decided to keep it not as a trophy to show her family but as proof of the bonds of her companions. surrounded by friends, tenshi and iku decide to part ways with each other, knowing that the other will be alright. iku drifts among the clouds once more, and tenshi sets off for the horizon.

that's the plot that i'd write/just wrote. i don't really expect tenco's story iv to ever come out, though. i mentioned my first sidebar description earlier in this essay, but of course, you can see that it's been changed. 2 years ago, i read my hopeful prayer once more and was struck with a terrible melancholy, so now it reads this: "having come to terms with the fact that tenco's story iv will never be released, i can still live, knowing that the spirit of the journey will live on through kannnu's original works [...] meanwhile, furious shitposting".

on one level, tenco's story is a story, but in the process of following it, i came to think of the work itself as a journey too. you can constantly see kannnu's improvement between and even within each book. they have always drawn whatever they liked; what plot matters in the face of "I wanted to draw a beautiful sky." "I wanted to draw a fantastic battle." "I wanted to draw Dark Souls and Monster Hunter and Pokemon and Brave Fencer Musashi and Bokura no Taiyou and Touhou."

its not really kannnu's style to go back and tie up old ends. they just draw whatever makes them happy. so as i watch them continue to draw beautiful places and fantastic creatures, new characters heading out on journeys of their own or just enjoying their everyday lives, it's as if tenco's story never ended. the limits and consistency of that world ignored, and a new one springs up; in a way, the world of tenco's, which had such thin boundaries, just gets bigger.

but even so, having said all that, i still see them draw that short-haired tenshi from time to time. it makes me happy to see them remember tenco's story with such fondness. often crossing over with orion or roar or elweiss, you can see tenshi on another journey.

[s-o-n-de-r]

A Rush of Blood to the Head: Sensuality and Substance in LIGHTS’ ‘Skin & Earth’ Era

Ruts and stagnation can be difficult to avoid for musicians as their careers progress if interest dwindles, labels lockdown, or plain old boredom enters the process, and you’ll hear it. 

You can flop, or you can go all out. For Canadian synth-pop trailblazer Lights Bokan (often stylized LIGHTS), she went all out.

Skin & Earth, the latest by the Timmins, Ontario native, doesn’t exist just as a music album. It’s also been given another life: Lights not only recorded the music but wrote and illustrated an entire comic series to go with it. She’s dabbled in the comic (and animation) world back in her early days with Audio Quest: A Captain Lights Adventure, but this is an all-in sort of endeavor.

It’s familiar territory for her long-time fans, though. Those who have stuck with her over the years have come to expect her to push creative boundaries, or at least keep things interesting. Some of those ventures include stripping away her electronics to make gentle acoustic versions of her albums, selling original paintings, or religiously making vlogs and doing livestreams. But even as far her records go, you won’t get bored transitioning from one to the other. Each has its own character, from the dreamy soundscapes of The Listening to the cold adventuring spirit of Siberia to the pep of Little Machines. Even her acoustic albums have different structure and depth from one another. If there was ever a musician that you wouldn’t expect to get stale, it’s Lights. When you hear her voice, there’s no mistaking her for anyone else out there.

This is the case for Skin & Earth as well. Even disregarding the whole other world that the comic series brings in, Skin & Earth is another distinct chapter in her discography. Skin & Earth is a totally different Lights – sexy and groovy and unapologetic. Literally, too, as she emulates the aesthetic of her comic’s main character En, most notably with scorching, fire-red hair. But it’s also just enough like previous albums that you’re not going to be totally alienated. This is a line she has always toed well.

The album eschews the baked-in dance and synth elements of Little Machines for drum-and-bass pop, songs with r’n’b rhythm and trap beats and vocal flow we haven’t really heard from Lights before. This isn’t to say that classic Lights elements aren’t there (“Giants”), but there’s a definite theme to Skin & Earth. In fact, some of the songs that embrace this new direction the most are the best on the album. “Kicks” is the catchiest, “Skydiving” is titillating and adventurous, and “We Were Here” is wispy and mysterious, a song for late-night drives. But Lights is no one-trick-pony. Skin & Earth features some innovative meanderings, notably the emotional and gentle “Morphine,” the sludgy “Savage” (featuring drumming from Twenty One Pilots’ Joshua Dun), and the big closing anthem in “Almost Had Me,” perhaps her strongest album ender yet. Skin & Earth wears its best qualities on its sleeve.  “Morphine” and “Moonshine” are clearly not songs about substance use, but rather, intoxication is the messages’ medium. “Skydiving” may or may not be about sex, but it easily could be. The primal, tactile nature of the album’s title feeds directly into both its musical composition and lyrical content.

Lights’ personal re-invention, from the scorching red hair to her new musical direction, commands the mythology of this album. Many artists conveniently stumble into re-defining themselves for new record cycles; Lights has done so genuinely and with more authority than others by bringing her fictional avatar to life. Again, it’s an all-in approach. In fact, so much about Lights’ aura on and off stage defines and tints her career. Her motherhood (she has one child, Rocket), her feminism, and her creative independence may not always have a direct, one-to-one translation to her music, but it impacts how you view and understand her music.

This is why her live sets are so attention-grabbing. There are few musicians who catch your eyes and ears like she does – perhaps Tycho, with their immersive analog synths and invigorating visuals, or Twenty One Pilots with their frantic passion, but it’s a short list. Somewhere between campy over-indulgence and apathetic boredom sits a sweet spot for live performances, and Lights is part of the 10 percent or so in that sweet spot. Awash in vivid red, purple, and blue lighting, she played a range of songs from Skin & Earth and Little Machines, while alternating Siberia’s “Flux and Flow” every other night. On this tour opening for PVRIS, you won’t find many deep cuts or acoustic sessions or anything from The Listening era, which is unfortunate because those deeper paths through her catalog are the true Lights experience, usually relegated to headlining slots. In fact, the idea of her opening for PVRIS really shows the craze that band has cultivated and tapped into, even when Lights was halfway through her career when PVRIS started playing shows.

Her contrast with the moody and dark electro-rock band might seem counter-intuitive, but the juxtaposition is actually what separated her and made her distinct, especially with the aforementioned brawn of the new songs. Many of her songs are meant to groove to, and groove to them she does. She actually gets away from her keyboard and roams the stage more frequently than she has in the past – a good step for a show that is primarily carried by the strength of her unmistakable singing voice.

It did feel strange only getting a relatively small section of her discography after having experienced years of buildup from early tours packed with songs such as “River” or “My Boots,” but that’s the way these things go. Skin & Earth deserved the majority of her set list anyway, not just because it’s her brand-new record, but because it lives on such a larger scale through the comics.

The staggered release of the comic book issues (a few came out before the album, and a few are still due to be released) helps keep attention and interest alive in a way that’s useful and entertaining for the instant-stream, now-now-now music world. New issues give people a reason to go back to the album even after digesting it. But it will be interesting to see where the whole Skin & Earth package, from all comic issues to the album to the effervescent artist herself, is in another six months or so. In the meantime, there are still a few dates left to her tour with PVRIS where you can experience that whole package.

---

Article and photos by sonder editor Andrew Friedgen. Like this? Sonder is an independent music, travel and photography publication at sonderlife.com. Give us a follow here or at our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook if you like this!

SEE ALSO:

All of our photos and features from PVRIS’ 2017 North American tour

Retro vibes and neon drizzles from Los Angeles-based Party Nails

Our complete list of bands we’ve photographed

[gyrlversion]

Jonny Sun Knows How To Balance The Darkness And The Light In Art, Work, And Twitter

By Michell C. Clark

If you’ve ever felt alone in your thoughts and feelings — almost like you’re an alien from another planet — you’re not the only one. Jonny Sun gets it.

Whether on social media or in his book, everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too, the writer and illustrator strikes a balance between weighty social commentary and relatable humor. His work is simple, but powerful, and starts conversations about being open and vulnerable about traditionally stigmatized feelings such as loneliness, sadness, and fear. That process, he says, can be comforting and cathartic.

“There’s this confessional nature to social media,” the Calgary, Alberta, native said during a recent TED Talk, entitled, You Are Not Alone In Your Loneliness. “It can feel like you are writing in this personal, intimate diary that’s completely private, yet at the same time you want everyone in the world to read it.”

“Every time we post online, there’s a chance that these little micro-communities can form,” he added. “And sometimes, through the muck of the internet, you get to find a kindred spirit.”

If you go by Twitter numbers, Sun currently has almost 600,000 kindred spirits following along as he reasons his way through the highs and lows of life. Through a mix of jokes, sincerity, and illustrations, he’s hit a chord with followers, especially those who relate to alter ego, an alien named Jomny, who provides an endearing outsider perspective on the creatures that inhabit Earth. Through oftentimes humorous dialogue with different animals and plants, Jomny uncovers many of the social dynamics that cause conflict in human interactions.

It’s fitting that he writes for Bojack Horseman, a satirical Netflix original series that uses the main character’s cynical, trauma-induced worldview to tackle dark themes through the lens of the entertainment industry — including addiction, imposter syndrome, abuse, and death — while providing viewers with glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel. And Sun also allows his creative pursuits and academic research to synergize each other; he is also a doctoral candidate at MIT and a creative researcher at the Harvard metaLab studying social media, virtual place, and online community.

MTV News spoke with Sun about how he found the courage to be so honest about his feelings, how he commits to using social media for positive purposes, and the process of building a digital community of your own.

MTV News: You recently gave a TED Talk — how did it come about and how did you decide what you want to discuss?

Jonny Sun: TED approached me about giving a talk. We had a lot of back and forth communication with their curative team to figure out what the topic should be. I wanted to talk about creativity, and to create community around shared feelings of loneliness and sadness. I also wanted to talk about breaking the stigma that comes with speaking publicly about anxiety, depression, and mental health.

My original idea was more academically oriented; I wanted to incorporate my academic work, which examines online communities and the way that groups of people come together online. But as we were working on the talk it became more oriented towards my creative work. I’m happy with the result, because we brought together a lot of topics that I wanted to touch on for the final version.

MTV News: Do you ever feel challenged to find a balance between your academic pursuits and your creative work?

Sun: At times balancing the two does feel like a tug of war, but I’m working on thinking of it as a process where one side meets the other. I’m not picturing them being at odds with each other. Instead, I’m allowing the stuff that I have been reading academically to inform my work and practices on the creative side. I’m also allowing the work that I do as a creative to inform the topics that I examine as an academic. Right now, I have to question how much bandwidth I have to focus on these different things. Where am I going to direct my attention and my energy? I believe that in the long run, being able to strike a balance strengthens my work in both of these fields.

MTV News: What did you hope people took away from the Talk, and what did you take away from the experience?

Sun: To be honest, I’m really bad at letting myself enjoy a win. For a long time after the talk, I felt anxious. I partitioned it away in my head and didn’t devote much thought to it. It still feels surreal. I don’t feel like I gave that talk. I kind of blocked it out.

I wanted people to look at the Internet as something that brings people together. I also wanted to talk about how creating work that touches on our shared feelings of loneliness and sadness can bring people together. It speaks to people. Those are the things that I care about the most.

MTV News: You’ve expressed that you generally feel more comfortable writing through a pseudonymous identity rather than using your own face. How did it feel to deliver your Ted Talk as Jonathan Sun the man, instead of Jomny Sun the character?

Sun: I’ve been starting to use my real face and my real identity more often over the past year or so. It’s been a slow process. I think that there is power in pseudonymous character work. At times, people connect more to fictional characters than real people. It’s really interesting to observe, in so many ways.

Lately, I’ve felt drawn to show people who I am and what I stand for. I don’t want to fall into the trap of saying that I enjoyed hiding behind a certain character, or a certain way of doing things, because I don’t think that communicating anonymously or pseudonymously is always related to the feeling of hiding. Talking through the alien character that I created helped me to be more open, because it was less scary to be honest and vulnerable. My direct identity wasn’t tied to the character.

Now that my face is on front stage, my present work requires me to continue to be as open and as honest as ever. That’s why the talk was so scary and difficult. It felt really bare. There was no one else but me on that stage.

MTV News: At the beginning of your TED Talk, you explained that you started writing jokes on Twitter to cope with feelings of loneliness and intimidation as you started your doctoral program at MIT. Did you ever worry that others would judge you for sharing such taboo emotions?

Sun: Absolutely. During my first lab at MIT, I told my colleagues that I couldn’t make it to a meeting because I had an appointment with my therapist, and people looked at me like I had just said the most inappropriate thing in the world.

In certain spaces, it’s still very taboo to talk about therapy, mental health, anxiety, and depression. There was pressure to come off as “perfect.” It felt as though we weren’t allowed to admit that we were struggling or feeling anything negative. That kind of culture permeates everywhere. Twitter provided an outlet for me to talk about how I really felt, and a release from those unrealistic expectations. Trying to ignore those emotions would have led to more self-destructive emotions and behavior.

