#our lord and savior and best man on this or any world god he's great

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #290: The World According to the ADAPTOID!

April, 1988

DAY of the ADAPTOID!

OH NO THE ADAPTOID IS PUTTING EVERYONE INTO TIMEOUT CUBES!

Oh, hi, Cap!

So. How did we get here?

Last time on Avengers: During the Avengers Under Siege arc, the Super-Adaptoid got free from the stasis tube he was being stored in at Avengers Mansion, switched places with the Fixer, and has been running rings around the Avengers. He gathered a small group of like-minded robots and had them smash shit at the Avengers’ new Hydrobase headquarters while he himself summoned the living cosmic cube Kubik from SPACE. The Super-Adaptoid super-adapted Kubik’s reality altering powers and now he controls everything I guess.

Good game, Avengers. Fell apart a little at the end but overall solid run.

No, no.

I’m sure they’ll somehow prevail, possibly with the help of Cap(tain) because he wasn’t in previous issues.

Can I just say I don’t love that design for Kubik? Or the Adaptoid for that matter?

Looks like a budget transformer. And also the way the plot has gone with the Adaptoid scheming his way to adapting reality warping, we didn’t really get him becoming a mashup version of this team of Avengers which is also a disappointment.

I don’t want to start on too negative a note but I’m already on guard due to this being the Monica Rambeau character assassination era in Avengers.

So, let’s get into it! Yeah!

So on the opening splash page, the Avengers burst in to find two weirdo looking robot dudes (Kubik and the Super-Duper-Adaptoid) and after everyone pauses in place long enough for a two-page spread recapping the story thus far, the Adaptoid just cubes the Avengers and also Machine Man.

Cover image came true a lot quicker than I’d have thought.

And then with the main characters of this book put in cube timeout, Kubik and the Adaptoid talk in a weird font.

The gist of the conversation is despite the Adaptoid telling Kubik to piss off, Kubik wanted to stick around and see how this was going to play out.

So the Adaptoid teleported him into the biggest black hole in the Andromeda Galaxy. Which seems an overreaction but what do I know.

The Adaptoid assumes its generic metallic faceless form and explains that its due to the sliver of Cosmic Cube AIM used to build him, that he was able to super-adapt Kubik’s powers because they’re basically chips off the same block. Or, he’s the chip off Kubik’s block.

Whatever.

The Adaptoid also declares himself the SUPREME ADAPTOID and outlines his plan to create a couple billion Adaptoids and completely replace humanity.

Good to have goals, I guess.

Machine Man decides to further recap the bits of the story that the first recap hadn’t covered. And specifies his motives were to figure out what the Adaptoid was doing and then stop him. He didn’t do a great job at that.

Captain Marvel manages to re-materialize herself now that the plot doesn’t need her discorporating in the corner. But the effort has basically wiped her. God forbid she do anything.

She has a theory that she could escape the cube prison if she could shift to visible light. Y’know, since the cubes are translucent.

But Machine Man has another idea, from a book he read. And it has to be seen.

(The idea has nothing to do with the actual process he uses. The book just spilled a lot of ink on the domino effect and Machine Man thinks that bonking floating cubes into other floating cubes is like dominoes)

He basically uses his anti-gravity generators to make the cube tumble around in midair and bonk into Namor’s cube which bonks into She-Hulk’s cube and so on and so forth until all the cubes are pushed out of the communications complex building so the Avengers can see the Supreme Adaptoid shitting out smaller Adaptoids.

“One for each man, woman, and child on this planet.”

Why are you even replacing the children? What are your adaptoids going to do? Go to school? Play stick ball?

Meanwhile, Dr Druid and Black Knight but I bet you mostly Dr Druid refuse to take a backseat to this plot.

Even though they were off-panel taken to a hospital due to injuries sustained while having their asses kicked by a robot, the two have borrowed a Quinjet from the West Coast Avengers and are returning to Hydrobase.

Dr Druid uses his MIND POWERS to render the Quinjet invisible to detection so obviously two Adaptoids crash through the windshield as soon as the Quinjet lands.

Because Dr Druid sucks.

The Adaptoids start adapting the two heroes, one sprouting a robe and the other sprouting armor and a sword.

It could get dicey quickly but Dr Druid advises Black Knight that these things aren’t human so won’t activate his super cursed sword’s super blood curse.

So Black Knight cuts them both down with his cuts anything sword. Metal ain’t much of an obstacle.

With the two attacking Adaptoids dead orrrr deactivated? Dr Druid suggests they should hurry and infiltrate Hydrobase before anyone notices the missing Adaptoids.

But suddenly Dr Druid and Black Knight are also cubes because the Supreme Adaptoid definitely noticed losing two of his “children.”

The upside to this though is that it demonstrates that She-Hulk is the funniest damn person on the team.

So at least their morale isn’t all bad.

Black Knight decides to use his cut-anything sword to cut out of cube hell but while his cut-anything sword can cut through the cube, the cube reseals almost immediately after so its not a solution.

(Also, they’re floating near the Supreme Adaptoid and he can re-cube them with a thought so... at best its part 1 of a longer plan.)

Black Knight: “Uhh, so much for my bright ideas. Captain Marvel, you lead this intrepid group. What’s the plan, chief?”

Captain Marvel: “I-i just don’t have anything promising to say. Maybe when my strength returns...”

Black Knight, sadly: “Oh.”

Monica Rambeau character assassination power hour, remember?

She’s not even allowed to be a little useful.

As she points out, the Supreme Adaptoid has the reality altering power of the Cosmic Cube. Usually you beat a Cosmic Cube user by taking the cube from them. But the power is inherent to the Supreme Adaptoid and he’s double telepathic so can’t be surprised.

Meanwhile, Kubik just pops out of the black hole that the Adaptoid dunked him into. Because, yeah, he can reality alter too and has more experience with it.

Kubik: “Doubtless the Adaptoid believed I would be a bewildered child within the singularity... but I have wandered the Schwarzchild radius before and was not lost or baffled. And so Kubik returns to Earth.”

But instead of returning to where the Supreme Adaptoid is, Kubik does not do that. As the Adaptoid pointed out, two beings like them going at it could destroy all of existence and Kubik likes looking at existence. Its interesting.

So he needs to think of a non-direct way to thwart the Supreme Adaptoid.

Thankfully, he decides to go look to Our Lord And Savior Best Man In All Of Existence the Captain America.

To be less sassy about it, the Captain America has experience with Cosmic Cubes, Adaptoids, and who has “a spirit of most uncommon valor.”

So, the Captain America has been out of the book a bit. I don’t know why he never contacted the Avengers to touch base but basically the government told him to get in line or turn over all the stuff that’s (C) the US government. The shield and the costume and the Captain America name.

The Captain America told them to take the job and shove it and got a new shield and a new darker costume that’s primarily black instead of blue. Instead of going by Nomad again, he just dropped America off the name and is going by the Captain instead.

Huh. Which makes the Captain in Nextwave a recycled name. Which is funny since his thing is that there weren’t any good Captain ____ names anymore.

Also, he’s got some red and white shapes in a vague flag pattern but instead of the star field he’s got a black star-shaped hole. I think the visual symbolism is that the heart has gone out of America or something. Let it never be said that Steve Rogers can’t be a little dramatic.

Anyway. You can see the Captain’s costume on the cover where everyone is in cubes.

Kubik pops into existence on the road where the Captain is motorcycling and tells him “This universe has great need of you!”

He also has to reintroduce himself since the Captain only knew him as a cube.

The Captain goes ‘heck I may be on a leave of absence but if the Avengers need me, I’m there’ and Kubik goes ‘okay, you’re there’ and teleports the Captain right behind the Supreme Adaptoid.

Okay, okay. The Captain asks Kubik to send him there. Kubik warned that the Supreme Adaptoid would just put the Captain in cube jail too. And the Captain went ‘nuh uh, I have a plan or at least a concept.’

The concept being that the Adaptoid was created by AIM to defeat Captain America so he probably has a chip on its shoulder about the Captain.

So Kubik teleported him to Hydrobase but at least erased his memory of the interaction so the Supreme Adaptoid wouldn’t know Kubik was involved in things again.

Also, yes, the Supreme Adaptoid immediately puts the Captain in cube jail.

Although he is a little confused how the Captain got so close without being sensed. But whatever.

The Captain decides to challenge the reality-altering machine god to a one-on-one fisticuffs c’mon be a man.

Supreme Adaptoid: “Why should I accept such a challenge when my merest shrug would erase you from existence as if you had never been?”

The Captain: “You’ll face me because it’s your destiny to face me! Your creators gave you a mission -- to utterly defeat me! It is a mission -- a programming -- you have never successfully carried out!”

Supreme Adaptoid: “That is true. But I am the Supreme Adaptoid now -- I have transcended all programming. My destiny is my own -- subject to my will and my will alone! I AM THE COSMIC CUBE INCARNATE!”

The Captain: “Maybe so, but how do you know even this grand scheme wasn’t an unknown part of your programming? How do you know A.I.M. didn’t intend there to be a synthesis of its two greatest creations? Could be you’re not as independent as you think, fella!”

The Supreme Adaptoid decides Cap(tain) is just trying to make him doubt himself but he DOES let Cap(tain) out of cube jail and tells one of the baby Adaptoids to defeat him.

So, ha ha, psychology worked!

Also, being let out of cube jail apparently makes a POOT! sound effect.

I’m immature enough to highlight and laugh at that.

The Captain engages in fisticuffs with the Baby Adaptoid as it starts adapting his fighting skills and new aesthetic.

While he plays the sweet chin music on the shapeshifting robot he thinks about how dangerous it is that the Super-Adaptoid has Cosmic Cube power. Because usually you need to exploit the character flaws of whoever is using the cube. But being an artificial being with absolutely no character flaws probably, that won’t work on the Supreme Adaptoid.

But also: FIGHTING HEART! SPIRIT! HUMAN STUFF! THAT’S WHY THE CAPTAIN WILL PREVAIL OVER AN ADAPTOID COPY OF HIMSELF!

Whether America or not, Steve Rogers loves giving speeches while punching things.

Also, while the Captain is fighting the Captain-Adaptoid, the other Avengers are just chilling in their cubes spectating the fight.

It looks very funny.

The fight gives Dr Druid an idea and he floats his cube over to the Supreme Adaptoid. Captain Marvel yells at him not to do anything foolish but Black Knight points out that anything is worth a try. How could things get worse?

Dr Druid claims that he wants to help the Supreme Adaptoid.

Supreme Adaptoid: “Help me!? I am all-powerful -- not a boast, a fact. I require no assistance. And I sense this is merely a ploy to try and defeat me.”

Dr Druid: “If it is impossible to defeat you, what harm can there be in listening?”

Supreme Adaptoid: “Speak briefly then.”

This guy sure can be baited.

Dr Druid argues that there is a way for the Supreme Adaptoid to prove that what he’s doing is free will and not A.I.M. programming. And that is to answer the question of: what then?

After the Supreme Adaptoid replaces all of humanity with Adaptoids, what then?

Well, he’ll rule them.

Okay and ruling means dictating what they’ll be doing. What are five billion Adaptoids going to be doing?

Uhhh.... the Supreme Adaptoid hasn’t thought that far ahead.

Dr Druid: “Exactly... because you lack one essential... imagination. All you are capable of is the imitation of that which already is... Adaptoid. Once you have eliminated all there is to imitate, you will simply have nothing to do.”

Further, Dr Druid says that Adaptoids not only don’t have imagination, they have no ability to even copy imagination.

So, wait. The Supreme Adaptoid thought up the whole plan to gather Heavy Metal to distract the Avengers, use their files to track down the Cosmic Cube and summon it to Earth, so he could adapt its power and become ALL-POWERFUL. And that is a plan that is specifically Adaptoid based so he couldn’t have just stolen it from the Fixer.

So does he have imagination or not?

I guess not because the Supreme Adaptoid tries to create something from nothing and just makes a generic Adaptoid.

But as he gets angry, knocks away the Dr Druid cube, he has a pissy tantrum where he repeats the very argument I made.

Supreme Adaptoid: “Of what purpose is such a parlor game? I have conceived and executed a scheme that has brought me to the threshold of universal domination. And if that is not creativity -- if that is not imagination -- what is? Away with you, doctor, you words of ‘wisdom’ fall on deaf ears!”

I mean. Good point. Is coming up with that plan he came up with not imagination or creativity? Guess not.

Anyway, while he was distracted having a philosophical debate with Dr “Debate Me!” Druid, the Captain beat his Adaptoid counterpart.

And the Captain does what the Captain does best and makes a speech that you can’t break the human spirit and so on. Not even if the Supreme Adaptoid turns reality into a pretzel!

Sufficiently baited, the Supreme Adaptoid drags himself down to the Captain’s level, takes on his form and skills and starts kicking the shit out of him.

Supreme Adaptoid: “I’ll now put the lie to your ludicrous speeches of ‘indomitable will power’ and the ‘human heart!’ Nonsense! What matters are the quantifiable attributes! Strength -- speed -- agility -- combat knowledge! I’ve taken those qualities from you! They reside in a body not fatigued by extreme exertion. Thus, I am your measurable superior! And not all of your vaunted valor or spirit means a whit! I will win!”

The Captain: “You can’t see, can you? It’s the spirit that fires the flesh... the spark that ignites at those moments when a man is most alive!”

Supreme Adaptoid: “Lies! I am the cube incarnate! I am all --”

The Captain: “You are nothing! To know of life you must know of death! Life’s brevity makes it precious beyond understanding! Our species lives with the knowledge that our loved ones will die -- that we ourselves will one day be dust. But we go on! That is courage! That is spirit! But because death is a stranger to you, life will be an endless sameness... an eternal nothing of acquisition to no purpose. There is no end for you... and I pity you for that. And all this horror -- all this waste because you, Supreme Adaptoid, cannot die.”

