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by Phil Johnson
This morning I want to look at a single verse in John 4. This is that famous account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar. There was a centuries-old dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans regarding the proper place of worship. The Samaritans were a hybrid race and a hybrid religion, the offspring of Jews who had intermarried with pagans during the Assyrian Captivity. According to 2 Kings 17:24, the king of Assyria sent most of Israel into exile and deliberately salted the land with pagan settlers from Babylon and other pagan regions. They intermarried with the stragglers from Israel who were left behind, and the result was this new ethnicity and religion that was utterly abhorrent to the faithful remnant of Judah, because their worship, their lifestyle, and every aspect of their culture was corrupted with pagan ideas.
The Samaritans declared that Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem, was the most holy place on earth, the only rightful place of worship—and (more than five centuries before Christ) they built a temple there. The Samaritan Temple was destroyed during the time of the Maccabees (two centuries before Christ). But the Samaritans still insisted that Gerizim was the rightful place of worship, and this was one of the relentless arguments they had with the Jews. (By the way, there is still a small community of Samaritans that live at the base of Mt. Gerizim, and to this day they insist that this is the only rightful place of worship.
The Samaritan Woman brought up that debate in her discussion with Jesus. She knows He is Jewish. So in verse 20, she says, "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." She has just realized Jesus is a prophet (v. 19), and the very first thing her mind goes to is this ancient theological debate, which, by the way, she and her people have been totally on the wrong side of for centuries.
Now, if this were two typical combatants in an ancient theological debate, this could have turned into a long discourse. If Jesus were like the average Calvinist trying to straighten out an Arminian who just can't seem to grasp the truth of eternal security, he might have taken the opportunity to deliver a long lecture.
He doesn't do that. I love Jesus' answer. He tells her she's wrong, but basically shifts the focus away from the point of doctrine she was asking about, because the question of where the Temple should be located is mere trivia compared to the greater question of who God is. Verse 21:
Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Now, we're going to go back and take a longer look at the larger narrative so that you have a better sense of the context, but my focus this morning is going to be very narrow. I want to highlight three words in verse 24, "God is spirit," and we're going to discuss the implications of that statement. This is one of the key attributes of God: spirituality. "God is spirit."
Spirituality is probably not one of the first words that comes to mind when you think of the divine attributes. In fact, I think if we chose a dozen of our seminary students at random and asked them to name as many divine attributes as they can think of, it wouldn't surprise me at all if none of them named "spirituality." When we think of the attributes of God, we typically think of things like love, righteousness, holiness, wrath, truthfulness, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, self-existence, transcendence, longsuffering, mercy—and a list of things like that.
Frankly "spirituality" sounds almost like it doesn't even fit in that list, especially when you consider how that word is used today. Spirituality has become a kind of watered-down substitute for religion. You constantly hear people nowadays say things like, "I'm spiritual, but not religious." The word "religion" carries negative connotations—and even lots of Christians think of it that way. I became a Christian in the 1970s, and I hadn't been a believer for 48 hours before I heard someone say, "Christianity isn't a religion; it's a relationship." And I learned very quickly as a new believer that the word religion is almost universally disliked—even among believers. So I had some re-thinking to do when my study of the New Testament got me into James and I read where James said there is a kind of religion that is true and undefiled, and it's something we ought to pursue.
But that's an idea I still frequently encounter. ("Christianity isn't a religion; it's a relationship.") We don't like the word religion. Our whole culture conditions us to believe that religion is oppressive and archaic.
But "spirituality"—now that's something entirely different. Spirituality is somehow noble and respectable, even in a secular, self-absorbed culture like ours. It has the ring of the New Age to it: Spirituality.
I think in the minds of a lot of people, the word religion implies that you recognize some supreme deity—a divine authority to whom everyone is ultimately accountable. But you can be "spiritual" even if the only god you recognize is yourself. So "spirituality" has become quite common and stylish. It's the religion of Oprah Winfrey: you get to decide what path you will follow, and whatever you choose is right for you, simply by virtue of the fact that you chose it. And no one has any right to question anyone else's chosen spiritual path. Each person is essentially free to worship any god of his own making, or be a god unto himself, or deny the existence of any kind of deity (which is really the same thing as making a god of oneself). That is the very essence of postmodern "spirituality." And the word spirituality has therefore taken on connotations that can be confusing when you apply that word to God himself.
But when we speak of "spirituality" as an attribute of God, that's not even close to what we are saying. In fact, this may be one of the easiest of the divine attributes to understand. It doesn't really require any special exegesis or advanced-level theological instruction. When we say spirituality is an attribute of God, what we are saying is simply that God is a Spirit. He's not a material being. He doesn't have a tangible, visible, corPOReal body. He is a pure, transcendent Spirit. That's not to suggest that He is a bare spiritual substance (like an impersonal cloud or an inanimate vapor). But He is a sensible, wise, willing Spirit, who is holy, just, and good.
This is what Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:24: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Some translations say "God is a spirit" (with the indefinite article.) It can be translated either way, and at the end of the day, it means the same thing anyway: "God is Spirit." His very essence is pure spirit—not reducible to parts or any kind of composition. He exists as a spirit-being.
Here's an interesting fact: John 4:24 is the only text in the whole Bible that says, in so many words, that "God is [a] Spirit." Scripture is full of expressions that seem to attribute body parts to God: Isaiah 52:10: "The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations." Psalm 34:15: "The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry." Numbers 6:25: "The LORD make his face to shine upon you"—and so on. Those, of course, are anthropomorphisms—figures of speech that describe other attributes of God in terms suited to human understanding.
But we're clearly not supposed to take them literally. They are symbols for various attributes of God. "The arm of the Lord" is an expression that speaks of His omnipotence. "The eyes of the Lord" and "the ears of the Lord" are expressions that speak of His omniscience. "The face of the Lord shining on you" is an expression that speaks of divine grace. "The hand of the Lord" is His creative power; and "the mouth of the Lord" is a reference to the power of His Word. We're not supposed to envision literal body parts when we hear expressions like that, and the context always makes that sufficiently clear. "God is a spirit," and in Luke 24:39, Jesus says, "a spirit does not have flesh and bones."
Now there have always been people, rank heretics most of them, who insist on taking the figurative expressions literally, and they find a way to explain away or ignore the one verse in John 4:24 that clearly says, "God is spirit." We excommunicated a man from our fellowship a few years ago who subsequently started his own cult, and among his many false teachings was the idea that God has a tangible, physical body of flesh that is indistinguishable from any normal human body.
That is one of the many ways unbelievers try to dethrone God and remake Him in their own likeness. They imagine Him as if he had a body. Lots of pagan deities supposedly exist in physical or bodily form. Many false religions ascribe supernatural bodies to their deities—bloodless bodies, bodies that can materialize and dematerialize, wispy forms that are almost invisible but not quite—and so on. The sadducees, of course, denied the existence of the entire spiritual realm, so their concept of God was bodily.
Again, it is one of the ways pagan minds diminish God—by conceiving of Him in some material form that fits into time and space.
But Scripture doesn't permit us to think of God in such terms. This is one of the chief reasons the second commandment forbids the making of idols. It is not possible to represent God properly by any object, animal, or material form— because He isn't a finite being who can be confined to time and space or contained in bodily form.
The one exception to that principle (and it's not really an exception) is the miracle of the Incarnation of Christ. All the fullness of the Godhead belongs to Christ, and the divine glory is declared to us in bodily form by Christ.
But the incarnation is first of all about the humanity of Christ, not His deity. In His deity, Christ is and always has been an omnipresent spirit, not confined to a physical body. to quote John Calvin:
[Although] the Word in his immeasurable essence united with the nature of man into one person, we do not imagine that he was confined therein. [But, Calvin said, in some mysterious way even while he was an infant in His mother's womb] he continuously filled the world even as he had done from the beginning!
Philippians 2:6 says that from eternity past, Christ existed "in the form of God"—a pure spirit, because that is the very essence of the divine existence. In the incarnation, He took on the form of a man (Philippians 2:7): He "made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." Notice: He took on humanity. He didn't divest himself of deity. The Incarnation wasn't an act of subtraction; it was an act of addition. Christ took on a full human nature and a truly human body. But the body of Christ pertains to His humanity; not His deity. The essence of God is pure spirit, and Christ's incarnation did not nullify that or change the reality of it. Christ in His deity is still manifest in bodily form—in the resurrected, glorified body that ascended to heaven. But as God, He is not confined to that body, which is how He could say in Matthew 18:20, "where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." And Hebrews 13:5: "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Believers are spiritually united with Christ, and the omnipresence of His divine spirit is essential to that reality.
In fact, practically everything you could say about the incommunicable attributes of God underscores the truth that "God is [a] spirit." Even though that explicit statement appears only once in all of Scripture, the spirituality of God is strongly implied throughout the Bible. In fact, if you accept everything else Scripture says about God, you can come to no other conclusion than this: "God is [a] spirit."
Scripture says, for example, that God is invisible. In the benediction of his first epistle to Timothy, Paul writes, "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:17). Hebrews 11:27 refers to God as invisible: "[Moses] endured as seeing him who is invisible." Colossians 1:15 says the incarnate Christ "is the image of the invisible God." If God is not pure spirit, He can't be truly invisible. If he had a body and simply kept it hidden from us, that's not invisibility; that's concealment. Someone might say, well, the air we breathe is a material substance, but it's invisible. Not in Southern California, it's not. In fact, air isn't truly invisible anywhere. The atmosphere is what makes the sky blue in the daytime. It's visible enough to obscure the stars.
God is truly invisible—pure Spirit. If he were not a spirit, He could not be truly infinite. Bodies are finite by definition. For the same reason, if God were not pure Spirit, He could not be omnipresent. Bodies by definition occupy a definite volume of space. And even a body as vast as a whole galaxy still would not be truly omnipresent, because by definition, two bodies cannot occupy the exact same space. But Scripture says God fills heaven and earth. Jeremiah 23:24: "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD." And the only way to make sense of that truth is by understanding that God is pure spirit; he exists on a spiritual plane that transcends heaven and earth, time and space. His infinitude; his omnipresence; his immutability; His eternal self-existence; and His utter perfection all depend on the truth that He is a spirit. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith: "[God is] a most pure spirit, invisible, without body [or] parts . . . "
That, again, is exactly what Jesus was saying to the Samaritan woman in John 4, and in the time we have remaining I want to go back to the beginning of this passage, and work our way through the narrative. We're going to focus mainly on what it says about God, and what the implications of God's spirituality are when it comes to our duty as worshipers. And then we'll summarize it with a brief outline at the end.
This is a powerful passage. My very first affiliation with John MacArthur came thirty years ago when I was an editor at Moody Press and he was one of our authors. The first book of his I ever edited was taken from a sermon series titled "True Worship," based on this passage from John 4. And it profoundly changed my view of what worship is all about. That book came out in an expanded anniversary edition earlier this year. You ought to read it if you never have.
Anyway, let's look at this truth that God is a Spirit, and we want to pay special attention to the implications Jesus Himself drew from that truth.
So let's start with verse 5. I'm going to try to move through these verses quickly, and we'll stop at verse 24 and consider the implications of spirituality as one of God's attributes.
Here's some background: It's early in Jesus' ministry. He is taking an unusual route from Jerusalem to Galilee. Jewish people always took a route north that bypassed Samaria. Jesus instead chose a route that took Him through Samaria. This was deliberate a move that frankly was socially unacceptable. Decent, respectable, devout Jewish men in Jesus' culture never traveled through Samaria. They considered the whole Samaritan nation unclean.
So what Jesus does here is not just unconventional; it would have been spiritually scandalous to everyone schooled in the Pharisees' doctrines. This was not an afterthought or an accident. John 4:4: "He had to pass through Samaria"—not because he was compelled by bad weather, road hazards, or anything beyond His power to avoid—but because He had a divine appointment with this woman. Chapter 3 is about how Jesus gave the gospel to Nicodemus, a highly respected Jewish ruler. Chapter 4 then tells in equivalent detail how He gave the gospel to a Samaritan woman who wasn't respectable in any sense, not even by Samaritan standards. But don't get the idea this was something forced on Jesus that He would have avoided if He could. This was a divine appointment. Jesus said in John 8:29: "I always do the things that are pleasing to [my Father]." That was precisely what compelled him to go through Samaria. This pleased the Father.
Verse 5:
So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [By the way, this village in the Old Testament was named Shechem, and it was situated right at the base of Mt. Gerizim, very near the Samaritan holy place. It was the heart and capital of the Samaritan nation.]
6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."
8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
She is amazed, and she is immediately curious why this respectable Jewish teacher would ask her for a drink. By the customs of that time, any water she drew from the well would be deemed ceremonially unclean. Any water dipped from the well with her utensils would likewise be considered defiling to a Jewish traveler. This was an extraordinary request Jesus made of her, so of course she challenged him on it.
It's not that she resented the work of drawing water from the well. It's true that the well was deep (verse 11). That well is still there to this day, and you have to lower a vessel on 125 feet of rope in order to get to the water level. That's equivalent to a 12-story building. So it's no small effort to haul water up that far.
Still, it would not be the least unusual for a Jewish traveler in Jewish lands to request a drink of water from a Jewish woman drawing water. It was always the woman's responsibility to draw water from the local well for household needs. I've seen this sort of thing myself in India, where women go to a community well with large pots, draw enough water to meet their needs for a full day, carefully stack the full pots of water on their heads, and walk back, sometimes great distances, to their homes. That's grueling work by any standard, but to give a cup of water to a traveler in the process of filling great pots with water was not really a great inconvenience. What astonished and perplexed this woman was not the request itself, but the fact that it came from a Jewish traveller. It didn't compute.
So Jesus startles her even further by giving her a hint of who He was. Down in verse 26, he is going to tell her plainly that He is the Messiah, and here he hints at it. It's a remarkable exchange, because Jesus had never plainly declared that He was he Messiah before, and it isn't characteristic of his subsequent ministry, either. Often He commands people to tell no one who He is. But here in verse 10, He begins to drop hints to this woman, under the most unlikely circumstances, about who He really is. (Verse 10):
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock."
13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water."
Like I said, drawing water was a taxing chore, and one that had to be done daily. We're spoiled by plumbing, but imagine if a woman in your household had to walk, say, a quarter of a mile to a community well every day and draw enough water for all your household needs for the day. You'd be taking fewer showers, I bet. And they'd be a lot quicker.
So when Jesus started talking about living water, which (if you drink it) you'll never be thirsty again, she is thinking in literal terms about literal water, and her reply is almost giddy, with a clear tone of skepticism. She seems to think He's a joke. Or perhaps she thought He was mocking or taunting her, and she's responding in kind. She is definitely not being serious here. In the first place, He has nothing with which to draw any kind of water (v. 11). In the second place, no matter how superstitious and simple-minded she may have been, I seriously doubt that she really believed he could produce some kind of literal, magic water that you could drink once and never need water again in your life. So this isn't a reverent request from a heart of faith. When she says, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water"—it's more of a dare—spoken with a tone of skepticism (or perhaps resentment).
But if there's any hint of disbelief in her reply, He is unfazed by it. He says (v. 16), "Go, call your husband, and come here."
Now this is a very quick back-and-forth dialogue. Verse 17: "The woman answered him, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her, 'You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.'"
And at this point you can almost hear her gasp. There's no way she saw this coming. Jesus clearly knew every detail of her broken life. He meticulously recites the embarrassing specifics of her situation: "five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband." This was a deeply disgraced woman. In fact, this probably explains why she was at the well alone. For women in a village like this, the one relief to the drudgery of drawing daily water rations was that you got to mingle with the village women and catch up on the gossip and whatnot. So they gathered at the well, usually during the cool of the morning, so that everyone generally did it together, and it was a social time instead of pure, lonely drudgery.
But this woman's horribly failed marital history (together with the fact that she was now living with a man she wasn't legitimately married to) made her a total outcast, even in the Samaritan culture. She had to come to the well alone, probably during the heat of the day, because she would have been ostracized by all the other women of the community.
Here Jesus clearly knows all the precise details of her horrible life history—and yet He drinks the water she drew; he drinks it from her cup; he talks to her—and he talks to her in a gracious way, even though he knows all about her. Whatever he meant by it, He had offered her living water!
So now she is totally floored. Verse 19: "The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet." She instantly knows that He is from God; He knows things only God could know. There's no veil over her sin and shame. And suddenly her past is the topic of their conversation. This was not a comfortable situation.
Now, we don't know and we're not told what she was thinking at this point. Some commentators accuse her of trying to change the subject, to get the topic of discussion away from her own sordid past. So she poses a question totally out of left field as a kind of theological puzzler, to steer the conversation a different direction.
I don't think so. She recognized and confessed immediately that Jesus was a true prophet, which in effect was a humble confession that everything he said about her was true. But then where would she find forgiveness and redemption from the guilt of her sin? She was an outcast, living on the fringes of Samaritan society, and she knew the Jews considered all of Samaritan society outcast in the first place. What was the answer to her sin? Should she seek forgiveness as a Samaritan on Gerizim, or become a proselyte to Judaism?
That's what the context seems to suggest she was thinking, because Jesus answered her question accordingly. Verse 20, she says, "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship."
Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
So that's the context of the statement "God is spirit," and Jesus' answer to the woman's question was as clear as it could possibly be: Samaritan worship was wrong from the start. It was a syncretistic system born out of ignorance "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know." Of the two systems, Judaism was the true one, "for salvation is from the Jews." The Scriptures, the true law, the God-ordained throne of David, and the Messianic line all came through the Jewish nation. When the Samaritans rejected pure Judaism and replaced it with their own hybrid religion, they were in effect turning away from the salvation God provides.
And yet the worship of 1st-century Judaism pertained to the Old Covenant, which was about to give way to a new and better covenant. All the forms and ceremonies; the priesthood and sacrifices; and even the Temple itself were going to be done away with, because those things prefigured Christ and His sacrificial work.
So Jesus tells this woman the hour is at hand when the place of worship and even the rituals of Jewish worship would give way to something more pure and more truly spiritual than the external forms and ceremonies of the sacrificial system. The time had now come when authentic worship would not be in this mountain or at that place, but "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him."
And then the key text, verse 24: "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Now I want to unpack the implications of that statement with you, and we'll do it quickly, so that we can finish on time.
By the way, this woman was truly and genuinely converted. Jesus declares plainly to her that He is the Messiah, and He says so with unprecedented clarity in verse 26. She runs back into the village and gathers as many people as she can to come back and meet Jesus. Meanwhile, the disciples return from buying food, Jesus is clearly ecstatic over this woman's conversion. This is where he talks about the fields being white with harvest (v. 35). And as if to prove it, this woman's simple testimony moves others in the village to find Jesus, and they become believers also. Verse 39:
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his word.
42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
So this is an amazing encounter, and this little village essentially becomes home to what is perhaps the first-ever Christian awakening, and many of the villagers become true worshipers—in spirit and in truth.
Now let's talk about some of the characteristics of authentic worship, because according to Jesus, these are direct implications of the truth that "God is spirit."
Just from the context of this passage there are three truths about worship that I want to point out to you, and all of them are direct ramifications of the spirituality of God. See: the most important question about worship is how, not where. The Samaritan woman's God was too small. She was thinking, like many people in that culture, that God was either on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria, or on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem—and if you wanted to worship Him, you first of all had to go to the right place. But, Jesus says, "God is Spirit." He isn't contained in the ark in the holy of Holies, and he certainly isn't wandering around in the ruins of the Samaritan temple on Gerizim.
And since God is a spirit-being, authentic worship of Him must likewise be spiritual. It is not merely ritualistic; it is not expressed in the motions of our bodies or the location of some altar—but true worship engages the very spirit and soul of the worshiper. That was Jesus' meaning, and I think it's clear that these Samaritan villagers understood the gist of it. And there are three key lessons here that we need to take note of as well: three ramifications of the spirituality of God as it pertains to our worship of him. Number one is that—
1. Authentic worship emanates from human temples, not brick-and-mortar buildings
This is one of the key truths of Christianity: the entire Old Covenant sacrificial system was symbolic of something greater. That includes the priesthood, the sacrificial animals, every ritual and every offering, all the furnishings in the Temple and even the temple itself. All of those things were temporary, representative symbols. All of them pointed to something greater, and that "something greater" was Christ. He made the perfect sacrifice, once for all. It doesn't need to be repeated daily like the Old Covenant offerings. He fulfilled everything the Old Testament sacrificial system signified.
Furthermore, in the greater reality of the New Covenant, the temple of God is not a literal brick-and-mortar building, fixed and stationery. But under the New Covenant, the Temple of God is the people of God. First Corinthians 3:16-17: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." The "you" in that passage is plural: You (collectively) are the Temple of God. He dwells in His people. And it is likewise true in an individual sense that every believer is a temple where God dwells. First Corinthians 6:19: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Let your body be the temple from which true worship of God sounds forth.
This is inextricably linked to the truth that "God is Spirit." He indwells us—and don't think of this in the sense of occupying physical space. It's something much greater than that. Our spirit is united with His Spirit, so that we literally and permanently are God's dwelling-place. That also means for a believer, Moriah is no more or less holy than Gerizim, and Sun Valley California is no less sacred than the holy of holies in Solomon's Temple. No matter where you go, there God is.
And that means for a believer in Christ, worship can and should take place no matter where you are. Worship ought to be a full-time activity for us. Scripture says so as emphatically as possible. First Corinthians 10:31: "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Worship of God is not supposed to be relegated to a particular time and place; for the believer, worship should infuse and energize everything we do. And if you are doing anything that is incompatible with authentic worship, you should stop doing it, because if you are a believer using your body for some sinful purpose, you are defiling the temple of the living God.
So that's implication number 1 of the spirituality of God: Authentic worship emanates from human temples, not brick-and-mortar buildings. Here's a second implication:
2. Authentic worship flows from the spirit, not merely from the lips
God is spiritual in His very essence, and therefore He must be worshipped with spiritual worship—worship in the energy of spirit; worship that engages and employs our entire spirit, not just the motions of our hands and the words we form with our lips; not bare ritual; but a true expression of the heart and soul. "Worship in spirit."
"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." Jesus is making a deliberate contrast between the worship God seeks and the typical kind of worship that is dominated by human tradition, obscured by empty ritual, and buried under meaningless layers of pomp and ceremony. Listen to Christ's criticism of the Pharisees' religion (Matthew 15:3, 8): "Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? . . . You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.'"
They had all the ceremonies down. Many of these were rituals prescribed by Moses' law, ordained by God, and therefore good things if used properly. They were fine if seen for what they really were: symbols of a greater reality, aids to worship; not the end-all and be-all of worship. But the Pharisees were more enamored with the rituals than they were with the truth the rituals signified. And so they added layers of their own manmade rituals on top of what the law prescribed: extra washings; more complicated ceremonies; more elaborate costumes—longer tassels on their robes and whatnot to exaggerate the liturgical impact of all the pageantry and spectacle. The flesh loves that. And the ceremonies themselves became what they thought of when they thought of "worship." It was a flamboyant display for the benefit of the worshiper rather than an expression of praise and honor to God. They were worshiping Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. They were indulging their flesh, not worshiping in spirit.
And let's be honest: we all have a sinful tendency to do that. We go through the motions without really engaging our spirit in worship. We seize the opportunity during the pastoral prayer to look at our watch, or send a text message during the congregational hymn, or whatever. Jesus said that's not authentic worship; It's not worship at all unless we "worship in spirit and truth."
This is a much abused and widely misunderstood principle today. Jesus is not calling for the kind of shallow passion that responds to the music and the atmosphere. He's not saying we should aim at working ourselves into a frenzy of feeling and passion devoid of any rational content.
And that's the third implication Jesus draws from the spirituality of God. 1. Authentic worship emanates from human temples, not brick-and-mortar buildings; 2. Authentic worship flows from the spirit, not merely from the lips. Now, third—
3. Authentic worship is concerned with truth, not bare passion
It's a common misconception today that worship in the spirit requires us to empty the mind of anything rational. I visited a charismatic church a few years ago where the worship leader said that very thing: He encouraged people to "sing in the spirit"—and in order to do that, he said, "you need to empty your mind and let the spirit take over your voice. Close your eyes and forget where you are, and just feel the worship."
A lot of contemporary worship is just like that. We use music and atmosphere to build raw passion to a crescendo. And lots of people think that's the purest form of worship—when you are basically so overwhelmed with emotion that your mind is unattached and unengaged in any kind of rational thought. In fact, music is so important to the process that when you use the word "worship" today, most Christians assume you are talking about music.
But notice that Jesus gave truth, not music, the place of prominence in worship: "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
That's loaded with even more implications we simply don't have time to unpack. But let me abbreviate it for you. "Truth" here stands in contradistinction to bare ritual. It also contrasts with raw passion. Jesus is saying that sound doctrine, a clear conscience, and a true heart are infinitely more important for authentic worship than the place where we worship, the forms with which we worship, the style of our music, or any of the other things people usually want to talk about and fight over whenever the subject of worship comes up.
What's important in worship is what you believe, not what tribe you belong to. Authentic worship is about how you think of God, not just how you "feel" when you sing about Him. It's about lifting up your spirit and opening heart before Him, not merely raising your hands and closing your eyes.
"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
"True worshipers . . . worship the Father in spirit and truth, [and] the Father is seeking such people to worship him."
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Sep 26, 2014 Newsdesk Latest News, Philippines, Top of the deck
Construction of the US$2-billion Manila Bay Resorts (pictured in a rendering) is on schedule and its first phase opening should take place late next year. Developer Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc, led by Japanese entrepreneur Kazuo Okada, is preparing to hire about 8,000 workers to staff the initial phase of its integrated casino project.
"We are still doing our utmost to be open by the end of 2015," Matt Hurst, executive vice president of gaming operations and marketing for the under-construction Manila Bay Resorts, told GGRAsia.
The first phase of the casino resort will have about 500 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines, Mr Hurst told local media. The property will also have two hotels managed by the company, nightclubs and restaurants. Phase two should see the retail area expanded to 70,000 square metres.
The casino operator is setting its sights on the international market, particularly Asian visitors. Aside from China, other important player markets will include Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, Mr Hurst recently told GGRAsia.
Manila Bay Resorts will be the third integrated resort at Entertainment City, under the four licences that have been granted by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor). The project however has been mired in regulatory and legal controversy for the past two years.
Pagcor requires Mr Okada to have a local partner before it can open its integrated resort. Under the country's constitution and public land laws, only Filipinos, or entities owned at least 60 percent by Filipino citizens, are allowed to own land, thus restricting Mr Okada or his majority-owned companies to just 40 percent ownership
The Japanese billionaire is locked in a court dispute with Philippine-based Century Properties Group Inc over the termination of an agreement that allowed the latter company to build luxury residential and retail developments in the 44-hectare (109-acre) project.
The local developer said earlier this month it would be willing to resume talks about a tie-up if the terms of the original agreement would be retained.
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Members of Macau's Legislative Assembly approved on Wednesday the first reading of the draft "Law to Combat Gambling Crimes", which has been presented by the city's authorities as a...
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subset: commoncrawl


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77 Chapter 77: Summon the Veteran Team
Well, it was another fun day of hunting.
Today is a hunting day. It's past 16:00, so I'm going to hunt some hexenbiest meat before I leave.
In front of Allen is a dead ant in armor. It's an ant whose head was chewed off by a beast D-ranked summoner.
Last time we hunted, we found out how strong these D-ranked summons are. Now that I know I can hunt armor ants consistently, I've decided to add armor ants to the list of targets I've been hunting, which has been entirely devoted to orcs.
I searched for armored ants with the eagle eye of the summoner of the shared bird E. I found that there were considerably more ants than orcs. I wonder if ants are more fertile than pigs.
Sharing feels like a pretty good skill, since the information from the search for enemies comes directly to you.
(Well, I got permission from the butler, so let's bring it back.
Turn over the armor like a salad bowl of armor ants, crushing the head. Separate the torso from the armor with a mithril sword. Also retrieve the magic stone on the chest.
Basically, for the past two years, I've been prioritizing the hunt and not bringing back any materials. This is because it takes two or three hours just to go to the store to buy or sell them. It's quite a distance from the building to the store. It was more of an experience than a moneymaker.
But now that he was at summon level 5, he could beat the armor ants consistently.
Allen came up with the idea of using the ant's armor instead of baskets to hunt monsters for meat and return. That's why I have them aim for your head to prevent breaking the armor of the ants.
This armor can be sold for a gold coin. The price per piece is very good. I thought I'd take one home with me after the hunt.
Then I talked to the butler. He asked if I could sell the armor to the armor shop since I'll bring it home with me every time I hunt. The baronet could buy it for you, but there is no reason for the baronet to buy it.
The butler said it was no problem. I also asked for one more favor. He asked if I could ask one of his servants to go to the armor shop on condition that I give him one piece of armor for every ten pieces I carry. He agreed, saying that they would probably be happy to do so.
Okay, dismantling is done. Then let's get started.
Allen's hunt doesn't end here.
With 30 Fish D summons in his holder, Allen has an intelligence of about 1600. He can share one summons per 200 intelligence, so he can share with eight summons.
Also, I've finished verifying some of the things I couldn't verify about D-rank summons since then.
Bird D's Summoner's special skill "Night Eyes" is a search skill that is effective at night, as expected. However, I couldn't see what was beyond the obstacles.
Fish D's Summoner's special skill "Scatter" is effective for 24 hours.
Now that I've made some progress on the D-rank summons, I'd like to experiment to see if I can continue the hunt while giving shared instructions to the summons.
(If possible, I'd like to create two squads, but that would be four summons per squad. Or we could have a group action with all 8 summonses.
Eight bodies were configured as follows
One Bug D Summoner
4 beast D summonses
1 bird E summons
1 bird D summoner
1 Fish D Summoner
The first thing to do when hunting with only summons is not to get hit. If you die, you won't have a summoner by your side to replenish your summons. Their strength will be reduced by that. So, the debuffs and buffs from Bug D and Fish D's summons are essential.
Use bird E's eagle eye during the day and bird D's night eye to search for them.
Of course, it's the role of beast D to kill the monsters. It's also the job of the beast D to protect the insect D and fish D.
I think this is just about as good a lineup as you'll find for hunting C-ranked monsters.
Then you'll take care of the rest. Don't attack the other adventurers!
And the most important thing in this Summoner Squad is not how many monsters you can defeat, but that you don't attack other adventurers. Of course they will follow your instructions, but you must also make sure that they do not fight back if they attack from the adventurer's side.
I've told the summons of birds E and D to stay away from other adventurers. The reason I have to include them is because Allen is asleep. Even while he sleeps, the sharing is unbreakable.
We're still in the middle of testing, but the effect of this sharing is likely to last 30 days. I figure that's the same amount of time I can summon a summoner.
Sharing while asleep is like falling asleep while playing a game in a previous life. Noises come normally to my ears.
While Allen is asleep, each summoner must act at his or her own discretion. So I had to include some warnings.
As Allen returns to the city, use the share to instruct all eight summonses.
The instructions are not given one at a time in sequence, but all eight of them at the same time. You can see the eight summonses and understand their physiques and specialties while giving them instructions at the same time. This is probably due to his 1600 intelligence.
The summoner of bird E does the searching. The summoner of bird D will have to wait until it's a little darker before he can search for the beast.
We've got to find the hexenbiest first. Less is better to start with.
Bird E's summoner's hawk-eye skills look around. This hawk's eyes also get out of range when there's a cloak. There are some things to share.
And there are two orcs three kilometers away.
(Oh, just in time.)
This time, Bird E's summons won't bother to come back to the remaining seven. The seven summons will go to the hexenbiest found by bird E. The speed of information transfer has been greatly increased because they can now share.
The speed of information transfer is greatly increased by being able to share. Now that they can share their vision and skills, they don't have to come back. Time loss is also greatly reduced.
Seven summons on their way to the two orcs captured by Bird E's summoner.
There are trees around here, but we are not in a forest, so of course the orcs will find them. Since there are seven of them, the orcs are aware of them and are ready for battle.
When the Orcs come at you, the summoned beast of Insect D will fire its special spider web to stop them. This spider web is very sticky and will slow the orc down.
The bear-like beast D summoner catches the slowed orc. Four beast D summons use their special skill "Crunch" to kill two orcs without any difficulty.
One orc has been killed. I have gained 1500 experience.
I have killed an orc. You have acquired 1500 experience.
It's a bit slow going, but that's OK. He's moving a little slow, but that's bearable.
Allen's speed is considerably higher than that of a D-ranked summoner. Although his movement speed is a bit frustrating, I'll be patient and continue the hunt.
(Now we just need to let the summons gain experience.)
A summoned beast accumulates experience. After being defeated, the newly summoned beast will be summoned with its memories and experience from before it was defeated.
The goal is also to teach this summoner squad how to hunt.
The next morning I sent the summoner squad out.
When Allen woke up, he checked his grimoire to see if his experience level had increased, but there was no increase in experience level. Although the monsters were defeated overnight, they didn't seem to gain any experience while they were sleeping. This is indeed not a game to be left alone. Only the summoned beast will accumulate experience. We will further investigate the conditions for gaining experience.
Then a few days later.
Allen is trying something else with the share.
This is Krsna village.
Allen has returned to the village of Krsna as a parrot, a summoner of bird G.
A five-day trip on foot, one way, can be flown in a few hours with the enhanced summoner of bird G.
My name is Krsna the Knight! Go!
"Come on!
Nearly two years later, Krsna and Dogora have grown up and are having a match. It's no longer a game of knightly games. Dogora's father, a weapons dealer, has apparently fashioned an iron sword and axe for them. The clashing of weapons seems to have gotten much louder.
Beside the gunfighting, Mash and Peromus are playing knightly games. This one is using a wooden sword.
I've been back in the village of Krsna for a while, so I stop at a nearby tree and take a look.
(Now we just need to give you something.)
Checking everyone's growth to some extent, aim their homes from the yard of Krsna's house.
In the dirt floor is Teresia.
There's Mom. Murat has grown up a lot.
The bird G summoned by the summoner of G, who invaded the dirt floor, Teresia does not seem to notice. Seeing his mother for the first time in a long time, Allen's heart is burning in his chest as he shares. It hasn't been two years, but it feels like a decade.
Teresia turned around to notice a metallic sound.
The summoner of Bird G was already gone.
A gold coin gleamed on the floor of the dirt floor.


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The recent controversies stemming from the Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) President Chris Week's impeachment and Honor Board's rejection of the Diversity and Equity Board (DEB) funding component make one thing clear: The ASOC constitution and bylaws are in desperate need of revision.
For the ASOC president to be impeached, he must have either violated the House Rules or been placed on disciplinary or academic probation. Because he was not on probation, the constitutionality of Chris Weeks' impeachments hangs on whether or not he indeed violated the House Rules. The problem is, there is disagreement over the very existence of the House Rules.
According to Weeks, in a complaint he filed with Honor Board April 14, the reference to the House Rules in the bylaws is obsolete because it is a holdover from an outdated version of the constitution. Senate claims that a set of community standards took the place of these rules, as discussed in their Sept. 22 meeting.
The foundation of this debate not only rests on whether or not Weeks indeed violated the community standards, but whether or not Senate could cite these violations as justification for impeachment. The contention is a result of ambiguities in the Senate bylaws and ASOC constitution.
This is not the first time that ambiguities in ASOC's regulating documents have led to controversy. Debate over Honor Board's power to approve student body fee increases has rocked campus over the past several months. While the constitution gives Honor Board explicit authority to approve student body fees, it does not provide any guidelines by which the board can make those decisions. As a result, the board must work within a large gray area.
If Senate is ruled responsible in violating the constitution by impeaching Weeks, funding for student clubs and student services will be uncertain. The source of funding for the Diversity and Equity Board also remains up in the air, compromising a much-needed initiative by focusing on crippling, idle banter.
Instead of allowing the student body to be torn apart by arguments over the inadequate and inconsistent documents that govern our student body, let us use the chaos created by Weeks' impeachment and the DEB controversy to motivate the creation of more thorough and clear institutional guidelines. The student body should not be held hostage because of inherently flawed documents and indifference to both solving the root of the problem and the long-term functionality of Oxy student government.


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Zend Preps System i Sessions for October ZendCon 2 Event
September 4, 2007 Timothy Prickett Morgan
ZendCon 2, the second annual conference for users of the PHP language, is going to be hosted by Zend Technology in San Francisco October 9 through 11. And because i5/OS and OS/400 customers are important to Zend and IBM, Zend is working hard to provide content specific to the System i platform at the event. Jim Dillard, the IBM alliance program manager at Zend who interfaces with the i5/OS and OS/400 community, is hoping to get some sort of idea about how many of you want to attend the System i-related sessions at ZendCon 2, so the company can have a room big enough for the crowd. Whether or not you have registered for the event, you can reserve a spot in the System i sessions, and reserving a spot is not a contractual obligation to attend. Anyway, you can check out the System i-specific sessions at this link, and then send Dillard an email at firstname.lastname@example.com to reserve your spot. If you want to bring more than one person to a session per company, just let him know. All of the PHP on System i sessions will take place on October 10, which means i5/OS and OS/400 shops can plan to spend the day at the show for their platform, and then spend the other days for the show getting back home, doing tourist stuff in San Francisco, or brushing up on other PHP skills. The main System i sessions at ZendCon 2 are as follows: Introduction to PHP, by Erwin Earley of IBM, is for beginners. It will explain what PHP is, why it is important to the System i platform, and why the System i is a great box on which to run PHP. Leveraging DB2/400 Data and RPG/COBOL/CL Programs, by Sam Pinkhasov of Zend and Erwin Earley of IBM, takes it up a notch, showing coders how to have PHP make use of existing DB2/400 data and i5/OS system resources, as well as invoking RPG, COBOL, and CL programs. Best Practices for Running PHP on the System i, also by Pinkhasov and Earley, is an intermediate-level session that explores how to best deploy PHP on the System i, covering security issues, system and application architectures, and specific coding examples. ZendCon 2 will feature what is called Tutorial Day, which is akin to the pre-conference lab sessions that the COMMON midrange user group holds before its annual conference. These workshops are geared to PHP coders with intermediate experience; you can find out more about them at this link. RELATED STORIES Zend Technologies and COMMON Create PHP Advisory Group Zend Issues a PHP Innovation Challenge to i5/OS and OS/400 Shops Zend Describes Multiple Instances on i5/OS, Previews RPG Wrapper Zend Core for i5/OS Ships for OS/400 V5R3 Zend Puts Out Beta PHP Tools for OS/400 V5R3 System i PHP Drive Going Strong, Zend Says Zend's PHP Offering Expands Options for iSeries Developers


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When it comes to the billions of neurons in your brain, what you see at birth is what get—except in the hippocampus. Buried deep underneath the folds of the cerebral cortex, neural stem cells in the hippocampus continue to generate new neurons, inciting a struggle between new and old as the new attempts to gain a foothold in memory-forming center of the brain.
In a study published online in Neuron, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT in collaboration with an international team of scientists found they could bias the competition in favor of the newly generated neurons.
"The hippocampus allows us to form new memories of 'what, when and where' that help us navigate our lives," said HSCI Principal Faculty member and the study's corresponding author, Amar Sahay, PhD, "and neurogenesis—the generation of new neurons from stem cells—is critical for keeping similar memories separate."


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HARARE – The government of Zimbabwe has defended the Zimbabwe National Army and the Zimbabwe Republic Police for using force against protestors in cities of Harare and Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe government spokesman Nick Mangwana justified the actions of the national forces saying"when things get out of hand, a bit of firmness is needed."
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission NGO forum inside the Western country reported that the defense forces used "systematic torture" against rioters.
The military was seen beating a group of minibus drivers in the capital Harare.
The commission also reported that the army got men and boys as young as eleven from their homes and beat them for over two hours.
Incumbent president Emmerson Mnangagwa called for a national dialogue with opposition leaders MDC party who he blames to be the cause the ongoing unrest at home.
However, the party declined to Mnangagwa's call demanding that the government should first release its members it is holding in detention.
Over Six hundred people have been arrested since the protests broke out including famous activist pastor Emma Mawalire who is also still in detention.
Protests in Zimbabwe follow an announcement by president Mnangagwa where he almost doubled the price of fuel in the country in order to deal with shortages.
Reports indicate that Mnangagwa tried to borrow two billion dollars from South Africa in order to revive the economy at home but South Africa was not in position to help.
The increase, however, has made Zimbabwean fuel the most expensive in the world according to Global Petrol Prices.com.This rapidly increased transport fares that people failed to get to their workplaces.
The situation in Harare is still unstable with the future even more uncertain as Zimbabwe's economy continues drown day in day out.


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Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 - benefit take-up strategy - October 2021: measuring take-up of low-income benefits
In this supplementary paper to our second benefit take-up strategy we set out our approach to the measurement of low income benefits.
This document is part of a collection
1. Approach to Calculating Take-up
Take-up is a measure of the extent to which people who are eligible for a benefit receive it. It is calculated by comparing the number of recipients of a given benefit to the population of people who are eligible for that benefit. We refer to those people who are eligible for a given benefit and receive it as benefit recipients. We refer to the total number of people who meet the eligibility criteria for a benefit, whether or not they claim it, as the eligible population.
Figure 1. Composition of the Eligible Population
Claim the benfit, Do not claim the benefit, Total Eligible Population
Take-up is expressed as a ratio (or percentage), where the number of benefit recipients is divided by the eligible population. Figure 2 is an infographic that is an illustrative example of how take-up is calculated (the figure of 70% is for illustrative purposes).
Figure 2. Illustrative Example of How Take-Up is Calculated
Eligible: Benefit Recipient, Eligible: Benefit Recipient or Non-Recipient, 70% Take-Up Rate
Figure 3 is a flowchart which summarises our approach to calculating estimates of take-up rates across a range of low-income benefits which we present in the second Take-up Strategy report[1].
Figure 3. Flowchart of Steps to Calculate Take-Up
- Use outturn Management Information data from Social Security Scotland regarding number of applications;
- Restrict the period which we cover to consider only successful applications that have observed a full application window;
- Sum to give number of benefit recipients;
- Use outturn demographic data on the population of interest e.g. the number of births, deaths or population estimates;
- Use microsimulation (or outturn data) to calculate the proportion of the relevant population that are eligible for a given benefit;
- Apply eligibility proportion to outturn demographic data to give the number of eligible people;
- Sum over the same time period as that used for eligible recipients to give eligible population;
- Calculate take-up rate as: Take-up rate = Eligible Recipients/Eligible Population.
Taking benefit recipients first, we often use Management Information (MI) data as it typically aligns better with our estimates of the eligible population. It can also help us to identify cohorts of clients that had a full application window[2] to apply for the benefit, which is an important consideration when measuring take-up. This is because we cannot say that an eligible person has not taken up their eligibility until the full length of the application window has been observed. Therefore, we ensure that take-up is not misrepresented when we exclude from the calculation application data that do not meet this criteria. There are some limitations associated with using MI data. Generally, MI data are not always as robust and reliable as official statistics; more specific limitations associated with the MI data used for each estimate are explained in the relevant sections.
Whilst outturn data can be used to calculate the number of benefit recipients, we need to estimate the size of the eligible population for each of the benefits that we provide an estimate of take-up for in this strategy. We produce our own estimates of the size of the eligible population, rather than using those produced by the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC), where available. This is because the SFC focus on future years and typically publish eligibility estimates extending back to the financial year prior to that which their latest forecast is published in. For example, Scotland's Economic and Fiscal Forecasts, published in August 2021[3], includes eligibility estimates from 2020-21 onwards. Our focus lies in a retrospective measure of the size of the eligible population in the period prior to 2020-21. Given this difference in focus, it would be more appropriate for the purposes of calculating take-up estimates to use our own estimates of the size of the eligible population. Box A provides a detailed overview of the steps followed to calculate the size of the eligible population for low-income benefits.
Box A. Steps to calculating the size of the eligible population for low-income benefits
There are two main steps we use to estimate the size of the eligible population. Firstly, we use outturn demographic data on the population of interest e.g. the number of births, deaths or population estimates (typically produced by National Records of Scotland).
The second step is to use microsimulation modelling to calculate the proportion of the relevant population that are eligible for a given benefit. Microsimulation applies tax and benefit rules to household survey data, which is representative of the population, and can be used to predict entitlement to low-income benefits. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) similarly incorporate microsimulation into their approach to estimating take-up of income-related benefits.[4]
We have used the latest version (A2.51) of the microsimulation model 'UKMOD'[5] in this analysis. This incorporates the tax and benefit rules from the UK Government's Spring Budget in 2021, as well as the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) assumptions on the unemployment impact of COVID-19 from their Economic and Fiscal Outlook in March 2021. We also use the latest, 3 year pooled version of the Family Resources Survey (FRS) that is available for use in UKMOD, which includes data up to 2018/19. We have made a change to the default version of UKMOD A2.51, and that is to use the OBR's latest Welfare Trends Report (March 2021) forecast of the rate of transition from legacy benefits to Universal Credit. We use UKMOD to estimate the percentage of people who are likely to be eligible for each benefit. These are known as our eligibility proportions.
An important limitation of UKMOD is the accuracy with which it predicts benefit caseload. When compared with outturn data, the forecast caseload is typically lower. The reason for this difference lies in the FRS data that UKMOD uses, which grosses up sample observations to yield estimates for the overall population. Grossing up sample observations to match population values is a process called calibration. For example, the FRS estimate for the number of children aged 0 to 9 will match ONS population estimates for the number of children aged 0 to 9. Calibration is a complex process that, in the FRS, accounts for demographic and geographic factors, but not benefit caseload. We account for this issue by multiplying the number of people that UKMOD predicts to be eligible for each benefit by adjustment factors. The adjustment factors are different for each benefit, but generally are equal to the ratio of outturn qualifying benefit caseload to UKMOD predicted qualifying benefit caseload, respectively for each benefit. These adjustment factors are calculated on a financial year basis and applied dependent on whether the predicted qualifying benefit is Tax Credits, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit. This overall process improves the accuracy of our eligibility estimate.
The following sections, which cover each of the benefits that we provide an estimate of take-up, explain the methodology and associated limitations for calculating the take-up rate for the respective benefits in more detail. Box B provides an overview of key considerations of the take-up analysis more broadly.
Box B. Key considerations of the analysis
A key consideration for this analysis is that the take-up estimates are only initial as they rely on a methodology that is still in development stage and may change in future publications.
Some of the low-income benefits, like Scottish Child Payment, have not yet reached their 'steady state'. This occurs when growth in the number of benefit recipients flattens, and the number of benefit recipients settles at its natural level. Calculating take-up prior to this is not incorrect from a methodological perspective – it would represent take-up of the benefit at that point in time. However, it could misrepresent the 'natural' level of take-up as we would expect this to increase until the steady state is reached.
The take-up estimates presented throughout this report should be treated as initial analysis of take-up and not Official Statistics. It would not be appropriate at this stage to attempt to badge this type of analysis Official Statistics because of the early stage we are at in developing our approach to estimating take-up and the methodology and the fact that the underlying data may change in future publications. However, the developed methodological approach and associated limitations have been made transparent and the spirit of the Code of Practice has been followed where possible.
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There are many who everyday dreams about glamour, fame, success. Pays hard and plays with difficulties. Just to be a part of the glamour world. Here modeling is one of the most seeking professions in the world, where many aspirants, dreamers come to pursue their aim. But few of them can make their dent on this planet. Why? Why not every possible pursuer becomes the legend? Why don't they get what they want? This is the real question. But if we want to know the reasons behind it, we must know the basic facts about this profession. Which is how to become a model?
Modeling is one the most exciting and glamorous profession as well as most difficult and tiresome job. So to become a model one first know how to become a model.
Like in every field here also have some specific requirements which one should understand at very first. After emulating those particulars a person can see him/herself as a model.
Here are some specific suggestions about what one should follow or not…let's see…
At first ask yourself that are you really wanted to be a model or not? If your answer is yes than try to find out how passionately you want this. Because once you engage yourself with it you have to give your best to achieve your dream. Otherwise it will be a waste of time nothing else. A career like modeling needs extreme dedication and hard work, mentally and physically. If your mind is not ready to accept its pros and cons then your efforts will become futile. So be careful about the depth of your passion.
When your job is about intelligence you must continue with knowledge. But when your job is about projecting your body, then you have to build a good body. Not only that. Every day you have to maintain this with generosity. You must give your attention towards your food habits. Prepare a regular diet chart for yourself. Consult professional nutritionist. Tell them about your health issues if you have one or more. Then follow the chart regularly time by time. Drink water properly. Consistent and healthy eating habits not only gives you a good health, it will refresh your mind and goanna boost up your energy level.
As we all know in this glamour world your body is not just flesh and blood. It is your mirror, which will assist you to deliver the message of the campaigns. So work hard on it. And only through proper exercises and gym you can benefit your body. Remember one thing that when you exercise try to take advises from your gym instructor properly and follow them very carefully, otherwise you might get hurt yourself.
Knowing about oneself is not a flaw of a person, rather it's an advantage. Until or unless one is not aware of his/her plus and negative feature, cannot improve accordingly. So be the first judge of yourself and rate your body features. Work hard on your good parts, but work more on your average body parts. Slowly you will realize that you have already achieved that what others are craving for.
We have many products in the market, but choosing best isn't difficult at all Right? But do you know which product is best for you? This is the serious problem faced by many of us. So at beginning try to figure out which type of skin quality you have. Once you get to know about your skin texture, buy only those product or cosmetics which will increase your beauty. If needed than consult professional makeup artists to know the best for you.
Many fresher's thinks that knowing about makeup and all is not necessary because in every photo shoot there will be professional makeup artists. Yes, most of the time it is true. But sometimes small ventures cannot afford qualified professionals. So if you are able to understand makeup techniques and can use makeup product properly than definitely it will give you an extra benefit. So if possible than learn it as much as you can.
This is one of the most important things which one needs to know. That is valuing yours and others time. See, this field is about extreme professionalism and sincerity. Everyone in this form of art works very consistently and dedicatedly. Every single time is precious. So there is no place for laziness and irresponsibility. Be very carefully. Since this is a field of cooperation, you must value everybody's time. Otherwise lack of sincerity can harm you most.
Your expressions are your gems but you have to learn how to use it or control it. Just keep in mind that modeling is different than acting. In modeling overflow of discloser is not needed at all rather controlling it is glamorous.
When you are a model you should know various poses. You have to impress your photographer and director with your skills which is posing according to them. Use your body parts and make best out of it. Also remember that there has a thin line between vulgarity and sensuality. Always be careful about it.
Hard work is good but simultaneously smart work is best. And a good model only becomes successful when he/she knows how to make contacts and using it. When you do not have a large social circle you might not get to know all of those opportunities which are there. But always remember quality is more important than quantity. So don't try to lengthen your social circle only, try to make it qualitatively strong enough.
Though smoking and drinking is harmful for our body, still many people like to take it. If you are one of them be cautious now, otherwise it could hamper you badly. Many of us do not know that smoking and drinking not only harm our lung and liver, it affects our digestion system as well. If your digesting process is interrupted it could decrees your health's growth and quality. Then your all efforts on your body will go in vein. Also these habits can bring one emphysema, wrinkles, high blood pressure etc. So be very careful.
Late sleeping habit also has many flaws like cognitive impairment, higher risk of obesity, higher risk of diabetes, depression, higher risk of stroke and many more. Also it affects our digestion system. So if you are a late sleeper and late riser, change your routine immediately.
Consumption of oily food or junk food is well known problem for all of us. Still sometimes it's ok to eat them, right? Wrong! A devoted model cannot eat them at all because they are just not 'the man of a street'. They should preserve their body and health perfectly. Any kind of junk or spicy food can actually cause serious damages on your whole body and brain. It has no nutritional value but do have enough calories, salt, fat etc. it increases high obesity risk, cognitive dysfunctions, skin deterioration, and many more which are absolutely hazardous for your lifestyle and profession. So just reject them altogether.
Daily exercise is indeed a mandate for a good model. Burning calories is not an option, it is necessity. Otherwise your body could lose the shape and you will become tired very soon. Daily exercise not only enriches your outer shape, its helps to refresh your mind and soul. So never miss the session.
Knowing one thing is very important for the newcomers as well as professionals that don't get depressed or stressed at all. Look, in today's competitive worlds it is very hard to find peace or relaxation. Sometimes work pressure, rejections, competitions becomes out of control. It could entangle our mental balance. And disturbance within mind can impede your career. It could affect sleep, food habit and finally your substance. So try to avoid stress, and trace peace within yourself.
All these are very necessary to be a good model. Remember there are many people around the whole world preparing every day to be a part of this glam world. So involve yourself into this as much as you can. Learn every possible thing what you get to learn. Attain workshops, events, fashion shows etc. learn from established authorities. Don't forget "necessity is the mother of invention". So learn from your own journey, experiences and observations because life can teach you that what no one can teach you. So follow your passion and invent newer ways for yourself to become a successful model. And finally do not ever give up at any cost. You never know what's behind the next door!


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Used Bathroom Sinks
If you ask around, not a lot of people are aware that washing hands is very important in our everyday lives and can help to save a lot of lives. Sinks are very important part of our lives. Most of our cleaning rituals happen here, like washing hands, face and arms, shaving, brushing teeth, sometimes washing hair, and even washing babies.
For tough economic times, you can always use a used bathroom sink. There is a wide selection of used sinks, you can forget about the classic white lavatory that was installed in most of the bathrooms years ago. Now, you can pick from a huge selection of these lavatories that include some materials like:
Porcelain enamel: on cast iron or steel with a big selection of colors.
Painted terracotta: one of the rarest, but most beautiful options for bathrooms.
Stone: include granite, onyx, limestone, marble, and travertine.
Ceramic: one of the most common materials for sinks, very similar to Vitreous China. This material doesn't fade or discolor and it's silky smooth and nonporous.
Vitreous China: the most common material for lavatories, with stain-resistant high gloss finish and a great variety of colors.
Metal: These sinks can be made from materials like forged copper, nickel, regular copper, and brass. Of course these sinks use stainless steel.
Glass: You can ask for a custom design based on color, and texture of these bathroom sinks. Usually you can still find a wide selection of great designs and colors on glass used bathroom sinks.
How to choose the perfect sink for your place?
Remember that your lavatory options are far more numerous than they were before. Finding the perfect used bathroom sink is not a big deal nowadays. If you are renovating your bathroom, take in consideration the designs that you are looking for your sink model to match your bathroom's appearance. If you're budget wise, you'll find the perfect used lavatory in no time at a fraction of the regular price.
What to look for on my used sink?
Possibly the best type of lavatories features for bathrooms to look for include easy cleaning surfaces. You have to look for the perfect functionality too; this includes the number of overflow holes included in the design, the depth of the lavatory so water doesn't splash on you. You also need to find out if you'll be better with a corner sink, or just a regular sink. Sometimes the design of your bathrooms allows a corner lavatory. If you're budget wise, just make sure to find the perfect used bathroom sink at the perfect price.


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Intercultural Awareness and Engagement
Foundations for Intercultural Awareness and Engagement
As student demographics continue to diversify, so do the dynamics of our classrooms in regards to diversity of cultures and learning styles. This presents opportunities for faculty to engage the diversity their students bring into the classroom and to practice engaging with an intercultural community on a daily basis. As students are headed for a diverse society upon graduation, developing awareness and skills for intercultural competence is thus crucial.
This course consists of two parts with two sections within each. Part one, Foundations of Intercultural Awareness, consists of: 1) faculty profiles; 2) basic concepts of intercultural pedagogy. Part two, Foundations of Intercultural Engagement, consists of: 1) student profiles; 2) examples of teaching methods and course content. Each section consists of lessons followed by reflection questions.
Please understand, this course is designed as an introduction to concepts and principles necessary to build further understanding. It is meant to inform our practice as educators. It is not meant as an itemized checklist for intercultural competence. We submit that to effectively engage with a diversity of cultures necessitates that we assume the posture of a lifelong learner. It is also our hope that through this course, you will be stimulated to further explore the vast world of educating diverse learners.
We invite you to engage this course with an open heart and mind in hopes that it will benefit you as you connect with students daily from "every nation, from all tribes, peoples, and languages" (Revelation 7:9). God bless you. Contact: email@example.com
Handout for Foundations for Intercultural Awareness and Engagement, Glen Kinoshita
Lesson 01 : Meet the faculty part 1, Christina L. Kim, Walter Augstine, Matthew C. Williams, and Lorena Vidaurre
Lesson 02 : Meet the faculty Part 2, Allen L. Yeh, Behzad Varamini, and Andy Draycott
Lesson 03 : Biblical foundations - a case study on Jews and Samaritans, Matthew C. Williams and Christina L. Kim
Lesson 04 : Biblical foundations - Koinonia in the academy, Walter Augstine
Lesson 05 : Cultural intelligence, Allen L. Yeh
Lesson 06 : Cultural intelligence in the classroom, Allen L. Yeh
Lesson 07 : Cultural intelligence in the workplace, Allen L. Yeh
Lesson 08 : Cultural humility, Christina L. Kim
Lesson 09 : Practicing cultural humility in the classroom, Christina L. Kim
Lesson 10 : Meet the students - cultural background and demographics, Biola University students
Lesson 11 : Why is diversity important to us?, Biola University students
Lesson 12 : How we learn - the role of culture in the learning process, Biola University students
Lesson 13 : Connecting with your classroom from the start, Behzad Varamini
Lesson 14 : Cultivating an inclusive learning environment, Lorena Vidaurre
Lesson 15 : The value of intercultural perspectives in the classroom, Walter Augstine
Lesson 16 : Cultivating Diverse Perspectives Through Reading Assignments, Andy Draycott
Lesson 17 : Cultivating diverse perspectives in your discipline, Behzad Varamini


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Different countries have different immigration rules. But, there are some similarities and dissimilarities among them. So goes with the pet immigration to South Africa. Therefore, if you wish to send a cat to South Africa, it is mandatory for you (being the owner of the cat) to ensure that the cat is being sent in accordance with the pet immigration laws there. This may sound awkward but true that the process of sending a cat to the country must begin at least six months in advance.
What you should do in the 6-month period:
- Pet microchip: As per the South African laws, your cat must be microchipped and the chip must be ISO 11784/11785 compliant. However, you can bring your own scanner to the airport, for instance, for the purpose of helping the authorities to detect the embedded microchip.
- Multiple tests: You have to take the cat for blood tests and others according to the schedule. However, there is an exemption in the case of the cats that are aged below three months and its' mothers have been vaccinated 30 days ahead of the scheduled departure to South Africa.
- Parasite treatment: Pets like cats develop many types of parasites both externally and internally. Therefore, those must be thoroughly treated before proceeding to South Africa.
- Preventive care: Cure alone from the existing ailments isn't sufficient here. Having said that, we mean, your cat must be given with the preventive care such as the vaccination. This is a must here failing which the cat might fail to be acclimatised and it will be rejected for immigration to South Africa.
- Health certificate: You must obtain the health certificate of the cat within 10 days of arrival to South Africa. This certificate will be required to complete the Veterinary Certificate for South Africa.
- Permit: Without the permit for your cat, you simply cannot send it there. In other words, the procedure of permit should start at least 60 days in advance.
- Ticket: You must book a ticket for the cat in advance to avoid the last minute's rush. Simultaneously, you must inquire in advance about the general rules there on the cat's despatch.
- Standard container: Every airline has its own set of rules as regards the containers that would carry the cat. For instance, the South African Airways sells a special container for the pets like a cat on board.
In short, you need a careful and detail oriented plan to send a cat to South Africa much ahead of its scheduled despatch there. Follow the steps religiously. Alternatively, you can hire professional agencies for dispatching your cat to South Africa. Such an agency by default has a standard plan that works fine here. However, the hiring of an agency isn't mandatory here, especially if you are confident of doing the same on your own. However, you must keep the pet cat under your own seat and supervise it while flying to South Africa. Different airlines may have different rules. As such, check the rules of your airliner in advance here.


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Traditionally, the welcoming event for our first semester students takes place in the 1st session of the course Methods of Machine Language Processing. You can find out the exact date of this event via C@MPUS.
Ideally, in the summer semester you should only take courses from the in-depth compulsory elective modules [120] in the Humanities. In the winter semester, you start with the modules recommended for the first semester, i.e. Theoretical and Computer Science Fundamentals for the Digital Humanities, Methods of Machine Language Processing, programming course, Digital Humanities in the Humanities. In the summer semester that follows, you complete your project work. These courses and modules give you the tools you need to complete the remaining modules in any order. Please note, however, that not all courses are offered every semester.
A total of 30 LP must be achieved for the two electives. How the points are distributed is left to your personal study interests: If you would like to attend as many computer science courses as possible, then, you can earn up to 18 LP in this compulsory elective area and correspondingly only 12 LP in the compulsory elective area of the Humanities. The distribution can also be 12/18 LP or 15/15 LP. It is important that the minimum number of points of 12 LP is observed and that no more than 30 LP are acquired in total, cf. PO 2015, § 5 (3). Should you exceed this total number of points, a buffer is built into the examination regulations: You are not allowed to earn a total of more than 126 LP, cf. PO 2015, §26 (1).
You can have the course linked to the module Humanities 3 or Humanities 6 by the Course Manager. If the course is offered for 3 LP in the original module, it can be linked with Humanities 3; for 6 LP with the Humanities 6. Please note that Humanities 3 is an ungraded academic achievement (USL). This means that you cannot be credited with a grade, even if this is provided for in the source module. Also note that you may only take each module once. Since only the module name appears in your Transcript of Records, it is best to have a paper note filled in. You may still be able to use it for later applications. You register for the examination as usual.
The modules in the Computer Science elective are carefully selected and at BA level in computer science subjects. If you are nevertheless interested in another course, it can be linked with the modules Computer Science 3 or Computer Science 6 by the course manager. The procedure is the same as for the last FAQ.
There is a separate FAQ for the planning and completion of the Master thesis, which you can download here.
Not sure if you made the right choice with Digital Humanities? Thinking of giving up on the programme?
With the tool "Studienzweifler"(in German), you can fill out a questionnaire on the subject. You will get a birds eye view of your thoughts on the matter and will be presented with the options open to you.
Please also use the central guidance counseling service of the University of Stuttgart. Here, you'll get good advice on all matters concerining your studies.
Contact us
Peggy Bockwinkel
M.A.Manager Study Program / Academic Staff
Kerstin Dorner
Malte Heckelen
M.A.Responsible for Website Management / Academic Staff, Department Digital Humanities


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Fincantieri to build 6 FREMM frigates for Indonesian Navy
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri and the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia have signed a contract for the supply of six FREMM-class frigates.
The agreement also includes the modernization and sale of two Maestrale-class frigates, and the related logistical support.
According to the shipbuilder, the agrement will strengthen the collaboration between two countries in a strategic area of the Pacific.
As explained, Fincantieri will be the prime contractor for the entire program. The construction of the frigates will ensure significant employment benefits not only for several Italian shipyards of the group in the next years, but also for other companies in the sector, namely Leonardo, as well as numerous small and medium-sized national companies, and will see the collaboration of the local PT-PAL shipyard (Java island).
The modernization of the two Maestrale-class vessels, which Fincantieri will acquire from the Italian Navy once decommissioned, will also be carried out in Italy.
"This program has an extraordinary strategic importance, both for the economic return for our country and for the Italian defense supply chain, and because it ensures Fincantieri's strong positioning in the area, paving the way for the finalization of further important negotiations for other programs already in progress also in the civil sector," Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, commented.


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