#much love ephere

[thefunbible]

Genesis 25

01 Billy took another lady-spouse, and her name was Keturah. This will be on the test.

02 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah because Keturah was young enough to spend almost five years pregnant and Abraham kept on fucking.

03 Jokshan became the spermer of Sheba, and Dedan. The male-spawns of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

04 The male-spawns of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the varmints of Keturah.

05 Billy gave all that he had to Chuck since he almost murdered him for The Earl,

06 but Billy gave gifts to the male-spawns of Billy’s concubines. While he still lived, he sent them away from Chuck his male-spawn, eastward, to the east country, which was not west, but east of where Chuck was at.

07 These are the days of the years of Billy’s life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years, which is not a bullshit age to live to.

08 Billy gave up his phantasm, and died at a good old not made-up age, an old male, deceptive, wealthy, full of cum, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

09 Chuck and Ishmael, his male-spawns that he cared about, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the male-spawn of Zohar the Hittite, which is near Mamre,

10 the field which Billy purchased from the varmints of Heth. Billy was buried there with Sarah, his lady-spouse, and the spiders and bats in the cave were grateful.

11 After the death of Billy, Skypal blessed Chuck, his male-spawn. Chuck lived by Beer Lahai Roi, which sounds like it could be in Hawaii, but isn’t.

12 Now this is the history of the spawn of Ishmael, Billy’s male-spawn, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s subservient, bore to Billy after she was raped by him.

13 These are the names of the male-spawns of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the initial spawn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. This will be on the test, so don’t fuck it up.

16 These are the male-spawns of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve barons, according to their nations.

17 These are the years of the life of Ishmael: a totally nonfictional one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up his phantasm and died, and was gathered to his people.

18 They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.

19 This is the history of the spawn of Chuck, Billy’s male-spawn. Billy became the spermer of Chuck.

20 Chuck was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the young daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his lady-spouse.

21 Chuck entreated The Earl for his lady-spouse, because she was barren, which seemed to be a pattern for his very related family. The Earl was entreated by him, and Rebekah his lady-spouse conceived.

22 The varmints struggled together within her. She said, “If it is like this. What. The. Fuck. Why do I live?” She went to inquire of The Earl.

23 The Earl said to her, “Two nations are in your baby-maker. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The old 'un will serve the younger.”

24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her baby-maker.

25 The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau.

26 After that, his male-sibling came out, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel, no shit. This is totally not a fabrication. He was named Jack. Chuck was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 The boys grew. Esau was a skillful hunter, a male of the field. Jack was a quiet male, living in tents, and pretty much everyone presumed he was homosexual.

28 Now Chuck loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Rebekah loved Jack.

29 Once upon a time, Jack boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.

30 Esau said to Jack, “Please feed me with some of that red stew, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom, which meant “Eat the yum stew”.

31 Jack said, “As the churlish dick I am, I must ask that you first, sell me your birthright.”

32 Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die you gaping asshole. What good is the birthright to me?”

33 Jack said, “I may be an asshole, but I have my method. Swear to me first.” He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jack.

34 Jack gave Esau yum loaf and lentil stew. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau relinquished his birthright.

#bible #parody #satire #old testament #genesis

[gentil-minou]

2021 Creator Self-Love Extravaganza!

Tagged by @randowwriter (This is actually really sweet and exactly what I needed so thank you for tagging me <3)

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works (fics, art, edits, etc.) you’ve created this year and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world in 2021. If you don’t have five published works, that’s fine! Include ideas/drafts/whatever you like that you’ve worked on/thought about, and talk a little about them instead! Remember, this is all about self-love and positive enthusiasm, so fuck the rules if you need to. Have fun, and tag as many fellow creators as you like so they can share the love! <3

This is actually kinda hard cause I only wrote 7 fics (or started anyways) but I am kinda excited to go through them. I only started writing again back in November and when I think about the progress I made in just two months, I'm filled with all sorts of joy and excitement

Batter Up, Buttercup - PRPR post Glaciator 2, WIP

I still can't believe this fic gave me the courage to write and share my insane ideas. I started with a few scenes that I just couldn't get out of my head so I tapped into my notes app and then it grew from there. I'm so excited to continue this fic because I get to play with some of my fave tropes and explore things I've always wanted to read about, and yeah, I'm super excited.

Soft Like Sunshine - Anxious Marinette fic, during Ephemeral (WIP)

Literally a labor of love that causes me great pain yet tremendous joy when writing. I will put it down for weeks and think of it as trash but at the same time, it feels the most me, you know? I genuinely think I out part of myself into this fic and it helped me explore my own anxieties. I'm still kind of bummed about how it hasn't done as well as my other fics, but I think I'm reaching a point where if it doesn't that's okay. It's a hard fic to read, almost as hard as it was to write, but I'm glad I got to explore a different writing style about a topic I love. I'm on the home stretch now, getting the climax done and I'm excited to share it with everyone! The comments I have gotten tell me a few people resonate with it, and that's all I wanted.

Fool Me Twice, Shame on YOU - Ephemeral Reveal (Oneshot)

Another Epheral fic! I gotta thank the anon who suggested Chat thinking it was all an elaborate plot by Mothman. I still can't believe I wrote it all in one sitting, but it was so much fun to write! I was smiling the whole time! I still reread it sometimes and laugh at what I wrote, it was just so fun! It was also the fic that made me realize I'm supposed to like reading what I write. So yeah, an extra special place in my heart.

Sentiadrien Theory as a Narrative for Trauma Healing - Meta

Am I including a meta? Yes, yes I am. I'm so incredibly proud of this meta. For one, it was the first time I had been able to discuss my ideas of psychology in ML. For another, it actually helped people!!!!! I still can't believe I was able to provide comfort to folks who struggled with this theory, and for that I'm so incredibly excited and grateful, especially to the folks at the gamma squad because I wrote it out for them first and they all showered me with praise. I'm glad I was able to provide some comfort for people, it's all I ever want to do.

