#praying for only good endings from here on out forever. amen

[vanwritesfan-fiction]

Body Like A Back Road: Part Two

Read Part One

Joe comes to terms with the fact that he can't take back his confession, and it may change his relationship with you forever

Warnings: smut, language, mentions of funeral, angst

A/N: I didn't really expect this to turn into such an angsty mini-series, but here we are lol

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me."

Joe was looking for an outlet for his frustrations, and he found it in the 600 lb. vending machine that was holding his bag of Lays barbecue chips hostage. It had to be way after midnight, the hallway empty and eerily quiet, the only sounds from the mechanics of the machines around him.

He ignored the buzzing from the overhead lighting and the hum of the ice machine next to him, as he sized up his opponent. He faced off against an o-line bigger than this all the time, but unfortunately, he wasn't wearing any padding right now, and the other team usually DIDN'T smack HAVE smack HIS smack DINNER smack HOSTAGE.

He threw his shoulder against the machine a couple of times, rocking it back and forth, before giving up, the bag still suspended between the glass and the coil. He roughly pulled his wallet out his back pocket, pulled out a couple dollar bills, and went through the motions again, stabbing his finger on the buttons A and 3. The mechanics whirred as another bag of chips was pushed forward, tipping before it ultimately landed on top of the previous bag. Now he was out four dollars with nothing to show for it.

At some point tonight, between agonizing over his confession of love to you and trying to get you to answer your damn phone, he must have fallen asleep on the rock hard mattress in his room and woke up starving. This hotel was severely lacking in amenities, the only source of food the stale snacks in the vending machine at the end of the hall.

Joe hated hotels. They always smelled kind of funny, he could never get the air condition to cool the room enough to his preferred sleep temperature, and he hated the thought that someone else had slept on the same bed before him. Still he didn't hesitate to join you on this road trip, knowing it meant leaving his comfort zone. You meant a lot to him, for whatever that was worth now.

"C'mon you piece of shit", he mumbled under his breath as he punched the glass, which didn't budge, before resting his forearm on top of the machine, hanging his head in defeat. He could try to pretend he was angry at the machine for swallowing his dollar all he wanted, but he knew it had nothing to do with that and everything to do with the fact that he had just told his best friend, the only solid relationship in his life, that he loved her, and her response was sheer confusion. "You sure do know how to fuck up a good thing, don't you?"

His head quickly turned to the side at the sound of footsteps, another hotel guest watching having caught his tantrum. They looked stunned, and honestly a little bit disturbed, which he really couldn't blame them for.

"How much of that did you see?", Joe muttered out just above a whisper, the patron stone faced and unmoving, ice bucket in hand. Joe gave him a quick nod and rushed past him, just hoping and praying he wouldn't see a headline about him on Sports Center tomorrow.

He immediately felt a thin layer of condensation on his skin as he entered his room, throwing the key card on the desk and heading directly for the balcony. The door stuck as he tried to open it, giving him trouble as he closed it back with a slam.

Your contact was at the top of his recent call list, unsuccessful attempt after attempt filling up the rows. He pressed your name again, holding up the phone to his ear as it rung a couple of times before going to voicemail.

"Hey this is Y/N, I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave me a message"

Your relationship was a lot of things: messy, intimate (he had the bite marks to prove it), surprisingly cathartic, to name a few.

The one thing it wasn't: love.

Joe had been in love before. It made him sick to his stomach, unsure of himself in every conceivable way, and it always ended up the same way, with him regretting ever having uttered the three words.

With you, things were easy. The sex was amazing; he was blushing just thinking about the events of earlier that night, and you didn't hound him for answers to questions he couldn't possibly answer or try to force vulnerability out of him. Things between you two just were the way they were, they settled exactly where they were supposed to, no muss, no fuss. He had no intention on ruining any of that on this road trip, but it slipped out, and he wholeheartedly regretted it.

So why did he say it then? Why did he say he loved you if he wasn't in love with you?

His feelings for you started building when you guys were just friends, but you both were just moving at different speeds it seemed, and if you weren't in a relationship, he was hung up on someone else and the time just never seemed right. You both ended up in the same city by a pure stroke of luck, but he was so focused on his career and trying to cure his only loneliness, he entered this agreement with you instead of confessing his feelings, simply because it was easier at the time.

Joe had a hard time keeping up with you, metaphorically of course. A big part of him had felt you slipping away for quite a while. He knew where he was going to be for the next couple of years, his contract with the Bengals determined that, but you were never sure, allowing life to take you were it wanted to in the moment. You made it clear from the jump that Cincy wasn't where you saw yourself settling down, and even if you were just "fuck buddies" by definition, he didn't want to lose you. He couldn't imagine a life where you weren't in it, and he knew that once you left, your relationship, and most importantly, your friendship was as good as dead.

He leaned forward on the railing, taking in the subpar view of the main road of whatever small town they were in, the warm air hitting his face, the smell of cigarette smoke burning his nostrils. This road trip had opened his eyes to one thing: your friends with benefits relationship was going to end eventually, and he wanted, no he needed you, after it was all over.

Who the hell was he kidding? He told you he loved you because he did love you, and he was hoping that he meant enough to you to make you stick around. Sure, he didn't go about it in the best way, but he meant what he said, and he needed to make sure you knew it wasn't a slip of the tongue.

If you weren't gonna answer your phone, he'd go to your room and try to explain everything to you. He had to fix this before you got back on the road tomorrow.

When he went to pull on the wooden balcony door handle, it let out a couple of squeaks, shaking in his hand, but it wouldn't budge. Figuring it was giving him trouble again, he pulled with all of his might, straining his bicep muscle, but the door wouldn't open.

This had to be some twisted, fucked up joke. He was stuck out on this crappy balcony, cigarette butts piled in the corners, the neon McDonalds sign cascading a dull yellow on the side of the hotel building, and he had no way of getting back into his room.

His hand was shaking as he pulled his phone out his pocket and called you again, this time being sent straight to voicemail.

Your phone was either off or it had died. Fuck. He dialed the front desk, but just as the call connected, the line went silent. He pulled his phone down to see the flashing red battery symbol on the screen. His own phone was dead, and he had no way to call for help.

He rolled through his options. He could try to break the glass door but it was very thick, and he didn't have anything to throw through it. He looked over the edge of the balcony. He was only a couple floors up, he could jump down, but the potential for injury took that idea out of the running.

Frantically looking around, he realized he really only had one option.

With his long arms he could just barely reach the edge of the neighboring balcony. He could try and jump over and try to get into the next room over. The room was completely dark, and there was a chance that no one was occupying the room, but he had to try.

His sneakers squeaked against the painted concrete as he propped his foot on top of the balcony and lifted himself up, clinging to the side of the building. He was able to easily step over to the next balcony, jumping down into the cement box.

He didn't need to peek through the window as the curtains were wide open and the room was empty, the sheets still balled up on the bed, waiting for turn down service.

He went through the motions again, stepping over to the next room... that was also empty.

He was tired, hungry, and irritable, growing more frustrated by each passing second, but he sure as hell wasn't going to sleep outside tonight, so he lifted himself up for the third time, jumping down into the balcony. At least the light was on in this room, the curtains just barely open. He felt bad for looking in, but he was desperate.

You had just gotten out of the shower, your hair dripping wet, a towel tightly wrapped around your form. The blue light from the TV flashed across your face as you dried off your hair. Joe couldn't help the smile that crept on his face as he watched you move around the room. He really did love you. He felt the familiar knot in his stomach, but not one that made him sick, one that made him excited. He only felt that way when he was around you.

Your head snapped around when Joe rapped his knuckles against the glass, startling you.

"Fuck!", you screamed out, cowering against the bed, gripping your towel tightly in your fist.

"Can you let me in?" Joe asked with a chuckle as he pointed to the door lock, his voice muffled by the thick pane of glass. You let out a huff as you crossed the room, unlocking and sliding the door open for him.

"What the hell are you doing out there?", you pointed a finger at him, "and how the hell did you get on my balcony?"

Joe threw himself back on the bed, sighing as he closed his eyes, exhaustion hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Your phone is dead.", he grumbled out, almost about to fall asleep. You grabbed your phone off the nightstand to confirm that he was correct.

"Yeah, that doesn't answer either of my questions."

Joe opened one eye to look up at you. "Balcony door broken. Locked out of room." You rushed over to the balcony, stepping out to survey how much of a jump he had to make. "So you decided to hop balconies? Do you know how badly you could have hurt yourself if you fell?" You weren't in the mood to go at it with Joe after the night you had, but that wouldn't stop you from chastising him for doing something so stupid. "You're lucky you didn't fall to your death."

Joe watched you as you turned away from him to get dressed, holding your towel up so he wouldn't be able to see your naked body. "You know its nothing I haven't seen right?"

You scoffed, "Joe, I'm not in the mood right now, okay?" You rolled your neck to alleviate the tension you were feeling in your body. Joe sat up, positioning himself on the edge of the bed, his elbows propped on his thighs. "About that..."

You snapped the band of your sweatpants around your waist, stopping his train of thought. "Joe, please don't do this. I just want to forget what happened between us and just go back to the way things were. I liked the arrangement we had." You squeezed the last drops of water out of your hair with your towel. "It was working for both of us."

Joe paused for a second, his gaze falling to the ground. "What if it wasn't working for me?" He could only imagine the look on your face, because he couldn't dare to raise his head.

You were frozen in place, not sure of how you felt. You were so confused; this confession came out of the blue, and while you cared so much about Joe, probably more than anyone else who came into your life, things were just too complicated to go down that road. You didn't like complicated. You liked simple, your life demanded simple.

"Are you going to say something?" Joe let a sharp breath out of his nostrils, his jaw flexing as he finally looked over at you. He could see your wheels turning, and the longer you were silent, the more he knew he wasn't going to like your answer.

You crossed your arms over your chest, digging your fingertips into the spaces between your ribcage. "No."

"No, what? No, you don't love me? No, you don't know how you feel?" Joe raked a hand through his hair, an incredulous look on his face. "I need a little bit more than no."

"No", you shifted your weight between your feet nervously. "No, I'm not going to say anything. I just want to go to sleep, get my car in the morning, and get the fuck out of this town." You stuffed your things back into your bag. "This was a mistake", you mumbled under your breath, but he caught every word.

Joe jumped to his feet. "Finally something we can agree on. Me coming with you on this trip was a big fucking mistake." He paced to the door, his hand roughly gripping the handle. "If I knew that we were going to end up here, I would have kept my mouth shut." He swung the door open harder than he intended, hitting the wall with a bang.

He took a single step before stopping in the threshold. That pep talk he gave himself before coming over here wasn't for nothing.

In the blink of an eye, Joe slammed the door shut, grabbing you by the waist and pinning you against the wall with his hips. You could barely let out a gasp before he crashed lips with you, the kiss hard and passionate, his hands cradling the back of your head, holding you in place. You pushed at his chest to break away for a breath, taking in his face, his eyelids heavy with lust. "What the hell was that?", you whispered, unable to look away from his pink, swollen lips.

He tone was even, his voice a low rumble. "Tell me that you don't love me, right now, and I'll drop the subject forever. We can go back to being fuck buddies, or nothing. Whatever you want."

Your chests heaved in unison as you contemplated Joe's ultimatum.

"I-", the word was came out as a squeak, your throat drying up as you tried to speak. You didn't know what you were going to do, but you knew you didn't want to lose Joe.

You grabbed the back of his neck, roughly kissing him again, pulling his bottom lip between your teeth as you made out. You were glad he was holding you up, as every inch of your body went numb, your fingers and toes tingling with excitement.

