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dairy-farmer · 25 days

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Haven't preached the gospel of Civilian Tim in a while >.> my boy would be so disappointed in me. I forgot about my boy! <:O

So consider!

Smol Tim! Knows he has to be SUUUPER careful. Mrs. Mac or his parents COULD find his Batman Notes and collection of blurry Baby's First Photographs, after all. So he keeps it vague. Never any names. Cryptic references. The works. Nothing that someone who doesn't know what HE knows, would understand.

But! He's also slightly less athletic then Cannon Tim. Or perhaps, Mrs. Mac is slightly less oblivious. She suspects Somethings Up(tm). Gets that distinct wiff of "child doing something they know they shouldn't behind my back". So waits in her car one night instead of actually going home like she usually does.

Oh dear lord.

Is he SNEAKING OUT!?

TIMMY!!!

Unfortunately, she picks the worst time to startle him. He's half way down the wall, having avoided the already Alarm Primed front door, from the SECOND FLOOR. The small child falls. Eats it, crushing a decorative bush.

This does NOT calm Mrs. Mac down.

He gets a concussion and one of two DOZEN hysterical calls to his parents from Mrs. Mac at the hospital. They think he's dying. Drop everything and rush back.

Are FURIOUS but relieved he's mostly okay.

His Dad, determined to figure out what the FUCK he thought he was doing, finds his Batman stuff. Tim sits, woozy, and wonders if he's watching his parent's Villian origin story as they rage and curse Batman out. His mom wants to shoot him.

It's decided (for him, no he does NOT get a say) that he is NOT staying in Gotham. Where God forsaken furries stalk the night, tempting innocent people's sons into running around the crumbling rooftops and too their early graves. Absolutely not. Tim is going to boarding school.

Tim doesn't WANT to go to boarding school.

But he doesn't get a say.

However... his parents? Do seem really excited? And spend lots of time with him looking over the options. Telling him stories about trips they took to countries near by. It's... it's actually kinda exciting. Nice, even.

And boarding school isn't even that bad.

No one makes fun of him for being quite or "new money". He makes friends. His parents VISIT since the airport isn't too far and they can plan lay-overs through it. He slowly forgets about the Heros of Gotham.

There are local Heros. They kinda suck. He keeps trying to send them notes on how to improve but somehow? They interpret it as a threat? God, they are dumb.

The trip that should have killed his parents? Never happens. Because there was an important event at the School and then CERTAIN local idiots failed to stop their telekinetic Villian from destroying all the planes. By the time his parents managed to reschedule? The local police in Haiti were desperately calling to warn them to Stay Put.

He graduates. Heads... well, he guesses "Home"? Back to Gotham. After a decade away. It's still just as Gothic, shitty, and creepy as always. His parents are out on their new dig, so? Place to himself~ Sweet.

Even if his old room is basicly untouched. Kiddy sheets and all. He'll need new everything. Which? As he pokes around? Leads him to finding his own HIGHLY Creepy? Cryptic, Possibly-Haunted, Horror Movie Notes(tm).

Baby Tim... WTF.

He remembers these. Remembers understanding them...

Does... NOT understand them now.

Huh.

He can? Sort of decipher them. Based off what he knows about himself at that age? It's "something, something, circus, something, Wayne's." And this other one just references Bats, which... kinda obvious. This is all clearly about BATman.

The question is? Does he CARE?

.....maybe a little bit.

Curse his insatiable curiosity. He collects Baby Him's creepy notes. The horror movie photographs. Starts making a list of furniture he'll need, and... Ding~ Dong~! Door? Who in gods name would be at the DOOR? Houses around here are massively spaced out.

He goes to check.

Standing there, in their work out clothes, is the unfairly gorgeous Dickie Wayne and sharply handsome young blood son, Damian Wayne. Life long neighbors. Haven't seen one of them since childhood, the other at ALL. Why are they at his house?

Hi?

Dickie is like getting hit by a semi-truck of Friendly. Tim feels an almost feline urge to hiss and bite the man to make him back off. The blood son just watchs. Sharp gaze an unfairly beautiful green, as he just? Seems to observe and consider. So, clearly no help there.

Dickie seems to think Tim is moving in? Is new? Wow. Way to be observant. Dude, the Drake's have lived next to your family since BEFORE TIM WAS BORN. We're just abroad a lot. We travel. Tim's just graduated. Is going to start his work in Drake Industries.

He gets a blank look from Dickie.

Damian at least know exactly what he's talking about. Was simply unaware that they were neighbors. Apologizes for Dickie's... He means well.

Tim has to laugh.

What a brutal kid. He likes him. They part ways. Tim doesn't notice the lingering looks or flushing cheeks, his fluffy and unguarded appearance has gotten him. Soft in a way nothing in Gotham or their lives ever is.

Tim gets to work. Modernizing the house and updating the furniture. Lots to buy and do, after all. Its exhausting. Thank god for the pool. And since it in the back, away from the road, he doesn't have to worry about all those absurd prudish drama queens he's met at the local market, getting food.

He can relax in a barely-there, string, bikini bottom. Topless. Soak in what little sun there manages to be.

Utterly entrance various Poor Bats, who are just trying to get their steps in. With so, so much soft and unmarked skin. Pretty little mosquito bite tits, the gentle curves and dips of his lounging body. Long legs, relaxed and sprawled teasingly open. Enough to torment but not enough to see.

They could never be that relaxed. Too many enemies. Too deeply ingrained to stay on gaurd. But there Tim lays, soaking up the sunshine with a drink and podcast. Utterly boneless.

A glimpse into another world. What they fight to protect. So different it... it almost become a fetish.

And it quickly does. Mentally playing house. Pretending civilian. They would go on dates and bring him flowers, they think, spying on him. Have dinners for two, cuddle on the couch, they imagine, as they break bones in the frigid rain. On and on. Them and their pretty civilian boyfriend.

The boy next door. Hallmark romances. Romantic novels. Fated encounters. Each of them framing it differently in their head. No less obsessive. Getting more by the day.

And Tim? Well, for him, things are feeling... Off(tm). His neighbors are? Weirdly friendly. He'd say cultishly friendly, but he doesn't even think they're religious. Yet his gut is SCREAMING "somethings not right here".

He can't figure out his creepy kid-self's notes. And it's starting to seem IMPORTANT. Because he HEARD that Brucie Wayne? Was a himbo. An idiot. But no one in that family reads as genuinely dumb to Tim. So why are they pretending? What are they HIDING? And??

Does it have something to do with how he keeps seeing the fuckin BATS around his house? His office? He's pretty sure they broke in. Found at least on bug. There might be cameras. He got kidnapped and like? Five! Of them showed up. FIVE.

Crowded super close to untie him, all lingering touches and predators grins.