Blanc Out - WIP, not published

For the last one, I bring up an idea I've been thinking about since the summer. It's a Chat Blanc AU. As Adrien finds himself getting closer and more in love with Marinette, he finds himself getting grey hair too. He starts to lose time, periods where he blacks out and all the while his hair begins to turn snow white as he deals with his confusing feelings for Marinette. Meanwhile, Marinette gets a nightly visitor, in the form of her chaton....but something is different about him...

I'm sooooooo excited about this fic. I'd been thinking about it for AGES and now I'm actually in the planning stages. It's a long long way away from getting posted, but this is partially the reason why I've been practicing and trying new styles. I want to improve to a place where that fic is something I can be excited to share. I also get to write about my favorite concept in ML and it's just ahhhhhh I can't wait!

Again, thanks for the tag!!!

Tagging: @sketchy-panda @thesquipproject @sparklylovegiver @coccinelle-et-chaton @dandelionrumpancake @ladyofthenoodle @karkalicious769 @alexseanchai @galahadwilder @cardcq @inimoo

and honestly, anyone else who is looking for some positivity (I consider your original works part of this ;) )!!!! This gave me loads and now I'm gonna go and write more of SLS :)

#dsfdlkfdhsjf idk if the tags are working we will see #this was fun thank you <3 #bushy writing #tag game #miraculous ladybug #ml s4

[sapphireswimming]

with a thousand pinpricks of distant light (a Gundam 00 fic)

Sentence-stories, with canon-typical violence and spoilers through the entire show (on ao3) (on ffn)

This chapter is based on prompts from @durinswizardwheezes and @hawk-in-a-tree

.

1. Soap

Katharon’s base is dusty, the finest granules of sand blowing into every crevice and fold of clothing, and no matter how often Saji washes with the sud-less bars of dingy soap the resistance group has managed to stock their base with, he can’t get his hands clean.

2. Exuviae

When Setsuna evolves, when he pushes, changes, screaming his desperate determination to the endless voice of space only for something to hearhim, he emerges from the split-second of change with gold-flecked eyes and something that cannot possibly be contained within the confines of the human body he doesn’t quite leave behind

3. Can

The first time Saji manages to pry out of his reclusive neighbor that he seems to subsist on nothing but non-descript takeout and slightly warmed-through cans of the few shelf-stable items he keeps in his all-but-empty cabinets, he stares in horror for a few moments too long – or they would have been, if he had been talking to anyone else – and frantically recalculates how to spread his weekly budget enough to cover another mouth.

4. Ephereal

Saji looks around wildly for the voice he’s just heard, the voice that he’d be sure belongs to Louise except for the fact that a moment ago, they were in the middle of space and now they’re – well, he stares around the shimmering clouds of ephemeral mist around him and thinks, with an hysterical laugh bubbling in the base of his throat, that Louise had said they’d meet again in space one day.

5. Headphones

Chris loved her bright pink noise-cancelling headphones – the same exact shade as Feldt’s hair, and she’d grabbed them the moment she caught sight of them on the shelves – but she still always keeps a pair of ear buds lying around, unwilling to get rid of the excuse to sit next to the friends she loves so dearly and hold out the other half of them in offering.

6. Torrential

The rain falls unrelentlessly from the dark grey sky and Kinue reaches forward with a shaking hand, strands of hair in her eyes and the grit of the cracked pavement embedded in her palms, and she hates the fact that one of her last thoughts is that she’s grateful for the rain – that if Saji does eventually see any pictures of this spot… later, then at least the rain will have washed away most of the blood pouring from her stomach before he can see how bad it really is.

7. Kettle

They’d always used one of the electric water heaters on board the Ptolemy – only the highest tech for Celestial Being, plus they couldn’t risk anything that could become a hazard if they had to abandon the mess hall at a moment’s notice – but one of Allelujah’s favorite things about life on Earth, life not lived halfway into a normal suit at all times, is the way their dented tea kettle steams and whistles every time he makes a pot of tea for him and Marie.

8. Necropolis

Their time on Earth is always precious, and their limited free time alone even more so, and every time he can justify the time away, Neil leaves the rest of the crew to climb into his rundown little beater and drives, then stares from his parking spot across the road at the memorial where a mall in Ireland once stood, the tall stone monument rising silently from the cobblestones as oblivious couples and families walk past it without so much as a glance.

9. Medicine

Louise had screamed – shrieked, with all the force of a tantrum that would have even made her mother cave, except her mother is gone, and her family is gone, and everyone is gone– but the nurse who tried to gently break the news to her that nothing could be done to regrow the arm that was also gone, the answer never changed, and eventually there was nothing to do but stop screaming.

10. Murmur

There are voices outside her cabin door, too indistinct to tell who they are, but Sumeragi is absolutely certain what they’re saying, because it’s all that’s been filling (roiling, churning, rasping) through her head since they limped back to Krung Thep and managed to get their few (too few, far too few, and it was all her fault) survivors into better pods – so she reaches for the closest bottle and tries to drown them out.

#gundam 00 #setsuna f. seiei #saji crossroad #louise halevy #durinswizardwheezes #hawk in a tree #gundam 00 spoilers #fanfiction #mine #ss

[doodleimprovement]

Hope questions are still open, cause I'm curious about Minae's backstory!

.. Oh boy, anon

This is gonna be a LONG ass post (at least, for me) so uh

Be warned :: I’ve had this OC since I was 12, so her lore is ... dense

I’m gonna try my absolute best to sum it up and not get too deep into the weeds

IF THERES A PART THAT CONFUSES PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO ASK 

it’s all below the cut

        Minae was born in 1992 on the northern Atlantic island nation of Guardia - a small island somewhere between the Azores and Madeira where a humanoid elemental species makes their home. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father turned to not be a great person without his wife around to keep him in check. After a traumatic event where her drunken father quite literally stole the sight from her right eye (She uses an artificial pupil, now), her father dipped, leaving the nation in the ruins of a post - warlike situation (the island is split into two parts, the city, and the forest with a mountain-lilke cliff behind it. in the forest is a rather hostile force that the island has been battling on-and-off for centuries.) Minae was raised mainly by 4 demons that had found a home on the island over the years. Khron, a blind koi fish who runs the royal library, Damien, a capricorn-esque demon architect from Mesopotamia, Marro, a Valravn alchemist, and Lincon, a lion demon who works at the head chef of the castle. 

        She was given the role of “Gov’Nowar” (essentially a theistic high priestess type of position) when she turned 16, and began to run the country as its ruler. When she was 17, she met her future partner, Epher, by sheer chance while on a diplomatic appointment in Europe. Despite being a tad vitriolic, they soon realized that they actually got along quite well and started seeing each other. There were a lot of ups and downs - most being from a severe lack of communication (ex she just... didn’t want to tell him about her autoimmune disease, not how it shortened her life expectancy) - but after some time they mellowed out. When she was 18, she got unexpectedly pregnant, and made the rather risky decision to keep the baby, giving birth to Klaus when she was 19. It was a very difficult pregnancy, and she made the decision to not have any more children after that. Unfortunately, about 6 months after Klaus was born, Epher was killed in an ambush that set off another round of fighting with the beings in the forest of the island. The ambush gained Minae an extremely pronounced face scar that she hides using galmours- as she is very ashamed of it. 

      (In between the these events, Minae discovered that her father, while on the run, fathered a boy in Costa Rica, her half brother, Avravela. She goes through a whole... thing... with him) 

      Some time when Klaus was about 3 or 4, she was called upon to assist in the cataloging and discovery of a previously unknown planet in a nearby galaxy (When I said she was a diplomat, I didn’t just mean international ;) ), where she befriended a nomadic group of shapeshifters known as the Owiet, and met Marofe, who she befriended and eventually started a relationship with. It was long distance at first, but after a lot of talking, he made the decision to move to her home with her. 

      Her life since then has mostly been helping her friends and family, and doing as much set up as possible to ensure that her son, the center of her universe, has as painless a process as possible when she eventually succumbs to her illness. She turns 29 this year. She knows that eventually, she’s going to be living on borrowed time. 

Best estimates show her living to see her son turn 15. She can only hope she makes it that long. 

There’s so much more to her, the dragons that she helped to raise, that one time she got lost in Mongolia and made a lifelong friend out of horse breeder, her castle’s vast advancements in technology and medicine (Carlson and Jose get their prosthetics from those labs), her helping thwarting an alien invasion, etc etc etc

Ugh, I love my old OCs. 

#antonia answers #minae #minae lore #oc lore #Anonymous

[loveofyhwh]

January 13: Genesis 25–26; Matthew 7:13–29; Psalm 13; Proverbs 3:28–35

New Post has been published on https://loveofyhwh.com/january-13-genesis-25-26-matthew-713-29-psalm-13-proverbs-328-35/

January 13: Genesis 25–26; Matthew 7:13–29; Psalm 13; Proverbs 3:28–35

Old Testament:

Genesis 25–26

Genesis 25–26 (Listen)

Abraham’s Death and His Descendants

25 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 6 But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.

7 These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. 11 After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.

12 These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. 17 (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) 18 They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settledHebrew fell‘>1 over against all his kinsmen.

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?”Or why do I live?‘>2 So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her,

  “Two nations are in your womb,     and two peoples from within youOr from birth‘>3 shall be divided;   the one shall be stronger than the other,     the older shall serve the younger.”

24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob.Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats‘>4 Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.Edom sounds like the Hebrew for red‘>5) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

God’s Promise to Isaac

26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Isaac and Abimelech

6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing withHebrew may suggest an intimate relationship‘>6 Rebekah his wife. 9 So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek,Esek means contention‘>7 because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.Sitnah means enmity‘>8 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth,Rehoboth means broad places, or room‘>9 saying, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

26 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 He called it Shibah;Shibah sounds like the Hebrew for oath‘>10 therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and they made life bitterHebrew they were bitterness of spirit‘>11 for Isaac and Rebekah.

Footnotes

[1] 25:18 Hebrew fell [2] 25:22 Or why do I live? [3] 25:23 Or from birth [4] 25:26 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats [5] 25:30 Edom sounds like the Hebrew for red [6] 26:8 Hebrew may suggest an intimate relationship [7] 26:20 Esek means contention [8] 26:21 Sitnah means enmity [9] 26:22 Rehoboth means broad places, or room [10] 26:33 Shibah sounds like the Hebrew for oath [11] 26:35 Hebrew they were bitterness of spirit

(ESV)

New Testament:

Matthew 7:13–29

Matthew 7:13–29 (Listen)

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easySome manuscripts For the way is wide and easy‘>1 that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

I Never Knew You

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Footnotes

[1] 7:13 Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy

(ESV)

Psalm:

Psalm 13

Psalm 13 (Listen)

How Long, O Lord?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

13   How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?     How long will you hide your face from me? 2   How long must I take counsel in my soul     and have sorrow in my heart all the day?   How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3   Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;     light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4   lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”     lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5   But I have trusted in your steadfast love;     my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6   I will sing to the LORD,     because he has dealt bountifully with me.

(ESV)

Proverb:

Proverbs 3:28–35

Proverbs 3:28–35 (Listen)

28   Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,     tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. 29   Do not plan evil against your neighbor,     who dwells trustingly beside you. 30   Do not contend with a man for no reason,     when he has done you no harm. 31   Do not envy a man of violence     and do not choose any of his ways, 32   for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD,     but the upright are in his confidence. 33   The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked,     but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34   Toward the scorners he is scornful,     but to the humble he gives favor.Or grace‘>1 35   The wise will inherit honor,     but fools getThe meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain‘>2 disgrace.