And so, to own the Captain, the Supreme Adaptoid adapts the ability to die and drops dead.

That is exactly how this plot resolves.

The Captain talks the monster to death.

But if anyone could do it, it was going to be Speechifyin’ Steve Rogers.

All the Avengers who did jack and shit in this entire issue are freed from cube jail by Kubik.

Kubik praises what a cool guy Captain America is and how “truly is humanity blessed to have such as him” and adds the Avengers to that sentiment too, as an afterthought.

Kubik then removes the Cosmic Cube sliver from the defunct Super/Supreme Adaptoid. Without it, the Adaptoid should never be able to menace Earth again.

Of course, the Super Adaptoid appears two years later to fight the Fantastic Four so way to fuck up, Kubik.

Having ended the threat of the Super-Adaptoid forever, Kubik returns to space but leaves behind a moral, of sorts.

Kubik: “I leave now for the stars and my cosmic pursuits, Avengers. I leave saddened by the conclusion of a tragedy that should never have been. The tragedy of self-deception. You see before you a straw man brought down by the arrogance of absolute power... brought down by a simple, though profound, expression. In the words of your own immortal bard... ‘To thine own self be true.’”

Wasn’t that part of Polonius’ speech where the point was that Polonius was a dumbass? Like, there was good advice in the speech but Polonius was a huge dingus?

Anyway.

I have sour feelings about this story, this Supreme Adaptoid arc.

For one thing, it doesn’t play well to the Adaptoid’s strengths of adapting. There’s a good mix of powers and skills in this group of Avengers that would be fun to see them having to face all combined in one opponent.

Its a good twist when it turns out that the suddenly dangerous the Fixer is actually the Super-Adaptoid but then the rest of the plot (minus the part where he adapted Kubik’s power) could have been anyone. Hell, it could have been the Fixer with a machine that siphoned or copied the Cosmic Cube power.

I feel like it was too soon for Hydrobase to get smashed up. Avengers Mansion got smashed up not so long ago and that had some real emotion to it. It was the Avengers’ home. Hydrobase JUST got retooled into being their new headquarters and it doesn’t even look like itself.

And its hard to enjoy a story where it seems like the point is that Monica Rambeau sucks and the Avengers suck if Captain America isn’t around. It ultimately turns this issue of Avengers into Dragonball Z where we’re waiting for Goku Steve Rogers.

The Avengers flail around ineptly, the villain becomes Perfect Cell or more appropriate comparison, and then we have to wait for Captain America.

And for what? If Captain America were rejoining the team right away, this could be a strong reintroduction to the team. You often have new members or rejoins be super competent in their debut to get the readers excited about them being back.

But - and this is looking ahead a little spoilers - Steve Rogers the Captain does not rejoin the Avengers. The team is going to flail around some more, get undermined, and then disband in the next ten issues. There’s going to be some time without Avengers at all. And then the Captain will reform the team with the Worst Roster.

Was the Avengers sitting in cube jail waiting for the Captain to bail them out supposed to get us excited for that? Because there’s nearly a year between now and then.

I’m being too negative because I know what’s coming.

The book was so solid under Roger Stern. The characterization was great. And now there’s going to be some instability in the creative team for a bit until we land on John Byrne as the permanent writer.

I’ll look for the good in the upcoming issues but we’re still in the editorially mandated character assassination of Monica Rambeau so it’ll be an uphill struggle.

=|

Follow @essential-avengers​ but I can see why you’d hold off. But maybe do it anyway? Like and reblog too? Comment or reblog with your thoughts?

#essential avengers #avengers #Super Adaptoid #Kubik #Captain Marvel #Monica Rambeau #namor mckenzie #Marrina #She Hulk #Black Knight #Dr Druid #who is here for some reason #Stingray #who just sort of disappears out of relevance #Machine Man #Captain America #the Captain #our lord and savior and best man on this or any world god he's great #essential marvel liveblogging #grumble grumble #talking the villain to death the steve rogers way

[childofchrist1983]

Most will admit that all are sinners, that no one is perfect. The problem that often arises in sharing this news is that many do not see it as a great problem that they are sinners.

But as Paul tells us, the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23). We see that sin is much more serious than most realize. Especially when our sins can lead us straight to Hell forever! But through Jesus Christ, we can have redemption and spiritual rebirth and a chance at an eternity in Heaven with Him.

God has given us rules to live by in His Word - the Holy Bible - that will bring us peace and happiness in our lives if we only are willing to follow them. Begin and end your days by seeking Him in prayer and His Holy Word and walking in His Holy Spirit and its fruits and exalting His holy name! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your faith with Jesus! May the LORD help us to be faithful to His will and Holy Word. May we never forget to thank Him for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

Lord God, our sins have made a breach between us and You. A great gulf or chasm that is too vast for any man to build a bridge over. But by Your love and grace, through Your blood shed in Your sinless, selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, You have made a way for us.

Teach us to hate our sin and love You more with each passing day. May we seek You and Your Holy Word as well as the peace and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit today and everyday. Help us to walk in a way that is worthy of this calling You have guided us to. Help us to live this new life walking in Your ways and will and giving You praise for making it possible. Help us to value the true and eternal riches more highly than the passing and deceitful riches of Earth. Help us to walk in Your Holy Spirit, to seek You and Your will. Help our thoughts to turn to You in the little pauses and intermediate moments of this day and everyday. Help us live each day to glorify You so that when You return, we are ready. I cannot wait for Your return! Come soon, Lord Jesus!

May we worship You all our days, O Lord. May our lives show the world Your light and Truth and that You are a loving God and Heavenly Father who delights in showing love and mercy. May we all be humbly and faithfully honored and excited to worship, glorify and serve You daily and to do Your will. You have been so good to us, far more than we as wretched sinners deserve. You are so good! So wonderful! Forever and always!

Thank you, O Lord, for all Your creation and Your miraculous ways. Thank You for being our stronghold and my refuge. Thank you for seeing us as worth the sacrifice. Thank you for sustaining us, loving us and defining us according to Your will and love for us. Thank you for making sure we are taken care of. Thank you for being the best friend we could ever have! Thank you for Your endless mercy and love that has saved us. Thank you for always protecting us and providing for us and for Your Spirit to help us when we are in need. Thank you for giving us a chance to be saved from our sin and spend eternity with You. Thank you for adopting us as part of Your family in Heaven and making us one of Your own. Thank you for being our present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Thank you for always being near and for loving us. Thank you for giving us a reason to love others and so many more reasons to love, praise, serve and follow You. Thank you for Your selfless and sinless sacrifice. Thank you for Your guidance and protection. Thank you for Your Truth and light. Thank you for Your wisdom and strength and grace. Thank you for giving life to the world and to us. You give and take away – And we thank you for it. Thank you for everything! Your will be done! Blessed be Your mighty name! To You and Your Kingdom be the glory forevermore! In Your name I humbly pray, Amen and amen

[catenaaurea]

The Roman Catechism

Part Two: The Sacraments

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM (cont.)

Matter of Baptism

Now since we said above, when treating of the Sacraments in general, that every Sacrament consists of matter and form, it is therefore necessary that pastors point out what constitutes each of these in Baptism. The matter, then, or element of this Sacrament, is any sort of natural water, which is simply and without qualification commonly called water, be it sea water, river water, water from a pond, well or fountain.

Testimony Of Scripture Concerning The Matter Of Baptism

For the Savior taught that unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The Apostle also says that the Church was cleansed by the laver of water; and in the Epistle of St. John we read these words: There are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood. Scripture affords other proofs which establish the same truth.

When, however, John the Baptist says that the Lord will come who will baptize in the Holy Ghost, and in fire, that is by no means to be understood of the matter of Baptism; but should be applied either to the interior operation of the Holy Ghost, or at least to the miracle performed on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles in the form of fire, as was foretold by Christ our Lord in these words: John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.

Figures

The same was also signified by the Lord both by figures and by prophecies, as we know from Holy Scripture. According to the Prince of the Apostles in his first Epistle, the deluge which cleansed the world because the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil, was a figure and image of this water. To omit the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian, and the admirable virtue of the pool of Bethsaida, and many similar types, manifestly symbolic of this mystery, the passage through the Red Sea, according to St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians, was typical of this same water.

Prophecies

With regard to the predictions, the waters to which the Prophet Isaias so freely invites all that thirst, and those which Ezekiel in spirit saw issuing from the Temple, and also the fountain which Zachary foresaw, open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: for the washing of the sinner, and of the unclean woman, were, no doubt, intended to indicate and express the salutary waters of Baptism.

Fitness

The propriety of constituting water the matter of Baptism, of the nature and efficacy of which it is at once expressive, St. Jerome, in his Epistle to Oceanus, proves by many arguments.

Upon this subject pastors can teach in the first place that water, which is always at hand and within the reach of all, was the fittest matter of a Sacrament which is necessary to all for salvation. In the next place water is best adapted to signify the effect of Baptism. It washes away uncleanness, and is, therefore, strikingly illustrative of the virtue and efficacy of Baptism, which washes away the stains of sin. We may also add that, like water which cools the body, Baptism in a great measure extinguishes the fire of concupiscence.

Chrism Added To Water For Solemn Baptism

But it should be noted that while in case of necessity simple water unmixed with any other ingredient is sufficient for the matter of this Sacrament, yet when Baptism is administered in public with solemn ceremonies the Catholic Church, guided by Apostolic tradition, has uniformly observed the practice of adding holy chrism which, as is clear, more fully signifies the effect of Baptism. The people should also be taught that although it may sometimes be doubtful whether this or that water be genuine, such as the perfection of the Sacrament requires, it can never be a subject of doubt that the only matter from which the Sacrament of Baptism can be formed is natural water.

Form of Baptism

Having carefully explained the matter, which is one of the two parts of which Baptism consists, pastors must show equal diligence in explaining the form, which is the other essential part. In the explanation of this Sacrament a necessity of increased care and study arises, as pastors will perceive, from the circumstance that the knowledge of so holy a mystery is not only in itself a source of pleasure to the faithful, as is generally the case with regard to religious knowledge, but also very desirable for almost daily practical use. As we shall explain in its proper place, circumstances often arise where Baptism requires to be administered by the laity, and most frequently by women; and it therefore becomes necessary to make all the faithful, indiscriminately, well acquainted with whatever regards the substance of this Sacrament.

Words Of The Form

Pastors, therefore, should teach, in clear, unambiguous language, intelligible to every capacity, that the true and essential form of Baptism is: I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. For so it was delivered by our Lord and Savior when, as we read in St. Matthew He gave to His Apostles the command: Going, . . . teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

By the word baptizing, the Catholic Church, instructed from above, most justly understood that the form of the Sacrament should express the action of the minister; and this takes place when he pronounces the words, I baptize thee.

Besides the minister of the Sacrament, the person to be baptized and the principal efficient cause of Baptism should be mentioned. The pronoun thee, and the distinctive names of the Divine Persons are therefore added. Thus the complete form of the Sacrament is expressed in the words already mentioned: I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Baptism is the work not of the Son alone, of whom St. John says, He it is that baptizeth, but of the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity together. By saying, however, in the name, not in the names, we distinctly declare that in the Trinity there is but one Nature and Godhead. The word name is here referred not to the Persons, but to the Divine Essence, virtue and power, which are one and the same in Three Persons.

Essential And Non-Essential Words Of The Form

It is, however, to be observed that of the words contained in this form, which we have shown to be the complete and perfect one, some are absolutely necessary, so that the omission of them renders the valid administration of the Sacrament impossible; while others on the contrary, are not so essential as to affect its validity.

Of the latter kind is the word ego (I), the force of which is included in the word baptizo (I baptise). Nay more, the Greek Church, adopting a different manner of expressing the form, and being of opinion that it is unnecessary to make mention of the minister, omits the pronoun altogether. The form universally used in the Greek Church is: Let this servant of Christ be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It appears, however, from the decision and definition of the Council of Florence, that those who use this form administer the Sacraments validly, because the words sufficiently express what is essential to the validity of Baptism, that is, the ablution which then takes place.

Baptism In The Name Of Christ

If at any time the Apostles baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ only, we can be sure they did so by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, in order, in the infancy of the Church, to render their preaching more illustrious by the name of Jesus Christ, and to proclaim more effectually His divine and infinite power. If, however, we examine the matter more closely, we shall find that such a form omits nothing which the Savior Himself commands to be observed; for he who mentions Jesus Christ implies the Person of the Father, by whom, and that of the Holy Ghost, in whom, He was anointed.

#Roman Catechism part 39 #catholic #Christian #that last one doesn't track for me based on relatively recent events i have to look more into it

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for February 27, 2023

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 10:2-3:(KJV):

2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.

3 The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Thought for the Day

Verse 2 - The riches that belong to the wicked will not deliver them from death. At some point, every man comes to the end of himself and realizes that money cannot buy the things that matter. Riches follow no one to the grave, and there is only one way to escape the punishment of hell waiting on the other side it is through Jesus Christ. He took our sins and punishment upon Himself on the cross. If we repent and accept Him as Savior, we will not face hell, but rather live with Him in heaven. God's original plan for man did not include death or hell. Hell was created for Satan and his evil angels (Matthew 25:41). Men are going there because they are deceived into following Satan's ways.

No man can attain the righteousness which delivers one from hell outside of receiving the righteousness of Christ. This is a sin-cursed world. We are all born into sin. We do not have to remain in sin, however. If we ask God to help us forsake our sins, He will. The only redemption for any of us is in Christ. We must ask Jesus into our hearts and allow Him to live His life through us; then we will have His righteousness and can live an overcoming life. When we accept Jesus as our Lord, death holds no fear for us, because He conquered death and hell by rising from the dead. As His children, we have been given victory over the devil and no longer have to live in fear, sickness, poverty, or any other curse.

Verse 3 - As God's righteous people, our souls need never be famished. If we come with a humble heart and ask Him to meet our needs, He promises to provide. He gives strength to the weary; courage to the fearful; healing to the sick; peace to the angry; comfort to the wounded; guidance to the troubled and the list goes on and on. The world knows nothing about the wondrous things God freely gives His children–things no amount of money can buy!

Many people lose their riches because they are not serving God, who "casts away the substance" of the wicked. Sometimes, through loss, people will turn to God. The Lord does not desire us to come to Him this way, but rather, simply to surrender to His will. When we do, worldly riches will mean nothing to us compared to the riches that we will find in Christ. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Matthew 13:45-46).

Prayer for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, You truly are the "Pearl of Great Price." We are so glad that we found You. There is nothing in this world that compares to Your beauty! Lord, even the times our lives have been the most difficult, we have never doubted Your love for us, as You have always been there. We may have not always understood certain things that have happened, but we do not have to understand everything. We trust that You know what is best for us, and we know as we yield to You, You will show us how to overcome all the troubling things that confront us. Show us dear Lord how to overcome the attacks of the enemy. Thank you that You deliver Your righteous people. Bless and strengthen Your people everywhere. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

From: Elder Steven P. Miller

Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups

Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.

Twitter: @GatekeeperWatchman1, @ParkermillerQ,

@StevenPMiller6; #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956 & Gatekeeper306

URL: linkedin.com/in/steven-miller-b1ab212From

[seekfirst-community]

The Feast of St Scholastica, Virgin and Foundress of a Religious Order. 

"Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the Lord God had made.

"The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” 

"The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” 

"But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.”

"The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

"When they heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3: 1 - 8).



Friday 10th February 2023 in the 5th Week of February  is the feast of St Scholastica, Virgin and Religious. (480 - 547). Italian. Religious nun.  She founded the Benedictine Nuns that continue to serve the Church for 1500 years. Scholastica is the twin sister of the great St Benedict. St Scholastica is the patron saint of education, convulsive children and  Benedictine Nuns.

The first Reading from Genesis 3: 1 - 8 is one of the best known Scripture in the Bible. Call it the Story of the tragic Fall. At the root of the Fall of Adam and Eve is their lack of faith in God. Eve chose to trust the words of the Serpent over the words of God. 

Every trial in life is a trial of faith. Who do you believe? God or Satan, the Father of lies. At the heart of Religion is Worship. God created us. We worship Him and show allegiance to Him. The Fall of Adam and Eve introduced a necessary and important element into Religion: Sacrifice. God is not a vengeful God. So God made Thanksgiving the very heart of Sacrifice. 



What a happy fault of Adam and Eve that brought Jesus Christ to come as our Redeemer and Savior. How fortunate we are for the faults of Adam and Eve. 

I was asked recently: What are my obstacles to faith? To trusting God completely? The powerful, merciful and mysterious Providence of God is the greatest obstacle. 

Others have answered: the obstinate evil and suffering in the world. This group may point to the category 7.8 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria in the past couple of days. 

The Church light of the world urges us to trust in the mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence of God that governs all things. In all changes, our God remains faithful. 

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

[calebyap]

“The Joy of the Christian” (Psalm 16:5-11)

Family, friends and guests of the couple, let me welcome you to church for this joyous occasion.

I’m honored to be able to share a few thoughts from from Psalm 16. I hope that these words will encourage your hearts and build us all up in faith.

If I had to give a title to this exhortation, it would be: “The Joy of the Christian” fitting for this happy day. As you prepare your hearts to make your solemn vows allow me to make three points about Christian joy:

First point: your God is good and gracious (v5-6)

It almost goes without saying that the Christian’s joy begins first with the Christian’s God. The first two verses in our text show the psalmist declaring what matters more to him than anything in the world: his relationship with God.

The Lord is his chosen portion, his cup, his lot, his beautiful inheritance - four objects which are personal and valuable. In short this is man whose life will be built on a God he knows is good. In modern terms, the language of boundary lines and beautiful inheritance is like a young couple winning a single digit BTO draw, or a generous enbloc arrangement - that’s how good God is. The Puritan Stephen Charnock writes that “the goodness of God is his inclination to deal well and bountifully with his creatures”.

Christians aren’t just religious people. They’re people who have discovered hidden treasure in a field and found the pearl of great price. They know God has dealt well and bountifully with them. Before Christ we lived in sinful rebellion. It’s not that we weren’t perfect, but we lived life on our own terms and spurned the One who made us. He would have been right to judge us and leave us to the mess we’ve made. But in His kindness God sent a Savior when we could not save ourselves. Jesus Christ came to live the life we should have lived, and He died the death we should have died at the Cross. And from the dead God raised Him up to make possible a new life of sins forgiven and conscience cleansed. And if any of us turns from our sins and trusts in Jesus, we can be adopted into His own family, the church.

This is the best news in all the world. And some think it’s too good to be true, too good to be real. But the couple knows the goodness of God because they’ve experienced it. He has been good to them, not because they have a spouse today, but because they have a Savior called Jesus, and have life in His name. Your Heavenly Father is good and He loves you - he will never give you a stone when you ask for bread, or a snake when you ask for fish. And His good Spirit He has sent to dwell in you.

Let me share that first point in Mandarin:

我很高兴以诗篇 16:5-11 这段上帝的话语做一些分享。从诗篇中，我们可以学习到诗人的人生观念，并思考这对我们意味着什么。

诗人在第 5 节说“耶和华是我的产业，是我杯中的份；我所得的，你为我持守。‘’

这一节提醒我们：跟随耶和华的人是何等的有福。诗人在耶和华里寻求自己的身份、生存的意思。对他来说人生的意义不在子孙满堂，荣华富贵 ，而是在上帝怀里享受那又平静又安稳的生活。诗人的生命依然有各种各样的考验和磨练，他却深信在上帝怀里的生活是多么有福。第九节他说：”我的心欢喜，我的灵快乐”.

朋友们，一生最美的祝福，就是能认识并信靠主耶稣。我们在认识耶稣之前是过着叛逆pan ni和罪恶的生活。那时我们为自己而活，拒绝、憎恨上帝，与祂为敌。但是上帝没有因此而拒绝我们。他差遣他的独生子耶稣基督降世为人，最后还为我们钉在十字架上流出宝血，赦免我们的罪，让我们成为神的儿女，并给我们带来永生的盼望。这是全世界最美好的消息 ye 就是基督徒爱欢喜唱歌的原因。我们不是在教堂里举行音乐会时唱，而是从心里发出感恩，赞美的欢唱。

有人说基督教的福音是好消息，却令人难以置信。但是这对新人都有亲身体验到上帝对他们的美善和怜悯，并已经转离罪恶, 信靠耶稣，借着耶稣基督与上帝和好。我们在这场婚礼中所看到的就是这对有福的人做出的见证。

如果我们跟他们一样做同样的选择，转离罪孽并相信耶稣在十字架上的牺牲，并从死亡里复活，我们也可以认识这位善良，公义，仁慈的天父。

约翰福音 3 章 16-17 节的话是如此的宝贵：“神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。因为神派他的儿子降世，不是要定世人的罪，而是要世人借着他得救。”我希望大家能够好好思想这段分享。如果真的有这样一位良善的神，他会不会是在等候我们每个人的选择？

So the first point: your God is good and gracious. Second, we need not fear the worst things in life (v7-10).

Back in our passage we see hints that the psalmist’s life is no different than the average person’s - full of trouble. Verses 8-9 suggest difficult circumstances that might shake him or make him anxious. His prayer is God that preserve him and be a refuge although we don’t know the exact reasons why. Certainly this is the prayer of a troubled man.

Friends what do you do when you’re troubled? What higher power do you seek out for help?

It’s interesting how many modern people no longer believe in seeking help from others but turned inward in self-sufficiency. We like to solve our own problems. So we see many people now practicing mindfulness. Or better self-care so we can cope. But there is a better way. V7-8: go to God with what you fear. The psalmist seeks counsel from the Lord, and his heart is instructed by night. Where does this man find help? When the sun goes down, he gets quiet, humbles his heart, seeks God in prayer and reads the Bible for instruction. Facing the worst things in life, the psalmist must have this: that the Lord is always before him, always at his right hand.

This is practical wisdom for Christian couples. Finding time to connect with one another and talk will get harder and harder. So cultivate the habit of reaching for God together at night and you’ll always talk. Read Scripture together as you date. Share your headaches and heartaches. But knit your souls together in the things of God. Let God’s Word be where the two of you meet each day. This is an area where husbands should take initiative. It can’t be organic brothers, it must be intentional. Someone needs to say “I have set the Lord always before me”. It doesn’t have to be a long thing, but it must be a constant thing. And friends, all married couples start out in this and lose steam. But all of us need to pick it up, say I’m sorry we’ve neglected God’s Word, and let’s try again.

And the more we read God’s Word together, the less we fear the worst things in life. In v9-10 the psalmist faces something so dangerous that he’s worried he might die. But knowing God’s Word gives him a quiet inner confidence - his heart and whole being rejoice and are glad, and he can be unshakeably secure. Why? His Bible reading has taught him this one great truth: God has promised resurrection from Sheol, the place of death.

In Acts 2, the apostle Peter says that this passage is fulfilled when God raises His holy one, Christ Jesus from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection means He has overcome the worst of things - sin, death and hell. These will trouble God’s people no more. Because Jesus was raised, God’s promises of sins forgiven and life unending are secure. Because Jesus was raised, the dead can live again, the broken can be fixed, and the worst things in life can turn out for our good. So neither cancer, clashes, conflicts, crises - none of these will have the ultimate word for those belong to the resurrected Jesus. So we await this risen Savior who transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body in resurrection hope, Phi 3.

So reasons for joy: God is good and gracious, in Him we need not fear the worst things.

And still point three, the best is yet to come (v11).

The psalmist has seen what God has promised in Scripture, and the hope of resurrection. He also sees what the future looks like - the path of life God has opened up v11, and in God’s presence, there is fullness of joy with pleasures evermore at His right hand.

Eph 2 says in the coming age our God will show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. God is not a sour, grumpy god waiting for us to slip up. No, He’s the God of happiness and joy - who made pineapples and longans and durian, and whales and butterflies and monitor lizards, of symphonies and design and all manner of beautiful things. But more than this - His heaven will be full of unending, glorious good because He will give us the best thing - Himself.

That’s why each Sunday, as we gather with the church for Lord’s Day worship we are a foretaste of the best still yet to come. We should all make gathering with God’s people a priority. It points forward to the day when we will have Him. And this very wedding service now is a preview of the joy that is coming.

Christians, this is your destiny and hope in Jesus. You can afford to not sweat the small stuff like fights and disagreements, or people hurting you or being mean. You have plenty of emotional capital if you fill your heart with this hope, with this anticipation. And though the days will stretch you and your hearts may be bruised as you take up your Cross and follow Jesus, your faith will be refined as you wait for Him, your love will be perfected, and one day all your hopes will come true when you see Him face to face.

So dear friends, feast your hearts on the joy of the Christian as you begin your life together: your God is good and gracious, you need not fear the worst things, the best is yet to come.

May the Lord bless you and keep you on on the path as you enter by the narrow gate, swerving neither to the left nor to the right . And may you walk always in Christ, all the days of your life, Amen.

#wedding #preaching #psalms #psalm 16 #theology #goodness of god

[stpaullutheranchurch]

May 1st 2022

Easter 3 May 1st 2022

Old Testament: Acts 9:1-22

Psalm: Psalm 30

Epistle: Revelation 5:8-14

Gospel: John 21:1-14 (15-19)

Sermon Text: John 21

Sermon Title: “Feed My Sheep”

Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“After this, Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberius … This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after He was raised from the dead”. (John 21:1a, 14) Jesus appears to the disciples after a night of hard work, performs a miracle that He had done before, and then has breakfast with them.

Seven of the disciples were together, (Peter, James. John, Nathanial and Thomas), and even after seeing the risen Christ twice, they seemed confused as to what to do next; so, they did what they knew how to do. Perhaps thinking about making a little money in case this Jesus “thing” doesn’t work out; “Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, we will go with you. They went out into the boat, but that night they caught nothing”. (John 21:3) That would soon change, when they saw the risen Christ.

“Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not (immediately) know that it was Jesus (since they were about 100 yards away). He said to them, children, do you have any fish? They answered Him, no! He said to them, cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. So, they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish”. (John 21:4-6)

They listened to His instructions, even though they didn’t know that it was Jesus; but once the nets were full of fish, one disciple recognized Him. “The disciple whom Jesus loved (John) said to Peter, It is the Lord! When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. And the other disciples came into the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, but about a hundred yards off”. (John 21:7-8)

If this sounds familiar, it should. In Luke chapter 5, Jesus performed a similar miracle after a night of unsuccessful fishing causing Peter to declare; “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord”. (Luke 5:8b) “And Jesus said to Simon Peter, do not be afraid; from now on, you will be catching men”. (Luke 5:10b) This was near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

This time, Jesus makes everything ready for a meal with His disciples. Now, “when they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with some fish laid out on it, and bread. And Jesus said to them; Bring some of the fish you have just caught. So, Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish; 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn”. (John 21:9-11)

“Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. Now, none of the disciples dared to ask Him; Who are you? For they knew it was the Lord. (They had worked all night, using all their best effort as experienced fisherman, and had caught nothing. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. (Again) This was the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after He was raised from the dead”. (John 21:12-14)

Now, a lot had happened between the first and second miraculous catch of fish. Jesus had been crucified and raised bodily from the dead, for the salvation of the world. Peter, who had given the great confession of Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), had denied Jesus on the night of His betrayal and arrest. He had seen the risen Jesus now three times, but he was still in need of being reconciled to Christ.

So, “when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter; Simon, son of John, Do you love Me more than these? Peter said to Him; yes Lord, You know that I love You. Jesus said to him; feed My lambs”. (John 21:15) Jesus then asked Peter two more times; “Simon, Son of John, do you love Me”. (John 21:16, 17) This line of questioning disturbed Peter, and “he was grieved because Jesus said to him the third time; Do you love Me”. (John 21:17a) Three times Peter had denied Jesus and now three times, He would be asked by Jesus to affirm his love; “Simon, do you love Me”. (John 21:15, 16, 17)

Seemingly frustrated with Jesus’ questioning, Peter “Said to Him, Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You. Jesus said to him; (again) Feed My sheep”. (John 21:17b) But what does feeding My sheep indicate? It means preaching, teaching (catechesis) and disciplining the sheep of God; calling us/them to daily repentance through the means of grace God has provided; Word, Sacrament, and Confession and Absolution. Jesus paid the ultimate price to win forgiveness for all; so He cares that His sheep are well provided for in the means of grace. In our first reading this morning, Saul too was reconciled to God, so that he might feed God’s sheep through the proclamation of Jesus as “the Son of God … the Christ”. (Acts 9:20b, 22b)

(By the way) Jesus is not bestowing on Peter a special authority in the church; over and above the others. What Peter is here called to do, he holds in common with the rest of the Apostles. Luther adds, “Christ gave the Apostles only spiritual power/authority … to preach the Gospel … administer the sacraments … excommunicate the godless …”. (Martin Luther, Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, par. 30) The church has no authority apart from Christ and His Word and Christ is the One who chooses how to distribute His gifts.

In this three-part restoration, the Lord Jesus restored Peter for future service in the Holy Chirstian Church; but the next words of Jesus, indicate that it would not be easy for Peter. “Truly, truly I say to you; when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands; and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. This He said (to Peter) to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God”. (John 21:18-19a) Paul too, would glorify God by his martyrdom at the hands of the Roman government.

In a cryptic way, Jesus was referring to Peter’s martyrdom. About 35 years later, Peter would die by crucifixion at the hands of the Roman emperor Nero. Peter, and all but one of the rest of the disciples would also glorify God by their death for preaching the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. After saying all these things to Peter, after forgiving and restoring him to his calling as an Apostle, “Jesus said to him, Follow Me”. (John 21:19b) Jesus said the same words to Peter at the beginning of His ministry. Peter would later write, “For to this you have been called, because Christ suffered for you; leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps”. (1st Peter 2:21)

In his pride and weakness, Peter had sinned greatly in denying his Lord, even to the point of briefly losing faith in Christ. Yet our Lord prayed for Peter and he repented. This is what God desires for each and every one of us here today. Jesus intercedes for us, calling us to repent daily and receive the forgiveness of sins, no matter in what way we have trespassed His Word/Law. When we fall into any sin, He wants to restore us to a right relationship with Him as well. So, Jesus says to us also, “Follow Me”. (John 21:19b)

For Christ came to this earth for the very purpose of saving sinners like us. Again, Peter wrote, “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without spot or blemish”. (1st Peter 1:18-19)

He gives us these precious gifts of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Christ Jesus, through the means of grace; by which He told Peter to “Feed My sheep/lambs”. (John 21:15, 16, 17) It is Jesus alone who “opens our minds to understand the Scriptures … that everything written about Christ in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, must be fulfilled”. (Luke 24:44-45) Therefore, God’s people gladly hear these words and promises of God; by which He creates and strengthens our faith; and we receive His gracious gifts as often as we are able. Amen.

The peace of God …

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

Sunday Morning Session

High on the Mountain Top

Conducting: Dallin H. Oaks

Press Forward Saints

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

D. Todd Christofferson

God knows all things – we need to take counsel from the Lord not attempt to counsel Him

When we make the plans and then God does not deliver on those plans that means they were not part of His plan.

We do our best but leave to Him the management of blessings and healing

Our repentance and obedience, our sacrifices do matter

The steps are designed for the individual and are tailored to our needs

Let God Prevail

Stories of Abraham being delivered from death, and Joseph in prison, Abinadi not being delivered but Alma believing and bringing the gospel to the people, Joseph S in liberty jail

HF is in this with me. I am not alone; He is with me all the time

In the midst of this refiner’s fire, don’t get angry at God, get close to Him

Amy A. Wright

He can heal broken things in our lives no matter our age

No ones life can be understood by one magnificent moment or one regrettable public disappointment

Go forth and change

Repent: change your behavior, associations, your heart, how you think about yourself

We are not out of His reach

Luke 15 – man who has two sons, prodigal son

Forgiveness is one of the noblest gifts we can give one another, and most specifically ourselves

Acts 3 – man who was born lame (40 yrs old)

Deliverance from our trials is different for each of us – emphasis should be less about the way we are delivered and more on the Deliverer Himself.

He knows exactly what we need and precisely when we need it

Christ says “we can fix this together”

Gary E. Stevenson

The Savior’s great commission: love share and invite

The first thing we can do is love as Christ loved

Whenever we show love, we share the gospel

The second thing we can do is share

How can you simply add what you love about the gospel of Jesus Christ to the things you share?

Sharing isn’t about selling the gospel

God needs you to be His sharer, not His sheriff

The third thing you can do is invite

Come and see, come and serve, come and belong

Michael T. Ringwood

John 3: 16-17

He knows our hearts, our names, and what we need to do

Story of Joseph again – being sold into slavery

Do you ever feel about others the way Judah felt about Benjamin?

No matter who you are or what your current circumstances there is someone out there who feels this way about you

How shall I go up to my father, and you be not with me?

You don’t need to know the meaning of all things, just know that God loves His children

How Firm a Foundation

Ronald A. Rasband

Religious freedom allows each of us to decide for ourselves what we believe

Essence of religious freedom: Inclusive, liberating and respectful

1 religious freedom honors the first and second great commandments: placing God at the center of our lives

2 religious freedom fosters expressions of belief, hope, and peace

Protecting people of all beliefs and persuasions

3 religion inspires people to help others.

4 freedom of religion acts as a unifying and rallying force for shaping values and morality

Hugo E. Martinez

IDK what he said but the definition of self reliance is: reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others.

When Jesus was your age, He learned and grew. You are learning and growing too.

Deut 6: 6-7

It is important that children place their own goals with parental support

Lessons for life and growth with noticeable accomplishments

Talks briefly about father/mother roles in fam proc

1 being good examples of service to others

2 living and teaching the doctrine and principles of self reliance.

3 obeying the commandment to build self-reliance as part of the gospel of Jesus Christ

If The Savior Stood Beside Me

Russell M. Nelson

Any and all inclination to hurt others whatever those may be, the Savior commanded us to turn the other check, love our enemies, and pray for those who despitefully use you

How can we expect peace to exist in the world when we are not personally seeking peace

Momentum can swing either way

We need positive spiritual momentum – will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, etc.

1 get on the covenant path and stay there

Ordinances and covenants give us access to godly power

2 discover the joy of daily repentance

Repenting is the key to progress

Satan delights in your misery – cut it short! Cast his influence out of your life

His kindness shall not depart – love this song

Isaiah 54:10

the Savior loves us always but especially when we repent

3 learn about God and how He works

Daily experiences worshiping the Lord and studying His gospel

Let God Prevail

4 Seek and expect miracles

Ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith

5 strive to end conflict in your personal life

In two weeks is Easter – invited to end a personal conflict in your life before then, you are promised a personal peace and a burst of spiritual momentum

Greater strength, more peace of mind, freedom from fear, unity in your families.

It Is Well With My Soul

#ldsconf #general conference #genconf #tumblrstake #the church of jesus christ of latter day saints #churchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints

[ladecena]

FELICITY🦋

“She is not a painter but she drew many lines on her wrist. Slowly the red liquid flows from the lines of varying lengths. She is not afraid. Her tears were dripping on the floor.” Our lives are full of many colors. But why on some pages of my life, I cannot see any color. With so many people in this world, why do I seem to be alone? “She’s just acting!” “It’s only on her mind!” “She just wants pity!” “She only wants attention!” words I hear from them. It is just a simple mental illness for some people, but they do not know that it can cause the taking of a life.

My parents named me Felicity. It means ‘happiness’. That’s why I grew up as a happy child, they called me “Ligaya”. I have 6 siblings and I am the eldest. Five of us will go to private school and my other two siblings are still young. I am currently studying in a private school, 3rd-year College, and the course I took was Bachelor of Arts in Communication. My mother is a teacher while my father works for a well-known company.  They try their best to get us to go to a good school. But we can hardly be with them for long because they are so busy but we remain happy and in love. I mostly take care of my little siblings. As the eldest, I often did the household chores such as cooking, washing, and so on. When mama is not at work, I help her do the laundry. But it’s not always fun and abundant, the year has come that will test us and others.

 There was a pandemic that tested everyone. Many lost their jobs, businesses went bankrupt and closed, and some students did not continue their studies due to the lack of gadgets to use for online classes. My mother lost her job because not everyone was allowed to continue teaching. We were deeply affected by this news. Also, my father lost the job that our family hoped for because the company he worked for went bankrupt. So almost all the money we saved was spent little by little. My younger siblings need to transfer to a public school. We no longer know where we can get the money to earn. My mom tried to sell a lot of clothes but she was scammed and went bankrupt. That’s why we were in debt then. And there’s a lot of problems that have come to us. My third brother Mark became Covid positive and had to be taken to the hospital alone. I knew he could get through it because Mark was brave and strong like me.

 Meanwhile, we were quarantined for the safety of our family. We had almost nothing to eat so we sold everything we had just to make money. My mom lost weight because she always wondered to Mark how he was doing. I also started to lose interest in everything.  I don’t know what’s happening to me, there are nights that I suddenly cry and I always want to be in my room. My parents worry about me every day and they ask me what my problem is but I can’t answer them. I just want to be alone. I can’t do my paperwork at school anymore. I couldn’t even talk or tell them things that ran through my mind. Even my friends at school or even my siblings can’t express my feelings because I’m afraid of being judged. After all, I’m too confused. I couldn’t smile anymore, I was always in my room. On social media, I can bring out all my problems at school and home. But no one even asked me how I was? Or what is happening to me? Only my parents worry about me but I don’t want them to think about me. Add to my thoughts are people who say I’m just acting or that I just want attention. Don’t they know how I feel? There are days when I just want to commit suicide. I ask God why I need to experience all of this. Sometimes I blame God for all the things that happened to me and my family. One day, while my father was busy arranging for Mark’s belongings to be taken to the hospital, he read bad news on his cellphone that Mark was gone, my beloved brother was gone. We never saw Mark again, we only saw his ashes. My parents can’t accept what happened. They had to go to my grandpa and grandma’s house to borrow money for the bills left over from Mark’s hospitalization. I need to get out of my room and fight my thoughts and feelings to help them. While I was cooking, someone called me and said that my parents had an accident. I don’t know how I feel, I was suddenly stunned and I don’t know what to do. I immediately went to the hospital where they were and I told Joy to take care of our younger siblings. When I arrived at the hospital, the guards would not let me in because they were restrictive and needed to follow some protocol, but I needed to know what the condition of my parents was. Later, a doctor came out and I immediately talked to him. I asked him how my parents were doing. They said that they tried to save my father but it’s all too late. While my mother is comatose and needs a large amount of money for my dad’s funeral and my mom’s hospital bills. 

I feel so much pain because I don’t know what to do for my parents. I immediately went to my grandparent’s house to tell them the bad news and asked for help. I first took my siblings there so that someone would watch over them while I took care of my father’s funeral. Because of the pandemic, it is not possible to have a long hill. So my father was buried for only two days. We borrowed some money from the relatives of my dad abroad.

While I was walking to the hospital I didn’t realize that it was raining so I went to the church near the hospital. As I walked to the altar approaching Him, my tears flowed as I stared at Him and said what else we had to go through. And I couldn’t help but scream in pain “What else do you want to take from me? You took all the things that I have! You took Mark and my dad, that’s enough! ” I have lost two important people in my life and my mother is almost dying. I have approached a lot of people but none of them attempt to help us. So I had to find a job because I was afraid of losing my mother too. So I fight everything in my mind. But because of the pandemic, it’s a hard time for me to find a job, especially restricting everything because of the virus. So I just worked in the cafeteria near our house. 

My mom hasn’t woken up for almost two weeks and her hospital bill has been going up. After work, I’ll just take a look at my siblings and my grandparents. Every time I went there, my siblings ignored me because they were angry with me, they said I couldn’t do anything for mama as I was the eldest. But they don’t know how much I want to help our mother. I felt even more that I was alone in the world. While I was working in the cafeteria, my boss suddenly shouted at me because I was stunned.  I just entered the comfort room because I was so embarrassed. I saw something sharp when I was inside and I don’t know why I thought of hurting myself. As my tears flowed as well as blood dripped from my arm. I just woke up lying in the hospital. When I woke up I saw Erika, my youngest sister. I tried to get up to go to her but the nurses stopped me and said that my youngest sister was also positive for the virus as well as my sister Joy. As the nurse told me about the condition of my siblings I don’t know how I will feel. 

As I was stunned an old man approached me and spoke to me. He asked me why I tried to commit suicide. But I couldn’t answer his question because I also didn’t know the answer. He also asked me if I believed in God and I suddenly looked at him and just nodded. “If you believe that there is a God, why do you want to disappear from this world? Why would you give up? ” You know many of us only know God as our savior but most of us only know Him when we need something. But the commitment and faith in Him is nothing. They just know God but don’t have a deep relationship with him. And that is one of the reasons why we give up immediately. I saw a lot of your problems and yes it’s hard but you have to be resilient and you have to surrender everything to Him. Just wait for His great plans for you. Sometimes we tend to forget what God’s value is when we already have everything we want and at the end of the day, we will come to Him again when we don’t have those things anymore. It is important that you put your full trust in Him and that we accept Him wholeheartedly. ” As that man says all those words, my tears continue to fall, and I realize that man is right. I should not blame the Lord for what happens to me and my family today. I may lose something in my life but I know that there will come a good and new hope in my life after all. When the old man left I immediately looked up in the sky and apologized to Him. God sent that old man so that I could realize the value of life and the value of God in our lives. And since I trusted in the Lord’s plan for my life, my prayers began to be heard. My mother woke up and papa’s rich friend helped us to get mama out of the hospital. My siblings and I became negative and I already had a job and I was able to provide for our daily needs. Lastly, we live happily and we know that God is always with us, protecting us and guiding us. I am now aware that God is always in control and He always provides for our needs.

- matahom👄

June 09, 2021

#love cinema movie movies art entertainment life fantasy story #short story #inspiration #motivation

[dany-is-my-queen]

Born To Be Yours | Part X

Sansa Stark x Fem! Baratheon! Reader (Daenerys Targaryen x Fem! Baratheon! Reader eventually)

Season 1-8

Word Count: 3,387

Note: This is the end of S2! Thank you for reading <3

Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.6 Pt.7 Pt.8 Pt.9

“Are you out of your mind?” Cersei peevishly protested. You heavily sighed. “You just want to prove yourself, and impress that northerner friend of yours-“ You cut her off.

“I don’t need to prove anything.” She rolled her eyes.

“So what do you want to earn from it? You’ll stay in the Red Keep with the other highborn ladies. End of this conversation.” You pressed your lips, not pushing harder cause the result would be the same. If you are in the same place Sansa is when this starts then you can keep an eye on her in case things go sideways for your brother’s army.

You stormed out of her chambers. Cersei might not hold the same affection she does for your brothers and sister but she doesn’t want you to die, in her own strange way she cares, not that she knows how to show it.

The bells rang, the troops were ready, Joffrey had the stupid idea of attacking the Starks now that they were distracted. He came to his senses thanks to you, he finally kind of admitted you are were right. And that that wasn’t a prudent decision.

Truth be told, you were afraid, afraid for your family safety, this is war, nothing less, you were always so self-confident, you believed the good would persevere, the strongest and largest forces would win, the smartest. You can be so wrong about that fact... Tonight a lot of people will die fighting for his own King, and just because your brother is a bastard. You might as well be one too, but you are not, you are Y/N Baratheon.

The Throne Room was lit by great flaming braziers. “I see you changed your mind.” Tyrion asserted.

“My mother is very convincing.” You jested. “Actually, I pondered it through, Sansa needs me, she’d be devastated if some plucky soldier manages to drive an ax through my heart.”

“You can’t die before confessing your feelings to your lady.” He playfully remarked. She and Shae arrived, they slightly bowed.

“Lady Sansa and Sheila.” He said in purpose.

“Shae.” She corrected him.

“Shae, yes.”

“What are you doing here?” You questioned half surprised, you didn’t expect to see her until you were on the Keep.

“King Joffrey sent me to see him off, my Princess, my Lord. And you? I thought-“

“I’m not going anywhere.” She smiled broadly, acknowledging you will stay by her side.

��Sansa, come here.” Joffrey called for her. Shae and your uncle discreetly said goodbye to one another.

“Be safe. You are my favorite uncle.”

“I know.” He winked.

“Some of those boys will never come back.” Sansa didn’t take her eyes off the group of men heading outside.

“Joffrey will. The worst always live.” She emotionless said. Shae frowned, a bit worried you’d be angry about that, you couldn’t care less.

At the Meagor’s holdfast you sat next to little Tommen. You took a few seconds to stare at him, what a fine, decent, and handsome prince he was, unlike Joffrey, he deserves to live, he deserves the very best of the world and more. Across the room, Sansa and Shae were talking to each other. Occasionally you glanced at her.

“I don’t want us to die, Y/N.” Your baby brother said.

“We are not. I promise you, my little lion. Your big sister is here to protect you.” You squeezed his hand.

“I’m glad Myrcella is not here.”

“So am I.” Though you missed her every single day since she left King’s Landing, you knew she was safe, you were grateful that uncle Tyrion sent her away in time.

Suddenly you heard your mother’s voice calling for the Stark girl. She shyly stood in front of her. Perhaps Sansa was scared that Cersei would be angry to see her show devotion for you, she thought she might get scolded for staring at her daughter in a lingering way.

“I was wondering where our little dove has flown. You look pale, child. Is your red flower still blooming?”

“Yes.”

“Fitting, isn’t it? The men will bleed out there and you will bleed here. Pour Lady Sansa some wine.”

“I’m not thirsty, your grace.”

“So? I didn’t offer you water. Pour my daughter wine too.” The handmaid gave you the cups, you didn’t want to drink to be honest, just gave it a small sip, Sansa repeated your act. “I’m glad you didn’t insist on nonsense, my dear. War is no place for someone like you.” You scowled.

“That’s not the reason I’m not there.” Sansa saw you tensing, she changed the subject once you took another gulp of wine.

“What is he doing here?” Referring to the man that beheaded her father.

“Ser Ilyn? He’s here to defend us. When the axes smashes down those doors, you might be glad to have him.”

“I have my sword right here.” You grasped the cold weapon, resting in the armchair.

“After all that Jaime and Robert taught you you’ll be able to protect us all.” She scoffed. You waved off her comment.

“The lads caught a groom and two maids trying to sneak away with a stolen horse and some gold cups.” Ser Mandon Moore informed.

“The battle’s first traitors. Have Ser Ilyn see to them. Put their heads on spikes outside the stables as a warning.” She commanded him. “The only way to keep the small folk loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy. Remember that if you ever hope to become a queen.”

“That’s a wrong understatement. Make them love you, not despise you.” You stated, not doubting of your words.

“You would definitively be a weak queen, my love.”

Everyone could already notice the Queen Regent was tipsy, maybe even drunk. She didn’t bring to care. Tommen fell asleep an hour ago, you didn’t want to let your guard down, in case you needed to run.

“Come, darling. Step closer. I know I’ve been hard on you. Lately it seems like you want to die. I can be a pain on your neck, but I can’t lose you, Y/N, I can’t.” She kinda sought to appease.

“It’s alright, mom. I’m still in one piece.”

“I have never been an example for you to follow.” You couldn’t get to the light all the faults she has had since you were a toddler, however, it wasn’t the time, nor was she in a position to talk about it.

“You can always start over.” It’s all you said back.

“She is very pretty, isn’t she?” You fixed your eyes on Sansa, she was holding hands with the other ladies, sitting in a circle on the floor. Some would say it was too obvious, your mother being one of them. You didn’t get to answer cause she was calling her once again.

“What are you doing?” Cersei asked, well knowing.

“Praying.” She plainly said.

“You’re perfect, aren’t you? Praying, what are you praying for?”

“For the gods to have mercy on us all.”

“Oh, on us all?”

“Yes, your grace.”

“Even me?”

“Of course, your grace.” You just listened to their conversation.

“Even Joffrey?”

“Joffrey is my-“

“Oh, shut up, you little fool. Praying for the gods to have mercy on us all. The gods have no mercy. That’s why they are gods. My father told me that when he caught me praying. My mother had just died. I didn’t really understand the concept of death, the finality of it. I thought that if I prayed hard enough the gods would return her to me. I was four.”

“Your father doesn’t believe in the gods?”

“He believes in them, he just doesn’t likes them very much. Y/N prays as well. But it’s okay as long as she knows who the real saviors are. Here.” She threw her a small pillow. “Another for her.”

“She doesn’t want to keep drinking, mother.” You spoke.

“Is that true, little dove?”

“I-I-“ Cersei was harassing her, the stutter gave her away, and you were growing weary of your mother’s behavior.

“You are just as frightened as this flock of hens. I should have been born a man. I rather face a thousand swords than to be shut up inside.”

“That was my intent too.” You objected.

“My daughter is gorgeous, don’t you think so? And she desires to spoil that face of hers out there.”

“Yes, your grace, she looks a lot like you.”

“Not the hair. These women. It was expected of me to ask them here. As it will be of you if you ever become Joffrey’s queen. If my wretched brother should somehow prevail, these hens will return to their cocks and crow of how my courage inspired them, lifted their spirits.”

“And if the city should fall?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? The Keep should hold for a time, if it were anyone else outside those gates I might hope for a private audience, but this is Stannis Baratheon. I’d have a better chance seducing his horse.” Sansa remained quiet. “Have I shocked you, little dove? Tears aren’t a woman’s only weapon. The best one’s between your legs. Learn how to use it. Do you have any notion of what happens when a city is sacked? No, you wouldn’t. If the city falls, these fine women should be in for a bit of a rape. Half of them will have bastards in their bellies come the morning. You’ll be glad of your red flower then. When a man’s blood is up, anything with tits looks good. A precious thing like you will look very, very good. A slice of cake just waiting to be eaten.” Cersei was tormenting Sansa because she wanted to bother you, upset you, and she achieved it, the uncomfortable look on the redhead's face was evident. She drank deeply from her glass.

“No one is going to rape Lady Sansa.” You promised, you wouldn’t let them get near her.

“Her hero will protect her. Yes. You, my sweet, sweet, silly daughter.” Cersei mocked, and Sansa flushed.

Cersei continued to tell Sansa stories about Jaime and her when they were children, you tried to distract yourself with your baby brother, you prayed for your uncle to succeed, for this to be over soon. You did not keep drinking, you were getting fond of wine, even ale. Now was not the moment to fill your veins with alcohol.

The Queen Regent apparently got curious about the foreign handmaiden, she didn’t act nervous, not even a bit, she asked her to tell a story, when Shae was about to begin Lancel burst in shouting at Cersei. He reported Tyrion’s destruction of the fleet and the landing of Stannis’s troops. She ordered him to fetch Joffrey inside.

“Your grace, what? The King’s presence is good for the morale.” He quibbled.

“Bring him back to his chambers now.”

“Not here?”

“With the women and children? Do you want him to be mocked as a coward for the rest of his life?”

“He is a coward.” You said out loud. She gave you a withering stare.

“Silence, Y/N.”

“Now, Ser Lancel.” He left, unconvinced. “Little dove, the real reason Ser Ilyn is here is for us. Stannis may take the city and the throne but he will not take us alive.”

The Lannister boy returned, he told the gold cloaks lost all heart when they saw Joffrey leaving. Cersei took both Tommen’s and your hand and rushed you off to the exit. Sansa tried to follow your gaze.

“What are you doing?” You baffling questioned.

“Buying us some time.”

“You can’t leave, these ladies-“

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” You got out of her grip.

“Are you coming back with her?” Your silence was the answer.

“Y/N, don’t go. I’m scared and if you are not with me-“ Tommen pleaded.

“My brave little lion. You are going to be just fine. You are very strong, just like father. I’ll be with you soon I promise.” You kissed his forehead. You didn’t look up to meet Cersei’s infuriated glare, you ran to Sansa’s room, where she must likely be.

You could never leave her behind. She was all that matters, Tommen will be safe with Cersei, she will defend him till her last breath. Something inside you told you uncle Stannis won’t be sitting on the throne tonight.

“...you won’t hurt me.” Sandor got there first, it was very odd, he seemed untroubled, under the circumstances of the battle. Sansa was relieved to see you.

“Of course he won’t.”

“No, princess, I won’t hurt her.” Sansa was holding the doll Ned gave her when they first arrived at King’s Landing.

“Why are you here?”

“Your big brother is a cunt. I won’t spend any other second of my life protecting a cunt. I wish you both good fortune, you might survive.” He walked out, leaving you alone with the northerner.

“Y/N... you came back. You must go with the Queen and the Prince.” You shook your head, taking her hand.

“No. My place is with you. I shall protect you and keep you from any harm. Remember, I’m not going anywhere.” She buried her face in your neck, the embrace was full of warmth. You laid in her bed, she gently placed her head on your chest. You were certain she could hear your shaky heartbeat, not for the war, nor for the fear but because of having her this close, you might as well confess your love right now, you don’t even know for sure if there is going to be a tomorrow.

She lifted her face, her eyes were dark, yours were too, there was only one thing you were dying to do. You softly caressed her cheek, your breaths became heavier, she closed her eyes and leaned closer, you sealed the kiss, her lips were oh so very thin, they were also edgy, a brief seconds later that changed, she deepened into it, melting your heart and body. Her hands resting in the back of your head and yours on her waist.

You smiled before the kiss ended, it felt like hours. You hope this is your last first kiss, with the woman you love. The bells rang again, you knew it was a sound of victory, you could tell the difference. Uncle Tyrion prevailed, you won.

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. Since the first day you came into my life.” You mumbled in Sansa’s ear.

“I can’t even put into words all the things you make me feel with just being around. You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known, and even that is an understatement.” She stuck her arm around you.

“You intoxicate my soul with your precious blue eyes, my lady.” You said in a playful, sweet tone.

“Is that a good thing?” You giggled.

“Yes, yes it is.” You stayed in the cozy bed for another while. This felt so good that a part of you didn’t believe it was actually happening.

A couple of days passed since the victory. Uncle Tyrion was unconscious. You hoped he’d wake up soon. Now you were all gathered on the Throne Room, you stood next to Lord Varys.

Joffrey proclaimed your grandfather, Tywin Lannister, the new Hand of the King, and the savior of the city. He also awarded Lord Baelish with the Castle of Harrenhal for brokering the alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell.

Loras was called to step forward, he knelt before the throne. It was so good to see him again.

“If your family would ask anything of me, ask it, and it shall be yours.” Joffrey stated.

“Your grace, my sister Margaery, her husband was taken from us before. She remains innocent.” You could notice he was still grieving for Renly, you knew him too well. “I would ask you to find it in your heart to do us the great honor of joining our houses.” You weren’t utterly surprised by this request, Margaery has always dreamt of being Queen. Still, you found Sansa’s unreadable expression from atop de gallery. This was swelling news.

“...For the good of the realm, your councilors beg you to set Sansa Stark aside.” Your mother finished saying.

“I would like to heed your wishes and the wishes of my people, but I took a holy vow.”

“I have consulted with the High Septon and he assures me that the crimes of the Starks against the realm free you from any promise you have made to them in the sight of the gods.” Maester Pycelll concluded.

“The gods are good. I am free to heed my heart. Ser Loras, I will gladly wed your sweet sister. You will be my queen and I will love you from this day until my last day.” You were beyond happy for this but also you couldn’t help feel bad for Margaery, she was one of your best friends, you cared for her and now she is the one who will live hell with your brother. That is what she really wants, she’ll know how to handle it, you hope, maybe he’ll truly love her, in his odd own way. Your northerner lady was finally free from that horrendous engagement.

“Thank you for coming. You saved us, Loras. I’ll be forever in your debt.” You gave Loras a big hug, he reciprocated.

“You are like my little sister. If I can help I’ll always will.”

“I’m sorry about Renly.” He ducked his head.

“He was your uncle, Y/N. I am sorry too.”

“Y/N! It feels like it’s been ages, right? Always a pleasure to see you.” Margaery approached you and her brother.

“I can say the same. Congratulations on your betrothal to Joffrey, my lady.” She grinned widely.

“I don’t know him very well but if he is anything like you then I’ll be very happy.” You returned the polite smile. You better warn her, not today though.

“I’ve missed you so much. One of these days we should assemble and chat.”

“Absolutely.” You excused yourself, leaving Loras and Margaery a bit confused for your sudden departure. They shared a complicit gaze.

“Lady Sansa.” Littlefinger bowed and turned around. You don’t like him being near her, you waited until he disappeared into the crowd before addressing the Stark girl.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look with that southern hairstyle? It suits you perfectly.” She blushed.

“Have I told you you are the cutest girl in the Seven Kingdoms and beyond?” You chuckled. She smiled, it was an unburden one that you haven’t seen in a while. “Things will get better or worse from now on?”

“Don’t stress about the future, my lady. Live in the present and make the most of it.” You tenderly said.

“With you.”

“Yes, if it is with someone else I’ll get jealous.” You winked at her.

Only Varys, Podrick the squire, and Shae came to visit Tyrion. You of course went to check on him too, he did all the hard work, he defended the city when Joffrey fled the battlefield. Still, he didn’t even mention him.

“...The histories won’t mention you, but we will not forget.” Lord Varys assured your uncle.

“How are you feeling?” You entered the room.

“A Kingsguard almost split me in two. I am now the monster the world has always said I am.”

“No. You were amazing. You didn’t back down. You fought bravely to defend the ones you love. I won’t forget either.”

“Thanks, my dear Y/N. I wouldn’t let those bastards get to you. Is your lady okay?”

“She is. We will have to catch up, but that will be at another time. You need to rest to fully recover. Let’s don’t keep your lady waiting.” You alluded to Shae. At least he has various people who love him just the way he is.

In the next couple of weeks your relationship with Sansa evolved, you became closer, letting your feeling flow out without any shame, you love her in secret from Cersei and Joffrey, and the others who wouldn’t accept it, who would do anything to tear you apart. Things had changed, but for the better.

#game of thrones fic #got #sansa stark x reader #sansa x reader #sansa x fem baratheon reader #house baratheon #baratheon reader #game of thrones x reader

[walkswithmyfather]

And He shall be called...

Advocate • Lamb Of God • The Resurrection & The Life • Shepherd & Bishop Of Souls • Judge • Lord Of Lords • Man Of Sorrows • Head Of The Church • Master • Faithful & True Witness • Rock • High Priest • The Door • Living Water • Bread Of Life • Rose Of Sharon • Alpha & Omega • True Vine • Messiah • Teacher • Holy One • Mediator • The Beloved • Branch • Carpenter • Good Shepherd • Light Of The World • Image Of The Invisible God • The Word • Chief Cornerstone • Savior • Servant • Author & Finisher Of Our Faith • The Almighty Everlasting Father • Shiloh • Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah • I Am • King Of Kings • Prince Of Peace • Bridegroom • Only Begotten • Son • Wonderful Counselor • Immanuel • Son Of Man • Dayspring • The Amen • King Of The Jews • Prophet • Redeemer • Anchor • Bright Morning Star • The Way, The Truth & The Life • JESUS CHRIST•

Jesus, the only perfect human who ever lived; who still lives as a human; who will always be fully God and fully man. Jesus is so many things to us, which shows just how special He truly is. There are two words that are not on this picture. Jesus is our Intercessor, “Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God].” (Heb 7:25 AMP) And best of all, Jesus is our wonderful Friend, “I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father.” (Jn 15:15 AMPC) Friend, there is nothing you can't take to Jesus, your great Friend. Lay all your troubles, worries and cares at His feet. You can leave everything with Him, because He will always pray for you, help you, comfort you, love you and offer you His peace, that is far beyond any earthly peace. 🕊️ Amen! Thank You, Jesus! 🙏 🙌

#hebrews 7:25 #bible #bibletranslations #biblequotes #christian blog #jesus #encouragement

[childofchrist1983]

You can't tell some people anything. They are obstinate and contrary and determined to do the opposite of what they are told - You will see this with little children who push the boundaries of their parents' commands. Teens are notorious for rebelling against their parents' rules simply to be rebellious.

In this passage, Jeremiah tells of the same kind of person - A person who is told the right and good way to go, and deliberately chooses the opposite path. The good path promises rest, while the other obviously promises destruction. This Holy Scripture and the subsequent verses illustrate what happens when we refuse to heed the warnings of God.

When we fail to walk in the right path, when we fail to listen...Well, the truth is we simply fail and the price - according to verse 20 - is "disaster". And as Paul tells us, the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23). We see that sin is much more serious than most realize. Especially when our sins can lead us straight to Hell forever! But through Jesus Christ, we can have redemption and spiritual rebirth and a chance at an eternity in Heaven with Him.

God has given us rules to live by in His Word - the Holy Bible - that will bring us peace and happiness in our lives if we only are willing to follow them. Begin and end your days by seeking Him in prayer and His Holy Word and walking in His Holy Spirit and its fruits and exalting His holy name! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your faith with Jesus! May the LORD help us to be faithful to His will and Holy Word. May we never forget to thank Him for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

Father God Almighty, Lord Jesus, help us to walk in Your ways and listen to Your instruction. Don't let our sinful, fleshy, stubborn nature cause us to rebel against You. Our sins have made a breach between us and You, a great gulf or chasm that is too vast for any man to build a bridge over. But by Your love and grace, through Your blood shed in Your sinless, selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, You have made a way for us.

Teach us to hate our sin and love You more with each passing day. May we seek You and Your Holy Word as well as the peace and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit today and everyday. Help us to walk in a way that is worthy of this calling You have guided us to. Help us to live this new life walking in Your ways and will and giving You praise for making it possible. Help us to value the true and eternal riches more highly than the passing and deceitful riches of Earth. Help us to walk in Your Holy Spirit, to seek You and Your will. Help our thoughts to turn to You in the little pauses and intermediate moments of this day and everyday. Help us live each day to glorify You so that when You return, we are ready. I cannot wait for Your return! Come soon, Lord Jesus!

May we worship You all our days, O Lord. May our lives show the world Your light and Truth and that You are a loving God and Heavenly Father who delights in showing love and mercy. May we all be humbly and faithfully honored and excited to worship, glorify and serve You daily and to do Your will. You have been so good to us, far more than we as wretched sinners deserve. You are so good! So wonderful! Forever and always!

Thank you, O Lord, for all Your creation and Your miraculous ways. Thank You for being our stronghold and my refuge. Thank you for seeing us as worth the sacrifice. Thank you for sustaining us, loving us and defining us according to Your will and love for us. Thank you for making sure we are taken care of. Thank you for being the best friend we could ever have! Thank you for Your endless mercy and love that has saved us. Thank you for always protecting us and providing for us and for Your Spirit to help us when we are in need. Thank you for giving us a chance to be saved from our sin and spend eternity with You. Thank you for adopting us as part of Your family in Heaven and making us one of Your own. Thank you for being our present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Thank you for always being near and for loving us. Thank you for giving us a reason to love others and so many more reasons to love, praise, serve and follow You. Thank you for Your selfless and sinless sacrifice. Thank you for Your guidance and protection. Thank you for Your Truth and light. Thank you for Your wisdom and strength and grace. Thank you for giving life to the world and to us. You give and take away – And we thank you for it. Thank you for everything! Your will be done! Blessed be Your mighty name! To You and Your Kingdom be the glory forevermore! In Your name I humbly pray, Amen and amen

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

The Ministry of John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-8, Luke 3:1-20)

Mark's gospel opens with the title of the book, "The beginning of the gospel." It was not a very promising beginning from an earthly point of view. As we look at the gospel now, it is a great river, whose streams run through all Christian lands and into many portions of heathendom. For centuries men sought in vain for the source of the Nile, at last finding it in the heart of Africa. Just so, if we trace back the streams of the gospel to their source, where will our quest lead us? Back to the heart of God we must go, if we would find the real beginning. It began in the love of God. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son." The gospel was, first of all, a thought in the Father's heart, a stirring of the divine compassion. Then it grew into a purpose. All great achievements are first thoughts, then purposes, before they become acts. The gospel was first a feeling of love and pity in the divine heart. This was way back in eternity. Far back in the story of creation, when there was only chaos, we are told that the Spirit of God brooded upon the face of the waters. The words indicate that even then God was thinking of His children yet to be, as He was planning and preparing for their good. His love had no beginning.

John the Baptist was a great character. He had been foretold and his work described by the ancient prophets. Evidently John's life was "a plan of God." He was thought about and his mission mapped out, long before he was born. He came as God's messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah. He is spoken of as "a man sent from God." Every man is a man sent from God. Many forget that God has anything to do with their lives, that He thought of them before they came, or that He had any purpose in making them and sending them into the world. But we do not drift into this world in any accidental way. God thought about us before we were born, then made us, and sent us to do what He had planned for us to do. If only we realized this truth, it would give a new meaning to our life and a new glory to our work.

God's plan for everyone is noble and beautiful. He never made anyone to live a marred and stained life. He never sent any man into this world to be a curse, to hurt other lives, to poison the springs from which people drink, or to scatter ruin and devastation. He made everyone for a beautiful character and a worthy career. But it is possible for us to spoil God's plan for our own lives. We can carry out the divine purpose for us - only by doing God's will day by day as it comes to us.

John was a very humble man. He shrank from human praise and commendation. When they asked him if he were the Messiah, he said he was only "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." He did not care to have his name emblazoned. All he wished to be was a voice proclaiming the divine message. The message was: "Make ready the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight."

There is a picture which shows a hand holding up a cross. The person is not seen - only the hand. It is good to be a hand that holds up the cross. It is good to be a voice that proclaims the Christ. We would all do well to keep ourselves out of sight - and get people to look upon Christ. Too many of us want people to see us, and so project our own personality, that we hide the vision of the Christ that we ought to exalt and honor. We want people to see us, to hear and admire what we say, to love us and honor us. But what can we do for them? What can the teacher do for her scholars, in their sinfulness and need? What can the preacher do for those who are in penitence and sorrow? We would better hide ourselves away - and get people to see Christ. It is enough for us to seek to be only a voice, speaking out clearly to tell men of Christ, while we ourselves remain unseen and unknown. It is enough for us to speak our word or sing our song - and pass out of sight; while the word we speak and the song we sing - lives to bless the world.

The mission of John is described in the words which "the voice" proclaimed: "Prepare the way of the Lord!" Christ wants a way to be made for Him. He wants a way into people's hearts, our own hearts, first of all. Is the guest-chamber ready? He wants to walk with us; but He will accompany us only on paths of holiness and righteousness, in the way of obedience. He will never go with us in any crooked way. If we expect His company with us - we must see that the paths are straight. Enoch walked with God, because He walked in the same way in which God walked.

Then, Christ wants us to make ready the way for Him to other hearts and lives. If we can open a door for Christ into people's lives, we have brought them heaven's best blessing .

One great word summed up the substance of the Baptist's preaching. He preached REPENTANCE. John taught that those who repented must be baptized; but he made it very clear that his baptism did not cleanse the heart, and that those who were baptized with water - must be baptized also with the Holy Spirit. Water is a fitting emblem. It implies that there are stains which need to be cleansed. Yet we know well that water cannot wash off sin's stains. The spot that sin leaves on the little white hand - cannot be removed by any amount of washing. All the water of the ocean, would not make it white. Only the Holy Spirit has power to remove sin's stains. If we truly accept Christ as our Savior, He will wash us in the water of regeneration. We ought to be baptized with water - the Master instituted this ordinance and sacrament - but we first need the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

John's tribute to Jesus as he announced His coming, was very beautiful. He said that he himself was not worthy to perform this lowest of all ministries for the Messiah. As we read these words and think of John's spirit of humility, we must not forget that one night, at the ending of His life, Jesus Himself took water in a basin, and a towel, and washed and wiped the feet of His own disciples. Thus He himself condescended to the place and the task of the lowliest servant. Surely this should rebuke our pride, when we stop to ask whether we are required to perform this or that lowly service for some little one of His.

John's words to those who came to be baptized, were searching. We like to say pleasant things to people, sometimes complimentary things. John had little time for flowers or compliments. He told the people frankly that they were terribly wrong - and must get right, if they would be saved. We talk to people about their splendid ancestry and about the advantages of heredity; John told his hearers that their fine ancestry would amount to nothing, unless their own lives were right. Personal character was the test, he said.

It was solemn warning which he gave in the picture of the ax lying at the root of the tree. An ax meant judgment. The business of an ax is to cut down. The doom of sin was clearly told. But the ax was not active. It was lying quietly beside the tree. There was mercy in the delay. Judgment was waiting, that the people might have time to repent. God is patient. He does not wish to destroy. He wishes men to repent and be saved. He is slow to wrath. He waits to be gracious.

It is encouraging to see how the people seem to have been affected by John's stern preaching. "What shall we do then?" they asked. They seem to have confessed their sinfulness, and to have desired to turn from their evil ways. This should always be the attitude of those who hear voices of warning and calls to repentance. John's answer to the questions of penitence was plain and simple. The man who had two coats - should give one of them to the man beside him who had none. This is the great lesson of love which Jesus taught so often. The publicans who were proverbially unjust, extorting from the people more as taxes than they ought to collect - were touched by the preacher's stern words and asked what they should do. "Begin to be just," he answered. "Exact no more than that which is appointed to you."

These words of John's impress the truth that God wants nothing unreasonable. "He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you - but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).

#J.R. Miller #Devotional Hours Within the Bible #The Ministry of John the Baptist #Mark 1:1-8 #Luke 3:1-20 #May 29 #2021

[joannalannister]

Anonymous asked:

My problem with lyanna is not that she didn't want to marry Robert but her having feelings for rhaegar she talk to ned about wanting a faithful husband but doesn't seem to care about elia the fact that lyanna had a crush on him when he given her the flowers she saw how all the smiles died and am sure her father also had a talk with her after it happened its wrong for Robert but her rhaegar her been young still does not change anything so she would be happy been a mistress

Hey me again so about her being with rhaegar did she accept him to only sleep and be with him as she doesn't like sharing so she would leave elia to share a bed by herself how is alone 24 of course rhaegar is the problem but I am focusing on lyanna because I can't understand her and would she settle being a mistress and her child be a bastard or second best either way I can see her been that stupid not to know and when even she or rhaegar said about elia can't make either of them look good

Aegon the unworthy marriage his mistress even when he was still married but the marriage was illegal and no one saw as a real marriage so why when as saying if he did marry lyanna why would their marriage be valid I think if there was ever a marriage between them I feel lyanna would be the one to ask but rhaegar had to know that their marriage was not valid and in the end she was at best a mistress I feel like he might of lied to her to get her to sleep with her your thoughts

It is not my intent to offend. However, you asked for my thoughts, and I think there are a lot of assumptions being made here that are so completely at odds with my own that I cannot even address your concerns, because they are all so far away from everything I imagine. 

Without another book, we are all working off assumptions, of course, but my own assumptions run as follows: 

1) Lyanna was unhappy with the idea of an arranged marriage. Her objection was marriage. Any marriage. Something kind of like Eowyn:

“What do you fear, lady?" [Aragorn] asked. "A cage," [Éowyn] said. "To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”

But I personally do not think Rhaegar was Lyanna’s Faramir. (I do not think Lyanna has a Faramir-character in her story, just as Cersei largely lacks a Lord MacBeth.) 

For this passage:

Ned let him prattle on. After a time, he quieted and they rode in silence. The streets of King's Landing were dark and deserted. The rain had driven everyone under their roofs. It beat down on Ned's head, warm as blood and relentless as old guilts. Fat drops of water ran down his face.

"Robert will never keep to one bed," Lyanna had told him at Winterfell, on the night long ago when their father had promised her hand to the young Lord of Storm's End. "I hear he has gotten a child on some girl in the Vale." Ned had held the babe in his arms; he could scarcely deny her, nor would he lie to his sister, but he had assured her that what Robert did before their betrothal was of no matter, that he was a good man and true who would love her with all his heart. Lyanna had only smiled. "Love is sweet, dearest Ned, but it cannot change a man's nature."

I do not think this passage is about Lyanna or her desires. 

I think this passage is about Lyanna attempting to disillusion Young Ned, to try to explain to him that there isn’t going to be some wonderful happy Stark-Baratheon family after she is forced to wed Robert. 

Remember, Robert and Ned loved each other as brothers. Look at the passage up above; it’s about Ned’s “old guilts” and about how he “had assured [Lyanna] that what Robert did before their betrothal was of no matter, that he was a good man and true who would love her with all his heart.” Young!Ned was into it!! He was into the idea of this marriage! Robert, his brother, at last, in truth! 

Ned was blinded by his love for Robert. 

Don’t you see that double-meaning to that last line, hanging there at the end?  “Love is sweet, dearest Ned, but it cannot change a man’s nature.” It’s the line that haunts Ned’s memory, as well as our own. Love couldn’t change Robert’s nature. Love could not change Ned’s nature either. 

It was Ned’s nature to defend Robert so loyally, because Ned loved him. Ned could have said something to his father Rickard, could have said that Robert would shame Lyanna after they wed, could have maybe stopped this marriage that Lyanna objected to. 

But he didn’t. He didn’t speak out. Hence his “old guilts” beating down on him relentlessly. 

Would Lyanna find it nice to have a husband who doesn’t cheat on her? Probably, I don’t think that’s a stretch.

Would Lyanna find it even nicer not to have any husband at all? To “be a king's councillor and build castles and become the High Septon?” To do those great deeds Eowyn and Arya long for? To not be locked in a cage, until use and old age accept it? 

Fuck yeah. 

"Ah, Arya. You have a wildness in you, child. 'The wolf blood,' my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it”

2) I have not read a passage in the books that speaks definitively to me about Lyanna’s feelings for or about Rhaegar. Until I do so, I will continue to assume that Lyanna viewed Rhaegar as an escape rather than as a potential suitor. I believe Lyanna went with Rhaegar willingly, but I do not believe that she stayed with Rhaegar willingly. 

3) Personally, when I read “all the smiles died” -- well, I take “all” to mean “all,” and “all” includes Lyanna, so I assume that Lyanna was not happy with the way Rhaegar chose to honor her at the tourney, when he shamed his wife Elia. 

When Lyanna presumably ran away with Rhaegar, I do not think she was thinking about how her actions would affect Elia, because I don’t think Lyanna believed she was doing something that would negatively impact Elia. I think Lyanna believed the Crown Prince was using his position to simply help her escape her marriage to Robert. Perhaps he would let her be one of his knights! He had honored her for her bravery regarding Howland Reed, hadn’t he? She could ride with him and all the other young knights in the charming prince’s retinue! How exciting! Is this naive? Yes. But Lyanna was a child; children are naive by definition. If we are apportioning blame, I think Rhaegar takes the lion’s share for this whole situation.

4) With the return of winter after the False Spring, I believe Rhaegar believed that the apocalypse was imminent, and that he was doing What Must Be Done to save the world. I think that, most of the time, Rhaegar was not a terrible person, but I think that Rhaegar was going to do Whatever It Took to save the world, and I think Rhaegar’s definition of “Whatever It Took” included even things like rape. (Note that Westeros probably wouldn’t define it as rape, because a medieval woman’s consent, once given, is given forever (which is fuuuucked up). But we’re readers in the 21st century, so I’m going to call it rape when we have this relationship of dubious consent between a minor and an adult with infinite power over her.) 

5) I personally do not believe that Rhaegar and Lyanna got married in the books. I believe that Jon is a bastard, just not Ned’s bastard, and part of Jon’s story arc is coming to terms with his illegitimacy and realizing that it is not a stain or a sin or whatever, and that he is still capable of great heroism. GRRM has set up so many preconceived Westerosi notions about the horror of bastardy in the books that I think he is itching to undercut them with one of his major protagonists being both a bastard and a great hero. 

Furthermore, I do not believe that GRRM would undercut his heroine Daenerys like that. I believe that Daenerys must choose to relinquish the throne, not have it ripped out from under her by a cheap technicality of the patriarchy. 

(I am asking nicely: please do not comment or speak to me if you do not believe that Daenerys is a hero in the books. I simply do not have time for that in my life. So, I am asking nicely: please cut me out of your life and do not read my blog if you do not think of Daenerys as a hero in the books. )

I also don’t believe that Rhaegar thought he had time for a marriage. Again, impending apocalypse. 

And what faith were they married in, if it happened? Did they say the words at the God’s Eye, before a heart tree? Did Rhaegar convert? Did Rhaegar hire a septon? Why would Lyanna put any stock in a marriage by a septon? Did she convert? Why would a septon condone polygamy without fire breathing monsters to back it up? Was Rhaegar the kind of person to hold a knife to a septon’s throat and demand a marriage or else? I don’t think so! But how would this marriage even come about?? Where did Rhaegar even find time to fuss over these details? And if he couldn’t fuss over the details, what kind of wedding planner did he hire? What do you think Westerosi wedding planning agencies are like, and do you think the Lannisters used the same one, considering their targ aspirations???

I think Rhaegar was running to Dorne for all he was worth, to set up a fortress / base camp where he could allow Lyanna’s child (and Elia’s children when he could fetch them) to grow up to become the saviors of the world. 

Rhaegar just had to deal with a tiny rebellion and a slightly, every-so-slightly unhinged father and then everything would go according to plan! /sarcasm 

I don’t think Rhaegar was *deliberately* doing terrible things like abandoning his wife and children, I don’t think Rhaegar ever *meant* to hold Lyanna against her will in a tower in a land far from her home, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. 

I think there is a lesson in Rhaegar’s story, that Rhaegar was doing everything for the wrong reasons. Which is very Tragic. He was saving the world because a book told him he had to, and he was going to sacrifice various people to do it. (Which is wrong. Wrong. The only person you get to sacrifice is yourself.) 

Whereas Rhaegar’s son Jon ... I think Jon chooses to save the world because it’s something Jon feels in his soul as right and noble and honorable, something worthy of a son -- even an adopted son!! -- of Ned Stark. I think Jon chooses to save the world because he has lived in the world and is a part of it, in a way that Rhaegar never was, Rhaegar with his sad songs at ghostly Summerhall. 

I believe that agency is an important theme throughout the books, whether it’s Daenerys finding herself on the Dothraki Sea or Cersei taking back control of her own body or Tyrion saying fuck you to his father or Jon eventually choosing to save the world ... and I think Lyanna’s story is in keeping with this theme, that her story is about her trying to find her agency. 

The tragedy of her story is that she -- unwittingly, imo -- traded Robert’s cage for Rhaegar’s, and she died there. She became entangled in Rhaegar’s story, a story in which he chooses to jettison his frankly massive amount of agency -- the books and scrolls told him This All Must Happen! And It All Must Happen Right Now, With Utmost Urgency! -- and it’s terribly, terribly sad, and I feel sad for everyone involved. 

Now, I could be very wrong and you could be very right, anon, depending on what direction GRRM chooses to take his characters. But I cannot speculate on your specific concerns without new textual evidence indicating to me that your concerns are something to concern me. 

Again, it is truly not my desire to offend with this post. These are just my opinions, and I am very fond of both Rhaegar and Lyanna as characters, I find them both fascinating and I hope we learn more about them. I actually like the ship in a chivalric, Capital-R-Romantic way that’s basically divorced from my understanding of ASOIAF. (I really like Rhaegar x Elia too!)

If you would like to read more of my thoughts, I recommend you go through my lyanna stark tag, because there’s lots and lots of meta posts in there giving my thoughts in great detail, there’s fics I wrote explaining my ideas in fic rather than essay format, everything. So please go there. 

#lannister thoughts #/ #if i mention incest will this stay out of the tags? #lyanna stark #rhaegar targaryen #rape tw #Ned stark #robert baratheon

[revchainsaw]

Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Prayers and Salutations Cult Members! I am your mysterious minister Reverend Chainsaw and this is another nights revival service at the Cult Film Tent Revival. I bring you a special word tonight. Tonight's word is about a person who roamed the earth, in a time where people were backward and warlike. A leader emerged into a kingdom full of eschatological expectation. This leader came preaching peace, and was killed for the sins of the world, but was resurrected. In that resurrection a new hope was brought to the planet, and true healing through the power of love in the face of violence is made possible. I am talking of course about Princess Nausicaa from the Valley of the Wind.

The Message

Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is the film that put studio Ghibli and Hayoa Miyazaki on the map. No animated feature this grandiose and epic had been achieved by 1984, as much as Disney may beg to differ. The tale may be simple, and it may feel super 80s to us today, but Nausicaa is a masterpiece, and the fact that Howl's Moving Castle is brought up alongside Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away more often than Nausicaa is a farce and a tragedy.

The film takes place on a fantastic planet that seems to have suffered the ravages of an apocalyptic war. A war that involved gigantic warriors with powers so devastating they about made the entire planet inhospitable if not uninhabitable; save for a few areas. The fall out of this ancient war has left the earth in a state of repair, where the natural processes of a planet healing has creating giant toxic jungles.

Beyond these jungles lie two imperialistic factions, they seem almost to be city-states but it's not terribly clear. The Kingdom of Tolmekia, a militaristic proto-fascist society of almost Spartan sensibilities. Tolmekia is governed by the ambitious and cynical Princess Kushana, But I like to call her Furiosa. Just like Furiosa, Kushana is physically missing parts of herself, a visual metaphor for her metaphysical lacking and the parts of her humanity she has cut away. Kushana's world view is one of fear, a fear that can only be quelled by waging a genocidal campaign against her enemies.

Speaking of enemies, the Athens to Tolmekias Sparta would be the Pejite Kingdom. The Pejites might like to view themselves as simply responding to Tolmekian aggression, but the narrative of the film, and the story told quite visibly on the body of Kushana, is quite different. The Pejites are just as bloodthirsty if not more palettable in their approach, but like the Tolmekians, they believe only their own lives have any value. And thus, in this theatre of war, a Giant Warrior from the ages before is unearthed by the Pejite Kingdom, Stolen by the Tolmekians, before the forces of nature themselves, seem to conspire to drop the Giant Warriors "egg" right into the Valley of the Wind.

The Valley of the Wind is populated like the world of Avatar the Last Airbender, that is mostly of children and the elderly. The people of the Valley have been able to remain untouched by the ravages of war and the toxic jungles of the damaged world primarily due to geographic luck that's explained in minor exposition in the film. They are ruled by a King, and they are all deeply enamored by their beloved Princess Nausicaa.

Nausicaa is a gentle soul. She is kind to animals, she is empathetic, unreasonably patient, and bears pain and grief inflicted on her out of cruelty with a saintly understanding. She really is a thinly veiled Christ figure, scratch that. There is no veil. But she's also my favorite Christ figure. She does not preach a message, as much as she tries to save everyone from their own short sighted goals. She is not perfect, she does lash out and do some fantasy sword fight murder, but she regrets her actions so deeply that it seems to have played a part in motivating her to become even more compassionate and patient with the evils of the world.

Nausicaa discovers yet another plot by the Pejites, who are afraid of the possibility of the Tolmekians awakening the Giant Warrior, to use animal cruelty to enrage a group of almost invincible giant insects known as the Ohm. By luring the Ohm into the Valley of the Wind where the Tolmekians have become an occupying force, they hope to completely wipe out everything that threatens them. The Tolmekians DO awaken the Giant Warrior and pure pandemonium ensues. Nausicaa manages to save the Baby Ohm and calm the rage of the bloodthirsty Ohm swarm, and to defeat the warlike tendencies of both the Pejites and the Tolmekians. All the while fulfilling a prophecy fortold about a messianic savior figure called the Man in Blue.

Now that you have heard the Gospel of Nausicaa, please stand to receive The Benediction.

Best Character: Half a Person

Now that I've spent the better part of this review gushing about our Lord and savior Nausicaa. I have to admit, she's at times a bit too perfect, a bit too saccharin. Even her flaw, or her one weakness and her failing to be perfect, just adds to the perfection. I can't even say she never makes mistakes cuz she made one, and that's infuriating. It's even more infuriating that I still think she's a great character. Normally this kind of thing really kills a hero. Most Chosen Ones are the most boring and least likeable characters in their narratives. I don't know how Nausicaa avoids this trap, but she does. I'll have to do some meditating on that.

However, just like in your typical Chosen One fantasy narrative, the hero is a lot less fun than the villain. I'm going to say the best character in Nausicaa is Kushana. I want to be like Nausicaa, but I don't understand her. She's almost alien, even though we learn all about her. Kushana is mysterious, secretive, and enigmatic, yet I understand her. She barely has an arc, she doesn't really change. She's cold and cynical to the bone, but I don't need to see much of her situation to completely understand why she is the way she is. I usually hate totalitarian bad guys, but Kushana I like. Sue Me.

Also fun fact, did you that Nausicaa means 'Sinker of Ships'. That's kinda fun.

Best Scene: Spoiled for Choice

I'm going to be lazy and say take your pick. There is really not a bad seen in this movie. If the action isn't going, then there's intriguing dialogue. If there's no dialogue then you may be about to get hit with a forceful burst of whimsy. There's horror, there's swordfights and aerial dogfights. The only thing in Nausicaa I don't like to see, is the bloody tortured Ohm Baby. It's like a god damned Sarah Mclachlan commercial.

Best Creature: Foxy Shazam!

The Ohm are so simplistic yet so detailed. The number of eyes is alien, but the way they are used is expertly expressive. Who'd think you could get me to love what basically amounts to a silverfish with the intensity that I love a kitten. How did Miyazaki pull an Okja with a creature that should be haunting our dreams? I don't know.

And what about the Giant Warrior! If you are an Evangelion fan then you probably already know that Hideaki Anno designed and animated the melting goopy biomechanical beast. Surely a sight that would make both H.R. Giger and Clive Barker giddy with excitement. Just the image of the silhouettes marching amidst the desolation of the old world is burned into my brain.

So which of these is the best creature from Ghibli's first outing? It's fucking Teto. It was always gonna be Teto you idiot. Just look at Teto, he's adorable. He's too cute to exist. I'm so alone. I need a pet.

Best Character Design: Tolmekian Regalia

I originally included this category to talk some about Kushana, however, at that time I also thought I was going to say Nausicaa was the best character. I thought hard about deleting it, but I think it's a different category and you can't accuse me of playing favorites because my favorite character is clearly Teto. Just to keep it simple. It's the two costume shift from full military regalia in white and gold, to the one metal arm, warrior princess get up. It's a great costume and a great look. Get on this shit cosplay nerds. It's great for Cons in Canada, you have to think about layers, and you can't keep going as Mr. Plow. It's lazy.

Best Excuse to Talk About Patrick Stewart's Character: Lord Yupa

I just realized that I was about to write this whole review without talking about Lord Yupa. Lord Yupa is a sword saint and all around badass I think a lot of entertainment, especially in the west is lacking bad ass old men. Lord Yupa particularly shines in the early half of the film as a warrior and as a wise council to Nausicaa. If she's Jesus then Yupa is John the Baptist. He is also voiced by the elegant and eloquent Patrick Stewart. He also comes with 2 chocobos!

Worst Character: For Whom Asbel Tolls

This might also be the worst actor category as well. Actual Cannibal (haha meme) and actual monster (haha real life) Shia Labeouf doesn't so much act in the role as he read the lines and it was recorded. The good news it doesn't effect the film too much because Asbel is completely forgettable. He is a catalyst to some of the action, but besides that I don't really care for him.

Worst Aspect: To Be Fair ...

It would be unfair to completely ignore anything negative about Nausicaa. I have already mentioned in many places that there are some pretty corny, or pretty predictable tropes to this movie. But what I can't capture in words is exactly why it feels fresh when it's done in this movie. I suppose that's what makes it good. It's just so good that it's weak points are lifted up by it's strengths. Some people may bored of Nausicaa's unyielding goodness, or that she very rarely chooses to take action as much as she chases and pleads with her surroundings, but I mean, she does pay for that eventually. It's a fantasy story and it hits a lot of timeless themes that have been hit in stories for as long as human beings have been telling stories. Some people may feel that it doesn't do enough to stand out.

Summary

I have defined the S tier for myself as "near perfect and personal favorite" films. I like to think that Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is near perfect. Some may say that it looks like it might just be a personal favorite. In the case of Nausicaa, I'm having a very hard time telling the difference. I think it would be overly simple to claim that Nausicaa is just an ancient archetypal heroes journey with an 80s anime coat of paint. I think it's doing quite a few new and interesting things with that formula, those things are just playing out all around that narrative as opposed to being at it's center. For a first full length outing by the studio, you can really see Miyazaki's heart and the values he holds close to. I'll repeat myself so that we are completely clear on the matter. I think Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is a near perfect movie.

Overall Grade: S

#Nausicaa #Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind #SciFi #retro scifi #Fantasy #post apocalyptic #hayao miyazaki #miyazaki #studio ghibli #ghibli #S #Grade S #Grade: S #1980s #1984 #anime #animation #japan #japanese #(S)

[divinum-pacis]

The Shakers: Beliefs

Christian Vocation

The Shaker is called to manifest the Spirit of Christ to the world through their life and character, a world in which the will and purpose of God is largely forgotten. God calls by many ways, but all men and women, whatever their occupation or profession, are called to that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord (see Hebrews 12:14). To anyone who knows the history of Shakerism, it is evident that God has used the very small groups of humble men and women who have constituted our order to build His Kingdom on Earth (see Daniel 2:44). Truly, He has "chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty (see 1 Corinthians 1:27)." To this day, we continue to build upon the same foundation found in our online school.

The Godhead

To Believers, God is the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Great First Cause. It is He who called into being all things visible and invisible. He has existed from the very beginning of time and will exist into all eternity. God is pure spirit and as such, quite naturally incorporeal. Having no body, God has no sex in our human understanding of the term; yet being pure spirit He may best be thought of by man with his limited power of comprehension as having the attributes of both maleness and femaleness. This duality of attributes within God's oneness is one of the Shaker theological concepts most misunderstood by the world, yet it is not a Shaker concept, but rather one as old as the Judaeo-Christian tradition itself. We find it again and again in the Old Testament. It is to the writer of Genesis that we may attribute the first written record of the idea. In the 27th verse of the first chapter of Genesis he writes: "So God created he him; male and female created he them." The Shaker emphasis upon God's dual nature was never intended to convey anything but the fact that God, being pure spirit is possessed, within the terms of our human power of discernment, of the characteristics, of strength, power, wisdom, compassion and mercy.

Christology

We have already alluded to a marked degree of misunderstanding of Shaker views about the duality of the Godhead. Certainly there is no area in which there is greater, more fundamental misunderstanding, than Shaker Christology. If we may engage for a moment in the odious practice of labeling, we might say that mainstream Shaker Christological thought is adoptionist of the view that Jesus was not the Christ or the anointed of God from his birth, but rather from the occasion of his baptism by John in the Jordan. To the early Shakers as well as to other Christians before them the descent of the dove at Jesus' baptism symbolized the anointing spirit of God whose voice is heard to say: "Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." The Divine nature of Jesus, the Christ, was freely recognized by Believers. The adoptionist theory affected in no way their attitudes towards his birth or earlier life. We find in Shaker thoughts no attempt to challenge the virgin birth or any of the other miraculous occurrences surrounding Jesus' beginnings. These were to Believers a sign of God's prior choice of Jesus as the recipient of the anointing spirit. Jesus' life and ministry, his teaching, his sacrificial death became for Believers their holy rule. Unlike most of their contemporaries, they did not look for the return of Jesus Christ in the flesh. They sought his return in the spirit--the Christ Spirit--the anointing spirit of God, the spirit of love and truth. To Mother Ann Lee was given the inner realization that Christ's Second Appearing was a quiet, almost unheralded one within individuals open to the anointing of His spirit.

Mother Ann Lee, the Bride of Christ is not Christ, nor did she claim to be. She is simply the helpmete, Second Eve and first of many Believers wholly embued by His Spirit and wholly consumed by His love. Mother's attitude toward her own role is related more than once in her own recordings saying, "It is not I that speaks; it is Christ who dwells in me," she says, testifying both to the indwelling of Christ and her subservience to Him. The closeness of her bond to Him whom she ever called her Lord and Savior is reflected by her having said, "I have been walking with Christ in heavenly union. Christ is ever with me, both in sitting down and in rising up; in going out and in coming in. If I walk in groves and valleys, there He is with me and I converse with Him as one friend converses with another, face to face." She solves conclusively the question of her own role when she remarks at Ashfield, "The second appearing of Christ is in His Church."

Confession of Sin

All future Shakers are required to "open their minds" through a complete and honest confession of all known sin that comes to mind since the days of their youth to God in the presence of His Shaker witnesses. This is not a confession to man, but a confession to God and His Christ, who has appeared the Second time without sin unto salvation in His witnesses.

Virgin Purity

All Shaker's practice Celibacy or "Virgin Purity". We live as Christ and the Angels do in Heaven (See the Shaker School).

Community of Goods

The desire to die to self leads the Shaker quite naturally to the pooling of goods. The Christian's task is to live in the present moment and not to store for tomorrow the bread that comes from heaven. Those who give up all material things for the sake of the Gospel learn by that same Gospel that they may learn to live without assurance of the morrow in joyous confidence that they will lack nothing. The spirit of Christian poverty is more than the absence of wealth. The New Testament never condemns wealth as such, only when a person's possessions come between him and God is there any real danger. A Christian who wishes with all of his heart for money to use selfishly is violating the spirit of community; a man who regards all that he has as a trust from God, and uses it for His glory is living in the true spirit of Christian poverty.

Pacifism

We strive daily to put into practical terms, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The central teaching of the New Testament is quite simply love, the love of God for man and that of man for God as evidenced in the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. This same love was always and is today the very cornerstone of Shakerism. For us as followers of the Christ we feel we show that peace as pacifists. This does not mean merely refusing to bear arms against another, it also requires us to never feel bitterness, never to feel any desire for revenge, but always to seek only the highest good of every person no matter what they may do to us. We further believe in the practice of universal Brotherhood as well as equality for all, the Shakers being forerunners in applying this to our daily life over two hundred years ago.

A Faith for Today

Shakerism is not, as many would claim, an anachronism; nor can it be dismissed as the final sad flowering of nineteenth century liberal utopian fervor. Shakerism has a message for the this present age--a message as valid today as when it was first expressed. It teaches above all else that God is Love and that our most solemn duty is to show forth that God who is love in the World. Shakerism teaches God's immanence through the common life shared in Christ's mystical body. It values human fulfillment highly and believes that we fulfill ourselves best by being nothing more nor less than ourselves. It believes that Christian love is a love beyond disillusionment, for we cannot be disillusioned with people being themselves. Surely God would not have it otherwise for it is in being ourselves--our real selves--that we are most like Christ in his sacred oneness.

[Source]

#religion #christianity #protestantism #shakers #united society of believers #belief #divinum-pacis