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katakaluptastrophy · 6 months

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So, it's the last days and a weird-looking guy called John is yelling about the end of the world.

AKA, it's Advent and we've reached the stage of Alectopause where I'm apparently writing Bible studies for the weird goth teens that hang out in graveyards... So let's talk about portentious guys called John and why a nun might have joined a necromancy cult.

Anyway, you know Advent, the cheerful and cozy time when we all think about cute baby Jesus as we get ready for Christmas, right?

WRONG

It's currently the second Sunday of Advent, and in lots of churches that follow the liturgical year, people will have been hearing about John the Baptist today (Me: "John". My phone: "Gaius?". Me: "John the-". My phone: "Necromancer?").

Without going into too much detail, John the Baptist is important because he's a prophet that points to the coming of Jesus. He first does this rather impressively in utero, but is probably best known for wandering the wilderness wearing camel hide and eating locusts, shouting about how the end is nigh and, hence the name, baptising people to cleanse them from their sins. People are pretty impressed by all this and start asking him if he is the promised messiah or one of the great prophets come again. He answers no, his job is to point towards one greater than him. He baptises Jesus, the heavens open, and not long afterwards John annoys the authorities and ends up with his head on an ornamental platter.

Now John the Baptist obviously isn't the main Biblical John evoked by John Gaius. That dubious honour probably goes to the beloved disciple John the Apostle, also known for The Gospel According To and The Apocalypse Of, aka the Book of Revelation, the Bible's account of the end of the world.

But John the Baptist (no, autocorrect, not "John the Necromancer") is relevant too, and not just because he's a guy called John, chosen by a higher power to lay the groundwork for better things to come and who falls afoul of the authorities with dramatic consequences.

Let's cycle back round to Advent for a moment. The reason Advent can both be aww cute little baby Jesus and also WHERE ARE YOU GOING WHEN YOU DIE?! is because in Christian theology, Jesus' birth and the end of the world are linked: the first and the second coming of Christ.

In Nona The Ninth, we learn that John and his friends are living in a world on the edge. Without some incredible plan - the cryo ships, the promise of FTL - everyone is going to die. Humanity has rendered the world uninhabitable. Although we get very few details of the broader geopolitical situation, we have to assume it's one rife with natural disasters and conflict.

In the Bible, Jesus talks about a world with famines and earthquakes, wars and rumours of wars, where to find yourself in those days with children would be a tragedy and to be pregnant even worse (maternity problem, anyone?). Specifically, this is when he talks about the signs of the end of the world and his second coming.

So what about M-'s nun? The first time we meet her is when she's advising John against his all-day Jesus Christ Superstar healing ministry.

And John's anxiety about meeting her is pretty apt. He says: "I was worried I was going to get the Antichrist bit from her too". Note the "too" - by this point, John has already been accused of being the Antichrist. Why? Because alongside those rumours of wars and earthquakes, Jesus gives another sign to watch out for: false prophets.

But M-'s nun saw John and his powers and - for reasons we never learn - believed they were miraculous, a gift from God. She appealed to the Vatican to investigate and recognise this. And her presence and this campaign apparently made a significant impact in reducing some of the issues they were facing. Somehow, she met awful, smarmy John and his corpse buddies and thought she was seeing the hand of God miraculously at work in the last days.

This bears repeating, because I've seen suggestions that she believed he was God, or was somehow converted to the cause of necromancy, but at least by John's narrative it's much simpler than that: right to the end she's praying for him in very Catholic terms to find clarity in his purpose.

This is the last we see of her:

She just smiled at me. She said, John, don’t misunderstand. I want to help you. I truly believe that in our most terrible hours we don’t instinctively reach out to God; we push ourselves away from Him. Don’t feel bad for not rising heroically to the occasion right now. Fear doesn’t help us achieve a state of grace; it deafens the heart. John, I truly believe you can save everyone. So concentrate, please. She said, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. And she shot herself.

While obviously you are probably not walking a straightforwardly orthodox path if you're shooting yourself to help the leader of a self-proclaimed necromancy cult locate the soul, her language here is very focused on the Catholic understanding of sin and death. A "state of grace" refers to the condition of your soul when it's not burdened with serious sins. It's the state you're in after you're baptised or after you've been to confession. Being in a state of grace is one's soul being on a wavelength with God; it's the necessary state to enter heaven.

And the Hail Mary? Catholics believe that Mary has the power to intercede for them with God. And the most important moment at which she could intercede would be at the point of death where the state of your soul determines your eternal destination. This isn't a wacky necromancy cultist talking. I suspect she sees this less as a suicide (which the Catholic Church has historically not had the most nuanced views on...) than a fulfilment of Jesus' teaching to keep his commandments and that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends.

We're not privy to exactly what she thought, and I don't think anyone's suggesting her approach was entirely orthodox, but if he's not the Second Coming, and he's not the Antichrist, and there are wars and rumours of wars and floods and earthquakes...did she see him as a prophet of the apocalypse? A sort of John the Baptist of the end times, who in demonstrating the reality of the soul would bring people to Christ before He came again?

Unfortunately for M-'s nun, John was not what she fervently believed him to be. And unlike John the Baptist, who said no when asked if he was something he was not, John used M-'s nun's death as a springboard to claim the trappings of both divinity and Catholicism for himself.

Unfortunately for John, judgement is coming in the form of an angry teenager Harrowing Hell and the very power he usurped, armed with a very big sword.

#the locked tomb #tlt #tlt meta #john gaius #cristabel oct

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fatkish · 1 month

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Funny (y/n) x MHA pt 3

(Y/n): *points finger guns at Aizawa* I’ma play your butt like bongos

Aizawa: No you most certainly will not

(Y/n): aww… but you have such a nice one

——————————————————————————

Midnight: Nothing in life is free.

(Y/n): Love is free.

Aizawa: Knowledge is free.

All Might: Friendship is free.

Nedzu: Self-respect is free.

Hizashi: Everything's free if you don't pay for it.

The Squad: ...

Aizawa: Hizashi, that's illegal-

Midnight: No, let them finish!

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): All Might is too tall for me to kiss them on the lips. What should I do?

Hizashi: Punch them in the stomach. Then, when they double over in pain, kiss them.

Nedzu: Tackle them!

Aizawa: Dump them.

Midnight: Kick them in the shin!

All Might: No to all of those! Just ask me to lean down!!

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): Make her pussy wet not her eyes.

Midnight: Make his dick hard not his life.

Hizashi: Break her bed not her heart.

Aizawa: Play with her boobs not her feelings.

(Y/n): Get on his dick not his nerves.

All Might: Always salt your pasta while boiling it.

——————————————————————————

All Might: If I fall…

Midnight: I’ll be there to catch you.

Aizawa: *looks at Hizashi* What if I fall?

Hizashi: Then I’ll fall with you, never leaving your side.

(Y/n): *watches these two interactions*

(Y/n), to Nedzu: And if I fall?

Nedzu: I’ll be the one who pushed you.

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it's venomous.

Nedzu: What if it bites me and it dies?!

(Y/n): Then you're poisonous. Jesus Christ, Nedzu, learn to listen.

All Might: What if it bites itself and I die?

(Y/n): That's voodoo.

Hizashi: What if it bites me and someone else dies?

(Y/n): That's correlation, not causation.

Aizawa: What if we bite each other and neither of us die?

(Y/n): That's kinky.

Midnight: Oh my god.

——————————————————————————

*The squad is asked what they would do with 5 children with only 3 chairs.*

All Might: Get two more chairs!

Hizashi: They can get their own chairs.

Midnight: Make them fight for it.

(Y/n): You only need one chair to beat them all with.

Aizawa: I would never be near children.

Nedzu: Kill two.

——————————————————————————

*The squad's reaction to being told they're the chosen one*

(Y/n): I will not let you down.

All Might: Sounds fun.

Hizashi: K.

Aizawa: No, I'm fucking not.

Midnight: Do I have to be?

Nedzu: Please god, I am so tired.

——————————————————————————

(Y/n) : You look good in that hoodie.

Aizawa: You know where else I'd look good?

(Y/n), zero hesitation: My bed.

Aizawa, at the same time: By your side- wait, what?

——————————————————————————

Aizawa: It doesn’t have a bone.

(Y/n) : Then why is it called a boner?

——————————————————————————

(Y/n) : *banging a pen on the table out of frustration*

Aizawa: Stop that. How would YOU feel if I banged you on the table?

(Y/n) : I—

(Y/n) : I don’t know the correct answer to that question.

——————————————————————————

(Y/n) : Wait, what's going on? Are we all talking about how hot Aizawa is? Because Aizawa is a straight up sexual fox riding a red-hot nuclear bombshell right toward the yowza plaza in the heart of Babe City, Assachusetts, U S A. The last A just stands for more ass.

#mha x reader #bnha x reader #aizawa x y/n #bnha incorrect quotes #mha incorrect quotes

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eesirachs · 11 months

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Why did jesus have to die like that? It’s so brutal to die by cruxifixction.. Imagine being there .. it’s traumatic and the gore is too much. Was it fate? He was going to die like that? A Lament? If they felt this i have to feel it too as their creator?

god wanted to know what dying felt like. he had spent centuries hurtling prophetic bodies towards their own death, sitting vigil for his own clay-creations, and grieving, then grieving some more. but i think there is one event that made his eventual death an inevitable acting-out: the death of saul. saul was his first king, beloved, chosen, new. but then so quickly dis-eased, unwell, undone. saul killed himself: the first person god had ever appointed to kill himself. saul took his own sword to his guts. the next king, david, began the lineage towards jesus. as if god, then and there, made up his mind about something.

in the first century, non-romans were crucified. romans were executed by the sword. god wanted to die, because of course he had to know, he had to be like-us, he had to let his flesh endure, auto-violate, succumb. so god auto-incarnated and walked slowly towards his death. but god refused to die like saul did. god avoided the sword with intention—so much so that he em-bodies as a non-roman, opting to hang instead of have his body severed by steel.

god's death is a probe of curiosity, a pang of guilt, and an aversion to a specific kind of weapon. it is not neat or tidy. you are right: there is lament here. and such gore. but saul endured it, so he would too

#ask #i dont talk about hamartiology so if you notice that missing from this ask dont say anything lol

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ananke-xiii · 2 months

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There's a line from s11e20 "Don't call me Shurley" that got stuck into my little nogging and it's when Chuck tells Metatron "You were just the closest angel to the door when I walked into the room".

Now assuming that Chuck is a lying liar who lies I still like this line because it says way more about Chuck than about Metatron. Then Chuck goes on and delivers his cheap shot: "There's nothing special about you, Metatron. Not then… not now".

(Little aside: AND THEN Amara comes in a few episodes later and calls Metatron "The secretary"?! I mean, how can people not love her? Yes, she might have eaten a few souls so what? Sue her! He brother has eliminated WORLDS because Dean wouldn't bend the knee to him, who's the crazy sibling, huh? *insert a meta about Dean only willing to bend the knee to Cas in Purgatory and all the entendres intended*).

Anyway, for all his pettiness and shrewdness (Metatron is a great villain and I will die on this hill), Metatron replies with surprising grace:

"And I don't care if I was just the angel nearest the door. You picked me. Your light shined on me – Me! Oh, and the warmth. But then you left me. You left all of us."

My little fragile heart trembled a little to these words because... well, it's like the OG trauma, isn't it? To be chosen by your parents, to be loved unconditionally, to be somebody's favorite person... Oh, the warmth.

And so it hit me, I finally saw why I love SPN's angels so much. They are ALL (Cas included) a bunch of children screaming and kicking their feet because they want to be loved, thinking that if they follow their orders, if they fulfill their duties they will be loved.

They are all Lucifer minus the action and the mark.

These are Chuck's words to soothe Lucifer in "We Happy Few": I did. I was supposed to love all creation equally. I wasn’t supposed to have favorites. But you… You were mine. I gave you the Mark because I loved you the most, because I thought you were strong enough to bear it. And when I saw that I was wrong… When I watched my choice devour my most cherished son, I hated myself, and so I punished you. And I am so sorry."

Yes, Chuck is a lying liar who lies. Maybe he chose Lucifer because he was the one closest to the door. Who knows? Chuck doesn't care. Every angel's deepest desire is to be loved by God, to be the chosen one, to be his favorite. Which is both sad and... human? I guess it's a tragedy from the human perspective but maybe the human perspective is limited.

I don't really like the finale with Jack as God for a variety of reasons but, conceptually, the idea of a half-angel and half-human (Kelly Kline you will NOT be forgotten) becoming god is not that bad (Hello Jesus!). Especially if the half-angel part is theoretically (well in pratice too but I mean biology what amirite?)Lucifer's. Because, as Sam says in "We Happy Few": I-I can’t believe I’m actually about to say this, but… um. Lucifer is right.

At the end of the day, SPN as a narrative, did, in a very convoluted and maybe unintentional way, agree with Lucifer.

Like, Lucifer was right. And I know that if we put on our morality glasses Lucifer is evil incarnate etc but honestly? By the same lensens, the whole heavenly host is kinda evil. They ALL (Cas included) did a lot of pretty horrible stuff. All the horror and the pain for a God that doesn't care.

So I guess what should have been explored in Dabb's era was not so much nurture vs nature but more "what does it mean to be half-angel?" 'Cause really, ALL angels are a little bit like Lucifer. And if no angel really represents "good" what are we, humans, left with? Does the question "nurture vs nature" even makes sense?

There's really nothing SPECIAL about any of us, humans, angels, demons, monsters. We ALL want to just be chosen and loved unconditionally. It turns out angels are not that different from humans, aren't they?

#spn #supernatural #spn brainrot #metatron #chuck shurley #lucifer #amara #i'm fascinated by lucifer and amara #i wanna talk about them for hours #sam had to agree with luficer that was awkward #spn finale #jack kline #spn season 11 #spn season 15 #spn angels #spn lines

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morsartis · 1 year

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Rodimus x Professional!Reader Pt. 1

The first part is from Reader's POV and the second will be from Rodimus' POV.

Parts:

Part 2- https://www.tumblr.com/morsartis/712534482204377088/rodimus-x-professionalreader-pt-2?source=share

Part 3- https://www.tumblr.com/morsartis/712534804211662848/rodimus-x-professionalreader-pt-3?source=share

----

Hot water beat down on your back as you rested your head on the shower wall. Everything ached. From your toes to your scalp you felt like one massive bruise. It wasn’t uncommon for you to get back to your quarters feeling drained and tired. Ever since the Lost Light had taken on human crew members your hands had been full, especially following your commander's death. A day that still weighed something fierce on your heart. You’d had to step up- despite the fact that you hadn’t been next in line to lead at all. There had been too much panic, too much grief, and you had done what you had always done in the face of terrible personal tragedy and chaos. You’d buckled down and taken over. Somehow that had led to you being promoted as the human liaison to the captain of the Lost Light. It was an honor certainly but it was something you struggled with. All that responsibility on your shoulders, Commander Jameson had grown livid when the promotion had passed over him and went to you instead. His contempt and judgment was yet another thing that weighed you down. He made it clear that he had little to no respect for you or your new position. It had led to endless fights over the tiniest things that shouldn’t have been fights in the first place.

Sighing heavily you blinked past the water running down your face. The need for actual running water on the Lost Light had been Commander Hennis’ first petition when you’d come aboard and after her death it had only been right for you to continue that petition. You were grateful for it. Slicking your hair back you took another moment to simply breathe. One deep breath in and then the slow exhale. Shutting off the spray you blindly reached for your towel. Wrapping the soft fluffy thing around yourself you relished its warmth as you stepped out of the tub and into the slightly cooler room. You cursed when you realized you’d left your sleep clothes on your bed. Stepping into the main portion of your room you froze, the blood draining from your face so quickly you almost felt light headed. Clutching the towel tightly to yourself you straightened up immediately. Shit, you were way too underdressed, your hair was still wet and tangled, you were wearing a towel.

“Captain!” You resisted the urge to salute if only because you feared losing your towel. Rodimus froze, optics wide as he glanced down at you. Jesus, you could die of mortification.

“I-,” His voicebox made an odd sound you could only describe as a radio dial, “I didn’t realize you were here.”

“I thought to get an early night, Sir.” Oh you just wanted to curl into a ball and die. This was so unprofessional. God, you even planned your own pajamas to be professional in case of an emergency. Why did he have to walk in now? Why did you forget your clothes on your bed? You glanced at your folded clothes and felt a new mortification rising when you realized you’d done like you usually did and placed your underwear on top. Your very nice, lacey, underwear that you rarely got the chance to wear and only decided to wear tonight to make yourself feel nice. As a secret little pick-me-up that only you would know about. The red stood out starkly against your grey sweats and space program t-shirt, the clothes far too professional to even consider what you might be wearing underneath. Even the sports bra you’d chosen was cute with its little lacey front and tiny decorative bow. As if sensing your mortification you could only observe in horror as Rodimus followed your gaze to the clothes you’d plainly laid out. If it were even possible it was as if he froze and locked up more than previously.

Was- was he blushing?!

Your face was officially on fire you were simply going to kill yourself. Anything to escape the mortification. Your co-captain, your liaison partner, knew what you were going to wear to bed and he’d been around human culture long enough to understand exactly why you might have been embarrassed. Grasping at straws like it was all you could do, you tried to regain control of the situation.

“Ahem,” You cleared your throat drawing his attention back to you, “Was there a particular reason you were coming into my quarters Captain?”

Rodimus straightened up quickly his grip on his holopad tightening.

“Ah- yes. There was- well… Ahem. To be honest-,” He was stammering, god you were never going to live down the embarrassment, “I wanted your opinion on a transfer I’ve been considering.”

“A transfer?”

“Yes. One of the humans here.”

That wiped the embarrassment straight from your system. Technically Rodimus could transfer whoever he wished at any point so long as Megatron signed off on said transfer. It had been an unspoken rule since Commander Hennis’ and since your own tenure that all human transfers were to be decided by the human liaison. For Rodimus to even consider transferring a human without giving the full reigns to you must have been serious.

“May I ask the reason for transfer?”

“Insubordination.” The way he said it left little room to question. His voice was grave and serious in a way you rarely heard from your usually compassionate companion. Clearly this was not a decision he had made lightly.

“And the crewmember?” You asked after a moment when it became clear he was not going to elaborate.

“Commander Jameson.”

“What?” You asked the question slipping out before you could help it. To say you were shocked was an understatement. You had thought that Commander Jameson had been wise enough to keep his displeasure and insubordination pointed towards you and you only.

“I think it would be best for both the crew and for Commander Jameson himself if he were placed with a different vessel.”

“My apologies then Captain, I had thought that Commander Jameson had merely been targeting me due to the promotional passover that occurred following Commander Hennis’ passing. I hadn’t a clue that he’d been lashing out towards other higher-ups. Please allow me to talk to him and discuss these matters, I shall ensure he keeps his issues with the chain of command solely with me.”

“That’s the problem!” Rodimus shouted, waving his arm through the air. You jumped. “He shouldn’t be treating you that way in the first place! You received the promotion because you earned it. Your crew would have been killed if you hadn’t made the calls you did and kept a level head. While Commander Jameson was too busy trying to prove himself you were putting in the actual work. You brought your crew together, you led them into action, you pulled them through that dark time. Not him! I am tired of hearing his baseless complaints about your leadership. You’ve gone above and beyond what was expected of you for the sake of your human crew and your cybertronian companions!”

You could feel the flush traveling from your cheeks all the way to your shoulders the flattery soothing a sore spot you had been nursing for a while now. But still, despite Jameson’s clear dislike of you, you had a duty to him as his superior.

“I understand that Rodimus and I thank you for your conviction of my skills,” You replied soothingly, adjusting your hold on your towel, “However, I have a duty to my crew. Commander Jameson’s grievances are with me and me alone. Outside of that he has followed all his orders from other officers to a perfect T. Unless there are incidents I haven’t been informed of..?” You trailed off waiting for a reply.

“... No. He’s followed orders from other crew members well enough.” Rodimus admitted begrudgingly. You offered him a sincerely sympathetic smile.

“Then I owe him the chance to discuss options with me first before the call is made for him. If he wishes to transfer then I will be happy to have him transferred, but if he wishes to stay then that decision should be respected as well.”

That was clearly not what he wanted to hear. Rodimus’ expression turned stony, every bit the captain he had to be instead of the mech you had gotten to know.

“Please let him know that if he fails to follow your direct orders again he will be transferred regardless.” His voice was cold, a sort of anger that sent chills down your spine. You’d never heard anything like it. From Megatron you might have been able to keep the surprise off your face but from Rodimus? The change was too intense not to show your shock. “I’ve transferred the documents to you for review. Good night.”

Just like that he was gone leaving you standing there shivering from the cold in your towel wondering what had gotten into the normally sunny optimistic mech. Swallowing nervously you shuffled towards your pajamas and got dressed. Everything would have to wait until the morning but already anxiety was beginning to set in. What would you do about this? What could be done to fix it? If you didn’t know him so well by now you would have thought Rodimus was angry with you, but you knew that despite what had happened his anger was directed towards Jameson. With a deep breath you sat on your bed and tried to relax. You’d get this sorted out just like you always did. It would be fine. And then you could talk with Rodimus about why it had upset him the way it did.

#rodimus x reader #mtmte rodimus #transformers #this is a two part fic #But I'm gonna have to wait til tomorrow to post the part 2 #sorry guys #reader insert #Honestly I could be persuaded into making this a series if someone wants #but we'll see how well this part and the second part go lol #First transformers fic #I hope people enjoy it as much as I did #honestly I love transformers and should write more for them #there are so few fics it seems like #we should fix that lol #feel free to request stuff from me!#It takes me a while but I do work on them #No fancy title for this one sorry guys that might change if anyone has ideas

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ike-mcswains-mortician · 6 months

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hihihi uhh i finished the epsiode. Thoughts?