Joe pulled away for second, a smile on his face as he looked at you, moving back to kiss you again as he lifted you up, carrying you to the bed.

#joe burow #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow imagine #joe burrow #joeburrow #joe burrow fan fic #joe burrow x y/n #nfl imagine #nfl fanfic #nfl fanfiction

[traumacatholic]

Happy New Year everyone, I hope the new year is good to you!

That Thou wilt bless the crown of the coming year with Thy bounty, and quench the flames of discord, enmity and strife; that Thou wilt give us peace, perseverance, sincere love, and a virtuous disposition; we beg Thee, Lord, hear us and have mercy.

If 2023 has been a rough year for you, then I'm praying the new year is better for you.

If 2023 has been a good year for you, then I'm praying the same goodness carries on into the new year.

As much as 2023 has been a really difficult year for me, I'm very grateful for all of the people on here. The people that took their time to pray for me, to offer me support when I've been struggling with things. The people that have offered me friendship and care. Nothing I can do or say can ever really do justice to all of the support and care that people on here have shown me.

I hope that 2024 grants you the healing, love, and care that you need.

Under the read more is some other prayers for the start of a New Year

O Master, Lord our God, Fountain of life and immortality, the Creator of all things both visible and invisible, Who has appointed seasons and years by Thy power, and dost direct all things by Thy most-wise and all-gracious providence: We thank Thee for Thy compassions, which Thou hast poured out upon us during the passing time of our life, and we entreat Thee, O All-compassionate Lord! Bless the crown of the coming year with Thy goodness.  Preserve our civil authorities; multiply the days of their life in unalterable health, and grant them progress in every virtue.  Grant Thy good things from above unto Thy people: health and salvation, and good hastening in all things.  Deliver Thy Holy Church, this city, and every city and land from every evil circmstance, granting them peace and tranquility.  And count us worthy that we may always offer thanksgiving unto Thee, the Father Who is without beginning, together with Thine Only-begotten Son, and Thine All-holy and Lifegiving Spirit, God glorified in one essence, and that we may hymn Thy most-holy Name.  Glory to Thee, O God, our benefactor, unto the ages of ages.  Amen.

--------

O Lord our God, You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Creator of time, existing before time and outside of time, the same yesterday, today and forever. You are the Pantocrator, the absolute Ruler who exercises sovereign authority over the entire universe and its laws. You are not limited by any natural events and occurrences, or by our action or inaction. The world is not driven by blind forces, but is governed wisely and lovingly by Your divine Providence.

You, O King and Master of the world, govern by Your almighty will the world You created as a captain governs his ship. We have nothing to be afraid of, as long as You are at the rudder. The very elements of nature obey You. Nothing happens by chance. What happens to us does not happen at random. Not a single hair from our heads falls to the ground without Your powerful will. We are in Your hands. What we are, whatever good we have in us, comes from You, the source of every goodness.

We ask You humbly, our Savior, as we enter this New Year of our salvation, to bless us all; to bless our endeavors, and everything we do. We ask You, O Lord, to bless the time You give us, that we may pass this new year of Your grace and the lifespan You have given us in repentance, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, peace, the fight against our passions, the practicing of the virtues, in doing Your will, not ours, and in accepting it cheerfully, without groaning or complaint.

Grant us, O Father Almighty, sincere faithfulness, wakeful preparedness and active witness, to be strong and grow in faith and love for You, and work diligently for the establishment of Your Kingdom, a Kingdom of peace and justice. Instill in us the longing for the establishment of Your heavenly Kingdom, a Kingdom of everlasting life, peace and joy.

We also beseech You, O Lord, to bless the entire world, and all Nations. Guide them to You, that they may come to know You, the only true God, and to do Your Holy Will. And protect, O Lord, Your Holy Church, everywhere, so that with one voice and one heart we may all praise and glorify Your most Holy and magnificent Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

#This is a scheduled post so I might not be online when this goes up

[theminecraftbox]

thoughts on c!sam and religion im curious... also in regards to prisontrio all three are religious, to varying degrees and varying beliefs

/dsmp rp

okay so we joke that Sam is Catholic but, like, come ON. Sam has a LOT of behaviors that tend to ping me as religious/religious-coded. I don’t really think Sam definitely believes there’s a god… but there’s a very authoritative + spiritual cast to his attitude on life. God may not be real, but Good and Evil definitely are—everybody’s got a devil and an angel on their shoulder.

For one thing, there’s his attitude towards morality, which I’ve gone on and on and on about. How he makes arguments about virtue ethics based in authority, and based on the supposition that there is such a thing as Good and Evil, and more concretely and importantly, Good People and Evil People. Sam projects lots of this onto Dream. Dream becomes an object of his need for the moral world to be a simple one.

His personal relationship to guilt, suffering, and justice is an extremely particular brand of religious: he references purgatory in Daedalus, for god’s sake. There is an element of Sam that wants to see himself as martyred; there is a part of him that sees suffering as redemptive, just as that part of him sees suffering as something delivered only unto the unworthy. This is imo a huge part of his complex with Dream: Dream deserves to suffer, yet… doesn’t suffering elevate him, excuse him, somehow?

He’s got all these superstitious behaviors: think of how he acts post-egg, his relationship to the holy water. I think he prayed, down trapped in the obsidian, with his own flesh. He has all these behaviors that are nearly ritualized: the laws the waivers the protocols, forever and ever amen. Sam derives tangible comfort from following ordained rules. Violate the rules and just punishment follows, the arm of god will smite you. (Sam is happy to act in this capacity. Sam is afraid, on some level, to be on the receiving end.) Obey the rules and you will never be be wrong. I maintain that Sam was shaken far more by letting Quackity violate protocol than by letting him commit horrific violence.

As for Quackity… I don’t see Q as a true believer, founding of the prime church aside. But I think his quiet faith in power could be shaped that way: what are lessons if not commandments? What is a country if not a kingdom, what is a kingdom if not divine? If God is real, God owes him a motherfucking crown.

Quackity is a believer in shattering idols. Heaven is a place on earth. So is hell. Quackity can build them both. Quackity does not think Dream is a god, but he ascribes Dream power when he tears him apart.

I think the most fascinating thing here is that peculiar form of iconoclasm in what he does to Dream, and in how he rips out Schlatt’s heart, and even in some respects how he tries to tear down Wilbur. Quackity will take these false idols and smash them on the sand; he’ll eat what remains and absorb their power. That’s a ritual too.

Dream, I think, has the kind of faith you keep when you’ve met a god and he’s wearing your face. He has the kind of faith you keep in your heart when you wield the power of the gods, you carry it inside you, and you were torn apart for months for it. Everyone Dream ever reveals it to tries to pry it from him and they all fail. The plan Dream keeps is going to save the world and he’s the only one with the guts and the ability to do it.

Dream does not have a god complex, but he is a mortal man willing to tear apart the tools of Olympus. And he knows that’s exactly what he’s doing.

#religion #prison trio #c!dream and c!sam #c!sam and c!quackity #c!dream and c!quackity

[walkswithmyfather]

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” —1 Thessalonians 5:16

“In all circumstances part 1: trust in God's character” By Antique Candle Co.:

“Why is it that we most often seek the Lord during the valleys of life? We know from His Word that He wants us to seek Him in every season. During the peaks, with moments of great joy and celebration; during the valleys, in times of worry and uncertainty. Not only does He desire His children to seek Him out, but He calls us to be faithful in all circumstances.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding...” —Proverbs 3:5

Trusting in the Lord's character allows us to find hope in every situation. It's not just about trusting God to get us through the difficult moments, but fully trusting in who He is, which extends to every moment of life.

So what is God's character? Many things. God cannot be compared to anything else in all creation. He created all things. Therefore, there are some attributes of Christ we can and cannot understand. We can't understand being 'unchanging' or 'all-knowing' ourselves because, as we are finite beings, we are neither. However, His Word tells us these truths about Him so that we may trust the characteristics that are unique to God alone. We can see and acknowledge the truth of His character in the Word and in our own lives.

GOD IS UNCHANGING:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” —Hebrews 13:8

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” —James 1:17

GOD IS FAITHFUL:

“...if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” —2 Timothy 2:13

“The Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations.” —Psalm 100:5

GOD IS ALL-KNOWING:

“He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.” —Psalm 94:9

GOD IS SOVEREIGN:

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” —Romans 11:36

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.” —Ephesians 1:7-8

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” —Romans 8:28

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” —Matthew 24:14

Place your trust in a God who is unchanging, faithful, all-knowing, sovereign, and so much more. In all circumstances, His character is something that will never fail.”

[Read the whole of this encouraging Blog post here.]

#1 thessalonians 5:16 #proverbs 3:5 #hebrews 13:8 #james 1:17 #2 timothy 2:13 #psalm 100:5 #psalm 94:9 #romans 11:36 #ephesians 1:7-8 #romans 8:28 #matthew 24:14 #character of god #trust god #trusting god #christian blog #god #belief in god #faith in god #christianity #christian inspiration #jesus #belief in jesus #faith in jesus #faithfulness of god #christian devotionals #bible truths #bible study #christian encouragement #christian faith #bible

[houseplantonthedesk]

JANUARY 11TH, 2024 — THURSDAY

9.15 PM

The dates with 2024 at the end feel unreal these days. 2024 feels like some place in the future not the present. Like I have time travelled here and I don't know how it happened. And I am as lost and confused as you'd expect one who has accidentally jaunted into the future without realizing and slowly they're getting there and making sense of it. So much has happened in the time that the Earth's travelled around the sun. Twice, now. But we'll pick up from November, 2023. My intern year working as a junior doctor in a public hospital started on the 1st of that month. It has been quite an experience, and I have felt so alive in the past 72 days, Alhamdolillah. This has been new discovery. With feeling alive also comes the lingering feeling of missing out. In the past. Or ever again. I have met some great people, like minded colleagues, who are up to such great things, being with them makes me realize my potential and makes me feel full, Alhamdolillah, but it also puts me in deep insecurity that what about what comes next? I love medicine, the work and the people I have met here, but for residency I too want to train from the best place, but my financial situation limits me from going for USMLE at least for now. And now that I have tasted this rush, I don't want it to stop, ever. I don't even want it to stay like this forever, I don't want to stay here forever, don't want to fall behind. Not again, oh Lord. I want it to become greater, I want my career to grow, and I want to grow and become better and get trained really well and to never stop. This feeling, this rush, this excitement and the labyrinth of approaches and diagnosis, I love it. And I love the people I have met in the past 2.5 months. And now that I am almost at the end of my medicine rotation I am really wishing for my experiences to become better and to move upwards and onwards. There's a sinking feeling in my chest, where my heart also feels full with happiness and a new kind of fulfilment. Oh Lord, let there be abundance and growth only, please. Please ya Allah, have my back. Please. Amen.

On December 28th, 2023 I lost my maternal granddad. I used to call him Nana. He was a good man. He never once judged me based on the conventional criterion of judging a girl on how homely she is or how fair she is. He always said he sees great things me and that I will succeed. Seeing his faith in me made me want to become so much better, because he saw things in me I could not in moments of darkness. And I hope I get there. His words of advice for me were to never be afraid and to go out fearlessly in the world and conquer it. I hope and pray I get there. God willing. I am grateful to have experienced his presence, and meet someone as amazing as him in this lifetime. I pray to God to help me get there. I really do, because there's so many odds like financial limitations and whatnot. But let's have faith. Godspeed. Amen. InshAllah, God willing.

#booklr #med studyblr #medical student #biscotea tales #med school #hustle #medical school #medical side of tumblr #medical stories #studyblr

[jdgo51]

JANUARY 9, 2024

God is Our Guide

Nelly R. Reina (Córdoba, Argentina)

"You teach me the way of life. In your presence is total celebration." - Psalm 16:11 (CEB)

"I remember one time when my children were young, we walked a maze. We followed the walled path; but when we neared what we thought was the exit, there was another wall. We had to back up and look for another way out. It was a bit difficult to reach the end, but with perseverance we reached the goal.

Life is like a maze. Many times, we ask God why certain things happen to us. We try to grasp difficult situations but are unable to understand them. We hurry here and there looking for the right path. Obstacles stop us in our tracks, and we don’t understand why we must backtrack or even face those obstacles in the first place. It becomes crucial to allow God to guide us through the twisting and turning passageways of life so that we can find the path that will lead to the fullness of joy that only God can offer." He follows us through every change of our journey; move to the left and then move to the right to stay on track. He is forever with us.

TODAY'S PRAYER

"Almighty God, show us the path that leads to the fullness of joy in you. In Jesus’ name we pray." Amen

.Psalm 16:1-11

"'1 Protect me, God, because I take refuge in you. 2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord. Apart from you, I have nothing good.” 3 Now as for the “holy ones” in the land, the “magnificent ones” that I was so happy about; 4 let their suffering increase because they hurried after a different god. I won’t participate in their blood offerings; I won’t let their names cross my lips. 5 You, LORD, are my portion, my cup; you control my destiny. 6 The property lines have fallen beautifully for me; yes, I have a lovely home. 7 I will bless the LORD who advises me; even at night I am instructed in the depths of my mind. 8 I always put the LORD in front of me; I will not stumble because he is on my right side. 9 That’s why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous; yes, my whole body will rest in safety 10 because you won’t abandon my life to the grave; you won’t let your faithful follower see the pit. 11 You teach me the way of life. In your presence is total celebration. Beautiful things are always in your right hand."' God's guidance teaches us things. He does not allow us to get stuck in the mud of the ditch. He guides us out and on our way These things give me great joy. Blessings never cease from God. Joe

[dfroza]

“This letter comes, written with the confidence…”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 1st (and only) chapter of the letter of Philemon:

Paul, a prisoner of Jesus the Anointed One, with our brother Timothy, to you, beloved Philemon, our fellow worker; and to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that gathers in your house. May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed surround you.

I am constantly thanking God for you in my prayers because I keep hearing about your love and faith toward our Lord Jesus and all those set apart for His purposes. Here’s what I’ve been praying on your behalf:

Thank You, Father, for Philemon. I pray that as he goes and tells his story of faith, he would tell everyone so that they will know for certain all the good that comes to those who put their trust in the Anointed One.

My brother, because you are out there encouraging and reviving the hearts of fellow saints with such love, this brings great joy and comfort to me.

Although I am bold enough in the Anointed, our Liberating King, to insist you do the right thing, instead I choose to appeal to you on account of love. I do this for my own sake since I, Paul, am an old man and am held prisoner because of my service to Jesus the Anointed. I make this request on behalf of my child, Onesimus, whom I brought to faith during my time in prison. Before, he was useless to you; but now he is useful to both you and me. Listen, I am sending my heart back to you as I send him to stand before you, although truly I wished to keep him at my side to take your place as my helper while I am bound for the good news. But I didn’t want to make this decision without asking for your permission. This way, any goodwill on your part wouldn’t be seen as forced, but as your true and free desire.

Maybe this is the reason why he was supposed to be away from you for this time: so that now you will have him back forever— no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave—as a dear brother. Yes, he is dear to me, but I suspect he will come to mean even more to you, both in the flesh as a servant and in the Lord as a brother.

So if you look upon me as your partner in this mission, then I ask you to open your heart to him as you would welcome me. And if he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge it to me. Look, I’ll put it here in my own handwriting: I, Paul, promise to repay you everything. (Should I remind you that you owe me your life?) Indeed, brother, I want you to do me this favor out of obedience to our Lord. It will refresh my heart in Him. This letter comes, written with the confidence that you will not only do what I ask, but will also go beyond all I have asked.

One more thing: you should get a room ready for me as I hope to be released to you soon in answer to your prayers. Epaphras (my fellow prisoner in Jesus, the Anointed One) greets you, as well as my fellow workers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Anointed be with your spirit. [Amen.]

The Letter of Philemon, Chapter 1 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

The gospel is a powerful social force for good, capable of making rich and poor, slave and free into beloved brothers.

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 15th chapter of the book of Ezekiel:

The word of the Eternal came to me.

Eternal One: Son of man, what is the difference between the wood of a grapevine and the wood of a tree in a forest? Is the wood of a grapevine ever used to make anything practical? Can it be carved into pegs to hang things on? No. When vine wood has been bundled together and thrown into the fire as fuel, its ends are burned but the middle is only charred. Are the remains good for anything then? Even when vine wood is whole and not yet singed, it is not useful for anything; so how can it be made useful after the fire has scorched some and consumed the rest?

Therefore, this is what I, the Eternal Lord, have to say: Just as I have gathered the wood of the grapevine among the trees of the forest to be used as fuel for the fire, so I will bundle together those who live in Jerusalem. I will turn My back on them. Even though they may survive the fire, another fire will nonetheless consume them. And when I turn My back on them and oppose them, you will know I am the Eternal One. I will transform this land into a wasteland because of their faithlessness.

So says the Eternal Lord.

The Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 15 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Saturday, november 11 of 2023 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about enduring suffering:

You may sometimes struggle with your faith -- not by questioning whether Yeshua is the Savior who died for your eternal healing, but in an hour of testing, when you feel exhausted by pain, when you pray for relief, seeking God in your cries and tears, but the pain continues, and then you are left rationalizing why you were denied your supplication, why your suffering has been prescribed -- for surely, you believe, God can heal you by simply saying the word - and then you wonder to what extent you need to be broken in order to be fully remade... As C.S. Lewis once said, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be” (Letters of C.S. Lewis, 1964). There is a trust issue in suffering, and an intimacy that comes through its fires. And as Soren Kierkegaard reminds us, “It is one thing to conquer in the hardship, to overcome the hardship as one overcomes an enemy, while continuing in the idea that the hardship is one's enemy; but it is more than conquering to believe that the hardship is one's friend, that it is not the opposition but the road, is not what obstructs but what develops, is not what disheartens but ennobles."

The difficulty of intense personal suffering is deeply existential: how do you keep hope in the midst of this tension? “Lord I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). How do you affirm that your heavenly Father will heal you but at the present hour you must continue to endure suffering? Do you then devise a “soul-building theodicy” to explain your struggle – providing a narrative to answer the “why” of your suffering -- or do you attempt to sanctify suffering as a means of healing others by the grace of the Messiah (Col. 1:24)? When Yeshua victoriously proclaimed, “It is finished” just before he died on the cross, he foreknew that his followers would experience a “purging process,” a “refining fire,” and time on the “potter’s wheel” to perfect their sanctification. At the cross of Yeshua death itself was overcome – and all that it implies – and yet it is nevertheless true that we will suffer and die ourselves and that death persists an enemy (see 1 Cor. 15:26). While we celebrate the reality of the final redemption, the “instrumentality of our sanctification” needs to be willingly accepted and endured. I say “endured” here because I don’t think we will ever have a complete answer to the question of “why” we undergo the various tests we face in this life. Our disposition in the midst of this ambiguity, in the midst of seemingly unanswered prayers, is where our faith is disclosed: will we despair of all temporal hope or not? Will we console ourselves with the vision of a future without tears and loss - a heaven prepared for us -- or will we resist the present darkness and seek to find deliverance in this hour? Do we trust God with our pain and submit to his will, or will we “curse God and die” inside – losing hope and despairing of all remedy?

As King David once wrote, "At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, for precious is your compassion; in the abundance of your mercies, turn to me" (Psalm 69:16).

God sometimes allows difficulties in the lives of those whom He favors in order to ultimately reward them. Why were Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel barren for so many years? So that God would hear their prayers and reward them for their steadfast faith. Why was Leah more fruitful than the other wives of Jacob? Because she was “hated” and subject to unending gossip that she tried to steal her sister’s husband, yet she persevered in hope. In this connection, some of the Chassidic sages render Psalm 118:21 as, “I thank you that you have pained me (עֲנִיתָנִי) and have become my salvation.” The pain that I regarded as punishment became the means by which I obtained the salvation of the LORD. Similarly, “It was good for me that I was afflicted (עֻנֵּיתִי), that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71).

It is written in our Scriptures: “But You, O LORD my Master, deal with me for your own Name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me" (Psalm 109:21). "Deal with me me" is the confession that God alone has the power to help. Asking God to bring glory to His own Name -- to honor and magnify His Name -- is the theme of all true intercession.

Suffering has a way of focusing the heart and mind, reminding us that “today is the tomorrow of yesterday.” Life is short, and our need is great to turn to the LORD and take hold His promises. We take comfort that God is for us the God of salvation: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is for us our salvation. Selah. Our God is a God of salvation (יְשׁוּעָה), and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death” (Psalm 68:19-20).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

Psalm 119:71 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm119-71-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm119-71-lesson.pdf

11.10.23 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel 365:

This psalm was written by King David, a man who knew all too well what it meant to be caught in battle, and yet he also knew the comfort that comes from trusting in a higher power. Psalm 28 contains an urgent request for salvation in addition to a strong belief in redemption, both of which resonate in light of the current conflict.

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

November 11, 2023

He Shall Speak Peace

“And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:10)

This wonderful prophecy follows immediately after the verse predicting the coming of the Messiah into Jerusalem riding upon a lowly donkey’s colt (v. 9). That prediction was fulfilled by Jesus as He came into Jerusalem on that last Sunday before His death and resurrection (Matthew 21:4-5), but the prophecy in our text was certainly not fulfilled at that time. There have been wars somewhere in the world practically every year since Jesus came. Nevertheless, the day will come when He shall indeed speak peace to all the nations.

Early in the last century, the nations had fought a great war that was supposed to end all wars. They celebrated the armistice that ended that war on November 11, 1918, and established an annual holiday called Armistice Day. But many other wars followed that war, so the name was changed to honor the veterans who had fought in any of those later wars as well. However, there is still no real peace in the world.

The fact is that there can be no lasting peace between men and other men until there is peace between men and God. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can make such a peace, for He alone is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Indeed, He has already paid the price to make such true and eternal peace, for He “made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself” (Colossians 1:20).

In that great coming day when He returns to Earth to establish His kingdom, “he maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth” (Psalm 46:9), “and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17). HMM

[mina-van1104]

Highly stressed out this week, very emotional, very angry since last week someone from Sparks violated our civil rights & me & my family are close to very broke now, but praying to God & needing prayers for myself & my family. Also very happy my "Pray For Israel" Flag is here. 🙏😭Remember not to hate on the wrong people. ❤️Stop Xenophobia! End Racism!

Also, November 4th is my birthday in 2 weeks trying to relax & be happy through all the situation. I pray to God, Jesus Christ, Guan Yin, & Buddha, please help me & my family.🙏🩵In the name of the Father and of the son and of the holy spirit in Jesus' name, Amen 🙏.Family of Catholics & Buddhists even though Catholics believe in only one God I believe in all higher God. Also my family of mixed Asians & white people.

I love Robin Roberts from Good Morning America wish I could spread my story to the whole nation to end racism.🩵I watch all your inspiring prayers on Instagram. It makes me feel so much better. She taught me to never lose hope. Robin Roberts has always been so inspiring. I've been watching you literally on GMA since I was a little kid❤️I love everyone on GMA!🩷

My newer neighbors keep harassing us still today since 2017 and keep yelling at us to "Die Asian Misfits!" "You're the UGLIEST person in America!" "You're the ugliest person in Nevada!" "Die Asian Misfit!" "Jihad Misfit! "You're the ugliest cheerleader!" "Popular racist!" I'm obviously NOT racist & no one in my family are racist.

They drive by behind my backyard caught on my camera and yell these things on Sparks Blvd. Sometimes using their speaker phone device. Sometimes they verbally harass us drive by in front of my house & give us death threats caught on my camera. I want the community to be more aware & take hate crimes more seriously.

The things it says in front of my house & will always stand true!:

NEVADA BORN/RAISED!

REFUGEES & IMMIGRANTS

WELCOME HERE!

THIS IS AMERICA! PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN WITH Veterans!

MY FAMILY LIVING IN NEVADA

SINCE 1979 & SAME HOUSE

OWNED (NOT RENT) SINCE 1990

& COLLEGE GRADUATES &

NEVADA NATIVES!

HOME MEANS NEVADA

“Black Lives Matter!” “Blue Lives Matter!” “Stop Asian Hate!” “No Human Being is Illegal!” “Women’s Rights are Human Rights!” “Science is Real!” “Love is Love”“Kindness is Everything!”

End Racism!

1. Black Lives Matter Forever,

2. Stop Asian Hate,

3. Women’s Rights Are HUMAN Rights,

4. Blue Lives Matter,

5. All Lives Matter

6. Love is Love,

7. Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Everywhere,

8. God Is Real,

9. Science Is Real,

10. Adopt Or Buy A Pet,

11. End Abuse,

12. No Human Being Is illegal,

13. Healthcare Is Important,

14. Recycle,Don’t Litter,Pick Up Trash

15. Kindness is Everything,

16. World Peace,Equality,

17. Let Lovein,DoaGoodDeed,

18. Educate!End Racism!

19. Don’t be quick to judge,don’t be ignorant!knowledge is power!

20. AlwaysBeGrateful

ProudNurse,coach.FamilyLivingInNevadaFor44(forty-four)years.

And half of our family is Asian half our family is white. Even-though my parents look Asian we have some Chinese, Vietnamese, Native American, small portions of French, German descent, Ashkenazi Jewish descent(but Jewish is not my religion). My father & one of my aunts are also seniors very old & retired. They are very hard at hearing even with my dad's hearing aids. We are nice people -people who know us well. I love my family.🩷

Song played on Instagram is called "When You Believe" by Pentatonix. Love this song, sang this song along time ago. I know all the Hebrew words to the song in the original Disney song by Michelle Pfeiffer.

@mina_van1104 (my Instagram)

✞♡ # Selfie # Nurse # Coach # NativeNevadan # StopAsianHate # GoodMorningAmerica # GMA # RobinRoberts # JesusChrist 🦂 # Buddha # GuanYin # MotherMary # ProChoice (though, in politics) # Equality # Justice # Healthcare # Running 🏃🏻‍♀️ # PositiveVibes # LoveDrivesOutFear # NevadaBornAndRaised # NevadaNative # athletic # HomeMeansNevada # Nevada # UNRnevadaAlumnaMay2016

•2019:OlderSisterCatherineVan&Adam Schwartz’sWedding&TheirWebsiteOn: https://www.theknot.com/us/catherine-van-and-adam-schwartz-aug-2019•ReminiscingMoreThan200PeopleCame.

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

10/10/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription Part 3

Announcements

Daily Audio Bible that is home base. Check it out if you have not. That is our website. It's also the free app if you have not downloaded it yet. What you waiting for it's free. Download it and just have this whole community Available and accessible at our fingertips.  If you would like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you so much for your partnership. We could not do this without you. If you're giving by mail, DAB PO Box 1996, Spring Hill TN 37174, or you can hit that give icon. It is up at the top right hand corner of your mobile app. Lastly, look forward, the give icon on the website. If you need prayer, If you'd like to call in and pray for someone that's previously called in, you can do so several different ways. 800-583-2164 or once again hit that red circle button on the top of your mobile App. You have two minutes on the prayer line. Hit submit. At the end, turn the wheel to Chronological and it will get to the right place. That's going to do it for me today. I'm Jill. I'm looking forward greatly to this week together and the words the life Of the man who changed the history of the world forever, Jesus. I'm Jill. We'll turn the page together tomorrow until then, Love one another.

Community Prayer Line

Hey, hey, it's someone from Texas. Y'all remember when I went on a sabbatical earlier this year, right? Because that's what I'm calling it. I'm calling it a sabbatical. Praise God. And I was gone for those few months. Honey, I've come back and Miss China doesn't finish forming her whole baby. That is such a beautiful and amazing thing. And so I just wanted to call in. And thank the Harden family for their commitment and dedication and pray for the beautiful miss China Brown we family. So we you know we we got and talk about me. I can talk about me we can laugh about it. But I'm back and I am so happy that I'm back and I don't know why I stayed away so long. But I'm happy to be back. Most Gracious Heavenly Father we come today, Lord God, lifting up the beautiful and amazing and wonderful Miss China Brown To you, Father God, I ask that you would place a hedge of protection around her and Ben and Miss Reagan the brave Father God in this new baby. Our new DAB Baby that's about to bless us with his or her presence. God, I thank you for her commitment. I thank you for her life. I thank you for the dedication. And God, I just we just bless you and we magnify you. And we thank you for life. Because we know. Oh God, only you can give life. I thank you and We speak that she will have an amazing and beautiful delivery and an amazing delivery story. I come against postpartum depression or anything of that nature and we just believe and agree for a safe, beautiful, wonderful and blessed delivery. It's in Jesus mighty name We pray. Amen, China, We are all praying for you and we love you so much and we can't wait to hear about your delivery.

Hello, this is daughter of the silversmith. I have a praise. I don't think I've ever told on here that I am an amputee. I'm missing my left leg. And today I went to my prosthetic care place. And my leg did not heal. It's been 10 months. The other day, the object that they left inside my leg finally came out. No one believed it was there. It was a piece of stitch that didn’t come out, and that’s why my leg didn’t heal. Schedule my prosthetic care, and she was real worried, she said. Your leg will not fit. It's been too long.It looks like a different shape and praise God, it fit. And she was like, well, you probably won't be strong enough to hold yourself up, but God has been so good through all this. I've kept doing everything I've did before, but I just do it in a different way and I was able to put all my weight. On my my Getaway stick as I call it, and I got to leave with it today. I'm going to be wearing it one hour in the morning, one hour in the evening, and you know, just building up till I'm used to it and just praise God, she said. There was no way it would fit but God the Father, Jesus Christ showed up and it fit and she was amazed and I asked her if she needed prayer and she said my only prayer was for your Appointment to go good today I was like, well you got your wish then and. I just pray for everybody just to feel loved and Please do call in and say what you want and say what you need, because I want to be able to pray for you but. If not, I'll still be praying for you anyway. I love you. May God's face shine upon you, and may his.

Good morning, DABCers. This is under construction, so I've been trying to hold off actually on making this prayer request, but I'm having a really hard time. So I am trying to find a job for Saturdays and Sundays, just, you know, part time.On the side of my full time job.And I thought going to a temp agency, you know, would be a great idea. They would be able to help me out.I am literally not finding anything and you know, I keep on praying Lord, you know just deliver me to the right place because I mean he's always just has come through so phenomenally in the positions that he has provided for me. So if you guys could please.Just keep me in your prayers that I can find a second job for the weekends and.Yeah, it's just something I really need for my home. Thank you everyone. Stay blessed.

[god-whispers]

jun 23

go ye into all the world (a repeat daily)

"whether He is a sinner or not i do not know.  one thing i know: that though i was blind, now i see." john 9:25

over the weekend i was watching the john ankerberg show.  he usually has some good guests to interview.   one of his favorites lately seems to be someone from  "faith comes by hearing".  it's usually morgan jackson, the director and a good spokesman.

this is a ministry i donate to regularly.  i have always hungered to get the word of God to people.  many years ago i used to be an avid supporter of "open doors" with brother andrew.  they smuggled bibles into forbidden places.

the thing is, a lot of people cannot read or write, even if there were a bible in their language.  "faith comes by hearing" provides audio bibles which can be shared among entire villages.  (illiterate villagers but not unloved by our God.)  they can be powered either by solar or hand cranking.  look them up if you're interested in knowing more.  www.faithcomesbyhearing.com

i have said all this to give you a brief introduction of morgan and the ministry he represents.  he tells some amazing stories and they are often related through tear flooded eyes.  you can tell his heart and that of the ministry.  anyway, this was his latest story of evangelism.

it seems an audio proclaimer was introduced to a village in tanzania.  a translator (george) saw an old man there, 94 years old and blind from birth.  he asked him if he would like to hear about the creator in his own language.  he said yes, and as they played the book of mark, the old man heard about Jesus healing people and faith arose in him.

he suddenly said, "i want to be a follower of this Jesus".  george explained to him about repentance and inviting Jesus in your heart.  he then led him in a prayer, and as he accepted Jesus, he turned to george and said, "as you were praying, i could suddenly see".  he went on to explain, "i have never seen a sunrise".

george said he would come back tomorrow and they could watch it together.  and so he did,  the old man wept as he saw it.  then they talked for awhile.  the old man said he had a dream last night and there was this big door and it opened wide.  he asked, "could  this be the door to heaven that opened for me as i accepted Jesus?".  george assured it it was now open to him.

when george returned the next day, he found out the old man had died.  94 years in darkness and the light was made real to him in one day, physically and spiritually.  the mercy of God cared enough to reach out to a single, old, blind man and give him sight; in the here and the hereafter.

those who scoff and ridicule might say, "what kind of God causes blindness for 94 years and then only a day of sight?"  none of us know what sin and perversion may have brought this upon a person; even inherited sin.  yes, it exists.  "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”  exo 34:7  sin has a lasting effect.  but there is freedom and release in Jesus.  now. at last, this soul will be in a place where there is no more pain and suffering.

i love stories.  true stories.  Jesus told many stories.  stories that have truths hidden in them.  He has given us all riches to dig.  there will be no end to those who mine them.  "it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter."  prov 25:2  we are now kings and priests to our God.  "to Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."  rev 1:5-6

have you begun to dig, your majesty?  i don't know about you, but like so many who once walked in darkness, "I was blind, now I see."  john 9:25  i've got my shovel ready and i'm digging.  i wonder what truth i will discover today?

[spiritsoulandbody]

#DailyDevotion Jesus Cries Out To The Father With A Sure And Certain Hope

#DailyDevotion Jesus Cries Out To The Father With A Sure And Certain Hope Psalm 22 16Dogs gather around Me; a gang of villains surrounds Me. They have dug holes in My hands and feet. 17I can count all My bones. They watch; they gloat over Me. 18They divide My clothes among themselves and throw dice for My garment. Like I said in a previous devotion, it is like David is there, watching his see and his Adonai being crucified. I'm certain he is in a prophetic trance when composing this psalm and has not experienced anything like this in any figurative way. Well, sure, he certainly has had enemies, but everything that follows doesn't point to a moment in his life. Jesus being nailed to the cross certainly gives us a very literal depiction of him nailed to the cross by his hands and his feet. Hanging here and looking down as he asphyxiates, he can indeed see all his bones and count them. As he is being crucified he sees the crowds and those who sought his death while below him he sees the agents of his crucifixion throwing dice for the tunic he wore. Contemplating this we see what our sins deserve, the ones we committed and the ones we through about committed. The sins which actively hurt our fellows and the sins where we did not help our fellows but we could have. 19But You, O LORD, don't go far away; O My Strength, hurry to help Me. 20Save My life from the sword, My one life from the clutches of a dog.21Save Me from the lion's mouth, and from the horns of the wild bull. You answered me! Jesus in the midst of his suffering and pain, hanging on the cross, surrounded by his enemies continues to put his faith in his Father. He petitions Him not to be far from him. He still calls upon Him to be his strength in all this to hurry and help him. You can hear this prayer for help as Jesus cries out, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” The darkness has dissipated. God's wrath has been propitiation. Our atonement has been made complete. With these words Jesus knows the Father has answered him and will not leave him in the grave. 22I will spread Your fame among My brothers; I will praise You in the congregation: 23“You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him! Fear Him, all you descendants of Israel! At his resurrection and appearance to his disciples Jesus spread the fame of the Father and praised Him in the congregation. Jesus' brothers, i.e. his disciples continue to this day spreading the good news of the God our Father and our LORD Jesus Christ. We all are called to praise Him for the work of our salvation completed in Christ Jesus. Starting from Jerusalem, to Samaria to the ends of the earth Jesus' Church praises God the Father and our LORD Jesus Christ to Jacob and the descendants of Israel. That is what Jesus sets out his disciples to do in Matthew 28 before he ascends to the right hand of the Father. Some may complain, “What kind of Father would do that to his son?” One who loved you and didn't want to see you get what you deserve for your sins against Him. The only other option is to cast you into the Lake of Fire to be punished with the fallen angels forever. These people rarely see Jesus volunteered for this job, for being a sacrifice. Like Isaac before him, he does not struggle against being sacrificed but submits to the will of his Father. Jesus is in on it also. He submits his will to the Father's will in praying, “Not my will be done but your will be done.” Heavenly Father, grant us faith and thanksgiving for all your Son Jesus Christ has done for our salvation upon the cross so it will lead us to a godly life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

#atonement #Christ #Christianity #devotion #faith #Icommitmyspirit #Jesus #LCMS #Lutheran #Messiah #Prayer #propitiation #Psalm22 #salvation

[the-christian-walk]

BEING THE AROMA OF CHRIST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to [email protected] In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.

And who is equal to such a task?

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God loves when His people are obedient to Him and surrender their ways for His.

There is no question about this as the scriptures validate the statement.

But when we think about pleasing God with the things we do in His name, we rarely if ever compare it to the sense of smell and yet, we can see this illustration front and center in today’s scripture passage from our continued study of 2 Corinthians 2. Look again at the words of the Apostle Paul here:

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.

And who is equal to such a task?

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.  2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Here we find the matter of scent all over this passage.

First, we learn that God intentionally uses believers to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Jesus everywhere. This is carried out through the Gospel work Christ called His disciples to carry out and they do just that, led by God to the same triumphal procession His Son followed.

Note that this aroma of Christ will be different, depending on whether a person chooses to accept or reject Christ. The one who rejects Jesus and is perishing will receive an aroma from a Gospel-sharing Christian that brings death while the person who receives Jesus will receive the aroma of life, now and forever.

When we do this, when we follow the lead of Jesus and comply with His Great Commission, we not only bring the aroma of Christ to others but we ourselves are a pleasing aroma of Christ to God, our Master. Paul made it clear that he wasn’t peddling the word of God for profit which seems to indicate there was people who were. Paul wasn’t interested in money because his future was set through belief in Jesus as Savior. And so Paul was most interested in speaking before God with integrity so that those he encountered would know He had come from God and God alone.

We should follow Paul’s lead in our Gospel work, remaining loyal to God while speaking the good news about Jesus with honesty and absolute truth. When we do, then we like Paul will be a pleasing aroma of Christ Jesus to His Father and ours.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to [email protected]

[rvspberry]

Idk if I’m gonna end up posting this on AO3 because it’s very different from what I usually write.

But below the cut is some Johnny Lawrence sexuality crisis angst with a happy ending if you feel like it. (Heavy Christian themes and Lawrusso ending ahead.)

He was righteous, on high, the Almighty personified. Forgiving, and gracious in victory, and good through and through. Set his mind to something and he could make the whole world come alive.

That’s how Johnny felt at the Tournament, at least, when the entire crowd swarmed the floor and lifted LaRusso onto their shoulders, and Johnny snagged the first place trophy. Handed it up like an offering, a sacrificial lamb — all that Johnny had at stake, all that he’d lost, given freely and openly to this holy being.

The crowd grew louder. Johnny called out, “You’re alright, LaRusso. Good match.”

Got a pained, “Thanks,” in return.

He’d touched someone holy and lived to tell the tale.

~

Once Johnny is at Bobby’s house that night, since Sid and Laura flew to Miami for the week before Christmas, he asks Bobby to pray with him.

“You okay, Johnny?”

Johnny glances up to find worried blue eyes looking over at him, sizing him up — no, not quite. Measuring him, trying to gauge Johnny for what no one could see. Bobby’s eyes are such a different blue than Johnny's, clear and crisp but never cold. Johnny wonders if Bobby sees anything, if Johnny shows anything.

“I just…” Johnny rasps, gripping the glass of water in hand again and taking a hesitant sip. They told him at the hospital that he’d have to rest. Asked if he wanted to press charges, but Johnny just shook his head. “I need some guidance.”

“No better place to look to than to Jesus,” Bobby agrees, reaching out to take Johnny’s hands. He closes his eyes, and Johnny pauses for a brief moment, body going stiff, before he follows suit. Takes a deep breath as Bobby begins. “Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name.”

Daniel.

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” Bobby continues.

Johnny squeezes his eyes tighter and tries not to let his grip tighten, too.

“Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Please forgive me. Please. Daniel. I’m sorry.

“And lead us not into temptation—”

Daniel’s eyes. His grin, his mouth, his lips. Daniel’s body. The confident smirk when he gets up into Johnny’s face.

“—but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,” Bobby finishes, squeezing Johnny’s hands. Johnny blinks his eyes open, jaw clenched, to see Bobby giving him a small smile. “Forever and ever. Amen.”

“Amen,” Johnny repeats weakly, clenching his teeth against the urge to cry. To sob.

To throw himself onto the floor and mourn the loss of a life he’d had for years now, the life he’d fought so hard for. The life of a champion, of a winner, the life of a kid from Encino Hills. The life of someone normal, a leader, head dog even though he came into this life late, no rules established, flying blind and feeling his way into his place.

“You’re sure you’re okay, man?”

“I’m not,” Johnny chokes out. Hangs his head.

There are too many thoughts in his head, too much guilt and shame, and he can’t focus on one without the other flaring up to take his attention. Back and forth, back and forth, between Kreese almost killing him and Daniel’s sensei saving him and Daniel winning the match, to needlessly tormenting Daniel all semester and making a bigger ass of himself each and every time. Over and over, like it was on a loop.

“Do you want to pray again?” Bobby asks, voice dropping lower. “Sometimes it helps. The… repetition. Try to focus on the words this time. Focus on God. Let the spirit take you.”

Take me where? Johnny thinks, but he just tightens his hands around Bobby’s and nods.

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

~

When Bobby leaves at the end of the summer to go to college in Oregon, a special school for religious studies, he leaves Johnny with his new number and a prayer book.

“If things get hard, turn to God,” he reminds Johnny. Pats Johnny’s back while they hug tightly. Johnny hasn’t been apart from Bobby since they became best friends at thirteen, both newly enrolled in Cobra Kai. “God has a plan for all of us, and you can find all your answers in the Lord, man. You just have to be open to hearing them even when they’re not the answers you want.”

Johnny keeps the prayer book. Says a prayer every night. Calls Bobby once a week, like clockwork, and stops drinking. He gets kicked out of Sid’s house when he turns 18 in July, gets a job as a handyman, then starts apprenticing for a carpenter, then starts working construction. It’s hard work but it’s honest work.

~

Every time his eyes turn to one of his coworkers, when they catch on the sweat and grime smeared over their muscles, or the curve of their ass, or the line of their jaw, Johnny recites one of those prayers in his head.

Dear Lord, please give me strength when I am weak, courage when I am afraid, love when I feel forsaken, wisdom when I feel foolish, comfort when I am alone, hope when I feel rejected, and peace when I am in turmoil. Amen.

Every time he gets asked out for drinks by his well-meaning colleagues, he politely declines and spends ten minutes praying in his car after his shift is over, hands blistered, muscles aching.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among sinners and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Every night, Johnny lays in bed and freestyles his prayers. God needs to know, he probably already knows, but he needs to know that Johnny doesn’t want to be like this. He wants to change. He wants answers. He wants to be open to them, just like Bobby told him.

~

“Go out tonight,” Bobby laughs when Johnny calls him on a Saturday at his usual time. “Just get out and have some fun. Go to a movie. Buy yourself dinner, whatever. Go meet someone. You’re just working and sleeping. You need to live a little, Johnny.”

Is that what God wants me to do? Johnny thought to himself. To go out and find a woman to settle down with? Is that God’s plan?

It’s what Johnny’s supposed to do, right?

“Okay, okay,” Johnny groans into the phone, ready to slam it back onto the receiver when Bobby whoops in elated triumph. “Some good, clean fun. Fitting for the best friend of a pastor’s son.”

~

Johnny goes to the movies. The new sequel to Alien, aptly titled ‘Aliens,’ looks halfway decent. Definitely not a good clean movie, but Johnny can live a little. It’s on its last leg, only playing the earlier showings, so Johnny snags the ticket since he figures he can be mostly alone that way. He loiters in the lobby trying to decide between popcorn or an overpriced box of candy to go with his soda. The bored teen behind the counter pops her gum and rolls her eyes as she waits for him to make up his mind.

He doesn’t fidget as he looks in the glass case, even as much as he wants to. It’s been conditioned out of him.

“Back straight, shoulders down, chin up, Mr. Lawrence.”

“Hey, can I get a large popcorn please?” comes a voice from beside him.

Johnny glances over, shaggy hair whipping around his face, and spots the one person he thought he’d never see again. Daniel LaRusso looks the same as he did before — a little taller, maybe, his long limbs filled out a little more, but still the shrimpy kid who kicked his ass.

Same eyes, same voice, same body.

Same mouth.

Dear Lord, please give me strength—

“Johnny? Johnny Lawrence?!” Daniel’s words cut through his prayer.

Johnny inhales sharply. He has to control himself. Give me the strength when I am weak, courage when I—

“Holy shit, man, look at you,” Daniel laughs, tapping Johnny’s bicep tellingly. A year-plus in construction had done wonders for his body, and his arms in particular. “Like a brick shithouse. Are you on steroids?”

“No, I work construction.” Johnny doesn’t know why his voice sounds so rough. He clears his throat and tries again. “Hi, LaRusso. Small world meeting you here, I guess.”

“Yeah, man! You here with anyone?” Daniel glances around, as if trying to pin someone else in the lobby to Johnny, but there was no one to match him up with. No one to match up Daniel with, either.

“No. You?”

“Flying solo today,” Daniel croons, running his hands down his chest. Johnny blushes and looks up at the ceiling.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee—

“What movie are you seeing?” Daniel asks, taking the tub of popcorn from the teen and passing a bill over the counter. He snagged a handful and popped a few butter-soaked pieces into his mouth.

“Uh…” Johnny glances down at his ticket. “Aliens.”

“No way! Me too!” Daniel says around chewing the popcorn. He pauses and looks at Johnny with his head cocked curiously. “You wanna watch it together?”

~

O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because of your just punishments, but most of all because they offend you, My God, who are all good and worthy of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

~

The movie theater is empty. There’s butter on Daniel’s bottom lip, shining in the dimly lit room. Johnny licks it off in the black silence of the end credits.

Kissing Daniel feels like coming home. It feels like touching something divine, and Johnny’s stained gold in all the places they touch.

Is this God’s plan? Johnny asks himself. Daniel’s fingers tug at his hair, nails scraping gently over his scalp. Johnny pulls Daniel across the seat and into his lap as he swallows Daniel’s moan.

Below Johnny’s hands, Daniel feels like an answer.

#lawrusso #lawrusso fic #johnny lawrence fanfiction #daniel x johnny

[angelmavmurdock]

Our Little Secret: Part Two - A.R.

Word count: 2880 Summary: Lenora introduces y/n and Arvin and something seems to spark between the two of them. 

-

Arvin's POV

I got home from work at 4 which was early for working in the mines.

"Afternoon, Earskell." I nodded my head as I walked up the stairs to the porch of the house where Uncle Earskell sat on a rocking chair.

"Afternoon, boy." He nodded to me.

I walked inside and took my jacket and cap off, sitting them on the side table by the door.

"Grandma?" I called through the house.

"Kitchen!" She replied.

I walked through the house and into the kitchen where Grandma was cooking.

"Hey," I kissed her on the cheek.

"You're back early," She smiled.

"Yeah, we got off for the weekend." I said, sitting down at the table.

"That's great. You need your sleep." She stroked my hair.

I smiled weakly, "I know."

Grandma went back to cooking and I looked around with my brows furrowed.

"Where's Lenora?" I asked curiously.

Grandma sighed, "She said she'd be studying after school so I guess she's just caught up. She knows to come home by 5."

I clenched my jaw. I was very protective of Lenora. Probably too protective. I hated the fact that she wasn't home straight after school. She could be getting harassed by those god darn bullies again. The boys in that popular group of school always torment her. She does nothing wrong, Lenora is the kindest and sweetest girl out there, she wouldn't hurt a fly, but that's what those assholes like.

"She should be home straight after school, Grandma." I shook my head.

"She's nearly 18, Arvin, you have to let her become her own woman without you shadowing her."

"She's hardly a woman, Grandma. She's gettin' bullied senseless by those popular boys." I scowled.

The popular group in school never liked people like Lenora who were smart and kind and timid, that's why they prey on her. They never liked me much but after a handful of fist fights, they got the memo to stop. Anyway, I was out of school so it didn't matter.

We heard the front door open and I snapped my head around. Lenora had come in with a huge smile on her face, looking almost flushed with glee as she skipped through the house.

I stood up, "Where the hell have you been?" I asked sternly, looking down at her.

"Woah, Arv, what's wrong?" She asked, her brows furrowed.

"Did those boys hurt you? I'll kill them-"

"No! They didn't!" She smiled, holding my shoulders.

"Then where were you?"

"I met a girl who's new to town and we got to talkin'! Oh she's lovely, we're already close!" She beamed, sitting next to me at the table.

I squinted and joined her, "Who is she?"

"Her name is y/n. She's from New York, can you believe it?! And she lives up-state with her mother - who is from Ohio originally - and her father."

"She lives up-state? And she's friends with you?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Yes, Arvin. She's so nice. You'd expect her to be really mean because she's in the popular group but-"

"Nuh-uh. No way. You are not hanging out with a girl from that group." I pointed at her.

Grandma called uncle Earskell inside and sat our dinner in front of us.

"Why? She's not like the rest of them, Arv. She's really nice and we'll be hanging out a lot more so expect to see her around." She smiled.

I shook my head, "They'll be playing with you, Lenora."

"No they're not! She told me she doesn't even like them! She's just in the group because she was new and everyone was goin' crazy over the fact she was rich and from New York." She took a bite of her food.

"She don't sound like good news to me." I shook my head.

"Arvin, Lenora can be friends with whoever she wants. You should invite her over for dinner." Grandma smiled.

"Oh she'd love that!"

I rolled my eyes and continued eating, a scowl on my face.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was Wednesday and I was waiting outside of the high school to pick Lenora up. She didn't mention going to see her mother's grave but just in case, I came along. I waited outside, lighting a cigarette as I watched some students flee the grounds before the bell. My elbow rested outside the window, breathing in the smoke then blowing it out and breathing in fresh air.

The bell rang and not even a minute later kids were flowing out the doors. I watched them, trying to spot Lenora and any of the assholes that would follow.

I turned the radio up and kept watch, she was usually one of the first out. I was getting angsty. Where is she?

I nearly got out the car to search for her but I saw her arm in arm with a girl in a cheerleading uniform.

The cheerleader was beautiful. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail by a yellow ribbon and her skin was glowing. The cheerleading uniform was a yellow and blue cropped top, showing her midriff, and a white pleated skirt with white frilly socks and soft shoes. They were walking out together, laughing and Lenora looked really happy. I smiled briefly but I remembered...

That's the popular girl.

"Arvin!" Lenora exclaimed, waving at me.

They jogged over together, looking at me through the car window. The cheerleader seemed shy.

"This is y/n, remember I told you about her?"

I moved my eyes over to her, scanning her body from her shoes to her eyes. She blushed and gulped, looking away.

"Vaguely." I commented, blowing smoke out of my mouth.

"Well, Grandma said it was okay for her to come over for dinner so could you take us back home?" Lenora asked.

I licked my back teeth, looking at Lenora's hopeful face to y/n's awkward one.

I sighed, "Fine."

They squealed with joy and they got in the car; Lenora next to me and y/n in the backseat.

I drove off and we sat in silence, letting the music play through the radio into the car.

"So, y/n, you're here from New York?" I asked, throwing the cigarette butt out the window.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"You live up-state?"

She nodded again, "Yeah."

I looked at her through the rear-view mirror.

"You don't speak much do you?" I asked.

"Depends on who I'm talking to." She retorted.

I bit my tongue and held back a smile. She definitely wasn't the shy girl she seemed to be.

"You're accent is southern, how do you get that from living in the big city?"

"My mother is from Ohio. Not Coal Creek but she lived here her whole childhood so I just inherited her accent." She spoke but didn't look at me.

"But your daddy's from New York?"

"Yeah."

"I'm guessing you were the popular girl back in the city, huh?" I asked, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

She licked her teeth, turning her head and looking back at me.

"Yeah but I don't like it. It just happens." She shrugged.

I nodded slowly, thinking of my next question. I was just trying to catch her out. I needed her to say something nasty so I could tell Lenora never to talk to her again.

"Where about up-state are you?" I finally asked.

"Fernpark House." She said.

"Fernpark House?" I repeated, turning around to look at her in shock.

I didn't realise she was that rich.

"Arvin!" Lenora whisper-shouted at me.

I turned back around and didn't ask any more questions.

Fucking Fernpark House. The biggest house in the whole village, maybe even the whole fucking state.

I drove the girls back to the house and they leapt out the car as soon as I came to a stop.

"Careful, Lenora!" I shouted after her as she and y/n jumped up the stairs.

I shook my head and sighed, turning the car off and getting out. I walked up the stairs and nodded to Uncle Earskell again.

"Hey boy, who's that girl?" Earskell asked.

I sighed, leaning against the wooden pillar at the top of the porch stairs and bringing another cigarette out. I cupped my hand over it and lit the end, inhaling then exhaling.

"Lenora's new friend, y/n."

"y/n? That don't sound like an Ohio name."

"She's new from New York. Popular, rich, city girl. Livin' up state in Fernpark house."

"Fernpark? Damn boy, she's doin' good for herself." He chuckled.

"Yeah well, somethin's off about her. No popular kid's ever wanted to hang out with Lenora. I bet it's a set up." I shook my head, taking another breath of tobacco.

Uncle Earskell shook his head, "Just cause she a cheerleader don't mean nothin'. You gotta stop being so darn protective over Lenora."

"How can I stop when those jocks are after her?" I raised my voice.

I sighed, "Sorry, it's just frustrating I can't do nothin' about it. Now one of them is in our house?"

"That's an innocent girl, Arvin. Not a 6 feet tall hooligan wantin' to harass a young girl. Let it go."

I dropped the cigarette and squashed it with my foot, "Easier said than done."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

We sat down for dinner at the usual time. I sat next to Uncle Earskell while Lenora and y/n sat opposite. They had a whisper fight about who would sit where and I couldn't tell if she didn't want to sit across from me or Earskell but she sat in front of me. I lifted my glass to my lips, watching her over the crystal as she sat down.

She was beautiful and looked innocent. Her skin looked soft and glowing and the smile she seemed to constantly wear was almost infectious...and I'm not a smiler.

Grandma served us food and she sat at the head of the table, next to Uncle Earskell and Lenora.

"Let's pray." She smiled before everyone dipped their head.

"Heavenly father..."

I looked up from my lap like I usually did. I wasn't religious or a prayer so I usually just stared into space. But this time, I had somethin' to look at. I looked up and y/n was sitting opposite me, eyes clearly open but kept lowered to be respectful. I watched her with my head still tilted down, looking at the way her mouth twitched side to side with awkwardness. She must have felt my gaze on her because she looked up and we caught eyes. A small smile lifted my lips and she flashed a genuine smile at me. It was our little secret.

"The power and the glory forever, amen."

We all lifted our heads and dug into the food. Grandma spoke to y/n most of the time and she gleefully complied, chatting away. Grandma clearly already loved her. I seemed to be the only one wary of her antics.

It hit 9 o'clock and I was sitting in the living room listening to the radio, a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other. I heard Lenora's door open and she came out with y/n who still had her uniform on and carried her backpack on one shoulder.

"Thank you so much Mrs Russel for havin' me." She smiled to Grandma as she got up to say goodbye.

"Oh please, call me Emma, and it was no trouble at all, darlin'." Grandma rubbed y/n's back.

"Are your parents outside?" Lenora asked.

"Oh no, they're not collectin' me I'll just be walkin' home." She smiled.

"Nonsense, you are not walkin' alone at this time of night with that outfit on." Grandma said.

I kept my back to everyone, prayin' Grandma didn't call on me.

"Arvin,"

I clenched my eyes shut in annoyance, knowing what she was about to ask.

"Why don't you take y/n home?"

"Oh no please, I don't wanna be no trouble-" y/n began to protest, probably knowing how much I didn't want to.

"No, come on Arvin. He'll take you no problem." Grandma smiled at me.

I sat my glass down and rubbed the cigarette out on the ash tray.

"No problem at all." I said, standing up.

"Great...thank you." She smiled.

While y/n said goodbye to everyone I grabbed my cap and jacket with my keys inside. I opened the door for her and she quietly thanked me on the way out. Lenora stood by the door and waited on us. We got into the car and it was already awkward. I turned the car on and we buckled in, waving to Lenora as I reversed out and drove away.

I turned the radio up once we got on the straight road.

"Pretty woman, walking down the street,"

I heard y/n's soft hum as she listened to the radio. I looked over at her. She had her elbow outside the car and rested her head on her hand, letting the wind fawn over her face. Some of her hairs became loose but she didn't mind. She looked gorgeous.

"Pretty woman, the kind I like to meet,"

"Do you know where you're goin'?" She asked softly, still not looking at me.

"Yeah I know the way." I said.

"No one could look as good as you."

"You like the radio?" I asked, coughing awkwardly.

She nodded with a smile, "I love music."

I smiled slightly, "Me too."

"What's your favourite song?" She asked, turning her head to look at me.

I shrugged, "Don't have one. I just listen to whatever's on the radio."

She moved more so she would be facing me.

"You don't have a favourite song?" She asked, a smile spread across her face.

"No." I smiled briefly at her then focused on the road again.

She paused for a second, looking at me.

"Hmm." She hummed, sitting normally in the seat again.

"Pretty woman, won't you pardon me,"

"Well, this is one of my favourite songs." She said.

I looked over to her, "Yeah? Why?"

"He talks about her nicely." She smiled.

I scoffed, "That's what makes you like a song? If a man talks of a woman nicely?"

"Well yes, it's important that a man talks about a woman nicely. Or else he's just a sick bastard on the highway to hell." She commented.

I scoffed a laugh which turned into a chuckle. She laughed too. Again with that somewhat dark humour you wouldn't expect a girl like her to have.

I turned up on Fernpark drive and kept driving through the wooded area. The road was real smooth, unlike everywhere else in this town. That's when you knew you were well off.

"You can just drop me here-"

"No need, I'll drop you outside your house."

"But my ma and daddy might see you and think-"

She stopped mid-way through her sentence.

I looked over to her. Her mouth was open, not saying anything like she had frozen in time.

"Your ma and daddy might see me and think what?" I prompted.

She was gonna say somethin' about my tatted clothes and my rusty car. Somethin snobby. I had her, finally.

"They might think we've been...you know..." She fiddled with her fingers.

I held back a smirk cause' I knew what she was implying. I just wanted to hear her say it.

"What?" I finally stopped the car outside her house.

"They might think we've been doin' somethin'."

I chuckled lowly, "You're gonna have to be more specific, darlin'."

She gulped and her cheeks flushed pink, "Submarine racin'!" She whispered, grabbing her bag from the floor of the car.

I raised my brows, "Submarine racin'? I doubt it. A pretty, rich girl like you wouldn't date no worker like me that's for sure, never mind submarine racin'."

She tilted her head, "I will date anyone I want to, Arvin. Even some worker like you. As long as a man treats a woman right, then that's all you can ask for ain't it?"

I smiled and nodded, "I guess so."

"But so we're clear; I wouldn't date you because you're Lenora's brother." She said proudly.

"But you find me attractive?" I smirked, licking my lips.

She stuttered, "No. I don't find you attractive, Arvin. And I would never date you, so don't try and put words in my mouth."

I held my hands up, "I wasn't gonna."

"Good."

"Good."

We sat silently, both thinking about what it would be like to date or even submarine race...

"y/n?! Is that you?!" A woman in a white silk robe shouted by the door.

"Shit. I gotta go, thank you Arvin!" She called, jumping out the car and shutting the door.

She hurried up to her mother at the blue front door and I could hear the distant questions being asked.

"Who is that?" "Lenora's brother?" "He drove you home?" "He polite? He nice?" "Fine."

Her mother waved and I waved back before driving out of the grounds and down the private road until I hit pot-hole city on the ground again.

I kept driving back home, noddin' my head to the music.

"Pretty woman, walkin' down the street..." I sang to myself the whole way home.

-

Submarine Racing: "Watching the submarine races" is a euphamism for making out (and more) in a car.

{Tags: @notanordinaryprincess95​}

#arvin russel #arvin russell xy/n #arvin russel fluff #arvin russel smut #arvin russel angst #arvin russel x reader #arvin russel mini series #series #mini series #tom holland #tom holland series #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut #tom holland angst #arvin russell #tom holland fic #one shot #imagine #arvin russel imagine

[gohyuck]

↠ na jaemin; assassin in florence, italy, year 1469

the brotherhood: guide

pairing: assassin!na jaemin x renaissance artist!reader; based on assassin’s creed

genre: fluff, angst, suggestive (explicit allusions to sex)

word count: 2.8k

warnings: minor characters die, excessive overuse of the term “my love”

“i have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” - sarah williams

↳ personality: he’s flirtatious, almost too flirtatious, as he walks through the streets of florence, decked in the beautiful and extravagant cloths of italian nobility; you don’t mind it, though, not when he pulls you from your fruit stall in the central market and into a neighboring alleyway to trail open-mouthed kisses along the column of your neck, tugging your own, coarser neckline down to access the skin he wants to nip at. there’s a tiny hole at your waist where your skirt starts, one you haven’t mended yet, and he doesn’t fail to exploit it, placing his thumb against your skin to rub circles into it as he slips his tongue into your mouth.

there’s something arrogant, but bearable, about the way he carries himself. he’s boisterous, impossible to ignore when out with others. you’re dragged along to lavish parties, draped in dresses he gets specially made for you, even if it’s a life you’re unused to. still, with jaemin, you’re the center of every party. though people whisper about you - how you do not belong to any family, how you stay alone and all by yourself - their badly hidden passing glances bounce off of you when you’re with jaemin.

sometimes, he’s loud even when you’re alone with him, vocal in his pleasure as he forces you deeper, deeper into his mattress, which is a luxury you yourself cannot afford. you firmly believe that he’s the most beautiful in these moments - bare in front of you, larger than life and still so very human all at once. you run your fingers over his collarbones to ground you as your eyes roll back into your head, his own grunts and gentle, loving words muffled against your neck. 

other times when you’re alone with him, though, in the little space of your home that you use as a makeshift studio, he’s quiet. jaemin insists on sitting crosslegged in the corner, elbow on his knee and chin in his palm, as he watches you paint. sometimes it’s a sunset, dazzling against the open sky. sometimes it’s a bird you’d seen while peddling your foodstuff. often, it’s jaemin himself - his eyes, especially. there’s something playful but serious, sweet but cunning about them. he’s not one to hide his feelings, but his eyes tell stories nobody else will ever get from his mouth. you always make sure to listen. 

↳ origin: you’re forced to watch from the back of the crowd and through a flurry of tears, hand over your mouth and shoulders shaking, as jaemin’s brothers and father are hanged in the center of town, not a stone’s throw away from where your stall usually operates. jaemin himself is nowhere to be seen, but that doesn’t stop worry from pricking at the back of your mind - could they be torturing him extra? the florence nobility are ruthless, even amongst themselves, and you don’t even know what the na’s had done to deserve such a cruel end.

jaemin’s mother had died years ago. he is now all alone in this world. you may be the only soul he has left.

still, even as the bodies are cut down and thrown carelessly into an awaiting cart, you know that you can’t go looking for jaemin. he will come to you when he’s ready, if he’s ever ready. you pray that he’ll be ready.

you sit at home, and you wait. 

he drops in through your window that night, scaling your walls by moonlight. jaemin is stoic, silent, and that’s how you know that something, everything is wrong. the air around him is still, and for the first time since you’ve known and loved him, you feel almost suffocated. he has a hood drawn over his head, nowhere near as rich or flashy as the clothing you’re used to seeing him in, and you can just make out glinting metal against his clothes and skin.

you have no time to ask anything, no time to get out a word. he forces what looks like a document - you later find that it’s a letter to you - into your hands before pressing a quick, chaste kiss that holds more meaning than you want it to to your lips. you can’t even move and reach out to touch him before he’s gone, back out the window he’d come through.

in your disarray, something on the document catches your eye, drawing your eyes down towards it.

discard after reading is scrawled on top of the folded parchment.

↳ i have loved the stars too fondly...: you gather up the rainwater from the storm that night in the closest thing to a small tub you have. as you thoroughly soak the paper - tear-stained, already, as it is - running it under the water over and over again as the words into the paper and all of it dissolves into a mushy, inky mess that falls apart in your fingers, you can’t help but wonder why it’s your life that is like this, why it’s your jaemin that must face this. 

the words swim before your eyes, running through your mind even as you destroy them.

my father was hanged as he discovered a plot to... displace the medici family, he’d written. the very people he trusted with his knowledge were the ones that had the ropes tied to his neck. i must go - it is no longer safe here for me. more importantly, i must go so they do not come for you. i must go, and train for revenge. you deserve much more than a killer. 

the paper is practically destroyed by now, the water entirely murky and a grayish color. still, you continue kneading whatever you can grasp, if only to maintain the little composure you have left. 

i will not be back for a long, long time, my love. i should not even be telling you of this, but i have business to attend to far, far away from florence. it is not business you need to find yourself a part of. i will pray nightly that you do not find yourself a part of this aspect of my life. i know you will want to be with me, to care for me, but the best thing you can do for me is live without me. you let out a small whimper as you go over the letter, again and again and again, in your mind’s eye. whatever ‘aspect of his life’ he was talking about is consuming him, you know it because you know jaemin. it’s possible - too possible - that he is no longer a part of your life and that you are no longer a part of his. 

you are all that i have left. i cannot promise you much, but if i can promise you anything, it is that i will keep you safe. be well, my love, my adoration, my flower. apple of my eye. be well for the both of us. 

forever yours through distance and through time, 

jaemin, house of na 

you don’t quite want to part with the letter, knowing full well that it may be the last thing you ever get from the love of your life. still, you know you must kill the fact of its existence somehow. the next morning, you throw the leftover papery mush out with the rotting old fruits that remain at your stand after a full day of selling. you ignore the way your hands tremble, the way you wipe your hands hastily on your skirt to be done with the whole affair.

you use the inky water as paint, sheer and gray against your canvas. thicker paint goes on top of it as if to hide your bare soul, your truths, your sins, and though your days are far emptier than they had been, once, you find some respite in your art.

you paint jaemin with the words he’d written specially for you. it takes months, twisting itself into a project with a scale unprecedented to you. you paint a larger-than-life portrait of his face, his hand holding a bitten-into peach - it was meant to be an apple, though you’d miscolored the inside of it - against his thin lips. there’s boredom in his eyes, something you’d never truly seen in them in person. if you give his eyes the feelings you remember seeing reflected in them, you think that you’ll break for good.

the painting of jaemin becomes a symbol of your compartmentalization. 

in the mornings and throughout your days, you’re the same fruit vendor you’ve been for ages, trading whatever is in season for much-needed money or amenities. you give children free apples when they run up to you, chat easily with the woman who sells bread right next to you. all is well. 

in the evenings, you speak to the painting. it’s no substitute for the real man - jaemin, your jaemin, always responded to your woes by pulling you close and holding you closer - but at least the artwork can’t be made to leave you. you have no anger towards your love - not when you know why he had to go, not when you’d witnessed the gruesome deaths of his family members - but you do have a never-ending sadness. you tell it of your day, of how you grit your teeth subconsciously when you see the people who’d caused the real jaemin to leave. you speak of the things you would’ve painted in your life before what you’ve mentally dubbed The Departure - there was a young child who looked so angelic in the sunlight this morning, a droplet of water against an old man’s beard. your fingers twitch when you speak of creating art, but you make no move to actually do so. you have a feeling you’ve already created your magnum opus.

the nights are the hardest. no matter how hard you try, you cannot escape them - the dreams. flashes of jaemin’s bright smile, snippets of his teasing laughter, soundbytes of his voice against the side of your face as his lips brush against your earlobe, they all haunt you. the feeling of his fingers dragging across your jawline, running down your side, pushing into you as he stares into your eyes with all the love in the world pooled in his own. no matter what you do - covering the painting before going to sleep, switching positions, sleeping fully clothed - you cannot get them to stop.

you ignore the fact that you don’t really want them to.

↳ ...to be fearful of the night.: in the end, over a full year later, it’s your evenings that get you. 

there’s not much of an explanation to be gleaned from the men that barge into your living quarters, pull you up from your bed, and tie your wrists together. you’re too harried to make out what they’re saying, but you’re present enough to realize that the painting isn’t covered. 

jaemin had been a member of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in florence once. most everyone knows his face. 

you don’t struggle - you can’t, really, but you refuse to even make an effort - because you find no reason. you feel fear, great fear, yes, but there’s nothing you can do about it. from the snippets of harsh conversation that float around you between the men who are twisting your arms, you realize that someone must have heard you speaking to the painting, referring to it as your lost love, not long ago. 

you’d never closed the makeshift shutters of your one window in the hope that, someday, jaemin would climb through them again. 

before you know it, you’re tossed into a prison cell, wrists raw from rope chafing but finally untied nonetheless. to your surprise, you’re confined alone. this realization almost makes you laugh.

you’re a vip - very important prisoner. 

you hope your death is worth it for whatever greater good is out there. 

↳ full circle: they decide to hang you at night, under the stars of the city that’s given you so much and taken so much from you. you’re glad - you don’t want an audience to witness your end. you wonder if you’ll join jaemin in the afterlife, or if he’ll join you. 

the bag is already over your head and the rope is being placed around your neck by coarse hands that crush purposefully against your windpipe when it happens. 

a soft thwack, followed by another, and then two low groans and drawn out gurgles. the pressure against your throat lets up, but you don’t hang. the box underneath your feet remains there. your hands are still tied behind your back, and the itchy bag remains pressing against the skin of your face, but you’re still alive.

why are you still alive?

before you can try to figure out what’s happening around you, someone’s soft breath appears against your neck, and nimble fingers work at pulling the noose off of you and undoing the ropes around your wrists. the bag is lifted last, and your heart jumps to your throat. 

although it’s what you’ve been waiting for for all this time, you’re still shaken at seeing jaemin in front of you in all his rugged glory. 

he sets his hands on your waist, pulling you off of the box and into his arms at once. although his white robes feel foreign against your skin as you burrow your face into his chest, he still smells the same. the way his hands trek over your back is the same, the way you feel in his arms is the same. you’re overcome, overwhelmed with emotion, and judging by the steel grip he has on you, jaemin feels the same. 

“how did you know?” you manage to ask, voice tight with nerves as you survey him and he surveys you. he doesn’t seem to expect you to be afraid; he’s unperturbed by your lack of hysteria. out of your periphery, you can see that the two men who were fated to kill you are now dead, crossbow arrows piercing through both of their throats. you assume the arrows had come from the gauntlet that adorns jaemin’s hand, though you don’t voice this out loud. he smiles down at you - a genuine smile, one that leaks into his eyes - and you realize that he’ll never tell you. 

he’s so different from the man you fell in love with, yet he is still so much of the same. 

“i’m here to stay, my love, at least to leave my roots here. the danger that forced me to leave no longer exists.” he finally speaks, deflecting your question as you knew he would. jaemin takes one of your hands in one of his, and your fingers trace over the rough callouses of his palms as if it’s second nature. you hear his breath hitch at this, and you realize how likely it is that, whatever he’s been doing, he hasn’t felt the touch of someone that truly loves him in a long, long time. 

“even if you leave, you’ll come back, right, my love?” you ask, startling yourself with how your voice wavers at the prospect. the moon illuminates jaemin’s face as he raises a hand to cup your cheek, tracing a thumb against your cheekbone. it comes back wet, and you realize that, sometime in between seeing him for the first time in so long and now, you’ve begun crying. he nods, belatedly answering your question. 

“you know,” he starts, and you realize that tears are pricking at the corners of his eyes, too. still, you’re more drawn to the way his lips quirk up. “i always liked to see you cry. for different reasons, of course.”

the tension in the air is not broken entirely, but with his in-character quip, jaemin eases both of you into being around each other again. you smack a hand against his sturdy chest indignantly, though you can’t help the grin that splits your face in half. 

“you’re utterly indecent,” you claim as you both finally step off of the base of the gallows. he pulls you into the shadows almost immediately, placing his arm around your shoulders and practically attaching you to his side as he does. his body language screams that he’s worried, but he still cracks a smile at your response. jaemin leans in, his lips brushing your ear. 

“take me back to your home and i’ll show you how utterly indecent i can be.” he whispers, and the smirk is audible in his words. as the moon begins illuminating your world and jaemin’s brilliant grin outshines it, you can’t help but think one thing.

maybe everything will be alright, after all. 

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[dfroza]

“When you read what I have written, you will be better able to understand the depth of my insight into the mystery of the Anointed One”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 3rd chapter of the letter of Ephesians:

All this is exactly why I, Paul, am a prisoner of Jesus the Anointed, His representative to the outsider nations. You have heard, haven’t you, how God appointed me to bring you His message of grace? And how the mystery was made known to me in a revelation? I briefly wrote about it earlier. When you read what I have written, you will be better able to understand the depth of my insight into the mystery of the Anointed One, a mystery that has never before been shown to past generations. Only now are these secrets being revealed to God’s chosen emissaries and prophets through the Holy Spirit. Specifically, the mystery is this: by trusting in the good news, the Gentile outsiders are becoming fully enfranchised members of the same body, heirs alongside Israel, and beneficiaries of the promise that has been fulfilled through Jesus the Anointed.

I became a servant and preacher of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace as He exercised His amazing power over me. I cannot think of anyone more unworthy to this cause than I, the least of the least of the saints. But here I am, a grace-made man, privileged to be an echo of His voice and a preacher to all the nations of the riches of the Anointed One, riches that no one ever imagined. I am privileged to enlighten all of Adam’s descendants to the mystery concealed from previous ages by God, the Creator of all, through Jesus the Anointed. Here’s His objective: through the church, He intends now to make known His infinite and boundless wisdom to all rulers and authorities in heavenly realms. This has been His plan from the beginning, one that He has now accomplished through the Anointed One, Jesus our Lord. His faithfulness to God has made it possible for us to have the courage we need and the ability to approach the Father confidently. So I ask you not to become discouraged because I am jailed for speaking out on your behalf. In fact, my suffering is something that brings you glory.

It is for this reason that I bow my knees before the Father, after whom all families in heaven above and on earth below receive their names, and pray:

Father, out of Your honorable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit so that through faith the Anointed One will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives are founded so that together with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings.

Now to the God who can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than we ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in us, to Him be all glory in the church and in Jesus the Anointed from this generation to the next, forever and ever. Amen.

The Letter of Ephesians, Chapter 3 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

For Paul there are two kinds of people: Jews and Gentiles, or to put it another way, insiders and outsiders. The Prince of Peace is establishing peace where division and hostility once ruled unchallenged. In the Jerusalem temple, a stone wall separated Jewish from non-Jewish worshipers. According to Paul, the cross is God’s instrument to dismantle the wall, end the segregation, and make the two into one. God wants one people of God. That has been His plan all along.

Today walls continue to exist, erected strategically to separate people by race, religion, class, culture, and sex. Those who erect these walls, protect them, and maintain them will find that they are enemies of the gospel that brings all together into one worshiping family.

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 39th chapter of the book of Jeremiah:

This is how Jerusalem fell: When the Egyptian threat in the south was over, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon brought his army back to Jerusalem and resumed the siege. This began in the 10th month of the 9th year of Zedekiah’s reign as Judah’s king. For the next 18 months, the siege continued until the 9th day of the 4th month of Zedekiah’s 11th year. On that sad summer day, Jerusalem finally fell when the Chaldeans broke through the city wall. All the officials designated by Babylon’s king to exercise his authority entered the city and sat at the middle gate. These included Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim (who was a chief officer), Nergal-sar-ezer (a high official), and all the other officials sent by the king of Babylon.

When King Zedekiah of Judah and his troops saw the Babylonians break through the wall on the north side of the city, they fled under the cloak of darkness. They made their way out of the city by passing through the king’s garden and then through the gate between the two walls. Once they left, they headed toward the Jordan Valley. But the Chaldean army discovered this and chased after Zedekiah, capturing him on the plains of Jericho. They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who had set up his command post at Riblah in the old Aramean city of Hamath. It was here that the dreaded king pronounced judgment on Zedekiah for rebelling against him. Zedekiah was forced to watch as his own sons and the nobles of Judah were slaughtered right in front of him. This was the very last thing he saw, because Nebuchadnezzar then blinded the eyes of Zedekiah. This blinded and humiliated king was then placed in bronze shackles and carried off to Babylon. Back in Jerusalem, the Chaldean troops burned down the king’s palace and the commoners’ houses and then tore down the walls of the city. Those who were left in the city, along with those who had previously surrendered, were then deported to Babylon by Nebuzaradan (captain of the imperial guard). But he left some of the poorest people in Judah and gave them vineyards and fields to care for.

In these days of conquest, King Nebuchadnezzar learned about the prophet Jeremiah and gave this order to his captain of the imperial guard, Nebuzaradan:

King Nebuchadnezzar: Go and get this prophet they call Jeremiah, and look after him. Make sure he isn’t harmed, and give him whatever he wants.

So Nebuzaradan (the captain of the imperial guard), Nebushazban (a chief officer), Nergal-sar-ezer (a high-ranking official), and the other officials from Babylon ordered Jeremiah released from the court of the guard and brought to them. They eventually handed him over to the care of Gedaliah (son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan), who took Jeremiah back to his home. And so it was that Jeremiah was allowed to remain in the land of Judah among his people.

While Jeremiah was still confined in the court of the guard, the word of the Eternal came to him.

Eternal One: Go and give this message to Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian. “This is what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies and God of Israel, promises you: ‘Look! Very soon I will bring disaster not prosperity on Jerusalem and her citizens as I warned through Jeremiah. And you, Ebed-melech, will see all this happen with your own eyes. But do not worry, for I will rescue you on that day so that you will not be taken prisoner by those you fear. I will protect you, and you will not die in the war. Your life will be your reward because you trusted in Me. I, the Eternal One, declare this to you.’”

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 39 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, October 9 of 2023 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about a future “Sukkot”:

Did you know that the whole world will one day celebrate Sukkot when Yeshua returns in his glory? As it is written ( Zech. 14:16): “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem (i.e., after the climactic battle of Armageddon) shall go up from year to year (וְעָלוּ מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה) to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת).”

Perhaps Sukkot will be honored in commemoration of the birth of Messiah, when Yeshua "tabernacled" with us to become the great Lamb of God and the atoning sacrifice for us all (John 1:14; Rom. 3:23-25; 1 John 2:2). Amen. "Hoshanah Rabbah," the climax of Sukkot, is called the "great salvation" of the LORD God of Israel. Shalom Chaverim - and Chag Sukkot Sameach!

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Psalm 119:160 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm119-160-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page pdf:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm119-160-lesson.pdf­

10.6.23 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel 365:

Israel is currently in an unprecedented crisis – a nightmare we have never experienced before. Hamas terrorists have brutally murdered hundreds of innocent civilians, dozens of men, women and children have been taken hostage and rockets are raining down on Israeli towns and communities. What is the appropriate response to such a catastrophe?

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

October 9, 2023

Scattered Abroad

“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4)

God has given two great commissions to His people, both of which would require worldwide effort to accomplish. Both, however, were so resisted that God Himself had to step in and force His people to be obedient.

Immediately, after the great Flood, God gave the following command: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1). This was an extension of the Edenic mandate given to Adam in the beginning, a commission to fill the earth and exercise dominion over it under God (1:28). Noah’s descendants, however, decided to stay in Babel and “make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” As a result of this rebellion, “the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (11:4, 9).

Over 2,000 years later, the Lord gave His disciples another great worldwide commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Then followed the coming of the Holy Spirit, and soon “the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly” (Acts 6:7).

But they remained in Jerusalem instead of spreading out to “the uttermost part of the earth” (1:8). Therefore, God once again intervened, and “there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem: and they were all scattered abroad” (8:1). Then, finally, began their full obedience to the great commission, for “they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word,” and eventually some “of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” will stand in saving faith before the Lord (Revelation 7:9). HMM