MTV News: What about Twitter appealed to you as a platform for sharing your work? Did anything about that process surprise you as you kept going?

Sun: Talking about difficult topics is easier on Twitter than it is in real life. There’s a different quality to conversations on Twitter. I don’t attribute those differences entirely to anonymity or pseudonymity, but I feel the contrast. Having a cartoon alien avatar on Twitter and speaking through that platform made the sentiments that I shared more palatable and digestible.

Everyone who knew me at school was aware that I had this account. It wasn’t a completely anonymous effort. As I began to share my thoughts, I became part of a community that talks about a lot of the same things that I talk about. Whenever I get online I feel connected to the friends that I’ve made. I wasn’t the first person to ever write about my feelings. I’d never say that I built a community around me as much as I would say that I discovered a community.

I was surprised to find other people who were discussing mental health and wrestling with feelings of loneliness and sadness. The bonds felt very organic. We’re a loosely-connected group of people who always existed. I’m writing but also feeling seen by seeing others having similar discussions in their own ways. It feels like a true community and support system.

MTV News: When did illustrating come into the mix?

Sun: I had always wanted to be an illustrator. I’d also done visual art in the past at architecture school. I was really interested in visual representation. When I started to write jokes, I had this hope in the back of my head that one day I would find the time and discipline to do a web comic, or a recurring series where I would illustrate something every week. That never coalesced properly, so I tried to focus on a finite, project-based effort with a definitive end point. I decided to work on a book. That book became everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too. I definitely want to revisit illustration, and I’m currently figuring out what my second book will be.

MTV News: Your work is often a mix of dark humor and soft reassurance. How do you strike that balance?

Sun: I’ve always felt drawn to like work that like dark and sad. Oftentimes, I find that strong feelings of sadness are comforting, because they allow me to acknowledge that people have these emotions, and that not everything has to have a happy ending. Life is dark and complicated, and it’s alright for us all to feel these negative emotions.

I’m comforted by stories that illuminate that more so than by stories that pretend everything has a happy ending. The balance comes when you acknowledge and discuss dark feelings and emotions in a way that leads to comfort and warmth. That’s a main theme of what I want to address with my work.

MTV News: When you started working on Twitter, did you have an end goal, or imagine you’d do something like land a gig on BoJack Horseman?

Sun: Not at all — BoJack was such a huge inspiration for me early on. It’s a landmark career accomplishment. It’s actually part of how I understand that balance between humor, sadness, comedy, and comfort. It’s been surreal [to join the writing team] because of how long I’ve been a fan. It still doesn’t feel real.

MTV News: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced thus far as part of the writing team?

Sun: It’s been a challenge for me to deal with my emotions as a first-time writer. I felt a lot of self-doubt and heavy doses of imposter syndrome. Those feelings definitely got in the way of my ability to contribute at the beginning. I felt intimidated, and wondered if I was good enough for the task at hand. Luckily, the team is full of amazing people who are wonderful, smart, and kind, which helped me to work through those feelings.

MTV News: What fundamental changes to social media platforms would you like to see implemented for the good of the billions of people who use them?

Sun: Social media platforms need to do a better job of addressing hate speech, hate groups, and online violence. The reason that platforms are failing to do so is because they drive traffic. There are a lot of capitalism-driven reasons to keep these groups online. I believe that there are a lot of parties interested in hacking these platforms and these algorithms to further hate speech, violence, and hate groups. I think that’s the obvious issue that they have to address first.

MTV News: What keeps you coming back to social media every day?

Sun: When I first started to share my thoughts on social media, it was a public exercise. I decided that no matter what was going on, I’d try to sit down and tweet either one joke or thought every day. I wanted to share one thing every day that I felt was good enough to tweet out.

I eventually found people whose thoughts, work, and opinions I wanted to hear as often as possible. Those people have incentivized me to be more present online. That’s part of what has kept me there. Finding human connection was the most important thing for me — which is why despite all of the terrible issues that we have with these platforms, I’m still drawn to them. There are interesting people I like with whom I can only connect through the internet.

  The post Jonny Sun Knows How To Balance The Darkness And The Light In Art, Work, And Twitter appeared first on Gyrlversion.

from WordPress http://www.gyrlversion.net/jonny-sun-knows-how-to-balance-the-darkness-and-the-light-in-art-work-and-twitter/

[spiritualpoet]

Greetings my enchiladees! The time has come again.. Every now and then, I give you all on my wordpress a preview of the absolutely happening fun that is happening over on my facebook page, (Hehe). If you did not already know, OR if the twin flame weekly readings are just not enough to quench your twin flame thirst.. Every day, or every two days over on my facebook page, I deliver a daily reading.. For you to check in with yourself, and your progress through the day, as opposed to waiting a whole week to truly understand what may be going on for you..

So, without any further ado, here are the readings from the past 4 days.. I do hope that you thoroughly enjoy them.. The weekly should be up tomorrow, but until then, join our facebook page for regular updates http://www.facebook.com/Twinflameandshamanchronicles

Twin Flame *DAILY* 8th-9th January 2017. Main theme//Unified energy – Justice, Masculine – Three of pentacles, The energy the masculine projects to the feminine – 7 of cups, Feminine – Queen of swords, The energy the feminine projects to the masculine – King of pentacles.

The main theme presenting itself as the justice card, speaks of more karmic wiring, and re-wiring that currently occurs for us at this time. Putting our foot down on habits, and behaviours that have been cyclical in our lifes, as we recognise patterns with a heightened perspective.. Our ability to see errors in our past, coupled with our desire to make changes is indicative of the process of ascension that is occuring; that is, the ability to view ourselves from a somewhat detached perspective.. It is usually attachment to our ego that deters us from viewing things as they are, as we would rather sugarcoat things, and play it safe..

The justice card obliterates the part of the ego that always needs to be right, therefore challenging the soul to shine through, and strive for better.. And that is exactly what the soul does as it calls for some order, and change, to the things that have failed to change, over time..

The three of pentacles shows the masculine becoming more fluid, and flexible in his dealing with others. Perhaps before, he was a little selfish – a byproduct of poverty consciousness, fearing that for some reason he does not have enough, so he must keep all that he has to himself.. He is learning how to trust others more, open up to them a little bit, and the benefits of sharing with others, and existing as apart of a community… Maybe this is a shared project that he is working on, work, and finances improving for him because he is willing to listen to other ideas.

Maybe he is actually working FOR somebody else, stepping into his role, as a healer, or somebody who works for many to reap the benefits – not just himself.

The energy that he projects to the feminine describes procrastination, and fear of making the wrong decision. He spends a lot of time day dreaming, about what is possible for him, all the steps ahead of him, and the different avenues that he can take on his step to happiness. He recognises now just how hard the hand of karma can come down, and he is very, very cautious of either making the wrong move, or choosing an option that will end up doing him more harm than good.. he is likely thinking about the future, and how his life will turn out if he takes the option of being with his twin, vs being with somebody else..Many different realities are presented to him at this time, and though they all appear sparkly, and bright, he knows that not every single one of them is what they seem… He could be prone getting caught up in his emotions, so there is definitely a fear here of him possibly being illogical. In some ways, he is unsure if his union with the feminine is another part of his day dreams, but little does he know.. She also day dreams of him..

The queen of swords indicates the feminine balancing her masculine side – logic, and a fixed standpoint… Contrary to the 7 of cups, she is trying to be more rigid, to take form, as opposed to being wishy/washy, confused, or going back and fourth between fear, and knowing what she wants..She attempts to take control of her mental state, her often chaotic thoughts, and be focused on what it is that she needs to accomplish. Discipline is a major factor for her at this time, both for her, and her masculine.. There is an emerging sense that even if she is yearning to be in his arms, she will not portray this outward, because she knows that babying him, or falling to his demands always leads to the same old story..

The king of pentacles as the energy that she projects shows her holding up an image of what she requires from the masculine at this time. Maturity, self determination, and self responsibility are what she views in an ideal partner.. In the past, she was willing to settle for the masculine, even if he did not necessarily fit into the ideals of what she thought a self reliant was, she was willing to look past this, and potentially compromise her own satisfaction. NOW, the tables are flipping.. I mean seriously changing, if he wants things to be harmonious, then he definitely does need to sharpen up in some areas… Grow selfless, be more reliable..

Twin Flame *DAILY* Reading 10th-11th January 2017. Main theme//Unified energy – 6 of pentacles, Masculine – The tower, The energy the masculine projects to the feminine – The moon, Feminine – Three of wands, The energy the feminine projects to the masculine – Queen of pentacles.

The 6 of pentacles is representative of a much needed balance, give and take, ebb and flow that is working itself into the inner workings of both twins.. The manifests in quite different ways.. Though the feminine is also learning how to be more of a giver, what she is most importantly learning, is how to receive..How to let others love her, and help her, and how to accept these blessings without feeling guilty… She once compromised herself from receiving good things; partially because she subconsciously believed that she did not deserve them, but also because she was closed off to them.. Because she was so harsh and judgmental of herself, even when something good was coming her way, she would find a way to deny it, or suggest that it was not what it really appeared to be.

The masculine, is learning about how to be more of a skilled giver. This is the antithesis of narcissism, or selfishness.. He is learning about the value of giving to others, and treating others with a certain level of equality, and importance, so that, they return the same to him.. This is them both learning about their shared responsibility as humans. What you put out, you will inevitably get back.. So keep an eye on the back, and fourth that you create!

The tower card speaks of destruction, destruction of the ego, and change being introduced to our lives in a swift way.. When the tower card creeps up on us, we were either holding on too tightly to our old lives, or living in a state of repetitive outdated cycles. The tower tears everything apart, because the foundation on which it was built upon was shaky to begin with. He could be losing friends, or a heart piercing situation could be shattering his ego.. This kind of transformation feels quite chaotic, and messy.. But he is likely coming into the realisation of WHY this happened.. In learning to treat people better, he can build a new world from the rubble that the tower leaves in our lives.

The moon card projected to the feminine, is all about the subconscious messages and symbols that he receives from her, reflected BACK at her.. There is a full moon looming over us in the coming days, and the effects of this are actually very potent to him at this time, more so than the feminine.. This is because, he is stepping into the feminines shoes, of feeling, and having revelations brought upon him.. He may be communicating his feelings, fears, thoughts, or emotions to the feminine through dreams, and she should be very conscious at this time of the dreams that she receives… If any feminine wishes to decode their dreams, and do not understand what they represent, please send me an email at cindyanneh-bu@hotmail.co.uk, to book a dream interpretation reading..

The three of wands shows the feminine at the next stage of development.. She too has experienced the drama of the tower card in her life, but, she moves away from the chaos, and sails to new lands.. Expansion, of the spirit, the mind, and the body call out to her, and she responds.. Spirit has worked very hard to get her here, and most importantly, she has worked very hard to know that she is worthy of being here.. This is about stepping into new shoes, not being afraid to venture into the unknown, and trusting herself to do things that she has never done before..

The queen of pentacles is a sense of power and self worth. The feminine says to the masculine, telepathically – ‘I now KNOW my worth, and nothing can take that away from me’.. Even if she burns for him inside, she will turn this fire into the fire that births nations.. She will channel it into her creativity, she will use it to further herself, and push herself towards her dreams..Because she knows that the thing of worth that she holds, is herself.. She no longer wants to be short changed. This is her deciding what she deserves, and what she will tolerate.. Not giving her power away to anybody, not even the masculine. This is a command of respect, and a bold one at that… Hunny, you never chase a man.. He is a hunter by nature, and he will hunt for what he wants.. All you need to do, is be open to his invitation. You have walked a HELL of a long way.. Let him walk the rest.. And meet you, at that mid point.. Some feminines may very well be receiving a message from their masculine in the coming days, he could notice the shift in energy and attentions away from him, as she focuses on herself..

Happy healing, my sacred beings ~

© Cindy Anneh-bu 2016.

To book a personal reading with me –

Twitter – @spiritualpoet_

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E – cindyanneh-bu@hotmail.co.uk

Facebook – Facebook.com/twinflameandshamanchronicles

Twin Flame *Daily* Readings Teaser – Join our facebook page today! Greetings my enchiladees! The time has come again.. Every now and then, I give you all on my wordpress a preview of the absolutely happening fun that is happening over on my facebook page, (Hehe).

[johnchiarello]

Sunday sermon

Sunday sermon [Video made 11-4-18]

Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Sunday sermon videos-

https://youtu.be/CEznhZchZDM

https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10204979692130228/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Py1xvdhyV-as7o3wOdoXKUX0_IBNncrV/view?usp=sharing

 ON VIDEO [ This Sunday I spoke on the verses from the Mass for the date- 11-4-18- as well as a few verses from Rock City Church]

.The commandments SHALL be in you

.Moses and Joshua also said the people would not keep them

.Why? Even though they were given the law- yet- until the time of Christ and the New Covenant- the law would only reveal their sin

.Jesus quotes Moses- and ‘adds’ to it- the great commandment- Love God- and man

.The 4 questions in Mark 12

.Of course- Jesus wins the debate- every time

.Overview of Paul in Acts

.How does Psalm 110 fit in today's reading?

.After Jesus silences the critics- the common people loved it- why?

.Jesus ‘broke’ the religious customs of his day- and showed the true nature of the kingdom

.Some church history-

.Luther and John Hus- how did Luther fulfil the prophecy of the swan? http://lutheranpress.com/the-swan/

.The Medici Popes and the Renaissance

.Erasmus- Zwingli- Calvin

Isaiah 31:4

For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

 [New Teaching below]

Blog- www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks

Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg?view_as=subscriber

Other sites- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/  

[Links to all my sites at the bottom of this post]

NOTE- Every so often some of my sites think I am Spam- or a Bot- I am not. My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam- Thank you- John.

NEW [Other videos below]

This day I went to rock city church and taught on some of the verses from the Mass-

[Later today- 11-11-18, I will try and post the video I make today to Youtube and Facebook- and you will see them on my main blog [linked above and at the end of each post] as well as my other sites. I do ‘re-post’ my past posts and for that reason I’m trying to not add too many comments- because down the road- they will not be relevant- but for today- I wanted to give this brief update- and let all know that even if Facebook- or Twitter- or Youtube ever go down- you can always find me- and my other video sites thru my many sites. This week twitter banned many more sites- as well as Facebook- and it has created an unreliability in social media sites over all. One of the sites Twitter banned for about 12 hours was from one of our own men who fought in the now infamous Benghazi battle in Libya- he was in the actual firefight that day- and it’s sad that twitter- or facebook- or any other site would ban a person like him- John]

There was 1 verse that a girl talked about in her testimony at Rock city Church and I decided to use that verse for this teaching as well-

Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

 From the Mass we read-

Deuteronomy 6:2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Deuteronomy 6:3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

I focused on verse 6.

It is interesting when you read the Old Testament- there were many times where the people of God were told to keep the law-

Yet we also read that they could never really keep it?

These prophecies are all contained in the law itself.

We also read of promises God made to his people that there would be a day when the law would be written on their hearts-

English Standard Version For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jer. 31:33

Because of the work of Christ- his death and resurrection- the Spirit would come to all believers- and the work of the law- the actual character of God [of which the law was simply a glimpse] would then indeed be written upon our hearts.

Peter declares that we are partakers of God’s Divine nature-

2 Peter 1:4

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

 I tried to teach this a Little more on the video- but this is truly the message of the Cross- the whole study of Hebrews I have been doing these last few weeks.

The reading from Hebrews for this day [ Hebrews 7:23-28] fits the theme we have been focusing on the last few weeks as well-

I’ll simply add my past commentary on that chapter below.

I also Taught from Mark chapter 12- and hit on the 4 questions that were asked- starting in verse 14 through out the end of the chapter..

Jesus himself asks the last question [of the 4 I taught] and it is in the answer to this question that all else hinges upon-

Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?

Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

Matthew’s gospel puts it this way-

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. Matt, 22

Who is the Christ? How can he be the son of David- and David himself call him lord?

Of course we know the answer today- but for people in the first century- this was indeed a hard question to answer.

I’ll also add my past teaching below on Mark 12-

The conclusion is if we know Christ- the Son of the Living God- then the word- law of God is written upon our hearts.

The prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah have now come true- we have been born of God- born from above-

And what the law could not do- Christ has done for us-

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8

  OTHER VIDEOS [These are the videos I upload nightly to my various sites- PAST POSTS below]

11-8-18 Teaching with homeless friend- https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10204992659494404/

https://youtu.be/htO6KyOb954

 Times up https://youtu.be/4AdHpOklfGM

Slow train comin’ https://trello.com/c/FA9Kys97/248-3-23-16-slow-train-cominmp4

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LMGyC-vHn7HIRwBJ_2tDTtFhGF8xDBeL/view?usp=sharing

The keys https://youtu.be/Tg4jm8lXe0g

Acts 10 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMghkgkNaWyrqc8D_m

Sunday sermon https://bit.tube/play?hash=QmbQJSAVS8TGXEJwuhjB9XrxVUq1V5fFveuPCwL2TXY4RV&channel=160276

Revelation 11 https://youtu.be/mXaBqHOO81Q

Homeless friends in Corpus Christi https://vimeo.com/297472185

9-30-18 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x6weyw3

Teaching with friends https://youtu.be/lL_eLyz_3Ac

Acts 1 https://flic.kr/p/2crTth3

The loft- the windmill- the grave https://dai.ly/x6wgu4z

Mark 8 https://youtu.be/plWlLNg0bbU

The flood https://youtu.be/orHTqd1qis0

9-23-18 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x6wke7s

6-24-18 Sunday sermon https://vimeo.com/298586148

Kings 5 https://youtu.be/jQLv8K8qWrU

The roof https://youtu.be/2kjfAyYEdG8

Bus ride from new Jersey to NYC https://bit.tube/play?hash=QmVFJkXZYygCjAHaFin4uak8mR8hdnGzww8nywDQYqDKtq&channel=160276

Redeeming the time https://dai.ly/x6wm28d

Colossians 4 https://youtu.be/rcElEm46kp8

Friends https://youtu.be/oAKSn6cf2T0

No mail today https://trello.com/c/kmHSA2Qp/256-3-29-16-no-mail-todaymp4

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VEs7ARqf-h-kyz68I8L_PE1mHvM23vWU/view?usp=sharing

Christian- Muslim dialogue https://flic.kr/p/QugJ6j

Trump tower- 5th ave. NYC https://bit.tube/play?hash=QmUaLbuKJYV7DpTFUeWZ3E9ok8JtqcX3ZnfQ2PK5mHmSkb&channel=160276

Acts 10 https://youtu.be/lAs4sZY-mDg

11-4-18 Sunday sermon https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=CweLT_1541780779

https://peertube.video/videos/watch/315d5df6-e4b3-4d84-b2e5-2c352b03443b

    https://ccoutreach87.com/2018/11/08/colossians-1-2/

https://ccoutreach87.com/2018/11/09/colossians-2-2/

  Psalm 110:2

The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

 PAST POSTS [These are links and parts of my past teachings that relate in some way to today’s post- Verses below]

https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/

https://ccoutreach87.com/mark-links/

https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/

https://ccoutreach87.com/christian-recovery-from-addiction-long-version/

https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/

https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/

 MARK 12 Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. https://youtu.be/VJBAPuroAUY Mark 12 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/7-6-17-mark-12.zip https://ccoutreach87.com/7-6-17-mark-12/ ON VIDEO- .Sandia .Storehouse wisdom .Kingdom to the gentiles [church] .Vineyard- wisdom- tower .Song of the vineyard .Apostles .Leadership .7 dead brothers .Married in heaven? .We are the bride- he is the groom .Burning bush- I AM .Great commandment .Beware of the religious leaders .Jesus has a question too .The common people liked it

NEW- Jesus teaches the parable of the vineyard [or tenants]- it comes from the song of Isaiah chapter 5. The parable speaks about the Jewish people- and their rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah.

A landowner plants a vineyard- puts a hedge around it- places a wine-press in it- and sets up a tower. He then leases it out to tenants.

The Lord of the vineyard leaves- and over time he sends his men back to collect the fruit. The people who have leased the land refuse to give the fruit.

They beat and stone those who are sent. And finally the landowner sends his son- and they kill him.

The meaning is clear- God sent his prophets to speak to his people [Israel] they rejected them over time- and finally kill the Son.

Remember- Jesus is teaching this- before he is crucified. He predicts his own death in the parable. Yet- at the end- he quotes Psalm 118- Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: Mark 12:11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? He predicts his Resurrection as well. The Son who was rejected and killed- becomes the head of the corner.

In this chapter Jesus will also quote Psalm 110- Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Psalm 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

He questions the religious leaders- He asks them Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? Yes- Jesus did indeed come from the line of David- but as the eternal logos- he was before David- John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The chapter ends with 2 stories- about widows. It’s important that we see them both.

Jesus rebukes the religious teachers for taking advantage of widows- for financial gain Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places, Mark 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, Then he commends the poor widow for giving into the offering- Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Over the years there have been many examples of religious leaders taking advantage of the poor- many have enriched themselves by abusing their office as teachers of the bible.

Jesus strongly condemns those who do this. Yet- he commends the poor widow for giving to God.

The rich were giving out of an abundance- it seems as if they actually learned the principle of abundance in their giving to God. Yet- he sees the woman giving out of her poverty- understand- she is still poor at the time she is commended.

Yet the others were rich- and giving.

Many in today’s church would look at the rich- who had an abundance- and say they prospered because they were giving- and had a lot.

And some would condemn the poor widow- because she obviously must be doing something wrong- because she gives- and is yet poor.

But Jesus did not see it that way. The woman gave sacrificially because of her love for God.

The rich gave- yet they did it out of their wealth. Jesus honors the poor widow- not because she learned some secret of giving to get a harvest- because she had no harvest. But she loved God- she gave for the work of God- as she understood it.

Her giving was not based on the return she would get- because as of now- she has not received a return [poor widow]. Yet in the eyes of Jesus- she indeed gave more.

There are a few other things in this chapter that I taught on the video. The challenge of the Sadducees- who do not believe in the resurrection. And Jesus rebuke- Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? I have taught this before- and will try and find those past posts and add them below. Jesus also gives us the great commandment in this chapter- Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

When the common people saw Jesus put the religious leaders to silence- the bible says they loved it- Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

The downtrodden of society were rejected by the religious leaders of the day. Their outward religion caused them to neglect true justice- true love of fellow man.

The same things that the song of Isaiah- which Jesus used in the parable- were being rebuked for- Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. The fruit the land owner wanted- was not simply religious works- It was what the other man in this chapter saw- Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. The animal sacrifices and outward religion were the things that Jesus rebuked them for. Those who seemed to use religion in order to have an abundant wealthy life- were not seen in a good light by Jesus.

The tenants wanted an inheritance and their lust for the wealth of the vineyard [financial harvest] caused them to reject the actual Son of God himself- Mark 12:6 Having yet therefore one son, his well beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s.

Yes- many in the modern church have tried to seize on some material inheritance and given out of an abundance and implemented many of the principles of the bible in order to prosper.

But in doing this- they have had to reject many of the plain things Jesus taught- New International Version “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matt. 6:24

Yes- in a way- they have killed the Son- and seized the wealth.

But Jesus saw the widow- the poor widow- the woman who seemed to have never gotten a hold of the wealth building principles of those who gave out of their abundance.

Yes Jesus saw her- And in the wisdom of God- She gave more than all the others combined-

And thus the chapter ends.

PAST POSTS- http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/john-complete-links-added.html http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/romans-2015-video-links-included-romans.html http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/2015-video-linksincluded-hebrews-1-3.html https://ccoutreach87.com/further-talks-on-church-and-ministry/ https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ MARK- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/28/jersey-city-ride-mark-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/02/mark-2-north-bergen/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/04/mark-3-isaiah-61/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/14/mark-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/27/mark-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/05/mark-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/16/mark-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/30/mark-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/14/mark-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/07/mark-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/22/mark-11/

I mentioned Bultmann and the Herodians on today’s video- below are some past teachings I did on them-

During the time of Jesus you had a divided people. In 1st century Palestine the Jewish people split into 4 basic sects. 2 of them are pretty well known- the Pharisees and Sadducees- they are mentioned often in scripture.

The other 2 are less well known- the Zealots and the Essenes. The Zealots are named in the bible- but only in passing. We have no references to the Essenes.

The Pharisees were sticklers for the Torah [Jewish bible] and the Sadducees centered their life around the Temple- they were more of a political/religious type group.

They stuck to the Torah alone. That is they only received the actual first 5 books of the Old Testament- which is the Torah [also the term is used to speak of the entire Old Testament] and that’s why the Sadducees rejected miracles and angels and stuff. Most of those stories are found in the other O.T. books.

The Zealots were a group of people who hated compromise- they were actually a 1st century ‘terrorist’ group- who carried out assassinations. Not on Rome- but on their own people!

The zealots hated those who compromised with Rome- and if they felt a leader was too chummy- they killed him.

The Essenes were a separatist group who lived in ‘the hills’ [Qumran community] they simply gave up completely on any political solutions for the day- and went and lived in the hills. These are the ones responsible for hiding the Dead Sea scrolls [old bible books found in the last century] in a cave.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus had both a Zealot on his team [Simon- not Peter who also went by that name] and Matthew- a Tax collector. Tax collectors were considered the biggest sell outs of all- they actually worked for Rome and scammed their own people- it must have been hard for Jesus to lead this group [the 12 disciples] who came from such opposite ends of the political spectrum.