Footnotes

[1] 3:34 Or grace [2] 3:35 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

(ESV)

[dfroza]

At the closing of Paul’s Letter to Titus

he points to the significance of the treasure we hold in the space of the heart (inside, Anew)

[Chapter 3]

And remind them of this: respect the rulers and the courts. Obey them. Be ready to do what is good and honorable. Don’t tear down another person with your words. Instead, keep the peace, and be considerate. Be truly humble toward everyone because there was a time when we, too, were foolish, rebellious, and deceived—we were slaves to sensual cravings and pleasures; and we spent our lives being spiteful, envious, hated by many, and hating one another. But then something happened: God our Savior and His overpowering love and kindness for humankind entered our world; He came to save us. It’s not that we earned it by doing good works or righteous deeds; He came because He is merciful. He brought us out of our old ways of living to a new beginning through the washing of regeneration; and He made us completely new through the Holy Spirit, who was poured out in abundance through Jesus the Anointed, our Savior. All of this happened so that through His grace we would be accepted into God’s covenant family and appointed to be His heirs, full of the hope that comes from knowing you have eternal life. This is a faithful statement of what we believe.

Concerning this, I want you to put it out there boldly so that those who believe in God will be constant in doing the right things, which will benefit all of us. Listen, don’t get trapped in brainless debates; avoid competition over family trees or pedigrees; stay away from fights and disagreements over the law. They are a waste of your time. If a person is causing divisions in the community, warn him once; and if necessary, warn him twice. After that, avoid him completely because by then you are sure that you are dealing with a corrupt, sinful person. He is determined to condemn himself.

I am sending either Artemas or Tychicus to you. When one of them arrives, try your best to make your way to me at Nicopolis (I plan to spend the winter there). Do what you can to get Zenas (the lawyer) and Apollos on their way; make sure they have everything they need. Our people must learn to get involved when a need arises, particularly when the need is urgent. Teach them to do what is good so they won’t become unproductive members of the community.

Everyone with me sends his greetings. Greet all our friends in the faith. May grace be with all of you. [Amen.]

The Letter of Titus, Chapter 3 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 5th chapter of First Chronicles that continues documenting the Family Tree of Israel:

[The Family of Reuben]

The family of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Though Reuben was Israel’s firstborn, after he slept with his father’s concubine, a defiling act, his rights as the firstborn were passed on to the sons of Joseph son of Israel. He lost his “firstborn” place in the family tree. And even though Judah became the strongest of his brothers and King David eventually came from that family, the firstborn rights stayed with Joseph.

The sons of Reuben, firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was the prince of the Reubenites.

Beerah’s brothers are listed in the family tree by families: first Jeiel, followed by Zechariah: then Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. Joel lived in the area from Aroer to Nebo and Baal Meon. His family occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that goes all the way to the Euphrates River, since their growing herds of livestock spilled out of Gilead. During Saul’s reign they fought and defeated the Hagrites; they then took over their tents and lived in them on the eastern frontier of Gilead.

The family of Gad were their neighbors in Bashan, as far as Salecah: Joel was the chief, Shapham the second-in-command, and then Janai, the judge in Bashan.

Their brothers, by families, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz. Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.

The family of Gad lived in Gilead and Bashan, including the outlying villages and extending as far as the pastures of Sharon.

They were all written into the official family tree during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.

The families of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men trained for war—physically fit and skilled in handling shield, sword, and bow. They fought against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. God helped them as they fought. God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. God answered their prayers because they trusted him. They plundered the Hagrite herds and flocks: 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also captured 100,000 people. Many were killed, because the battle was God’s. They lived in that country until the exile.

The half-tribe of Manasseh had a large population. They occupied the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon). The heads of their families were Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel—brave warriors, famous, and heads of their families. But they were not faithful to the God of their ancestors. They took up with the ungodly gods of the peoples of the land whom God had gotten rid of before they arrived. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria) to take the families of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He deported them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan. They’ve been there ever since.

The Book of 1st Chronicles, Chapter 5 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, january 4 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

A post by John Parsons about a pure Seed:

Shavuah tov, chaverim. Recall that the Promised Seed of Israel was to be born of a woman (Gen. 3:15), to dwell in the “tents of Shem” (Gen. 9:26) and descend from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12-28). Furthermore, as Jacob’s prophecy makes clear, the tribe of Judah would be known as Gur Aryeh (גּוּר אַרְיֵה), a "Young Lion," who would be praised, made victorious, and rule over the other tribes of Israel (Gen. 49:8-9). Indeed, from the royal tribe of Judah would come the Messiah (המשיח), the anointed King of Israel, whose authority would ultimately expand into a worldwide dominion (Gen. 49:10). As later prophecies clearly foretell, the great “Young Lion of the Tribe of Judah” is none other than Yeshua, God the Son, unto whom every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that He is indeed the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings (Deut. 10:17; Josh. 22:22; Psalm 72:11; Psalm 110:1; Isa. 45:22-23; Phil. 2:10-11, etc.).

The word Jew comes from Judah (יְהוּדָה), from the root (יָדָה) which means to "thank." From the name Judah was derived the later term "Jew" (which first appears after the destruction of the First Temple, see 2 Kings 16:6, and was later used in the Aramaic books of Ezra-Nehemiah). Leah used a "play on words" regarding her birth of her fourth son when she said she would “thank the LORD” (אוֹדֶה אֶת־יהוה), and therefore named her son "Judah" (see Gen. 29:35). I think Paul alluded to this in Rom. 2:28-29 by saying that an "inward" Jew is "one who praises (or thanks) God," and therefore it may be said that all those who thank the LORD in the truth are “spiritual Jews.” If you are "blood-related" to God by the Messiah through faith, you are "grafted in" to the covenants, promises, and blessings originally given to ethnic Israel, and are therefore a member of "God's household" in full standing (see Eph. 2:12-22).

