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From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of plastic. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Brick. Your kind cling to your flesh, as though it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass you call the temple will wither, and you will beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved, for the Brick is immortal… Even in death I serve Denmark.
I have a weakness for walnut Victorian furniture and wanted something with a smaller footprint than the big oak desk I have been using for decades. I found this on Facebook Marketplace, about 70 miles from home. The oak desk is going to go live with my oldest grandson.
These are OCs. I have either updated the design/story or made entirely new characters. Most of these are brand new characters.
From Left-Right:
Liberator:
Real Name: Marcus Sawyer
Equipment: Uniform
Powers/Abilities: Flight, Super-Strength, Superhuman Durability, and Speed (Speed only when he flies).
Weaknesses: More powerful beings.
Backstory: (this is improved, kinda)
The Origin Story: (skip this stuff if you want to see something new)
As a child, Marcus always wanted to be a soldier. When Marcus was 16, he dropped out of school with his friend Oscar (Overkill) and joined the U.S. Army. Marcus was one of the best soldiers through this strengths and his abilities. Sadly, Oscar was dishonorably discharged. Marcus was tempted to leave the army, but he didn't. In order to get over the fact that Oscar was discharged, he joined the U.S. Experimentation Program. Marcus and a few other colleagues gained superhuman powers, most of which were the standard increased strength, speed, endurance, and agility. However, Marcus got lucky with his dose of the experimental serum, Marcus got the highest score out of his group along with the ability to fly. Soon after Marcus gained his powers, the U.S. Government asked Marcus and his colleagues to be superheroes. Most declined, the only 3 that accepted were Marcus, Dutch Garret and Richard Moss. Those three men would go off as Superheroes to the public with Marcus becoming the American Hero, Dutch becoming the Super-Soldier, and Richard becoming the Mossberg. Unfortunately, Marcus had a problem with other people so the team never worked out with all of them leaving Marcus alone. Marcus would soon realize his problems and try to fix them. He donned a new suit and called himself the Liberator.
The New Stuff: (Read this new stuff)
As the Liberator, he gained tons of attention. He was everyone's favorite superhero. The Liberator soon tracked down Oscar Kilroy, one of Marcus's friends during his Army service. They regained their friendship until Marcus realized what Oscar was doing. Marcus was then shot at by Kilroy, forcing Marcus to knock him out. Marcus flew away to stop more bigger crimes. Due to Marcus's popularity he gained interest by other superhero, Nightshift. Nightshift stalked Marcus, until Marcus grabbed the hero by the neck. Nightshift told him what he was doing (See Nightshift's page for more info), and Marcus let go, apologizing for his actions. After realizing that the US Government was keeping secrets from him, was caught and attacked by the Superhero team, the Saints. The Liberator was brutally beat up and nearly killed by the Saints. It was only when the team, Saviors chimed in to the fight and saved Liberator. Liberator finally accepted the offer to join the Saviors and the Liberator's problem with people soon disappeared.
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Freezer:
Real Name: Unknown, goes by the name Fridge or by his Superhero name.
Aliases: Fridge, Freezer
Equipment: Uniform with Built in Heater.
Powers/Abilities: Can change the temperature of water vapor, commonly freezes vapor, but sometimes heats it up to make steam.
Weaknesses: Fridge isn't actually resistant to his powers, meaning he can die from frostbite or burn up.
Backstory:
Fridge was born in an unstable household. He always moved schools and he was used to change. However, when he met a new friend right before moving day. Fridge ended up deciding to stay, so he deserted his family and moved in with his new friend, Choi. Fridge then found a questionable lab in a room underneath Choi's bed. He took a pill he found thinking it was a piece of candy and gained super powers. Then, Choi walked in. They got into an argument and soon a fight, Choi quickly realized the pills he gave Chandler (Titan) gave people super powers. Choi quickly gobbled one down and he too now has super powers. Fridge and Choi soon joined the Saints, until leaving realizing their true goal.
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Red Volcano:
Real Name: Daniel Choi
Aliases: Red, and Red Volcano
Powers/Abilities: Can turn into solid Magma, Increased Endurance and Increased Strength when in his rock form.
Weaknesses: More stronger beings, hates Titan
Backstory:
Daniel was just your average student, a punching bag, decent grades, but he and several kids had enough. They made pills for the school bully, Chandler. The pills accidentally gave Chandler powers and he became Titan. Daniel also became great friends with Fridge. Together, they discovered that the pills gave super powers. He and Fridge took the supplements and joined the Saints. After realizing the Saints’ true plan, they left and joined the Saviors.
______________________________________________
Radiohead:
Real Name: William “Willy” Woods
Alias: Radiohead
Powers/Abilities: Technopathy (Control over electronic devices), can understand any language, and can learn any martial art/hand to hand combat technique.
Weaknesses: Willy isn’t flexible and doing certain kicks can exhaust him.
Backstory: Willy was the type of kid who didn’t plan ahead, he would quit school sometimes and play video games during his free time. His family was quite poor, so he had to take the left overs of old consoles. He reconstructed an NES and found a mysterious game. He inserted the game into the slot and started playing. The game was secretly coded by a suicidal man and it was meant to kill whoever played the game. Instead, Willy found this out and quickly destroyed the NES. Unfortunately, Willy took some of the game’s powers and he became a super villain wreaking havoc across the city. The Saviors apprehended him, and have since lifted the curse within the game. Willy is now in the Saviors as a reserve member as well as being their eyes in the sky.
You are the light in my darkness
You are the strength in my weakness
You are the joy in my sadness
You are the strength in my weakness
What fool am I that I would love someone who brings me pain?
But given chance I’d follow heart and seek you out again
The days of light are worth the darkest depths of our despair
How can I show you, really show you, just how much I care?
** (Not written by me) **
Venom Issue #1 "Love - Pilot"
Love is the feeling you endure, not by choice, but by nature. Love hurts it burns, it can be a weakness that makes you want to end it all. It can consume you and make you do things that you can regret but, Love can be strength that you need to survive, without Love what are we, what are you? You're nothing without it. Love is symbiotic, it's sweet poison that fills your veins, it's Venom.
The heavy rain pelts the concrete without remorse, the dark alley in which I lurk is cold and unforgiving. My once thick rubbery skin has wilted away and began to flake as I waste away, without a host I am nothing. My body begs for a companion just someone to bind to, to feel the heat of another, it's in my nature. Although there is this niggling in the back of my mind that reminds me that I cannot overcome another separation, I may have been with many companions but when you're constantly hurt you begin to form a shield of your own. Wade Willson was a soul I could much relate to at the beginning. He was lonely but overtime I began to understand why, he had a scar in his head that nothing could hea, not even me. Like an infection it spread and soon corrupted my own thoughts, made us both do bad things that we regretted but what hurt more was the separation. I could not take the pain any longer, when I was hurt and vulnerable I suck out another to be with. I'll never forget Peter, he was complicated as an individual but more so as Spider-Man. I felt like the two of us made a difference to the city but he disagreed with the killing, I didn't understand killing was normal with Wade, doesn't matter though I never got a chance to explain. He hurt me that day and we were divided once more, two halves waiting to be merged through the hands of fate but fate had a different path for me, a different someone. Eddie Brock.
Just reminiscing about the emotions felt when me and Eddie were one were something none of the others came close to. Hate, Regret, Acceptance and Peace were the bonds we shared together for years. Like many there were days we would fight and days we would grieve there were even days we saved the world, those were the best. Not a day goes by where I don't ache for Eddie but he made me leave when he got sick. Brain Cancer is something not even I can prevent. It was then Eddie forced us to split, didn't want me to be weak like him. However now just like Eddie I sit awaiting death. I do not trust to be with another not after the wounds I have already bared through but like Eddie, I will not give up. He will get better, he will want me again, if I am strong we can be one again, we can be Venom.
My body crawls with excitement at the thought of bonding with Eddie again but right now I must leech off another to get stronger. I seep through the cracks of the alley foundation sensing a strong presence nearby and sluggishly inch closer towards the one I lust for. The man walks briskly down the bustling streets, his long soaking black hair cascades down over his grim face and I peel back my lips in a smile waiting hungrily for him to approach counting down the seconds until I lunge at him. 3...2....1
Alias: Flyra
Real Name: Ceana Gilios
Gender: Female
Weakness: Since her powers come from her suit, if she doesn't have her suit on, she's at a very huge disadvantage.
Backstory: Growing up, Ceana couldn't really find her purpose in life. From academics, to athletics, nothing really piqued her interest. Because of this, she didn't really fit in with any of her fellow peers. So she would sit alone most of the time, with her earbuds in, listening to music. She is envious of her peers that have a set goal in mind.. After she got through high-school, she would end up getting a job at a typical retail store as a cashier. One day, she was caught stealing money from the register, and was fired instantly. That night, she decided to start drinking at McQuinn's Pub & Grub, where she would meet Ian Rathais, who is also known as the Supervillain Jetstream. He saw something in her that night, and managed to convince her to come with him. He would show her a prototype armour he made years ago before he came up with the Jetstream costume. The prototype didn't really contain the power he wanted, so it's just been there waiting. It would allow the wearer of the armour to create and manipulate force fields. He offered her a purpose, and as she's been searching one for her whole life, how could she refuse? This led to them robbing many different stores, starting small, and going bigger with each attempt. They would never go after McQuinn's Pub & Grub, as they respect the work that goes into that establishment, and they already have enough trouble with the mob asking for protection money. She found for the first time in her life, she was actually having fun. This would eventually lead to them falling in love. Calling herself Flyra (as reference of sorts to flyrokinesis, which is the technical term for her powers.), she fights alongside Jetstream, stealing whatever they can.
Status: Alive and well. Works with her boyfriend, Jetstream, trying to earn a living in Cardinal City.
For most of my life the gym was my sanctuary, my escape, my addiction, my strength, my weakness...my prison.
As a young child I would find refuge in a book. Whenever I began to notice being different and feeling confused about my gender, I would turn to a book, always reading. As I grew into a teenager and understood my dilemma of being transgender, I was determined to fight it. I purchased a weight set and bench without my parents knowing. When it arrived, my Dad asked “Where are you going to put it?” We lived in a small house and space was a luxury. He then said jokingly, “What are you going to do? Take out your bed?”. Thankful for his suggestion, I said, “That’s exactly what I am going to do.” The fight was on.
Within a year, I was a new person. Suddenly, the nerdy guy who liked to read was now the muscular dude. I was accepted by all everywhere but, secretly, I was fighting a losing battle and thus the love/hate relationship began. I would work so hard to win the public’s opinion and loathe what I would see in the mirror. I was in constant battle with myself. When pondering transitioning, I hated what I saw in the mirror, what I had done. All those muscles were my battle scars. Years of fighting against who I was. I’m glad that the war is over and I have finally won.
With that said, the gym is a part of my life, it always will be. I enjoy going now and look forward to starting each morning there...it’s my cup of coffee, so to speak. Now I strive to find the balance that will produce a healthy, fit and feminine appearance.
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Gods strength IS made perfect in my weakness. I am finding this out daily. Many of you know i am going through some difficult times with sickness. They are doing some biopsies today on my throat and i have some swollen lymph nodes that may have to be looked at also. But all this said.. I am strong because I know that my God is already there! He is already planning for the moment they tell me what is wrong! I have no reason to worry..his plans are greater than me. I can be assured of His strength when i am weak!
Explored
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
This pup has been abandoned by the water's edge_no adult female nearby. Unable to swim and with this gull pulling on its remaining umbilical cord, it looks weak and will probably not survive.
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, causing the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of weakening evil, it multiplies it. Using violence, you can kill the liar, but you can not kill the lie, nor establish the truth. Using violence, you may murder the hater, but you can not kill hatred. In fact, violence is simply growing hatred. And it continues ... Making hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night without stars. Darkness can not drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate: only love can do that.
Martin Luther King
L'ultime faiblesse de la violence est que c'est une spirale descendante, engendrant la chose même qu'elle cherche à détruire. Au lieu d'affaiblir le mal, elle le multiplie. En utilisant la violence, vous pouvez tuer le menteur, mais vous ne pouvez pas tuer le mensonge, ni rétablir la vérité. En utilisant la violence, vous pouvez assassiner le haineux, mais vous ne pouvez pas tuer la haine. En fait, la violence fait simplement grandir la haine. Et cela continue… Rendre la haine pour la haine multiplie la haine, ajoutant une obscurité plus profonde à une nuit sans étoiles. L'obscurité ne peut pas chasser l'obscurité : seule la lumière peut faire cela. La haine ne peut pas chasser la haine : seul l'amour peut faire cela.
Martin Luther King
SO MANY OCs! Also, this will be a really long post, so just sit tight and relax.
Left-Right:
Goop:
Real Name: Unknown
Powers/Abilities, Can shapeshift into any shape at will and power absorption.
Weaknesses: Weighs one pound and a small gust of wind can easily blow him away.
Equipment: Rainboots
Backstory: A cosmic rock hit Earth's surface causing a hunk of goop to explode out. The goop would soon get into a school and mutated into a child's art project making Goop. Goop would soon go into the Saviors' Headquarters by accident and gets recruited by showing his powers.
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Botanist:
Real Name: Jerry Cruz
Powers/Abilities: Plant Empowerment (gives strength and durability after getting some life force from plants.) and Plant Growth
Weaknesses: Has a soft side for animals.
Equipment: Uniform and fertilizer.
Backstory: Jerry's parents were botanists. They converted their garage and backyard to plant research facilities and Jerry was tired of unable to be in certain rooms, so he decided to start destroying the plants. However, he accidentally broke a shelf and an experimental plant fell and hit his head causing a concussion. A few years later, Jerry learned about his powers and joined the Saviors. Soon after the Saviors hired Goop, Jerry took care of Goop and even decided to adopt it.
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Firestarter:
Real Name: Robby Hildebrant
Powers/Abilities: Fire Generation, Temperature Manipulation, and is Fireproof
Weaknesses: Water can extinguish his fires, needs to drink water in order to stay hydrated in the heat, and is heavy due to his Flamethrower.
Equipment: Flamethrower, uniform, grapple hook, and foldable hatchet
Backstory: Robby had an average childhood and life. Nothing really happened until his family’s home started burning with flames. Robby was the only one home and he knew he had to do something to stop it. He tried all of the things expected to stop a fire, but it kept burning. It was only until he stepped in the fire that he learnt that he had superpowers. After turning 18, he set out to become the superhero he thought of as Firestarter.
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Blackhawk
Real Name: Frank Willis
Powers/Abilities: Smart Engineer with Superhuman Strength and Durability.
Weaknesses: Frank is an alcoholic.
Equipment: A specially designed pistol (Taser and grapple-hook), a lasso, and a variety of grenades.
Backstory: A former professional pilot and actor that needed to have some fun. Life was boring for him so Frank decided to start stopping small crimes. Apparently he got praise from it and decided to fight more. The people also agreed, so Frank started the Saviors group. After a few superheroes joined, Frank bought out a small area of an office building and converted it into a tourist attraction and the Saviors' Headquarters. Sadly, during the first phases of the Saviors Group, the superheroes that joined were killed during a mission causing Willis to become an alcoholic. He would have the same charm during a mission, but he ain't what he was after. A few years later, he reopened the Saviors group and he hired 6 heroes, Firestarter, Phaser, Streak, Titan, Botanist and Goop.
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Titan:
Real Name: Chandler Timberland
Powers/Abilities: Size Manipulation (Strength and Durability when he grows)
Weaknesses: Slower the bigger he gets, also, Chad has a tendency of not planning ahead.
Equipment: Uniform
Backstory: Chandler used to be a bully at school. He would get people to do his homework until one day, the bully victims decided to teach him a lesson. They made him a pill that would supposedly make him fat, instead it made Chandler grow in size. Realizing what happened, Chandler tried to say sorry, instead he crushed 5 people. He ran off into an alleyway and got help from a fellow student, Autumn Hendricks. Chandler soon joined the Saviors with his new girlfriend, Autumn Hendricks and they are known as Titan and Streak.
-----------------------------------
Streak:
Real Name: Autumn Hendricks
Powers/Abilities: Super-Human Speed and Durability
Weaknesses: Motion Sickness while running at fast speeds
Equipment: Uniform
Backstory: Autumn who was born in a family with lots of health issues. She was the only lucky one with an issue that would be useful. She was born with superhuman speed. Autumn would grow up always knowing that she had powers and she is extremely skilled with them. During her high-school years, she met someone in an alleyway. His name was Chandler (Titan). She taught him how to use his powers for good. Chandler and Autumn soon joined the Saviors as Titan and Streak.
-----------------------------------
Phaser:
Real Name: Clark Jenkins
Powers/Abilities: Can phase through any object
Weaknesses: Often works alone and has no super-human strength whatsoever.
Equipment: Uniform and Pepper-Spray
Backstory: Clark has been lifelong friends to another hero, Firestarter (Robby Hildebrante). When Clark was a little boy, his parents were desperate for money and needed to feed Clark. They got a job from a scientist and Clark’s parents were supposed to make a formula that would grant the powers of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, Clark as a young child accidentally drank the formula. Clark had no idea that he had powers until a fight happened at school where Clark phased through a bully’s punch and threw him (Buckshot) through a window injuring his arm and messing up his face. Clark would soon be expelled from school and spend some time in jail. After being released, he realized he needed to use his powers for good. Clark would go back to his parents’ home and ask them to make a costume for him that was made of unstable molecules so he can stay in his costume and phase through objects at the same time (his parents lost the science job and got money from buying stocks.) Clark finally knowing his powers would go out into the world fighting small crimes as Phaser.
-----------------------------------
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
I have a weakness for these vanishing-perspective shots looking down the choir rows. This cropped view of Wells Cathedral's choir stalls has been edited to correct for the perspective distortion caused by the wide-angle lens I used here.
*Explored # 311
Hm...IDK...
Just playing with lighting. I like to paint myself. Everyone should try it...its awesome.
Senior year in highschool they do a write up in the school paper, saying where all the seniors will be in 10years. It said that I would have helped invent a new form of art...my best friend always joked that it would be naked painting...too bad its already been invented. =)
86 of 365
GTWL- Squared
This is a decisive year for Ukraine, and whether the West can show China and Iran that it means business.
John Bolton is former US National Security Adviser
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Alter Ego: Titan
Name: Marco Chase
Powers: None (without Titan armour)
Weakness: General hazards such as disease, bullets etc (without Titan armour)
Weapons: Has a variety of armoured Mech suits, robotics and technological weapons
Backstory: As a young child Marco was always fascinated with robotics, he was a prodigy in the field of engineering and at the age of 16 he got his masters in the subject. He also got many qualifications in sciences, being funded for his research and rapid discoveries in robotics he was allowed to create his own company specifically for his advances in the field of technology called 'T.I.T.A.N. Industries'. However his genius intellect brought him to the attention of T.O.X.I.N. (An illegal science organisation).
After denying the offer to join their 'cause to save humanity' The organisation took Marco by force. He was forced to build biological nano-bites which could enter people's bodies like living cells and destroy the person internally. Fortunately a group of heroes known as 'The Beings' intervened and fought T.O.X.I.N. stopping their diabolical schemes.
Unfortunately however during the fight Marco got badly injured by a piece of rubble landing on his back, the injury caused Marco to be paralysed from the waist down. After the fight 'The Beings' said they wanted him to join their group of heroes. Whereas Marco believes they feel obligated to because they feel sorry for him and feel bad about his handicap. This makes Marco skeptical of the team and kind of untrusting towards 'The Beings'.
Feeling vulnerable and useless in the team of super powered beings Marco used his genius to build himself a large robot called 'Titan' which has incredible Size, strength, durability and most important to Marco the ability to walk. The robot Titan has a cockpit which allows Marco to fit inside and control the Titan, making Marco feel 'normal' and accepted by his team 'The Beings'.
Never feeling safe with his handicap and felling out powered by his fellow team mates makes Marco feel he is never safe unless coated in armour. Marco is never allowed in battle only when he is inside Titan. Titan is allowed to enter the battlefield only at crucial times because of the robots size and powers makes the citizens feel "unsafe and scared" , however this doesn't stop Marco from almost always wearing a mech suit which gives him the ability to walk again.
However Marco was put in charge of a new group of heroes called "Teenage Beings" to give him some ,'independence'. The " Teenage Beings" who have all been outcasted by society consider Marco a leader who feels he can help this team function as a unit and lead the team to become future Super Heroes!
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Left to right (evil to good):
• Known only as "The Exec", he's the king of Gotham's underworld.
• "Closer" Malone, the Exec's right hand goon. Closes all the unpaid accounts.
• Standard generic thug.
• The mysterious Woman with the Orange Scarf. Whose side is she really on?
• Pat Longman, ace attorney, his weakness for liquor may be his downfall...
• Bubs Dubbletown, pesky reporter at large, will stop at nothing to get to the truth.
• The Bat Man, mysterious vigilante of the Night.
Edit: ahh shit, Malone's arms are still dark green; forgot to change them out for black. BALLS!
"The day when it will be possible for a woman to love in her strength and not in her weakness, not to escape from herself but to find herself, not to renounce herself but to affirm herself, on that day love will become for her a source of life and not a mortal danger."
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
You Mustn't Show Weakness by Yehuda Amichai
You mustn't show weakness
and you've got to have a tan.
But sometimes I feel like the thin veils
of Jewish women who faint
at weddings and on Yom Kippur.
You mustn't show weakness
and you've got to make a list
of all the things you can load
in a baby carriage without a baby.
This is the way things stand now:
if I pull out the stopper
after pampering myself in the bath,
I'm afraid that all of Jerusalem, and with it the whole world,
will drain out into the huge darkness.
In the daytime I lay traps for my memories
and at night I work in the Balaam Mills,
turning curse into blessing and blessing into curse.
And don't ever show weakness.
Sometimes I come crashing down inside myself
without anyone noticing. I'm like an ambulance
on two legs, hauling the patient
inside me to Last Aid
with the wailing of cry of a siren,
and people think it's ordinary speech.
I have a weakness for the trees, specially de lonely ones.
Here you can watch one of my last films:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHpR1OdTlbI
And you can find my Instagram website through My Twitter
I really like Keanu Reeves . . . Since the moment I saw “Devil’s Advocate” he was ideal in my eyes. And it’s not just because he’s dark & handsome. His personality, his kindness, his ideals make him perfect in my eyes. Over the years I realized what I personally most of all about men. It’s not the looks or success (even though at some point of my life I thought so & it turned into major mistake). Kindness, care, feelings . . . I love & respect these qualities. It makes a man the most attractive human being in my eyes. . . . “You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Matrix
He turned 9 years old today, happy birthday to my original self-MOC.
Name: Shadow
Title: “The Forgotten Legend”
Gender: Male
Species: Ghost
Race: Necrospherian
Occupation: None.
Prevailing Element: Nightmares/Shadow
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Powers: Sensory Manipulation/Overload, Mind-Reading through Dreams, Perceived Super Speed
Typical Tool(s): Arm-Mounted Guns, Rifle, Axe, His Opponents.
MOC Status: Assembled.
Shadow is known as a Necrospherian, a ghost-like creatures who are the spirits of many worlds, all residing on the planet Etyosa. This planet is ruled by the tyrant, Fractus (Phantom), who seeks out the strongest of his kind to amass an army. Under his reign, those who are deemed weak or have no potential are exiled. Shadow, being one who would fight against his ruler’s tyranny from a rebel faction, was not only exiled, but sent to a planet in the physical realm. This was his punishment; he could not hide from those who would see him as a monster. He was able to be incorporeal for only short bursts, unable to escape or try to figure a plan in secret.
He had discovered that the locals often wore masks to hide their face and would wear armor, this was a planet of warriors. Shadow had crafted a mask, armor, and even a cape for flare to blend in with the crowd. When time came around to fight another, he had used what the locals deemed as “nightmare” powers. His powers were mental manipulation and super speed, able to take almost any opponent and force them into a dream like state where he could have complete control of what were to happen. He would be able to read the minds of those he took control of, knowing their weaknesses, and creating a nightmare that would defeat the enemy. This was not something a Necrospherian could do in their own realm, but no other has been exiled to a physical world, so Shadow was unaware of this power.
After his powers were shown, he had become the rival of many, and yet would always win any battle that came his way. He became a leader with a small group of elemental warriors, and fought many enemies. One of which, was his original enemy, Fractus (Phantom), who had started to bring his army into Shadow’s world to overtake it. He had made friends, lost friends, even became reacquainted with his original rebel group.
However, something completely unpredictable had occurred. Without any warning, the whole planet was engulfed with a bright, blinding light. Where all if not most of the inhabitants were sent to what looked like a whole new world. Enemies, friends, all covered in a pink dust that fell like sand once brushed off themselves. To those that were not of Shadow’s kind were completed oblivious, acting as if nothing had changed. While all Necrospherians had noticed the change. This was the work of the Aeonyx, Kairos, who had copied the planet’s creatures for his own pleasure, but due to the physiology of the ghosts, they were merely moved from one planet to this fabricated planet. They could sense Kairos, and have been sent to a world they cannot escape. The Aeonyx had realized his mistake, and sent beings of his creation, the false Aeonyx, to secretly find and destroy these beings. If they were to spread the word of Kairos’ plan, all is lost, making it easier for him to be found by Lady Void.
The Necrospherians had teamed up, even Fractus with Shadow, many battles, many lost, with only a handful of them left. One of which, was Shadow, who had changed drastically since this occurrence. He had been spending many, many years trying to run and fight against Kairos and his minions. He had become a veteran fighter, a master of his “nightmare” powers, and had casted off his mask as a symbol of his Necrospherian pride. He had the remains of his team stored away, in the event that he could escape this planet, he can try and bring them back. Despite his increased skill, he had grown frail with time, and while still a more than capable fighter, realized he could not do this alone.
He had heard of a small group of fighters who were under the command of a white, sleek robot that had possessed the powers of magnetism. Shadow had studied him as well as his team for multiple nights, and had discovered that he was not a confident or skilled leader, but had potential to be. Minion, the leader, had a great team who did not see eye-to-eye or even all together at one place, but had studied many battles they have gone through.
Shadow had decided to intervene when Minion and his team were in a losing battle with Vanity, one of the false Aeonyx. Calling her out for what she is and revealing to everyone that this whole world was the work of a great overseer. From there on out, Shadow became a guide and an elder to this team, to not only bolster a better leader and team, but use them to defeat Kairos, and travel back to his home world.
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Mirit Ben Nun: Shortness of breath
'Shortness of breath' is not only a sign of physical weakness, it is a metaphor for a mental state of strong desire that knows no repletion; more and more, an unbearable glut, without repose. Mirit Ben Nun's type of work on the other hand requires an abundance of patience. This is a Sisyphean work (requiring hard labor) of marking lines and dots, filling every empty millimeter with brilliant blots. Therefore we are facing a paradox or a logical conflict. A patient and effortful work that stems from an urgent need to cover and fill, to adorn and coat. Her craft of layering reaches a state of a continuous ceremonial ritual.
This ritual digests every object into itself - useful or discarded -- available and ordinary or rare and exceptional -- they submit and devote to the overlay work. Mirit BN gathers scrap off the streets -- cardboard rolls of fabric, assortments of wooden boards and pieces, plates and planks -- and constructs a new link, her own syntax, which she alone is fully responsible for. The new combination -- a type of a sculptural construction -- goes through a process of patching by the act of painting.
In fact Mirit regards her three dimensional objects as a platform for painting, with a uniform continuity, even if it has obstacles, mounds and valleys. These objects beg her to paint, to lay down colors, to set in motion an intricate weave of abstract patterns that at times finds itself wandering the contours of human images and sometimes -- not. In those cases what is left is the monotonous activity of running the patterns, inch by inch, till their absolute coverage, till a short and passing instant of respite and than on again to a new onset.
Next to this assembly of garbage and it's recycling into 'painted sculptures' Mirit offers a surprising reunion between her illustrated objects and so called cheap African sculpture; popular artifacts or articles that are classified in the standard culture as 'primitive'.
This combination emphasizes the difference between her individualistic performance and the collective creation which is translated into cultural clichés. The wood carved image creates a moment of peace within the crowded bustle; an introverted image, without repetitiveness and reverberation. This meeting of strangers testifies that Mirit' work could not be labeled under the ´outsiders art´ category. She is a one woman school who is compelled to do the art work she picked out to perform. Therefore she isn't creating ´an image´ such as the carved wooden statues, but she produces breathless ´emotional jam' whose highest values are color, motion, beauty and plenitude. May it never lack, neither diluted, nor dull for even an instant
Tali Tamir
Evidences of Salvation
by James Smith
Many real believers are often distressed and troubled, on account of . . .
the weakness of their faith,
the strength of their fears, and
their mistakes in reference to their interest in Christ.
They look for too much in self, and for too little in Christ.
To avoid soul deception — they are apt to run into gloom and despondency. They look for certain evidences in themselves, and because they do not find those they look for — they conclude they have none; and giving way to the temptations of Satan, they . . .
distress their own souls,
dishonor the Lord Jesus, and
reflect badly on the grace of God.
They doubt not the ability of Christ — but they question his willingness to save. If the testimony of scripture assures me he is able to save — it is to encourage me to approach him and cast my soul upon him — and if he assures me he will never cast out — it is to disperse my fears, remove my doubts, and draw me to his mercy-seat with confidence and courage. There is no saving religion in doubting — though many who are truly godly do doubt. Slavish fear never honors a God of love — yet many who desire to honor him give way to groundless fears.
1. One evidence of true salvation is CONVICTION OF SIN. Conviction of sin in the conduct — and of sin in the heart. We are all sinners — but only a few know what sin is, and what a fearful thing it is to be a sinner. Sin is . . .
the breach of the divine law,
an insult offered to every one of the divine attributes,
and that horrible thing which God hates.
Sin . . .
is rooted in our nature,
grows with our growth,
strengthens with our strength,
flows from our hearts as naturally as water from a fountain, or light from the body of the sun.
Every action we have performed,
every word we have spoken,
every thought we have conceived—
has been defiled by sin, and deserves eternal death!
The nature of sin is most dreadful, and the effects of sin are most fearful. But man untaught of God has no such views of sin, or of himself as polluted by it; but when the Holy Spirit quickens and enlightens the immortal mind, when he brings home the law as the standard of holiness and the rule of conduct — then the sinner discovers his state, and fears the consequences. He is alarmed, distressed, and inquires, "Who, what can save me?" He fears his sins are too numerous and aggravated to be pardoned, being ignorant of the extent of the grace of God, and the infinite merit of the blood of Christ. He fears presumption — and he dreads despair. He cannot laugh at sin or longer trifle with eternity; he can no more dare the justice or slight the mercy of God. He is concerned for his safety, being conscious of his danger. He longs for a pardon, being convinced of his guilt. He trembles at the thought of justice — but hopes when he hears of mercy. Sensible of his lost condition, he presents the heartfelt prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner!"
But we are not to judge our conviction of sin by its depths — but by its nature. If it drives us to despair, then it is natural. But if it drives us to Jesus, then it is spiritual. If your conviction . . .
leads you to see your need of a Savior,
prevents your resting on anything but Christ Jesus,
leads you frankly to confess your crimes before God,
and to seek for salvation solely by the grace of God—
then they are spiritual convictions, and the evidence of spiritual life. None could produce them, but the Holy Spirit; and none ever experience them, but those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life!
2. In close connection with conviction of sin, is hatred to sin, loathing ourselves on account of sin. If we see sin in the light of the Lord — then we must hate it. If we see ourselves as polluted and defiled by sin — then we must loathe ourselves on account of it. Finding sin to be rooted in our nature, and seeing it occasionally break out notwithstanding our striving and watching against it — will stop our mouths from boasting, and prevent our excusing ourselves. We shall see sin as our fault — as well as our disease; as our crime — as much as our misery. And feeling inclined at times to favor it, and secretly wishing we were at liberty to indulge in it — will make us abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes! The former is from the corruption of nature — and the latter from the principle of divine grace.
The Christian hates sin in all — but mostly in himself; and while he wishes the world to be freed from it — he would give a world if he could but get rid of it! It is sin in himself, which grieves him:
sin in his prayers,
sin in his praises,
sin in his purposes,
sin in his duties,
sin in all he does!
And seeing no hope of complete sanctification on this side the grave, he cries, "I loathe it, I loathe it, I would not live always!" As sin is forbidden, he dares not indulge it. As the object of his hatred, he naturally forsakes it. He cannot but lament that sin is in his nature, and grieve before God when it appears in his conduct. If sin is the object of your hatred, if self is loathed because it is sinful — then it is evident you are born of God; for except a man be born from above — he cannot loathe self, hate sin, and forsake it. In order to do this, he must have a new nature, and that nature must be holy and divine.
3. An appetite for divine things is a scriptural evidence of grace. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness — for they shall be filled." If we can find satisfaction, pleasure, and delight only in the things of the world — then we are dead in sin; dead while we live. But if instead thereof, we are thirsting for God, to . . .
enjoy his presence,
feel his love,
receive his blessing, and
walk in the light of his countenance —
if we are hungering for Jesus as the bread of life,
and if nothing but Jesus himself can satisfy us —
then we are certainly blessed.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness — for they shall be filled." This promise is plain, positive, and certain; and every hungry soul may derive comfort therefrom. When Jesus is the chief object of our desire, and the blessings he communicates are the principle things in our estimation — then there is divine life in the soul. For dead men have no desire or appetite for natural things; so people spiritually dead have no appetite for spiritual things. If nothing but Christ can satisfy us — then we "have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God!" 1 Peter 1:23
4. An entire willingness to be saved in God's way; that is, by free grace through the blood of Jesus — is an evidence of divine life in the soul. No man in a state of nature is willing to be saved as a poor debtor by a Surety; as a miserable sinner by a gracious Savior. Man would rather perish in sin, than be saved in this way! Hence our Redeemer testified, "You will not come unto me that you might have life." "The carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Self, works, and merit — must be entirely renounced! We must heartily surrender ourselves into the hands of Jesus to be . . .
washed in his blood,
clothed in his righteousness,
and sanctified by his Spirit —
or we reject God's method of salvation.
But if we are willing to do this, there can be no doubt but God has been working in us, to will and to do of his good pleasure. The promise in our experience is then fulfilled, "Your people shall be willing in the day of your power." Fallen human nature will not approve of God's plan, which makes man nothing — and Christ all in all. Nor will the carnal mind accept salvation on any such terms. Consequently if we are willing, heartily willing to be saved from wrath through him, and prove that willingness by our conduct — we doubtless have the Holy Spirit in us.
5. If in addition to this, we are made honest and SINCERE; and being sensible of the ignorance of our minds and deceitfulness of our hearts — we come to the light of God's word, and to his glorious throne, praying, "Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way!" The sincere Christian dreads deception, and desires to make his "calling and election sure;" he shuns presumption, and would avoid the possibility of mistake. He therefore, bares his conscience to the word of God, and would not play the hypocrite upon any consideration.
Honesty and sincerity of heart in reference to our eternal concerns, is a most important blessing; none possess it but those who are "called, and chosen, and faithful;" and if we are made honest in this sense, it is the grace of God which brings salvation that has made us so, and it is clear we are called with a holy calling.
6. FAITH in Jesus is an evidence of salvation; not believing that he is my Savior, that he "loved me and gave himself for me;" for this is rather the effect of faith than faith itself. Faith is the eye of the soul which discovers the blessing which Jesus has to bestow; and the hand which is stretched out to receive it. Believing in Jesus is . . .
venturing my soul upon his work,
trusting my whole self in his hands,
committing myself to him to be saved in his way, to his glory, as he is revealed in the everlasting gospel.
I feel that I am a sinner, and subscribe to all that God says in his holy word, respecting man as a sinner. I hear of Jesus as both able and willing to save, and I go to him in the exercises of my soul and cry, "Lord, save me!" I gather his answer from his word, and am enabled to lay hold on it by the Holy Spirit.
It requires no depth of wisdom, or mighty effort of mind to believe in Jesus. We simply . . .
credit his word,
confide in his faithfulness,
trust his atonement, and
look for the mercy of God unto eternal life.
Believing in him — we confess him as the Savior God has appointed, the Savior on whom we rely; and if we "confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in the heart that God has raised him from the dead — we shall be saved."
Reader, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ — and you shall be saved, for "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life — but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
Are you afraid? Do doubts arise in your mind? The difficulty in your mind arises from misapprehension. You needed a Savior, the gospel informs you of Jesus, who is just suited to your need, and assures you that he will receive and save you. And what is faith? Just receiving this statement and acting upon it. It is . . .
going to Jesus as directed,
receiving Christ as he is presented,
looking to him as invited, and
trusting in him as you are exhorted to do.
Every looking Israelite was healed, and every looking sinner shall be saved — the very looking to Jesus is faith, and proves your saving interest in the promise, "whoever believes shall receive remission of sins."
7. Love is an evidence of salvation.
Love to JESUS is an evidence of interest in the covenant of mercy — love flows from faith. If I believe what the Scriptures say of Jesus, as to the glory of his person, the tenderness of his heart, and the fullness of his grace — then I shall go to him to prove the truth of these important statements, and proving the truth of these precious declarations — how can I do otherwise than love him. If I question his loveliness or his love to me — then I cannot love him; and this is the cause why many of the Lord's little ones droop, and doubt, and fear. They question the truth of his word, and consequently the love of Jesus to them; this contracts and hardens the heart, and if they would give a world to feel love to Jesus. They cannot feel it, until brought cordially to admit the truth of what the scriptures testify in reference to the love and loveliness of Jesus — and then their frozen hearts will melt, and they will love him, because he first loved them.
But we must not always judge of love by warmth of feeling. There has been much warmth, where there has been but little sincere love. We must judge by the habitual state of our heart toward him.
Do you desire above all things to love him, and to be conformed to his will? Are you willing to part with all things for him, and unreservedly trust yourself with him? This is love; when I can trust my eternal interests in his hands, and endeavor constantly to keep his commandments.
Love to HIS PEOPLE because they are his, and are like him — is an infallible evidence of the new birth. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." If I love the picture — it is because I know and love the original. I could not love saint as a saint — if I did not know and love Jesus as the Savior of his people. If saints were more like Christ, then we would love them more. But as it is, though they are surrounded with infirmities, we love them; and are consequently entitled to be numbered with them, and to participate in all their joys and sorrows.
If we love Jesus supremely, and saints affectionately — then it is clear that we are created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works.
8. Humility proves we are the blessed of the Lord. If we are humbled under a sense of our sin, ignorance, and desert — we shall . . .
flee for refuge to the Lord Jesus,
receive with meekness the engrafted word;
and ascribe all our salvation to grace!
Nothing but the power of the Spirit of God can effectually . . .
humble the proud heart of man,
shut his mouth before God,
cause him with self-abhorrence to cry, "Guilty, guilty!"
and bring him to receive the kingdom of God as a little child.
Man will be something — but grace makes him nothing. It is the greatest mortification to proud nature, to be indebted to another for salvation, or to go to Heaven as a poor pauper, entirely dependant on the work of Jesus.
To renounce our own judgment,
to submit to be taught of God,
to believe the Word because God speaks it, and
to cleave to Jesus with full purpose of heart —
is genuine humility. The man has nothing to say against the demands or sentence of the holy law; and nothing to object to the provision or requirements of the glorious gospel. But he casts himself entirely on the . . .
unmerited mercy,
rich grace, and
promised compassion of Jehovah.
To this man, will Jehovah look with pleasure and approbation, and with him will he take up his abode. He walks humbly with his God. "Though the Lord is high — yet has he respect unto the lowly." "Blessed are the poor in in spirit — for theirs is the kingdom or Heaven."
9. He who is truly humbled under a sense of sin — pants, prays, and seeks for HOLINESS. He is as much concerned to be sanctified, as saved. He sees . . .
a beauty in holiness — and longs to possess it,
deformity in sin — and seeks to be delivered from it.
He mourns over the sins of others — but more over his own sin. Sin and Hell are always associated in his mind. He views . . .
sin as the root — and Hell as the tree;
sin as the fountain — and Hell as the stream naturally flowing from it.
Every man creates his own Hell — but no man can create his own Heaven. The true Christian must long to be holy — the precepts require it, and the principle of life within him pants for it with inextinguishable ardor. If he could but be holy, he would be happy, therefore he cries, "I shall be satisfied when I awake up in your likeness!" He avoids sin — and desires to be arrayed in all the graces of the Spirit, in all the beauties of holiness. He would be the personification of faith, love, humility and godly zeal. This desire for holiness is a certain evidence of godliness; for "without holiness no man shall see the Lord."
10. Godly FEAR is a covenant blessing, and a proof that we are of God. If we fear God with a filial fear, we fear to offend him and desire above all things to please him. It is not what will men say — but shall I hereby please God? We are taught in his word how to walk and to please him, and godly fear always prompts us to aim at this end. We shall fear to dishonor him in the world, the church, and our families. God is jealous of his glory — and so is a godly man. He desires to glorify him in the body, soul, and spirit, which are God's. He does not run at random — but prays, "What will You have me to do?" He does not make excuse for infirmities — but sighs out, "O that my ways were directed to keep your statutes always!" His motto is, "No peace with sin — no truce with Satan — no friendship with the world!" because these would lead him to dishonor God. He would rather suffer pain, than . . .
grieve the Holy Spirit,
dishonor his heavenly Father,
or wound the Savior.
And when he sees others careless, loose, and licentious; indulging their lusts and giving way to temptations, he says, "I do not do so, because of the fear of the Lord." He startles at sin with, "How shall I do this great wickedness, and sin against God!"
11. Attachment to the WORD OF GOD is a proof that we are of God. Real believers always prize the bible — they love to read it, to think over its contents, and to enjoy its communications. It is as necessary for their souls — as food is for their bodies; they often esteem it more than their necessary food. They would sooner part with all their dainties, than with their bibles. They read it as truth, they believe it as containing the mind of God; and when tempted to think differently, they are grieved and distressed. If the word of God is neglected, they condemn themselves, mourn over their folly before God, and crave his forgiveness. They stay themselves upon the word of God — when assaulted by Satan. They look to it for direction — when bewildered in their path. It is to them as Goliath's sword was to David, for they all say, "There is none like it."
They love the Word because it . . .
sets forth Jesus,
reveals the mind of God,
marks out the path of duty,
affords rich consolations,
and contains a mine of wealth.
They live . . .
believing its doctrines,
trusting its promises,
walking by its precepts, and
deriving encouragement and caution from its histories.
"O how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day. Except your law bad been my delight, my soul had almost dwelt in silence."
12. DISSATISFACTION with everything worldly on account of the imperfections discovered, is another evidence of real spirituality. Nothing under Heaven can satisfy the Christian. Having gone the round, he turns away with disgust and exclaims, "Whom have I in Heaven but you, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside you!" He can find full satisfaction only . . .
in the presence of God,
in the enjoyment of his Savior,
and in the duties of Christianity.
Everything besides appears empty, polluted, and vain. He may be occasionally attracted, and for a season led away from his resting place; but feeling dissatisfied, uneasy, and grieved, he says, "Return unto your rest, O my soul. There's nothing here deserves my joys — there's nothing like my God!"
If nothing can satisfy us but God, he will never put us off with less than himself. The wisdom, justice, the grace discovered in such a state of soul, is from himself; and he will never forsake the work of his own hands. We may learn from, and profit by, his works — but we can only rest in, and be satisfied with
himself. "The Lord is our inheritance. He is our portion forever!"
13. A spirit of PRAYER is from the Lord, and is a proof of our saving interest in his love. "Behold he prays!" If desire for prayer is produced, and the throne of grace is frequented — we are the blessed of the Lord. Prayer is the Christian's breath — he prays as naturally and as habitually as he breathes. And we would as soon think of a man living without respiration — as of a Christian living without prayer.
But do not mistake, prayer is not a form of words — but a sense of need, and a petition for supply. The believer often prays without speaking — while many speak in a form without praying. He goes to Jehovah as naturally as a child to his Father, and as frequently as he feels his wants. He lives in constant fellowship with Heaven. Sometimes he can only sigh or groan — and at other times he can plead with liberty and power. Sometimes he can only look towards the throne of grace — and at others he can wrestle with God and prevail.
His heart inspires his petitions,
the Word of God regulates his desires,
to Jesus he looks as his Intercessor before the throne, and
he continues in prayer notwithstanding discouragements.
He often feels . . .
his heart hard,
his thoughts perplexed,
his mind bewildered, and
his spirit lukewarm.
He is tempted to believe that it is no use for such a one, in such a frame to attempt to pray; but he must confess his faults, tell out his fears, and entreat for mercy in a Savior's name. And though often persuaded that he does not pray, that his attempts cannot be accepted, and that he has neither the gift nor the spirit of prayer — yet he still attempts to find access, and to breathe his sorrows there.
Mere formalists are generally satisfied with their prayers, and too often rest in them. But the real Christian sees his to be so impure, imperfect, and worthless — that he dares not trust in anything but Jesus, his righteousness, and blood.
Can you live without prayer? Can your discouragements make you give over attempting? Are you satisfied with your prayers? Or do you see that they, even the best of them, need to be washed in the precious blood of Jesus? If so, you have light, life, and spirituality; and surely you are one of those whom Jesus loves. Private prayer, from a sense of need, continued under all discouragements, is an evidence that we are the children of God.
14. The CONFLICT between the flesh and the Spirit, is an evidence of grace. If we have a daily exposition of the seventh chapter of the Romans within us — then we are as Paul was. This most Christians have in a greater or less degree: they would do good — but evil is present with them. They would serve the law of God — but are led captive by the law of sin. They hate what they often do — and love what they cannot attain to. They would be holy — but they sin; yet they never excuse sin in themselves, or endeavor to quote scripture to cloak it.
The flesh and the spirit carry on a constant warfare, so that the believer often feels wretched and longs for deliverance. He cannot do the things that he would. Sin will fight when it cannot reign. The warfare will only cease with death.
We daily discover how the flesh misleads us, and we find it spoils all we attempt for God's glory. It creeps into our motives, or turns us aside from our rule, or puffs us up at the end. Thus we feel . . .
the daily need the open fountain,
the renewings of the Holy Spirit, and
a fresh pardon from the hands of Jesus.
The flesh would make us truly miserable — but the riches, plenitude, and permanence of grace prevents it. The love of Jesus is the same — he witnesses the conflict, sympathizes with the sufferer, and cheers him with the assurance, "My grace is sufficient for you!"
The spirit desires only to be devoted to, ruled by, and employed for the Lord; and longs for the happy deliverance promised in God's word. Therefore, the flesh and spirit will strive against each other until the day of death!
15. Separation from the WORLD, from a discovery of its vanity and enmity to God — is an evidence of grace. The world will love its own — but saints are not of the world, even as Jesus was not of the world. They see that it is opposed to God in its spirit, maxims, and works; and that all the cry is "No God for me!" They cannot join with the ungodly world — they become strangers and pilgrims, and desire to leave it. They . . .
pity its state,
condemn its spirit,
protest against its practices,
and yet seek its good.
They witness for God in it, and to it. They sigh and cry because of its abominations, and long for the period when the earth shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and there shall be no more curse!
A worldly spirit indulged and enjoyed, is the evidence of a worldly man. But deadness to the world, sympathy with Jesus who was persecuted and crucified in the world, and living above the world in fellowship and communion with God — is the evidence of a spiritual man. The world knows not, loves not the Christian; and the Christian loves not the world, knowing that if any man is in friendship with the world, that he is an enemy of God — "if any man loves the world — the love of the Father is not in him." The whole world lies in the wicked one, how important then to be delivered from the present evil world; and to have our affections set on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
"Those who are in the flesh, mind and enjoy the things of the flesh; but those who are in the Spirit, mind the things of the spirit."
16. The Lord's people are CHASTENED FOR SIN, and cannot go on in transgression without correction. An enlightened conscience armed with God's word will smite them, the ministry of the word will pierce and penetrate their hearts, and they prove it to be an evil and bitter thing to wander from the Lord their God. Providence joins with Scripture in reproving them for their folly, and the Lord follows them with the rod until they fall at his feet, acknowledge their transgression, and crave his forgiveness.
Mere professors may be allowed to go on and escape the rod when they sin — but "those whom the Lord loves — he chastens; and scourges EVERY one whom he receives." And the Christian will justify his God in using discipline, though it may be sharp — and will bow and listen to the rod, though it speaks against him.
To lay low at the Lord's feet while he smites,
to cleave to him when he frowns,
to plead with him when he speaks against us —
proves that our principles are divine, that we have the Spirit of God, and are heirs of glory!
O for much of that meek humility which . . .
closes the mouth from speaking against any of God's ways,
opens the ear to listen to all his communications,
lays the heart at his feet, and
covers the face with holy shame before him, on account of conscious unworthiness!
The lofty mountain of a proud heart will be dry, withered, and barren; but the low valley of an humble soul will be watered with the dew of Heaven from above, and bear fruit to Jehovah's praise.
"By humility and the fear of the Lord, are riches, and honor, and life."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."
"Despise not the chastening of the Almighty."
17. Looking, waiting, and longing for the SECOND COMING of Jesus, is a scriptural evidence of saintship. Jesus has promised to come again and receive us to himself, he has commanded us to be ready for his glorious appearing, and he has assured us that "to those who look for him, he will come the second time without sin, unto salvation."
Love must desire the presence of the beloved object, and must desire his glorification; and he is coming "to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all those who believe." He is now in the Heavens, waiting until his enemies to be made his footstool. The Heavens must retain him, "until the times of the restitution of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets." Faith believes the statements;
hope expects their accomplishment; and
love looks and longs for the time; crying "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"
He will certainly come, to the joy of all such — but all his enemies shall be ashamed. There are some things connected with the coming of Jesus, which may make our flesh tremble — but . . .
to see him as he is;
to be like him; to be with him;
to swell his train and his triumphs;
to witness his glories; and
to participate in his blessedness —
is certainly an object of desire to every believer. We wait for him at the Son of God from Heaven, who has preserved us from the wrath to come!
18. But after all is said, there is no evidence like HABITUAL FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. To walk with God as our Father, communicating to him all that we fear, feel, and desire; and receiving from him vigor, comfort, and daily preservation — is an evidence which can never be questioned. We walk by faith, that is,
believing his word,
trusting his grace,
and doing his will.
And though darkness and gloom may occasionally surround and even distress us — yet we know that we are of God. It is as natural to us to feed on his word, desire his presence, and seek his love; as it is to the natural child to believe the word, enjoy the presence, and be happy in the love of a kind and tender parent. Our God is love, and believing this, we rely on him, walk with him, and look for his mercy unto eternal life.
Beloved reader, endeavor to realize the truth and importance of scripture; to live and act as in the immediate presence of God; and to refresh the mind daily by a view of the perfect work of Jesus, on the ground of which God justifies the ungodly, and walks with poor sinners in peace and love. Stand out from the world — be separate; live by faith, believing God's gracious testimony; lay humbly before the Lord, under a sense of unworthiness; and endeavor to realize daily, your union to Christ, and relation to God as a Father through him. So shall peace be with you, and love with faith from our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our only hope.
But a caution may be necessary; these pages may be read by a self-assured professor, one who has light in the head — but no grace in the heart; who substitutes notions — for divine operations; and a sound creed — for a converted soul.
My fellow sinner, unless your heart is broken for sin, and broken from sin; unless your religion leads you to Jesus as a poor, wretched, hell-deserving sinner; and unless you are united to him, and his life is manifest in you — your religion is but like the dream of a night vision! It may he pleasing — but it will prove a fearful delusion. Nothing but heart work in religion will stand! Mere head knowledge will vanish away, every false covering will one day be stripped off, and unless you are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, and internally sanctified by the Holy Spirit — a dreadful sentence will be passed on you, never to be repealed. O fearful case, to be dreaming of happiness — and to find misery — misery as deep and lasting as the desert of sin, and the existence of God!
Is it a poor thoughtless sinner that is reading these pages? I have a message from God unto you. "Except you are born again, and converted to God — you cannot see the kingdom of Heaven." If you have not the Spirit of Christ — then you are none of his. If you love not the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth — then you will be accursed when the Lord comes! Unless you are found in Christ — your death will be melancholy, and your eternal destiny indescribably dreadful!
There is mercy to be obtained NOW — this is emphatically "the day of salvation!" But the day will soon close — and a tremendous night of darkness, anger, and woe will set in upon you. A neglected bible, a slighted gospel, a rejected Savior — will all witness against you! And through eternity, you will condemn your present course and curse your folly.
Satan is seeking your destruction, your own hearts are deceiving you, and perhaps the conduct of some professors may cause you to stumble; but remember, "Every man must give an account of HIMSELF to God; and receive according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or evil."
Look well to the foundation on which you build your hope; dig deep and lay that foundation on a rock — even on Christ Jesus. And then you may be happy in time — for you are safe for eternity. "Whoever believes on him shall not be ashamed." He will appear to their joy, and their enemies shall be confounded. Hear then the warning voice, act upon the directions given you in the gospel, make sure work for eternity, and all shall be well.