Yet Jesus did lead them- he was even offered earthly rule a few times [once from satan- and once from the people who heard him] he rejected it both times. His kingdom was not ‘of this world’.

In the New Testament book of Philippians- the bible says that though Jesus was in the form of God [deity] yet he became a man and humbled himself to the death of the Cross- a shameful way to die.

We have one letter written in the N.T. by a ‘family’ member of Jesus- that’s the epistle of James.

Protestants believe that Mary had other kids after Jesus was born- our Catholic friends teach that she remained a Virgin her whole life. My purpose right now is not to get into that.

James was considered the ‘half brother’ of Jesus [Mary was the mom of both boys- Joseph was the dad of James- Jesus’ father was God]. Okay- James was slow to believe in his brother- but over time as Jesus was declaring himself to be the Messiah- I’m sure James had to wonder- you know- think back ‘gee- come to think of it- I can’t’ remember a time where my brother got in trouble’.

Wait- now I remember- yeah- that time when Jesus was 12- we all went to Jerusalem for the big feast- and Jesus stayed behind while we started the trip home. Yeah- we went 3 days before we realized he was gone. Boy was mom mad that day.

So we went all the way back to get him- and when we found him- he was sitting in the temple- asking these questions- I mean questions that only theologians knew- Jesus was still a kid.

Mom said to him ‘son- why did you stay behind- we were worried’! Yeah- she was mad- if there was ever a time my brother came close to getting in trouble- this was it. But Jesus said ‘why were you worried- didn’t you know I would be doing my Fathers business’ yeah- he sure seemed different- but the Messiah- come on.

So as the ministry years of Jesus role by- there are all these reports of miracles and healings- blind people seeing- dead people coming back from the grave.

Yeah- James has got to be wondering now- but no- he could not accept that his own brother was the promised Son of God- no- too much.

Then the day came- that terrible day where mom had to watch Jesus die on that rugged Cross- on Golgotha- man the hill looked like a skull.

Yeah- it was a strange site- I mean the sky got dark- an earthquake shook the place- and even the Roman soldier who witnessed my brother die said ‘surely this was the son of God’. Wow- too much- my bother has carried this thing too far- even in his death he won’t let this obsession go.

Then James hears some disturbing reports- his friends are saying that Jesus has come back- that he pulled it off- the greatest miracle ever- the one Houdini himself couldn’t do.

But are the reports true? I mean if anyone could tell if this guy walking around is really Jesus- James would know.

We don’t read of the account- but all we know is James became a believer- a believer that his brother was indeed the Messiah- the Son of God.

I guess it went something like this- Jesus sitting there with his men- James shows up and sees his brother- the perfect one- not a spot on his record. Maybe Jesus looked up- maybe he said ‘brother- do you now see’ and yeah- he saw.

James would go on to be one of the leaders/Pastors of the church at Jerusalem- we read about him in Acts chapter 15. Most scholars believe this was the same James who penned the short letter we find in the N.T. that bears his name.

One thing James hits on a lot in his letter- is he defends the poor- the downtrodden- and he rips into the rich- the elite of the day. He warns us not to be biased- not to use ‘uneven scales’ when dealing with people.

James hit on social justice issues- he picked them up from his brother.

We need to be concerned about the world- if a raped woman is forced to marry her rapist- then we ought not say ‘she was pardoned’. When we critique one person for past failures- then we must do that to all.

But at the end of the day- Jesus never took the earthly crown- he did not see the solution to be a political one- he brought Simon and Matthew together on the same team- and he showed them what it means to lay your life down for others- to live without the praise of men- the earthly standard of success- he chose another way- and he left that path for us.

http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

[1622] ARE THE JAPANESE DISPROVING FREUD? One of the narratives coming from the Japan disaster is the response of the Japanese people. In contrast to our Katrina tragedy the Japanese are very self reliant. Jack Cafferty [CNN] read an email from some elderly lady who contrasted the 2 responses. She called the Louisiana residents who looted, killed, complained and wined- she said ‘those scumbags’ [ouch!] What are we seeing in the Japanese people? The media are referring to them as Stoic’s- the philosophy [ancient Greek- one of only 2 philosophies mentioned by name in the bible- Acts chapter 17 mentions the Stoic’s and Epicureanism] that said the secret to life is living on an even plane. Don’t get too ‘up’ or too down- just ride the wave of life as moderately as you can. The other side of the coin is Hedonism- the philosophy of men like Freud- who taught that the problem with man is that he is taught to restrain himself [by religion] and that this restraint is itself a product of neurosis. Freud was a strange fellow, the father of modern Psychoanalysis; his ideas were actually quite weird. As a Jew [non practicing] he embraced the higher criticism of his day [a way of interpreting the bible as not being actually true- just good stories] and he sought to come up with an explanation for mans religious bent. So he came up with the idea of the Oedipal Complex- a strange view of man that said the real problems of man are they have this view of love and hate for the father figure- and the ‘real’ story of Moses and the children of Israel was the Jews killed Moses in the wilderness [hatred for the father figure] they then felt guilty about it- and out of this guilt they would eventually develop a ‘religion of the Son’ [Christianity] and Walla- that’s the real story. You would be surprised how many people hear silly stuff like this in life [or college!] and they never give it a second thought. Like Pope Benedict says in ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ [1st book of a trilogy on the life of Christ] he mentions the theories of the critics [men like Bultmann] and he then responds ‘and how do you know this’? Bultmann [one of the famous liberal theologians of the day] would come up with ideas like this- and he would just espouse them. The funny thing about these critics was they were trying to challenge the historical accuracy of the bible- are the gospels true- stuff like that. And in their challenge they would ‘make up’ their own stuff [Oedipal complex] and simply expect everyone to believe it. So Freud taught that we need to free man from this neurosis of religion- this thing in society that says ‘restrain yourself’ and if we teach man to do and be all that he feels like doing- then we will have healed him of this destructive religious belief that developed out of a secret love/hate relationship of father. Wow. I can think of no greater philosophy to not live your life by than that. How did the Freudian experiment turn out? It was/is a disaster- I’m not just saying this as a Christian who rejects Freud’s atheism- but many of his ideas have also been roundly rejected by the psychologists of the modern day. Freud actually taught that when you counsel a person [yes- he was the originator of the idea of the patient lying on the couch while the counselor listens] that the patient is ‘transmitting’ psychic energy from himself to the doctor- and that’s what makes him better. Freud wrote Moses and Monotheism [his fictional account of the origins of Judaism/Christianity] Totem and Taboo- the fictional idea of the primitive religion of man- and Civilization and it’s Discontents, his explanation of the conflict between mans psychic life and the demands of society. The basic view of Freud [Hedonism] is a failed system that does not work in the real world. To live your life based on the philosophy of ‘if it feels good- do it’ does not work in any area of life- for the long term. In food, shopping, family life, marriage, sexual expression- the basic principle of self restraint and discipline [the Japanese response] is in great contrast to the ‘unrestrained’ view of life [as seen in some of the Katrina response- many of the looters and rioters were raised with a welfare mentality- they were dependant on the state/govt. to do things for them. When things went bad- they blamed the govt. for it]. In the end of the day- the society that practices self discipline- that teaches their children to be self reliant- those are the ones who have the most successful lives. Those who practice Hedonism blame stuff on everyone else.

http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

VERSES- New International Version As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. John 8:40 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Heb. 13 KJ21 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel” (which being interpreted is, “God with us”). Matt. 1:23 Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. Heb. 6

Mark 12:1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. Mark 12:2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. Mark 12:3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. Mark 12:4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. Mark 12:5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Mark 12:6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. Mark 12:7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our’s. Mark 12:8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. Mark 12:9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: Mark 12:11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Mark 12:12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. Mark 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. Mark 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Mark 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. Mark 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him. Mark 12:18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Mark 12:19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Mark 12:20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. Mark 12:21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. Mark 12:22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. Mark 12:23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Mark 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. Mark 12:35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? Mark 12:36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, Mark 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. Mark 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Isaiah 5:1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: Isaiah 5:2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. Isaiah 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. Isaiah 5:4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? Isaiah 5:5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: Isaiah 5:6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

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Sunday sermon

Sunday sermon 10-28-18

Sunday sermon 10-21-18

HEBREWS 7-9

https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/5-7-15-hebrews-7-9.zip

[note- some of the posts are too long to post on facebook-so if you just see the video- you can go to the blog and read the post- thanks].

END NOTES OF POST BELOW-

WHAT ARE THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS?

OCTAVIAN- A GOD?

CICERO- MARK ANTONY [or Anthony if you like].

WHO WERE THE ESSENES?

DID THE CHURCH ENGAGE IN A GRAND CONSPIRACY?

NOTE- On the video I said that Herod the Great had 4 sons who ruled areas at the time of Christ- actually there were 3.

Archelaus- Ethnarch of Judea. Antipas- tetrarch of Galilee [I did get this right] and Philip- tetrarch of regions east of the Jordan.

  CHAPTER 7:

NEW NOTES-

MELCHIZEDEK/JESUS NEVER DIES.

NEW PRIEST- NEW LAW.

 ‘For this Melchisedek, king of Salem [Jerusalem], priest of the most high God…to whom Abraham gave a tent part of all…without father or mother [no record in scripture!] having neither beginning of days nor end of life [no record of his death or birth] but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually’ first, Paul is showing the superiority of the New covenant over the Old. These verses are often used to teach tithing to gentile believers, they really teach the opposite! In context they are showing that the New Covenant is greater than the law, therefore the law [represented as Levi being in the loins of Abraham] submitted to Grace [The priesthood of Melchisedek/Jesus] and showing how grace is better than law. Paul’s point is to once again use the Melchisedek figure as a type of Christ. Jesus is called a high priest forever after this order, Paul says in essence ‘this order has priests who have no beginning of days or end of life, the priests in this order have a forever priesthood’. It really is amazing how Paul gets all this from the few verses of scripture that speak of Melchisedek. Many theologians today question even the most obvious truths. Some good ones will say there isn’t enough evidence for certain doctrines. Even though the evidence is 100 times more than what Paul used in his teaching on Melchisedek! I find it interesting how Paul continually sees Jesus thru every story! The man was a true ‘Jesus freak’.

 ‘Now consider how great this man was, unto whom Abraham gave the tenth…they that are of the sons of Levi have a commandment to TAKE TITHES OF THE PEOPLE ACCORDING TO THE LAW’ Lets settle this once and for all. To all my friends who teach tithing is for Christians today, many of them justify it by saying ‘tithing was before the law [true] in the law and after the law’ I have tried to explain this many times before. This verse shows tithing to be part of the law, specifically, not just ‘during it’. Also, the whole point of the argument here is that Grace and the New Covenant are better than the law. The tithe here is mentioned in a way that shows the superiority of the new covenant over the Old. ‘Levi also paid tithes in Abraham, for he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchisedek met him, if THEREFORE perfection were under the Levitical priesthood, what further need was there that a priest should rise after the order of Melchisedek, and not after Aaron? FOR THE PRIESTHOOD BEING CHANGED, THERE IS A NECESSITY FOR A CHANGE OF THE LAW’.

 The ‘therefore’s’ are real important. They show you the main reason for the argument. If Paul can prove that God raised up Jesus from another priesthood, then there must also be ‘another covenant’. For this reason [therefore] you [Jew] should move on from the Old one and into the New! ‘For it is evident that out Lord sprang [root out of dry ground!]out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood…who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life, for he says “thou art a priest FOREVER after the order of Melchisedek”. Again Paul gets all he can from the ‘Melchisedek verse’. Because this single text of scripture says ‘Jesus is a priest forever’ therefore God knew all along that he would raise up a priest with an endless life. Wow, Paul even gets the resurrection from this verse!

 As Paul was learning all these things in a new way after his conversion, it was blowing his mind. He saw all these ‘hidden’ nuggets of wisdom that Israel had all along in hidden form contained in their law. Paul is doing his best to present his case from their own ‘bible’ if you will… ‘For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by which we draw nigh unto God…and they truly were many priests, because they were not permitted to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. WHEREFORE he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him’. Now, we usually read this ‘the guttermost’ but it means something a little different. It means because Jesus has an endless life, he is ‘always’ interceding on our behalf. His very presence continually before the throne is what ‘keeps saving us continually all the time’. It is more along the lines of ‘Jesus never will die; therefore we will continually be saved’.

 Paul compares this to the insufficiency of the priesthood of the law. Those priest’s ‘meant well’ but the poor brothers kept dying! This showed the total inability of those priests to effectively stand in on our behalf, even though they did all they could do. Jesus, on the other hand, will never die. Who would you prefer to have on your prayer team? Someone who will forget to pray for you down the road, who will last so long? Or someone who will pray for you forever? I know this is a crude way to look at it, but for our gentile minds it gets the point across. ‘For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens’ Paul describes the character of Jesus as ‘harmless’ as someone who would never ‘get even’ who is always pure, the perfect intercessor!