Is he being hunted by vampires? Demons?

Bat people?!

How many times did they watch him masturbate before he realized there could be cameras!? And is he REALLY sure the shower is safe to get off in, now? It better be. He refuses to stop, just because he's being hunted by cryptids!

And off course~♡ Ivy, our Beloved. (We salute you o7) Oh dear and precious Bringer of Convenient Plot Devices. Escapes! Oh nooooo! And she was doing so well.

She hits? You guessed it! Drake Pharmaceuticals. The main branch of Drake Industries. Because a CERTAIN member of the Board has been lying about where he's been putting run-off. Like that's not a known death-sentence in Gotham. Are you KIDDING US, Geoffrey!?

Tim, bravely, tries to talk her down. Was already trying to fix other damage. WILL fix that. He didn't know. Please, Dr. Isely!

She thinks he's young and twink-y. Gives him a chance. Feeds Geoffrey to a plant. Chaos and Bats ensue.

But on no! Ivy definitely pulled the "remember. I can DESTROY YOU" card with her Chance(tm) and hit Tim with a Pollen dose. It's already been too long. Anti-agent will help, but? Ultimately not enough. Tim needs treatment.

......don't WORRY, Civilian! The Bats say with far more enthusiasm then the rightfully should, coming dangerously close to perky chirping. They are Here To Help~!

Odd, how Tim does NOT feel terribly safe, being stared down by the hungry eyes of Bat Cryptids. But also his skin feels like it's on slow fire and his insides hurt, soooo.... Make It STOP.

He's scooped up and dragged to the nap room he had set up connecting to his office. The don't stop CROWDING. Hands reaching out, stroking and touching. Gazes heavy enough to feel lewder the their hands, as they blatantly plot what they're going to do to him.

Batman, who by all accounts, is supposed to be the one to keep his various hellions in check, leading the charge. Seeming almost giddy as he carries Tim off. Gently dumps him on his napping bed.

He's surrounded.

They work together to get rid of "pollen contaminated clothing". Which is apparently everything. Hands are everywhere, making him whimper as they stroke oversensitive skin. Nightwing holding his head and neck still, plundering his mouth until he can't breathe.

Gloved hands are teasing his tits. Stroking his stomach. Holding his hands tight, to wrap it around something hard and hot. Thrusting against his palms. Legs being held open by strong hangs. Hearing Batman shift but being unable to move.

Embarrassing noises ripped out of him, back bowing, as squirming wet heat starts eating him out. Sucking, swirling, fucking in and out. None of the boys at school could EVER have come close. Tim finds himself twitching and coming apart embarrassingly fast.

Only it doesn't end.

He's never gone past one before.

The Pollens going to make sure EVERYONE gets a turn. Bruce barely holding back, while he stretchs him. The instant he decides it's enough, he's surging up, lining up and fucking himself in. Tim is utterly destroyed. Not a single Bat missing their golden chance to fuck Tim. Several times, at LEAST.

And of course? Once you have a taste of what you desire? Obsessions get so, SO much worse. A few more Pollen incidents that spring and summer? Well obviously, he's their Boyfriend now. Even if he doesn't know it.

It's all very horror movie, but the moster wants to bone you incoherent. Will Tim ever figure out the secret of the Waynes? Will he eventually be seduced by the constant, unexpected, but frankly mind-blowing dickings? Can orgasms win the day?

Who knows! Not me!

I just want them to obsess over Civilian Tim, fetishize his sexy Normal Life and hot bod, and (importantly) LOVINGLY gang bang the Timmy. He deserves to be the center of attention, you know? Get so, SO many orgasms. Be treated like a treasured princess of fuckies. Then cuddled for taking it so well, when they pounded him drooling and nearly to tears.

Give the Bats something to come home too! Their lives suck! They should have a Tim!

-🐼🐼🐼

them fetishizing civilian tim's life, growing more obsessed and voyeuristic with him!!😍😍

#answered asks #asks #anonymous

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kcwriter-blog · 3 months

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Another Take on Solas' Conversation About the Dalish and Other Things

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I’ve been seeing enough negative takes on Solavellan and Solasmancers in general on my dash that I feel the need to vent a little. I realize that most negative takes boil down to “I hate this ship and there is something very wrong with you if you like it” and I mostly ignore them but this time I have a few thoughts to share under the cut.

As far as I can tell, the dislike starts with the conversation between Solas and the Inquisitor about the Dalish. Apparently, this comes off as condescending? I’m pretty sure the people that use that word don’t know what it means. The way Vivienne speaks to the Inquisitor is condescending. Solas is just angry and bitter.

If he were being condescending, the conversation would be more along the lines of “My dear, I understand that having grown up among the Dalish, you are going to be a bit biased, but really you can’t possibly believe that the Dalish know everything there is to know about their history.” Condescension is being simultaneously polite and catty. It’s The Game.

Back to the conversation. Solas tells Lavellan on the way to the Temple of Ashes that his dealings with the Dalish did not go well. He tried to tell them about their history, they didn’t like what he had to say because it contradicted their beliefs, and they tossed him out on his “flat” ears. He also says that the Dalish did not believe he was one of them.

He’s understandably bitter but not entirely for the reasons we think. Yes, part of it is about ego, but mostly it’s about how closed-minded the Dalish are. Solas hates closed mindedness. He values curiosity and he is willing to debate ideas. He went to the Dalish because as the self-proclaimed keepers of elvish lore and the people searching to reclaim their lost history, he thought they would not only listen but be excited to learn more. They weren’t.

When Lavellan asks about his views on elven culture, he lashes out. Not because he thinks she’s stupid but because he expects her to be as closed-minded as the Dalish he has already met.

Lavellan for her part can react in several different ways. People that don’t like the romance assume that the top option where she calls him ha’ren is her agreeing with him. It isn’t.

I used to work in human resources back in the dinosaur age. My job was to listen to employee complaints and keep them from suing the company. I was taught how to make an employee think I was on their side without actually agreeing with them. That’s what I think the top response is. She needs his expertise. She needs him to be on her side. Antagonizing him doesn’t help her so she decides to diffuse the situation.

She addresses him respectfully. Then she says, “If the Dalish have done you a disservice.” She isn’t saying, “Yeah dude they were jerks.” She is saying If (a conditional) which roughly translates to “I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened, but you seem pretty upset.” She isn’t agreeing just acknowledging his feelings.

She continues with “I would make that right.” She knows he’s upset because they didn’t listen to him. It costs her nothing to say, “I’m willing to listen and keep an open mind.” That’s all she is saying. She doesn’t say she is going to believe him. She is not going to go out among the Dalish and preach the gospel of Solas. She’s just willing to listen.

She then turns it back on him. She asks a question. “What course would you set for them?” Again, she’s not agreeing with him. She’s simply asking him to stop bitching and figure out how the Dalish could do what he is suggesting.

The end result is that Solas apologizes, recognizes that there isn’t a way for the Dalish to do what he wants them to do and settles down. Is he still salty? Sure. He also recognizes he shouldn’t take that out on Lavellan.

Most of Solas’ conversations with Lavellan run along the same lines. He tells her about the pre-Veil world, she says “It sounds like it would be wonderful.” Again, not agreeing that it was, just that the way he describes it sounds wonderful. There are a lot of other examples.

Basically, Lavellan is smart and canny. She can meet Solas as an equal on his own ground. She is willing to admit he knows stuff she doesn’t and to take his advice if it seems sound. She doesn’t have to, and yeah, he can be salty about that, but the only reason we don’t know if your other advisors disapprove of you disagreeing with them is that their approval system is hidden.

You can disagree with him and still gain enough approval to trigger the romance etc. All you have to do is ask questions, keep an open mind, help other people and be merciful when you sit in judgement. It’s not that hard.

I’ve heard it said that he treats her like a child who doesn’t know anything. Hello? Is there another Fade expert in the house? Does your Lavellan know everything there is to know about The Fade, spirits and demons? No. No more than she knows about spying, the nobility or directing an army. No one thinks what Cullen tells the Inquisitor is condescending or treating her like she is a child or an idiot. Also Solas does know a lot of things she doesn‘t because he was there. He is sharing that info. He won’t share it if you don’t ask him questions about it.

Another charge. Solas is cold. He is certainly aloof but in his post-Fade kiss conversation with Lavellan he is almost playful. He is concerned about where it might lead but he is almost happy. He admits he isn’t usually thrown by things that happen in dreams, but he is “reasonably certain we are awake, now and he would enjoy talking.” That’s not someone cold and aloof. That is someone reaching out.

Another charge. Solas makes Lavellan chase him. Nope. As attracted as Solas is to Lavellan he would much rather she focus her attentions elsewhere. That’s why he asks for time to think. He’s hoping she will wander off and flirt with someone else. Lavellan drives the relationship. He gives in against his better judgement. It isn’t a game to him.

Another comment is that you have to work hard and break down a lot of barriers to romance him. Um, yes? He is constantly saying he has trust issues. If Lavellan wants to pursue a relationship knowing that, then she only has herself to blame for the outcome.

I’ll just end by saying I was in a truly toxic, emotionally abusive relationship. Not the kind of relationship where you get a drink with friends and say “Yeah he was totally toxic.” The kind of relationship where you need professional therapy to deal with it. If anyone is going to be triggered by that romance it would be me. I’m not. I know what it is like to be condescended to, to have someone constantly say or imply that you are incompetent and worthless. Solas doesn’t do those things. He is impressed by her, he admires her, he thinks she is competent enough to go to when he needs help. He tells her that. Trust me, an emotional abuser does none of those things.

Anyway, thanks for listening.

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frostythefrostedfox · 4 months

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I don't even have a witty caption to make, y'all know this is true, stop coping, I've seen Fallout cutscenes with better animation than this show, putting same 8 characters in the same 4 locations for 23 episodes aint funny.

Boom wasn't trying to take itself seriously and that's why it was funny, but y'all doing the same shit that Boom made fun of and acting like Kojima directed the show, Idris Elba voiced Shadow and Nolan North voiced Sonic

Nine is as threathening as an Ipad kid at Walmart

Alexa Rose gave a minute long speech to a robot like it was able to understand anything.

I can already hear y'all yapping "m-muh mandates", "r-rushed production", "b-budget", how about y'all get a new argument for a change, I can watch Liar Liar every day of my life until I die and still crack my ass off laughing at it, but y'all aint Jim Carrey so get new material, please.

BTW, where is your lord and saviour Ian "Jesus" Flynn preaching his gospel? Because last I heard this man wasn't shutting his trap about how "Prime is 420% canon my dude, how? I can't tell you lol xd because it would be a spoiler, but trust me bro, I know shit... How do I know? Because I made it up like everything I say!", y'all been real quiet ever since the middest of the mid, the ultimate corporate gobslop, dropped

Sonic X wasn't the peak of the peakest-est peak-er either, but damn, it was enjoyable and consistent with itself, at least have some self awareness.

I'm glad I only saw like 2 episodes of this thing before watching S3, and guess what, I didn't needed to watch the whole thing because the exposition dump in this show makes backwatching unnecesary.

And don't think I am going to agree with the other side either, people acting like that bunch of mismatched sprites in one of the introductions killed your grandma or something, dude chill out, is a cartoon blue hedgeheg, yeah it was cringe as fuck but y'all acting like Sonic just said something like "Team Magma did nothing wrong, N was right", you can criticize something without acting like its the end of the world, stop overrreacting, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but by doing this, you aint making Sonic want to come to your birthday party.

Stop pretending this show is Edgerunners 2

Stop pretending this show is The Room 2

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sth #shitposting #sonic x #sonic prime #sonic prime season 3

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holystormfire · 4 months

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Mark 2:1-12

Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’

Christ healing the paralysed man,

Drawing by Bernardino Passeri (1540-1596),

Preparatory drawing for an engraving first published 1593,

Pencil and crayons on paper

Gospel Reading

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’

Reflection on the drawing

It is often when we are in greatest need that we discover who are true friends are. We appreciate those who stand by us in difficult times, those who suffer with us when we suffer. We value these friends and recognise them as a great treasure to have in our lives. The paralytic in today’s gospel reading seems to have had such friends. They were people of faith who cared enough for their friend to stop at nothing to bring him to Jesus. Even the roof above Jesus’ head did not stop them.

Jesus could not but respond to such an expression of amazing faith. It may surprise us that the first words Jesus spoke to the paralysed man were not, ‘pick up your stretcher, and go off home’, but, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven’. This tells us a lot. Jesus recognised that his 'need for healing' went deeper than his 'need to walk'. He understood that the man needed to be assured first that he was being embraced by God in love.

Our drawing is by Bernardino Passeri, executed in the early 1590s. It is a preparatory drawing of plate 30 for the Evangelicae Historiae Imagines, an illustrated guide for prayerful meditation on the Gospels. The black letters which are drawn onto the sheet, would have been accompanied by an explanatory text. This was to guide the reader as to what to look at in the drawing and what part of the Gospel to pay especially careful attention to.

Article by Father Patrick van der Vorst

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officialyourdailyinspiration · 1 year

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Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

by William MacDonald

Devotional for March 23rd

"But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver." - 2 Samuel 24:24

When David was instructed to offer burnt offerings where the Lord had stopped the pestilence, Araunah offered as an outright gift a threshing floor, oxen, and wood for the fire. But David insisted on buying these things. He would not offer to the Lord something that cost him nothing.

We know that it costs nothing to become a Christian, but we should also know that a life of genuine discipleship costs plenty. “A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing.”

Too often the extent of our commitment is determined by considerations of convenience, cost, and comfort. Yes, we’ll go to the prayer meeting if we aren’t tired or if we don’t have a headache. Yes, we’ll teach the Bible Class as long as it doesn’t conflict with a weekend in the mountains.

It makes us nervous to pray in public, to give a testimony, to preach the Gospel—therefore, we remain silent. We have no desire to help at the rescue mission for fear of picking up lice or fleas. We shut out any thought of the mission field because of a horror of snakes or spiders.

Our giving is too often a tip instead of a sacrifice. We give what we will never miss—unlike the widow who gave all. Our hospitality is determined by the measure of expense, inconvenience and mess to our homes—unlike the soul winner who said that every rug in his house has been stained by drunks throwing up on them. Our availability to people in need ceases when we lie down on our water bed—unlike the elder who was willing to be roused at any time in order to be of spiritual or material assistance.

Very often when the call of Christ comes to us, we are prone to ask ourselves, “What’s in it for me?” or “Will it pay?” The question is rather, “Is this an offering that really costs?” It has been well said, “It is better in the spiritual life that things should cost than that they should pay.”

When we think of what our redemption cost our Savior, it seems a poor return that we should hold back from cost and sacrifice for Him.

#Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time #William MacDonald #devotional #2 Samuel 24:24 #March 23 #2023

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shammah8 · 8 months

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"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58

BOLD WITNESS NOT IN VAIN

Lung Singh was a spirit worshipper and opium addict for forty-five years in the little Southeast Asian country of Laos. When he turned to Christ, he became a powerhouse for the Lord. Dr. Jan Pit shares about the day he baptized Lung Singh:

“I’ll never forget how, after coming up out of the waters, he began singing, ‘I have decided to follow Jesus,’ Then he pointed to the ripples spreading out in the water and said,

‘Brother Jan, there goes my old life. All the old things have passed away. It’s gone. Everything now is new.’

“Still soaking wet, he clambered onto the bank on the side of the famous Mekong River and knelt down. ‘Devil,’ he shouted. ‘I’ve been your servant for 45 years. Now I belong to Christ. Now I only serve him.’

“I’ve never met a man so on fire for the Lord. After I left the country in 1973, Lung Singh continued his courageous ministry. He was constantly warned by the Pathet Lao Communists to stop his preaching, but he refused.

“’I cannot do that. Jesus saved me. He did everything for me. I can’t be quiet!’” Years later he was executed but not before impacting for good the kingdom of heaven.

Sister Wu is a leader in a house church in China. One day her home was suddenly raided by the police. She had Christian literature from abroad and it was confiscated. Sister Wu was arrested and taken to the police station. The police were cruel and abusive towards her. She was questioned overnight not only by the police but also by the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) of the city.

She bravely responded to their questions.

Just a few days after her release, the chief of the RAB’s brother was severely injured in an automobile accident and taken to the hospital. By the time Sister Wu knew about it, she went to visit this RAB chief’s brother and mother. She led them to the Lord while they were in the hospital.

Later, on another occasion, Sister Wu was holding a Christian training class in a small room of a restaurant. One of the employees decided to report the meeting to the PSB hoping to make some money because it was an illegal meeting. The matter was reported all the way to the top of the RAB, but the chief of the RAB, upon discovering that it was Sister Wu conducting the meeting, said “Oh, don’t bother her. She’s OK.” Sister Wu’s boldness was rewarded.

Response

Today I will live in the strength of Christ and fearlessly refuse to give in to my enemy, Satan’s attempts to shut down my verbal and outgoing witness.

Prayer

Pray for boldness for all believers to share the Gospel openly.

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albertfinch · 8 months

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APPREHENDING THE CHRIST LIFE

The Apostle Paul said he was "apprehended by Christ." Think about that. That's what a Christian is; someone who has been apprehended (stopped, and taken into the custody) by Jesus Christ.

When God gives you a promise or word or vision which you know is from Him – don't just look at it but apprehend it. Grasp hold of it – and bring it home.

In the Bible it says, "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen..." The problem is we hear the promises and read them but we don't apprehend them (bring them home).

2 Chronicles 7:14: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and HEAL their land"

Apprehend and take hold. Stop and take into custody the things He has said. He said He would heal the land – that's a promise because He is a Healer of people and nations. Declare the goodness of God in the land of the living.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Isaiah 43:19 - “Nothing compares to what I'm going to do with you says the Lord! Behold, I am going to do a brand new thing with you personally. See, I've already begun to do it. Don't you see it?”

In the land of New Beginnings, we must remove the masks and veils that have formed in the past season so we can now form a more enlightened perspective of our Christ identity for the future. Isaiah 41:15 ("Behold, I will make you to be a new, sharp, threshing instrument which has teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the hills like chaff) has become a key word for us. This will allow us to display the wisdom of God to the powers and principalities that have blocked us in past seasons.

Luke 6:7-8 "And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 8But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth."

Jesus says “rise up”. Rise up is the root word for RESURRECTION. We need to get up higher than our current perception. We need to come to a place where we are looking at things from a more inspired view- point. Resurrection is a life on a brand new dimension. It does not matter what my current reality is. It simply becomes the occasion for God’s power to be manifested in the midst of impossibility. Jesus tells me to rise up! I hear His voice and the promises He gives me in scriptures to bear fruit that remain (John 15:16) for His Kingdom so I will always be moving ahead.

WE MUST FIND OUR PLACE OF DEPARTURE

There are some things we need to leave behind. As we depart one phase or season, we will also see our place to enter.

Luke 10:62 - “Jesus said to him. ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back (to the things behind) is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

We are what the past has made us. Yet, we are commanded to not look back and to "forget.....what lies behind". With God, this is not impossible, for although the events of our lives are irreversible, our reactions to those events can still be changed.

Philippians 3:13 - “But one thing I do (my one aspiration): forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.”

HE'S EMPOWERING AND SENDING US OUT

Matthew 10:7,8 - “And as you go, preach, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

"As you go, preach!" God calls every believer to preach the Gospel with power. God will give us a VISION of His PURPOSE for us, commission us, and release us to fulfill it (our DESTINY).

He's giving us boldness to cast out every hindrance to breakthrough, to restore those DREAMS AND VISIONS of long ago that we thought were lost.

We develop new strength to run the race ahead. We seek Him like never before, and all things are attracted to us. We leap forward and find ourselves cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He moves us into higher and more efficient states of mind so we become a risk taker and get out of the boat and walk on the water.

Psalm 18:28-29 says, “For You will light my lamp; the Lord My God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall.”

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

#jesus #calling #destiny #purpose #bible #devotional #daily word #revelation #inspiration #holy spirit

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 10 months

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17th July >> Mass Readings (USA)

Monday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time.

(Liturgical Colour: Green: A (1))

First Reading Exodus 1:8-14, 22 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase.

A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his subjects, “Look how numerous and powerful the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves! Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies to fight against us, and so leave our country.”

Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel to oppress them with forced labor. Thus they had to build for Pharaoh the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses. Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel and reduced them to cruel slavery, making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field work – the whole cruel fate of slaves.

Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects, “Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews, but you may let all the girls live.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8

R/ Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Had not the LORD been with us– let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us– When men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive, When their fury was inflamed against us.

R/ Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Then would the waters have overwhelmed us; The torrent would have swept over us; over us then would have swept the raging waters. Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us a prey to their teeth.

R/ Our help is in the name of the Lord.

We were rescued like a bird from the fowlers’ snare; Broken was the snare, and we were freed. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

R/ Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 5:10

Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 10:34-11:1 I have come to bring not peace, but the sword.

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set

a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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power-chords · 1 year

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Despite his disclaimer, the dominating themes of Mamet’s work—the sense of not belonging, the imperative of speaking out, the betrayal by authority—evolve directly out of his childhood. He was the firstborn son of two handsome, highly intelligent, upwardly mobile first-generation Americans, Leonore (Lee) and Bernie Mamet, whose families were Ashkenazi Jews from Russia and Poland. “Are you an only child?” I asked Mamet when we first met, in 1983. “Yes,” Mamet said, “except for my sister.” “We lived in an emotional hurricane,” says Lynn Mamet, the extrovert of the pair, who still speaks to her brother almost every day from her home on a scorched hillside canyon in Los Angeles. She adds, “We were safe for each other.” Until their parents divorced bitterly, in 1958, when David was eleven and Lynn was eight, they lived on Euclid Avenue in Chicago’s South Shore Highlands, in a capacious three-story red brick house that stood as a kind of totem to the Mamet family’s self-invention. “My life was expunged of any tradition at all. Nothing old in the house. No color in the house,” Mamet told me. “The virtues expounded were not creative but remedial: let’s stop being Jewish, let’s stop being poor.” Lynn says, “There was a great deal of pressure for us to be the best Americans we could be. There was no room for us to make mistakes.” She and her brother lived in fear of the ferocity of parental expectations—what Lynn calls “hoops of fire.” “It was succeed or die,” Mamet says.

Bernie Mamet, a tough labor lawyer who represented over three hundred unions, and once argued—and won—a case before the Supreme Court, preached an exacting semantic gospel of precision, nuance, and observation. “The map is not the territory” was one of Bernie’s mantras, which voiced his bedrock belief that nothing was all black or all white. He hectored his children to listen “with the inner ear,” and, according to his second wife, Judy Mamet, played games with them to build up their powers of observation and memory. “‘Stickler’ is a soft word for my father’s attachment to the absolute necessity of expressing yourself correctly,” Lynn Mamet says. “It’s just that what was correct changed on a daily basis.” In the crossfire of family conversation, David grew quickly into an agile sparring partner for his parents, and also learned to listen defensively. “From the earliest age, one had to think, be careful about what one was going to say, and also how the other person was going to respond,” says Mamet, whose celebrated “ear for dialogue” evolved out of listening for danger. “In my family,” he once said, “in the days prior to television, we liked to while away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, solely based on our ability to speak the language viciously.”

#david mamet #theater diaries

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childofchrist1983 · 10 months

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But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. - Matthew 10:6-8 KJV

Jesus Christ sent the Apostles out on a mission. We are also commissioned as Christians with this same duty to go out and preach the Good News of the Gospel and God's gift of salvation.

So how are we doing as disciples? Let's see. How comfortable are you to talk about your faith? Have you ever asked yourself why you have stayed a Christian? Do you find it easy to say you would pray for someone who told you that a relative was sick, or was facing a decision. If you answered "Yes", then you are well on your way to being a good disciple. If your answer is "No", it is important to ask yourself "Why not?". One good thing is that it's never too late to ask yourself these questions and remedy the situation. I know that many of you feel afraid that you don't know enough, but that easy to take care of, especially in this day of easy access online.

The Holy Bible is there to be opened and reflected upon, as well as kept in our lives and hearts. I know that you're probably thinking, "That's easy for you to say, you're a Christian, and always have been!", but I had to start somewhere, too! I was lucky that my grandparents and Church both talked freely about God and encouraged me to pray and read the Holy Bible. But I also was brought up with the idea that we never talk about religion and politics! Perhaps that resonates with some of you as well. But that shouldn't stop us from getting comfortable with the most basic part of ourselves that helps to form all of our decisions whether we realize it or not. Today, think about one thing you can do that will make you a better disciple. God has called us to discipleship and He has given us His Holy Word and Spirit to help us with this task. May He calm our fears of failure and give us the courage we need to let others know of His love, light and Truth.

Everyday, we must remember to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and guilt. May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

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

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stfxculturalpsych · 1 year

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The Gospel Hall

Growing up I was burdened by many alternative points of view. As a young child, I was introduced to Christian religion which meant I was required to attend ‘meetings’ at least once a week. However, the Christian religion that my family subscribed to was highly unusual, and in my opinion — as well as many others— fairly cult-like. The gospel hall is unlike any other Christian-based faith I have ever witnessed. Referencing only the Bible and no other texts, many of the rules or lifestyles you must follow are directly derived from the canon of the New Testament. Women have their place, they must dress modestly and in nice clothing—but not too fancy— women must cover their heads while in meetings, and they must sit quietly in respect for their husbands and god. Women are not allowed to speak during prayer and cannot preach during ministry meetings. I was taught that I could not have sex until marriage, women must obey their husbands, women must have long hair, no tattoos/piercings, no swearing, no drinking/drugs, no parties that are not church-sanctioned, and that I must auspiciously adhere to the 10 commandments. On top of this during the meeting, there is a square of chairs which is spaced and facing the offerings of the blood and body of Christ, however, if you have not been baptized by the elders of the church after giving testimony of belief, and subsequently accepted into the assembly by the elders, then you must sit outside of the square and simply listen and watch. This is what I experienced every Sunday from the ages of 3-12. My parents, and grandparents were in the assembly but my sister and I were not, therefore, we sat alone. After my mother passed everything changed, my father stopped attending but our grandparents encouraged us to attend. From the ages of 8-12 after my mother passed I continued to go. Furthermore, I believed what they told me and wanted to live my Christian life as best I could. However, the pressure of this lifestyle greatly impacted me, as I was scared I would go to hell and never see my mother again if I didn’t go. As I aged the rules of the gospel hall made me question if what I was taught was realistic. I cried at night because I couldn’t blindly believe in everything I was being told and therefore, I was going to hell. I told my father how I felt, he told me ‘you do not have to attend the hall if you do not want to’. he also expressed to me that my belief system did not have to align with his, my grandparent’s or anyone else’s. After this, I stopped going and to this day my grandparents tell me I need to prepare myself for judgment. This is what I was taught growing up, and for so long I judged others because they did not believe in the same ideals. This has shaped the person I am today, from this I have become accepting and understanding of others belief systems. Why force something on another individual simply because it is what you believe to be true? The judgment from my family and individuals around me compelled me to act in ways that for many years I did not completely agree with. It wasn’t until my father told me what he did that I began to act freely and as I wanted to. If this had never happened I would’ve been stuck as I was for years to come, for all I know nothing may have changed. I am so glad I was able to form my own belief systems and live my life as I do today. Many people are forced to conform, never truly living their life as they please and never feeling like they had a way out. My father encourages me to this day to form my own opinions and disregard others if they only have their own best interest at heart. I wish everyone had this experience in life but the sad reality is I was lucky to have such support.

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marlowe1-blog · 1 year

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The Book of Job chapter 8

Bildad the Shuhite sticks his nose in

I think I might have blown my load with Eliphaz. One of the problems with the Book of Job is how repetitive it is. Job says something blasphemous and depressing. One of his friends says something toxic positivity. Job refutes that stupid friend.

Which makes finding quotes from Job out in the wild rather funny since these are quotes that the dumb friends are saying and as the text outright states, these friends are full of shit.

Only some of these friends are pretty repetitive in their shit. Like I'm going to need to start looking up scholars if I'm going to say anything new. Mostly classics professors. Maybe rabbis. I suppose Christians might have something to say that's worthwhile (doubtful but hey they do make pretty trees).

Bildad starts out with "How long will you say such things?" which struck me as funny, not only because already his friends are going "hey Job, maybe shut up so you stop bumming us out" but also because this is chapter 8 and there are many chapters to go.

Bildad's theme is like the rabbis who tried to find fault with Job. He keeps repeating that the blameless have nothing to fear. Sure Job's sons were probably sinful, but Job is fine. "Though your beginning be small, in the end you wil lgrow very great."

So Bildad is preaching the prosperity gospel. Look, believe in God and you'll get so much great shit eventually (oh hey there's my annoyance at the tacked on ending.)

But don't worry, Job, you'll be fine. Just look to the ancestors because our days on earth are a shadow yada yada but only those who don't trust in God will be uprooted. But Job, he's fine because the blameless (this gets repeated a lot) will not be despised.

So chin up Job. You're going through a bad time but if you're REALLY innocent, then you'll get everything you want.

So here's where I go into a personal story. When I was 12 or so my mom decided that it was time to get serious about this Christian bullshit and wanted me confirmed. She originally took me to a church that my aunt Sharon recommended (so why the fuck did she take that advice) and one time there was a guy who claimed to be a faith healer. Two things i remember.

First, he diagnosed a girl as having back problems because one leg was longer than the other one and held her leg. Second he asked for volunteers to go up and watch him "lengthen her leg" I went up with about a dozen others and we stood around and he moved her sock down her foot. The wisdom of letting some craggly old dude hold a teenage girl's leg as "faith healing" is just another fun factor in the world of evangelical Xianity.

But also a few people went "It's growing" and everyone else went along with them. Only her leg didn't grow and I seriously doubt that was an issue. But since we were all supposedly in agreement with the leg growing, we only told the truth to people who asked.

Second, the small group that I was in did more practice prayer healing. And I wanted him to heal my dry feet (my feet aren't dry these days. I don't live in Minnesota. I moisturize more) and I remember the guys prayer as he was holding my feet in his hands (yeah this was a fucked up church. It was called North Heights in Roseville, MN. If you are in Roseville, MN and are looking for a church, steer clear of North Heights) and he kept saying "Make sure there's NO DOUBT in your mind. Don't block the magical healing with any doubt!!!"

Look I was a dumb kid, not even a teenager yet and I knew that was a bullshit cover your ass statement. It was basically a way of making the "faith healing" subject still believe even when the faith healing didn't work.

So Bildad is giving us the equivalent when he keeps saying that G-d loves the BLAMELESS. If you're blameless then everything will work out. So when it doesn't work out, whoops! Guess Job was full of blame.

In the next chapter Job kind of agrees with that thesis but not really.

#The Book of Job #Job #Tim Lieder #JPS #translation #The Bible #theodicy #Bildad #Bildad the Shuhite #blameless #bullshit #faith healing #scams #prosperity gospel #garbage theology #cover your ass

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 1 year

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13th January >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Mark 2:1-12 for Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time: ‘We have never seen anything like this’.

Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA)

Mark 2:1-12

The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

Gospel (USA)

Mark 2:1-12

The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth.

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” –he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Reflections (11)

(i) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

It is often when we are in greatest need that we discover who are true friends are. We appreciate those who stand by us in difficult times, those who suffer with us when we suffer. We recognize such friends as a great treasure. The paralytic in today’s gospel reading seems to have had such friends. They were people of faith who cared enough for their friend to stop at nothing to bring him to Jesus. The great crowd around Jesus did not stop them from getting their friend to Jesus; even the roof above Jesus’ head did not stop them. Their faith in Jesus and their loving concern for their friend combined to create an opening in the roof, down through which they could lower their friend before Jesus. Jesus could not but respond to such an expression of indomitable faith. It may surprise us that the first words Jesus spoke to the paralyzed man were not, ‘pick up your stretcher, and go off home’, but, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven’. Jesus recognized that his need for healing went deeper than his need to walk. He understood that the man needed to be assured that he was being embraced by God in love. Jesus brought him that deeper, spiritual, healing first, before healing his body. We all need healing of some kind, and, often our it is our need for the deeper, spiritual, healing that is the more urgent. The good news is that the risen Lord always stands before us ready to say to us what he said to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; ‘You are deeply loved by God’; God is drawing you to himself in love’. Sometimes, like the paralytic, we will need good friends, people of faith, to create an opening for us to hear those words from the Lord, to experience his liberating and healing presence.

And/Or

(ii) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

When some people listen to or read the passage they have just heard they wonder why the first words that Jesus spoke to the paralyzed man were, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven’. Why didn’t Jesus say immediately to him what he went on to say to him, ‘Get up, pick up your stretcher and go off home’. Why this focus on the man’s sin? At the time of Jesus, many people understood that there was a direct correlation between a person’s illness or disability and that person’s sin. Jesus rejected any such connection. On one occasion Jesus and his disciples came upon a man who had been blind from birth and his disciples asked him, ‘Who sinned, this man or his parents?’ Jesus rebuked them with the statement, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned’. Perhaps the paralyzed man in today’s gospel reading had been made to feel that his disability was because of some sin in his life, and that God was punishing him. Jesus wanted to reassure him that was not the case, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven’. If he is a sinner, he is a forgiven sinner, and in that regard he is the same as everyone else. The misfortunes that befall us, whatever form they take, are never a sign of God’s displeasure. The Lord is always with us in our misfortunes and struggles, supporting us and strengthening us. He can display his presence through the goodness and kindness of friends and neighbours, just as God displayed his presence to the paralyzed man through the goodness of his friends who carried him to Jesus. The God in whom we believe is a God of light and life who is always at work to bring us into a fuller life and a greater light.

And/Or

(iii) Friday, First week in Ordinary Time

When it comes to our faith journey we are all very dependent on one another. We are supported on our journey towards the Lord by the faith of others, and our own faith supports others on their journey towards the Lord. This morning’s gospel reading shows this in a very graphic way. Jesus was in a house in Capernaum, probably Peter’s house, preaching the word of God. A paralysed man wanted to get to Jesus but he was completely dependent on others to carry him to Jesus. Fortunately, he had good friends who were determined to bring him to Jesus, to do for him what he could not do for himself. Such was their determination, that they created an opening in the roof of the house where Jesus was preaching so as to lower their friend in front of him. The paralysed man’s faith in Jesus was matched by their faith in Jesus. Their struggle to get their friend to Jesus was inspired by their faith in him. The gospel reading shows that Jesus saw their efforts not as an unwelcome disturbance but as a powerful act of faith, ‘Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “My child, your sins are forgiven”’. It was the faith of his friends which allowed this man to meet Jesus personally and to hear Jesus’ very personal and liberating word to him. Even before his physical healing, the paralytic needed reassurance that God loved him unconditionally and had forgiven his sins. It was his friends that made it possible for him to hear this liberating word from God. Each one of us has a role to play in helping others to hear God’s live-giving word, spoken to us through his Son who is with us until the end of time.

And/Or

(iv) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

I am always struck by that image in today’s gospel reading of four men carrying a paralytic to Jesus. When the normal route to Jesus was closed off because of the crowd, they resorted to creating an opening in the roof to let down the paralytic before Jesus. The gospel reading says that when Jesus saw the faith of these four men, he turned his attention to the paralytic. No mention is made of the faith of the paralytic. It is the faith of those who carried the paralytic that created the space for Jesus and the paralytic to meet, and for Jesus to bring to the paralytic both spiritual healing, ‘your sins are forgiven’, and physical healing, ‘pick up your stretcher and walk’. The faith of the four men was truly life giving for the paralytic. The gospel reading reminds us that the faith of others can create a space for us to encounter the Lord, when our own faith is weak or even non-existent. In a sense that is how we began our Christian journey. It was the faith of our parents and our grandparents that carried us to the Lord in baptism, at a time when we had no faith of our own because of our young age. How we begin our life of faith is how we continue. We remain reliant upon the faith of others, just as others will be dependent upon our faith. We are baptized into a community of faith. There are times when each of us is carried by members of that community and other times when we help to carry others. Sometimes we will be like the paralytic; at other times we will be like those who carried him. If we are to truly encounter the Lord in all his life-giving power, we need each other’s faith.

And/Or

(v) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

There may very well come a time in our lives when we need to be carried in one way or other, whether it is physically or emotionally or spiritually. Hopefully, if that time comes along for us, we will find people who are willing and able to carry us. Some of us may be doing or have done such carrying or perhaps have experienced it for ourselves. In this morning’s gospel reading the paralytic needed to be carried physically. He needed others to help him to get where he wanted to go. Fortunately, he was a man who had good friends. When he desperately wanted to be placed before Jesus, his friends stopped at nothing to make sure that happened, even going as far as creating a hole in a perfectly good roof. The energy of those friends was the energy of love. It was also the energy of faith. The gospel reading comments on Jesus seeing their faith. The energy of their faith and love created a space for this man to pass over into a fuller life, through the power of Jesus. We can never underestimate the power for good that resides within our energy of love that is rooted in our faith. The Lord can work powerfully through our faith-filled love for the wellbeing of others. Paul in his letter to the Galatians declares, ‘the only thing that counts is faith working through love’.

And/Or

(vi) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

We all start off life by being carried. As babies we were carried by our mothers, our fathers, our brothers and sisters, our aunts and uncles and grandparents. There can even be quite a bit of competition between those who want to carry the child. As we move towards adulthood we can find that we are being called upon to carry others, perhaps a member of our family who is unwell. There will certainly be times when we ourselves will need to be carried; hopefully we will always have family and friends who are ready to do that for us when we need it. That is the image we have at the beginning of this morning’s gospel reading. A paralysed man is being carried by four men to Jesus. Such is their determination to get this man to Jesus that they make a hole in the roof above Jesus to lay their friend down in front of them. The extraordinary energy they showed there was the energy of faith, ‘seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic…’. Their faith carried this man to Jesus. There is a powerful image there of our Christian lives. We are called to grow in faith, so that we can carry each other to the Lord. My own growth in faith has consequences for others. As I grow in my relationship with the Lord, I help others to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

And/Or

(vii) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

The image of the four men carrying the paralytic to Jesus in today’s gospel reading is a very graphic one. They were so determined to get him to Jesus that they opened a hole in the roof above Jesus when their way through the door was blocked because of the crowd. They wanted to get their friend to Jesus because they recognized Jesus as the source of health and life. They were taking their friend to a fuller life. There are times when we can do very little for ourselves and we are completely dependant on others for health, for life, for safety. There are other times when we might find ourselves in the role of the four friends in the gospel reading, in a position to help others to their feet, to bring others from darkness to light, from death to life. We are called to carry each other’s burdens. When we are faithful to that calling we align ourselves with Jesus who said, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. The Lord looks to us to help him to carry the burdens of others and to bring them to a greater fullness of life.

And/Or

(viii) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading it may seem strange to us that when the paralytic was brought before Jesus the first thing he said to him was ‘Your sins are forgiven’. It was only after making this statement that Jesus went on to say ‘Get up pick up your stretcher and walk’. The friends of the paralyzed man would probably have expected Jesus to say ‘Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk’ immediately. They had brought their friend to Jesus for physical healing. However, Jesus perceived that this man was in need of a deeper form of healing, a spiritual healing. He had a spiritual wound which needed healing before his physical disability could be addressed. Jesus came to heal the whole person, body and soul. In declaring himself before all to be the Son of Man who had authority on earth to forgive sins Jesus was stating that the primary focus of his ministry was the healing of our relationship with God. As Paul would go on to say, ‘In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself’. Regardless of our physical well-being, we all stand in need of that deeper healing; we all need to hear the Lord speak those words to each of us personally that he spoke to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven’.

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(ix) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

We often speak of a faith that can move mountains. In today’s gospel reading, the faith of a small group of people moved the roof of a house. A paralyzed man and his four friends who carried him had such faith in Jesus’ healing power that they would allow no obstacle to prevent them from reaching Jesus, including the obstacle of a crowd that blocked the way to Jesus and the obstacle of the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. When the paralytic made his unorthodox entry to the house, Jesus immediately recognized the depth of faith from which it sprang, not only the faith of the paralytic but the faith of his companions as well. As the gospel says, ‘Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic’. The faith of a number of people together is often stronger than the faith of just one person. The faith of a community can accomplish a great deal more than the faith of one isolated individual. There was a community of faith in action in today’s gospel reading, which Jesus recognized, ‘seeing their faith’. The Lord can work more powerfully through a community of faith than through one person’s solitary faith. We each belong to a community of faith. We refer to that community of faith as the church, and the parish is the local church. We are called to work together in faith, so that the Lord’s ministry to the broken can continue today. We need each other’s faith. The faith of any one of us builds up the faith of the community, and the faith of the community strengthens our own personal faith.

And/Or

(x) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

We are familiar with the saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for’. The saying reflects the experience of people who, on getting what they have always wished for, discover that it is not actually what they wanted or needed. In the first reading, the people of Israel wish for a king, like all the other nations round about them. Up until then, they had spirit-inspired judges as their leaders. Samuel, prompted by the Lord, tries to show them that the institution of monarchy for which they so ardently long will create a whole set of problems and demands which they certainly wouldn’t have wished for. Yet, the people insist, ‘We want a king’, and eventually, moved by the Lord, Samuel grants their wish. The people would learn from bitter experience that Samuel’s warnings were well grounded. We don’t always wish what is best for us. Our wishes for ourselves and for others don’t always correspond to the Lord’s wishes for us. We have to keep shaping our wishes, our desires, so that they come to correspond more and more fully to what the Lord desires for us. In the gospel reading, the wishes of a group of people for their paralyzed friend corresponded perfectly with Jesus’ wish for their friend. They wanted their friend to be healed of his paralysis, and so did Jesus. Their wish for their friend’s well-being was so strong that it led to a section of roof over Jesus being removed, so that their friend could get as close to Jesus as possible. Such faith, such passionate desire for life, could not but elicit a healing response from Jesus, ‘your sins are forgiven… pick up your stretcher and go off home’. The gospel reading shows us the good that can happen when our desires are brought into line with the Lord’s desire that all people should have life and have it to the full.

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(xi) Friday, First Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s first reading says that ‘we must do everything we can to reach this place of rest’. This place of rest is, ultimately, the kingdom of heaven. We often pray that eternal rest would be granted to those who have died. ‘Rest’ in that rest is not just the absence of activity, but a renewal of our spirit. The psalm, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’, says of the Lord, ‘near restful waters he leads me to revive my drooping spirit’, The Lord wants us to experience ‘rest’ in that sense not just beyond this earthly life but during our earthly lives. He is always at work to revive our drooping spirits and he wants to work through us to revive the drooping spirits of others. In today’s gospel reading, a very concerned group stop at nothing to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus, even going as far as making a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. They wanted their friend to reach a place of rest; they brought him to Jesus so that he would revive their friend’s drooping spirits by healing him of his paralysis. A group of men making a hole in the roof above would normally be experienced by a teacher as an unwelcome interruption to a lesson. However, Jesus saw the faith which drove these men to take such desperate measures and he immediately responds to the plight of the paralytic. He not only heals him physically, but assures him that he is loved by God by declaring his sins forgiven. Jesus heals the whole person, physically and spiritually. He brings him to a place of rest. The Lord works in the same healing way in all our lives. He also wants to work through us for the holistic healing of others. The Lord needs us to play the role of the paralytic’s friends today, so that the broken in body, mind and spirit can experience his healing power to the full.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

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heartforchrist · 3 months

Text

If you were to die today, would you go to heaven or hell.

Our time is short.

In the world that we are living in, all the hussle and bussle of all your daily duties have you just stop and asked yourself “if I died right now will I go to heaven or hell?”

What would your response be? Are you uncertain?

How can you be sure of your final destination?

I’ve asked myself this and feel confident in saying that I have found salvation in Jesus. I felt his presence the day that I became born again.

I finally, after years of saying I’m a believer discovered what a true believer is. I received an immediate deliverance of alcoholism, the scales fell off my eyes and for the first time the Bible lit up, I could understand what I was reading. Things just became so different. I became able to apply scripture to my everyday life. I had a change of heart in how I lived my life, I received spiritual gifts, and even though I had a hard time here and there dealing with whatever was thrown my way, I knew I could call on Jesus to intercede and help me get through it.

My life changed dramatically.

I don’t know what my purpose is here on earth but I can rest easy knowing that if something happened to me, Jesus will meet me with open arms.

I had nothing but a mustard seed of faith which grew into a faith that can and has moved mountains.

Our time is short.

If you want to be sure you will enter Heavens gate it’s pretty simple.

If you can humble yourself and acknowledge that you are a sinner that’s a great start.

We are all born with a sin condition.

Have you ever told a lie? Even a “little white lie”, or maybe just taken something that wasn’t yours like steal a piece of gum as a kid. Have you ever hated someone? How bout looked at another man or woman with lust without your spouse knowing.

I know I’m guilty, We have all done at least a couple of these, which makes us a sinner.

If you can recognize your sinner then you are ready to come before Jesus and ask for forgiveness….. whose Jesus?

Well the simplest answer is he is the only begotten son of God.

The long answer is Jesus was the only person to be born of a mortal mother, Mary, and an immortal father, God the Father. That is why Jesus is called the Only Begotten Son of God. From His Father, He inherited divine powers. He was crucified buried and rose again on the third day.

Jesus was sent to save the world he was sent to take on all of the world’s sins, and pay the price that you and me could never pay. If it weren’t for His death on the cross, and his burial and resurrection, we would perish and go to hell.

So granted that you believe in your heart, and have faith even if it’s a mustards seeds worth of faith, you humbly ask Jesus for forgiveness. This is metanoia (changing one's mind) has taken place. You have realized you need saving and you are trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross.

You confess with your mouth that Jesus is Gods only son and He is the redeemer that we so desperately need.

There’s nothing more to it. There’s no work to be as good as you can to get in to heaven or no way to but your way.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Ephesians 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Romans 10:10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,

1 Corinthians 15:2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Today you can know for certain where you would go if you passed away. Today you can start your walk with Christ and trust me when I say you can always call on Him and He will absolutely, without a doubt answer.

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