Ultimately the question of whether you regard yourself as a "Jew" concerns your faith in God's personal love for you... Do you understand that you are accepted as God's dear child? As is repeatedly promised in the Torah, the blessing of Abraham is imparted to all the families of the earth because of the gift of life given in Yeshua (Gal. 3:14). Learn to know yourself, then, as the Lord knows you in the heart of his salvation... [Hebrew for Christians]

https://hebrew4christians.com/

1.3.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

January 4, 2021

Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:13-14)

Hymns sometimes lift our souls to heights undreamed of. Let us use the familiar hymn “Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners” these next few days to take us into scriptural truth. The refrain that accompanies each verse follows.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Hallelujah! what a Friend!

Saving, helping, keeping, loving,

He is with me to the end.

Hallelujah is sometimes translated “praise ye the Lord.” Praising God is a precious privilege to Christians. The Psalms often give praise to our great Lord and King, and this will continue throughout eternity. “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God” (Revelation 19:1).

He is saving us from sin and its penalty. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” (Hebrews 7:25), helping us in our journey through life. “Therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice” (Psalm 63:7). Through any peril, He is keeping us “by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5) while loving us through it. In fact, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

We can be confident that He will keep us for all time. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:24-25). JDM

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

WIP challenge

Post something from a work-in-progress. I love this challenge! ♡

Thank you to @raisingcain-onceagain for tagging me, because otherwise I probably would have lost the story below. Eek.

(Time stamp is December 22, 2015. Wow, for shame. Poor memory can only excuse so much.)

–

Imladris had not seen a more extravagant an event as Arwen’s first century feast.

The feast was held in the gardens, the evening lit by the warm glow of torches and what seemed like a thousand candles. Outside that circle, fireflies lit the trees surrounding them where a thin mist had already settled, giving the place an otherworldly glow. All around, Elves were dancing to the song of the minstrels, free in their enjoyment of the occasion as they celebrated the coming of age of their most beloved little lady.

‘Well,’ thought one Elf, who was seated apart from the rest. ‘I suppose she is not so little now.’

Glorfindel smiled at the thought as he watched Arwen, who stood at a distance, laughing at something someone said. While most feasts would see Glorfindel among the throng of Elves dancing - sometimes even singing among the minstrels - tonight he was a different mind… or heart, as the case may be.

He sighed, long and drawn out.

“Oh, I know. These things can be such a bore, sometimes I do not even know why I go.”

Glorfindel turned to the voice that spoke. He had to smile, for the tone of that voice was one of mild affront.

“Do not be offended, friend Lindir,” he said to the Elf now sitting beside him. He had not even noticed the other slip in. “'Tis a lovely party and the songs are wonderful.”

“Quite right they are wonderful. We have been practicing them for ages!” Lindir nearly leapt forward, now looking intently at Glorfindel. “It is rare to see you so tame and seated on such an occasion, especially since it is indeed a wonderful night. Imladris has never seen one more festive and wonderful, and I dare say it has even surpassed the feast we held in honour of the Lords Elladan and Elrohir. Pray, is something the matter?”

Upon being asked this, Glorfindel sighed again. He could not keep his eyes from straying to one particular spot in the garden.

Lindir, ever curious and inquisitive, followed his gaze and groaned upon seeing what his friend was looking at - or rather, who. “Oh, merciful Nienna,” lamented the minstrel.

It was indeed an unusual night, for there, standing beside the radiant Lady Arwen, was Elrond’s chief counsellor and the lady’s favourite, Master Erestor. Yet it was Erestor in a way they have not seen in much too long a time - too long, in fact, that perhaps half of the night’s attendees likely have not even seen it in their entire lives.

Erestor had always been modest in the way he dressed, opting for layered robes appropriate for his station, dark or earth-coloured depending on the season. Sometimes, Celebrían could convince him to weave flowers in his hair, but such a small thing would already mark the height of the counsellor’s vanities.

This was exactly why tonight came as such a surprise for many, especially to one particular captain of the guard. Tonight, the counsellor had honoured young Arwen with a partner befitting of the occasion. Beside Arwen in her midnight blue gown is a prince in blue-greys and silvers, his robes form-fitting and made of materials the old Erestor would have found too extravagant to be in any way practical. Surely, it was Arwen and her mother’s handiwork - the robes, the intricate styling of hair, the rings in those long fingers, that clear face. Glorfindel could not tell if it was merely the effect of such an attire or some other sorcery was at work, but what harshness they were more accustommed to in Erestor’s was nowhere in sight that night. What was left was this Elf who doted upon Arwen and whose calm presence made her more beautiful, their light shining ever brighter as they glided across the grounds. Judging by the radiant smile on the young lady’s face and the loving way with which she clung to Erestor’s arm, the counsellor’s effort was very well appreciated.

Erestor and Arwen have always had a quiet understanding between them. As surely as Elladan and Elrohir had taken to Glorfindel and followed him around with their toy swords and boisterous play, so had meek little Arwen gravitated toward her father’s more quiet senior adviser. She would often sit in his office and spend that time quietly on her own just reading or playing, not demanding Erestor’s attention, merely taking comfort in his company and that place that had become like a sanctuary to one who might feel weary of the noises of lively Imladris.

This, Glorfindel could understand, for he himself often found solace in the peaceful warmth of Erestor’s corner of the Homely House. He, like Arwen, could also be found sitting there for hours. For one, he infinitely preferred working across Erestor on his large desk instead of his stifling office at the barracks. If anyone asked, he would say that it was easier and more practical to work with Erestor since he could ask for his opinion and occasional approval on areas where their work overlapped. The truth, though, was that he realised that he could sit longer in the quiet when Erestor was around, and sitting across him that way allowed him to watch Erestor when the mood struck (which was often) and admire the elegant way with which the counselor worked. Erestor’s side of the desk was always neat, nothing there that he did not need. Glorfindel also favoured watching him as he writes, his lines always precise and straight from where Glorfindel was sitting and from the times when he himself was the recipient of such documents. It also amused him that Erestor’s quill was never still. Even when there were lulls and the counsellor would sit back on his high-back chair, eyes distant in thought, he would roll his quill on the tips of his thumb and forefinger, seemingly unconscious of the habit, and Glorfindel would just admire how those pale fingers, dexterous and sure, looked against the black of Erestor’s quill.

Sometimes, too, Erestor would be staring down at the parchment he was writing or reading and would run the tip of his quill slowly across his lips - another unconscious gesture - and Glorfindel would have to bite his own lip and get back to work else he ended up doing something stupid and make a fool of himself.

“Erestor looks nice tonight.”

Pulled back from his straying thoughts, Glorfindel turned back to his table mate. He had already forgotten he was there.

“I mean,” Lindir continued when Glorfindel did not respond, “he has certainly outdone himself this time. We haven’t seen him like this since he was a high counsellor at the courts in old Lindon. It’s nice to see again, don’t you think so, Glorfindel?”

Glorfindel grumbled. “You know very well I did not know him in Lindon.”

“Did you not, now? Why, yes, of course! Then it must be the first time you have seen him like this.” Once again, Lindir leaned close to Glorfindel, an awfully wide grin on his still youthful face. He whispered conspiratorially, “This must be killing you.”

–

Tagging @saviobriion, @maedhrosrussandol, @yeaka, @woodlandcrowns, @ephers (hee, just in case you do have something?) only if you want to. If anyone else is interested, by all means please consider yourself tagged as well! I love reading excerpts. :)

ETA: Completed and posted! Read at AO3

#meme #writing #wip #glorfindel #erestor

[reliquiaenfr]

slam DUNKS questions at ur lore like uhhhhh.,, 1, 10, 11, 15, 22, 31, 38?

and the crowd goes WILD! thanks man! ♥ questions here. under a read more bc there’s a lot

Write from the perspective of an outsider ofyour lair, what is their first impression? How have they discovered this group?How are they greeted?

i have actually written a short story from the perspective of an outsider to the clan! you can read it here. i actually love writing from the pov of a guest bc there’s so much creepy stuff that goes on in the lair that the residents are like ‘eh w/e that’s just another tuesday’ about lol. just for you epher:

Something had guided his wings around to the west. Despite being sure he could see a canyon snaking through the red rock below, he circled around the grassy plainlands and thickly treed flats towards the strait in the north. He couldn’t explain why to himself even as he did so, and he won’t be able to explain why to anyone who ever asks him (not even the lair’s residents), but a tingle runs down his spine when he descends towards the treetops so he skims them rather than trying to find a place to land.

And he finds a cove. The canyon spits sand and rivers out from beneath the trees and into the ocean and here there are docks bustling with activity. The tingling eases and he drops lower before tucking his wings to his sides and landing on the loose sand with a puff.

At first he is met only by the wary stares of beastfolk as they trot along the docks and pack crates onto their slender skiffs. Then a dragon spots him. The Imperial is huge and blue and almost impossible to look at, shimmering in the sunlight as if she can’t properly be perceived by regular sight.

She is polite and cheerful and touches her heart with her hand when she greets him, a smiling dragon (he assumes, anyway, he can hear the smile in her voice but it’s hard to see when she’s so luminescent). She shows him along the beachfront, pointing out clan members and explaining their purpose. A guard is always along the docks - to keep fights from happening between guests, she tells him, but the look in her eye suggests something else. There are merchants to trade with, should he feel so inclined; her son among them. But when the little Nocturne speaks it’s with a lilt and a smile and a turn of phrase that make his hackles rise without even looking at the wares. She points out the Assembly, in case he has something he wants to take up with the clan’s leadership. And eventually they make it to the Lodge, a place for guests to stay - for a small fee - and run by a bright little light spirit the Imperial introduces as Passage.

As she turns to leave him to settle in, however, she imparts one last piece of information - advice, even - and the gravity in her voice sends his stomach plunging to his feet.

“Do not leave the docks.” Those are all her words, no explanation is given. But he shivers all the same.

And when the sun begins to set a faint mist rises around the Lodge, a soft song can be heard over the waves in the cove, a strange tug pulls at his ribs to draw him into the woods. Resisting the whispers is the hardest thing he has ever done. But he thinks, perhaps, to give in is to surrender one’s life to this place.

-

Are there any customs aroundhatching? Who is present? Is their any members who specialize in the care ofeggs or hatchlings? Are eggs ever hatched too early?

one parent is almost always present, but if not that’s okay too! the eggs are kept in an open sided series of rooms carved into the sides of one of the great big spires of rock that grow out of the canyon’s floor. it’s within the bounds of the lair’s magic so most outsiders will never see it. the lair is tended predominantly by inerri, but with help from select others including a collection of beastfolk who also use the spire to lay eggs/give birth when necessary. the nesting spire also doubles as the place where youngsters get their first education (dispensed by inerri, pencil, helix and anthelion).

there aren’t really that many eggs in the clan very often so when there are great care is taken to ensure they are tended properly. this often means making sure they are incubated to proper term. but yeah ofc sometimes an egg hatches early, some hatch late too.

-

Are there any gestures present? Similar to ourwaves, nods, etc 

i assume this means gestures specific to the clan? bc i haven’t really thought about that much haha. there is a gesture used to signal respect where the first two fingers of a hand are touched to head or heart. it can be used when greeting dignitaries too, crossfire and seven do it a lot as representatives.

there’s also a little tail swish like okay. i use it a lot in my writing anyway where a dragon might use their tail to gently brush the tail of someone important to them - usually a mate - so i guess there’s that too. it’s a soft little thing like a real personal sorta pda, kinda intimate when done in public like an acknowledgement that this dragon is real special to them. idk if it counts tho.

-

How do religious beliefs play arole in everyday life? Is there an organised clergy?

lmao they have fen and shiana so naw not really a clergy. religion is very individualised. there is what everyone calls the temple tree which has shrines built into the branches and around the trunk (it’s a huge tree) and it’s sorta just accepted that if you wanna do the worship thing you can go there and do that but if you don’t wanna then that’s cool too. there are no public services or anything. fen looks after the tree and shiana is referred to as a priestess but no one seems to care whether that means anything religious or not.

