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It is the annual open air Christmas service in Turtle Crossing Park. Pastor Charles Calvin has delivered the opening message* and now there is a time of fellowship.
Officer Smith: Pastor Calvin, this is Steve Rogers. Steve and I have been talking and I wanted him to meet you.
Pastor Calvin: Thank you Brad. Steve, it is a pleasure.
Steve Rogers: The pleasure is mine, pastor. You are from London, mid 19th century?
Pastor Calvin: Yes, I left and came to Paprihaven in 1884.
Steve Rogers: I thought so. I read your reprinted sermons when I was younger. I'm pretty much a century later, from 1988 America.
Pastor Calvin: *chuckle* I gathered by your colorful garb you may be from America.
Steve Rogers: Two world wars broke out after you left and I served in both. And in many others. Too many. ** Peace, Pastor Calvin. Doesn't the Bible say in Luke 2 that Jesus came to bring peace on earth?
Pastor Calvin: Yes. And He has. We cannot parse out the words though, to try and make them fit something else. The passage does not allude to a general peace on earth, but "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." ***
The peace of which the angelic host is heralding is a peace within the hearts and souls of those men and women who repent and turn to the Savior whose birth was being praised.
The "on earth" is the amazing aspect of this peace. It would be little wonder that you or I would have peace in Heaven, would it?
Steve Rogers: No, pastor, that would be expected.
Pastor Calvin: Just so. But here, in a fallen world of darkness, deceit, danger, how can one find lasting peace? The world itself cannot offer that peace because the world is the source of the unrest. Purchasing the best security only offers a temporary sense of safety as new security measures simply, inevitably, fall to more inventive criminals.
That's just an example that can be applied to every aspect of life here. So... "peace on earth" is truly amazing. Absolute, consistent peace in the heart of a person that remains independent of the circumstances around them.
Steve Rogers: The peace of God.
Pastor Calvin: Exactly. The Lord Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." **** The peace He gives not like the sense of peace provided by anything of this world, which ebbs and flows. The peace of Christ is consistent. Solid. Because it is His peace.
It is the peace that comes with the knowledge that the one true God is your God and that He will never leave your nor forsake you. That you, as a believer, have full access to His throne at all times. "Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." *****
Steve Rogers: "Let your gentle spirit be known to all men." So as long as this world goes on, there will be conflict. But, at least we can present peace to those around us.
Pastor Calvin: Well said. "Turn from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." ******
Steve Rogers: Thank you, Pastor Calvin.
Pastor Calvin: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Steve. And, my ever helpful Audrey is standing close by, no doubt seeking my attention to let me know it is time for the closing remarks.
Audrey: Yes, I hope I didn't interrupt.
__________________________________
*Seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/50736652896/
** Cap has never turned away from the fight for good, but the constant wars have weighed heavily on him.
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/49057543226/]
*** Luke 2:14
**** John 17:27
***** Philippians 4:5-7
****** Psalm 34:14, Matthew 5:9
...y de repente no podrá evitarlo. Actuará casi como un autómata y de sus manos saldrán dos iniciales encerradas en un tosco corazón. Será en ese preciso y precioso instante, al ver terminada su obra, cuando por vez primera se emborrache de felicidad. Al fin habrá compartido su dicha con el mundo. Su amor será correspondido, tal vez los separe un mundo, quizás se agote antes de empezar a madurar o puede que acabe convirtiéndose en oscuro desamor. Pero su árbol, aquel que un día quedó tatuado para siempre con una cicatriz en forma de corazón, se encargará de recordarle el resto de su vida que el amor, a pesar de todo, será el motor que moverá su pequeño gran universo y el único sentimiento que le hará sentir completamente vivo. Y que las cicatrices siempre duelen...
Bichines gallegos
¡Hala ! que ya estoy de vuelta por Galicia.
Este bichín aparecio de repente mientras correteaba detrás de una mari, en uno de los intentos vi de reojo una cosa rara y claro, deje que la mariposa siguiera su camino y yo le dediqué un ratito a este curioso indivuo.
Una de las cosas que me encanta del macro es que aprendes a ver cosas que nos pasan desapercibidas normalmente y el mundo de los insectos es extraordinario, parecen personajes de ciencia ficción, pero son reales.
De repente el verde
Se aprisionó de la cal
Tratando de fundirse
Como el agua y la sal
Playa de Juan López, II Región Chile
Raúl Muñoz Huerta
2011 Copyright ©
• Reservados todos los derechos de autor. (Fotografía y texto)
De repente me topo con sorpresas agradables.
En esa época aun no tenía el universo bajo mis ojos, ahora dos grandes vacíos negros abarcan ese espacio... se necesitan vacaciones dicen porai.
Aclaración, ojeras
Este vídeo, que antes se veía perfectamente, de repente ha "volado" (1 de marzo de 2019). No se sabe a donde ha ido a parar.
El señor flickr dirá.
Como el sr. flkickr no dice ni pío y es día 5 de Marzo, sin que el vídeo haya aparecido lo voy a volver a cargar.
No lo hago para que lo volváis a elegir como favorito. Os doy las gracias a todos los que habéis pasado a verlo.
El motivo, puro y duro, es darle en las narices al sr. flickr y su sequito de vendedores de humo.
This video, which previously looked perfectly, has suddenly "flown" (March 1, 2019). It is not known where it has gone.
Mr. flickr will say.
Like mr. flkickr does not say a peep and it is March 5, without the video has appeared I will reload it.
I do not do it so you can choose it again as a favorite. I thank all of you who have come to see him.
The reason, pure and hard, is to hit Mr. Flickr and his entourage of smoke sellers.
Música: Medieval Instrumental Music
Villa de Coca, Segovia.
La villa de Coca, es una población milenaria, previa a la llegada de las legiones romanas a Iberia. Finalmente conquistada a los vetones, estos terminarán romanizándose y de la ciudad romana de Couca saldrá el gran emperador romano Teodosio.
La importancia de esta villa hace que siempre haya poseído murallas defensivas y pequeñas torres fortificadas.
A mediados del siglo XV, la villa fue propiedad de Don Iñigo López de Mendoza, marqués de Santillana, del que más tarde descendería el Cardenal Mendoza y los duques del Infantado, en época de los Reyes Católicos.
Castillo de Coca, Segovia.
Situado en el extremo occidental del casco urbano y aprovechando como defensa natural uno de los meandros naturales que traza el río Voltoya a su paso por la villa, el castillo de Coca está considerado una de las obras cumbres del gótico mudéjar español, así como uno de los castillos castellanos más icónicos.
Fue mandado levantar en el año 1473 por Don Alonso de Fonseca, Tercer Señor de Coca, una vez que en 1453 el rey Juan II había otorgado su permiso para tal empresa a su tío y Arzobispo de Sevilla también llamado Alonso de Fonseca.
Su artífice material fue el alarife Alí Caro, de origen musulmán, residente en Ávila y a quien también se le atribuye la construcción del castillo toledano de Casarrubios del Monte.
Tiempo después el castillo de Coca pasaría a manos de la Casa de Alba, la cual, en 1954 lo cedería al Ministerio de Agricultura con el fin de instalar en él una escuela de capacitación forestal aún a día de hoy activa.
Fue declarado Monumento Histórico Artístico en 1928.
Arquitectura del Castillo de Coca.
Edificado en su totalidad en ladrillo salvo en saeteras y ventanas para las que se destinó material pétreo, lo primero que llama la atención del castillo coucense es que no se encuentra, como es habitual en la mayoría de fortalezas, en una posición elevada, sino que se asienta en un terreno totalmente llano y abierto a la población.
Dicha circunstancia se explica porque el de Coca, sin renunciar a unas potentes defensas, es un castillo de eminente carácter señorial y residencial.
Villa Of Coca, Segovia.
The town of Coca, is a millenarian population, prior to the arrival of the Roman legions to Iberia. Finally conquered the vetones, these will end up romanizing and the Roman city of Couca will leave the great Roman emperor Theodosius.
The importance of this town means that it has always possessed defensive walls and small fortified towers.
In the middle of the 15th century, the town was owned by Don Iñigo López de Mendoza, Marquis of Santillana, from whom Cardinal Mendoza and the Dukes of Infantado would later descend, during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs.
Castle of Coca, Segovia.
Located at the western end of the town center and taking advantage of one of the natural meanders laid out by the Voltoya River as it passes through the village, Coca Castle is considered one of the most outstanding works of the Spanish Mudejar Gothic style, as well as one of the the most iconic Castilian castles.
It was ordered to be erected in 1473 by Don Alonso de Fonseca, Third Lord of Coca, once in 1453 King Juan II had granted his permission for such a venture to his uncle and Archbishop of Seville also called Alonso de Fonseca.
Its material architect was the alarife Alí Caro, of Muslim origin, resident in Ávila and who is also credited with the construction of the Toledo castle of Casarrubios del Monte.
Later, the castle of Coca would pass into the hands of the House of Alba, which, in 1954, it would cede to the Ministry of Agriculture in order to install in it a forest training school that is still active today.
It was declared a Historic Artistic Monument in 1928.
Architecture of the Coca Castle.
Built entirely in brick except in loopholes and windows for which stone material was used, the first thing that catches the attention of the coucou castle is that it is not, as is usual in most of the fortresses, in an elevated position; it sits on a totally flat land open to the population.
This circumstance is explained because that of Coca, without renouncing some powerful defenses, is a castle of eminent manorial and residential character.
www.arteguias.com/castillo/cocasegovia.htm
Historia de Flickr.
Creador.-
Daniel Stewart Butterfield es un empresario canadiense, mejor conocido por ser cofundador con su esposa, Caterina Fake, del sitio web para compartir fotos Flickr
Verano de 2002 se funda Ludicorp por Daniel Steward, Caterina Flake y Jason Classon.
Ludicorp desarrollo un juego de roll multijugador masivo en línea. El juego no se lanzó, pero la compañía ya tenia reservado un almacenamiento y lo aprovecho para compartir fotos, así nació flickr.
En marzo de 2005 Ludicorp fue adquirida por Yahoo. En julio de 2008 Daniel Stewart Butterfield abandona el puesto de Gerente General de Flickr.
En abril de 2018 Yahoo vende Flickr a SmugMug.
SmuMug es una empresa de almacenaje de fotografías y vídeos en línea.
Según ha informado USA Today, la compañía de Silicon Valley que ha adquirido Flickr está comprometida a dar una nueva vida a la red social. Así lo afirmó el CEO de SmugMug, Don MacAskill, quien señaló que Flickr "es un producto fantástico y una marca querida, que suministra decenas de miles de millones de fotos a cientos de millones de personas en todo el mundo"
Hasta el momento no se han dado detalles sobre los términos del acuerdo.
Por su parte, Flickr informó en un comunicado que al aliarse con SmugBug, "volvemos al enfoque que nos convirtió en la comunidad de fotografía en línea pionera en el mundo. Reforzamos nuestro compromiso con los creadores y nos aseguramos de que Flickr siga siendo el mejor lugar para conectarse, compartir y desarrollar su pasión".
A pesar de los problemas, Flickr sostiene que cuenta con más de 75 millones de fotógrafos registrados y más de 100 millones de usuarios.
El acuerdo ya ha sido confirmado pero los planes de SmugMug ahora que es dueño de Flickr todavía no han sido especificados. En realidad, ni el propio CEO ha elaborado un plan. "No sé lo que depara el futuro. Este es un nuevo modelo para mí", señaló MacAskill aunque especificó que van a tener que operar en función de sus ingresos y rentabilidad.
La estrategia, por el momento, irá centrada a escuchar las demandas y las propuestas de los clientes y empleados.
Suena tonto para el CEO no saber totalmente lo que va a hacer, pero tampoco hemos construido SmugMug en un plan maestro. Tratamos de escuchar a nuestros clientes y cuando suficientes de ellos soliciten algo que es importante para ellos o para la comunidad, vamos a construirlo.
Extraído de. hipertextual.com/2018/04/smugmug-flickr
Ahora viene la realidad del mercader.
Los nuevos dueños de Flickr borrarán todas imágenes en cuentas gratuitas y sólo dejarán las 1.000 últimas. Con esa decisión asesinarán parte histórica de la web. Al menos hay métodos para exportar las imágenes y no perderlas para siempre.
Si alguna vez creaste una cuenta de Flickr probablemente ya has recibido el email: última oportunidad para pagar Flickr Pro, que cuesta 50 dólares al año o 6 dólares al mes. Aquellos que no lo hagan pueden hospedar un máximo de 1.000 imágenes, que es el nuevo límite de las cuentas gratuitas. Las fotos excedentes serán eliminadas para siempre** a partir del 5 de febrero de 2019.
Cuando SmugMug compró Flickr a Yahoo, aseguró que seguiría dando soporte de las cuentas gratuitas pero no dio detalles. Meses más tarde anunciaron el límite: 1.000 imágenes, si tienes más las borramos, si no quieres que eso suceda, debes pagar.
Estoy completamente de acuerdo y a favor de pagar por servicios de este tipo y afortunadamente la sociedad en general ha ido aceptando, con el tiempo, que algunas cosas tienen precio.
Pero detrás de Flickr hay un legado demasiado grande que ya no depende únicamente de los dueños de las fotografías e imágenes que se han subido durante los casi quince años en que el servicio ha existido. Muchos de ellos han, lamentablemente, muerto. Muchos no recuerdan sus credenciales de acceso y muchos probablemente crearon sus cuentas con emails que ya no existen, retirando la posibilidad de reiniciar contraseñas.
Hay millones y millones de imágenes hospedadas por un servicio que llegó seis o siete años antes de tiempo, el primer gran ejemplo de lo que alguna vez mal-llamamos "web dos punto cero", una de las primeras grandes adquisiciones al espíritu positivo e ingenuo de emprendimiento que renacía después de la gran caída del punto-com.
El paso es especialmente sangrante considerando que Flickr, antes de ser adquirido, daba 1 terabyte de espacio gratuito. Nuevamente, estoy de acuerdo que deberíamos pagar por un servicio, pero el límite de apenas 1.000 fotos y la amenaza de eliminarlas para siempre a quienes no paguen suena a chantaje.
Es verdad que Flickr es un dinosaurio que no supo adaptarse a los tiempos. No solo Instagram se lo "comió vivo", además servicios de almacenamiento en la nube gratuitos e integrados como Google Fotos o la app de Fotos de Apple han restado sentido a un sitio independiente de hospedaje de fotos.
Lo que Flickr sí tuvo fue una comunidad increíble que nunca más se ha vuelto a crear alrededor del acto de fotografiar. Algunos como 500px lo han intentado, sin éxito. Es una pena ver como SmugMug, los nuevos dueños van a asesinar una parte importante de la web, por una falta tremenda de respeto al legado de lo que tienen en sus manos.
Extraído: hipertextual.com/2019/02/exportar-fotos-flickr-antes-ser-...
Las Enormes Ventajas y Compensaciones.
Nuevo login para todos y novedades para los Pro.
Flickr acompaña este anuncio con más cambios, empezando por un nuevo sistema de login al margen del de Yahoo, que pasó a ser obligatorio durante 2014. Ahora la web tendrá un acceso propio a través de email. Estará disponible a partir de enero de 2019 y lo hará con un sistema de autenticación en dos pasos.
Para atraer a parte de los usuarios de cuentas gratuitas a cuentas Pro, hay novedades específicas a éstas y que han sido anunciadas por el CEO de SmugMug:
Formatos más grandes para soportar pantallas hasta 5K, de hasta 26 MP
Perfiles de color como AdobeRGB o ProPhoto soportados
Sistema más rápido para las nuevas fotos, progresivamente incluyendo todo el catálogo, en AWS.
hipertextual.com/2018/11/flickr-retira-terabyte-espacio-g...
Cuentos de las mil y una noche. Se trata de hacer caja, pura y dura, con la menor inversión posible y con el mayor ahorro imposible
Cuentos del Valle de la Silicona.
History of Flickr
Creator.-
Daniel Stewart Butterfield is a Canadian businessman and entrepreneur, best known for co-founding his wife, Caterina Fake, from the Flickr photo sharing website
Summer of 2002 Ludicorp is founded by Daniel Steward, Caterina Flake and Jason Classon.
Ludicorp developed a massive online multiplayer roll game. The game was not launched, but the company already had a storage reserved and I take it to share photos, so flickr was born.
In March 2005 Ludicorp was acquired by Yahoo. In July 2008 Daniel Stewart Butterfield leaves the position of General Manager of Flickr.
In April 2018 Yahoo sells Flickr to SmugMug.
SmuMug is an online photo and video storage company.
As reported by USA Today, the Silicon Valley company that has acquired Flickr is committed to giving a new life to the social network. This was stated by the CEO of SmugMug, Don MacAskill, who pointed out that Flickr "is a fantastic product and a beloved brand, which supplies tens of billions of photos to hundreds of millions of people around the world"
So far no details have been given about the terms of the agreement.
For its part, Flickr said in a statement that by allying with SmugBug, "we return to the focus that made us the pioneering online photography community in the world." We reinforced our commitment to the creators and made sure that Flickr remains the best place to connect, share and develop your passion. "
Despite the problems, Flickr maintains that it has more than 75 million registered photographers and more than 100 million users.
The agreement has already been confirmed but SmugMug's plans now that he owns Flickr have not yet been specified. Actually, not even the CEO himself has drawn up a plan. "I do not know what the future holds, this is a new model for me," MacAskill said, although he specified that they will have to operate based on their income and profitability.
The strategy, for the moment, will be focused on listening to the demands and proposals of customers and employees.
It sounds silly for the CEO not to fully know what he is going to do, but we have also not built SmugMug into a master plan. We try to listen to our clients and when enough of them request something that is important for them or for the community, we are going to build it.
Taken from. hipertextual.com/2018/04/smugmug-flickr
Now comes the reality of the merchant.
The new owners of Flickr will delete all images in free accounts and will only leave the last 1,000. With that decision they will assassinate historical part of the web. At least there are methods to export the images and not lose them forever.
If you've ever created a Flickr account you've probably already received the email: last chance to pay Flickr Pro, which costs $ 50 a year or $ 6 a month. Those who do not can host a maximum of 1,000 images, which is the new limit of free accounts. The surplus photos will be eliminated forever ** as of February 5, 2019.
When SmugMug bought Flickr from Yahoo, he said he would continue to support the free accounts but did not give details. Months later they announced the limit: 1,000 images, if you have more we delete them, if you do not want that to happen, you must pay.
I completely agree and in favor of paying for services of this type and fortunately society in general has been accepting, over time, that some things have a price.
But behind Flickr there is a legacy too great that no longer depends solely on the owners of the photographs and images that have been uploaded during the almost fifteen years in which the service has existed. Many of them have, unfortunately, died. Many do not remember their access credentials and many probably created their accounts with emails that no longer exist, removing the possibility of resetting passwords.
There are millions and millions of images hosted by a service that arrived six or seven years ahead of time, the first great example of what was once badly called "web two point zero", one of the first big acquisitions to the positive and naive spirit of entrepreneurship that was reborn after the great fall of dot-com.
The step is especially bloody considering that Flickr, before being acquired, gave 1 terabyte of free space. Again, I agree that we should pay for a service, but the limit of just 1,000 photos and the threat of eliminating them forever for those who do not pay sounds like blackmail.
It is true that Flickr is a dinosaur that did not know how to adapt to the times. Not only did Instagram "eat it alive", also free and integrated cloud storage services such as Google Photos or the Apple Photos app have made sense of an independent photo hosting site.
What Flickr did have was an incredible community that has never been recreated around the act of photography again. Some like 500px have tried it, without success. It is a pity to see how SmugMug, the new owners are going to kill an important part of the web, for a tremendous lack of respect for the legacy of what they have in their hands.
Extracted: hipertextual.com/2019/02/exportar-fotos-flickr-before-bei...
The Huge Advantages and Compensations.
New login for all and news for the Pro.
Flickr accompanies this announcement with more changes, starting with a new login system apart from Yahoo, which became mandatory during 2014. Now the website will have its own access via email. It will be available as of January 2019 and it will do so with a two-step authentication system.
To attract part of the users of free accounts to Pro accounts, there are specific news to these and that have been announced by the CEO of SmugMug:
Larger formats to support screens up to 5K, up to 26 MP
Color profiles such as AdobeRGB or ProPhoto supported
Faster system for new photos, progressively including the entire catalog, in AWS.
hipertextual.com/2018/11/flickr-retira-terabyte-espacio-g...
Tales of the thousand and one night. It's about making cash, pure and hard, with the least possible investment and with the greatest possible savings
Tales of the Silicone Valley.
Una canción que habla de la situación actual del mundo: pobreza, malos tratos, políticos corruptos... en definitiva, de las injusticias a las que estamos sometidos en pleno siglo XXI.
De repente desperté y como siempre este maldito mundo, tan extraño como absurdo, tan cruel como taciturno, comenzó a andar del revés...
Para escucharla: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBFelYEOAE
(Aclaro: no todas las fotografías son mías. He querido reflejar ciertas situaciones que, por suerte, no las he vivido de cerca. Por ello, he tenido que tirar de la cosecha de terceros)
Salvation | Introduction
What is salvation? Every believer in the Lord believes that as long as they pray to the Lord with a true heart, confess and repent to Him, their sins will be forgiven, and they will be saved by grace. When the Lord comes back, they will be directly taken into the kingdom of heaven. Is salvation really so simple?
Xu Zhiqian, the hero of this film, has believed in God for many years. He enthusiastically worked for God and abandoned everything to perform his duties. Because of this, the Chinese Communist Party arrested him and cruelly tortured him, and even sentenced him to six years' imprisonment. After being released, he continued performing duties and had some practical experiences. He was able to solve the practical problems of his brothers and sisters. He didn't make complaints or become negative and weak when his wife was arrested and imprisoned…. The brothers and sisters all praised and commended him. Xu Zhiqian believed that he already had the reality of truth, and he would surely be granted entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Soon after, however, a trial came upon him suddenly. His wife was tortured to death by the Chinese Communist police. He became extremely grieved and had notions about and misunderstanding of God, so he made complaints, and the thoughts of disobeying and betraying God emerged in his mind…. Later, he realized that it was betrayal to God, so he began reflecting upon himself: Can people like him, who complain against God, misunderstand God and betray God when faced with trials be truly saved? Are they qualified to enter the kingdom of God?
Recommended for you: Gospel Videos
"Eu estava em Torres- RS, com Miriam, Laura e Jorge e de repente apareceu esse inseto. Segundo Miriam que vive no Sul ele se chama Violino, porque seu som é de um violino e tb se repararmos as anteninhas dele tem o formato do arco do violino. Não consegui nenhuma imagem dele, mas confio na minha amiga Miriam Cardoso de Souza."
Compsocerus violaceus (também conhecido como C. aulicus ou C. equestris) . O nome vulgar em espanhol é "guitarrero", conhecido também como "violino", pelo som que produz.
Todos os besouros Longhorn (ou mais arcaica, longicorns) pertencem à família Cerambycidae. Caracterizam-se por antenas extremamente longas, que são muitas vezes tão longas quanto ou mais do corpo do besouro. A família é grande, com mais de 20.000 espécies descritas, pouco mais da metade do Hemisfério Oriental. Vários são consideradas pragas sérias, com a perfuração de larvas em madeira, onde podem causar danos às árvores vivo ou madeira não tratada (ou, ocasionalmente, a madeira dos edifícios, sendo um problema específico dentro de casa). Um número de espécies imitam formigas, abelhas e vespas, embora a maioria das espécies são de colorido críptico. Apesar de uma vasta literatura sobre as relações de acolhimento de larvas cerambycid e as áreas geográficas das espécies, há pouca informação sobre o comportamento de adultos de muitas espécies, porque são crípticos e noturnos. Violaceus Compsocerus ocorre em todo o Brasil e o Uruguai e é conhecido popularmente como "Guitarrero" (guitarrista), devido ao som chilrear que produz esfregando uma de suas pernas contra a borda superior posterior da asa anterior, que tem um raspador de espessura.
Copyright © 2011.Ana Druzian. All rights reserved.
REPRODUÇÃO PROIBIDA - ® Todos os direitos reservados.
No recuerdo qué cuento me estaba contando cuando de repente, un zumbido por la izquierda de mis dos orejas me alertó. Tras unos segundos de reconocimiento de la escena, vi como libre y tranquilo aterrizaba en la pared un estupendo ejemplar de mosquito tigre.
Superando los 10mm de rigor que marca su ficha en los documentales de la dos, lucía a la perfección sus patitas en blanco y negro a juego con un admirable aguijón.
Bien, "te voy a matar" pensé. Y mientras yo fallaba con un confiado derechazo acolchado en papel de water, él respondía con una inaudita maniobra de evasión realizada a toda leche pasando muy cerca de mi cara.
"Je... te voy a matar" repensé.
Con el duelo formalmente iniciado, comenzaron una serie de intentos de homicidio trapo cocina en mano sin mucho éxito. El tío era rápido, muy rápido.
Esquivó dos cojinazos en mi cama y una funda de portátil contra el techo.
Era un vacilón, lo veía en su mosquita cara y eso no me gustaba nada.
Ya calentito, le lancé una caja entera de lápices alpino acompañada de una novela regalada jamás comenzada. A dicho obús, le siguieron un viejo disco duro, un par de carpetas y un ratón que no usaba. Tras una lámpara rota y una pared más que marcada, se hizo la calma.
"¿Dónde está? ¿ha muerto? necesito ver el cuerpo"
Fue entonces cuando me volvió a zumbar la oreja (esta vez la derecha) momento en el cual terminé de perder unos nervios ya bastante desorientados.
Así pues, esperé a que se arrinconara el solito para desconectar cuidadosamente el cable usb y tirarle encima la impresora A3 mientras gritaba "¡jódete!", tumbando dos estanterías en plan melé, una bicicleta estática, un monitor CRT y para asegurar la faena, después de amontonar varios desodorantes en spray; disparé con una Colt para provocar una pequeña explosión.
Con un interior irrespirable y arrasado, salí afuera pensando "como vuelva y esté vivo, lo mato".
Así de repente sin avisar, apareció ante mi vista y se posó en uno árbol cercano, la sorpresa fue mayúscula y aunque estaba un poco lejos había que inmortalizarlo, ya me hubiera gustado que se hubiera posado más cerca, pero de todas formas mereció la pena. aún se quedó un ratito para que disfrutara de su belleza.
Espero verlo más veces y a poder ser más cerca.
Testimonies | God’s Attitude Toward Sinners
Some brothers and sisters may raise questions, and will say: “We’ve believed in the Lord for many years and have worked very hard for Him. We can’t count how many churches we’ve established, and we’ve even been sent to prison. So even if we do commit sin, God will surely not abandon us!” If this was truly the case, then wouldn’t those Jewish Pharisees who traveled all over the lands and seas to spread the gospel, and yet defied and condemned the Lord Jesus, all have been able to enter into the kingdom of heaven? Why were they still condemned and cursed by the Lord Jesus? Wasn’t the Lord Jesus the loving and merciful God? How was He still able to condemn and curse them? Moreover, these people worked hard for God, so why didn’t the Lord Jesus pardon their sins? Regarding this question, these words of the Lord Jesus come to mind: “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21-23). And a book of truth also says: “Some people will end up saying, ‘I’ve done so much work for You, and though there may not have been celebrated achievements, still I have been diligent in my efforts. Can’t You just let me into heaven to eat the fruit of life?’ You must know what kind of people I desire; those who are impure are not permitted to enter into the kingdom, those who are impure are not permitted to besmirch the holy ground. Though you may have done much work, and have worked for many years, in the end if you are still deplorably filthy—it is intolerable to the law of Heaven that you wish to enter My kingdom!” (“Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Reading these words, I suddenly saw the light. It turns out that those who will enter the kingdom of heaven must indeed be those who cast off sin and are cleansed, who follow God’s way, and who obey God, worship God and love God. Those who spread the gospel and cast out demons in the Lord’s name but who don’t follow God’s way are evil-doers in the eyes of God. Just like those Jewish Pharisees—although they appeared pious on the outside, and they worked for God and suffered greatly all their lives, and paid much price, yet when the Lord Jesus incarnated to perform His work of redemption, they refused to accept it, much less submit to or practice the Lord Jesus’ words. Instead, they judged and condemned the Lord Jesus’ work, frantically resisted the Lord, and they even spread notions and rumors to deceive people and obstruct them from accepting the Lord Jesus’ work, and they nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross—by doing this, were they not openly opposing and contesting God? People like this, who simply will not repent, are truly Satan’s partners in crime and are Satan’s lackeys. They worm their way into the church especially to disrupt and demolish God’s work, and people like this have a God-defying essence, they are the enemies of God, and God will never allow hated enemies or the wicked to enter into His kingdom. From this, we are able to see that all who are incapable of practicing God’s words or of obeying God’s work are all unclean and unrighteous; if someone is unable to repent or to cast off their God-defying corrupt disposition, and they go on living in sin, then they are unclean, they are not a righteous person praised by God, but instead they are condemned. The kingdom of heaven is God’s kingdom, and God is holy, so if someone is unclean then how could they be qualified to enter into God’s kingdom and live together with Him? God is merciful and loving to man, but God is also righteous, and will never lead filthy and corrupt people into His kingdom. That is to say, whether or not we can enter into the kingdom of heaven in the end does not depend on how much work we do or how much we suffer, but most importantly it depends on whether or not our corrupt dispositions are changed and cleansed, whether or not we can practice God’s words, do God’s will, and whether or not we are people who love God, obey God and fear God. If we only rely on our own ardor to give things up, expend ourselves, spread the gospel, build churches and support other believers, but our own corrupt dispositions are not changed in the slightest, we still frequently commit sin, defy God and rebel against God, and we are unable to follow God’s way, then we will be evil-doers, and will be unable to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Recommended for You: many are called but few are chosen
Según salía de Liechtenstein, cogí la carretera que pasaba por todos los pueblecitos de Suiza en dirección a Austria. En uno de los primeros, de repente, me topé con un estanque muy hermoso, y como iba sin rumbo, sin horario, sin prisa, y sin nada, pues decidí parar porque el lugar me pareció que merecía la pena.
www.google.es/maps/@47.167537,9.464937,3a,75y,121.92h,76....
Al fondo, un grupo de preescolares disfrutaban del entorno, y unos ancianos paseaban a sus perros. Yo, aparqué el coche al otro lado de la carretera, cogí las cámaras, pero lo dejé a cielo abierto, ¡bendita seguridad suiza!, que te permite confiarte.
Una pareja de patos, y un cisne, estaban relativamente cerca. El cisne se acicalaba con esmero, apoyado en una piedra que apenas estaba sumergida unos centímetros bajo el agua. No paraba de moverse y era tan hermoso como difícil de capturar en una pose digna. Así me tuvo, jugando a hacerse el protagonista de mi vida durante unos minutos. Por fin, se estiró, levantó todo su cuerpo, estiró el cuello y desplegó sus alas vigorosamente un par de veces, para, acto seguido, como quien se ha desperezado, volvió a meter la cabeza en el agua. Cuando la sacó, por unos segundos, se llevó su pico al pecho, y justo ese fue mi momento. Las gotas de agua resbalaron de su pico y se quedaron en sus plumas, me encanta ese detalle en la foto. No duró mucho en esa posición. Sabedor de que lo había inmortalizado, con todo su porte empezó a deslizarse suavemente por la superficie líquida sin apenas removerla. Su cuello, otrora malabarista de las posturas imposibles llegando a cualquier rincón de su cuerpo, ahora parecía rígido, como mirando a un punto fijo. Parecía una estatua de sal moviéndose por el estanque como un figurante en medio de un vals. Una delicia digna de ver. Sobra decirte lo mucho que te recordé en estos momentos.
“Patito Feo”, las dos con mayúsculas, porque Feo era el nombre que le pusieron en el cuento. Siempre te has referido a ti en el pasado como el Patito Feo… me alegra que por fin te sientas cisne, porque en verdad lo eres, eres Cisne Hermoso, las dos con mayúsculas, porque eres el Cisne más Hermoso de este pequeño estanque que es el mundo.
No sé quién o quienes te hicieron ver esto, si fui yo uno de ellos, esa alegría que me llevo, cosita.
Y ahora, sólo deseo tener de nuevo la oportunidad de poder disfrutar algunos momentos, igual que me pasó en ese viaje por Suiza, del maravilloso espectáculo de estar cerca de un cisne, y que ese cisne, sea Cisne Hermoso, seas tú, cosita, y me saques por unos momentos de esta melancolía que me abraza. Y que me ocurra como a Herminia, quien hundida en la vejez, recibe la visita de su mago, y esa tarde rejuvenece y se le van todos los males...
El día que tenga esa oportunidad, querré de nuevo ir sin rumbo, no tener prisa ni horarios, y no tener nada ni necesitarlo, porque tú, con tu presencia y compañía, me lo darás todo, y nada más me hará falta.
اذا اراد الله
"Come, Come who or whatever you are
Should you be an unbeliever, a Magian or a pagan still come
Our lodge is not a lodge of despair
With hundred repentions unheeded you may be,still, come"
For Muslims and non-Muslims alike, the main reason to come to Konya is to visit the Mevlâna Museum, the former lodge of the whirling dervishes and home to the tomb of Celaleddin Rumi (later known as Mevlâna), who we have to thank for giving the world the whirling dervishes. This is one of the biggest pilgrimage centres in Turkey, and the building's fluted dome of turquoise tiles is one of Turkey's most distinctive sights.
For Muslims, this is a very holy place, and more than 1.5 million people visit it a year, most of them Turkish. You will see many people praying for Rumi's help. When entering, women should cover their head and no one should wear singlets or shorts.
After walking through a pretty garden you pass through the Dervişan Kapısı (Gate of the Dervishes) and enter a courtyard with an ablutions fountain in the centre.
At the entrance to the mausoleum, the Ottoman silver door bears the inscription, 'Those who enter here incomplete will come out perfect'. Put on the supplied plastic over-shoes before entering. Once inside the mausoleum, look out for the big bronze Nisan tası (April bowl) on the left. April rainwater, vital to the farmers of this region, is still considered sacred and was collected in this 13th-century bowl. The tip of Mevlâna's turban was dipped in the water and offered to those in need of healing. Also on the left are six sarcophagi belonging to Bahaeddin Veled's supporters who followed him from Afghanistan.
Continue through to the part of the room directly under the fluted dome. Here you can see Mevlâna's Tomb (the largest), flanked by that of his son Sultan Veled and those of other eminent dervishes. They are all covered in velvet shrouds heavy with gold embroidery, but those of Mevlâna and Veled bear huge turbans, symbols of spiritual authority; the number of wraps denotes the level of spiritual importance. Bahaeddin Veled's wooden tomb stands on one end, leading devotees to say Mevlâna was so holy that even his father stands to show respect. There are 66 sarcophagi on the platform, not all visible.
Mevlâna's tomb dates from Seljuk times. The mosque and semahane, the hall where whirling ceremonies were held, were added later by Ottoman sultans (Mehmet the Conqueror was a Mevlevi adherent and Süleyman the Magnificent made charitable donations to the order). Selim I, conqueror of Egypt, donated the Mamluk crystal lamps.
The semahane to the left of the sepulchral chamber contains exhibits such as the original copy of the Mathnawi, Mevlâna's cape and other clothing, a 9th-century gazelle-skin Christian manuscript and a copy of the Koran so tiny that its author went blind writing it. In the middle of the room is a display case holding a casket which contains strands of Mohammed's beard. The small mosque in front of the semahane is reserved for prayers but as you exit the building, look to the left of the mihrab for a seccade (prayer carpet) bearing a picture of the Kaaba at Mecca. Made in Iran of silk and wool, it's extremely fine, with some three million knots (144 per square centimetre).
The matbah (kitchen) of the lodge is in the southwest corner of the courtyard. It is decorated as it would have been in Mevlâna's day, with mannequins dressed as dervishes. Look out for the wooden practice board, used by novice dervishes to learn to whirl. The dervish cells (where the dervishes lived) run along the northern and western sides of the courtyard. Inside the cells are a host of ethnographic displays relating to dervish life. In particular, one room contains personal items belonging to Şems of Tabriz including his hat and a manuscript of the Mâkâlât, his most famous work.
The complex can get oppressively busy, and seeing any of the contents of the museum display cases can be a pushing and shoving, head-ducking affair. Come early on a weekday if you want to see all the items in peace. On the other hand, the atmosphere on busy days is almost addictive and more than makes up for not being able to properly examine the museum pieces.
Beside the museum is the Selimiye Camii.
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug
Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
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Soneto da separação
De repente do riso fez-se o pranto
Silencioso e branco como a bruma
E das bocas unidas fez-se a espuma
E das mãos espalmadas fez-se o espanto.
De repente da calma fez-se o vento
Que dos olhos desfez a última chama
E da paixão fez-se o pressentimento
E do momento imóvel fez-se o drama.
De repente, não mais que de repente
Fez-se de triste o que se fez amante
E de sozinho o que se fez contente.
Fez-se do amigo próximo o distante
Fez-se da vida uma aventura errante
De repente, não mais que de repente.
Vinícius de Moraes
De repente ocurre, algo se acciona…
Y en ese momento sabes que las cosas van a cambiar. Y es ahí donde te das cuenta de
que las cosas solo ocurren una vez.
From an email written to a friend some 3000 miles away after the tsunami of 26th December 2004:- " I was not home when it happened. I was working on one of the remote islands and I had no means of traveling home till 10 days later. I saw the sea rise like a towering wall of water.
I am more thankful now for all the things that I have taken for granted. Death may happen anytime and I am scared now of the gruesome manner in which death can take place. I talk to myself, I talk to God. I see my life, what I have done and not done, when I have been bad and when I have been good. I see that I need to repent, with my heart and soul for the sins I committed. I've learnt lessons in life - but this one is the biggest. And hopefully, I will live to practise what I have learnt."
" A father tells of his missing daughter, with moving dignity,
holding back raw emotion and I cry his tears
and she is my daughter and he is my father
and we are together in our tragedy."
A saudade bateu foi que nem maré,
quando vem de repente de tarde e invade
transborda esse bem me quer...
Foto: By Natália Moreno
Y de repente a la vuelta de la esquina te encuentras esa vida de todos los días en un instante te das cuenta de la belleza que desprenden y que a veces nos cuesta ver de tanto como la vemos.
Lentamente la vida se desnuda
ante mis ojos de ya no desiguales
vestiduras,vida vives en los ojos
de las plantas de los arboles que
moran en los valles,en las montañas
altivas del Norte de mi tierra ,donde
se alzan bosques de tu espalda y
tu infancia se oye entre el gentio.
Lentamente la vida vive
en los espejos de los ojos.
© Soledad Bezanilla
I am going to talk about a topic most would consider to be very sensitive and that is pornography. So if you don’t feel comfortable reading about it please stop whenever you like to. Of course I will talk about it from my personal experience. I will try not to focus on porn or talk about it in details, as my goal is not to assist others to indulge in sin but to glorify God for the freedom He has given me. I will start by talking about the photo first.
First of all I want to say that talking about being addicted to porn is not easy. I had considered talking about for some time but didn’t really want to do so. So I decided, like I do often, is to lie down and talk to God and think about why I didn’t want to write about it. The reason was simple: I didn’t want people to have a bad idea about me. The final point was: I wanted to keep my image “clean” like so many of us Christians like to do. However, after some thought I came to this conclusion:
1) I was born a sinner and I am as sinful in my nature as anybody else ever lived on earth, so there is no point in acting like I am better than anybody else.
2) I am who I am because of who I am in Christ, and that’s because of His perfect and finished work on the Cross: His death for my sins. Not because of anything good in me or about me.
3) When I accepted Jesus I basically gave Him ownership over me. In other words, there is no more “my reputation”, “my name”, “my this” and “my that”. Everything belongs to Him now. Of course I thought that I could simply avoid talking about this topic and “act” as if there is something special about me. But the truth is that He is special and I am special only because the Holy Spirit, who is special, lives in me.
4) For Christ to be lifted through me I must be lowered. For Him to be glorified I must tell the world about who I was before Christ.
5) I didn’t want to be a hypocrite! Of course, as we all know, being a hypocrite is much easier than a lot of things in life. (And believe me it is much easier to be a hypocrite than to live the Christian life, but only through living the Christian life we can find true fulfillment in Jesus.) But if I claim that I belong to Christ and that my identity is wrapped up in who I am in Him, a prince and a child of the living and holy One, then I have to act upon this claim. Otherwise I am simply being a hypocrite. I cannot say that my value and worth are in Him, when I value myself in how others see me.
So I will start my story now…
When I was in my teens back home, and I would be taking the bus in the evening sometimes I would look at my hand and be completely amazed by the orange sun light reflecting off of it, especially the amount of details God has put in the skin! And because I like to draw, shadows have always amazed me. Until now I try to emphasize shadows and contrast in my photos. So a couple of days ago I was studying when it was sunset and I looked at my hand and again I loved the amount of details in the skin. So I took few photos and after some editing, I realized this photo can be very fitting to talk about Jesus Christ’s favour in setting us free from sin. So here is my final product. I hope you like it. (Special thanks to Gimp!)
I didn’t soak the hand with orange colour and dark shadows because I want to talk about a light that’s brighter than the sun’s: the light of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That’s why I kept the light white.
I was not familiar with pornography until I came to Canada, and especially after I bought my first computer. Like so many others I started watching porn because of curiosity. I accepted Jesus in my life before I came to Canada though. Being still an immature Christian, spiritually like a few days old infant, I was an easy prey to Satan’s lies.
Then porn turned to more than just curiosity—it became a habit. Then from a habit it became an addiction. It pretty much consumed hours of my daily life, and all my energy. It cost me a lot in school as my marks dropped dramatically. My relationship with God was reduced to “hi” and “bye”!
I tried to quit many times but I couldn’t. I knew it was wrong but by then it was too strong of an addiction to break free from. I hated it and loved it at the same time. I hated it because it ruined every aspect of my life. I loved it because I was emotionally dependent on it: it was my idol. (For more on Idols you might be interested in reading: www.flickr.com/photos/001fj/2334638980/
Pornography was a very strange affair. I mean, when I went out I tried not to lust after women but when I came home I entertained the worst thoughts for hours! One of the worst things about porn is that it gets worse overtime. You never start at a low level and stay there; you stoop to lower levels because after a while those materials are not satisfying anymore. Can you imagine the helplessness people who are addicted to porn feel? Can you imagine the feeling of entrapment? Can you imagine not only seeing yourself in a very bad situation but also seeing yourself heading toward a worse situation and you are going by your own will simply because you couldn’t resist doing the thing that is hurting you and eventually will destroy you!
It is like standing in a hole and digging it to make it deeper and deeper and deeper.
One summer break I spent it pretty much editing photos using Photoshop and listening to Dr. Charles Stanley. In one sermon he was talking about how God sets us free and the bottom line was that we have to:
1) Realize and admit our situation and helplessness
2) Trust that God can free us
3) Surrender ourselves, lives and hearts to Him
So I tried it. I went to pray and told God all those three points and I meant them—I truly believed and knew that I couldn’t free myself from this sin, and I knew that God was a good God who loved me and cared about me….but, I didn’t know how to surrender! I mean if I was in a war then I could take a piece of white cloth and put it on a stick, raise it up and walk toward the enemy. They would see the white piece of cloth and would know that I am surrendering, but how do you do that spiritually? I mean, it is more than words just as in the scenario of the battlefield above: I have to raise (action word) the stick, and walk (another action word) toward the enemy. But how do you surrender spiritually?
Needless to say after that prayer I went back to pornography as if I had not even prayed it! I knew Dr. Stanley is a godly man so I knew he wouldn’t teach something false, but I simply didn’t know how to apply it. So I kept trying to break free from pornography using all methods I knew from self-control (emphasis on the word “self”; I am not talking about the self-control we have by focusing on Christ and putting Him first in our lives), to using filters to always keeping the windows and door open, etc…nothing worked.
God wasn’t completely silent in those couple of years when I was addicted to porn. I can recall some other time when God completely cut all communication with me until I obeyed Him in a certain matter (thank God He did that!), but that was not the case in those two years. I think God knew that I was helpless against breaking free from porn. He knew I was too young spiritually to abandon me completely to my weakness and leave me completely at Satan’s mercy (as if he has any!)
A particular scary moment was when one night after indulging in sin for hours I stood and planned to go carry out a sinful act. After a couple steps it was as if God slapped me so hard that He woke me up from a nightmare; the only thing is that I was not dreaming--it was real life! I had so foolishly bought Satan’s lies to the degree that I was going to carry them out! I froze and couldn’t move for few seconds because it was as if God had blocked my way. Then I realized that I was basically a slave of Satan if I kept believing what he told me. I was like a zombie having all sense sucked out of me and so dead in my sins.
Nothing can explain God's intervention in that moment better than this song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SjhKJgqGg
I also realized that I was not so different from Ted Bundy or any other serial killer and rapist. I was a step away from going that road if it wasn’t for God mercy, grace, love and compassion. I can never be thankful enough for Him for intervening in that moment. We were all born sinners, and according to God holiness that demands divine justice we all deserve the death penalty. That’s why our Lord had to die for our sins to be forgiven. So please, next time you hear about a criminal so “evil” ask yourself those two questions: 1) Can Jesus’ blood forgive all his sin? Yes, or no? 2) Can God change him? Yes, or no? The answer is yes to both questions. (Check this man’s testimony if you like to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIfQ-aBham4
One time I managed to stay away from pornography for 18 days! I was so happy but when I fell to sin again I was more miserable than ever before! I knew that I couldn’t do better than that. That was about half a year after listening to Dr. Stanley’s message.
So sometime in March of 2003 I went to pray at night. And I basically told God that I had enough and that I wasn’t going to pray anymore. I was ending my relationship with Him! I didn’t know better at the time that He paid a high price to adopt me into His family and He wasn’t just going to let me go! I was so tired of pretending that my religion works when it didn’t! I became a Christian not looking for a religion, but because the God of the Bible was so real I wanted to know Him…I wanted to experience what He did and said He would do. But it was not working! It was also so repulsive to me to come pray to God when I had so disgustingly disobeyed Him! It was like lusting after women all day long then going home and kissing my wife and pretending that everything is “fine”, (by the way, it is NOT “fine” with God and His opinion is the only opinion that matters if not now then later!). I simply couldn’t carry a relationship with a Holy God when I was so steeped into sin. I was crying when I told Him “good-by” because I had really wanted Christianity to work since it was the only faith that held its own claims and its God was so real that it would require more faith for me not to believe in Him than to believe in Him! (How much faith does it take to believe in gravity? None, because we know it exists! That’s the same case with our God.) So I told Him that I don’t care anymore. I give up. I can’t break free from pornography’s hold on me, and He isn’t helping me. So I give up and won’t try to resist porn anymore. I was too tired to try to please a God who wasn’t willing to help me with my burdens.
I don’t remember exactly what day it was that I prayed that prayer but I know it was in the last 10 days of March, 2003. So I stood up and thought that was the end…that all those prayers I had prayed and He answered, the peace He has given me, the joy, and the awesome awareness of His presence I had experienced before…were all things I had imagined.
Next day I didn’t watch porn, and I thought because I was busy with school work. The day after I didn’t watch porn either and I thought because the whole week was a busy week with school work! After a week I realized that I didn’t watch porn for the last week nor did I think about it or desired to watch it! That’s when it hit me: I was free! Hallelujah, Jesus set me free! Christianity works! My wonderful God is real! Everything He did before was real! So I went to pray again, and asked Him what I should do now! He put on my heart to go to www.settingcaptivesfree.com/home/our_courses.php and register! So I did, and went through the online program for 2 months. And I have been free from pornography since that March night until today. I had a friend in high school was struggling with pornography too. He was from Pakistan and when I told him that I was free he didn’t understand how. I couldn’t explain it more to my friend than the blind man, whom our Lord Jesus healed, answered in John 9:25:
He replied, "…One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
It took me a while to realize that the Biblical principle in Dr. Stanley’s sermon works! What I did in that prayer is simply I gave up: surrendered. I stopped trying to do it in my own strength. I stopped trying to fight God’s war for Him. I stopped trying to earn His favour. I stopped trying to win my way according to my timing. I ceased striving.
If you read Gideon’s story, the story Dr. Stanley based his sermon outlines on, you will realize God did the same thing with Gideon and His army. I truly encourage you to read it. You can find it in the book of Judges.
Why did God free me this way? Well there are many reasons, here are some:
1) He wants to bring Himself the glory. If we do it on our own and succeed what does that tell the world about Him? Nothing. Then I could’ve written this whole story without a mention of Him. But the fact is I couldn’t break free from pornography on my own in a million years. It was all His work.
2) He desires to grow our faith. My faith wouldn’t have grown in a God that stands idle while I did everything myself. But now I know He is more than able to do everything He said will do.
3) God wants us to trust Him and know that He can handle His own affairs and wars. It is good to defend God and fight for Him, but we must let Him fight His own battles so the world to know that He is a mighty and powerful God, and that He is real.
Let me ask you some questions: if you are always fighting for your god, protecting it, speaking on its behave, defending it, what makes you think it is a real god? If your god can’t speak, what makes you so convinced it could create your mouth? If your god can’t fight its own battles against evil, what makes you think it can give you victory? If your god can’t defend itself, what makes you think it can protect you?
4) For others to see, hear, believe and come to know Him. If I was able to free myself from porn by myself, how would that draw people to Him?
You can say whatever you want about God. You can say that you don’t like Him. That you don’t believe in Him. You can say that you would rather live your life without Him, and spend eternity in Hell than in Heaven with Him. But you can’t tell me that I was not addicted beyond human hope to pornography and He freed me from it. You can’t tell me that my God isn’t real or that He is dead. You can’t tell me that my God is not powerful, or that He doesn’t love me and cares about me.
I remember a couple of years ago I was waiting for the bus (isn’t it strange how I realize a lot of things while waiting for the bus!), and thought to myself, “What is so horrible about pornography anyway?” (That was a couple of years after God freed me from it!) Then suddenly I had this very empty feeling in my chest when I remembered how spiritually thirsty I was when I was addicted to porn. I remember how horrible it felt to chase after something that does not satisfy and that it leads to more chasing…but it still does not satisfy! Ever since then until now, I would like to think that I have a healthy fear of pornography, and sin in general. (Remember, God created fear to protect us, just like pain. But how we view fear and respond to is what makes the difference between a protective fear and an enslaving fear.) Of course, porn’s destruction is much more than the chasing after something that does not satisfy. But I won’t go into how much it has actually ruined countless lives, because many websites and statistics are available for those who are truly seeking to know the truth about porn’s destructive power.
1 John 4:4 says:
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
It is sad how many Christians have opinions about sin that are not based on God Word. I read things such as, “It is my motives that count…so even though I do this and that, I do them without lusting…” Really? Where does the Bible teaches that? When our Lord talked about motives he was talking about fasting, praying, and giving to the poor not about sin! You can’t sin with pure motives! It doesn’t make sense! You can fool me, and you can fool your church congregation! But how can you live with yourself knowing that you are lying to yourself! And how are you going to fool God? Rather, how are you going to face Him?
And some Christians even say “it is natural to do so and so”. Yes, you are correct, but since when does the Bible talk about our nature as if it is holy! Our nature is corrupt and sinful, so why do we say “natural” as if it is a good thing! It is natural to get angry and want to get revenge; it is natural to lie when accused of something; it is natural to cheat when we want to get our way…but what does the Bible teach about all those examples of “natural behaviour”? They are all sin and do not fit us as sons and daughters of the living God!
No, I am not talking about people who are addicted to drugs, porn, alcohol, and so on. I am not even talking to the unbelieving world here. I am talking to us, Christians. I truly believe that there is a huge difference between someone who is sinning—because he or she are addicted to a certain sin, regardless of how they got themselves into this mess—but they absolutely hate that sin and want to be free from it, and between someone who knows he is sinning but has no problem with it--welcomes sin in his life.
I am going to say something here that I think will make a lot of people dislike me, but I am going to say it anyway and hope that you take it with an attitude knowing that I am not judging anybody here:
If you are a woman who has Christ in her life, please re-consider the way you dress. Not according to my standards, or the church you attend. Certainly not according to the standards of the latest fashion or to “that is the only thing available in stores nowadays”. Don’t go to someone else asking their opinion or read an article about it. Go directly to God’s Word and ask God directly, and if you are honestly seeking to follow Him He will show you His way. But I must warn you: once He makes His will clear you won’t have peace until you obey Him.
You might be wondering why I am talking about women’s dressing in a topic about porn! Well, men are very visual so they sin by lusting (even women do that, but I am not sure they do so as much as men do) and so porn is a naturally attractive sin to them. Women desire to feel beautiful, desired, wanted and so she tries to meet those need by dressing in a way that attracts men’s attention. And that’s how she gets her momentarily (short-lived: like all the promises Satan makes in regard to sin) emotional high by noticing a man looking at her. But what I want to ask you is this: if you go home and you are all by yourself and have nothing to do, how do you feel: empty, far from your heavenly Father; or peaceful and your heart is flowing with love and adoration for Him?
Causing to Sin, Mark 9:42-50:
"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
" 'their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.' Everyone will be salted with fire.
"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."
If you are a man who has Christ in his life, please take some time, be quiet with God, and think about where you were yesterday spiritually, where you are today, and where you are heading tomorrow! Evaluate your life. Evaluate your ways. Seek to know God better. Make decisions, daily decisions, to live for Him. Live a pure life starting with your heart and mind. Think about your future wife (or present wife), think about your kids. You are going to be the leader of the house who represents Christ to the whole household! Will they see Him through you? Or will your daughters grow up thinking that they have to look beautiful, sexy, and act in certain ways to get a man’s attention and love? Think about God’s awesome and wonderful purpose that He desires to accomplish through you. Think about God’s reputation among the people who know you. Please don’t settle for less. We are not going to be given another chance after this life!
“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)
If you realize you are sinning against God while you are on your way home then repent right away and seek to follow Him! It is never too late to make a decision to live for Him, even if you just realized that at the end of the day. Daily surrender yourself to Him if that’s what it takes for you to live a pure and blameless life.
I will stop here. All I ask is that if you claim to believe something about God put it into practice. Whether in regard to your identity in Him, your personal agendas vs. His plans and purposes, or if you claim to believe that Christ died for someone else’s sin then why not forgive them? Remember, John 13:17:
“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
What things? The things that are written in God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit reveals to you.
And don't ever lose focus of this fact: all things are done through His goodness, grace and mercy—it, life here on earth and eternal life, is all about Him. However, for Him: it is all about you. It is the "Lord's favour" and not our own works whether in being saved or the power to live for Him: it is all about His grace.
Nothing But the Blood
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wej1jHtiH-M
(Toronot, ON; winter 2008.)
De repente seu mundo colorido e iluminado tornara-se uma densa escuridão sufocante. Seus olhos ardiam como que em chamas, seus pulmões pediam por um pouco de ar, o corpo desistindo da luta e afundando aos poucos, uma queda para o infinito. Mas então eis que algo a segura e a impede de contemplar a face da jovem morte, junto de seus pais e seus irmãos. Ele a puxa para a superfície, tirando-a daquela imensidão escura e tempestuosa que era o mar. Suas roupas estavam molhadas, mas isso não lhe importava, apenas prestava atenção no rosto da garota que salvara momentos atrás. Ela estava a beira da morte, com hipotermia, desta forma deixando-o sem alternativas. E assim ele a fez imortal, dando-lhe o doce beijo da eternidade.
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Olá cupcakes, como foi o final de semana de vocês? Espero que tenha sido bom ^w^
Eu resgatei essa foto de 2014 pra postar esse desafio, porque queria muito postar alguma coisa, então ta aí.
Esse é um sonho compartilhado da Sabrine e do Klaus, de quando ele a salvou após o barco onde ela estava com sua família ter naufragado.
Eu acabei tendo que postar a descrição pelo celular porque como de costume os meus pais não me deram uma trégua, mas enfim, ta aí u-u
Uma boa noite para todos vocês, cupcakes da tia Marie ❤
De repente, sem mais aguentar a distância entre os dois, Nick tomou Layla em seus braços.
Nick: volta pra mim, Layla! *fala baixinho*
Layla: quem nunca se afastou, não precisa voltar, Nick.
De repente, no fim de julho, nascem as flores dos ipês. E ganham o colorido amarelo da luz do sol poente.
Fazenda Ponte Velha, Minas Gerais, Brasil
Y de repente te encuentras un lugar bien paisa en nuestra Plaza de Mercado de Caicedonia, Valle.
Compártela para que lleguen a más personas nuestras tradiciones y nuestra gente.
- Majestade! Majestade!!!
Aine estava no jardim brincando com Lissa quando viu Brynne chegar de repente, um tanto ofegante e com um semblante preocupado. Viu a menina se ajoelha diante de si e aquilo a aborreceu de imediato.
Brynne já estava no mundo humano a mais de um ano e ainda sim a tratava como da realeza. Aquilo titulo já não a pertencia e mesmo assim a fada continuava a trata-la como Rainha de Hyule.
Aine era uma pessoa relativamente calma e poucas coisas a aborreciam, mas Brynne as vezes tinha o dom de acabar com sua tranquilidade.
- Pelo amor de Deus Brynne... pare de me chamar assim.
- M-mas Rainha...
- Aine! Por favor... me chame apenas de Aine.
- M-mas...senhora...
- Você nunca vai mudar não é? - Suspirava longamente, sem muita paciência. Estava a um mês de Aislin nascer e começava a ficar ansiosa. As emoções estavam intensas de mais no ultimo mês. - O que foi Brynne...? O que você deseja?
- Majestade... ele está aqui...
- Ele?
- O Rei minha senhora... Está aqui! Está no mundo humano!!
- N-nao é possivel...! - Alarmada puxava Lissa pra mais perto de forma protetora e tocava a barriga que Aislin havia acabado de chutar ao sentir a apreensão da mãe.
- Ele cansou de esperar majestade. Eu lhe disse... ele não iria esperar por muito mais tempo... recebi o comunicado de sua chegada agora mesmo.
- Brynne... ele não pode saber! Se descobrirem agora... antes dela nascer. Vão tira-la de mim, nunca vão aceita-la sem saber o que ela é! Você... você contou a ele?
- Não!! Nunca faria isso. Nunca as colocaria em perigo assim. Mas temo não poder ajudar mais. Tentei mante-lo longe o máximo que pude, juro por Hyule, eu tentei protege-la.
- Mamãe...? - Abraçava mais forte sem entender o que estava acontecendo
- Brynne... quero que leve Lissa pra dentro. Deixe-a com a Lilith. Vishous está na Irmandade agora, o que é uma benção nesse momento... não sei como ele reagiria. Leve-a... e fique lá.
- Sim majestade. Venha Lissa... - Pegava a menina nos braços, que não queria se separar de Aine, mas que por fim a largou, assim ambas deixaram Aine sozinha no jardim, perdida em seus pensamentos.
“Então, de repente, sem pretender, respirou fundo e pensou que era bom viver. Mesmo que as partidas doessem, e que a cada dia fosse necessário adotar uma nova maneira de agir e de pensar, descobrindo-a inútil no dia seguinte - mesmo assim era bom viver. Não era fácil, nem agradável. Mas ainda assim era bom. Tinha quase certeza.”
— Caio Fernando Abreu.
Todos os direitos reservados ©
Outside a Panera. A day late and a dollar short! This man was yelling for all to get on the right path.
In two weeks time I will host a workshop in Central London explaining how I create images like this. There are still a few seats left, so contact me or check my site for details: dracorubio.com/pages/workshop
Axe: [Bad Unicorn] 8-BIT Battle Axe - @ACCESS - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ACCESS/41/129/21
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cravone/129/199/26
Eyes: .:.Pariah.:. Remix & Repent HD Eyes - @GothCore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CORE/128/241/3501
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Digital%20Frontier/202/221/23
Make Up: +Aura De La Luna+ Clown Makeup - @GothCore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CORE/128/241/3501
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Copper%20Mountain/222/62/2707
Nose Plug: **DrippyRizz** - @GothCore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CORE/128/241/3501
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Greatland/147/179/2000
Tattoo: KAOS TATTOO .:: > AGONY< ::. - main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Devils%20Landing/143/227/23
Outfit: Wicked - Isabella Set - @GothCore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CORE/128/241/3501
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Starfish%20Isle/129/174/37
Stockings: NANITAS DESIGNA - Moonia Stockings - @GothCore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CORE/128/241/3501
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/xLUMINOUS%20HALLWAYx/185/9...
Eyeball Bat: [FROST] Demon Eye - @GothCore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CORE/128/241/3501
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TOKYO%20ZERO/80/128/3186
Potato Buds: Aardvark : Tater Terrors - @ Spookzilla Hunt -
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Melusine/11/132/22
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Peaceful%20Shore/245/13/1503
Backdrop: The Bearded Guy - Cursed Laughs Backdrop PBR - main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moonwall/169/121/32