(I spent an hour in class just in shock)

SOOOOO MANY THOUGHTS LARK OUGH MY GOD. (this is going to be so long)

i knew the hermie death acknowledgement was going to be bad. but JESUS FUCKING CHRIST i didn't think it would be LIKE THAT. i was NOT prepared for will to hit me with the "wait where's hermie" RIGHT OFF THE BAT??? and then normal couldn't leave hermie behind and he tried to save them and he was LITERALLY USING BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS TO BRING HERMIE BACK AND IT DIDN'T FUCKING WORK. I AM GOING TO BE SICK.

and then. dear GOD. i was not ready for henry's return. fuck. ok real talk ARE THEY IN OAKVALE. DID HENRY LEAVE AFTER CODE PURPLE AND GO BACK TO OAKVALE. I AM BEATING MY HEAD AGAINST A WALL. also MERCEDES?????? MY BELOVED??? what the FUCK

and!!!! then!!!!! normal STILL BEGGING AND TRYING AND PRAYING TO BRING HERMIE BACK. but there's NOTHING henry can do and so SCAM???? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? SCAM LIKELY ACTUALLY GETTING EMOTIONAL OVER HIS SON???? cried into my pasta actually. note to self don't try to eat while listening to dndads.

also i feel like they glossed over this but d00d saying henry feels like home/??? i actually had to do a double take because YEAH THIS IS HENRY LOOKING IN THE FUCKED UP NON-EUCLIDEAN EYES OF THE ELDRITCH ENTITY THAT TORMENTED HIM HIS WHOLE LIFE AND???? THEY JUST. MOVE ON??? HELLO??

and don't even get me fucking STARTED on the funeral. god. i was in physical pain. the shade witch bit (which was fucking GOLD btw) couldn't save me from the 1-2 PUNCH THAT WAS THE FINAL WORDS. henry saying you're never ready for something like this but normal insisting on burying the body. the fucked up two-face tree. "goodnight sweet prince." scary saying she noticed him. scary noticing hermie like she noticed terry jr. no one fuckng touch me.

LARK AND SPARROW AND HENRY INTERACTING. AAAGH. FUCK. THE HANDSHAKE BETWEEN HENRY AND LARK. LIKE. IS THAT THE MOST POSITIVE INTERACTION THEY'VE HAD SINCE THE ROGUE CARD??? IS COLD NEUTRALITY THE BEST THEY HAVE?????? and SPARROW GOING IN FOR A HUG BUT HENRY DOESN'T RECIPROCATE. I AM GOING TO BE FUCKING SICK. THE OAK FAMILY ONCE AGAIN GOING FOR MY GODDAMN THROAT.

and i jsut. i couldn't even process the ending. we finally got another hero mention but it's literally her being trained to kill???? ow??? and they were training normal too??? also THE VOICE SAYING NORMAL WAS THE CHOSEN ONE??? like am i the only one losing it over that??!? i cannot for the life of me understand what happened at the end but JESUS CHRIST i am just. AGH. i am not o-a-k rn.

will campos when i find you. anthony burch when i find you. god. i'm going ot throw up. great episode y'all i'm gonna go lie down and die.

anyway that's my thoughts hbu?? :)

#also my dndads tuesday routine is. not conducive for an episode like today's #cause i listened to the ep in the middle of my campus' dining hall and tried not to sob into my pasta #and then i had 4 hours of class back to back and then an hour of work #so i literally could not process the episode until all that was done and then i just completely broke #rambling in tags #ask #thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls #dndads spoilers #dndads

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cellard0ors · 1 year

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Where Eliza gets off to, Travis could really care less about.

His concern now is keeping Laura safe, and while his mind is still a reeling, complicated mess, he takes her hand in his and looks for shelter.

He feels both drunk and hungover, the way everything in his brain is sloshing around:

Laura and himself playing pretend pirates.

Laura and himself eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Laura kissing him - kissing him so well after days and days of deliriously good practice.

She's everywhere. She's in everything. She brings color to his past, to his life. Jesus Christ, how could he have forgotten her?

There's been a hole inside him for so long and now it's full - overflowing, bursting with her. With love for her and as they take refuge behind a large clump of trees, Silas's howls ringing out again, Travis turns to her, "Laura, Laura I'm so sorry. Fuck, all that stupid shit I said-!"

"It's okay." Her voice is warbling with emotion as she runs her fingers through his hair, tucking a few strands behind one ear, "You didn't mean it."

"No." He grumbles and he takes that same hand, kissing it tenderly, "No, I did. Don't make excuses for me. I was a fucking idiot. But I'll make it up to you. I swear to God, I will."

Silas howls again and Travis curses, pulling her closer as if to shelter her, "Once we get ourselves out of this mess. Any ideas?"

"You're asking me?!"

"Yeah." Travis deadpans, "You're the smart one."

Laura's smile wiggles some, overcome with emotion as she is, "You really do remember..."

She looks at his mouth and dear fucking God, does he want to kiss her, but, "Gotta wait, sweetheart. You kiss me now, I'm not going to stop. And while there's no other way I'd like to die..."

Laura draws in a loud breath and nods, directing her gaze back up to his eyes, "Okay. You're right."

Looking around the copse of trees they're hiding behind, Laura turns to Travis, "Alright, you said this site disappeared after the fire?"

Travis nods, "The fire happened at night. Next day we started the clean up - firetruck crew, garbage men, cops - the whole lot. We cleaned out some debris, a few bodies - but the day after," he shakes his head, "It was all gone."

"Hmm, no doubt Eliza shrouded it after that, because she not only came fully into her incorporeal form, but because she wanted to protect her body."

"That sounds plausible." Travis agrees, "We weren't finished in just one day - there was a lot left behind. We thought we had plenty of time. When none of us could find it..."

He lets out an aggravated snarl, "Let's just say red tape in a small town is both looser and stickier than you'd think. Mayor wanted it all tied up quick - found the whole thing an embarrassment - was worried it'd reflect poorly on his reelection."

Travis actually spits to one side, "After the curse hit my family, we looked for it too. But no luck. Yet here we are..."

Laura swishes her mouth from side to side in thought, "Well, it's been a long time, but looking around now, I seem to recall the contortionist's stage being over there and the cotton candy stand over there...so that would put Silas's cage and Eliza's caravan..."

She peeks around the trees once more before motioning to Travis that he should follow her. They stick low to the ground, picking carefully through the underbrush around them so as to make little to no noise.

They reach a burned out area of trees, small signs of life returning to the scorched wood in the form of green moss.

There's a loud, shuffling to one side of them and Laura grabs one of Travis's arms, tugging on it tightly so that he'll move with her behind some boulders.

They do so and only seconds later, Silas darts by, his nose raised and sniffing loudly. The two hold their breath as the werewolf prowls around the spot they were just standing.

Neither of them can say why luck has chosen to smile upon them for once, as Silas can't seem to pinpoint their exact location. Grunting and growling as he bounds off into the distance, away from them.

With the danger passed (for now) the two practically collapse in on one another. Laura gasps 'That was close' even as Travis looks at her and says softly, "You haven't changed."

Laura blinks at him, confused, until he looks down, his voice bitter, "You're just as beautiful as you were the last time I saw you. Just as young..."

"A-actually, I'm twenty two now..." She offers this as if it will help, but he merely snorts even as she tacks on, "In a manner of speaking..."

"How-?"

Laura shrugs, "Magic. She kept Silas and I young. Better that way - easier to keep us in her control. It's not the kind of spell someone can use on themselves though, so-?"

Another shrug, "She aged. It's probably why she forgot she'd been here before. It's why I sent you the tickets..."

"You found out I was the sheriff." Travis sighs and rubs at his face, guilt hitting him like a freight train, "You thought I'd come and save you. Save both of you."

One last helpless shrug and he lets out a sour laugh, "Here I was earlier, blaming you - when this really is all my fucking fault."

"No, Travis-!"

"If I'd have just fucking gone that night, none of this would have happened. I've thought that before, long before tonight," He laughs again, sadder this time, "At least now I know for sure it's true."

Laura looks like she wants to object again, but Travis isn't done as he looks at her, takes in her lovely face, "Look at you...still so young, still so beautiful...and here I am..."

He shakes his head ruefully, looking away from her, and she finally gets her chance to speak, "You have nothing to apologize for, Travis. You grew up. That's all."

"You can admit it: I grew old." Travis stresses, looking back at her, "Old and nasty - twisted. You don't even know the promises I broke, the ones I made to you-!"

"Hey!" Laura cuts him off sternly, takes his face in her hands so he'll look directly at her, "You didn't know you were breaking anything. Okay? I took your memories from you...I-I thought it would be easier. That you'd be fine without me...happy even..."

She runs her thumbs over his cheekbones and he leans into the touch as she whispers, "I hurt you first, Travis. So...it's okay. And-and I know you just got your memories back, but...nothing's changed for me. I still lov-!"

Silas howls again and there's the sound of him thrashing through the forest in the distance. He's not close to them, far from it, but the sounds remind them of their mission, of what they're here to do.

Laura lets his face go and returns with determination, "To be continued..."

"Oh," Travis grins, "You better believe it."

The two move out from behind the boulders. Bound and determined to continue their search.

#hackearney #my writing #the quarry #travis x laura #fin

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 1 year

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9th April >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Easter Sunday

(Liturgical Colour: White: A(1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 10:34,37-43 'We have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection'.

Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 117(118):1-2,16-17,22-23

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end. Let the sons of Israel say: ‘His love has no end.’

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed; his right hand raised me up. I shall not die, I shall live and recount his deeds.

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone. This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes.

R/ This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Second Reading Colossians 3:1-4 Look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is.

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer sacrifice and praise. The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled, hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended: combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose; I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

The angels there attesting; shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know. Victorious king, thy mercy show!

Gospel Acclamation 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed: let us celebrate the feast then, in the Lord. Alleluia!

Either:

Gospel John 20:1-9 He must rise from the dead.

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel Matthew 28:1-10 He has risen from the dead and now he is going before you into Galilee.

After the sabbath, and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the sepulchre. And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow. The guards were so shaken, so frightened of him, that they were like dead men. But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, ‘There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has risen from the dead and now he is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him.” Now I have told you.’ Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples. And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel Luke 24:13-35 They recognised him at the breaking of bread.

Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast. Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’ Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself. When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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nyctospoilers · 2 years

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KHDR Reactions

Episode 7: Reason for Disappearance

WHY would you take him through the CORRIDORS of DARKNESS, XEHANORT??? He’s not even fucking reacting to the “pushes” of darkness because his heart just got shattered, that poor boy.

okay 65 years later…

^ THE BLUE ROBE GUY

“My mentor taught me the one inscribed in the book, chosen to be a dark vessel, can connect their heart to others and feel what the feel” okay 1. “Omg he’s such an empath” but seriously 2. I wonder if this connects to what Darkness said about Ventus, and how through him all of them can like… regain themselves?? I think it said. Either their wills or their forms, I can’t remember. But interesting…

“I must embrace these emotions. Let them flow into my heart” oh lmao I thought Xehanort was referring to Ventus, is he talking about himself?? Or a combination of the two because in the BBS reports, Xehanort wanted Ventus to be his vessel at first, but decided he was too weak so he changed his mind to Terra.

^ OH MY GOODDDDDDDD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. SHUT UPPPPPPPP. I’M SO GLAD I WAS WRONG ABOUT THIS BINGOOO LMAO. THIS GAME FUCKING DELIVEREDDDDD. I thought it would cut away before they came on screen tbh LOL. Oh well it kinda did but still LOL

Eraqus “Better late than never” that says so much LOL

“Water under the bridge” Xehanort 🥺 Eraqus is so fucking gay 4 U

Xehanort “I took him under my wing this past year” okay noted

“He might be the one” “Are you sure?” 👀 yes computer enhance

^ okay this is fucking funny

Reason for Disappearance

Okay, I’ll just say it. I can’t tell if Eraqus and Vor are just friends (because I fucking love platonic relationships between men and women), or if this is a developer’s decision to make us acknowledge that no, Eraqus and Xehanort are not gay lmao. Shipping mindset and “okay what’s really going on at this Disney ruled IP team” are two different mindsets for me. That being said, I really do like the friendship between Eraqus and Vor LOL

“How do we defeat something like that?” okay that lingering into a scene transition is so sexy

Odin calling the vessels for darkness “A necessary sacrifice” oh boy here we go

Okay so I feeeeel like everything Odin said here, we already knew. 7 hearts of light. summoning KH and using it’s power affects the entire world– so is it worth using KH if just to save the few “vessels of darkness” who are sacrifices?

“The dark seeker will finally be upon us” yeeess yesssssss

Aww Hermod!

ERAQUS JOGGING IN PLACE LOL

THE UNDERWORLLDDDD (((also damn… does that mean the other classmates really did die…)))

^ THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNYYYYYYY. I swear to god if I un-blacklist this game, and nobody else thinks this game is funny, I will be so mad LOL

Awwww Hoder…. :(

Not MALEFICENT!!!!

God Hoder’s dress is so pretty

^ AARON PAUL SCREME MEME

Daaaaaaamn dudeeeee fuckkkkkkk

HE WAS IN THE INFIRMARY THIS WHOLE TIME????

God am I going to get Phil talking to Xehanort…..

^ Dumbass shdkdhkdjd

Bragi “if I choose Eraqus, you’ll tag along, right Xehanort?” HA!

THE WAY XEHANORT MOVED AWAY FROM ERAQUS LMAAOOO

Jesus christ they are fucking DIGGING at eraqus asdlkfjasdf

Yesss I looove the underworld music, its one of my favorite world themes LOL

Hades “Disappeared? Oh right, Mortals. Always have to sugarcoat everything. Personally, I prefer ‘dead.’” STOP LMAAAOOOO

Ugh cerberus is going to be so hard I know it… I’m going to use so many revives… JUST KIDDING I only needed 1 lmao

The hand grab 💞⭐🤸💫 You fucking know xehanort was doing some Mr. Darcy-hand-stretch after that

^ Damn the upper classmates really did die… NOOOOO NOT THE SIDE PONYTAIL GIRRRLLLL 😭😭😭

“We discovered an evil fairy that put a curse on a princess” so when the FUCK. do these disney worlds take place!!!!! Cause Aurora was during BbS!!! Wtf!!!!

^SHUT THE FUCK UP THEY SET UP CAMP AND ARE ASLEEP. SHUT UPPPP

u tellin’ me a 14 year old noob defeated maleficent when 4 trained students could not…

OOOHHHH So the Underworld IS connected to the final world. Okay, I’m glad that’s cleared up for me now.

Damn c’mon, philosophy!

Hades “pfft like I can tell who’s who” LMAO

NOOO HERMOD AND URDDD

Wtf is this light… OH ITS ODIN. that is so gandalf of him to glow like that LOL. c'mon, light of earendil!

“So only you remain…” damn… so did.. Baldr and Bragi die off screen???

65 years later

^HEY BITCH!!!!

Xehanort “I did this for him, not you.” oh dayumn

^ Why does vanitas stand like 🧍‍♂️

Godddd I am DYING to know why Ventus has a heart of pure light (like PURE pure light) if he isnt a Princess of Heart!!!

He DOES remember ventus. Then Xehanort WTF!!! Why did you like.. Practically torture him asdlfkjsdf

#reactions

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tangerinecreamsicle · 6 months

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I find it almost impossible to have deep unfiltered conversations with my more 'christian' friends about the meaning of life and spirituality. Maybe it's because some of my viewpoints threaten their sense of self, since most religions, especially christianity, are very much to tied to one's identity. I understand they have chosen christianity to help them understand themselves, give meaning to their existence and the world around them, but it's more interesting how they are able to come to the conclusion of it being the [one] ultimate truth. How can we all collectively agree on a topic so mysterious as the beginning of creation, the purpose of life and what really happens when we die? If it was so clear, we all would have already agreed to just [one].

Most of my christian friends (and I have [too] many since I was born into this community) pivot all conversations regarding life and the beyond to either proving me wrong or converting me to 'their side'. Which are neither things I am asking. It's immediately defensive, which puzzles me all the more about this particular human psyche. I can usually see it in their eyes the moment I say something that opposes their christian worldview, a sense of awkward urgency to address it as untrue, taking it all so personally. Perhaps because for them, the 'truth' has been written out for them like a manual. From what I remember, questions were welcomed but their answers were never really convincing, and to simply have 'faith', more like blind faith, was revered. I guess religion is only convincing to those already convinced.

I recently had a revelation myself to become more open to exploring christianity and what it means to me. Although too long of a story to write down, I have felt called to prayer. But to whom was always my question. I decided Jesus, the holy spirit, and the 'christian god' - the one I am most familiar with and grew up praying to, was the best fit for me. I made the terrible mistake of blurting my newfound spiritual stance to a group of people. One particular interaction with a 'friend' made me rethink my choices altogether. I mentioned I wanted to pray to the 'holy trinity', and perhaps be open to christian concepts like the bible and church - however, that I still don't think it's the [one true religion] but it's what fits me most in this phase of my life.

To clarify, I was christian for 26 years and I know what that looks like - like the back of my hand, and I left it for a reason. But to go back now would be trickier as my mind had been expanded and exposed to new truths and points of view.

The friend immediately snapped back to say then I am not a 'christian'. This interaction reminded me why I had left in the first place. A belief in a singular truth is rejecting all other truths. It's an 'I'm right, you're wrong' mentality, or, a disregard that all adult humans are equally capable of knowing what is right or wrong for themselves. For christians, they're going to heaven (the good place) and anyone that isn't, is going to hell (the bad place).

All of this just never sat right with me. I have always felt that religion divides, more than it unifies. Therefore I like to think that every religion has some truth to it, and if a person chooses one belief and lifestyle that inevitably helps them become better versions of themselves, then that's beautiful and perfectly acceptable.

Can we normalize people believing whatever the fuck they want and being respected for it? As well as acknowledge that everyone has lived very different lives that have shaped their subconscious beliefs about themselves and the world around them, therefore all have widely differring lenses of seeing the world? No wonder christianity has like an endless number of denominations, from what I looked up 45,000 globally - so many interpretations of the edited christian texts they can't seem to all come together to a singular conclusion.

I'm tired of labels - especially when it comes to spirituality. My truth is my truth, and I need to be ok with this.

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spiritsoulandbody · 7 months

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#DailyDevotion Jesus Is LORD & We Are His People

#DailyDevotion Jesus Is LORD & We Are His People Psalm 100 Shout to the LORD, all the world; 2serve the LORD with joy; come before Him shouting happily. You probably won't find too much shouting in a Church today, particularly in a Lutheran Church, except during Easter, when the pastor gives the Easter greeting, “He is risen!” and the people shout the response, “He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!” I guess if we are going to shout something in Church, the Easter greeting is a good thing to shout about. It is our salvation. The psalmist calls for all the world to shout to the LORD. What should they shout? Jesus is LORD and He has saved them from eternal perdition. Since the LORD Jesus Christ has so humbled Himself, to become a servant, to become man and die on the cross, making reconciliation between the Father and the world, the world should serve the LORD with joy and shout happily before Him. We probably don't sing a lot of hymns at home, but it would probably do us well to buy a hymnal, find the hymn on Youtube or other streaming service and belt out a hymn or two everyday, shouting to the LORD our hymns joyfully. It would do our spirits well. We are made for this. 3Know that the LORD is God: He made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the flock of His pastures. What a beautiful and comforting verse. Some translations have, “ It is he who made us, and we are his;...” The alternate translation is from using the side notes from the Hebrew text. I prefer the translation here. It doesn't change the meaning at all but the “and not we ourselves” intensifies “He made us.” There is a rule. There is a God and you aren't Him. On one level, we can understand this very simply, the LORD created us. He created all things and all people. That should be enough for all people to acknowledge and worship Him. The second half of the verse narrows the field of humanity. We are His people and the flock of His pastures. These are the people God has chosen. In ancient times it was the people of Israel. In New Testament times, it is all people who come to faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles. The middle section then takes on a new flavor or understanding. We do not make ourselves God's people. Jesus said to His disciples, “You did not choose me but I chose you.” Again Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him.” So you see, we do not choose Jesus but rather Jesus chooses us. He makes us into His people the Church. If you believe in Jesus, that He is God's Son, who died for you, is risen from the dead, seated at the right hand of the Father and is coming again to judge the living and the dead, rejoice and shout loudly and joyfully, because Jesus has chosen you and the Father has drawn you to Jesus. 4Come into His gates to give thanks, into His courts to praise. Thank Him, bless His name 5because the LORD is good and merciful forever and is faithful through all the generations. So, practically, we do this when we gather as the Church in Jesus' name. We should have songs of thanksgiving—and several of the hymns of the liturgy are just that, such at the Gloria in Excelsis and the Sanctus. To give thanks to the LORD is to bless the LORD and His name. The fact that we have congregations, with pastors, who teach God's Word and administer the sacraments shows how the LORD is good and merciful and faithful through all generations. Therefore we should not take for granted when the LORD provides us these things. Gracious God and Father, we thank You for making us Your people and calling us to faith in Your Son Jesus. Give us voices to give You thanks and praise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

#Christ #Christianity #devotion #faith #Hispeople #Hissheep #Jesus #LCMS #Lutheran #Messiah

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yhwhrulz · 8 months

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Today's Daily Encounter Friday, September 29, 2023

Spiritual Distancing

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.1

Three years ago, we experienced one of the hardest things known to mankind — social distancing! The Covid-19 pandemic left many of us isolated in our homes longing for some form of physical contact with others. We were forced to hide behind masks and, even in public places, keep our distance from everyone else. Society adopted this mandatory distancing for the good of our own health, to keep us safe; yet we complained every step of the way!

Ironically, we choose to distance ourselves on a daily basis from the only one we've never had to — God. In these unprecedented times that we are living in, enduring pandemics, wildfires, extreme climate and social unrest, we need to be close to God more than ever. Yet too many have chosen to draw away from the Almighty instead. Maybe this is you today. Maybe you have been feeling so overwhelmed with this world that you are having a hard time connecting with God or feeling His love. This Spiritual-distancing can end as soon as you want it to! You see, God's love is unconditional, and He longs for a relationship with you every day! His Grace, Compassion, Love and Mercy are not dependent on our circumstances or even our feelings. There is no need to wait for this "distancing" to be removed because God is waiting for you right now. When God sent His Son to die for us, He bridged the gap that sin had created with the intention of separating us from Him. That bridge which allows us to be close to God is Jesus Christ. This aspect of God's Love is truly amazing!

We tend to have a limit when dealing with others, so I thank God that He is not like us! In His eyes, nothing can separate or distance us from His Love. In today's verse, Paul asks, "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?" The answer is NO! (Rom. 8:39) Walk confidently today and take off the spiritual mask that is distancing you from God's amazing grace.

Suggested Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the unconditional love You give us. Please forgive me for allowing the worries and stresses of this world to distance me from you. Remove the guilt that keeps me from growing closer to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Romans 8:35, 37-39 (NIV).

Today's Encounter was written by: Veronica B.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by ACTS International, a non-profit organization, and made possible through the donations of interested friends. Donations can be sent at: http://www.actscom.com

ACTS International P.O. Box 73545 San Clemente, California 92673-0119 U.S.A.

Phone: 949-940-9050 http://www.actsweb.org

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leonbloder · 9 months

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When The Good News Is Really Good News

A friend shared with me that when they recently attended a funeral in a rural area of Texas, they were taken aback by the sermon of the pastor who was officiating.

After just a few moments of speaking about the deceased, the pastor launched into a twenty-minute diatribe about how if you didn't accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you would one day burn in Hell for all eternity.

I was not surprised, honestly. I've seen and heard that kind of thing before.

And to be fair, there's a good reason why the pastor did what he did. His entire theological structure is based on this premise: You will face eternal retribution when you die if you're not a Christian.

So, what better time to talk about that kind of thing than at a funeral when everyone contemplates their own mortality?

There are so many problems with this way of thinking that it would take me a hundred Devos to address them.

Suffice it to say when your theology is based on a transactional kind of faith and grounded in the idea that God is judgemental, you lose the true meaning of the Gospel.

One of the many things that gets glossed over in what passes for Christianity in our current culture is that Jesus didn't let politics, class, gender, or difference get in the way of reaching out to people where they were.

In the book St Francis and the Foolishness of God, the authors noted this:

In a social structure shaped by exclusion of the leprous, the ritually unclean, the “non-chosen,” the women, the possessed, tax collectors, sinners—Jesus embraced them all, both individually and as social groups.

This was the Good News, according to Jesus, not eternal retribution.

In fact, Jesus talked about money more than he did about Heaven and Hell, and when he did talk about the afterlife, it was almost always in parables.

Jesus was way more concerned about the suffering in the world right now.

His messages and teachings centered on the idea that God's peace, or shalom, was breaking through the world's corrupt systems and the brokenness they caused.

He had deep compassion for the hurting people he encountered, so much so that the Scripture describes it as an actual pain within him--- a gut reaction if you will.

Jesus wept when his friends mourned the loss of their loved one. He wept over Jerusalem, a city entangled in seemingly hopeless knots of politics and religion.

And he reached out to heal, connect, and show mercy and love to people on the margins who were left out, forgotten, abandoned, and persecuted.

The late Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hahn once wrote:

Understanding someone's suffering is the best gift you can give another person. Understanding is love's other name. If you don't understand, you can't love.

If the foundation for our Christian faith is focused solely on some escape from an angry God, it's not Good News. It leads us to deeper divisions in our culture because the logical end of this kind of faith is a zero-sum game.

Some are in, and some are not. Some are saved, and others are lost. "Othering" others is far too easy when we see the world this way. It leads to triumphalism and prideful certainty, which we see running rampant in our culture today.

What happens to us when we die is a mystery best left to God. And because of Jesus, we know that God is gracious, loving, merciful, and present with us right here and now.

May we learn to follow Jesus with humility and hope. May we trust that God's purposes for us are beautiful and true and beyond our imagination. May we learn from Jesus' example that grace and understanding are the best ways to show love.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

#presbymusings #dailydevotion #leonbloder #dailydevo #dailydevotional #christian living #leon bloder #faith #spiritualgrowth #spirituality

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jdgo51 · 10 months

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When We Can't Walk Away

Today's inspiration comes from:

When to Walk Away

by Gary Thomas

"'When we can walk away from toxic people, we probably and usually should. But when financial necessity, work obligations, family relationships, or even the accomplishment of our God-given mission necessitates that we find a way to live or work with a toxic person, we can learn much by following Jesus’ example with Judas.

Jesus and Judas

Though Jesus often walked away and let others walk away, He obviously and clearly kept one toxic person very close to His side — His betrayer, Judas. Let’s focus on three key strategies, based on Jesus’ interaction with Judas, for how we can live with or work alongside toxic people without going crazy ourselves.

Jesus Didn’t View His Mission as Stopping Toxic People from Sinning

Maybe it seems more obvious to you, but it was startling to me when I realized Jesus knew Judas was a thief and never chose to stop Him. John clues us in:

One of [Jesus’] disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. — John 12:4-6

If John knew Judas was a thief, Jesus knew Judas was a thief. In fact, Jesus knew that Judas was worse than a thief. In John 6:70, Jesus said,

“Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray Him.)

Jesus knew Judas was toxic. He could have stopped Judas from stealing and His future betrayal by kicking Him out of their group at any time.

But He didn’t. Why? Jesus kept the bigger mission in mind. To seek first God’s Kingdom, He had to raise up a band of disciples. He also had to die on the cross. He wasn’t waylaid by individual battles of piety with His disciples, as we are prone to do with people around us. Addressing Judas’s thievery would be like a neurosurgeon clipping someone’s fingernails. There were more important issues at hand. And

Jesus’ mission was not to stop everybody from sinning. This is actually a freeing word for believers. Your mission is not to confront every sin you hear or know of, even among your perhaps toxic family members or coworkers. Of course, if you’re a parent of a child still living at home, confronting sin is an appropriate part of spiritual training. But at extended family gatherings, with hard-hearted friends and certainly coworkers, our job isn’t to be “sin detectives” who discover how others are messing up and then unleash havoc by sharing our opinions with those who don’t want to hear them.

Jesus could have spent all twenty-four hours of every day trying to confront every one of His disciples’ sins. “Peter, put away that anger!” “Thomas, you’re still doubting Me, aren’t you?” “Thaddeus, you’re people-pleasing again. Nobody likes a suck-up.”

Instead, He focused on training and equipping reliable people. Focusing on others’ sin makes you focus on what’s toxic. Focusing on training makes you focus on what is good and on who is reliable. The latter is a much more enjoyable and ultimately much more productive life.

Because our goal is to seek first God’s Kingdom and righteousness, and to seek out reliable people in the process, we’ve got to let a few things slide right by us. That uncle who brings another woman half his age to Thanksgiving dinner? Not our problem. The coworker who had too much to drink at the office party? If we’re not the boss, that’s not our concern. Besides, one sin is never the issue. Alienation from God, shattered psyches, unhealed and unaddressed hurts — those are the real issues.

Feel free to enjoy people and love them without having to serve as their conscience.

When asked sincerely, speak the truth. Just know that merely witnessing sin in your presence doesn’t require you to act as prosecuting attorney, judge, and jury.

Jesus’ mission was not to stop everybody from sinning.

Keep the bigger picture in mind. Instead of upending the holiday gathering by making sure everyone knows you disapprove of what that child, cousin, uncle, or parent is doing, find a hungry soul to quietly encourage, bless, inspire, and challenge. Find the most “reliable” relative and invest in them.

Jesus Didn’t Let Judas’s Toxicity Become His

How much money would you spend to get an hour to ask Jesus all the questions you’ve ever wanted to ask Him?

What would it be worth to you to go back to the first century and spend an entire weekend with Jesus, watching Him perform miracles, listening to His teachings, participating in private conversations, watching Him pray and interact with others?

I’m guessing, if you’re reading a book like this, a whole lot.

All of which makes Judas’s betrayal seem all the more ungrateful. Jesus gave him a front row seat to the most significant life ever lived, and Judas sold Him out.

And yet at the Last Supper, when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, Jesus made sure that Judas was still present. In a picture the sheer wonder of which leaves me in awe, Jesus used the two holiest hands that have ever existed, the two most precious hands in the history of humankind, the hands pierced for our salvation — Jesus took those exquisite hands and washed the feet of His toxic betrayer.

Even in the face of ungratefulness and malice, Jesus kept the door open to relational reconciliation. He loved Judas to the end, essentially saying,

“You can’t make Me hate you. Your toxicity won’t become My toxicity.”

Just as astonishing to me is what happened during the act of betrayal. When Judas walks up to Jesus to hand Him over to the soldiers, Jesus looks at Judas and says,

Do what you came for, friend. — Matthew 26:50

Friend? How about skunk? How about snake? Jesus said “friend” because Jesus didn’t have a toxic molecule in His body. There was nowhere for toxicity to take root. God is radically for people. He wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). As His followers, we also must be for everyone, even if we oppose what they’re doing. If we must live and work with toxic people, our call is to make sure their toxicity doesn’t become ours. We don’t treat them as they treat us. We don’t offer evil in exchange for evil. We love. We serve. We guard our hearts so that we are not poisoned by their bad example.

Jesus Spoke Truth to Crazy

While Jesus invited Judas back into relationship until the very moment of betrayal, washing his feet and even calling him friend, He never pretended that what Judas was doing wasn’t toxic. In fact, He warned Judas at the Last Supper that if he were to go through with his plans, things wouldn’t end well for him:

Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born. — Mark 14:21

When Judas kissed Him in Gethsemane, Jesus replied,

Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? — Luke 22:48

When working around toxic people, you don’t have to pretend they’re not toxic. You don’t have to pretend they are well-meaning but perhaps misguided.

The reason this is good news is that it helps preserve our sanity. Toxic people are experts at twisting things, making us feel crazy for admitting the truth (what counselors call gaslighting). But as followers of Jesus, we are committed to the truth because we are committed to Jesus, who said,

I am the way and the truth and the life. — John 14:6, emphasis added

Without truth as a refuge, interacting with crazy people can start to make you feel crazy. But God is a God of order. Craziness is a clear sign of toxicity.

This will sound like such a cliché, but I’ve found that extra praying brings some level of sanity to a situation that feels crazy. There’s something about spending time talking to and listening to the God of truth that restores sanity when you’re forced to spend time in a place that makes you feel like you’re losing your mind.

As we trust that God understands all that is truly going on, and as we remember that God is the only one capable of bringing everything to account, we can rest in His understanding, promise, and protection:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7

Takeaways

Sometimes we can’t walk away but have to learn how to live or work around toxic people. This will require us to become stronger than we’ve ever been before. Don’t try to control a controller. Work around them as you are required to, but don’t let their ups and downs become your ups and downs. Keep a healthy level of distance between the two of you. Keep first things first. Our job isn’t to stop people from sinning. Focus on investing in reliable people. Guard against letting someone else’s toxicity tempt you to respond in a similarly toxic fashion. We can’t control what toxic people do and say, but we can control what we do and say. Don’t allow someone who is ruining their life to ruin yours as well. Leave work at work (or family drama at family gatherings). Thank God that we never have to pretend crazy isn’t crazy. We live by the truth. We don’t have to pretend toxic people aren’t toxic; we just have to learn a nontoxic way of interacting with them."'

Excerpted with permission from When to Walk Away by Gary Thomas, copyright The Center for Evangelical Spirituality.'

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lindajenni · 10 months

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aug 8

have you eaten the passover lamb

"when I see the blood, I will pass over you."

christianity has often been referred to as a "bloody religion," and in truth, without the blood there would be no christianity. so often salvation is looked upon as a simple repentance (being sorry) and turning away from sin. that's where one so easily get trapped in "our" works, not His. scripture says, "without shedding of blood there is no remission." heb 9:22

i have struggled with the "once saved, always saved" for a long time. there are just too many warnings in scripture. "they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us." 1 john 2:19 how in the world is anyone to know if they are among the "us" or not? especially when we all fail in so many ways.

it makes one ask, "what's the difference when sin can often be detected in the lives of both?" the only difference is the blood. it's applied on one and not the other. not because of "worthiness" or because one was more desirable more than another. it is the humility that admits, "i cannot, but He can." then the humility that asks Him to.

so how can one be assured they are "in Christ" and not of the world? that is the million dollar question; when a million dollars really meant something. they cannot merely acquiesce with head knowledge or understanding. it must be by heart knowledge and recognition of one's unworthiness. and yes, while the turning away from sin may be gradual, only His cleansing blood can seal us. it is then, and only then, we can be assured of the forgiveness of "all" our sin - past, present and future.

current day gospel tends to negate the blood and concentrate on cleaning up when in fact, there can be no washing without the blood. truly the "cleaning" continues with "the washing of water by the word," but only the blood can cover the sin for our final redemption.i reached home and sought my room, and there upon my knees i saw my past life. i had been a christian, an officer in the church, a sunday-school superintendent, but had never definitely yielded my life to God. yet as i thought of the darling plans which might be baffled, of the cherished hopes to be surrendered, and the chosen profession which i might be called upon to abandon — i was afraid. i did not see the better things God had for me, so my soul was shrinking back; and then for the last time, with a swift rush of convicting power, came to my innermost heart that searching message: “my child, you can trust the Man that died for you. if you cannot trust Him whom can you trust?” that settled it for me, for in a flash i saw that the Man who so loved me as to die for me could be absolutely trusted with all the concerns of the life He had saved.

the old covenant has passed away. now there is a new covenant, but it is still made by blood. "this cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." luke 22:20 webster's defines covenant as "a mutual agreement of two or more persons or parties." Jesus has agreed on His part. have you?

i have heard it said. "i’d much rather face Jesus with a poor start and a great ending than with a great start and a poor ending." i am in complete agreement, but neither ending matters unless one is covered by the blood of Jesus. i don't know how your walk may have begun or is even now journeying, but please be sure you finish right. it's not our righteousness, but His. it's not our blood, but His!

it's only when the blood flows from head to heart one is really saved. then one can be assured they are saved from past, present and future sins. even haven been assured of that, one should keep current accounts with God; full of humility and a ready heart to confess and repent. "a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." psa 51:17

my belief is free-will still prevails. one can walk away from this blood covenant. "and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. but he who endures to the end shall be saved." matt 24:12-13 they end up denying the Lord who bought them, and yes, bringing swift destruction on themselves. "it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance." heb 6:4

so is it possible to become "anathema" or not? sin certainly will not preclude us or none would be saved. will works or lack of works? we don't fall into "works," but a life producing only "thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed." heb 6:8 we don't want the Master Gardener to return to His vineyard and find no produce or fruit. indeed they may be saved "as through fire," a line i would not want to tread.

"even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case — the things that have to do with salvation… we want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized." heb 6:9,11 count on the blood and let the Holy Spirit do His work for, "it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." phil 2:13

the gospel is not john 3:16. it may tell us of God's amazing love but a sacrifice was still needed. we have a new covenant, but still a blood covenant. "having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." rom 5:9 we acknowledge that every time we take communion in remembrance of the last supper. "this is My body given for you … this cup is the new covenant in My blood." luke 22:19-20 so - have you eaten the passover lamb? if so, then He has become part of you, nourishing your bones and marrow. "fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." luke 12:32

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