-

What, if any, foods are considered a delicacy?How is food prepared? Is there any forbidden or taboo foods? 

taboo? nah not really. cannibalism is a big no no though. and look. fiend ate her own children. so like. yeah big no to eating other dragons. no to eating beastfolk also. there are seasonal restrictions sometimes, piper, ravelin and osprey are always really careful and vocal about not overtaxing populations of any sort of animal so if the like... deer herds are small one year they won’t eat too many of them and all that. they’re p careful about it.

but they’re a clan that’s like super bound to the natural world and are big on their fruits n vegies n fishing n stuff like that. real classic hunter/gatherer type clan. so processed foods like sweets are hard to find in the canyon and osprey ships them in so they’re kinda like a delicacy haha. there’s no communal kitchen either, food is prepared by the individual in whatever way they prefer so sometimes that can be influenced by the flight they came from. the lair is real chill about that kinda shit tbh. ain’t no shits given. do what you like.

-

Are there any restrictions onmagic or spells? What and why? If not, does this cause any issues?

lmao no the clan is BUILT on magic. yeah this can be a problem tho like anthelion was all ‘yes guys i’m putting my magical alarm spell around this new lair so we don’t get surprised okay yes i’m doin this as we speak’ and they were all well MAYBE do smth different this time bc it didn’t stop fiend from killing HEAPS OF US LAST TIME and anth was all ‘fine then i guess i’ll do smth different’ and so she did some weird shit with the magic and now the lair is filled with magic that eats visitors????? like yeah that’s a bit of a problem.

sometimes the lack of restrictions means someone goes ‘oh fuck tarryn’s at it again’ and you look up and all the hatchling have grown like spines or weird purple blotches or dragons with fur are now all entirely BALD bc she put some shit in the water and now we all hairless great. or w/e like problems happen. it’s chill tho they live with it.

-

Are symbols a significant aspect of life? Ifthey are, what are symbols, what do they mean? Are certain symbols worn? 

mmmm not really. the clan is SUPER relaxed about stuff so eh. they do have charms they give to any dragon marked for exaltation. you can read about pilgrims here. but other than that nah not so much.

maybe one day i’ll think of smth and go OH SHIT YEA that’d be a cool symbol to have !! but today is not that day so all my dragons are like lazy bums and they just hang out n chill all day lmao.

[magickalmenagerie]

I'm in love with your epherals!!! What's the difference between the tiers? Vibrant and vital?

Vibrant is akin to what a silver-tier binding would be, they are able to communicate and assist, but it is not as strong and they are not able to interact with the world around you with quite as much intensity. The Vital tier allows them the constant influx of earthen energy to do whatever they need to -- interact with you in a clear way, promote vibrations around you, and create massive change. Both tiers allow them to guide you, teach you, assist you, and to make change in your environment, but that strength doubles with the Vital tier.

[dfroza]

what we believe matters.

just as our conduct. and what we share with others matters.

Paul continues his Letter to Titus with Today’s reading from the Scriptures with the 2nd chapter to instruct how we live our lives:

As to you, Titus: talk to them; give them a good, healthy diet of solid teaching so they will know the right way to live.

Here’s what I want you to teach the older men: enjoy everything in moderation, respect yourselves and others, be sensible, and dedicate yourselves to living an unbroken faith demonstrated by your love and perseverance.

And here’s what I want you to teach the older women: Be respectful. Steer clear of gossip or drinking too much so that you can teach what is good to young women. Be a positive example, showing them what it is to love their husbands and children, and teaching them to control themselves in every way and to be pure. Train them to manage the household, to be kind, and to be submissive to their husbands, all of which honor the word of God.

Encourage the young men in the same way: in every situation, they should learn to control themselves.

Titus, you have to set a good example for everyone. Go out of your way to do what is right, speak the truth with the weight and authority that come from an honest and pure life. No one can argue with that. Then your enemies will cower in shame because they have nothing bad to say against us.

Advise all the servants: Work hard for your masters, and be loyal to them. Strive to please. Don’t be rude or sarcastic. Don’t steal or embezzle your masters’ property. Show them you are trustworthy, and all the credit will go to the teaching of God our Savior.

We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping yourselves holy. Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all will share when our great God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appears again. He gave His body for our sakes and will not only break us free from the chains of wickedness, but He will also prepare a community uncorrupted by the world that He would call His own—people who are passionate about doing the right thing.

So, Titus, tell them all these things. Encourage and teach them with all authority—and rebuke them with the same. You are a man called to serve, so don’t let anyone belittle you.

The Letter of Titus, Chapter 2 (The Voice)

our Creator orchestrated marriage on earth, just as He formed the paired genders of male and female that is decided at the genesis spark of conception to grow and be protected in the womb. we don’t choose our gender, nor is it even possible to do so. nor is it possible for a man to marry another man, or a woman to marry another woman, in view of our Creator’s truth. and the world may disagree with this view of sexuality, yet it still doesn’t change.

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 4th chapter of First Chronicles continuing with the Family Tree of Israel:

[An Appendix to the Family of Judah]

Sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. Reaiah, Shobal’s son, had Jahath; and Jahath had Ahumai and Lahad. These made up the families of the Zorathites.

Sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi. Penuel had Gedor and Ezer had Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, firstborn son of Ephrathah, who was the father of Bethlehem.

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari—Naarah’s children. Helah’s sons were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, and Koz, who had Anub, Hazzobebah, and the families of Aharhel son of Harum.

Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.

Kelub, Shuhah’s brother, had Mehir; Mehir had Eshton; Eshton had Beth Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, who founded Ir Nahash (City of Smiths). These were known as the men of Recah.

The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah.

The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.

Meonothai had Ophrah; Seraiah had Joab, the founder of Ge Harashim (Colony of Artisans).

The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam.

The son of Elah: Kenaz.

The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.

The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives, Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. His Judean wife gave birth to Jered father of Gedor, Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel father of Zanoah.

The sons of Hodiah’s wife, Naham’s sister: the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon.

The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the family of linen workers at Beth Ashbea, Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (These records are from very old traditions.) They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah, resident potters who worked for the king.

[The Family of Simeon]

The Simeon family tree: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul; Shaul had Shallum, Shallum had Mibsam, and Mibsam had Mishma.

The sons of Mishma: Hammuel had Zaccur and Zaccur had Shimei.

Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers were not nearly as prolific and never became a large family like Judah. They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. They lived in these towns until David became king. Other settlements in the vicinity were the five towns of Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan, and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath. These were their settlements. And they kept good family records.

Meshobab; Jamlech; Joshah the son of Amaziah; Joel; Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; Elioenai; Jaakobah; Jeshohaiah; Asaiah; Adiel; Jesimiel; Benaiah; and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah—all these were the leaders in their families. They prospered and increased in numbers so that they had to go as far as Gedor (Gerar) to the east of the valley looking for pasture for their flocks. And they found it—lush pasture, lots of elbow room, peaceful and quiet.

Some Hamites had lived there in former times. But the men in these family trees came when Hezekiah was king of Judah and attacked the Hamites, tearing down their tents and houses. There was nothing left of them, as you can see today. Then they moved in and took over because of the great pastureland. Five hundred of these Simeonites went on and invaded the hill country of Seir, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. They killed all the escaped Amalekites who were still around. And they still live there.

The Book of 1st Chronicles, Chapter 4 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, january 3 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

January 3, 2021

Salvation in the Spirit

“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

Nicodemus was confused the night when Jesus first spoke of the necessity of the new birth and then equated it with the symbol of baptism. Christ then indicated that the reality in both was the supernatural work of God, the Holy Spirit. “Except a man be born of water [that is, the Spirit], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God [with ‘and’ understood as ‘even’].”

The miracle of regeneration is thus a work of the Spirit, and just as “the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). It is not some soul-winning methodology but the Holy Spirit who does the work, and He (like the invisible wind) may work in a great variety of different ways.

This work of the Holy Spirit in bringing salvation to the unsaved is so great and so complex that it must be described in a variety of figures to convey the whole reality. In the first place, He must bring conviction of sin and the need of salvation. “When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).

Then, as the sinner repents and believes on Christ, the Spirit baptizes him into Christ. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). As a member of Christ’s body, he is made a partaker of His resurrection life. Simultaneously, “after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13), and “the Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). All of this becomes the mighty miracle of spiritual birth. “According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). HMM

[dfroza]

the Body.

all parts interconnected, to function as a whole. different parts, different functions. all significant.

we are children of Light who form the Temple of our Creator here on beautiful earth carrying within the sacred treasure of the Spirit and the Word of God (who is the True illumination of the Son)

and this significance is seen in Today’s reading of the Scriptures from Paul’s Letter of First Corinthians with chapter 12:

What I want to talk about now is the various ways God’s Spirit gets worked into our lives. This is complex and often misunderstood, but I want you to be informed and knowledgeable. Remember how you were when you didn’t know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It’s different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say “Jesus be damned!” Nor would anyone be inclined to say “Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.

God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel

clear understanding

simple trust

healing the sick

miraculous acts

proclamation

distinguishing between spirits

tongues

interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.

I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”:

apostles

prophets

teachers

miracle workers

healers

helpers

organizers

those who pray in tongues.

But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts.

But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.

The Letter of First Corinthians, Chapter 12 (The Message)

and in Today’s paired chapter of Genesis 25 we see the point when Abraham married for the 2nd time, along with the children of Isaac and Rebekah of whom Jacob was born, whose name was eventually changed to Israel:

Abraham married a second time; his new wife was named Keturah. She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Jokshan had Sheba and Dedan.

Dedan’s descendants were the Asshurim, the Letushim, and the Leummim.

Midian had Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah—all from the line of Keturah.

But Abraham gave everything he possessed to Isaac. While he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons he had by his concubines, but then sent them away to the country of the east, putting a good distance between them and his son Isaac.

Abraham lived 175 years. Then he took his final breath. He died happy at a ripe old age, full of years, and was buried with his family. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, next to Mamre. It was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried next to his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived at Beer Lahai Roi.

[The Family Tree of Ishmael]

This is the family tree of Ishmael son of Abraham, the son that Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maid, bore to Abraham.

These are the names of Ishmael’s sons in the order of their births: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s firstborn, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah—all the sons of Ishmael. Their settlements and encampments were named after them. Twelve princes with their twelve tribes.

Ishmael lived 137 years. When he breathed his last and died he was buried with his family. His children settled down all the way from Havilah near Egypt eastward to Shur in the direction of Assyria. The Ishmaelites didn’t get along with any of their kin.

[Jacob and Esau]

This is the family tree of Isaac son of Abraham: Abraham had Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram. She was the sister of Laban the Aramean.

Isaac prayed hard to God for his wife because she was barren. God answered his prayer and Rebekah became pregnant. But the children tumbled and kicked inside her so much that she said, “If this is the way it’s going to be, why go on living?” She went to God to find out what was going on. God told her,

Two nations are in your womb,

two peoples butting heads while still in your body.

One people will overpower the other,

and the older will serve the younger.

When her time to give birth came, sure enough, there were twins in her womb. The first came out reddish, as if snugly wrapped in a hairy blanket; they named him Esau (Hairy). His brother followed, his fist clutched tight to Esau’s heel; they named him Jacob (Heel). Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

The boys grew up. Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman. Jacob was a quiet man preferring life indoors among the tents. Isaac loved Esau because he loved his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

One day Jacob was cooking a stew. Esau came in from the field, starved. Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stew—I’m starved!” That’s how he came to be called Edom (Red).

Jacob said, “Make me a trade: my stew for your rights as the firstborn.”

Esau said, “I’m starving! What good is a birthright if I’m dead?”

Jacob said, “First, swear to me.” And he did it. On oath Esau traded away his rights as the firstborn. Jacob gave him bread and the stew of lentils. He ate and drank, got up and left. That’s how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.

The Book of Genesis, Chapter 25 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for friday, february 21 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs