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God's People Feeders
March 11, 2019
God's People Feeders
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
We have these bird feeders in our backyard and it is always interesting to see the habits of the birds as the different ones will come and feed out of them regularly. You begin to recognize those ones who are there daily and it becomes a way of life and a daily supply that feeds them. It occurred to me that we are like those feeders to the world and even the other saints around us. The Master comes and fills us with His life and seed as we abide in our place in Him. We become the sowers and the people feeders of God's life to the world around us. Some of us are mobile and travel carrying that seed to many places. Some of us are stationary, but we are constant and reliable sources that the people, who God has placed in our lives, can come and feed from.
Have you ever been in that place where you thought you had a good relationship with God where you were blessed, you were trying to be faithful and then it happened? That bird feeder had been constantly standing. It has a heavy base and the feeders are suspended from the top of a pole with metal branch hooks extending out from the top. We've never had a problem with it until the morning when apparently a strong gust of wind had blown it over. It is kind of like what happens to us when we are cruising along life's highway and suddenly we get waylaid. Some trial or misfortune hits us out of no where like a Mac truck running a stop sign. We suddenly find ourselves lying on the ground, the wind totally knocked out of our sails and wondering what happened? Why did this happen to us? We were trying to do what we were suppose too, we were trying to be faithful? God this doesn't seem fair. It just doesn't make sense.
When I went out to pick up the birdfeeder, in the fall, a great deal of the birdseed had spilled out on the ground. I salvaged what I could, set the bird feeder upright again and refilled it. What has been interesting is that lately the birds aren't as prone to fly up to the birdfeeder as they are to feed off of the seed that was spilled out on the ground. You know Jesus said in John 12:32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me." The world is still feeding off of the spilled blood of Calvary. It made me realize that what may seem devastating to us, sometimes is the unleashing of God's life and power in a greater dimension and power than what we had known before, especially in our strength and good standing. For us it is totally humbling, we are undone and we are spilled out. Along with that pouring out and breaking in our lives, God's Word and His life are spilled out as well and it becomes a feeding place that others can relate with and gain strength and nourishment from. Perhaps we've been singing and praying, "let the fire fall," but when that baptism of fire comes, we're not sure we like what it is burning. Sometimes when God breaks our pot we feel like life is over as we have known it and perhaps it is. That doesn't mean it isn't going to turn and work in a new dimension and new way to bring forth something even more glorious and rewarding in your life than what you had known before.
The key is to always remain the people feeder. Giving forth the life and blessing of God in whatever dimension He has given you to do it. Like we always say, "it is not about us, it is all about Him." When the wind knocks us over, God will pick us up again. Just stay faithful to His call and His purpose in your life, but know that He can change your direction at any given moment. When we are poured out through the trials of life that is where people truly see the substance of what is in us. Those are the times our lives become naked, our lives become an open book and the reality of who we really are will be seen. We want to make sure that what they see is what we saw in Jesus on the Cross; a life fully consecrated to the Father and His glory. We must become and remain in those places where others can come and feed upon the life of God in us, whether we are standing or have been blown over.
Live unto Life
March 7, 2019
Live unto Life
1 Samuel 25:29
Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30 When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel,
There are basically two types of life, natural or soul life and spiritual life. We know that the clock is ticking on the natural life and much sooner than we might like to think the sand will run out and this natural or soul life will expire. For those of us who have had God's grace shed abroad in our hearts and have come into a relationship with the ever living Father and His son Christ Jesus, we live for the spirit life that is eternal. What we often struggle to keep focused on is that when we have come into this spirit life, we are living to higher principles and purpose. We have grasped the concept that this present natural life is our stepping stone into the eternal. What we accomplish and the decisions we make in this natural man, chart our course for eternity and the spirit life that we are stepping into. But it is difficult to always keep our focus on the things above when we live and walk in the things beneath.
Our scripture today is from the story of when David was being pursued by Saul. He was highly insulted by a man named Nabal and was on his way with a band of men to slay every male in Nabal's household when he is intercepted by an intercessor. Now the name Nabal means fool and this man lived up to his name, but he had a beautiful wife named Abigail who was also very wise. She gathers up large quantities of food and wine and goes out to meet David and his men before they arrive. When she meets him and in the discourse of the conversation she makes the statement out of 1 Samuel 25:29 and basically prophesies to him of who he is in relationship to the Lord and what God will do for him. She reminds him that his life is' bound securely in the bundle of the living.' She reminds him that none can prevail against him because that is so with God's anointing upon him, and she reminds him that even his enemies will be slung away from him as a rock in a sling. You see, David, in his anger and in the heat of passion had determined to avenge himself against this man Nabal and all of the innocent men that may have been associated with his household. He has lost his focus and is acting out of his flesh. How often has that happen to us? In the course of life an event or an occurrence will totally grab our attention away from who we are in Christ and we pursue it out of the flesh. Even as God allowed or sent Abigail to check David and warn him, how often has God sent someone, or in some way tried to check our wrong actions by warning us, turning us away and trying to remind of us of who we are in Christ. Sometimes God will even close doors or allow circumstances to try and turn our wrong course. If we are wise we come to our senses and discern the warning and correct our wrong course of action. Unfortunately, we are often prone to be headstrong and determined to go our own way or do our own thing. Think about all of the men and women in prison. At some point in their life they probably had warnings and indications that they were headed in a wrong way and to continue would result in consequences, but they chose to ignore those warnings and continued in a path that led to the consequences of their incarceration. How have their wrong decisions and choices negatively impacted many people's lives? We hope that we can all learn to be quick to recognize and repent when we start down these dark trails. We must always return to our focus, which is not this life, but the spirit life. It is not just the life to come, it is the life we are entering into now as we live by faith and walk by the Spirit. We want our lives to every day count toward eternity. We want our lives, like David's, to be 'bound securely in the bundle of the living.' We want to be bound unto the Lord in the fulfilling of His purpose and calling in our lives. Are we walking and living in His higher purpose for us today? The Lord did not create us simply to live unto ourselves. We have a divine destiny and it can only be realized as we walk and pursue that spiritual life. Even if we have made a mess of it up to this point, it is not too late for us to change our course. God still wants to make something good, meaningful and beautiful out of our lives if we will let Him. If we set our eyes and hearts upon the eternal, upon His Spirit life, then we will begin to walk in the dimension of the spirit even while we are living in the natural.
