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sulkybbarnes · 3 years

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I just saw your post about misinterpreting characters. It was tagged with Adam and Bucky (two of my favorite fictional characters) and though I feel like that when I sometimes read fanfics, I can never just put my finger on it and I'd love to read your take on it!

Oh lord where do I even start... alright, this might get long so apologies in advance, but I have nearly a decade’s worth of thoughts on this. The short answer is: both characters often get severely over simplified, stripped away from essential characteristics, and their understandable reaction to their respective trauma gets overlooked in order to make them more “palatable” and to favor other characters in fics.

The long answer:

Let’s start with Adam Parrish. We meet Adam when he’s only 17 years old and we learn that he is an abuse survivor who comes from severe poverty, and along the way we witness trauma that leads to Adam having a disability, and later on learnt hat Adam is bisexual. Adam’s character is very realistic to someone in his position, so that he’s flawed and has issues to work through as the series goes along. These issues are presented at the start of the series through two unreliable narrators: Gansey who is proud and often self-victimizing, and Adam himself who is very introspective and lives in fear of turning into his father. Thus the characteristics the text gives us is that Adam is “cold and calculating” which is courtesy of Gansey, and that Adam is lonesome and prone to anger/arguing with his friends which is Adam’s own worries and insecurities manifesting in his chapters. And yes sure Adam at the start is -understandably- angry with the world at large and feels as if he’s ten steps behind everyone and playing catch-up, but he’s also visibly self-aware and constantly trying to curb any anger and moderate his reactions (even when they’re justified). The book also shows us through actions that Adam is sweet and thoughtful from how he acts around Blue, and shows that he develops as the books go on to be more aware of his actions, more confident in his own goodness, and more willing to show love and allow himself to be loved in return. The later books (BLLB, TRK, Opal story, CDTH) all show an Adam who is kind (his interactions with Opal), thoughtful (his constant thinking about Ronan’s feelings and not wanting to act before he knows he’s as serious/sure about them as Ronan is), a good friend (I’m just gonna.. gesture at the whole Blue/Gansey thing and how gracefully Adam handled it when they didn’t even deign to give him the benefit of the doubt), and a very loving person (which we see in his every interaction with Ronan from TRK onwards). So that’s Adam Parrish, complex and flawed but inherently a good person and a good character.

However, Fanon Adam Parrish is a different story all together because he is often stripped to whatever bare essentials would serve the fic he is in. SO, in fandom you see an Adam who is either cruel and cold, as to serve some infantilizing hurt angsty version of Ronan. You see an Adam who is angry and prone to lashing out, to serve posts about Gansey being an angel who’s faultless and constantly hurt by his friends. You see an Adam who is disrespectful and hurtful to serve posts about why it was okay for Blue and Gansey to behave the way they did to him. Or on the complete opposite end, you get an Adam who is demure, shy, and almost disgustingly helpless to serve in a fic where he needs saving or some misguided hurt/comfort thing. Adam also often gets stripped away in the latter fics from any rightful anger or sharpness that relates to his trauma. Said anger is treated as something that makes him an unlovable or annoying character (you can find these takes everywhere in trc fandom), and therefore people need to overlook it to make him more palatable to them. Adam’s anger, as we see in CDTH, is often turned inwards and is an on-going struggle for him because it still feels at times as him against the world. It’s one of the best things about his character if you ask me, because it is what he grows out of the most, and what he continues to face and develop against. This trait makes him human and shows his vulnerability. Adam in canon is touch starved and loves fiercely, but in fanon the anger he displays gets used to paint him as unfeeling or constantly angry. Even though Adam shows anger only as much as any other character in the series, and often in a way less explosive (Ronan) or hurtful (Gansey) or entitled (Blue) manner. And so the point is that fandom takes away the complexity that makes Adam Parrish who he is, and molds him into whatever is easiest to digest and shove into a box that works better for the other characters. Adam’s development and arc get completely overlooked most of the time. He is often misinterpreted as one shallow thing, when he is a beautiful mix of emotions that make him Adam Parrish, and make him endearingly and painfully human and real.

Bucky Barnes, my original fave guy, follows strongly along the same lines. All you have to do is change names and events from what I said before and you’ll get how fandom treats Bucky. What I adore about Buck’s character is that he was established instantly as fiercely loyal, loving, fun, a good friend, and someone who is so important to Steve that we see Steve take on a suicide mission to get to Bucky. The progression of the other movies deals with Buck’s trauma and shows all the new aspects to his character that stem from said trauma, while maintaining the undercurrent of goodness and humor that we saw from pre-war Bucky. But once again, the complexity of Bucky’s character and his storyline; the trauma, the PTSD, and the fact that m*rvel never lets him heal, all boils down to fandom only choosing what they find palatable about Bucky and leading with that. I have less to say about this only because I’ve been a fan for too long, and have learned to conduct myself so that I don’t run into upsetting posts anymore, and read fics with a tone and characterization that works for me, but there’s a lot of content out there that strips Buck of his characteristics so much that he might as well be an OC. I will say that you might get more leeway with content based on a movie, than you do with content based on a book (where everything is glaringly obvious in the text), but I still have to roll my eyes at most content I see for Bucky, where he’s either helpless and waiting for someone to save (did we watch the same movies??), innocent and naive in how he conducts himself (...did we watch the same movies?!), or he’s unflinchingly cool and cold and unfeeling (seriously, DID WE WATCH THE SAME MOVIES?!). So once again the endpoint is that Bucky’s misinterpretation comes from a shallow understanding of his character, or complete lack of care about how he’s portrayed so that only one trait -whatever is needed for a fic or a post- is central and amplified while everything else he is falls away. I’m not pretentious enough to say that people can’t just have fun with a character and write whatever they want about it, because they absolutely can.. I’m just saying that it’s not my cup of tea and I wouldn’t read it. In fact, I only made a couple of attempts years ago at writing Bucky myself and then decided that I would rather read well-written things about him, than try and get it right myself because I’d get all in my emotions about his character.

Tl;dr The theme of having your autonomy taken away and fighting like hell to get it back, and remaining good along the way is what makes both Adam and Bucky so close to my heart. Their respective trauma and complexity is what makes me love them both a lot, and I wish fandom didn’t often strip them away of their complexity to make them easier for fandom to digest.

#sorry.. I told you this will get long #adam parrish #bucky barnes #ravens-world #pynch #asks #mara talks for ts #trc #trc meta

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ladylilithprime · 5 years

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Sastiel Creations Challenge | @ladylilithprime

↳ Theme: One More | Prompt: Day

Fluff Bingo Square: Movie Night

=I Did Not Live Until Today=

Read on AO3

MOVIE NIGHT IN the Bunker had been originally instituted by Dean, and the insistence of Sam that everyone in the Bunker, especially a stressed out and overworked teenaged Prophet of the Lord, needed to take regular breaks to relax and unwind before the constant "go, go, go" made them all go crazy. Hunts would occasionally interrupt the ritual, postpone it for a couple of days, but none of them were allowed more than ten days without a mandatory Movie Night. Dean had insisted that Castiel join these movie nights whenever he was around, intent on "educating" the Angel in what he termed the "classics" of cinema. Castiel had confided privately to Sam that, upon viewing these so-called classics, he was gaining more of an understanding of Dean than he was of why the movies were classical, which Sam had assured him was normal.

Movie Night had been weird after the Trials, because Sam would start out watching the movie with Dean and whoever else was there, but suddenly it would be hours later and he wouldn't remember actually watching any of it despite not having moved. In the wake of Crowley showing up in Sam's head with the brothers' code word tripping off his tongue to warn him that he had an angelic passenger who had taken over the driver's seat, Sam figured he knew what had happened and maybe he felt a little tiny flicker of gratitude for Gadreel sparing him having to watch the monkey movies again, but that was drowned out by the overall feelings of shock and betrayal and rage because how could Dean do this to him?!

It was Sam's decision to continue Movie Night even though it was just him and Castiel in the Bunker now. The original purpose of enforcing a break on overworked humans was still valid, even though now the overworked human was only Sam, and the secondary purpose of introducing Castiel to human entertainment was also still in effect, perhaps even more so after Metatron had downloaded a huge selection of American pop culture into Castiel's head without much in the way of context. Without Dean to steer the selection towards action films and neither of them particularly interested in watching mindless violence and gore, plus Sam's increased aversion to psychological horror films, the movies they watched tended to veer more towards musicals. If Castiel suspected that this, too, might be a bit of Sam's rebellion against Dean's stubborn adherence to mullet rock as the only valid music to listen to, well, he didn't call Sam on it and Sam didn't choose to admit anything.

Tonight was another designated Movie Night, not because it had been too long since the last, but because Sam knew that after the failure of the tracking spell with Gadreel's extracted Grace he, at least, needed something where the fate of the world was less dependant on the outcome. In hindsight, queueing up Les Miserábles was probably not the best idea given the overall setting of the movie and the themes of melancholy and grief that pervaded it, but he suspected Castiel would appreciate the other themes of faith and sacrifice and second chances.

He probably should have expected Castiel's analysis of the story's themes to extend to their lives, but somehow it didn't even occur to him until Castiel blindsided him with an abrupt declaration that Jean Valjean reminded him of Sam.

"I'm sorry?" Sam blurted, not sure he had heard the Angel correctly.

"He is a good man who committed criminal acts for a good cause and was harshly punished for it even after his incarceration ended," Castiel explained, gesturing to the screen where Valjean's pay was docked in front of the other workers, who were openly hostile. "It does not matter to these people that his intentions were noble - to feed his family - or that the crime was relatively minor, all they see is the criminal record and discount the good heart of the man who committed it and is stained by that record in the eyes of the society he serves."

"Cas, that's not... I started the Apocalypse!" Sam said, shaking his head. "That's a good bit worse than stealing a loaf of bread and running."

"You killed a demon," Castiel disagreed. "A demon you had been told by everyone around you was responsible for breaking Seals and that killing her would stop things. You were deliberately not told that she was the final Seal and that killing her would release Lucifer because enough angels, myself included, believed that if you knew the truth then you would not have killed her. Yet you do not blame me for lying to you, or for changing my mind and breaking through my conditioning too late to send Dean in time to stop you. Nor do you blame Dean for breaking under Alistair and being the one to break the first Seal which set things in motion. Instead, you continue to allow people, including Dean who should really know better, to cast the blame for things beyond your control onto your shoulders and even take on blame and responsibility where there should be none, forgetting that any penance required for playing a part long ago set out for you has been more than served."

Sam looked away from Castiel's placid, deeply knowing expression, but found he couldn't focus on the screen until a flash of silver catching light drew his attention. "Look, I don't... whatever redemption I might have earned with jumping has to be cancelled out by the things I did after getting out again, especially all the crap I pulled without my soul--"

"Do you think yourself responsible for your soulless self's actions, even though your soul was still in the Cage being subjected to Michael and Lucifer's torments?" Sam frowned a little at the low notes of guilt and sorrow in the Angel's voice and looked over, but Castiel wouldn't meet his eyes, staring instead at the screen as the old priest backed up Valjean's lie of gifted silver and gave over the candlesticks as well. "Hm. Heaven has not treated you nearly so kindly as this priest does..."

"Castiel," Sam started to reach out, but found his courage falter and lowered his hand with a sigh. "I know you didn't leave my soul behind on purpose. I knew it then, too, even with you keeping secrets and never having mentioned it before that moment... sorry, too, about the holy fire."

"There is no apology necessary," Castiel refuted, though Sam thought he looked moderately grateful for it anyway. "You were right to be suspicious of my actions and motives at the time, if not for that specific reason."

"Still..."

"Sam, I assure you, I hold no ill will over your suspicion of me, nor for your actions to try and stop me. If anything, I am deeply grateful for your continued faith in me even after I had gone off the reservation and done you considerable harm." Castiel shook his head. "We are getting away from the main subject, which is that you are not responsible for the actions your body committed without your soul present."

"It was still my body," Sam argued. "My... impulses or whatever, stripped of my inhibitions--"

"Not true," Castiel interrupted. "Stripped of your higher empathic functions and natural moral compass that is your soul, your body behaved with logical precision not unlike how most Angels would act. While that behavior likely seemed heartless or 'dickish' at times, this was in part because of the contrast to your usual compassion and kindness, but you weren't actively malicious or uncontrolled. Everything, including the decision to go to Dean with the suspicion that something was wrong and to ask him to be your moral compass, was meticulously and logically thought out and reasoned for the most optimal outcome. Recall that your soulless self felt that it was for the best that your soul be retrieved and rejoined with your body, and only rejected the plan when the possibility that doing so would kill you was presented."

"Whereupon I promptly tried to kill Bobby! Cas--"

"Sam," Castiel turned fully to face him and glared at him in a way that reminded Sam forcefully of the fact that this was an Angel of the Lord. "You. Are. Not. To. Blame. Your soulless self attempted to kill a man who showed every sign of being ready to kill you by forcefully reuniting your damaged soul with your body. A soul, I must add, which did not deserve the torment inflicted upon it and to which we owed the continued existence of the human race."

"I was just--"

"Cleaning up your mess, so you've said." Castiel was beginning to look frustrated. "But the Apocalypse was not just your mess. It was Dean's, and mine, and Lucifer's, and Michael's, and every angel and demon and human servant of either side who worked towards setting it off earlier than my Father planned. I would even venture to say that it was my Father's fault for refusing to step in when, despite Raphael's delusions, we had very clear evidence from Joshua that He is still alive and close enough to be aware of the situation." The Angel reached forward then and covered the shell-shocked human's nearest hand with his own. "Your soulless self recognized that, and recognized the unfair imbalance, and quite rightly called us out on our lack of respect for you and your sacrifices. Since regaining your soul, Dean's insistence on leaving past transgressions in the past except when it suits him to drag them out as evidence of culpability and questionable judgement has driven your self-confidence down to the point where you have even allowed Dean to make you believe yourself at fault for not looking for a brother and non-human friend whom you had every reason to believe were dead and at peace.

"No more," Castiel said with a fire in his vessel's blue eyes that had nothing to do with his borrowed Grace. "Sam Winchester, you will listen to me and believe this if nothing else: You. Deserve. Respect. And for my part in allowing others to be negligent in giving you that respect, you have my apologies."

For a long moment, Sam could do nothing more than stare at Castiel, stunned speechless and feeling more than a few echoes of the old awe and wonder with which he had first viewed this Angel of the Lord who had saved his big brother from Hell. It seemed impossible to believe, even with Castiel staring into him and all but demanding that he do so. For all he knew, he had fallen asleep on the couch next to Castiel and all of this was somehow some sort of incredibly vivid dream like the ones he tried to pretend he didn't have about the Angel, because if anything stood a chance at making their current arrangement far more awkward than it ever needed to be....

Castiel must have seen something of his thoughts in his expression, because the intensity faded into sadness and then, before Sam could gather his wits enough to try and reassure him, turned to resolve. "I will remind you of this conversation later, so as to establish better credibility."

"Um..." Sam blinked. That was unexpected. "Okay? Thanks? I'll... work on believing you, Cas, I will, I just...."

"Have several years of conditioning for expecting the worst to work around, as well as the more recent problems with maintained perception of reality," Castiel nodded. "I will remind you as often as is necessary of your worth and worthiness."

Sam nodded, more for the lack of any other way to acknowledge Castiel's words than out of agreement or understanding, jumping a little when the music from the television screen picked up in volume. He turned back to the movie, flushing darkly when he realized that they'd completely missed Fantine's entire arc and Valjean's crisis of conscience, and reached for the remote. "Oh, hey, let me--"

"No, it's--" Castiel's grip on Sam's hand tightened, then released with enough abruptness that Sam found himself stopping anyway, turning questioning eyes on Castiel. "I confess that I have been, ah, 'cheating' with this film, as it is one of the stories that Metatron saw fit to share, though not this particular version."

"Should we put on something else?"

"If that is what you prefer. I am enjoying watching it with you regardless."

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if that was because of Castiel's bizarre comparisons between Sam and Valjean, but he swallowed it back and instead forced himself to settle back into the couch beside Castiel to watch the introduction to the Thénardier family and Cosette. The silence stretched between them as the music played, until--

"Sam? Why is Thénardier's wife making that gesture when she sings that there is 'not much there'?"

Sam swallowed down the urge to choke or laugh, because of course Castiel would ask about that. He cut a sharp glance in the Angel's direction to check if he was being trolled, but Castiel's expression showed only genuine puzzlement. "Uh... Well, I mean, uh... some guys get kinda hung up on penis size, uh, taking the whole 'bigger is better' idea way too seriously and, uh, thinking that bigger size makes them better able to please their partners, which, uh, really isn't true across the board. And, uh, there are a lot of guys who think that having those, um, extra inches is all they need for it to be good for their partner, which also isn't true." He found himself looking at the screen in a gambit to not have to meet Castiel's eyes, and moments later he pointed. "See, she's saying the line again without the gesture. So, uh, the implication is Thénardier falls doubly short of the mark."

"I see," Castiel said, his tone meditative. With his eyes averted, Sam couldn't see the speculative look the Angel sent in his direction, though he definitely heard the pointedly dry tone when Castiel added, "Mrs Thénardier would do better to find a more skilled pizza man."

Sam jerked his head around to stare at Castiel again, but this time the Angel's expression was the same sort of bland that he used when trolling Dean, and so Sam managed to force out a chuckle for the joke before settling in to watch the dynamics between the Thénardiers and Cosette with its very Cinderella vibe. Castiel muttered something about "punching John Winchester again" that made no sense and Sam wasn't sure he wanted to know about anyway, and then made a brief comment about Cosette's dream being similar to many human interpretations of Heaven, but otherwise said nothing until Valjean told Cosette that he was now her father.

"Another parallel," he said. Sam, who had hoped Castiel had forgotten about his weird fixation by this point, blinked in confusion.

"Uh, Cas, I'm pretty sure I haven't gone and adopted any random kids," he pointed out. Really, that seemed more like something Dean would do than him, Dean actually really liked kids and liked the idea of being a dad while Sam... not so much.

"Random, no," Castiel agreed. "You are, however, extraordinarily compassionate. I suspect that, if presented with an orphaned child whose situation required more specialized guardianship than a more normal human fosterage system could provide, you would be an excellent parental figure." He was silent for a moment, pensive and troubled, and then said, softly, "I had never had Nephilim of my own, nor am I likely to do so in the future, but if I did and was unable to care for the child myself, I would ask you."

"Me?" Sam gaped at him. "I mean, why me? Why not Dean?"

"Dean has an unfortunate history of being less than tolerant of supernatural occurrences, of children with powers beyond most human capabilities," Castiel said, shooting an apologetic glance at Sam even before Sam was aware of wincing. "A Nephil would inevitably have powers, and I am a Seraph. Only an Archangel could overpower and suppress the Grace of a Nephil sired by me, and there are no more Archangels available to do so. You have powers of your own and training in using them, albeit with an enhancement method that I would not recommend using with a Nephil, and would be well suited to teaching."

"Cas, my powers--"

"Are yours and yours alone. Azazel may have forcefully activated them on his own schedule and attempted to corrupt them and, through them, you, but he - and Ruby - failed. Your soul is far too pure and good for their hooks to find permanent anchor."

"But... I mean, you... angels... you always warned me against using them...."

"Only because the method with which you were amplifying them - that is, drinking demon blood - was so dangerous to you and the people around you, and training them to full strength properly after first tearing down Azazel's blocks would have taken considerably more time and effort... and, I suspect, those of my superiors actively assisting in bringing about the Apocalypse did not want you learning to use your powers without the addictive crutch of demon blood that could be used to prime your rage and point you at Lilith when the time came."

"So why are you just now telling me this?"

"Well," Castiel glanced away, looking somewhat sheepish. "To be honest, I did not realize that you were unaware that your powers were innate and not actually demonic in origin until I overheard you speaking of them in past tense as if they no longer existed because you were no longer drinking demon blood rather than you simply not using them. Given my clumsy understanding of social nuances and the complex mix of negative emotions you associate with your powers, I erred on the side of caution and did not mention it until our current conversation provided an opening."

Well. That was fair. Even so, Sam couldn't help but stare at Castiel as he attempted to process everything he had learned in such a short amount of time. The fact that the majority of Angels hated him was not new, but the fact that Heaven had actively sabotaged his efforts to be better than the demon blood that tainted him was... also not new, exactly, but Sam had never expected to hear it put so bluntly in conjunction with reassurance that his powers - and, by extension, Sam himself - did not come from a source of evil.

Even more bewildering was the hypothetical child Castiel spoke of and his assertion that Sam, not Dean who had always longed to be a parent, but Sam who had barely ever had anything to do with children even when he had been one, was to be given custody of the hypothetical Nephil if Castiel was incapacitated. The way Castiel had talked about the subject made it clear that he had never had Nephilim himself, and Sam knew that the creation of Nephilim was outlawed, and yet the Angel was sitting there, calm as you please, declaring that if he did ever have a child with a human and needed another parent besides himself and, presumably, the mother, that he would pick Sam. Sam, who was uncomfortable around kids at the best of times, even if he could fake passable competence in an emergency. Sam, who wouldn't trust himself to look after a completely human baby, never mind one that had "phenomenal cosmic powers" at its disposal. Sam who, until earlier when Castiel had declared that "nothing is worth losing you", had thought that Castiel might possibly consider him a friend at best and tolerated him as a reasonably useful asset at worst. Mind-boggling just didn't cover it.

And that wasn't even touching the whole thing with Castiel sounding like he was defending the actions of his soulless self. The subject of Sam's time topside without his soul was something Dean had never hesitated shut down hard, but Castiel had sounded almost... complimentary. Which made no sense, Sam knew, because without his soul he had been a tactless jerk, not--

"Your soulless self recognized that... and quite rightly called us out on our lack of respect for you and your sacrifices."

Sam swallowed against the lump forming in his throat, and again when it refused to be dislodged. Everything he did to help people, to try and make up for the damage he had caused, it never felt like enough. All the centuries spent in the Cage with Michael and Lucifer systematically taking out their rage on him amounted to only a year and a half on Earth, and the tortures blurred together to the point where Sam had long since lost count of how many centuries it had really been, shoving it down and shoving it down, his shaky forays into meditation and reshuffling his mind only managing to build the flimsiest of fences between his conscious mind and that echoing chasm of memory and pain, bits and pieces escaping here and there to scratch along his dreams. Little reminders that he may be out, maybe, but he would never be truly free. It was a truth, cold and logical and inexorable, that Dean refused to acknowledge in either of them, touched by Hell as they both were in different ways, and neither of them coping nearly as well as they wanted the other to believe.

"Stripped of your higher empathic functions and natural moral compass that is your soul, your body behaved with logical precision not unlike how most Angels would act."

The irony of an Angel of the Lord comparing his soulless self to other Angels was not lost on Sam, nor was the way that comparison gave him mixed feelings. All the years of praying, of believing in God and His Angels, having faith that some higher power was watching out for Dean and his Dad when he couldn't, that there was real good in the world to counterbalance all the evil being shoved at him from all sides...

"Sam Winchester, the boy with the demon blood."

...no....

"Nothing is worth losing you."

...but why....

"Sam? Sam, did you hear me?"

"Hm?" Jolted from his contemplating, Sam shot a guilty look first at the screen - how had he missed that much of the movie?! - and then gave Castiel a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Cas. What were you saying?"

"I was asking about Marius's assertion that he is in love with Cosette, when he has only just met her and barely interacted with her at all," Castiel repeated himself after a moment of scrutiny for his friend. "It seems disingenuous, more like the 'love' of the pizza man and the babysitter."

"It's supposed to be love at first sight, Cas," Sam explained, scrubbing a hand down his face. "It's like... when two people who've never interacted before meet, and there's this... connection that forms between them, like they click on a level that is deeper than physical or emotional. A look, a touch of hands... you just know, looking at that person, that this is it. This is the one." He shrugged. "It's talked about in books and movies and stories and songs all the time as this big romantic ideal, a lot like soulmates... uh, cupid-type soulmates, not me and Dean type soulmates."

"Do you not believe in love at first sight?" Castiel asked, tilting his head to the side with that puzzled curiosity that Sam found endearingly familiar.

"I don't disbelieve in it," Sam said, choosing his words carefully. "I mean, being a hunter has taught me that every story has some root in a truth. I just don't necessarily think that it always happens the way the stories make it sound. Like maybe sometimes it's one-sided, or something gets in the way like they live too far apart or one is already married or..." Sam bit his lip before he could continue the thought with mention of angels and humans, because he knew from Castiel that most instances of humans and angels coupling were less about romance and love and more about lust and awkward power imbalances, and the last thing he wanted to bring up right now was the hypothetical Nephil again. "Besides, just because love usually happens more slowly than a couple of seconds doesn't make it any less deep or meaningful or special."

"I see," Castiel hummed, and then, "Sam? How do you know when you're in love?"

...Shit.

"Uh," Sam reached up to rub the back of his neck, only to force his hand back down again when he realised what he was doing. "It's different for everyone, Cas...."

"I am aware," and there was a definite note of impatience in the gravelled voice. "I am asking how you know when you are in love."

"Oh," Sam mumbled. He could feel his face heating up and very nearly prayed that the heat wasn't a visibly obvious blush before he stopped himself; Castiel would probably hear it if he did. "Uh, well... not to sound like a broken record, but it was different for everyone I was... I mean, I felt differently about different people, even though it's all still love."

Castiel made an encouraging noise, and when Sam chanced a look in his direction, the Angel was turned more towards him than the screen, clearly interested and wanting to hear more. Well, okay then. Sam leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes, reaching back into the depths of his memory for the times he was in love or thought he was, shying away from some of the memories like Madison or Sarah or Amelia, and focusing on the deeper ones, the ones that got under his skin and stayed there across the years, even just as scars. There was a pattern there, a set of feelings that overlapped each instance.

"Happiness," he began, because that was the obvious place to start. "When you see the person, you feel happy. Being around them, sitting next to them, holding hands, hugging... full of happiness and joy and peace. You feel happy when they're happy, sad when they're sad, hurt when they're in pain... You want to protect them, even when you know they can protect themselves. You would fight, kill, even die for them, not because they would ever ask it of you, but because losing them is... unthinkable. It's agony. And all the pain is worth it, because seeing them smile is... it's better than Heaven."

"Oh," Castiel breathed. "Yes, that... that makes so much sense now."

There was a shuffling sound, and the couch cushions dipped beneath shifting weight, and then Sam felt one of his hands being enfolded in Castiel's, the skitter of that unfamiliar Grace held tightly leashed beneath his skin tingling just at the edge of Sam's awareness. He opened his eyes and looked at Castiel, who was beaming at him now from much closer than he had been. "Cas...?"

"Sam," Castiel was still smiling, but it was warmer, softer than the brilliant joy of before, more comfortable and... "Thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I was never able to explain myself adequately to my brothers, and so they frequently drew incorrect conclusions that I lacked the necessary frame of reference to refute or correct. Perhaps now I can make them understand."

"Understand?"

"That I am in love with you, Sam Winchester," Castiel squeezed Sam's hand gently. "My world started the day I took your hand. And I would not have it any other way."

"Cas... I...." He couldn't say it. He wanted to, God, did he ever want to say it back, but the words caught in his throat, too used to being choked back after so many years. "Cas...."

"I know. Sam? Will you hold me again? I enjoyed that quite a lot."

"Sure, Cas," Sam shifted, shoving the whirling of his thoughts back and away, and opened his arms. Castiel released his hand and moved closer, pressing the length of his body against Sam's. He let out a soft sigh as Sam brought his arms up to curl around Castiel, settling in a loose embrace that still managed to fully encompass the Angel's smaller physical frame. Together, they turned to watch the movie, wrapped up in each other and the mutual assurance that their feelings, spoken or not, were returned.

"Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in Heaven has in store...."

=End=

#sastiel #sastielcc #sastiel creations challenge #spn fluff bingo #supernatural fic

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nervousnotion · 6 years

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@groundopenwide tagged me to post my top 9 albums of all time and wow ok this was a doozy.

1. froot by marina & the diamonds (2014) - any of marina’s albums could go on this list and they’d all be number one. she’s absolutely my favorite artist and her songs mean so much to me idk what more i can really say. standout track: solitaire for being a love letter to introverts everywhere.

2. communion by years & years (2015) - guys olly alexander is out there savin lives every day and writing thoughtful and powerful electro-pop bangers and being all around one of the best people on this planet i am so grateful for him and for this band and for this album. standout track: border for that fucking refrain.

3. all of my demons greeting me as a friend by aurora (2016) - aurora is a new find for me but she quickly became one of my top favorite artists and i’m still completely obsessed with this album. i love her airy folky spin on electronica and the optimistic outlook she has on depression and mental illness without feeling trite or naive. a great listen if you’re struggling with mental illness and need something to relate to and find genuine hope in. standout track: runaway for being the perfect picture of how exhausting and constant the battle against mental illness is.

4. a weekend in the city by bloc party (2007) - an album that means just as much to me now as it did when it first came out. kele grappling with being gay and being black in an era that doesn’t want to accept him are themes that sadly remain relevant and important in today’s political climate. standout track: where is home for being a BLM torch song and a banger that won’t quit.

5. how big, how blue, how beautiful by florence + the machine (2015) - i’m gonna be honest, while i absolutely adore florence i remember listening to ceremonials for the first time and thinking that if she released another album of massive shiny pop ballads i was going to grow tired of her. and hb,hb,hb was exactly the right step to take: a little grittier and little more rock & grunge; this album is perfection. standout track: third eye because florence demanding that i love myself and realize my value will never not be a cathartic experience.

6. pure heroine by lorde (2013) - i think we can all agree this is a masterpiece. i’m still overwhelmed by buzzcut season and ribs and lorde’s general ability to inspire longing and nostalgia with her songs. standout track: buzzcut season.

7. cassadaga by bright eyes (2007) - back in high school conor oberst was my biggest musical influence. he was depressed he was folky he was a pessimist and i was fucking into it! then he went on a pilgrimage and found himself and wrote cassadaga; a staggering introspective journey about finding hope and beauty in the simple things that surround you. i can barely listen to bright eyes these days but this album was seminal and i can’t not include it. standout track: no one would riot for less because this song invented folk music and is beyond chilling.

8. ten stories by mewithoutYou (2012) - what the fuck kind of album is about a group of circus animals that escape a crashed train while also being allegorical for faith and self-loathing and remaining cohesive and grounded. i have no clue how this was pulled off but it’s still one of the most original and life-affirming albums i’ve ever listened to. standout track: cardiff giant because ‘and i, i often wonder if i've already died’ is going to be a tattoo someday.

9. wild world by bastille (2016) - kings of writing bops about depression and death and being sad as shit. standout track: glory because ‘stop looking up for heaven / waiting to be buried’ are the greatest lyrics ever written.

special shoutout to lights by ellie goulding because letting myself openly love pop music was the best decision i ever made and that would’ve never happened if it weren’t for this album.

honorable mentions: the bachelor by patrick wolf, the human condition by jon bellion, another eternity by purity ring, atlas: space i & ii by sleeping at last.

tagging @calcalores, @elliotyrell, @queerlyalex, @sunlightmp3, @sunnylesbian, @lordendsavior, @twelvegrimmyplace, @annevbonny, @takeafuckingsipgay, lmao good luck with this impossible task guys. also @winemomjade i know you’re already tagged in this i just wanna make sure you see mine [& tag me in yours so i can see it].

#this was a JOURNEY i went on yall #tag meme

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yooahinfeed · 7 years

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Here is another most eventful month of June! Yoo Ah In has been on a roll with the insta posts in June 😀 Therefore, we divide the June News Bits post into two parts, just like the May News Bits. Here’s Part 1 from June 1 to 18~

[Note: Most of the information in the “News Bits” posts are already shared/posted in our Facebook and Twitter, so we advice you readers to follow both of our SNS accounts for the exclusive and freshly updates. We have posted some information/his SNS inside our past articles/posts too]

June 1 – Yoo Ah In quoted Oscar Wilde in Korean, a line from the play “Lady Windermere’s Fan”:

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars

Oscar Wilde

A post shared by 유아인/Ah-in Yoo (@hongsick) on May 31, 2017 at 12:17pm PDT

His caption only reads: Oscar Wilde

The same quote was posted in CCRT Aeropace instagram at the same time (we presume it was Yoo Ah In himself who posted it in this account too), but this time he wrote the caption in full English~

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the star.-Oscar Wilde #CCRTAerospace

A post shared by CCRT: AEROSPACE (@ccrtaerospace) on May 31, 2017 at 12:25pm PDT

His caption says:

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the star.-Oscar Wilde #CCRTAerospace

Here’s an excellent explanation for the quote within the context of the play by Shelley Chen from Quora:

The quote comes from Lady Windermere’s Fan, a play Oscar Wilde wrote early on in his career. It takes on a quite a different meaning from the other answers when you look at it in context.

The speaker is Lord Darlington, variously described by other characters as “thoroughly depraved”, “trivial”, and “a charming, wicked creature”. He confessed his love to Lady Windermere, a married woman, on the terrace of a ballroom.

Now, Lady Windermere is no ordinary pretty little thing. She has a reputation for an unflinchingly moral outlook on life, in an age where life is looked up as a speculation. When she rejects him, Lord Darlington is heartbroken and angry and anguished and he leaves on the ending violin trills of the waltz. Thus the ball ends. The carriages are called. Cloaks are draped around the shoulders of lady guests.

The men decide to go for the Victorian version of an after-party, taking several stops through various gentlemen’s clubs, until they call on Lord Darlington and demand a game of cards. During the card game, the conversation turns to good women and bad men, a recurrent theme in Wilde’s works.

Dumby: I don’t think we are bad. I think we are all good, except Tuppy.

Lord Darlington. No, we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

To me, the quote is inexorably colored by the conversation and Darlington’s rejected love. It draws up irresistible imagery and symbolism from juxtaposition of “gutter” and “stars”. It reflects not only what Darlington thinks of the distance between himself and Lady Windermere, but also how unreachable and untouchable Lady Windermere is to his mind. The chasm between them is as wide as that between heaven and mud. They move in different worlds (or atmospheres if you want to be technical).

The metaphor reveals the ideals that she represent to him. Think of the connotations of “stars”. Pristine, divine, unattainable, constant, beautiful, poetic. The North Star is known as unmoving and unchanged (just see how Shakespeare used it!). The Southern Cross guides sailors and aviators. Consider the wistfulness of that image, of someone lying in the gutter, but gazing up at the bright star in heaven.

It’s an extremely poetic expression, it never fails to give me the shivers in a performance. And I think we can all relate to it at some level. Haven’t all of us longed, hungered, ached, or dreamt for something we believed to be out of reach? In Lord Darlington’s case, he not only believes “the star” is out of his reach, but that he isunworthy of her.

Praveen Khumar Singh from Quora gave another simpler and more general explanation:

“I think it means that while all humanity, whether rich or poor, health or sick, is struggling and fighting their own daily battles and feels so low that it is so miserable as being in a gutter, there are some who have the will and determination to have lofty ambitions and a desire to fulfill them. Their current circumstances don’t hold them back from dreaming, from thinking high and persevering to change the world (their world and eventually other’s). Perhaps it also hints at the fact that most of them would continue to be in the gutter, because of their consciousness of their state, while the ones who are conscious of looking ahead and high would continually move ahead in life and might eventually move out of their gutter.”

June 2 – Yoo Ah In posted Studio Concrete’s Series 1TO10 Version 2 teaser video (read more about 1TO10 Series Version 2 “Masterpiece” here)

#series1to10 ver.2 @StudioConcrete 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟

A post shared by 유아인/Ah-in Yoo (@hongsick) on Jun 2, 2017 at 4:21am PDT

His caption says:

#series1to10 ver.2 @StudioConcrete 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟

June 4 – Yoo Ah In posted a photo of Chicago Typewriter‘s crew and expressed his appreciation to the crews before bidding his farewell to the drama

A Real Hero. #남의집귀한아들 #빠잉 #시카고타자기

A post shared by 유아인/Ah-in Yoo (@hongsick) on Jun 4, 2017 at 12:59am PDT

In the caption he says:

A Real Hero. #someone’s precious son #bye #ChicagoTypewriter

Aww, so nice of him~^^

June 6 – Yoo Ah In posted a screencapture from Youtube. It’s a performance from an indie band Yeonamdong Dumb & Dumber. Watch the full video here. Yeonnamdong Dumb & Dumber is a Korean modern folk band that is well-known for humorous and funny performance.

위대한 형아들 #연남동덤앤더머 #나를음해하는세력이있어 👁

A post shared by 유아인/Ah-in Yoo (@hongsick) on Jun 6, 2017 at 3:38am PDT

His caption reads:

Great hyungs/big brothers #yeonnamdong dumb and dumber #I have a conniving power 👁

Note: “I Have A Conniving Power” is one of their single from “Good Boy” album.

June 7 – Yoo Ah In posted a Korean flag drawing made with crayons. He didn’t add any caption.

A post shared by 유아인/Ah-in Yoo (@hongsick) on Jun 6, 2017 at 10:06pm PDT

June 7 – Chicago Typewriter cameraman posted his photo posing together with Yoo Ah In from the filming set. In the photo, Yoo Ah In smiles so cutely while looking at the camera 🙂

The cameraman wrote his praise to Yoo Ah In:

He will be an actor with a high degree of freedom! Actor Yoo will be a fierce actor whom people used to be biased against. As the work progressed, I felt like he’s really smart and professional! Actor Yoo acted well while caring for his feelings and even his angles! I hope that we will work together again in a good movie! #ChicagoTypewriter #Sejoo #Hwiyoung #ActorYoo #YooAhIn #UhmHongSik-ssi #justsaying

Aww thank you, Mr. Cameraman!

June 8 – Yang Jin Sung: “Watching Yoo Ah In acting is like watching a movie”

On the June 8th interview with the Star, actress Yang Jin Sung shared her experience acting with Im Soo Jung and Yoo Ah In.

Yang Jin Sung plays Bang Ji, a woman who can see ghost in tvN series Chicago Typewriter. In the interview, she said that Im Soo Jung welcomed and treated her warmly like an older sister from the first time they met. She praised Im Soo Jung for her natural acting and her own class.

To the question asking about her impression on Yoo Ah In, she answered, “There were not many scenes with Yoo Ah In, so I had not much opportunity to act with him. Before I joined the drama, I thought he was an actor with rough image, as if he was wrapped in a veil (he was a mysterious actor). But (after we met on the set) he said hello nicely to everyone with his style.”

She added, “Watching Yoo Ah In acting is just like watching a movie”. That’s right, girl!

June 10 – Yoo Ah In narrates KBS “June Story” documentary program

KBS and the Democratic Hwaseong Memorial Foundation produced a documentary titled “June Story” through a story contest. Yoo Ah In took the microphone and became the narrator of the documentary. KBS Special Documentary ‘June Story’ was broadcast on KBS 1TV on June 10th. Here he was recording his narration in the studio~

Apparently, June is Korea’s historical month as they commemorate “The June Struggle for Democracy”.

In 1987, the democratization movement for overthrowing the military dictatorship which had lasted for almost 30 years and for achieving democracy to the country was conducted incessantly from every walk of life for one year.

The grand struggle for democracy in June 1987 was sparked by the mass protest on the occasion of the death under torture of Seoul University student Park Jong Cheol, who had been taken to the Namyeongdong detached office of the National Police Headquarters on January 14, and developed into a grand June struggle for democratization for sending the military dictatorship and winning a constitutional amendment for direct presidential election system.

The grand June struggle for democracy had been staged for 19 straight days with a total of more than 4 to 5 million people in general taking part in 34 cities and 4 counties across the country. And the number of struggles by workers was more than 3,000 and it was disclosed that over ten million people all told had participated.

Doesn’t this remind you of the Gwanghwamun Candlelight Rallies that he participated last year? It’s an honor for Yoo Ah In to be chosen by the foundation as the narrator of this program!

Watch the “June Story” teaser with Yoo Ah In’s narration here~

June 14 – Yoo Ah In screencapped another music video from Youtube. This time from a hip hop/rapper Genius Nochang with the song “Ching Chang Chong”. Watch the video here.

건강스윀 #천재노창

A post shared by 유아인/Ah-in Yoo (@hongsick) on Jun 13, 2017 at 8:58am PDT

He wrote the caption:

Healthy swag #geniusnochang

“Healthy swag” is taken from Ching Chang Chong’s lyrics: “I drank an Acai berry smoothie. Healthy swag”. If you want to know the full meaning of this song, find the English lyrics here

June 14 – A staff from Sesa Living posted a throwback photo of Yoo Ah In and other staff from the advertisement shooting (actual shooting was December 2015). He looks handsome 🙂

Her caption says:

Ah In-ssi, hello👋 (she wrote in a cute way) It was a year and half ago ☺️ #sesaliving ex model #yooahin #uhmhongsik #advertising shoot

June 14 – Still in the same day, apparently Yoo Ah In was whipping a Thai watermelon juice (ddangmopan) for his friends 😀

His friend wrote the caption:

Hongsick’s Ddangmopan 🍉 It’s delicious

Such a sweet and generous Sik! The handwriting on the paper cup is too cute~^^

June 16 – Studio Concrete’s co-founder posted a video of Takku the dog with Yoo Ah

In 😀

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We can recognize instantly his skinny legs and favorite sandals lately. He wore the sandals when the Chinese fans brought their support snack trucks to Chicago Typewriter location (see the photos here). Her caption reads:

Even though you want to get close (to him), you can’t get close #Takku #secret crush/one sided love

I guess she wrote this caption because Takku is trying to have Yoo Ah In’s attention but he’s chattering away and not being mindful of her cute attempts 🤣 I guess Takku likes uncle Ah In the most because she doesn’t see him often like the rest of the Concrete crew

June 18 – Another throwback photo with Yoo Ah In was posted by a supporting actress from “Like For Likes” 2016 movie behind-the-scene. Supah cute and hawt!

June 18 – In the same day, Yoo Ah In commented the owner of the gym place where he exercises regularly (DC fans pointed that Yoo Ah In exercises regularly as a physical therapy to heal his bone fracture too). The man seems very close with Yoo Ah In and his friends. He, his wife and kids were always invited to Studio Concrete events. He posted “Dancer” documentary clip in his instagram. It looks like Yoo Ah In has recommended this documentary film to him.

Yoo Ah In’s comment under the video, “So you have seen it! ㅎㅎ” , to which he answered, “Yes. ^^”

“Dancer” is a documentary of the world’s renown dancer Sergei Polunin. At the age of 19 Sergei Polunin became the dance world’s brightest star. He was appointed principal dancer at the Royal Ballet. Then two years later he stunned everyone when he abruptly walked away from the prestigious role. At 25, at the peak of his powers, he announced he was to quite dance to become an actor. He claimed his talent had become a burden. “Dancer” looks into the extraordinary world of the ballet’s bad boy, often touted as “The James Dean of The Ballet World”. Read more about him and the “Dancer” here.

Check out “Dancer” trailer~

Yoo Ah In has such a refined taste fosho! ^^

June 18 – Still in the same day, he dropped his comment on Vogue editor-in-chief’s post too~

We don’t know who the athlete in the video is, we can’t guess the type of sports either (hockey?). All we know is that he seems like a big deal, since the date was important and listed by the editor under the video. Yoo Ah In seems to stan this athlete, because his comment was: “my number 1”.

Interesting to note: this athlete was wearing a shirt that reads “Team Serious” on it, just like the shirt that Yoo Ah In wore in his latest “selfie” insta post ^^

That’s all for part 1. June News Bits Part 2 will be rolling soon, so stay around!

Translated by The Sassy Translator of Yoo Ah In International Fans Community

© Yoo Ah In International Fans Community ============================================================= ※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of YOO AH IN SIKSEEKLAND’s content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of YOO AH IN SIKSEEKLAND. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Yoo Ah In News Bits June 1-18: Oscar Wilde, Sergei Polunin, More Chicago Typewriter & Throwback Photos Here is another most eventful month of June! Yoo Ah In has been on a roll with the insta posts in June 😀 Therefore, we divide the June News Bits post into two parts, just like the May News Bits.

#YOO AH IN #CHICAGO TYPEWRITER #OSCAR WILDE #SERGEI POLUNIN

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frederickwiddowson · 4 years

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Genesis 22:3-19 comments: Mankind blessed through Abraham

Genesis 22:3 ¶ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

Genesis 22:11 ¶ And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Without questioning Abraham proceeds toward his obedience to God’s seemingly horrific command. For we know that human sacrifice is forbidden by God as an act of worship from the previously quoted Deuteronomy 12:29-31; Jeremiah 19:5, and Jeremiah 32:35.

Mount Moriah is what we know today as the Temple Mount.

2Chronicles 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

The third day represents to us the resurrection of Christ after three days.

Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

This resurrection is a theme mentioned in several places in prophetic verses in the Old Testament.

Hosea 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Isaac as a type of Christ. Verse 8 shows Abraham speaking a prophecy of Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36), as it is a ram that is provided for this sacrifice as a ram is the sacrifice of Aaron and his son’s consecration as God’s priests in Exodus 29. Isaac is being set apart for God’s purpose and we are being given a glimpse of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.

…God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering…

Notice here that to stop him, God, as the angel of the Lord, the appearance of God, which appearance is Christ as we have seen, calls Abraham out of heaven. Notice the similar scene with Hagar in preceding passages.

Genesis 22:15 ¶ And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Christ, the visible image of the invisible God, the angel of the Lord, the one of the three parts of God by which all things were created, makes a promise to Abraham. (see comments on chapter 1, verse 3, for the Biblical explanation of who Christ is.) In the promise He makes a statement of equivalence between the amount of sand on the sea shore and the number of stars in the heavens. Although we can never know this number in this life scientists do approximate that there is a similar number of both although many insist that there are more stars in the heavens than sand. In any event, the point of this is not to engage in a scientific statement but to underscore the concept of a lot of or very many. This is done in other places to signify a large amount.

Deuteronomy 28:62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.

But if you insist that this does refer to an exact number then you must also consider the possibility of interpreting the Bible in such a way that in eternity the Jews, who some say will inherit the physical earth while followers in Christ from the church age will abide in the New Jerusalem, will reproduce fully populating from their scant ten million roughly today on the earth to perhaps the entire universe as Rebekah’s brother and mother prophesied a number in the billions for them eventually. The following is more of a specific kind of number.

Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

As explained before in 19:1-3 comments the gate is the place of judgment in a city. It is a place of authority and the Hebrews here are promised much victory.

Because Abraham obeyed God the entire earth is blessed and all men will have the opportunity to be reconciled to God. Our amnesty in the rebellion begun by Adam against the King of all existence is again ensured. This promise is referred to in several places which I recommend you read, paying attention to the context. See Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 26:4; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:8,9.

Paul makes the argument that this promise, as with the land grant, comes directly through Christ and eventually to Christ in Galatians 3. This is how the Jews will inherit the land they were promised, through Christ, and this is how all believers will inherit eternal life, through Christ.

First, Paul compares Abraham believing God, the foundation of his salvation, with our believing Christ, who is God, the foundation of our salvation along with believing in His resurrection as stated in Romans 10, starting in verse 9.

We believe what Christ said about Himself. First, to define what believe on means as believing what Christ said;

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Now, see how Paul uses Abraham’s belief, though like ours, imperfect, to begin his argument. Note in verse 9 that to be faithful is to be full of faith and constant to it and is not about how often you darken the church’s doors.

Galatians 3:6 ¶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

So, that Jew and Gentile can be reconciled to God by this promise through Christ and that the Jews receive their promise of land in eternity through Christ’s acquisition of it Himself physically. As the angel of the Lord, Christ, made the promises so do they find their fulfillment in Him.

Remember, the Bible is the record of God’s efforts at reconciling man to Himself. This is the alternative to just letting all mankind share a fate worse than simply ceasing to exist, an eternity of agony and judgment in a lake of unquenchable fire for our souls. We can honor Abraham, in his obedience, for being part of God’s plan for our reconciliation to Him. But, we give all the glory to God who made our reconciliation possible, sure, and complete; for without His grace, His unmerited favor, we would be lost.

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joannrochaus · 5 years

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Meditation: Micah 2:12-13

Reading: Micah 2; Ezekiel 34

God will gather the remnant of His people together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in a pasture. Now that the rulers over the people abuse their power for their own profit and do not pastor the flock, God will destroy them and He will take care of the flock Himself.

We can also read about this in Ezekiel 34! This is a recurring theme in the prophets, how the leaders have abused God’s flock which was entrusted to their care and robbed them. Ezekiel 34 even speaks about eating up the flock instead of feeding them. God will punish them and destroy them. He will remove them from their position and they will go into exile. Later, when Judah went into exile, about 130 years after Micah, then it was especially the nobility, the rulers, the rich people who were taken into exile, and ten years later, after another rebellion of the people against Nebuchadnezzar, also some of the others. Even then the poorest could stay behind in the land. That shows that God’s punishment was mainly against the leaders. God will set the remnant free from its oppressors, its evil leaders.

God cares for His people. HE loves them. HE treats them with gentleness. And He will deal with them as a loving Shepherd does.

Micah speaks about a noisy multitude. They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. That indicates happiness. They will not be silent. They will be rejoicing. The encouragement which we may receive as God’s people time and again, is that God is faithful. We sin, we are unfaithful, we are weak. We so often turn away from God.

God is faithful, also in punishing the sins of those who rebel against God. But the Bible tells us that every time we return to Him, He will never forget His promises. He will forgive, seventy times seven times, and even more. Infinitely. He will be faithful in fulfilling His promises to each and every one of us.

However, we must not just look at our individual situation. When the Bible speaks about God’s faithfulness, then it is about His people. God will gather His people. We confess that Jesus Christ gathers His church from the beginning of the world to its end. The Bible shows us how the history of mankind is one continual repetition of sinfulness and unfaithfulness from our side. After the fall in sin, God does continue with mankind and gave the promise of deliverance in Genesis 3:15. But then we see again the sinfulness of the world, and God punished the world with the flood. But He was faithful, and He continued with Noah and his family. Again, the world was unfaithful, and God called Abraham. And we know about the constant unfaithfulness of Israel, while God does not give up His work. And in the time after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, we see the same repetition continue in the church. The church becomes corrupt and reformation is necessary. The Great Reformation was experienced by those who were reformed, as the great liberation from the oppression of the clergy in the Roman Catholic Church. What a rejoicing did this Great Reformation bring among God’s people. God Himself gathered the remnant together and cared for them.

And that continues throughout the history of the church thereafter. Falling away, followed by reformation. God’s covenant stands from age to age unbroken. God has given His Son Jesus Christ, Who in our place fulfilled our part of the covenant. And now He is our Good Shepherd. He rules over us, with gentleness and with love. He was faithful even unto death. Now He is our righteousness.

We know that we are righteous before God. We know, by faith, that we are and forever will remain living members of God’s people, of Christ’s Church. He is the One Who brings us the victory. We don’t fear what human beings can do to us. We are being led out and are placed in the glorious freedom of God’s people.

Micah describes this deliverance in vs. 13. The one who breaks open will come up before them. The Saviour will lead them. He will break open the siege of the enemy, as in the days of Hezekiah the armies of Sennacherib. They will be broken and God’s people will escape. So also now, we know that the power of Satan is broken and death has no power over us. Christ came to break the power of death, and He Who broke open now also goes before us. He is as the first fruits, we will follow.

We may break out, break free from the power of sin and death, pass through the gate and go out by it. The LORD goes at our head. Christ will lead His Church to the eternal victory. There’s never a time that the church isn’t there. She will always exist. From the beginning of the world to its end. Sometimes it may be almost invisible: see 7000 under Ahab. But Church will be victorious because Christ obtained the victory!

Be faithful in your task while trusting in Him. God will always be faithful to us. No doubt. God gives us His promises, He will be faithful. He forgives us our sins, and He gives us eternal life. We must believe it Him. We must trust in God. We must be His people. Cleave to Him. Love Him. It is not a relationship of works but of love. That is what God wants. That is what He gives to us. To love Him with all our heart and soul and mind.We love Him, but that love, even faith is worked in us by the Spirit, Who works in us both to will and to work for God’s good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

Those who truly are God’s people, God Himself will assemble and shepherd them like His own flock.

Key Text: Ezekiel 34:27: … and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

Meditation: 11 November is the day we remembered the end of the Great War in 1918. And we remembered all those who since then also gave their lives for the freedom of others. Fighting for freedom, that is an ongoing thing. There are always people on this earth who enslave others, oppress others. As long as sin rules on this earth, there will be oppression. Also many Christians are being persecuted. How can we, Christians, despite persecution, still live in the glorious freedom of God’s children?

from The Christian https://www.reformednews.info/2018/11/12/meditation-micah-212-13/

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fevie168 · 6 years

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Monday (August 6): Listen to my beloved Son

Gospel Reading: Mark 9:2-10 [alternate reading: Matthew 14:13-21]

2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean.

Old Testament Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

9 As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened... 13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Meditation: Are you prepared to see the glory of the Lord and to share in his glory as well? The Lord Jesus is eager to share his glory with us! We get a glimpse of this when some of the disciples see Jesus transfigured in glory on a high mountain. [In many churches of the east and west this event is celebrated as a major feast on August 6.] Jesus often went to a lonely place to pray - to seek solitude and sanctuary away from the crowds. But on this occasion, Jesus' face became radiant like the sun and his clothing became dazzling white (Matthew 17: 2 and Luke 9:29).

This vision of radiant light and glory is prefigured in the prophecy of Daniel. In chapter 7 of the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament we see a vision of the "Son of Man who came with the clouds of heaven" and was presented before the royal court of heaven and the "Ancient of Days" who is clothed in a radiant garment "white as snow" (Daniel 7:9,13). The prophet Daniel foretold that God would send his Anointed One, the Son of Man who would come on the clouds of heaven to bring God's reign of glory and righteousness on the earth (see Daniel 7:13-15). Daniel's vision describes a royal investiture of a human king before God's throne. The Son of Man is a Messianic title for God's anointed King, the Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament word for "Messiah" is "Christ" which literally means the "Anointed One" or the "Anointed King". God sent us his Son not to establish an earthly kingdom but to bring us into his heavenly kingdom - a kingdom ruled by truth, justice, peace, and holiness. The kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' mission. It's the core of his Gospel message.

The Lord Jesus came to fulfill all that Moses and the prophets spoke

Jesus on three occasions told his disciples that he would undergo suffering and death on a cross to fulfill the mission the Father gave him. As the time draws near for Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross, he takes three of his beloved disciples to the top of a high mountain. Just as Moses and Elijah were led to the mountain of God to discern their ultimate call and mission, so Jesus now appears with Moses and Elijah on the highest mountain overlooking the summit of the promised land. Matthew's Gospel tells us that Jesus

was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light

(Matthew 17:2).

Jesus reveals his glory to the apostles and to us Why did Jesus appear in dazzling light with Moses and Elijah? The book of Exodus tells us that when Moses had met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (Exodus 34:29). Paul the Apostle wrote that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Corinthians 3:7). After Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, had destroyed all the priests and idols of Baal in the land, he took refuge on the mountain of God at Sinai. There God showed Elijah his glory in great thunder, whirlwind, and fire, and then spoke with him in a still quiet voice. God questioned Elijah, "What are you doing here?" And then directed him to go and fulfill the mission given him by God. Jesus, likewise, appears in glory with Moses and Elijah, as if to confirm with them that he, too, is ready to fulfill the mission which the Father has sent him to accomplish.

Jesus went to the mountain knowing full well what awaited him in Jerusalem - betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion. Jesus very likely discussed this momentous decision to go to the cross with Moses and Elijah. God the Father also spoke with Jesus and gave his approval: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. The Father glorified his son because he was faithful and willing to obey him in everything. The cloud which overshadowed Jesus and his apostles fulfilled the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would fill the temple again (see Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Maccabees 2:8).

Christ's way to glory The Lord Jesus not only wants us to see his glory - he wants to share this glory with us. And Jesus shows us the way to the Father's glory - follow me - obey my words. Take the path I have chosen for you and you will receive the blessing of my Father's kingdom - your name, too, will be written in heaven. Jesus fulfilled his mission on Calvary where he died for our sins so that Paradise and everlasting life would be restored to us. He embraced the cross to win a crown of glory - a crown that awaits each one of us, if we, too, will follow in his footsteps.

Origen (185-254 AD), a noted early church bible scholar and teacher, explains the significance of Jesus' transfiguration for our own lives:

"Do you wish to see the transfiguration of Jesus? Behold with me the Jesus of the Gospels. Let him be simply apprehended. There he is beheld both "according to the flesh" and at the same time in his true divinity. He is beheld in the form of God according to our capacity for knowledge. This is how he was beheld by those who went up upon the lofty mountain to be apart with him. Meanwhile those who do not go up the mountain can still behold his works and hear his words, which are uplifting. It is before those who go up that Jesus is transfigured, and not to those below. When he is transfigured, his face shines as the sun, that he may be manifested to the children of light, who have put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. They are no longer the children of darkness or night but have become the children of day. They walk honestly as in the day. Being manifested, he will shine to them not simply as the sun but as he is demonstrated to be, the sun of righteousness." (Commentary on Matthew)

Luke's Gospel tells us that while Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John were asleep (Luke 9:32)! Upon awakening they discovered Jesus in glory along with Moses and Elijah. How much do we miss of God's glory and action because we are asleep spiritually? There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God: Mental lethargy and the "unexamined life" can keep us from thinking things through and facing our doubts and questions. The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ. Prejudice can make us blind to something new the Lord may have for us. Even sorrow can be a block until we can see past it to the glory of God.

We are partakers of his glory Are you spiritually awake? Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples. Do you seek his presence with faith and reverence?

"Lord Jesus, keep me always alert to you, to your word, your action, and your constant presence in my life. Let me see your glory."

Psalm 33:4-5,18-20,22

4 For the word of the LORD is upright; and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death, and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield. 21 Yes, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

A Daily Quote for Lent: Listen to Him, by Leo the Great, 400?-461 A.D.

"A voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. I am manifested through his preaching. I am glorified through his humility. So listen to him without hesitation. He is the truth and the life. He is my strength and wisdom. "Listen to him" whom the mysteries of the law foreshadowed, of whom the mouths of the prophets sang. "Listen to him" who by his blood redeemed the world, who binds the devil and seizes his vessels, who breaks the debt of sin and the bondage of iniquity. "Listen to him" who opens the way to heaven and by the pain of the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent into his kingdom." (excerpt from Sermon 38,7)

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christianpublishinghouse-blog · 6 years

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REASONABLE FAITH: Saving Those Who Doubt by Edward D. Andrews

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How Many Young Christians Must We Lose to Satan Before You Arm Yourself?

2 Timothy 2:26 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Satan the Devil stalks true Christians. (1 Pet. 5:8) His intention is not necessarily to slay them, as some serial killer slaughters his victims. Rather, Satan’s main purpose is to capture his victims alive and use the person as he sees fit.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

24 For a slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be kind to all, skillful in teaching, showing restraint when wronged, 25 instructing his opponents with gentleness, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to accurate knowledge[18] of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

If a serial is going to capture his victim alive, he must set some kind of trap for the person. He may try to get the mark to come out into an isolated area where he can drag the person into a van or into the woods. His goal is to set such a trap that it totally takes his prey by surprise. The Devil operates similarly, trying to catch true servants of God alive. If we want to avoid being caught by the greatest serial killer of all time, we must remain wide-awake and identify warning signs indicating that one of Satan’s snares, or traps, is close at hand. There are three traps that the Devil has used with a degree of success, which is (1) false Christianity [tens of thousands of denominations, hundreds of millions], (2) Jehovah’s Witnesses, (3) Islam, and (4) Atheism and Agnosticism.

REASONS FOR FAITH: The First Apologetic Guide For Christian Women on Matters of The Heart, Soul, and Mind by Judy Salisbury

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American Muslim adults who are converts to Islam also is about one-quarter (23%), a much smaller share of current Christians (6%) are converts. In other words, Christianity as a whole loses more people than it gains from religious switching

In the 21 years from 1996 to 2017, there were 4,128,632 baptisms for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Startlingly, 49% of young Christians (14-35) said a “lack of belief” is what led them to abandon the faith, with most becoming atheist and the others becoming agnostics. What was the word that many of the respondents used in a recent survey to explain their lack of belief? Science! Others used phrases like “common sense,” “logic,” or a “lack of evidence.”

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APOLOGETICS: Reaching Hearts with the Art of Persuasion by Edward D. Andrews, author of seventy-two books, covers information that proves that the Bible is accurate, trustworthy, fully inerrant, and inspired by God for the benefit of humankind. The reader will be introduced to Christan …

REVIEWING 2013 New World Translation of Jehovah’s Witnesses: Examining the History of the Watchtower Translation and the Latest Revision

REVIEWING 2013 New World Translation of Jehovah’s Witnesses is going to challenge your objectivity. Being objective means that personal feelings or opinions do not influence you in considering and representing facts. Being subjective means that your understanding is based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or ideas. If the reader finds these insights offense, it might be a little mind control at work from years of being told the same misinformation repeatedly, so ponder things objectively …

REASONING FROM THE SCRIPTURES: Sharing CHRIST as You Help Others to Learn about the Mighty works of God

Use of REASONING FROM THE SCRIPTURES should help you to cultivate the ability to reason from the Scriptures and to use them effectively in assisting others to learn about “the mighty works of God.” – Acts 2:11. If Christians are going to be capable, powerful, efficient teachers of God’s Word, we must not only pay attention to what we tell those who are interested but also how we tell them. Yes, we must focus our attention on…

REASONING WITH THE WORLD’S VARIOUS RELIGIONS: Examining and Evangelizing Other Faiths

God’s will is that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4) God has assigned all Christians the task of proclaiming the Word of God, teaching, to make disciples. (Matt. 24:15; 28:19-20: Ac 1;8 That includes men and women who profess a non-Christian religion, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam to mention just a few. If there are Hindus, Buddhist or Muslims are in your community, why not initiate a conversation with them? Christians who take the Great Commission seriously cannot afford to ignore these religions…

CONVERSATIONAL EVANGELISM, [Second Edition]

Evangelism is the work of a Christian evangelist, of which all true Christians are obligated to partake to some extent, which seeks to persuade other people to become Christian, especially by sharing the basics of the Gospel, but also the deeper message of biblical truths. Today the …

THE CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST: Always Being Prepared to Make a Defense [Second Edition]

MOST Christian apologetic books help the reader know WHAT to say; THE CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST is HOW to communicate it effectively. The Christian apologist words should always be seasoned with salt as we share the unadulterated truths of Scripture with gentleness and respect. Our example …

THE EVANGELISM HANDBOOK: How All Christians Can Effectively Share God’s Word in Their Community, [SECOND EDITION]

…THE EVANGELISM HANDBOOK is a practical guide (for real-life application) in aiding all Christians in sharing biblical beliefs, the Good News of the kingdom, how to deal with Bible critics, overturning false beliefs, so as to make disciples, as commanded by Christ. Matthew 24:14; …

YOUR GUIDE FOR DEFENDING THE BIBLE: Self-Education of the Bible Made Easy [Third Edition]

The reader will receive eight small introductory books in this one publication. Andrews’ intention is to offer his reader several chapters on eight of the most critical subject areas of understanding and defending the Word of God. This will enable the reader to lay a solid foundation for …

THE CULTURE WAR: How the West Lost Its Greatness & Was Weakened From Within

…The Culture War. How the West lost its greatness and was weakened from within outlines how the West lost its values, causing its current decline. It is a forceful attack on the extreme liberal, anti-religious ideology which since the1960’s has permeated the Western culture and …

EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN THE FIRST CENTURY Jesus’ Witnesses to the Ends of the Earth

EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN THE FIRST CENTURY will give its readers a thrilling account of first-century Christianity. When and how did they come to be called Christians? Who are all obligated to be Christian evangelists? In what way did Jesus set the example for our evangelism? What is the …

CRISIS OF FAITH Saving Those Who Doubt

Inside of some Christians unbeknownst to their family, friends or congregation, they are screaming, “I doubt, I doubt, I have very grave doubts!” OURS is an age of doubt. Skepticism has become fashionable. We are urged to question everything: especially the existence of God and the …

INVESTIGATING JEHOVAH?S WITNESSES: Why 1914 Is Important to Jehovah?s Witnesses

The intention of this book is to investigate the biblical chronology behind Jehovah’s Witnesses most controversial doctrinal position that Jesus began to rule invisibly from heaven in October 1914. This biblical chronology of the Witnesses hinges upon their belief that the destruction of …

Translation and Textual Criticism

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO BIBLE TRANSLATION: Bible Translation Choices and Translation Principles [Second Edition]

…THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO BIBLE TRANSLATION (CGBT) is for all individuals interested in how the Bible came down to us, as well as having an insight into the Bible translation process. CGBT is also for those who are interested in which translation(s) would be the most beneficial to use.

CHOOSING YOUR BIBLE: Bible Translation Differences

There are more than 150 different Bible translations in the English language alone. Some are what we call literal translations, which seeks to give the reader the exact English equivalent of what was written in the original language text, thus allowing the reader access to the actual Word …

THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT: The Science and Art of Textual Criticism

…THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT was copied and recopied by hand for 1,500 years. Regardless of those scribes who had worked very hard to be faithful in their copying, errors crept into the text. How can we be confident that what we have today is the Word of God? Wilkins and Andrews …

MISREPRESENTING JESUS: Debunking Bart D. Ehrman’s “Misquoting Jesus” [Third Edition]

Edward D. Andrews boldly answers the challenges Bart D. Ehrman alleges against the fully inerrant, Spirit-inspired, authoritative Word of God. By glimpsing into the life of Bart D. Ehrman and following along his course of academic studies, Andrews helps the reader to understand the …

Biblical Studies

HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE: Rightly Handling the Word of God

A comprehensive book on HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE by observing, interpreting, and applying, which will focus on the most basic Bible study tools, principles, and processes for moving from an in-depth reading of the Scriptures to application. What, though, if you have long felt that you are …

THE NEW TESTAMENT: Its Background, Setting & Content

…the author’s intended meaning to his original readers and how that meaning can then apply to us. Marshall gives you what you need for deeper and richer Bible study. Dr. Lee M. Fields writes, “‘Deep’ study is no guarantee that mature faith will result, but shallow study guarantees …

THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST: What Do You Know About Jesus? [Updated and Expanded]

The life of Christ is an exhaustless theme. It reveals a character of greater massiveness than the hills, of a more serene beauty than the stars, of sweeter fragrance than the flowers, higher than the heavens in sublimity and deeper than the seas in mystery. As good Jean Paul has …

THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL: The Apostle to the Nations [Updated and Expanded]

Stalker’s Life of St. Paul became one of the most widely read and respected biographies of the Apostle to the Gentiles. As an insightful compendium on the life of Paul, this work is of particular interest to pastors and teachers who desire to add realism and vividness to their account of …

INTERPRETING THE BIBLE: Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics

Delving into the basics of biblical interpretation, Edward D. Andrews has provided a complete hands-on guide to understanding what the author meant by the words that he used from the conservative grammatical-historical perspective. He teaches how to study the Bible on a deep, scholarly …

HOW TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE: An Introduction to Hermeneutics

…Linguistic and literary factors are analyzed so that the various genres of Scripture are examined for their true meaning. The importance of having sound principles of interpretation cannot be overstated as to ignore them will result in all manner of erroneous assumptions. Beville presents …

THE CHURCH COMMUNITY IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE: Evangelism and Engagement with Postmodern People

Once upon a time, Postmodernism was a buzz word. It pronounced Modernism dead or at least in the throes of death. It was a wave that swept over Christendom, promising to wash away sterile, dogmatic and outmoded forms of church. But whatever happened to postmodernism? It was regarded …

DEVELOPING HEALTHY CHURCHES: A Case-Study in Revelation

…church. It offers an appointment with the Great Physician that no Christian can afford to ignore. Developing Healthy Churches: A Case-Study in Revelationbegins with a well-researched outline of the origins and development of the church health movement. With that background in mind the …

DYING TO KILL: A Christian Perspective on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

…liberties in a multi-cultural society that is becoming increasingly secular. This work provides an ethical framework in which euthanasia and assisted suicide can be evaluated. These issues are on the radar indicating a collision course with Christian values. It is time for Christians to be …

JOURNEY WITH JESUS THROUGH THE MESSAGE OF MARK

…Journey with Jesus through the Message of Mark is an insightful and engaging survey of Mark‘s Gospel, exploring each major section of the text along with key themes. It is a work that can be enjoyed by laypersons as well as pastors and teachers. Pastors will find the abundant use …

ANGELS & DEMONS The Bible Answers

What are angels & demons? Can angels help us? What does the Bible say about angels? What is the truth about angels? Can Angels affect your life? Who were the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2? Who were the Nephilim in Genesis 6:2? Who is Michael the archangel? Can Satan the Devil control …

AN ENCOURAGING THOUGHT The Christian Worldview

An Encouraging Thought elucidates the ways in which Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are informed by and communicate a biblical worldview. This book will help readers appreciate the ways in which a biblical worldview informs Tolkien’s work, to the end that their own faith may be confirmed in strength, focused in understanding, deepened in joy, and honed in its ability to communicate the Gospel.

Bible Doctrines

WHERE ARE THE DEAD? Basic Bible Doctrines of the Christian Faith

What is the Bible’s viewpoint? Without delving into an endless stream of what man has said, Andrews looks at what the Bible says about death and the like. Why do we grow old and die? What happens at death? Is there life after death, or is this all there is? Do we have an immortal soul? …

IDENTIFYING THE ANTICHRIST: The Man of Lawlessness and the Mark of the Beast Revealed

Herein Andrews will give the reader exactly what the Bible offers on exposing who the Antichrist and the Man of Lawlessness are. If we look at the texts that refer to the antichrist and the man of lawlessness, we will have lines of evidence that will enable us to identify them. Why is it …

UNDERSTANDING THE CREATION ACCOUNT: Basic Bible Doctrines of the Christian Faith

Throughout the Scriptures, God is identified as the Creator. He is the One “who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it.” [Isa 45:18] He is the One “who forms mountains and creates the wind” (Am 4:13) and is the One “who made the heaven and …

The SECOND COMING of CHRIST: Basic Bible Doctrines of the Christian Faith

The information herein is based on the disciples coming to Jesus privately, saying, “Tell us, (1) when will these things be, and (2) what will be the sign of your coming, and (3) of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3) What will end? When will the end come? What comes after the end? Who …

WHAT IS HELL? Basic Bible Doctrines of the Christian Faith

What Really Is Hell? What Kind of Place is Hell? What Really Happens at Death? What Did Jesus Teach About Hell? How Does Learning the Truth About Hell Affect You? Who Goes to Hell? What Is Hell? Is It a Place of Eternal Torment? Does God Punish People in Hellfire? Do the Wicked Suffer in …

MIRACLES – DO THEY STILL HAPPEN TODAY? God Miraculously Saving People’s Lives, Apparitions, Speaking In Tongues, Faith Healing

Miracles were certainly a part of certain periods in Bible times. What about today? Are miracles still taking place. There are some very important subjects that surround this area of discussion that are often misunderstood. Andrews will answer such questions as does God step in and solve …

HOMOSEXUALITY – The BIBLE and the CHRISTIAN: Basic Bible Doctrines of the Christian Faith

Today there are many questions about homosexuality as it relates to the Bible and Christians. What does the Bible say about homosexuality? Does genetics, environment, or traumatic life experiences justify homosexuality? What is God’s will for people with same-sex attractions? Does the …

Daily Devotionals

DEVOTIONAL FOR YOUTHS: Growing Up In Christ

Young ones and teens, you are exposed to complex problems that your parents may not understand. Young Christians, you are bombarded with multiple options for solving everyday problems through social media. Where do you turn to find answers? Where can you look to find guidance from Scripture? In order to provide a Christian perspective to problem-solving, the author of this devotional book decided to take a different approach.

DEVOTIONAL FOR THOSE COPING WITH TRAGEDY: A Journey Back to God

This devotional book follows the author’s own faith journey back to God. Significant life events can shake our world and distort our faith. Following life’s tragedies, a common reaction is to become angry with God or to reject Him altogether. Examples of tragedies or traumas include life-changing events such as physical or sexual assault, destruction of one’s home, the tragic death of a loved one, diagnoses of terminal diseases, divorce, miscarriages, or being a victim of a crime. Tragedies or traumas can cause feelings of anxiety, depression, shame, and guilt.

DEVOTIONAL FOR CAREGIVERS: Finding Strength Through Faith

Throughout the book, common themes emerge to support caregivers. The reader will find interesting Bible Scriptures, offering a Christian perspective, for handling issues that may arise. These inspiring passages will assist the caregiver in finding peace and faith as they travel their journey as a caregiver. Although caregivers may not know how long they will play this role, they take on the responsibility without any question. Taking care of others is often mentioned in the Bible and, as noted in this devotional, this self-sacrificing, highly valued, and often challenging service will ultimately be rewarded.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL Daily Musings From the Old Testament

Humans must breathe in the air of our atmosphere to survive. Many cities because of pollution face a dangerous level of contamination in their air. However, an even more deadly air affects both Christians and nonChristians. Ordinary methods or devices cannot detect this poisonous air.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL: Daily Musing From the New Testament

Paul counseled, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2) It is, for this reason, Marshall has penned the DAILY DEVOTIONAL: Daily Musings From the New Testament, which can help us be protected against Satan’s efforts at controlling our mind and heart. For each day of the year, DAILY DEVOTIONAL provides a Daily Bible Reading and comments for consideration.

BREAD OF HEAVEN: Daily Meditations on Scripture

BREAD OF HEAVEN helps the reader to have a greater understanding of the timeless truths of Scripture and a deeper appreciation of the grandeur of God. It offers meditations on selected Scriptures which will draw the reader’s attention upwards to the Savior.

Christian Fiction

THE DIARY OF JUDAS ISCARIOT: How to Keep Jesus at Arm’s Length

…desert but none of such significance as a handful of scrolls retrieved from a buried Roman satchel (presumed stolen) at this site. The discovery has since come to be known as ‘The Diary of Judas Iscariot.’ In The Diary of JudasIscariot Owen Batstone relates the observations and feelings …

THE SECRET HIDEAWAY ON BRIDGETON HILL

Rachael Garrison knows all the shrewd ways to successfully close multi-million-dollar real estate deals with her father’s famous New York real estate enterprise. But beyond her savvy to rake in huge deals is her premonition that an impending global takeover of the world’s financial wealth is on the horizon by evil leaders of The Great Ten Nations. From New York City to the Irish Hills of Michigan, and into the streets of Detroit her life takes on enormous purpose as

THE RAPTURE: God’s Unwelcomed Wrath

Kevin Trill struggles with the notion that he may have missed the Rapture. With nothing but the clothes on his back and a solid gold pocket watch, he sets off towards Garbor, a safe haven for those who haven’t yet taken the mark of thebeast. While on his way to Garbor, he meets up …

SEEKERS AND DECEIVERS: Which One are You? It Is Time to Join the Fight!

There grew an element in the valley that did not want to be ruled by the Light of the Word. Over time, they convinced the people to reject it. As they started to reject this Light, the valley grew dim and the fog rolled in. The people craved the darkness rather than the Light because they were evil. They did not want to …

The Shadow Flames of Uluru: Book ONE in the CHAOS DOWN UNDER

When an ancestor saddles them with the responsibility to purge Australia of a demon threatening to wipe our humanity with black flames, fraternal siblings Amber and Michael Hauksby lay their lives on the line. As the world crumbles around them into chaos, and ancient marsupials wreak havoc in their hometown, they must journey into …

WRITE PLACE, RIGHT TIME: The Pre-Apocalyptic Misadventure of a Freelance Journalist

“Write Place, Right Time” follows the pre-apocalyptic misadventures of freelance journalist Don Lamplighter. While on what he expects to be a routine Monday night trip to a village board meeting, Lamplighter’s good nature compels him to help a stranded vehicle. Little does he know that by saving one of the car’s occupants, he sets forth a chain of what to him seem to be unrelated events where he must use his physical and social skills to save himself and others from precarious situations.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL Thursday, May 31, 2018 How Many Young Christians Must We Lose to Satan Before You Arm Yourself? 2 Timothy 2:26…

#DAILY DEVOTIONAL #DAILY SCRIPTURE #DAILY TEXT

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aq2003 · 8 months

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almost forgot. ten's run episode ranking (nine ranking here)

some stray thoughts and opinions under the cut

my overall ranking for the series so far would be 4 > 1 >= 3 > 2. donna sweep babygirl

"i have brain damage" tier would've been called "the qpr meth has gotten to me" but then i remembered how absolutely glued to the screen i was for sound of drums <3 all of the other episodes there are either donna episodes or episodes where ten goes through horrors specifically bc donna isn't there and sound of drums is the exception lmao

by default i think simm!master is the best main villain in ten's run. he is still very goofy like the cybermen and the daleks (and 98% of the villains in this show really) but simm!master has that toxic doomed yaoi backing him and that means everything in the world. rtd drop your simm!master spotify playlist

it is SO CRAZY how an episode called "planet of the ood" can make me cry. but it did. and i love it for it. i love the ood so much. they are my little guys

stolen earth/journey's end was my least favorite arc in main series 4 - which is just a testament to how much i loved the rest of it lmao. like i still rly liked the finale, and the scene of davros pointing out that ten turned their friends into soldiers and how it was framed almost like they were being put on trial. Was so fucking juicy. but it felt overall like the story was doing that "trying to include everyone" thing and the pacing felt off as a result. like i rly needed the donna mind wipe scene to be longer it was goin so fast i couldn't process it

42 goes so crazy and i love it so much bc to me it is the defining tenmartha episode. you have that showcase of deep inherent trust, of swearing to save each other, of being the person the other needs bc is there anyone else. but you also have ten screaming at her to kill him so that he won't hurt anyone and then at the end, deflecting and refusing to talk w her about it. "burn with me martha" is like that previously-unspoken-now-brought-to-front undercurrent to their whole relationship and ten says it while being possessed by a rageful vindictive sun. waow

i really dislike the temporary companions (astrid and christina in voyage of the damned and planet of the dead respectively). not the characters themselves but the timing and role they have in the story and how they're framed. i do understand that part of ten's character is that he gets attached very easily and can't stand being on his own, but also for astrid this was directly post-martha where ten's realized he's been fucking up her life by acting the way he did. and for christina this was post-donna and pre-time-lord-victorious. forming a friendship that ends w/ tragedy or ten pushing them away i can see, but romantic tension is pushing it HARD. which leads me to my next deranged point

ten is aroace to me i'm so sorry society he clocked the aroace meter the minute the story decided to introduce donna and then in series 4 make them the soulmates of all time while there isnt a HINT of romantic tension between them. and there is something so narratively aspec about ten being created by and for love but sometimes his love isn't enough/isn't the right kind and everyone will leave or find someone else. being an alien can be a metaphor for being aroace if i'm crazy enough about it (and also if their humanity is a constant theme to their arc that is hammered in time and time again)

i forgot i was supposed to talk about the episodes hold on a second

one of the most out of body experiences i had was watching love and monsters, really quite liking it (despite finding the ending weird) because it's a grounded and solid episode w strong characterization and really great jackie and rose moments, only to find out this episode is nearly universally despised by the dr who fanbase. help girl

the human ten arc probably has the most underrated villains in the show. i just really love that concept of monsters that need to eat timelords in order to survive, and ten giving them one chance to be spared of his rage and die peacefully by turning himself into a human for a hot minute. it's just really neat idk.

time lord victorious my babygirl. like oh my god i was wondering for the entire time how the fuck does ten go from "vain/overconfident but at heart always driven by his love for others" to "god complex" and the answer to this question is "you take away everyone he cares about and make him watch more and more people die in front of him until he just fucking snaps". at the end of waters of mars i was almost expecting him to knock 4 times on the tardis door himself and was so glad it didnt happen. etc etc. i'm also really glad that it doesn't last for more than 5 minutes. what he does essentially haunts him for the rest of his (short) life and that's so so important

end of time part 2 doesn't get a ranking. it is simultaneously the best episode and worst episode. it made me cry my eyes out three separate times. like it's not even an episode anymore it's like an experience. specifically one akin to watching a good friend you made over the course of 16 days die in front of you. i felt my soul being sucked out and i wont ever feel anything again (until the 60th anniversary specials fix me). god fucking bless

but pairing up martha and mickey out of nowhere was so so fucking bad and i need to actually murder whoever made that decision

#i for sure have more thoughts about These Many Episodes but like that's all i can think of for now #dr who #if you read this whole post you may be entitled to financial compensation #10 era

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fevie168 · 7 years

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Sunday (August 6): Listen to my beloved Son

Gospel Reading: Matthew 17:1-9 [alternate reading for 18th Sunday in Ordinary time: Matthew 14:13-21]

1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead."

Old Testament Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

The Lord Jesus came to fulfill all that Moses and the prophets spoke

was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light

(Matthew 17:2).

Origen (185-254 AD), a noted early church bible scholar and teacher, explains the significance of Jesus' transfiguration for our own lives:

"Lord Jesus, keep me always alert to you, to your word, your action, and your constant presence in my life. Let me see your glory."

Psalm 33:4-5,18-20,22

A Daily Quote for Lent: Listen to Him, by Leo the Great, 400?-461 A.D.

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