 There are times in our lives, as well as all ‘natural priests’ that we are not pure, holy or harmless. During these days our prayers can’t get thru. If people are depending on us for true intercession, we let them down. There is never a day where our ‘chief intercessor’ lets us down. There are days when we feel useless, we have failed. Our own agendas get in the way. Days when we are not ‘harmless’. Thank God that our ‘prayer warrior’ is always on the job on our behalf. This is what  it means when it says ‘he is able to save to the uttermost that come to God by him’. All you have to do on those down days is ‘come’.

 ‘Who needeth not daily to offer for sins… he did this once and for all when he offered up himself’ Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, there will never be another! ‘For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated forevermore’ Paul takes the verse again where it says ‘thou art a priest forever’ and compares it to the law. He says ‘the oath that God swore when he made Jesus a priest forever, came after the giving of the law. Therefore it supersedes the law. The law made priests that were failing, the oath made a priest who would last forever’ it really is amazing how much use Paul gets from this one verse. He in essence is saying ‘because Jesus was made a priest by this later oath, therefore the former making of priests is no longer in operation. You must leave the Levitical priesthood [law] and enter into the new one made by the oath’ [New Covenant] all the arguments that Paul makes in this letter are always pointing to Jesus as the final word from God. A better covenant with better promises. This is the whole context of Hebrews, for the people to come out of the law and into Christ!

NEW NOTES-

MELCHIZEDEK/JESUS NEVER DIES.

NEW PRIEST- NEW LAW.

Ok- we see the Melchizedek figure a bit more here-

The writer is saying ‘look- my Jewish brothers- in Psalms 110- King David- a prophet- spoke about another Priesthood.

This priesthood is not from the tribe that priests from the law come from [Levi].

But the promise/oath made about this priest [Jesus] says ‘you are a priest FOREVER’.

How can this be?

The writer says this must mean that David was talking about some future priest- who would have an endless life-

How else could anyone be a priest FOREVER?

So- David spoke about another priesthood- outside of the law.

And this priest is superior to the ‘law’ priests- because those guys died- but this one lives.

He also says ‘there must then be a change of the law [Old Covenant] too- because if we have a new priest- then there must be a new TESTAMENT/COVENANT as well’.

The whole argument is showing the superiority of what Jesus has done for us- versus the requirements of the Old Law.

The writer says ‘see- Abraham our forefather paid tithes to him- and Abraham had the tribe of Levi ‘still in him’ [Abraham was the father of Isaac- Isaac was the father of Jacob [named Israel] and he was the father of the 12 tribes].

Levi being one of those sons/tribes.

The point being that this example of Abraham paying tithes to Melchisedek- shows that he [and the priestly line that would follow- Jesus] was superior to the old law/priesthood- because Abraham was blessed by him- and truly ‘the lesser is blessed by the greater’.

Once again- this whole argument only makes sense to the 1st century Jew in transition- it has no real relevance to a new- first century- gentile church.

Notice how much the writer is ‘getting’ out of this obscure reference in the book of Psalms-

We really don’t have a whole lot of stuff in the bible about Melchizedek- but what we do have- is enough.

Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchisedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

Hebrews 7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Hebrews 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

Hebrews 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Hebrews 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

Hebrews 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

Hebrews 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

Hebrews 7:9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

Hebrews 7:10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

Hebrews 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

Hebrews 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Hebrews 7:13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

Hebrews 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

Hebrews 7:15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

Hebrews 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Hebrews 7:17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Hebrews 7:18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

Hebrews 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Hebrews 7:20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

Hebrews 7:21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)

Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Hebrews 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:

Hebrews 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Hebrews 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Hebrews 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.

Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Genesis 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

Genesis 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

 THE WELL- John 4 [and Brexit too] John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. TODAY’S VIDEOS- https://youtu.be/qaD4EfJLH_g Media [Brexit] https://youtu.be/n2l2UuWbiVw The Well- John 4 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/6-23-16-the-well.zip https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/amos-5/

MY LINKS- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/the-great-building-of-god/

ON VIDEO .Are people afraid to report possible Muslim suspicious activity? .Look at the boy with the ‘clock’ story. .Big money politics. .Polls? .My big sin confession- yes folks- this might be the bombshell you have been waiting for! [what is it John- can’t you just write it? No- you have to watch] .Was big money behind the Iran Nuke deal? .The Boeing plane contract- to Iran. .Iraq debacle. .Media slams Trump- because he only raised 1 million- and used 50 million of his own money. .Sanders raised most of his money from small donations. .Hillary raised 25 million- from corporations and Wall street [the only corrupt money candidate out of the 3] and one of her main campaign points is ‘we need to get wall street out of politics’- Maybe you should start by getting out too? .And the media praised her for it- huh? .5 fold ministry [apostles- prophets- teachers- etc.] .AA sponsors- watch till the end- this might be the day you have been waiting for? .AA or the Church? [verses below] On THE WELL video [2 more articles below] Jesus has a long dialogue with a woman from Samaria- he speaks to her all alone- and she’s also from a region that the ‘Jews’ don’t associate with. Yet- he breaks the rules- and asks her to draw him water from Jacob’s well. She say’s ‘our father Jacob drank from it- his kids- and his cattle too’! The well was a source- not just for Jacob’s kids- but for him too. Meaning- when God grants us a ‘well’ [a source of communication for the truths of God] we too partake of it- like King David in the bible- he went to the house of God when he was on the run from Saul- and ate of the showbread- and gave it to his men. Paul tells Timothy ‘preach the word- in doing this you will SAVE yourself- and those that hear thee’. And when Jesus broke bread with his men- he too ate. The principle is- ministers- Pastors- 5 fold- You’re not the source- but God is speaking thru you [hopefully] and the things ‘coming out of you’ are for your sustenance too- get it? Now- the woman has been waiting for the Messiah her whole life- she says ‘we know he is coming’ and she says ‘the way we will identify him- is he will TELL US EVERYTHING WE DID’. Hmm? Everything? Ok- as he talks to her- he tells her he has some living water [the Spirit] and if she asks him- she will get the water that never runs dry. So- she asks. Jesus says ‘go get your husband’ . Her answer ‘I don’t have one’ [true] Jesus says ‘your right- you have had 5- the guy you are with now is not your husband- so yeah- that’s true’. Ok- she’s caught- and says ‘I perceive you are a prophet’ Remember- she is waiting for Messiah- and when he comes- he will TELL HER all that she did- she herself already said this. The conversation goes on- and Jesus says ‘ I AM HE’. Now- she clicks- has an epiphany ‘wow- that’s right- you did tell me my past- you did expose my sin- and now I’m able to access the well’. She goes on and tells her town about Jesus- ‘Come see a man that told me everything I did’. Actually- he did not tell her everything she ever did- but he did tell her enough- that she knew he was the one. Sometimes in life- we are seeking the miracles- we want to see God do something- and when the opportunity comes around- we miss out. Why? Because of our pride- on a recent video [link above- Amos 5] I told a story about a friend who was into the prophetic ministry- following ‘on-line’ prophets and all. He had stories of when he ran our of gas- somebody gave him gas- and he ‘turned’ that simple encounter- into an angel must have given him the gas. Fine. He went on to tell other stories just as ‘miraculous’ as the angel and the gas can. Then I told him the story of when I prayed over a dead boy- and God raised him from the dead. And how the Kingsville record ran a front page story ‘child says he saw the Lord’. And the whole city was rocked- the testimony of God went forth- the paper even said ‘Chiarello was in the room praying’. Ok- if your looking for ‘the well-‘ conjuring up stories about gas cans and angels- this is a pretty good one- you don’t even have to go on-line to find it. Yet- my friend said ‘oh- that just a resuscitation’. Sometimes God brings you the signs you have been waiting for your whole life [like the woman at the well] And because of pride- we miss it. Be attentive to the prophetic things happening around you- Paul told Timothy ‘wage a good war by the prophecies that were given over you’. Yes- God still speaks today- the well is for you- and for those who hear you. Just be careful- because Jesus was passing thru Samaria on that special day- and the woman almost missed it.

On the video MEDIA- I talk about the American media coverage of the Brexit [Britain leaving the E.U.] The 30 minute news went like this- 1 Trump on a golf course- with Nazi golf balls [thrown by a protestor] 2 Then the reasons why [the media said] they left- ‘racists- bigots- hatred- right wing Christians who want to enslave the younger generation- anti Muslim ignorance’ [they claimed it was only the older bigots who voted to leave] 3 Then they showed a Trump sign that was vandalized- and it said ‘Trump- make America WHITE again’. 4 Then an interview with a Scottish business man who said ‘trump is a nut- we can’t let him have Nukes’! [world news mind you- gave this guy a worldwide platform] 4 A story about a boy who ‘came out’ as gay- in honor of the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando 5 Then him and his mother saying he risked his life by coming out as gay [huh?] 6 Then they showed a picture of a Christian church- and said because they live in the south- his life is now in danger from Christians who might try to murder him. 7 They never mentioned the fact that it was a radical Muslim who killed the actual victims he was ‘coming out’ for. [note- The image of golf balls with swastikas- the Trump poster that said ‘Trump- make America White again’- then the young gay man- who feared for his life because Christians in the south might murder him- then the image of a southern church- images are powerful- the media knows this- and the average person might think ‘I’m not that dumb to fall for it’- but it’s subliminal- and that’s how all advertising works- even if you don’t think you’re ‘falling for it’] At the end of the 30 minute news- they associated Trump- conservatives- and Christians as a great danger to society- and those who voted for the Brexit were motivated by ignorance and racism.

Then I watched an interview with a Brit- a young Socialist [meaning- he was not a conservative] he said it would be very wrong to view those who voted to leave as racists- bigots- and ignorant. This liberal kid from Britain said there were many young progressives- and workers who voted to leave- who had very honest- non racist reasons. That’s what I said on the video- that the American media did a great disservice by spinning the whole thing as a racist- conservative- Trump- Nazi- anti freedom vote. And it took a young- liberal socialist- from Britain- to say the same thing. WHY SO MAD? An honest look at what happened in Britain would be a discussion that the Western world has been having for the past 10 years. The rise of radical Islam has caused many in the Western world to re-evaluate what it actually means to become a citizen of their countries. In Britain for many years it was just assumed that both Muslim immigrants and ‘home grown’ could live their lives and hold to their religious beliefs- and sort of be on their own. Then you had the rise of many isolated communities of whom a great number of the younger Muslims hold to extreme beliefs- even though they are citizens of Britain. This caused many brits to ask the question ‘should we have been more honest- forceful- in what it means to actually be a Brit’. They failed to ask the big questions- ‘if you want to be a part of us- and you are Muslim- that’s your belief- we get it- but if your actual belief includes the acceptance of executing gay people- and the hope of the establishing of Sharia law and courts- then those ideals will not be tolerated among true Brits’. The same questions we should ask all U.S. citizens- not a religious ‘test’- but an ideological one. Meaning- if you hold to the belief that Hitler was a great man-o k- I disagree with you- but if that belief includes you wanting to implement his anti-Semitic beliefs- and put them into practice [gassing Jews] than that’s more than simply a ‘religious belief’- you have crossed a line that is not acceptable if you want to become an American citizen. That’s an ideal that must be challenged. And Obamas belief that we need to distinguish between the radicals and the more moderate- I understand. But- he seems unable to admit that their is a huge percentage of ‘moderate’ Muslims who still hold to the honest belief that gay people should be executed under a ‘just’ system of Sharia law. That’s a problem- that’s not American. It’s not just a problem because it’s a ‘belief’ but it’s a problem that many who want to be part of a society [Britain- Europe- the U.S.] think it’s ok to have those beliefs- and to advocate and try to implement them- and it’s simply not acceptable- and if you want to be a part of a society- we will not reject you based on your belief about God- but we will make you say an oath- pledge to the new society you are coming to- which includes the acceptance of the values of that country- that’s what immigration means. That’s a ‘test’ of a radical unacceptable view- that’s should not be tolerated. Now- In Britain’s vote to leave the E.U. The European Union started after WW2- about 28 nations formed a union for strength and unity. Later on they had the Euro- about 20 nations joined in a common currency and formed the largest single trading block in the world. Ove the past 10 years Europe has faced many challenges- and the countries [Greece] that are on the verge of bankruptcy- began looking to the more stable ones as a sort of bailout neighbor [Germany being one of the more stable]. The Brits began asking if it was better for them to be under this 28 nation union [EU] and to have over regulation coming out of Brussels [the headquarters for the E.U]many sincere brits- not out of racism- but out of honest questions- decided it was better to leave the E.U. and not be under the ‘federal’ regulations of an outside body. Just like many Americans value their independence- and resent our own federal government having too many regulations. Ok- this was- is- an honest reason for the Brits to do their Brexit. But the media portrayed the vote as a bunch of ignorant- older- anti Muslim racists who bought into the ‘hatred’ of the Muslim world and voted out of ignorance. That’s not what happened- and this narrative is dangerous in my view. Why? I mentioned on the video [MEDIA] that they even talked to the businessman who Trump had dealings with over his golf course in Scotland. They gave this guy a platform to the world- to say Trump is unstable and will possibly hit the ‘Nuke’ button if he became president. But the real story over the past few years is many intelligent analysts have said the present course the Obama administration is on- is actually pushing Russia close to a hot war. Both liberals and conservative thinkers have said this. The threat of NATO- and Obamas willingness to sanction Russia- and to put more troops on the Russian/European border- is bringing the world to the brink of a real ‘Nuke Button’- not some golf course guy spewing off the top of his head about Trump.https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/russia-u-s-world-events/ Even Germany said it a few weeks ago- that NATO is war mongering- pushing Putin to the brink. A serious analysis should ask these questions- A real ‘news story’ should ask if It’s acceptable that about 50 percent of the Muslim world [not just radicals] think sharia law should be instituted- and if so- the execution of gays is a good thing. Now- that percentage is too high. You might have less than 1 percent of fundamentalist Christians who hold to an extreme view [maybe less] but the great majority of Christians absolutely reject the idea that gay people should actually be executed- because they are gay. Yet- a majority of Muslims world wide- believe this is ok. No- it’s not- and for Obama- or the media- to act like the problem is with the Christian- or the ‘ignorant- anti immigrant/Muslim bigots of Britain’ who voted to leave the E.U.- When they give you this narrative- they are doing a disservice. Britain left the EU- that was their democratic choice. Many brits have real problems with the Muslim communities in their country who still hold to these wrong views. These Brits should not be portrayed as ignorant right wing bigots- because the views they are rejecting by many Muslims in their country- are the radical- bigoted views- that all religions should reject. The threat of a real nuclear war has to do with decisions we are making right now- and our refusal to re-evaluate NATO [which Trump also got criticized for saying we need to do]. But the media preferred the analysis of some guy who did a business deal for a golf course in Scotland- and gave him world airtime to say how ‘Trump might hit the Nuke Button’- when in reality ‘the button’ might actually be hit- but it has nothing to do with Trump. VERSES- [news links below] John 4:1 When therefore the LORD knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, John 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) John 4:3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. John 4:4 And he must needs go through Samaria. John 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. John 4:6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. John 4:8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. John 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. John 4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: John 4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. John 4:19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. John 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. John 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. John 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. John 4:27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? John 4:30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. John 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. John 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. John 4:33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. John 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. John 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. John 4:40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. John 4:41 And many more believed because of his own word; John 4:42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. John 4:43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. John 4:44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. John 4:45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. John 4:46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. John 4:47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. John 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. John 4:49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. John 4:50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. John 4:51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. John 4:52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. John 4:53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. John 4:54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee. 1Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. NEWS LINKS- http://www.kristv.com/story/32298748/eu-leaders-say-britain-will-stay-member-for-now http://www.kristv.com/story/32304103/britains-departure-from-eu-impacts-americans http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/19/us/oakland-police-scandals/index.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3658258/White-House-crisis-talks-Britain-DEFIES-Obama-quit-European-Union-plunge-world-markets-shock.html http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/683224/END-OF-THE-EU-Germany-France-Austria-Hungary-Finland-Netherlands-Europe-Brexit

http://www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com facebook.com/john.chiarello.5 https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg

https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. I deal with issues at times that it would be beneficial for some of you to download and save the file from the Word Press link. This creates a permanent record. The on-line videos are only good if sites are not hacked- which has happened in the past. Thanks- John.#

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Sunday sermon

Sunday sermon

Sunday sermon 9-30-18

[1770] TREASURY OF MERIT

 Let’s pick up where we left off 2 posts back. We were talking about Martin Luther and the events that led up to the Protestant Reformation.

 In order to understand the key act that caused the protest- we will have to teach some Catholic history/doctrine.

 In the 16th century Pope Julius began the effort to build St. Peters basilica in Rome. He got as far as laying the foundation and died. Pope Leo the 10th would pick up after him.

 The church needed to raise money for the project- and the German prince- Albert- would play a major role.

 It should be noted that both Catholic and Protestant scholars agree that the Popes of the day were pretty corrupt. They came from what we call the Medici line of Popes.

 If you remember last month I wrote a post on the Renaissance- I talked about the Medici family and how they played a major role in supporting the Renaissance that took place in the 13th century in Florence Italy that would spread to the region.

 Well this very influential family also played a big role in who would get top positions in the church.

 At the time of Luther and prince Albert- if you had the right connections and the money- you could literally buy a position in the church.

 Albert already held 2 Bishop seats- and there was an opening for an Archbishops seat in Mainz [Germany] and he wanted that one too.

 It should be noted that official Canon law [church law] said you could only hold one seat at a time- Albert was bidding on his 3rd one! And he was too young for all of them.

 So even the Pope and the officials held little respect for what the church actually taught at the time.

 So Albert opens up negotiations with Leo- and the bidding starts AT 12,000 Duckets [money] Albert counters with 7,000- and they agree on 10,000. How did they justify the numbers? 12- The number of Apostles. 7- The 7 deadly sins. 10- The 10 commandments.

 Yes- the church was pretty corrupt at the time.

 So Albert works out a plan with Leo- he will borrow the money from the German banks- and pay the banks off by the Pope giving Albert the right to sell Indulgences.

 What’s an Indulgence?

 Okay- this is where it gets tricky.

 The ancient church taught a system called The Treasury of Merit. This was a sort of spiritual bank account that ‘stored up’ the good deeds of others over the years.

 You had the good deeds of Jesus at the top- but you also had Mary and Joseph- the 12 Apostles- and other various saints thru out time.

 The way the ‘bank’ worked was you could tap into the account by getting a Papal indulgence- a sort of I.O.U. that had the Popes guarantee that it would get so much time out of Purgatory for a loved one.

 The actual sacrament that accesses the account is called Penance [confession].

 When a penitent does penance- he confesses his sin to the priest- and he is absolved by the authority of the church that the priest has. The priest usually tells the person ‘say so many Hail Mary’s- Our Father’s’ and that’s a form of penance.

 One of the other things the church practiced was called Alms Deeds. This term is found in the bible and it means giving your money to the poor- it is a noble act that Jesus himself taught.

 In theory- part of the sacrament of penance was tied into Alms Deeds- you can access the account thru the practice of giving to the poor- which also meant giving to the church that helps the poor- and in the hands of the Medici line of Popes- meant outright giving money to the Pope.

 So now you see how the abuse worked its way into the pockets of the faithful.

 Albert now had the permission from Leo to sell these indulgences in Germany- and he would pick a certain corrupt priest to sell them in a place called Saxony- the region where Luther operated out of.

 It should be noted that the Catholic Church never taught the crass act of ‘buying your way out of Purgatory’. The practice of including giving money as a part of the sacrament of penance was tied into the biblical principle of giving to the poor- a good thing.

 But Tetzel and others abused the official meaning of the indulgence- and did make it sound like you could by your way out of Purgatory [in theory- a loved one might be in Purgatory for so many years- and through the indulgence you are actually getting time off for them- because the good deeds of others are now applied to the account].

 The money Albert would raise- half would go to Rome for the building of St. peters- and half would go to pay off the banks in Germany- it was a sad system- and a sad time for the church as a whole.

 It would be wrong to judge the entire church at the time as being corrupt- you did have many sincere Priests and Catholic men and women who saw the abuses and did not take part in them.

 But there was corruption at the top- and this would eventually lead to the breakup of the church- and the launching of what we now call the Protestant Movement.

 As a side note- it should be said that many Catholics and Protestants are not aware of the whole treasury of merit system- and the church never officially changed her position on the doctrine.

 There were 3 Church councils since the time [Trent- 1500’s, Vatican 1- 1800’s and Vatican 2- 1962-65]. The Treasury of Merit never came up for change.

 Obviously Protestants don’t believe in Purgatory- and it’s not my purpose in these posts to change Catholics into Protestants or vice versa- but to give all sides a clear view of the issues that divided us- and to try and be honest- and respectful during the process.

 Does the bible teach anything like a Treasury of Merit? Well actually it does. The bible teaches that the righteousness of Christ is the treasury that people can access- by faith- and become righteous in the sight if God.

 The idea- applied to Christ- is good.

 But in the hands of the Medici Popes- and the ambitious prince of Germany- it would lead to disaster.

     www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John

          [1768] LUTHER- THE TOWER EXPERIENCE

  Let’s start with some church history. In the last post I covered the early years of Martin Luther- probably the most significant figure of the Protestant Reformation.

 Luther studied for the priesthood in Erfurt, Germany. He would eventually wind up in Wittenberg- one of the major university cities of the Reformation. Wittenberg was actually a small insignificant town- but the political leader over the region- Frederick the Wise- sought to put it on the map.

 He wanted to turn Wittenberg into a German ‘Rome’. He wanted it to become a major Pilgrimage city where Christians would see Wittenberg as a destination- just like they saw Rome.

 So Frederick embarked on this plan and he searched thru all the Catholic learning centers of the time and finally recruited 3 top scholars to teach out of the university at Wittenberg- Luther was one of the 3.

 Just as a side note- Frederick would succeed at making Wittenberg a major catholic center. He would eventually obtain over 19,000 Relics for the Cathedral church there [Relics were used in the ancient system of buying indulgences and making special pilgrimage trips to important Churches. If the church/city that your making the Pilgrimage to has a lot of Relics- bones or other famous material objects from church history- then the value of the Pilgrimage was high. In theory Frederick collected so many that if you added up all the ‘time off’ from Purgatory- you would get 1 million, 900 thousand years off! Some of the famous relics at Wittenberg were a hair from the beard of Jesus- straw from the manger Jesus was born in- and even a branch from the famous burning bush of Moses! As you can see- there was a lot of commercializing going on- even back then].

 When Luther arrived in Wittenberg- he made a name for himself as a top scholar. Many protestants- who revere Luther- usually are not aware that he was a master Linguist [sort of like Rick Perry!]

 Yes Luther mastered language- and he showed it in his teaching on the book of Psalms.

 In 1515 he began his famous study on the book of Romans and as he went thru the very first chapter- something shook him. He came across the passage that says the Just shall live by faith. This verse first appears in the O.T. book of Habakkuk- and is quoted 3 more times in the N.T.

 Luther was very aware of the concept of the righteousness of God- he struggled for many years trying to reconcile his own sinful nature with Gods holiness- but he never really ‘saw’ the biblical concept of righteousness as a free gift that God ‘imputes’ to the sinner.

 Yes- for the 1st time in Luther’s life- after his years training for the priesthood- the pilgrimage he made to Rome- the thousands of hours he spent confessing his sins while a monk in Erfurt- he never really understood that the righteousness of God was a free gift given to those who have faith.

 It was a giant weight lifted from his shoulders- Luther did not need to try any more to live up to the standards of God- in  a way that would earn for him forgiveness- but he would simply believe- and the righteousness of God would be counted to him as a gift.

 Luther would go on to call this an Alien Righteousness- that is it is not found within the person who tries to do all the church works he can- or buying all the indulgences- or any other of the many religious actions he was practicing- but this free gift of being right with God- it came to those who had faith- the Just shall live by Faith- this was indeed good news for the scholar.

 As time went on- Germany would get embroiled in the political machinations of the day- Luther’s top political cover was Frederick the Wise- hardly a Protestant Reformer! He spent lots of time trying to make Wittenberg the major Catholic center in Germany.

 But at the time there was a political fight raging between Rome and some of the other nation/states. There was a figure head office called the Holy Roman Emperor. This office was really in name only- but it rose up during the first Millennium of Christian history and sought to replace the influence that Rome was losing.

 So you had France, Spain and England all vying for the title. Eventually it would go to King Charles of Spain- but the Pope- who played a major role in nominating the person- he did not want any of these top 3 to get the position. Henry the Eighth was the king of England at the time- and these ‘3 kings’ were sort of in competition with Rome- so the Pope tried to get Fredrick the Wise to throw his hat into the ring.

 Frederick just happened to be one of the Electors of this position.

 His actual title was The Elector of Saxony.

 So Fredrick had lots of influence- and as Rome would eventually but heads with the stubborn bull of Wittenberg [Luther] Frederick would become the major protector of Luther.

 Okay- I think we’ll stop here for today. The experience that Luther had- the enlightenment that came to him while teaching the book of Romans- this is often called The Tower experience of Luther- it took place in the year 1515.

    [parts]

Being I already mentioned Italy- let me finish with some history/philosophy that might be relevant.

 In the last post I mentioned saint Thomas Aquinas- and after Augustine [and Anselm- 11th century] he is the next main character I wanted to cover [in our ongoing philosophy study].

 Aquinas is referred to as the Doctor Angelicas [angelic doctor] by the catholic church. Aquinas lived during the time of a cultural/philosophical reawakening that was beginning to take place in the Western world- the Renaissance.

 Renaissance means ‘re-birth’. It was a rebirth of the ancient Poets and philosophers of days gone by. Men like Cicero and Aristotle were once again brought to the fore front of many thinkers and lovers of culture.

 The catch phrase for the Renaissance was Ad Fontes- which meant ‘back to the sources’ [source- Fountain- Fontes]. In the 14th century a famous and influential Catholic family- the Medici’s- were a catalyst for mixing this cultural movement in with the church.

 The Renaissance sort of challenged the historic view of education- up until this time most learning was done thru the prism of the church. In the universities of the day Theology [study of God] was called the Queen of the sciences- and philosophy was referred to as her Handmaiden.

 Well the Renaissance thinkers said they wanted to study things for what they are- they did not want to see everything thru the lens of the church.

 Eventually the theme of the movement [back to the original sources] would play a major role in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Men like Erasmus [the famous 16th century Catholic Humanist] would re discover the original Greek New testament- and it was thru the study of the Greek text that many of the Reformers made their case to get ‘back to the bible’ and eventually break from Rome.

 This was also the beginning period of modern capitalism. Recently when Libya had her ‘civil war’ and the new leaders started talking about a new constitution- one of the interesting things that came up was they wanted to do away with interest on loans.

 Why? Well Muslims teach that interest itself is a bad thing. ‘Gee- wonder where they get that idea from John’ Oh- from a little book- called the bible.

 Yes- to the surprise of some- this is very much taught in the Old Testament. Now- it was God’s law governing the nation of Israel- but they were forbidden to charge interest.

 ‘So John- is it wrong for us today to make interest’? Not really- Jesus used interest [usury] as an example in some of his parables- and overall- we as believers are not under the Old Testament laws that govern natural Israel.

 But- for many centuries- the world did not see interest on money as a legitimate way to earn a living. So during the Renaissance you also had the rise of exploration- and explorers like Columbus would go on their voyages with the financial backing of investors.

 The normal rate for these voyages was a 75/25% cut. When the explorer returned- the investor [Spain- or whoever] got 75% of the goods- and the explorer kept 25.

 So there were a lot of changes taking place in the world at the time- and the rise of modern capitalism was one of them- money of course existed way before this time- but as a commodity- this was a new way of viewing the world.

 Okay- just thought I would throw in a little history along with the current events of the day. As we see the current turmoil in the Italian markets [the original renaissance started in Florence- Italy] maybe seeing money/interest as a commodity- and ‘usury’ as a major way to increase ones wealth- well  maybe that’s not such a smart way to do things after all.

 When Jon Corzine's global investment firm went bust the other day- it was a direct result of taking a gamble on the ‘gullibility’ of the common man.

 What his firm did was they took a huge risk by investing in European bonds- bonds from Greece that everyone knew was a terrible 'bet’. Then why did he do it?

 The risk was so high- that the interest [usury] on the bonds was also high- you would make lots of money- if you got your money back.

 But how would you get the money back- if the company [or nation- or bank] is in such bad shape that they might go bust? Your basically betting that the other nations around them [and the 1% crowd] would never let this happen [too big to fail] and when the nation [or company] gets ‘bailed out’ well then you get the money back- at a huge gain- all at the expense of the ‘99’ %.

 ‘Gee John- that doesn’t seem right to me’. That doesn’t seem right to me either- and to the legitimate ‘occupy Wall st. guys’ that’s not right to them as well.

 Basically Corzine did the exact same thing that the big banks did during our 2008 bail out crisis- the banks can’t do that anymore- we did pass regulations that forbid this. But private investment firms can- they take a risk if they do- but that’s their choice.

 Corzine took the risk- and lost [besides the fact the there is also about 600 million dollars ‘missing’ from private investors money!].

 Okay- that’s it for now. We will keep an eye on Italy for the next few days [Germany is already talking about bailing out of the Euro Zone] and if things keep going downhill like this- well we might all be better off if we moved our money into less interest bearing accounts- safe places to ‘park’ your money- and after the dust settles- then maybe get back into the market.

 But right now- I would trust getting a bigger return from a Columbus voyage than the market- yes- maybe ‘usury’ is not all that’s it’s cracked up to be- maybe the Libyans are right [and the Old Testament]. Yeah- maybe they know something we don’t.

[parts]

Okay- being I already wasted all this space- let me hit a few short things. I just finished the book of Proverbs again [reading it slowly over a few weeks] and there were a lot of points I wanted to hit- maybe the next week or 2 I’ll get to some. I just started a new book on Philosophy- I picked it up a few months ago at half price books and never looked at it until last night- I like it a lot. I know the subject is controversial- many Christians shy away from it- but if you study history [like I do a lot] you will see the strong connection between philosophy and theology [study of God]. In the ancient universities [Paris- etc.] these were referred to as the main subjects- Theology was the Queen of learning and philosophy was her handmaid.

 So let me just give a short quote- Socrates said ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’. Philosophy- as a system- started around 6oo years before Christ in Greek society. The popular guys we hear about- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle- they lived around 3-350 years before Christ. Christian teachers have taken different stances for and against philosophy. The church father Tertullian said ‘what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem’ meaning philosophy and Christian teaching don’t go together. Yet the great Swiss reformer- Ulrich Zwingli [16th century] was a well schooled theologian- learned in many of the subjects of his day- like the great Catholic scholar Erasmus. These guys were a little more refined [though Zwingli was actually a warrior- killed for the cause] and they saw the Greek philosophers as precursors to Christ- Zwingli believed he would see the great Greek philosophers in heaven some day. So as you see the church has taken different stances on the subject. It’s hard to say that philosophy had no role on Christian thought- many Christians don’t realize that the apostle John almost quoted verbatim from Greek philosophy when he used the phrase ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God’ [John’s gospel- chapter 1]. In Greek philosophy there was what was considered this ultimate unified principle- that would bring all learning together as one giant truth- this was called Logos- the Word. Greek philosophy had been looking for the Word [Logos] for years- trying to find the one key truth that would tie all other truth together- John was simply saying to Greek society ‘Look- we have found the Truth- the Divine principle that you have been looking for’. So for John to quote this in his gospel was not plagiarism [as some atheists contend] but wisdom- he was speaking to the people in ways that would connect with them. Yes- because scripture is Divine- Inspired- we believe Jesus is very much The Word- the one who proceeds from God- but we also realize that in a sense John borrowed this form of words from the Greek philosophers- nothing wrong with it.  

 Okay- that’s it for today- I hope you guys always pick something up that sticks with you- you know a little nugget of wisdom that in 30 years from now if I see some of you at an old school reunion you can walk up to me and say ‘John- Jesus is the Word of God’ something that I will be proud about. O wait- just had a thought- if someone walks up and says ‘John- I hear you like Hanson’ I will respond ‘Who’s John?’

    VERSES [These are the verses I either quoted or taught from on today’s post]

November 4, 2018

 « November 3  |  November 5 »

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 152

Reading 1

DT 6:2-6

Moses spoke to the people, saying: "Fear the LORD, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life. Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them, that you may grow and prosper the more, in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers, to give you a land flowing with milk and honey. "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!  Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.  Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."

Responsorial Psalm

PS 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength. I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. R. I love you, Lord, my strength. My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold! Praised be the LORD, I exclaim, and I am safe from my enemies. R. I love you, Lord, my strength. The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock! Extolled be God my savior. You who gave great victories to your king and showed kindness to your anointed. R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Reading 2

HEB 7:23-28

Brothers and sisters: The levitical priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him,  since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.  For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.

Alleluia

JN 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia. Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my father will love him and we will come to him. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 12:28B-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?"  Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,  with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."  The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, 'He is One and there is no other than he.' And 'to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself' is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Psalm 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Psalm 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

Psalm 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

Psalm 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Psalm 110:5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

Psalm 110:6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

Psalm 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

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[myvmk]

Halloween Month

Updated October 31st, 2017

When the crypt doors creek and the little bats fly. The witches are brewing and the spiders pass you by. A chill on the neck and ghosts all around. The air stands still and there is no sound. Grim Grinning GHOSTs come out to trick or treat. It's Halloween month on MyVMK! We have lots of creepy things to come your way. So relax and sit back, there's not a moment to delay. Keep checking the newsletter to hear what we have to say! Please note that all releases will happen Saturday at 12am EST. This will be the schedule until further notice.

MyVMK is now playable on for our Mac users! A work around for Mac users has been made into a downloadable client. We have also made MyVMK Pal the official downloadable client of MyVMK. This is not the new client for MyVMK but is a temporary addition. Find out how to download the Mac client by clicking here!

This week in the Golden Horseshoe Mercantile we have some amazing happy haunting treats in store for you! This week we have Halloween Ghost Bag, Halloween Witch Bag, Halloween Cat Bag, Gravity Falls - Candy Bowl Skull, Black Flame Candle, Black Fence, Winifred Top, Winifred Skirt, Sarah Top, Sarah Skirt, Mary Top, and Mary Skirt! Available all month!

Available all month in the Golden Horseshoe Mercantile some things that have been dying to return!

  Come try your luck for this week's Host prize, a Hocus Pocus Gate and the Consolation prize, a Broomstick Chair. Stay in line after the event for a special queue prize, a Evil Candy Chair Red.

  Join the MyVMK Staff for an impromptu game of Hide and Seek! Today the staff will be hosting two Hide and Seek games and hiding in public rooms only. Games will be announced as an in-game announcement and on our Twitter (@MyVMK) 15 minutes before the game begins. To win, you must walk up to a staff member that is hidden and say the following statement exactly: "Trick or treat (StaffMemberName)!". Make sure to use the correct prefix (BOO_/GHOST_/EEK_). If you win, you will have the chance to choose one of the three exclusive pins seen above. You are allowed to win only two times per hide and seek event. The staff will not hide in rooms where players are already sitting. Do not "camp out"! This will ensure everyone has a fair chance at finding the staff members. Good luck out there, seekers!

The Evil Queen has cooked up her best batch of apples yet. Creep on over to Trick-or-Trades for a chance to get some of the sweetest treats that she has to offer in our Halloween Candy Shop! We do not accept Free, NPC, or 1 Credit Pins!

Pull this month's exclusive pins from the Sword in the Stone! For a chance to win, ride the rides in the Fantasyland Courtyard and you will have a chance at getting a Sword in the Stone pin! You can use this pin to have a chance at pulling the sword from the stone, and if you succeed, you will win one of these pins as a prize or some credits!

Avast there mateys! Sail on over to the Pirates Treasure room for a chance to plunder some great loot! Collect them all or ye will be sent to Davey Jones Locker! Available all month!

The votes are in and we are really proud to anounce our 2017 Haunted House Compeition Winners!!

Best Overall Winner! Thorn

As dusk approaches, Master Gracy has invited all 999 Happy Haunts to materialize for your arrival! We'd like to open our doors to all of you as we welcome you to your own, personal Swinging Wake.

Best Overall Runner-Up! harleyquinn

Welcome to Red Queen's castle, where she keeps the remains of her victims once they lose their heads. Don't upset the queen or you'll end up here like the rest of them!

McLovin

Once the sun sets down the kids all run to the streets in hope of getting buckets full of candy. Will they get treats or tricked?

Bernardo_S_Rocks

Dare to enter? A cool shudder trickles down your spine. The grounds have been inhabited by the spirits of the deceased. Would you make it out alive or become one of them?

Angelo

Many people choose to not set foot upon 29 Neibolt Street. It may look abandoned, but Pennywise the Clown is watching you from inside. Missing children float within the sewers of the house. Turn away now, or you'll float too.

Dean

Ghostly Lane only appears for 1 night each year in this small town. No one knows how it gets there or who lives in these spooky estates. Do you dare knock on 1 of these doors for a treat?? Don't get tricked!

Best Theme Winner! Joela

In this town lies a mansion no human has ever seen. The ghosts that haunt it scare the trick-or-treaters away, in hope that they will be able to stay. "Everybody make a scene!" they chant. "This is our town of halloween!"

Best Theme Runner-Up! Ern

Spooky.

Confidential

Cut off from the outside world, you wander along a path that leads you to a seemingly abandoned mansion. Along side this giant is an old cemetary. You see a fresh grave... WAIT! Is that your name carved into it?!

scrubu

It was all fun and games until your ball rolled into the yard of the mansion across the street. Your parents had warned you about this place. You and your friends venture in but what could lurk beyond the steel gates?

Angie

Mansion of Lost and Found: Dare enter the mansion if you choose to seek ghosts and other creatures that creep. If you do, best be aware that you are in for a scare. Entering would put your life at risk, but it's nothing next Halloween can't fix.

Fotogirl

Climb up on the hay wagon and get ready for a heart pounding ride thru the spookiest property in MyVMK. Your journey will take you through the old cemetary and past the scary entrance to the most haunted house around these parts.

Most Creative Winner! MagicAvinash

You unfortunate soul! You have entered the ruins of what used to be the manor of a very powerful wizard. What remains is a magic orb that wields infinite power. All who have tried to capture it have been unsuccessful. Do you have what it takes?

Most Creative Runner-Up! Ken

Step into the Creature's haunted lagoon lair and feel the power of radiation take hold. Be careful where you step... you wouldn't want to end up as the Creature's lunch!

Cowboy_Pirate

N/A

kcoop

Welcome to Grimsly Manor. You are just in time for our Spooktacular Ball. All of our ghosts have been dying to meet you. Costumes are required.

GypsyRose

Hansel and Gretel trek across the haunted forest in search of the infamous candy cottage. As they finally approach they realize all is not what it appears to be. Evil lurks behind these sweet walls. They proceed with caution! >:)

Lily

Welcome to the Vampire Manor. You are one of our guests of honor. Or should I say meal of honor. The hedge maze is the only way of escape... But no one has ever seem to make it through. Some are still trying while others died inside those walls...

These are the Prizes for the 2017 Haunted House Competition

Winner Prize: Haunted House Comp Winner Pin Two Magic - Dancing Inferno Soulless Mickey Witch Hat Purple Room Pin - Halloween Refreshment Corner

Runner-Up Prize: Haunted House Comp Runner-Up Pin One Magic - Dancing Inferno Soulless Mickey Witch Hat Orange Room Pin - Halloween Refreshment Corner

Participation Prize: Haunted House Comp Participation Pin Mickey Witch Hat Green Room Pin - Halloween Refreshment Corner

Go and check out the Design a Pumpkin Contest 2017 on our official forums and enter for a chance to win an awesome forums exclusive medal and an forums exclusive in-game prize! You can find out more be clicking here! Good luck everyone!

  Create a Great Guest Room! Get Recognized!

Player created Guest or Game Rooms demonstrate originality in concept and design. Our judges are looking for creativity, so try using traditional items in different and unique ways. Rooms are judged randomly by MyVMK Staff every month and selected from player rooms.

October Best Guest Room

Join Enchanted in “Fantasyland Hangout With Rides”! Where ppl can talk 2 friends or take a ride on 1 of the 3 rides in Fantasyland. Mad Hatter Tea Cup Ride / If you want More of a ride try The Pan Ride/ Or try the Alice Ride, But Watchout for the Sneaky Rabbit Pink Hugs VMK<3<3<3 Congratulations!</p>

The Best Guest Room Winner receives: - 10,000 credits - A Castle Suite Guest Room Pin - plus furniture! - Best Guest Room Award Pin - Plus! A party in Club 33!

    Create a Great Game Room! Get Recognized!

Create a game room and play with friends and others, and a MyVMK staff member may notice your idea! Game rooms that get the nod offer a new game idea or a new twist on an old favorite. In all rooms we look for room owners who welcome everyone with a smile and show a willingness to answer questions about their room.

October Best Game Room

Check out “Shadows in the Mansion” by Ebenezer. The La Bouff mansion is under attack from the evil spirits of the shadow man! When I say Go two players will spin the gens in the middle. The number spun will activate traps for the spirits. Left player needs a 1, 2 & 3 to win, Right player needs 4, 5 & 6! Congratulations!

The Best Game Room Winner receives: - 10,000 credits - A Castle Suite Guest Room Pin - plus furniture! - Best Game Room Award Pin - Plus! A party in Club 33!

This could be you! Find out the details on entering for Best Guest Room and Best Game Room by clicking here!

Ever wanted to know more about your favorite staff member? Now you can! Every month we will be interviewing a different member of the MyVMK Staff. Here is the most recent interview!

She's not a glitch.. She just has pixlexia okay? Start your engines for this month's Staff member of the Month VMK_Schweetz!

What is your favorite thing to do around the Kingdom?

My favorite thing to do is walk down the middle of Main Street both during the holidays to see the beautiful decorations and just normally. It makes me feel like I am actually there!

What is the best item for building your rooms?

This is tricky. Am I allowed to say glitched pixels? I use those a lot. I keep like, one-hundred of them in my inventory at all times so I don't run out, and I do run out of them rather quickly.

What has been your favorite game to host thus far?

Oh gosh. I think my favorite would have to be Dreams Month. It was so much fun when all the HOSTs and Moderators went around spreading joy to the MyVMK Community while somehow in the process bringing us all together.

What is your favorite mini-game in MyVMK?

Haunted Mansion. Who doesn't like catching some ghosts while pretending to be a ghost buster?

What is your favorite type of Guest Room?

The Beauty and the Beast Ballroom! It's so pretty and the music that plays when you enter it is just so perfect! <3</p>

Favorite MyVMK memory?

The first time I met Amy! It was during dreams month. She literally trolled me in front of some people in the Esplanade. It was absolutely hilarious and I will never forget it. I still laugh at it now!

What is your favorite Public Room in the Kingdom?

This is a tough question because I have so many. Sci-Fi Dine-In, Castle Forecourt, Fantasyland In The Sky; it's just so hard to choose!

What is your favorite theme on VMK?

Anything Christmas related. I just love Christmas so much. It's the time of the year that brings family and friends together and I think that's a magical thing.

What is your favorite Disney park?

The Magic Kingdom! It's so magical just walking around the park and seeing all of Walt Disney's creations.

Who is your favorite Disney Character?

I have like, three. That would be Lucky from 101 Dalmatians, Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, and Vanellope Von Schweetz for obvious reasons! Lucky was my first ever favorite Disney character and will always have a special place in my heart.

Is there any advice you would give to players?

Be respectful to others and treat people the way you would want to be treated. You never know what could be happening in another person's life behind that screen.

[bts-love-sweat-tears]

The “no hallyu” about me tag

No one tagged me, but it looked fun and thought it would be nice to introduce myself a little better! I hope you enjoy reading it :) 

10 groups/artists you like besides Kpop/liked before Kpop?

1. Backstreet Boys (forever & always, even if I’m “dating” myself) 2. El Cuarteto de Nos 3. Campodónico 4. Marian Hill 5. BON.IVER. 6. Kiiara 7. Cœur de Pirate-everything she’s ever done. 8. The Weepies <3 <3 <3 (one my mom and I listen to together) 9. The xx (they were in my city recently but I had my night class ☹ ) 10. Older Jack Johnson- Constellations is so nostalgic for me.

10 favorite non-kpop songs?

1. “Pa’ Bailar- Siempre quiero mas”-Bajofondo & Julieta Venegas 2. “Gotta Have you”-The Weepies 3. “Lo Malo de Ser Bueno”- El Cuarteto de Nos 4. “Technicolor Beat”-Oh Wonder 5. “Printemps”- Cœur de Pirate 6. “Danse et Danse”- Cœur de Pirate 7. “1987”- Campodónico 8.“Kill vs. Maim”-Grimes 9. “Shelter”-the XX 10. “Better Togther”- Jack Johnson (makes me think of road trips in Hawaii with the fam)

And way too many others. I have an #aRMyMusic based Twitter account! Find me @armymusic13 if you want more <3

10 favorite movies?

1. Princess Mononoke (also: the best Halloween costume I ever did) 2. Spirited Away (wasn’t Haku everyone’s first crush?) 3. Laputa/Castle in the Sky 4. Howl’s Moving Castle (really anything Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli) 5. 10 Things I hate about you (<3 Heath <3) 6. any superhero movie!! (JK, where you at?) 7. Pirates of the Caribbean (just the first two, they should have stopped while they were ahead) 8. Beauty and the Beast (the 90s one, haven’t seen the new one yet) Lion King (the first movie I ever saw in theaters) 9. Sidewalls (an Argentine movie about two neighbors who would perfect together but their paths don’t cross…or do they?) 10. And because I’m bad at following directions, any Wes Anderson movie (I once wrote a paper on The Darjeeling Limited). 11. And because I’m really, really, bad at following directions, old movies like Charade (feat. Audrey Hepburn & Cary Grant), Rebel Without a Cause, and any Alfred Hitchcock.

10 favorite TV shows, including animes and cartoons (I almost never watch TV, bc I don’t have the attention span for it. )

1. Avatar the Last Airbender- I’ve watched every season multiple times, and remember watching them with my friends on Friday nights in HS. What can I say-we were super cool ☺ . See also: ZUKO.)

2. Pushing Daisies- somehow super dark and super cute at the same time? I’m rewatching it with my friend now, and it was such a tragedy that it was killed off by the 2007 (?) writers’ strike. It has a really retro feel, not to mention all the awkward puns and sexual tension.

3. Inuyasha-I somehow watched all like 250 episodes of it.

4. The OC- I watched the first season with my best friend in HS. Aside from these top 3, this is where I begin to struggle (lol). I got too involved in their lives/plots and started to get stressed out though. 

5. Star-Crossed. A really short lived CW show.

6.You’re Beautiful (pushing the boundaries here bc it’s a kdrama). It was the first one I ever watched, and I’m still waiting to find one I like as much.

7. Heartstrings (see above. The main actors were in both series together)- I guess I’m a Park Shin Hye and Jung Yong Hwa fangirl?

8. The Scholar Who Walks at Night (currently watching)

9.Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (currently watching)

10. Ingobernable (currently watching)

10 favorite manga/comics-this is a slippery slope. I had a short lived shoujo manga blog. I haven’t been reading manga as much, so most of these are older, but still near and dear to my heart.

1. Kanata Kara/From Far Away-Seriously, go do yourself a favor and read this series, even if you don’t read manga. Honestly, everything by Kyoko Hikawa is great. 

2. By the same author-Miriam. The American Old West in a shoujo manga? Weird but cute.

3.Fruits Basket-One word: KYO. First series I ever read all the way through. I own physical copies of all the volumes. I remember picking them up from Barnes and Noble the first day they were released in English, and plowing through them in half an hour. 

4.Kamisama Hajimemashita- clearly I have a fantasy/supernatural bent, lol.

5. Saga-future/sci-fi. Not as teen-friendly as the other series on this list  🙈.  I’ve been reading through these more recently with my friends.

6. Alex + Ada- A newer take on the robot-girlfriend/android theme. It’s more interesting than most though because it deals with questions of the self, free will, and societal discrimination.  

7. Akatsuki no Yona- again with the fantasy! this one was amazing, and i still check for updates periodically. Haven’t watched the anime though.

8. Love So Life- I have no idea if this one is still ongoing (Google tells me it’s finished, so I have to catch up), but it was a cute, slice of life family drama/comedy about an orphaned babysitter, and an uncle who has taken in his relatives’ kids. Unsurprisingly, romance ensues.

9. Beast Master- a super short series about a girl who is able to control a boy raised by wolves (lol). If you have seen the Korean movie A Werewolf Boy it has a very similar vibe. 

10. Horimiya- a cool inversion of gender tropes in shoujo. The characters felt like real people to me-the scary guy ends up being a huge squish (cough, Yoongi, cough), with the girlfriend being the one that is tough and outgoing.

These are just the ones that I remembered in particular/came to me, but I’m sure there are many more that I loved!

10 things you enjoyed before kpop/enjoy besides kpop, that won’t fit in the list above. 1. Reading- I’m currently in the process of starting a coffee/book blog in my city!

2. Coffee-see above!

3. Hanging out with friends! I’m just as happy going out and staying in with dinner and a movie.

4.Dancing-I’m not good, but I have fun with it when I go out with friends or just when I’m  home alone ;) I also have taken a lot of Zumba, but idk if that counts as dancing, haha. 

5. Cooking-I rarely do though. Too busy, and I’m lazy when it’s just me. I like cooking for others though. 

6.Traveling-I’ve lived in Argentina and Spain, and traveled to Uruguay, India, Mexico, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Ireland, the U.K, and various countries in the Caribbean. I haven’t been to Korea or Japan yet, but hopefully they are up next! I’d also love to visit Australia with my younger brother. I’ve also traveled within the US quite a bit.

7. Learning languages-I speak Spanish  & English, a little bit of Galician from when/where I was living in Spain, and am currently working on my Korean.I took Chinese briefly before, but didn’t make much progress :( 

8. Listening to new music on Spotify. I was a 90s kid so I remember dial up, Napster (a little, lol), buying songs on iTunes and Pandora. It’s crazy how much variety is out there now to listen to!

9. I’m trying to learn how to make mashups-I think it would be fun to mix BTS with Western or Latin Pop. Haven’t made much progress on this yet. 

10. Most recently, writing for this blog, and spending a lot of time on tumblr :) 

I hope you all feel like you know me a little better now! Feel free to message me if you want to nerd out about any of the above <3