Let us summarize with 2 Peter 2:1-3, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
Speculating Evil
March 6, 2019
Speculating Evil
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
How many wrong concepts of God do we have in our mind and thinking? Who is God to you? Is He an angry God with a big stick, ready to bash you when you sin or fall short? Is He one you feel is out to bring misery to your life and is only interested in your suffering? Is He one who is looking forward to send all sinners to hell and save a few lucky souls? Or, is He the all-loving and passive God who knows all men are good at heart and doing the best they can? "Surely He wouldn't allow anyone to go to hell, if there even is a hell." The truth is you will find many concepts, opinions and speculations about God. It is always His Word, the Holy Spirit and the example of Christ that best reveals the nature and truth about the character of God. Here in Jeremiah, for example, it tells us what and how God thinks of us. He thinks thoughts of peace. His desire toward all men, according to 2 Peter 3:9 is, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." While this is God's will, He has given us a will also that He has chosen not to violate. Is it God who sends us to hell or our own choices? Hell is a place prepared for satan and his following. It is not God's will or intent that we follow him there. He has in fact loved us so much that He was willing to give the supreme sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ as the acceptable sacrifice for our sins. Through faith in Him we might be delivered out of a life bound for hell and have eternal life with the Father. If God wanted you to go to hell He wouldn't have made such a great sacrifice of love. What other deity would suffer and die a cruel and horrible death for those who most often despise Him, reject Him and forsake Him? Our God's intent is not evil against us. The expected end that God wants to give us is salvation and eternal life. He is continually calling out and inviting all who will to come into His house and partake of His salvation for them through Jesus Christ His Son.
How we respond to God's calling and offer of eternal life is up to us. That is a choice that we make for ourselves. There is an evil one, satan, who knows his latter end and is determined to work the opposite, the antitheses, to take us with him to that place we call hell. We try to take this lightly, not think about it or dismiss it as already taking place on earth or for a period of time after we die. Believe the Word of God when it lets us know that no one wants to experience hell.
God has a greater plan for your life. While we experience the adversity of living in a sin filled world, through that adversity we are being trained up to be overcomers of the world, of sin and all that pertains to it. Revelations 12:9-11 says, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Beloved, God's destiny for the believer is victory. Because we no longer love that old life of selfishness and sin and are willing to die to it, our God is replacing it with His divine nature, character and life. Yes, we will face resistance, adversity and trials, but in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us. God will rule and reign through a people after His own heart and nature, in the process there is much dross and impurity to burn out of us so that we can be that pure expression of His love.
God is the Father who loves us with a Daddy's heart. He loves every one of us in spite of our vilest sin. Jesus paid the price for every one of them. Today he is calling everyone outside of Him. His desire for you is peace and not evil, but it is your response, your choice, your trust in Christ and in the blood He shed to cleanse you of your sin, that is the gateway to your salvation and eternal life. Today, if you feel that tugging and longing in your heart, ask Him to come in and forgive your sins. Ask him to be the Lord of your life. That simple prayer and act of faith is all that is required for you to pass from death to Life. From there you will begin to walk the walk of faith as you grow in Him.
If you have speculated that God's intent for you was evil, its not, that is the enemies plan, not His. He wants to give you Life; reach out by faith and receive His gift to you.
Parables of the Kingdom
February 20, 2019
Parables of the Kingdom
Matthew 13:44-52
44″The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45″Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
47″Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51″Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked.
"Yes," they replied.
52He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
Jesus has given us some parables here in Matthew to help us grasp a spiritual understanding of the kingdom of heaven. It is much like you having discovered a large reservoir of oil beneath your property. You grasp the potential wealth of what you are sitting on, but until the oil can be brought to the surface it has no practical and realized value or worth to you. Aren't our lives the same way? We have discovered the great truth and wealth we have of Christ in us, our hope of glory, but as long as He stays locked up in our spirit, our property, remains pretty much unchanged. So what will we do? Now having this knowledge of the great treasure possessed beneath the surface, we will make our primary pursuit and investment in gleaning the treasure we know is there. We will make what ever sacrifices are necessary of what we now possess outwardly so that we might tap into the rich resources that are hidden in our earth. 2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." There is treasure in these here vessels of clay and we need to mine it out. We are drilling for the nature, the power and the life of Christ, and we don't want to spare any expense or fail to make any sacrifice necessary to lay hold of it. What is more is that, as we are in pursuit of the riches within, we want to share the good news with others around us. We want them to know that they also can have this treasure, but we find that many are far too self-absorbed to hear us or lay hold of the truth that we are sharing with them. Paul says in verses 4-6, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." We have been blessed with the revelation of the riches we have within, now it is about laying hold of them till they become resident and manifest in our daily lives. In laying hold of these riches there are other things that we value in life that we will have to let go of. We have to decide where our treasure really is and what we are willing to give up to lay hold of it. If we choose the riches and what is valuable to us in this life then we will lose our grip on the eternal life and fail to realize the riches that we held. On the other hand, when we are willing to forsake all else and spend all our resources to lay hold of this treasure within, then we will lay hold of riches that so far exceed those we could ever know in this world.
In another parable Jesus gives here of the net drawing in a great catch of fish we see that the kingdom of heaven is currently made up of a mixture of both good and bad. We see it in the realm of Christianity. It is a mixture of flesh and Spirit. We also see that in God's time there will be a purification and casting out of all that is bad or that defiles. This same analogy could apply to our individual lives as well. We may often become disgusted with all of the flesh and ungodliness we see in the body of Christ, but we don't have to look any further than ourselves to see where it comes from. We are like that net of fish, full of a mixture of good and bad. Surely I am not the only one that becomes so discouraged with myself; with how far I miss the mark and fail to walk after the Spirit in so many aspects of my life. We are a mixed bag that the Holy Spirit is trying to help us sort out as we look and fully lean upon Him. Most any valuable thing in its natural state is impure. That is why God is processing us, to bring out the riches of His pure nature and love. Sometimes it is like going through hell with fire and gnashing of teeth as we deal with these areas of impurity and iniquity in our lives.
In Matthew 13:52 Jesus says something rather interesting, "52He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."" It is like, the more the Holy Spirit instructs us in our lives through knowledge and experience in godliness, the more we understand and know of its ways. As we grow in understanding and experience we share that with others who are likewise seeking to know Christ in a deeper and more meaningful way. We all have rich experiences of how the Lord has dealt in our lives and how He has taught us. As we share these with others it is mixture of not just past experiences and knowledge, but also of fresh revelation and insight into areas of our lives. Our lives should be a combination of new treasures and old. It is like building a house, you are continually building upon the former with new material. God's Word never changes and yet it is always fresh as He unveils new truth, insight and revelation in it.
What kingdom truths is the Lord opening up in your understanding and what are we doing to lay hold and see the reality of these truths come to pass in our lives? He is our resource, our provision and our salvation, but we have to let go of the world with that other hand. It is going to take both of our hands holding fast to His so that He can pull us up into Him.
A Life That Makes a Difference
February 15, 2019
Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
A Life That Makes a Difference
When we reflect upon our lives and their meanings, don't we all want to feel like our life made a difference in the world and had an impact? Life is not lived to make a void when it is gone, but to make a difference while it is here. A selfish life is an empty life. Life is a gift given to us that we may impart into others. If we miss our purpose, then we have missed our meaning.
The older I get the less I care about what others think of me or how they view me. My heart is, "God let every day count and let me live it to Your glory by accomplishing Your will." I told my brother-in-law the other day at his birthday, "You know, I feel like I have reached critical mass and I am accelerating into the Son!" The older we get the more aware we become of the urgency to impact our world and the lives around us. This is what Jesus intended us to do.
How often in the past have I sat on my light or muffled its sound for fear of offending or not gaining another's approval? Do I represent Jesus before men, as I would want Him to represent me before the Father?
Think about what Jesus said concerning the meaning and direction of our life in Mark 8:34-38, "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
Doesn't this say that Jesus wants our lights to shine with a passion? It doesn't mean we have to be fanatically strange, but then if we are so like Jesus we are going to tend to stick out like a light in a dark place and that's okay. There are those who are drawn to the light and then there are those who will recoil back into the darkness. We are not here to be conformed to the darkness but to dispel it with the light and truth that dwells within us. Jesus said as much with the way He lived His life as He did with His words. It is not about meeting a quota and witnessing to so many people, it is about being a witness through the way you live your life and how you lay it down for others. Some of us feel condemned because we don't always know what to say or how to say it. The fact that you take the time to care about someone you don't know or who can't benefit you, speaks to the One in you. The fact that you would just take the time to tell someone how special they are and that God wants them to know that He really loves and cares about them. We have made it more about pitching religion and getting someone to pray the sinner's prayer than about really loving and caring about them in the way that Jesus would. I have found that when people don't feel like you have an agenda when you approach them in a sincere and loving way, more times than not they are open to that. They want to know that God really does see them, care about them and love them. It can be a real blessing even to have a loving stranger offer to pray for you or meet a need. So many people out there may be smiling on the outside, but they are crying on the inside. They need and want answers, not just religion and dogma shoved down their throats. They want to see the reality of it exemplified in the lives of God's people. So often they watch those who say they know Christ, but then become disappointed and disillusioned, because they see God's people acting and being like everyone else. There is such power in love to bring light into people's lives, but it has to be the real deal. People are fed up with the fake and the insincere. When we can bring the genuine light of Christ into people's lives, many will respond to it, but it takes more of us that truly look like Him in the way we live our lives and the love that we carry that so exceeds our own.
Man, in his unregenerate state, is a "self-lover". It is always about him. That man or woman that really is a disciple of Jesus has come to that point where they are willing to lay down their lives so that may become "life givers", rather than "life takers". As Jesus said, 'If we gain the whole world and lose our soul, its worth is as dust falling through our fingers at the end of life.' We are left empty, desolate and void, even though we may have thought that we had everything. Now we face eternity as the poorest among men. The richest are those who spent all to let their light so shine in a way that it brought others to Christ and imparted His goodness into them. They may have had nothing in this world, but they face eternity with money in the bank of heaven, a smile on their face and rejoicing in their hearts. They have gained the fullness of life while lighting the way for others to see. They are a city set upon a hill that cannot be hidden. They have lived a life that made a difference.
Endings and New Beginnings
February 12, 2019
Endings and New Beginnings
Deuteronomy 11:11-17
11 But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. 12 It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today-to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul- 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. 17 Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you
In this passage of scripture, the children of Israel, after forty years in the wilderness are crossing Jordan into the Promise Land of Canaan. While this land is the inheritance of God's people it has been possessed by the ungodly nations. Now has come the time when Israel is to enter in, not by their might and their strength, but by faith in their God. Many believers today have the mentality that all I need to do is believe in Jesus, live my life and die and go to heaven. God has used the natural promise land of Canaan to show us that as believers in Christ Jesus we also have a Promise Land to enter into and possess, the kingdom of heaven, that which was lost to us in the fall of Adam. Jordan is a type of that baptism into the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we are immersed in its water and come out the other side, we come out dead and no longer identified with ourselves, but alive unto the newness of life in Christ Jesus. God is telling us that the land we have now entered into by faith, "It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." God wants us to know that we are walking in a blessed land, one He cares for and watches over. He is telling us we can enjoy and partake of the blessings of this land in our spiritual walk if we will faithfully obey His commands. It will be a productive and prosperous land for us if we are careful to always put God first.
This walk of the Spirit, this possession of spiritual Canaan is not without its pitfalls and dangers. We are possessing a land that has formally been filled with idolatry and every evil practice. Even as the Spirit of Christ is fully possessing our souls and we are seeking to yield every area in obedience to Him, we come up against giants and strong spiritual forces in our lives that resist the Holy Spirit. They are stronger than we are in ourselves, but 'we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus'. 'In Christ we can do all things', but God would warns us as He did natural Israel, to guard our hearts against idolatry, where we place other things, desires and pleasures before Him. He desires to bless us, but He requires of us faithful obedience. It is very easy after we have gone through spiritual battles and experienced measures of victory in our lives to then fall into complacency which in turn lets our guard down and opens us up to falling into sin and idolatry. That idolatry is anything we put before Him.
God goes on in this passage to tell the people that the way they can guard against this idolatry coming into their hearts is to continually, in every thing, in every way, everyday of the year, put the Word of God before them. Read the Word, talk about it, tell your children continually about it, meditate upon it, even put it on your person or in conspicuous places where you will be continually reminded of your God and who you are in Christ. This is imperative to maintaining a God perspective identity and in return, enjoying the fellowship you have with Him in the spirit and the blessings He has for you. Our purpose in possessing this land is so that He might possess every part of us and we would experience the richness of His fellowship and presence, for that is indeed the manna and the taste of heaven.
Remember that the eyes of the Lord are upon you from the beginning to the end. Make this a time for drawing nearer, living a deeper and more committed life in the Spirit and coming to know your God in a greater and more personal way. May you be blessed with the rain and the waters of His spiritual blessing and presence as you personally walk, possess the land and live for Him.
What do you hold in your Hand?
February 5, 2019
What do you hold in your Hand?
Acts 3:6-8
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk And he took him by the right hand, and lifted [him] up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
If I told you to close your eyes and hold out your hands and in one hand I placed a check for a million dollars and in the other hand I placed a Bible. Now open your eyes and tell me which of those two items you choose to keep? The check is good and redeemable at your local bank. I want you not to just give the answer you think is right, but if this was truly an option for you, which would you choose?
For those of you that chose the Bible over the million dollar check; why would you choose a $10 to $100 book over a million dollars? Chances are you don't read that book near as much as you need too or would like to anyway because you are out there trying to earn the million dollars, so are you sure you made the right choice? What would make this book so valuable that it would be worth more than a million dollars? Well, for one thing a million dollars has limitations, even though it is a substantial amount of money; God's Word and His promises don't have any limitations. The potential of God's Word and promises are without measure. But what makes this book even more valuable is that it holds the words and the way to eternal life and a right relationship with God Almighty. There isn't enough money in the world to buy that. In a few short years our life on earth is done and if this is all there is, well, we might as well live with all the stops pulled out because there is no more. Why do we as Christians believe that there is more? Because we believe that book when it says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That "whosoever" means that anybody qualifies if they truly believe. We would choose that Bible because we realize that our faith in God is the most powerful asset that we have. Our faith in our God connects us with the ALMIGHTY, DIVINE CREATOR GOD! We are plugged into the powerhouse of the universe. Nothing that is, would exist, if it were not for Him, so why would we choose a meagerly million dollars when in Christ we have wealth and riches beyond limitations.
Now, neither that paper check nor that book with pages and written words has a great amount of value in and of themselves. The reason they have value is because we see the potential that each one of them carries. If I never cash the check and withdraw the money, the million dollars does me absolutely no good and the same is true of the Word of God. If I don't lay hold of it's promises by faith and cash in on them by believing God, then they too, are worthless to me. For something to have value it has to be acted upon. I have to invest money to buy some commodity and I have to invest my faith to reap my promise.
In our scripture today Peter invested his faith into that lame man. The results were astounding. We also, can have astounding results when we dare to invest our faith and walk with our God. What amount of money could have bought what Peter imparted to that lame man and Peter couldn't have imparted it if he hadn't made a choice earlier to pursue the world's economy or to pursue Christ. In John 14:12 Jesus tells us, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." Now, unless Jesus is a liar, there is potential in those words that a lot of us aren't realizing, but the condition is that we believe on Him. We need to begin to comprehend what we have in our hand when we chose that Bible over that million dollars. We need to begin to redeem those promises and allow that Holy Spirit within us to enact those promises as we dare to believe and step out in faith.
The Bible isn't a magic wand, but it is what can direct us to be in one heart and one mind with our Savior so that we might be an extension of His love and salvation in the earth. He will give us the power to be what we need to be, as we are living and acting in obedience to Him.
What is in your hand and what are you doing with it?
The Heavens of Desolation
January 25, 2019
The Heavens of Desolation
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD , I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
What becomes of our faith and confidence in God in the midst of our trials, testings, and perhaps desolation, even when we have sought to put our faith in God? Has He failed us, is His arm short that He cannot save us? Has He forgotten us, forsaken us or cast us aside? As I read this passage in Habakkuk this morning I was moved by the attitude of the prophet in the midst of his desolation. Here He is saying if all else collapses, if everything around me fails to produce and if I lose all that I have; "yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." One of the biggest hurdles we have, to get over, is that natural circumstances really have nothing to do with God and His faithfulness. We most often want to use our circumstances as a barometer and thermometer of how close we are to God, by how much we are blessed and how well things are going. What do we do then with those desolate times, when circumstances would indicate that God has forsaken us? All the natural indicators around us would tell us God isn't with you in your desolation. Was God in Job's desolation? Was He in Joseph's desolation in Egypt? Was He in David's desolation as Saul sought and hunted him like an animal to take his life? Was God in Christ Jesus' desolation at Gethsemane and the Cross? Even Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, "7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."
We have no problem thanking God and recognizing Him in our blessings and when life is good. What do we do when the times come that try our souls, test our faith and our head is filled with voices of God's unfaithfulness? It is the winepress and the crushing of the grapes that determines the true nature of the wine. These are the times and the places we must, like the prophet Habakkuk, know how to walk upon the high places and in the heavenlies when calamities befall us. We must come to know heaven even in the times of desolation and despair. Much of the Psalms were written in this very place. In them we can hear each one of our own cries to God, as at the same time we are reminding ourselves of God's great salvation. In them we can see the encouragement that can be derived and the faith that can be stirred up, by remembering our God and His mighty acts. We remember that He said He would never leave us or forsake us. Psalm 73:23 says," Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19-20, "19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
We must not ever let the circumstances around us dictate the presence of God in our lives. Our feelings are not the best indicators of our spirituality. Our spirit man within us, that in-Christed-One within us, is the anchor of our souls. It is from the wells of His life within us that we draw forth the living waters in the days of drought. It is the living Word and manna that we eat in the days of our wilderness and hunger. Matthew 24:35 says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." This is why Habakkuk could sing, "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places…" Only the people of God can truly know the place of heaven in such times. Only they can know the joy of the their God and rejoice in His salvation when calamity fills the earth around them. Our circumstances are not our God. Our God is the Lord of our circumstances no matter what they may proclaim to the contrary.
If your circumstances and desolation are bringing you down today, come rejoice in the Lord, come up into the heavenlies with the spirit of praise, worship and remembrance of His wonderful acts. Let faith arise in your hearts. The Lord is your strength and He will cause you to stand.
The Struggles with Sin
January 23, 2019
The Struggles with Sin
John 8:32-34
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Sin is a word that means to fall short or miss the mark. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This is where the grace of God has come in, through Christ, to stand in the place of our shortcomings and be our righteousness through faith in Him and the blood that He shed for our sin.
Let me use perhaps a crude example to illustrate a point. Many of us may not play golf, but probably all of us know the object of the game is to get the little white ball in 18 different little cups by hitting it with various golf clubs in the least number of strokes possible. Now there have been and are now some extraordinary golfers that could play this better than most anyone else, but I've never heard of a golfer who has ever played 18 holes and made all of them on the first stroke. Even the best of them miss the mark. The fact is, it is humanly impossible to make each hole in only one hit. What if one day there was a golfer, who did it, he played the ultimate game and did what no man had ever done? What if he then said, "Everyone that will golf with me and play the game my way even when he misses a stroke it will not be counted against Him." Suddenly there is a possibility that we can play a perfect game as long as we remain in the perfect golfer. The truth is many are more concerned about playing there own game there own way no matter how many strokes it takes them. These are the servants of sin or missing the mark. If they were abiding in this master golfer then their strokes would be forgiven and not be counted against them, but because they want to do it their way then their strokes will count against them. They will be judged and scored accordingly.
A servant of sin is one determined to live life in his own abilities, in his own way and for his own end. While he may acknowledge the master golfer, he is still determined to play the game his way. This is the way sin is in our lives. Christ came to set us free from sin. We have all played the game of life our own way. Some of us better than others, but all of us are falling short. The only way to play the perfect game is to be in the perfect golfer. We are being made perfect in Christ, not because we never fail or fall short, but because Christ is our righteousness by faith. When the Father looks upon us He see His Son who is perfect and the fulfillment of righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." We are complete in Him. If we say that we are in Him, but still want to play our own game, by our own rules then aren't we living a lie?
All of us have struggles with sin. We all have areas in our lives where we are weak and prone to fall into sin more than others do. We are pretty good at pointing the finger at the weaknesses and sins of others that we deem worse than our own. The greatest sin for any of us is an unsubmitted heart to the Father through our trust in the Son. If we are weak in an area and are overcome by our sin, often we will try to justify it by saying God made us this way, or I can't help the way I am. We latch hold of the victim mentality that says it is someone else's fault. When we take this position we negate what Jesus said, ". If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." When we come to Christ sometimes we are completely delivered from the strongholds in our lives, but more often than not we must learn to overcome and conquer these areas by the strength and life of the Lord in us. We may spend a good deal of our lives struggling in these areas. What we find is that our greatest deliverance is losing our lives in His. When Christ becomes our foremost love and passion, when He becomes more and more, these other passions become less and less. For anything to have life, it must be fed whether it is the life of God in us or the demons of our weaknesses and sins. What we feed grows, what we starve dies. If you are struggling with an area of sin in your life, your victory is not in your strength and ability, your victory is in your identification with His life and relinquishment of your will and desires to His. An exchange must be in progress, old life for new, death to self that gives place to life in the Spirit. The reality of our faith is not always seen immediately in the outward realm, it is first at work and reality in our spirit and in our heart before it becomes a reality in the natural realm of our being. Romans 6:4-7, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin."
The Finger of God
January 10, 2019
The Finger of God
Exodus 8:18-19
And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This [is] the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
None of us, I don't believe, would aspire to be like the Pharaoh of Moses' day. When we read this account we think how could that man be so stubborn and why would he continue to harden His heart when, without a doubt, the finger of God was moving in these judgements. Pharaoh could well be looked at as the god or ruler of "Self". We have a pharaoh that still wants to set upon the throne of our hearts and be god. He doesn't want to relinquish his place and lordship to the Almighty. We could also say it is a type of satan, but where it affects us personally is in the dominion of our own souls.
If we were to get totally real and honest, just between God and us, most of us could probably identify an area or areas in our lives that we really struggle to relinquish control of. There are strongholds and bastions of self that still want to bow their neck to the cross. Our spirit may grieve over them and surely we wrestle with them, but we don't want to really let go of them even though the finger of God may be upon them and the Holy Spirit is convicting us of them.
There was another young man in Jesus' day, who truly loved the Lord, but he struggled with this same issue in Luke 18:18-25. "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none [is] good, save one, [that is], God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Here was a godly man. Clearly, he loved God and desired to follow Christ, but what happened when the finger of God touched that area that was not submitted to God? Jesus put His finger on the Pharaoh in His life, the area that would harden in resistance to God. It says he was very sorrowful. This word means to be exceedingly sorry, one definition says, "overcome with sorrow so much as to cause one's death". It is the same Greek word used to describe Jesus' condition in the Garden as He prayed before the crucifixion. The difference is Jesus faced a Pharaoh of self-preservation as well. He even prayed, "Father, if there be any way let this cup pass from me." Jesus struggled till great drops of blood dripped from Him as sweat, but He overcame His Pharaoh. He relinquished and laid self upon the altar and said, "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done." The young ruler didn't experience such a break through, though he loved the Lord immensely, there was something in his life that had a greater hold on him than his love for God. Do any of us struggle with a similar issue like that today? Is there anything we aren't willing to bring to the altar and give totally to the Lord? We can never be totally free until everything is His.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 says, "3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." Most of us see this as satan or the man of sin, but what about the man of lawlessness that wants to set himself up in our hearts proclaiming himself as god. He wants to usurp what belongs only to Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 says, "8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming." How can this lawless one, this Pharaoh, this usurper of God's throne in our spirit be dealt with? It is by the breath of His mouth, the Word of God, the Sword of Truth. As we call Christ forth in our lives, He is the Lord of the battle. The Spirit of Christ is the warrior that must rise up within us and come forth in the authority of the Word of God to overthrow this man of sin. It is a spiritual battle and one that is possible to win as we are "in" Christ. We also, have the power to overcome even as Jesus did in the Garden. He is able to turn our sorrow into joy as we gain the victory and give place to the finger of God.


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practicle wares.They are even in my favourite colour,which is not even at colour.
So if you are in need of inspiration have a look at a day in her life.You can find it here dialy imprint and here larahuttonobjects.

subset: commoncrawl


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Free Online Legal Resources
Express warranty means any written warranty issued by the manufacturer, or any affirmation of fact or promise made by the manufacturer (not the dealer) which relates to the material or workmanship and affirms or promises that the vehicle shall conform to the affirmation or promise. An extended service contract is not the manufacturer`s warranty under most circumstances and generally will not extend your rights through the Lemon Law, since the Lemon Law deals only with your rights against the manufacturer.
This article is intended to be helpful and informative. But even common legal matters can become complex and stressful. A qualified lemon lawyer can address your particular legal needs, explain the law, and represent you in court. Take the first step now and contact a local lemon attorney to discuss your specific legal situation.


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Pistons roll to 21-point win over Philly
=== Pistons roll to 21-point win over Philly ===
Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) – Rasheed Wallace scored 16 of his 29 points
in the third quarter, as Detroit overcame an early 16-point deficit for a
106-85 win over Philadelphia in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference
Tayshaun Prince scored 23 points and Richard Hamilton added 17 for the second-
seeded Pistons, who lead the best-of-seven series 1-0 with Game 2 slated for
Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"Early on, they [Sixers] got off to a great start," Prince said. "Once we got
patient we got some looks at the basket and put them away."
Allen Iverson, fresh off his fourth scoring title, paced the 76ers with a
game-high 30 points and 10 assists. Chris Webber added 27 points, while Samuel
Dalembert chipped in 10 points and 18 rebounds for seventh-seeded
After the Sixers went ahead by many as 16 points early in the game, Detroit
regained its championship form and took its first lead at 37-36 on Prince's
three-pointer with five minutes left before halftime. Philly continued to fall
apart and trailed 48-42 on Hamilton's three from the right corner. The Pistons
then carried a 48-46 lead into the locker room.
Iverson led all scorers at halftime with 14 points, while Antonio McDyess
paced the Pistons with 13. Webber added 12 points for the Sixers and Prince
netted 11 at the break for Detroit.
"He killed us," Iverson said of McDyess. "It seemed like it was all from the
same spot on the floor. They kept running the same play and got him into a
Hamilton's basket early in the third quarter staked Detroit to a 59-49 lead,
but the Sixers stormed back and pulled within 62-59 on an Iverson layup. The
Pistons then pulled away and led 80-70 after three quarters of action. Wallace
netted 16 points in the deciding period.
Wallace buried back-to-back three-pointers midway through the fourth quarter
and the Pistons owned a 94-79 advantage. The game was already decided by then
and the Sixers suffered the 21-point defeat. Wallace ended 4-of-7 from beyond
the arc.
"A loss is a loss, one point or 21 points," Iverson added. "I don't care about
that. We came in here trying to steal a game, and we didn't get it done.
We've got another opportunity Tuesday."
Detroit outrebounded the Sixers by a commanding 48-35 margin and will aim for
a 2-0 stranglehold in the series on Tuesday.
"Everybody has to be together in this," Prince added.
The 76ers raced out to a 6-0 lead and later made it 12-6 on an Iverson jumper
four minutes into the contest. With 4:11 to go in the first quarter, Andre
Iguodala sank 1-of-2 free throws for a 20-10 cushion. He later threw down a
two-handed jam and the Sixers led, 26-10. Philadelphia had a 28-16 lead after
the opening quarter.


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2018 Ferrari 488 Pista Is Going To Be Great
Ferrari's brand new performance version of the 2018 Ferrari 488 GTB has been finally unveiled, and it's a ravishing machine called Pista. The shiny red supercar in front of you has been already praised as the most powerful V8 in Ferrari's history and that's saying a lot since it comes after the excellent 430 Scuderia or the incredible 458 Speciale.
The performance versions of Ferrari's V8 supercars have been always extremely sought after, and the 2018 Ferrari 488 Pista aims to break all records. Bragging about sublime handling and ultimate performance, the 2018 Ferrari 488 Pista builds upon the Italians' involvement in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
This went through an intense weight loss diet, with the engineers from Ferrari shedding an impressive 90 kg to get to a total dry weight of 1,280 kg. Once you consider the 720 ponies coming out the 3.9-liter V8, you realize we're dealing with an exciting vehicle. This Ferrari will do 0 to 100 km/h in 2.85 seconds and accelerate to 200 km/h in just 7.6 seconds. Aerodynamics also play a huge role in achieving such impressive performance levels, which is why Ferrari worked an S-Duct into the nose, with a brand new front diffuser helping out with the downforce – also worth mentioning is the rear blown spoiler.
The 2018 Ferrari 488 Pista shows off a familiar racing fun, but don't get too excited just yet; pricing and availability will be announced only in a few weeks, we can just wait for it.


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Article Content
|Article Number
|Applies To
|RSA Product Set: Archer eGRC
RSA Version/Condition: 6.x
O/S Version: Windows Server 2012/R2
|Clicking a Column to Sort causes an error in an RSA Archer Flat Report with multiple Relationships
A Flat Report with multiple Relationships Enforced will return a Log Reference Id error when you attempt to sort by a column if you neglect to include at least one field in each Relationship.
Sample exception from w3wp log:
<TraceRecord Severity="Error" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/2004/10/E2ETraceEvent/TraceRecord">
|This is caused by a Report having multiple Relationships, where one Relationship is created through the first Relationship, and you neglect to add a field for the first relationship as shown below.
|Ensure that a field is included at each level of the Relationship.


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Drop In Low Cost Cafe
Drop In is a very low cost café we manage every first Sunday of the month from 1.30pm to 3.30pm to give the most vulnerable Brighton residents something to eat very cheaply if they usually have nothing. It`s operated by City Gate Church in partnership with the Brighthelm Centre.
This service has been offered at Brighthelm since the late 1980's when many church people saw there was a need for it.
If you would like more information or would be interested in taking part please contact us.


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Send me a pocket of oranges picked when the sun was full ripe
and chilled in an ocean of darkness
see if the lillies are budding and was it right to bouquet them?
Did the light play upon the water as the hearse lay my body down
No fruit nor blooms can touch me as I float in my cask
yet the smells would excite my olfactory and I can hear you still
Yes, still and silent.
The pungent lillies not known delight, but appropriate.Still you watch… stay with me, stay the bells that toll farewell…….and believe in love's flower that blossomed between us for season…. for time….forever….
its seed will rebirth
nutured will bud again.to raise us.
Would you still?
Send me a pocket of oranges picked when the sun was full ripe


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3D Kitchen also provides an optional MDF door profile production module in conjunction with its CNC/Nesting software. Over 40 door profiles come standard
with this module. This module also allows user created door profiles.
These are simple to create even if the profile itself is complex.A few examples are shown below.


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Every year I say I am going to take a couple weeks off at Christmas time, but I get bored and come back to work early. This year I decided I really needed the time off. I painted a lot of paintings this year, especially the last two months, and I wanted a break to think about what kind of art I want to make in 2013 and what kind of projects I want to publish.
I'm not made of money, so it's not an option for me to actually take a vacation anywhere, but we went and visited family for Christmas, and since we got home I have been doing all the things I put off all year because I don't have time. Mostly that means cleaning my house. I know that sounds boring to everyone else, but I get to really clean so rarely that I enjoy getting the house tidy, especially since I know this will probably be the last chance I have to deep clean until next Christmas. Yikes.
I have also been watching a lot of TV. I usually only watch TV when I paint, and then I only watch things that inspire me. I really like TV shows like Bones, My Name is Earl, X-Files and so on. Since I have been working since I was 16, I have missed most of these shows, so they are like new to me. :)
I don't want to talk about any of my art ideas or projects until they're done (new resolution for 2013?), so I'll shut up and show you some pictures of my Christmas Stay-Cation.
The antlers light up, and Wolf is still wearing them around the house.
By the time we got home, of course our Christmas tree had died. My husband worked the next day, so I struggled through carrying it out of the house, and with some help from one of our dogs got it out the back door. Then I diligently swept up all 200,000 pine needles it dumped on the floor and packed away the ornaments. Our son spent most of the time rearranging them, and the tree was a mess, so I leave you with a shot of my favorite decorations.
Now it's time to resume my new favorite TV show (Bones) and finish this cup of hot cocoa.
Goodnight, and happy holidays!


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Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished years earlier. Hoping to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance, Croft embarks on a perilous journey to his last-known destination -- a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. The stakes couldn't be higher as Lara must rely on her sharp mind, blind faith and stubborn spirit to venture into the unknown.
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas
Release Date: March 16, 2018
Genres: Action, Adventure
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and for some language
Runtime: 1h 58min
The rebooted Tomb Raider is a solid if paint by the numbers origin story which also makes it one of the better video game adaptations. Of course that's hardly high praise since video game adaptations have a fairly terrible track record. Luckily Norwegian director Roar Uthaug, who directed the impressive 2015 Norwegian disaster film The Wave, gives his film a palpable plus even if the script is fairly basic. Uthaug delivers some solid action set pieces throughout along with a shipwreck sequence which could serve as a solid test for epilepsy. Uthaug film feels strangely like a 90's Michael Bay film if you removed all of Bay's bombast. It's an interesting bit of alchemy that works more often than not.
Tomb Raider wouldn't work at all if Alicia Vikander couldn't pull off the role of Laura Croft which she did incredibly well. For the uninitiated, the video game character was rebooted in 2013 as a younger, more grounded take which serves as the basis for this film. So all the cartoonish proportions of the video game and caricature of Angelina Jolie's 2001 portrayal are thrown by the wayside for a more realistic and grounded approach which works in the film's favor.
Vikander is fully committed to the character and she's clearly enjoying herself as the heroine. She pulls off a steady balance of strength while still being green and learning her way. Outside of her childlike grunts, Vikander is always the best thing on the screen and gives the film its heart.
The supporting cast though is sadly underused and developed. Walton Goggins is given one of the most basic villain characters to play which is a shame since Goggins is such an interesting actor. It's a fairly large misstep mainly due to the script which doesn't provide any depth. Daniel Wu's character is the very definition of a one dimensional character, sure he does some things during the film but he's more a function than a full-fledged character. Dominic West also isn't given much to do outside of a wear a terrible wig and look slightly confused and nuts.
Tomb Raider is a perfectly watchable film and fans of the video game series will enjoy seeing certain sequences from the 2013 game lifted and woven into this film's narrative but it all feels incredibly safe. The door is left wide open for a sequel should this film prove to be successful, which with Alicia Vikander in the lead isn't a bad thing.


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The foundation supports grassroots programs which focus on community capacity building and social justice in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, California. The foundation also funds efforts that create a social or societal change, rather than individual empowerment or development of leadership skills in individuals, except where such training is directly linked to community action and participants are committed to remaining in the community.
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Opening Frauenakt im urbanen Wien
The opening of my exhibition was a blast, lots of people came to join me and we managed to drink all the wine who was there. Thanks everyone for participating, hope to see you soon at my next exhibition.
(c) Thomas Kronsteiner
Neuerer Post
Älterer Post


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Gay sugar daddy for me: Left, at the base of the chest, I felt an electric shock. When he touched my hand, I felt my breath leaving my body, and when he put it on his chest.
gay sugar daddy for me pictures and movs
As he touched my hand, he often touched me, swimming. The elusive happens to you, which sets you on fire? Have you ever had a moment in your life when something
gay sugar daddy for me
And he went to the bed and laid my hand on his chest. gaping hairy asshole , Feel how wet I am.
We drove here pretty quickly, and I was sweating all over. I think you need it, too. older black gay tube I was just about to ask if I could take a shower!


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This past summer I did an art show in Galena with my friend, Alexis Fraser, who is another amazing artist friend of mine. (I have many since I majored in Fine Art in college). The show was a total bust, meaning, I didn't sell anything and Alexis barely made her entry fees back, but it did get me painting again this summer at least. I think this lack of sales in the art market is because of the economy and lack of advertising of the organizers of the events. I mean, everyone is hurting to some degree, and when it comes down to it, wall art is not a necessity–but rather a beautiful thing to add ambiance and/or emotion to your space. I think food and clothing might rank higher to most than artwork–and thus the low sales this past year. I anticipate it being just as slow this year–so I think I will pass on doing shows altogether. I digress.
This first piece was inspired by a photo I took at one of my many trips to the Chicago Botanic Garden. I love being there, and my favorite garden is the English Walled Garden in which this fountain resides. I cropped in on its face and did most of the detail work in blues and violets. I also did the "salt sprinkling" technique in the background circle to get a textured effect. It turned out really cool, and its one of Matt's favorite pieces that I've ever done.
This next piece was also made in hopes to sell it at the show, but alas, it now hangs on my hallway-to-the-upstairs wall. Its another statue of a young girl with an otter wrapped around her feet.


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Japan Expo 2013 After Action Report
Japan Expo is a spin-off of a French-run convention held at the Santa Clara Convention Center, home of the original Fanime. While it was exciting that there would be a new
convention in NorCal, a few policy concerns and a late schedule publication probably hindered the number of attendees to the convention. It is not exactly an Anime convention but rather showcased Japanese culture as a whole. Did the convention perform?
Not Your Typical Convention
Many convention goers were somewhat bewildered as to what we saw in the convention hall. The hall had the usual suspects at Anime conventions like viewing rooms, Guest panels, merchandise and artist alley, and video game room. However, there were also things like travel agencies, tradition Japanese art on display (and for sale), as well as martial arts, traditional music, and special guests not from the Anime-industry. I would make the joke that it means there is something for the kids as well as the adults, giving it a feel of a San Francisco Cherry Blossom festival. There were even mini-parades and what I can only describe as a Japanese male cheering squad present at random.
There is a slight more emphasis on Anime, but the inclusion of more traditional Japanese culture is definitely welcome, if a bit jarring. It was interesting to learn about art as well as shoot cosplayers. If anything, I think there should be more of both in general. The artist alley was rather small and in the corner, so those artists might have gotten the shaft. Hopefully feedback would help them for their 2nd show.
Thematically, Friday had mostly the culture on display. However, with school just starting for many people, it was clear only adults would be present that day, though a change to an earlier date would be advisable as the convention was a ghost town the first day. Saturday was clearly a lot livelier, as it typically is for a 3-day convention. However, for some reason, there were two cosplay masquerades, one on Saturday and one on Sunday right after many of us were checking out of our hotels. Thankfully they had bag checks and cosplay changing rooms (not to mention numerous clean bathrooms) to help alleviate the problem, but I know from experience that Sunday is usually shopping day and not a heavy cosplay day.
Technical Difficulties
Japan Expo had a professional staff, but they were clearly used to a certain way of doing things that worked in Europe. The biggest sticking point for people was the badge system they implemented. Instead of waiting in line for badges, everyone (pre-reg and same-day guests) used a QR code to verify their purchase every time they entered and exited the convention. This system as a couple of advantages over the badge system us Americans are used to.
No badges to hide during shoots.
Guarantees that ghosting is at a minimum.
No pre-reg badge lines. Just head straight for the entrance.
Unfortunately there were only two scanners so that means there were only one entrance and one exit. And for some reason, they were strict on where the entrance and exit was. For example, exiting through the hotel connection was tentatively allowed, but to enter again, you had to go all the way around in the hot sun to the main entrance, a rather major annoyance.
Still, the system does benefit both the con and the attendees. Attendees do not have to wait and can hide their QR codes easier and the con guarantees that there is no one ghosting the convention. If they can get more scanners at different locations, the system could be a good change from the norms.
Personal Feelings
The convention felt more like a Japantown fair than a convention with the art displays, booths for trips to Japan, as well as the random parades. It was not very crowded like Fanime is currently, but that's not always a bad thing. It helps that I had more areas to shoot in the hallways since there was usually decent lighting as well as plenty of wall real-estate for one to use. The feel is more laid back, and after going to Fanime, Anime Expo, and San Diego Comic Con, that was a very good thing for me.
The more laid back feel also helped me, photography wise. I was able to spend more time per group than I ever could at any of the other cons. While it's not so populated that I could just grab a cosplayer to do a shoot, like ALA, it wasn't as hoity-toity as Anime Expo either. I joked after the con that I "got my mojo back", and looking at these photos, I can see why. My lighting as better, the shots have better composition, and frankly they were all a blast to shoot. The best part was the variety of shoots I did thematically and timing wise. Even after I injured and blistered my legs, I had a great time and never let that stop me.
+ Miss Ocha Cosplay (FB), + etc, Blossomberry cosplay (FB),
Blossomberry cosplay (FB), , + Miss Ocha Cosplay (FB) + Haruhi, Batshep (FB)
The Great White Cosplayer + Sirian (FB), 's Jie,
Final Thoughts
For a first-time con, it was run professionally. I know it came from Europe, and it had teething problems adjusting to the convention culture we Americans are used to, but compared to lots of other cons I go to, it was great. It had almost something for everyone, the staffs were neither unprofessional nor stuck by the book (except for badge checks), and it could adapt on the fly. If they can solve the badge scanning problems and the food, I would not be surprised if Japan Expo would actually become a threat to Fanime.
I hope I can attend next year and I hope to see this con grow bigger and stronger.
– Staff were, mostly nice
– Pre-reg badge has little wait.
– Relaxing, but not boring.
– Entrance/Exit placements
– Food is not as easy to come by.
– Artist Alley could use a better placement and incentive to go
Fun Factor: