View allAll Photos Tagged Self-Control
What better to wait in than my new erratic - Eden crimson suspender and applier stockings + KC Gabriella heels. Erratic's 50% off sales are a dangerous place for me. I have a serious lack of self control. I am lounging on the Stockholm & Lima Argonaut Lounge. It's a wonderful piece!
eden lingerie crimson SET
12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Th 2:12.
I am supposed to be trying to lose some weight, but one of Peter's friends gave him two huge boxes of these Lindt Caramel chocolates. We divided one box amongst the family and still have a box to go. I am showing a lot of self control and limiting myself to one a day, but it does look like I will have to give more away LOL. They are yummmmmmmmmy.
11 aTeach me your way, O LORD,
that I may bwalk in your truth;
cunite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 86:11–13.
"Плод же Духа: любовь, радость, мир, долготерпение, благость, милосердие, вера, кротость, воздержание. На таких нет закона ... Те, которые Христовы, распяли плоть со страстями и похотями" (Гал. 5:22-24).
I've had lots of 'thinking time' over the last week or so, mostly trying to formulate a plan to have some control over the M.E that has forced me to rest up and think.
Also: TOTW: Pieces of me
Scavenger hunt: debt (high energy activities leave me with an energy debt)
the barred owl was being tortured by the robins and I guess lost its self control and took one of them out and fed it to its offspring, interesting to see this little guy feed for himself after mom had fed him for a few mins
(The Killers)
This is the world that we live in
I feel myself get tired
This is the world that we live in
Well, maybe I was mistaken
I heard a rumor that you quit this day and age
Well, maybe I was mistaken
Bless your body, bless your soul
Pray for peace and self control
I gotta believe it's worth it
Without a victory I'm so sanctified and free
Well, maybe I'm just mistaken
Lesson learned
And the wheels keep turning
This is the world that we live in
I can't take blame for two
This is the world that we live in
And maybe we'll make it through
Bless your body, bless your soul
Reel me in and cut my throat
Underneath the waterfall
Baby, we're still in this, oh, yeah
This is the world that we live in
I feel myself get tired
This is the world that we live in
I had a dream that I was falling down
There's no next time, alone
A storm wastes its water on me
But my heart was free
I guess it's the world that we live in
It's not too late for that
This is the world that we live in
And no, we can't go back
This is the world that we live in
I still want something real
This is the world that we live in
I know that we can heal over time
This is the world that we live in
This is the world that we live in
Remember that it is not only what we say (the content), but how we say it (tone, inflection, body language) that is crucial in avoiding damaging words.
Consequences of Using Hurtful Words
1. Words used inappropriately can bring hurt, even destruction, into the lives of all involved.
Leviticus 19:16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD. (NIV)
Obadiah 1:12 You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. (NIV)
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity. (NASB) (See verses 5–12.)
Exodus 23:1; Proverbs 13:3; 26:20–22; Galatians 5:14–15
2. Using words appropriately will safeguard our daily walk with God.
Psalm 15:1–3 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one … who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others. (NIV)
Psalm 24:3–4; Isaiah 33:15–16
3. Gossip and unwholesome speech produce ungodly results.
Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (NLT)
Galatians 5:15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. (NLT)
Proverbs 21:23; Matthew 12:35–36; 2 Timothy 2:16–17; James 3:11
4. Gossip is included in lists of disturbing sins.
2 Timothy 3:2–3 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal. (NASB)
Psalm 50:16–20; Romans 1:28–29
Avoiding Use of Hurtful Words
1. We must choose carefully the words we use—a reasoned, Spirit-led response.
James 1:26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (NIV)
1 Peter 3:10 Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. (NIV)
Psalm 17:3; 1 Peter 2:1
2. Choosing not to associate with gossips is wise.
Proverbs 20:19 A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers. (NLT)
Psalm 141:3–4 Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. (NLT)
3. Damaging words must be replaced with positive, productive words.
Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV)
Proverbs 12:18; 16:24; 17:9
Responding to Words That Hurt
1. God is our best refuge when others use words that hurt.
Psalm 31:19–20 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. (NKJV)
Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. (NASB)
Psalm 62:5–7; 140:12
2. A plan for relief.
Proverbs 12:16 A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. (NLT)
Psalm 120:1–2 I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. Rescue me, O LORD, from liars and from all deceitful people. (NLT)
Luke 6:27–28 But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. (NLT)
Psalm 119:69; Romans 12:17–21
Biblical Narratives
• Hannah, hurt deeply by words, 1 Samuel 1:1–18
• Jesus, his controlled response, 1 Peter 2:21–23
Practical Steps
• If you have the problem of using harsh words, be willing to admit that it is sin, no more excuses. Confess and ask forgiveness from God. Ask your wife, children, and others to forgive you.
• Commit to obeying commands of nonretaliation and responding peacefully. See Matthew 5:38–44 and Romans 12:14, 17.
• To help break the sinful pattern of gossip, write on a card, “What is my motivation for sharing this?” Keep this close at hand to monitor your conversations throughout the day.
• Avoid places where gossip often occurs, such as break rooms at work.
• If someone begins to gossip, have the courage to explain tactfully that you prefer not to listen and then walk away, or just walk away.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 327–330.
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of ahinsa - nonviolence - towards all living beings, and emphasizes spiritual independence and equality between all forms of life. Practitioners believe that nonviolence and self-control are the means by which they can obtain liberation. Asceticism & renouncing of all worldly pleasures is thus a major focus of the Jain faith.
These Jain Sadhvis (Ascetics) were literally glowing with their strong belief seen in their brisk walk, totally oblivious of the cacophony & chaos on a busy Surat main road. The backlit shimmer accentuated the golden aura that these deeply pious & holy Sadhvis emanated as they purposefully walked on their illuminated path.
Taken at the Scott Kelby World Wide PhotoWalk, Surat on 11th October 2014
This [sense of spiritual abandonment] is one of the most bitter sufferings of this purgation. The soul is conscious of a profound emptiness in itself, a cruel destitution of the three kinds of goods, natural, temporal, and spiritual, which are ordained for its comfort. It sees itself in the midst of the opposite evils, miserable imperfections, dryness and emptiness of the understanding, and abandonment of the spirit in darkness.
John of the Cross
Mark Water, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations (Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd, 2000), 2.
Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent
71 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
3 Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 71:1–6.
16 Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
hand find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Je 6:16.
"Only fools and freaks have no enemies."
You need to have self-control and endurance so as not to lose heart and not surrender to the enemy. As a rule, enemies are people who have not lived up to your trust and love. To resist the enemy, you need to love him, but keep him at a safe distance. The enemy is a spider that poisons your life, making it unbearable.
Angelinka is wearing a black and red neon cyber-suit A&Y and Arachness black widow, TCoD shoes, Poison Rouge headpiece, Diaboli Design mask and accessories. She is surrounded by Tarantula and Arachnoid spiders.
Angelinka, wearing a spider costume, wants to remind her enemies who they are like in their desire to harm her. Stay away and do not become poisonous spiders yourself!
Ever-Present Love
Deuteronomy 31:6; Psalm 71:5
Mountains, when in darkness hidden, are as real as in day, and God’s love is as true to you now as it was in your brightest moments.
CHARLES SPURGEON
Elliot Ritzema and Elizabeth Vince, eds., 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Modern Church (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
[Galatians 5:22-26 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
I Am the Good Shepherd
10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, che will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is ha hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because khe is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and tthey will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 10:1–18.
Today I thought I’d share a popular Bible verse from Galatians 5:22, 23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” I believe this verse purposely starts with love, because you can’t really have any of these other virtues without it. Love is foundational; it’s what relationships are built on.
When doing this shot I was thinking how this fence would be a floppy mess without the posts, how there would be no stability. I kind of see love that way, like the fence posts in life. Love is ongoing…we are constantly pouring love into relationships if we want them to grow; it’s not a one time thing, it takes a lot of fence posts so to say. Just as it takes hard work to build fences, it takes hard work to build relationships, especially if you want solid healthy relationships. Going back to the fence post analogy, you can skimp out and dig your posts down one foot and your fence may look okay for a while but give it a bit of time and it’ll soon flop over and be a mess or you can do it properly and dig them down four feet, it takes more work and time but it builds a secure and strong fence. This is the difference between shallow love and unconditional love, when the storms of life come there is no stability in shallow love because it was never really love in the first place. But then there is deep unconditional love, the kind of love that weathers through the storms and remains strong and intact.
“Dig your fence posts deep and they’ll remain standing.”
I'd been meaning to take pictures with this incredible creation from L+N so what better time to than now?
The nice thing about these Bandanas are that they are both transferable and modifiable. Great for the creative types!
I've decided just to upload these exactly as I have taken them without finessing in post. Please feel free to use them in your pile-ups if you feel so inspired!
Credits :
L+N Signature Minotaur Male Bandana 2012 Men
Glam Affair Renee - Dreary Soul 01
IKON Acension Eyes - Glacier (S)
22769 : Femme Body Scarf (White) at TGGS
Zibska Hair Fair gift : Fleurette Shadow - Red (Makeup)
B@R Self Control (Top and Bottom Cage Parts + Bangles)
Pose by Del May
Week 5 /52
Shiva is the god of the yogis, self-controlled and celibate, while at the same time a lover of his spouse (Shakti). Lord Shiva is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver, after which Brahma again creates the world and so on. Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of destroying the ego, the false identification with the form. This also includes the shedding of old habits and attachments.
While of course many hindu deities are associated with different paths of yoga and meditation, in Shiva the art of meditation takes its most absolute form. In meditation, not only mind is stopped, everything is dropped. In deep meditation or samadhi, even the object of the meditation (like a mantra) is transformed into its formless essence, which is the essence of everything and everyone. Thus Shiva stands for letting go of everything in the world of forms. The path of Lord Shiva is the path of the ascetic yogi.
Tribute to Shiva
Production Assistant - Nádia Carvalho
Wardrobe - Glória Teixeira
Makeup - Bárbara Silva
Photography - Carlos Neto
[published on 1x.com]
Flint is really good when it comes to self control and food. I've trained him so that I can have a piece of steak pressing against his mouth, tell him to wait, and he will wait until I give him the OK. But, all that training went out the window when he saw those marshmallows! He tried to eat every single one of them and I eventually had to use a marshmallow just to get his attention, haha. My "lame" lamb jerky just wasn't doing the trick anymore!
Also, Flint and I had a really exciting month! Flint went viral earlier this month and was featured in ABC News, the Huffington Post, the Daily Mail and other publications around the world. And we are working together with Willow Creek Press (publisher of Seth Casteel's Underwater Dogs calendar) to put together a Flint calendar and a Flint book, both coming out in May 2014. It's all been really amazing and exciting and I feel so lucky and blessed! I only wish my mom, who passed away unexpectedly very recently, could have seen all of this unfold. She would have gotten a kick out it! :)
I hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
i realise that when you buy fruit for a school project to photograph, it's obviously also a calling to take a photo of one of them to use in your 365. especially strawberries :P
and omg i love strawberrehs
i've not had them in so long and they were DELICIOUS nomnomnom. i wish i'd "expanded" this. i love the bokeh those trees create - no matter how annoying they are in the summer when youre trying to enjoy the sun
and i just want to take this oppurtunity to thank all of you
you're all so supportive and encouraging every single day, even the days where i give nothing back. i apologise for the times i dont have time to reply to fms (lololol), comments and such, as i really should. but i have to say i absolutely adore what everyones done today - it is all seriously gorgeous. (my favourites are gonna soar tonight, ha)
so thank you :)
uhm not sure what else to say
other than i've eaten too much. as usual. yup yup.
1 Timothy 1:15
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Ti 1:15.
Luke 11:9–13 (ESV)
9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. " 2 Corinthians 5:17
As part of salvation, faithfulness is the result of all things becoming new. The world is the same, but our understanding and thinking about all things is new because our hearts have been changed. God is now the center of our lives.
Faithfulness is steadfastness, constancy, or allegiance; it is carefulness in keeping what we are entrusted with; it is the conviction that the Scriptures accurately reflect reality.
"for we walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7
This does not mean we are blind to the things of this life and this world. It means that we see, process and understand through the perspective of God's truth.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." Hebrews 11:1-3
In this way, though the world follows their path, we are able to walk differently, trusting completely in God and depending on His Word.
"Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
This Thanksgiving we can thank God for the gift of faith through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
__________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Previously - www.flickr.com/photos/mark-of-falworth/14261785394/
Mark plunged his hand into the searing heat, and with the fury of desperation, he snatched the iron bar from above the boiling pit.
He quickly tossed the fiery rod under the stone bench and clenched his burnt appendage.
The desire to scream from the intense pain was unbearable!
Using the last shred of his self-control, he restrained himself. The slightest noise would ruin his chances of escape.
It would be at least half an hour until the bar would be cool enough to use. He could almost taste it... freedom was close at (burnt) hand!
--To Be Continued!--
I'm sure you've all seen this MOC already but there's just a little more story to go! So stay tuned! ;)
Self-Control Displaying Kennedy Worried K2 Doesn't Understand Concept Of Personal Space - IMRAN™
Just sharing some of the early videos from K2;'s first day home in Apollo Beach. FL. This one was funny because when K2 was not pouncing on Kennedy to play he wanted to be close to him. Kennedy is a very playful dog but must have his personal space, which K2 does not believe in. You can see poor Kennedy seeming to force himself into self-control and not snapping at K2 or going to another spot, knowing K2 would follow him there too!
© 2020 IMRAN™
#ApolloBeach, #dogs, #Florida, #GermanShepherd, #GSD, #Home, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #iPhone, #K2, #Kennedy, #puppy, #animals, #pets,
BaD 8/5
Mei: Can you tell me about the shadow man?
Louis: You don't need any voodoo it will only get you into trouble, you gotta dig a little deeper like Mama Odie says
Money ain't got no soul
Money ain't got no heart
All you need is some self-control
Make yourself a brand new start
You gotta dig a little deeper
Don't have far to go
You gotta dig a little deeper
Tell the people Mama told you so
Can't tell you what you'll find
Maybe love or grant you a piece of mind
Dig a little deeper and you'll know
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from jspeaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and lpursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 34:8–15.
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
The month of fasting
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Islam uses a lunar calendar—that is, each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar used elsewhere, Islamic holidays "move" each year. In 2015, Ramadan begins at sundown on June 18th.
For more than a billion Muslims around the world—including some 8 million in North America—Ramadan is a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity. Ramadan focuses on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah (God).
Why this Month?
Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. Around 610 A.D., a caravan trader named Muhammad took to wandering the desert near Mecca (in today's Saudi Arabia) while thinking about his faith. One night a voice called to him from the night sky. It was the angel Gabriel, who told Muhammad he had been chosen to receive the word of Allah. In the days that followed, Muhammad found himself speaking the verses that would be transcribed as the Qur'an.
At many mosques during Ramadan, about one thirtieth of the Qur'an is recited each night in prayers known as tarawih. In this way, by the end of the month the complete scripture will have been recited.
Fasting
Muslims practice sawm, or fasting, for the entire month of Ramadan. This means that they may eat or drink nothing, including water, while the sun shines. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam. As with other Islamic duties, all able Muslims take part in sawm from about age twelve.
During Ramadan in the Muslim world, most restaurants are closed during the daylight hours. Families get up early for suhoor, a meal eaten before the sun rises. After the sun sets, the fast is broken with a meal known as iftar. Iftar usually begins with dates and sweet drinks that provide a quick energy boost.
Fasting serves many purposes. While they are hungry and thirsty, Muslims are reminded of the suffering of the poor. Fasting is also an opportunity to practice self-control and to cleanse the body and mind. And in this most sacred month, fasting helps Muslims feel the peace that comes from spiritual devotion as well as kinship with fellow believers.
Eid al-Fitr
Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which in 2015 occurs on July 17. Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations (the other occurs after the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca). At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family.
A sense of generosity and gratitude colors these festivities. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance at the end of Ramadan. As the month draws to a close, Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and making contributions to mosques.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJXier3vm4
My Ransom
What fear can overtake my vision
What doubt can overcome my faith
What strife can silence all my singing
Lord, your wounds have paid my ransom
What thief can steal my hearts possession
What power can overwhelm my soul
What shame can silence my confession
Lord, Your wounds have paid my ransom
And what unspeakable mercy
Has emptied heaven’s reserve
And what Redeemer so worthy
Has covered sin with such love
And what unsearchable riches
Far beyond You, my words
Lord, Your wounds
What lie can sever what is certain
What storm can wash away my hope
What threat of death can take my freedom
Lord, Your wounds have paid my ransom
And what unspeakable mercy
Has emptied heaven’s reserve
And what Redeemer so worthy
Has covered sin with such love
And what unsearchable riches
Far beyond You, my words
Lord, Your wounds
Written by Phil Madiera, Cindy Morgan / Cliff Duren. Sheet music available from JW Pepper.
About the Performers
Doxology is the a cappella vocal ensemble of the Department of Biblical Worship at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Doxology performs for various churches and colleges across the United States and sings a variety of styles, including traditional, a cappella, jazz, and gospel, all of which are represented in O Great Redeemer. The album was engineered by Steve Cook of Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Stoicism (Greek Στοά) was a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC. The Stoics considered destructive emotions to be the result of errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions. Stoics were concerned with the active relationship between cosmic determinism and human freedom, and the belief that it is virtuous to maintain a will (called prohairesis) that is in accord with nature. Because of this, the Stoics presented their philosophy as a way of life, and they thought that the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how he behaved. Later Stoics, such as Seneca and Epictetus, emphasized that because "virtue is sufficient for happiness," a sage was immune to misfortune. This belief is similar to the meaning of the phrase 'stoic calm', though the phrase does not include the "radical ethical" Stoic views that only a sage can be considered truly free, and that all moral corruptions are equally vicious.
Stoic doctrine was a popular and durable philosophy, with a following throughout Greece and the Roman Empire, from its founding until the closing of all philosophy schools in 529 AD by order of the Emperor Justinian I, who perceived their pagan character to be at odds with the Christian faith.
The Stoics provided a unified account of the world, consisting of formal logic, non-dualistic physics and naturalistic ethics. Of these, they emphasized ethics as the main focus of human knowledge, though their logical theories were to be of more interest for many later philosophers.
Stoicism teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions; the philosophy holds that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker allows one to understand the universal reason (logos). A primary aspect of Stoicism involves improving the individual’s ethical and moral well-being: "Virtue consists in a will which is in agreement with Nature."[This principle also applies to the realm of interpersonal relationships; "to be free from anger, envy, and jealousy," and to accept even slaves as "equals of other men, because all alike are sons of God."
The Stoic ethic espouses a deterministic perspective; in regards to those who lack Stoic virtue, Cleanthes once opined that the wicked man is "like a dog tied to a cart, and compelled to go wherever it goes." A Stoic of virtue, by contrast, would amend his will to suit the world and remain, in the words of Epictetus, "sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy," thus positing a "completely autonomous" individual will, and at the same time a universe that is "a rigidly deterministic single whole."
Stoicism became the foremost popular philosophy among the educated elite in the Hellenistic world and the Roman Empire, to the point where, in the words of Gilbert Murray "nearly all the successors of Alexander [...] professed themselves Stoics."