Period: 187.69 days

	Submissions	Comments
Total	1000	6982
Rate (per day)	5.33	37.12
Unique Redditors	48	878
Combined Score	25426	29352

Top Submitters' Top Submissions

1. 8359 points, 357 submissions: FarPiano9575
   
   1. This was US Marine combat veteran Ruben Gallego as violent MAGA insurrectionists were overrunning the Capitol on January 6th. He gathered fellow Democrats to prepare to fight if necessary. "I would have killed motherfuckers to save this democracy. Fuck those guys." (638 points, 128 comments)
   2. Students from Nashville-area high schools and colleges, including Belmont University and Vanderbilt U, are pouring into downtown Nashville to gather at the Capitol for another rally to call for safe gun laws following last week's mass school shooting. (112 points, 20 comments)
   3. Sen. John Fetterman is back. “Great to be here,” he says. (77 points, 9 comments)
   4. My friend's late father, at 18, fighting the Nazis in France. He was ANTIFA. (74 points, 16 comments)
   5. Fun fact: Speaker Pelosi won nine consecutive leadership elections—on the first ballot. (71 points, 7 comments)
   6. This is historically important and this is the first step in holding Trump accountable for his crimes. (67 points, 10 comments)
   7. "We're literally building bridges, and they're literally banning books." - Pete Buttigieg (64 points, 3 comments)
   8. Insurrectionist Marjorie Taylor Greene has just been placed on the House Homeland Security Committee. Does that make you feel any more secure? 😱 (64 points, 29 comments)
   9. Trump hid in an underground bunker while Americans protested in the streets. Joe Biden flew into the middle of a war in Kyiv, Ukraine on President's Day and walked the streets as air raid sirens blared. One man stands for world freedom and peace, while the other stood only for his narcissistic self (61 points, 14 comments)
   10. 200 students walked out of class at an Alabama high school after they were reportedly told their student-led Black History Month program could not reference slavery or the civil rights movement "because one of our administrators felt uncomfortable" (60 points, 10 comments)
2. 7529 points, 276 submissions: ProgressiveDemocrats
   
   1. Wow. Students are standing outside the Tennessee House right now and chanting, “Fuck you fascists.” Young people are absolutely pissed off & we are about to give Republicans hell like they’ve never seenZ We aren’t forgetting this. (814 points, 309 comments)
   2. President Biden just schooled Republicans by reminding them, “Ronald Reagan was doing the 28% tax rate, you know, that wacko liberal guy." Does anyone else love President Biden’s sense of humor? (122 points, 22 comments)
   3. JUST IN: Justin Jones has been voted BACK to the Tennessee State House by the Metro Nashville Council! The Council was responsible for choosing who would fill the seat until the special election, and they voted to select Jones. Right after the vote, Jones embraced the council members. (115 points, 14 comments)
   4. Holy shit. The former Lt. Governor of Texas, Ben Barnes, just came forward to say he was part of a secret Republican operation that convinced Iran to keep Americans held hostage in order to sabotage Jimmy Carter’s 1980 presidential campaign. (Link to the story in comments below) (84 points, 15 comments)
   5. As the Republican party tries to gaslight Americans into thinking Biden's State of the Union Address was terrible, note that 72% of Americans had a positive view of the Address. - That's leaps and bounds better than any Trump SOTU. - Joe Biden knocked it out of the park. (82 points, 6 comments)
   6. WOW. Absolute power move by Hakeem Jeffries. After Republicans kicked Ilhan Omar off of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Jeffries immediately put her on the House Budget Committee. Republicans messed with the wrong party and person. Rep. Omar won’t be silenced. (82 points, 19 comments)
   7. Way to go, Tulsa high schoolers!!🥳 (80 points, 9 comments)
   8. HOLY SHIT! Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin is about to put the smackdown on SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas after revelations that he's been accepting luxury gifts from Republican donors and not disclosing them. 📢 (71 points, 14 comments)
   9. MAGAs are attacking Arnold Schwarzenegger for posting a video in which he condemns anti-Semitism after his visit to Auschwitz. It was a 12-minute video that was powerful, uplifting, and inspiring -- and Arnold doesn't even talk about politics. Why are they offended by this video? (71 points, 29 comments)
   10. BREAKING: In a SHOCKING move, two Texas Republicans just joined the Democrats to PASS the “Raise The Age” gun control bill out of committee in the Texas Legislature! That's right – TEXAS! (more in the comments) (64 points, 11 comments)
3. 2671 points, 84 submissions: Top-Bottle7403
   
   1. Jamie Raskin just destroyed Lauren Boebert with Donald Trump's OWN Words. Rep. Raskin is truly the greatest. (113 points, 15 comments)
   2. If you're randomly posting about World War III on Easter, you don't need to be running for the presidency, you need to run to a mental health provider. (99 points, 21 comments)
   3. BREAKING: Four members of the Proud Boys, including their former leader Enrique Tarrio, were convicted today of seditious conspiracy for plotting to keep Trump in power after his election defeat by leading a violent mob to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (78 points, 8 comments)
   4. Jamie Raskin is owning MAGA Republicans, all while undergoing cancer treatment on a daily basis. He’s a true hero! Please drop a comment below ❤️ to show him your support. (72 points, 12 comments)
   5. Sometimes one image can say more than a thousand words (70 points, 6 comments)
   6. Wonderful people should get to hear the wonderful things about themselves while they're still with us. Jimmy Carter was the first President I cared about when I was a kid, and he's been an incredible human being ever since. Thanks President Carter, for living an exemplary life in service of others. (66 points, 7 comments)
   7. God has nothing to do with it. (64 points, 6 comments)
   8. Last month, DeSantis signed a bill that “will allow anyone who can legally own a gun in Florida to carry one without a permit. It means training and a background check will not be required to carry concealed guns in public. It takes effect July 1.” Get ready for more mass shootings in Florida. (63 points, 21 comments)
   9. The China spy balloon just sent back its first pics from Missouri (61 points, 8 comments)
   10. This 1977 image is of GOP Tennessee Gov Bill Lee dressed in drag. There nothing wrong with this, except for the fact that Bill Lee is about to sign a bill that will ban and criminalize drag in the state. - The image is from a high school yearbook. GOP hypocrisy just keeps getting worse and worse. (58 points, 11 comments)
4. 2598 points, 101 submissions: In-The-Middle12
   
   1. Eight years. No scandals. No impeachment hearings. No drama. Just class and grace personified. Let's let them know we miss this wonderful family. (79 points, 14 comments)
   2. If Republicans in the TN House can expel fellow members of the opposition party simply for protesting gun violence, then surely Democrats in the US House should be able to expel members of Congress for taking part in or aiding an insurrection, right? (79 points, 7 comments)
   3. BREAKING: Tesla has fired 30+ workers at its Buffalo gigafactory, one day after workers there announced a unionization campaign. -Tesla managers announced surprise performance reviews, then fired 8x as many workers as usual. - Tesla is notorious for union-busting. (61 points, 6 comments)
   4. A five-hour police delay in alerting the public that the Monterey Park, California, dance hall killer was on the run is throwing a spotlight on the nation's flawed, patchwork system for warnings of mass shooters at large. (58 points, 7 comments)
   5. Can you find five people in any job outside of policing where one of them wouldn't have stopped the others from beating a man to death? There are no dentists or plumbers, or accountants who would've done that to Tyre Nichols. Only cops have been trained to think that's normal. (49 points, 10 comments)
   6. NEW: Some actually newsworthy footage that was just released in connection with a Jan. 6 trial of Ed Badalian, the InfoWars superfan whose buddy drove a stun gun into Mike Fanone's neck during the Capitol siege. From inside a trashed suite of Senate hideaway offices: (49 points, 7 comments)
   7. Texas Republicans just found out that if they secede from the Union, they lose all their government checks. Say what!! The right-wing Republicans are now double-thinking this move. (49 points, 15 comments)
   8. Oh my. A new video just surfaced that shows Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-TX), who wrote a bill to restrict drag shows, dressed in drag while skipping through a park wearing a black sequined dress. (48 points, 4 comments)
   9. When Trump was POTUS he was still renting an entire floor of Trump Tower to China’s largest state owned bank. They paid him 5.4 million while in office so y’all can STFU about Biden. (48 points, 3 comments)
   10. If you only share ONE post today, let it be this list of 156 House Republicans who voted to raise the retirement age for Social Security to age 70. -- Don't let them get away with it. - Make sure EVERYONE knows. (45 points, 1 comment)
5. 1121 points, 37 submissions: Safe_Salt9663
   
   1. This is not normal (81 points, 20 comments)
   2. D.C. should be a state. What do you think? (80 points, 19 comments)
   3. A corrupt Republican lawmaker has just been EXPELLED from the Arizona State Legislature over ethics violations, including some relating to election misinformation. (62 points, 11 comments)
   4. BREAKING: Wall Street Journal drops bombshell, reveals that Elon Musk’s Twitter is now a whopping $13 billion in debt due to Musk’s failed Twitter Blue grift and the wave of advertisers fleeing to “protect their brands” from Twitter’s toxicity. (click for more) (61 points, 16 comments)
   5. Walker’s campaign paid $595,600 to a company called ‘Jetts’ to supposedly charter private planes. However, Fox has learned that ‘Jetts’ is a defunct car wash that was owned by a Walker donor. (54 points, 12 comments)
   6. The stacked Supreme Court… (49 points, 5 comments)
   7. Another war I must’ve missed. (44 points, 14 comments)
   8. MAGA world is sharing this photo claiming 700K migrants are on their way to the US border. This is FALSE. This photo was taken on October 27, 2018, of Honduran migrants in Arriaga, Mexico, heading to the US. Under Trump's presidency. Just another lie from the GOP. (43 points, 7 comments)
   9. JUST IN: Far-right extremist Riley Williams has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and directing a mob toward the office of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (click for more) (41 points, 5 comments)
   10. Happy Sunday to everyone who knows that no sitting US President has ever attended the coronation of British royalty, so if you're trying to shame President Biden for not doing so, you're a complete dummy... Get a grip. (37 points, 4 comments)
6. 485 points, 17 submissions: Top_Bottle7403
   
   1. This is why every vote matters! (91 points, 18 comments)
   2. Thank you Senator Blumenthal for holding Clarence Thomas accountable — (49 points, 11 comments)
   3. Child labor is making a comeback in Republican-led states. That’s what THEY mean by “progress”. (47 points, 11 comments)
   4. A conservative city council has banned the LGBTQ+ flag from government property in Huntington Beach. Another attempt to marginal LGBTQ+ individuals. But hate cannot be allowed to win. Not in California. Not anywhere. (44 points, 13 comments)
   5. Donald Trump just called Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg "a Racist in Reverse," and claimed that Joe Biden pushed Bragg to prosecute him. He then made a call to “investigate the investigators!” (34 points, 13 comments)
   6. The Southern Baptist Convention decided Tuesday to oust Saddleback Church, the second-largest congregation of the convention, because it has a female pastor (34 points, 6 comments)
   7. I wonder what the MAGA zombies think when Trump says DeSantis is being disloyal. Do they then hate DeSantis? Do they think he’s part of deep state? Or do they think Trump is a senile, old man? There are no policy differences. So, do they weigh which one is owning the libs harder? (29 points, 9 comments)
   8. BREAKING: After taking heat for days trying to handle this on his own with Norfolk Southern and making it much worse, Gov. Mike DeWine finally relents and declares a disaster so he can get federal assistance. (25 points, 3 comments)
   9. Here’s my advice to everyone — like me! — who’s excitedly awaiting Trump’s indictment: Relax, and keep your popcorn ready. 🍿 (20 points, 9 comments)
   10. Good morning and Happy Saturday to everyone who agrees that it's better to be "woke" than to sleepwalk through life acting like a rude, obnoxious, selfish asshole. (18 points, 1 comment)
7. 288 points, 10 submissions: SetMau92
   
   1. Sanders Counters GOP Giveaways With Tax Hike on Estates of UltraWealthy"Over and over again, Republicans in Washington have professed their deep concern about the national debt and yet virtually all of them have signed onto legislation that would provide a $1.8 trillion tax giveaway to billionaires. (43 points, 2 comments)
   2. Senate Finance Chief: Nothing Unites GOP More Than 'Helping Rich People Cheat on Their Taxes' "It's a centerpiece of the ransom Speaker McCarthy has cobbled together as he threatens to trigger a catastrophic default," said Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden. (43 points, 11 comments)
   3. Audio Reveals Top GOP Lawyer's 2024 Strategy: Make It Harder for College Students to Vote "Instead of fighting for the people or actually earning the votes, Republicans' only plan is to try to 'combat' voting on college campuses," said Rep. Summer Lee. (39 points, 5 comments)
   4. All is not well in Florida... (35 points, 1 comment)
   5. Darn those pesky facts.. (33 points, 4 comments)
   6. Sanders and others Ramp Up 14th Amendment Pressure on Biden to Counter 'Reckless' GOP "Republicans have made it clear that they are prepared to hold our entire economy hostage unless you accede to their demands to reduce the deficit on the backs of working families. That is simply unacceptable." (29 points, 10 comments)
   7. GOP Debt Limit Bill Could Put Over 10 Million at Risk of Losing Medicaid: Analysis "This agenda would narrow opportunity, deepen inequality, and increase hardship," said the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (23 points, 2 comments)
   8. GOP Readies 'Shameful' Vote to Oust Omar From House Committee "You cannot remove a member of Congress from a committee simply because you do not agree with their views," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal. "This is both ludicrous and dangerous." (17 points, 2 comments)
   9. Progressive Young Voters to Biden: Energize Us and Win or Ignore Us and Lose "We need you to deliver the bold ideas that our generation cannot live without—stop the climate crisis, fight for the rights and dignity of immigrants, impose real gun control—and run on a bold platform." (17 points, 4 comments)
   10. Whitewash is to “gloss over or cover up,” (9 points, 1 comment)
8. 125 points, 4 submissions: blixt141
   
   1. Nebraska Republican Says Six-Week Abortion Ban Is Necessary Because White People Are Being Replaced (49 points, 9 comments)
   2. Supreme Court rolls back federal safeguards for wetlands under Clean Water Act (35 points, 13 comments)
   3. Where Things Stand: Biden Shreds McCarthy’s Performative Debt Limit Bill (33 points, 5 comments)
   4. Police: 11 shot, injured during mass shooting at South Carolina park (8 points, 1 comment)
9. 108 points, 5 submissions: Smelly-taint
   
   1. I love how the GOP wants to destroy everything that their own constituents benefit from. (33 points, 7 comments)
   2. Can't think of anything better than a dictator. 🤦🏽‍♂️ (30 points, 9 comments)
   3. Yes! Yes! Yes! (21 points, 28 comments)
   4. Woke? (13 points, 3 comments)
   5. Fuck these Anti Constitutionalist. Attack the Capital then attack my rights. (11 points, 20 comments)
10. 89 points, 6 submissions: Puffin_fan
    
    1. Idaho Republicans Deny Girls Free Tampons in School (28 points, 6 comments)
    2. GOP’s Proposed Expansion Of Work Requirements Targets Low-Income People In Their Early 50s Who Already Work (20 points, 3 comments)
    3. Finland's average electricity price slips into negative territory (14 points, 2 comments)
    4. 'I’m trying not to go into panic.' Review of millions of Medicaid enrollees plagued by error and confusion (10 points, 4 comments)
    5. After Signature Bank Deal, FDIC Is Left With $11 Billion in ‘Toxic Waste’ Loans (9 points, 3 comments)
    6. As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School (8 points, 0 comments)

Top Commenters

1. SpukiKitty (2210 points, 453 comments)
2. SqnLdrHarvey (1737 points, 394 comments)
3. In-The-Middle12 (1456 points, 284 comments)
4. Top-Bottle7403 (1301 points, 240 comments)
5. SmylesLee77 (1147 points, 294 comments)
6. ProgressiveDemocrats (1104 points, 204 comments)
7. FarPiano9575 (1090 points, 205 comments)
8. Alternative-Flan2869 (679 points, 178 comments)
9. HillbillyEulogy (588 points, 124 comments)
10. Biishep1230 (533 points, 101 comments)

Top Submissions

1. Wow. Students are standing outside the Tennessee House right now and chanting, “Fuck you fascists.” Young people are absolutely pissed off & we are about to give Republicans hell like they’ve never seenZ We aren’t forgetting this. by ProgressiveDemocrats (814 points, 309 comments)
2. This was US Marine combat veteran Ruben Gallego as violent MAGA insurrectionists were overrunning the Capitol on January 6th. He gathered fellow Democrats to prepare to fight if necessary. "I would have killed motherfuckers to save this democracy. Fuck those guys." by FarPiano9575 (638 points, 128 comments)
3. President Biden just schooled Republicans by reminding them, “Ronald Reagan was doing the 28% tax rate, you know, that wacko liberal guy." Does anyone else love President Biden’s sense of humor? by ProgressiveDemocrats (122 points, 22 comments)
4. JUST IN: Justin Jones has been voted BACK to the Tennessee State House by the Metro Nashville Council! The Council was responsible for choosing who would fill the seat until the special election, and they voted to select Jones. Right after the vote, Jones embraced the council members. by ProgressiveDemocrats (115 points, 14 comments)
5. Jamie Raskin just destroyed Lauren Boebert with Donald Trump's OWN Words. Rep. Raskin is truly the greatest. by Top-Bottle7403 (113 points, 15 comments)
6. Students from Nashville-area high schools and colleges, including Belmont University and Vanderbilt U, are pouring into downtown Nashville to gather at the Capitol for another rally to call for safe gun laws following last week's mass school shooting. by FarPiano9575 (112 points, 20 comments)
7. If you're randomly posting about World War III on Easter, you don't need to be running for the presidency, you need to run to a mental health provider. by Top-Bottle7403 (99 points, 21 comments)
8. This is why every vote matters! by Top_Bottle7403 (91 points, 18 comments)
9. Holy shit. The former Lt. Governor of Texas, Ben Barnes, just came forward to say he was part of a secret Republican operation that convinced Iran to keep Americans held hostage in order to sabotage Jimmy Carter’s 1980 presidential campaign. (Link to the story in comments below) by ProgressiveDemocrats (84 points, 15 comments)
10. WOW. Absolute power move by Hakeem Jeffries. After Republicans kicked Ilhan Omar off of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Jeffries immediately put her on the House Budget Committee. Republicans messed with the wrong party and person. Rep. Omar won’t be silenced. by ProgressiveDemocrats (82 points, 19 comments)

Top Comments

1. 26 points: KayleighJK's comment in Wow. Students are standing outside the Tennessee House right now and chanting, “Fuck you fascists.” Young people are absolutely pissed off & we are about to give Republicans hell like they’ve never seenZ We aren’t forgetting this.
2. 23 points: Similar_Candidate789's comment in Wow. Students are standing outside the Tennessee House right now and chanting, “Fuck you fascists.” Young people are absolutely pissed off & we are about to give Republicans hell like they’ve never seenZ We aren’t forgetting this.
3. 23 points: SpukiKitty's comment in Wow. Students are standing outside the Tennessee House right now and chanting, “Fuck you fascists.” Young people are absolutely pissed off & we are about to give Republicans hell like they’ve never seenZ We aren’t forgetting this.
4. 23 points: brotherstoic's comment in Should we be looking for someone other than Biden?
5. 23 points: moreobviousthings's comment in Holy shit. The former Lt. Governor of Texas, Ben Barnes, just came forward to say he was part of a secret Republican operation that convinced Iran to keep Americans held hostage in order to sabotage Jimmy Carter’s 1980 presidential campaign. (Link to the story in comments below)
6. 22 points: westofme's comment in Alex Jones transferred his assets to his family and friends, evading payments to Sandy Hook families. It should be illegal, but sadly, it's not.
7. 20 points: Explorers_bub's comment in The city of Franklin, Tennessee is voting whether to allow a Pride festival. Someone during public comment says it will result in “a rainbow room where 8-12 year-old kids are given butt plugs & dildos.” --- This is what GOP propaganda is doing.
8. 19 points: ProgressiveDemocrats's comment in Holy shit. The former Lt. Governor of Texas, Ben Barnes, just came forward to say he was part of a secret Republican operation that convinced Iran to keep Americans held hostage in order to sabotage Jimmy Carter’s 1980 presidential campaign. (Link to the story in comments below)
9. 19 points: westofme's comment in Another war I must’ve missed.
10. 18 points: HillbillyEulogy's comment in Please tell me whats wrong with this picture?

Generated with BBoe's Subreddit Stats

Company Name	Title	City
Jack in the Box	CREW MEMBER STORE 7320 3225 RETAIL DR	Carson City
Jack in the Box	Store Worker	Carson City
Jack in the Box	CREW MEMBER STORE 7320 3225 RETAIL DR	Dayton
Delaware North	Duct Mechanic	Henderson
UnitedHealth Group	Home Medical Equipment Warehouse Technician	Las Vegas
UnitedHealth Group	Sales Account Manager - Remote in Charlotte, NC	Las Vegas
CSAA Insurance Group	PIP Adjuster	Las Vegas
Allied Universal®	Armed Security Officer	Carson City
Allied Universal®	Security Guard	Fallon
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Allied Universal®	Security Officer - Weekly Pay	Fallon
Allied Universal®	Security Officer - Weekly Pay	Minden
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Allied Universal®	Security Guard - Hiring Immediately	Minden
Allied Universal®	Security Officer Armed - All Shifts	Reno
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Allied Universal®	Allied Universal Security Officer	Sparks
Allied Universal®	Now Hiring - Security Officer	Sparks
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Allied Universal®	Allied Universal Security Officer	Winnemucca
Allied Universal®	Security Guard - Hiring Immediately	Winnemucca
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Provider Solutions & Development	Family Nurse Practitioner or Family Physician Assistant	Carson City
Provider Solutions & Development	Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric Physician Assistant	Carson City

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in nv. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Firstly, I am not a Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or Evangelical of any kind or form. I do not believe in the illusion of the inerrancy of a Pope, or Patriarchs as in the Orthodox, or in the legalistic interpretation of Scripture as in Protestantism and Evangelicalism, nor do I believe in the legitimacy of the church in the sense of an institution claiming to be Christianity. I am an Orthopraxic, that is to say, “correct action”. I believe in the inerrant and infallible truth of the teaching as put into practice, as it is self evident and does not require the justification of the supernatural or miraculous. I do not deny the miraculous, only that even if they were proven false, even if they had found the body of Christ, the churches would die, but not the truth of the teaching, which does not need to be interpreted by a Pope, or Patriarchs, or pastors and clergy, as they wish to claim it must be, nor do they require the supernatural to be justified.
Loving one’s neighbors as oneself dissolves the arbitrary divisions among the human race made by those in power, be it national distinction, between male and female, young and old, superior or subordinate, both within oneself through the ridding of the fear and hatred of “the other”, and externally by the dismantling of the systems which create such division. The love of ones neighbors as oneself also removes all necessity for legal codes, as any law which prohibits murder or theft, adultery, and false witness, is made redundant. And furthermore, it delegitimizes the authority of a select minority of men over all others, and all systems of rule or power over others, as all in the love of their neighbors shall renounce authority. To not do unto others what we do not wish for them to do unto us does not need proof of miracles and the supernatural, because it is in line with humankind’s mind and social nature. To forgive others of their debts frees them from slavery, and frees ourselves from being tyrants and oppressors over others, that all might live in freedom and peace.
And it is in the fact that the teaching does not need to be interpreted on our behalf by such mediators as the clergy and pastors, the Pope or the Patriarchs, that I consider myself a mystic, that is the understanding that God and Christ present themselves to each person naturally and without the need for interpretation by the church. The clergy, popes and priests lead people not to believe in God or Christ as they naturally present themselves, but to believe in the church and it’s own doctrine, one manufactured for the masses by those in power. But I am no mystic in the sense that I believe in some sort of whispering of another world speaking to me, but in the sense that neither I, nor anyone else, requires the meddling of external authorities, such as the church institution, to teach us what to believe.
In terms of the supernatural, such as spirits, angels, demons, etc. in their conventional and literal sense, I stand firm in my materialist outlook, that is to say that I regard the material reality to be the higher priority over any and all spiritual and supernatural aspect of reality that may exist. I do not in any way deny the existence of the supernatural, and I would be more than welcome to it, but I hold material conditions to higher priority and importance, because that is the aspect of reality that we live and move in during this life and time. I regard spirits and angels and demons more so as phenomenon of conscience rather than entities from another plane of existence. In short, I regard spirits, angels and demons to be states of consciousness and modes of psychological and emotional being, but I do not believe in them in their magical and otherworldly sense.
Nor am I a believer in magic or what could be called witchcraft or sorcery. No one can manipulate the material reality through magical, psychic or supernatural means, or will something into material reality through mere willpower without also using material means to physically act upon that will.
I would also consider myself as a form of humanistic Christian. I arrived to this framework of humanism mostly from my study of the Scriptures, mainly those verses which state that whatsoever we do to the least of these, we do to Him, that we are made in the image of God, and that those who mock the needy do so to God. And most of all, my humanist understanding derives from the fact that God in Christ came to dwell in human flesh, in poor and meek human flesh, that He may suffer with us and as us, to bear all human suffering onto Himself in the crucifixion. This was also a demonstration that God and humanity are not separate, but one with the other. God suffers, is humiliated, is beaten, brutalized, bombed, robbed, starved, imprisoned, and executed. This God struggles when we struggle, bleeds when we bleed, weeps when we weep, hungers when we hunger, and riots when we riot. Emmanuel, “God with us,” is a truth so utterly true, that not even all of the power of the supernatural and miraculous can ever fully and totally describe it. And this truth is far vaster and resounding than even the proclamations of the churches, and far more sincere than they intend it to be.
I also stand by the humanist position that human beings are inherently good and compassionate creations, and that an inherently good God creates inherently good creations. In the same vein as the Quakers, I affirm that all people, however sinful or corrupt, have the innate spark of God within them, the spirit of genuine humanity. Sin was a secondary and introduced aspect of the human condition, in which man artificially places himself in the position of God, to subjugate and control his fellow humans and the creation. And it is in this that sin has decimated humanity and creation. We live in the reign of sin, of Man over Man, where the few take the place of God and rule over the masses, causing inequality, wars and poverty. It was with this that the fall of humanity came to be, and it was the First Fall.
When God came into this world as Christ, He laid the foundations for how humanity ought to live and organize with one another, and this was demonstrated within the first Christian societies. There were only equals among the ranks of the community, with there being no distinction between either native or foreign, male or female, and likewise there were no masters, but all served one another in brotherhood and love. Each gave and did what they were able to in order to provide for the community, and in return each was given what they needed. This community was the conclusion to the teachings of Christ, and it was right and just. Had it not been interfered with, this would have been the basis for all of modern society. But sadly, came the Second Fall a few centuries after the first Christian societies were established.
The Second Fall, or also Second Genesis, is what I use to describe the fall of the church to corruption, when those who wanted to exploit the newly forming society stepped in and convinced many that God and Christ could only be interpreted by a select minority holding a higher position than the majority, and thusly began to rearrange the church into what we now recognize today as the modern church. And unsurprisingly, this coincided with the “conversion” of the Roman Emperor Constantine, and his adoption of Christianity into the Roman state as the Imperial religion.
As to the question, “Who is God?”, it has already been answered, that God is Love and Mercy, Love Almighty, whose perfect love casts out all fear. But to the question, “what is God?” remains a different matter. Is God a sentient entity from afar? Is God the moral arch of the universe? Is God a phenomenon of collective consciousness? Is God the process of furthering ourselves into Righteousness and upright being? Or, is God something far more obscure and humble than even these? What if God is something far more basic than even these things?
What if God is something inherent within us all? What if God is not separate from humanity, but at one with humanity as was demonstrated in Christ? Perhaps God is not merely life, but lived, and is not simply found, but realized. Perhaps God is at the same time within us through our condition of love, and interdependent between ourselves in our compassion and solidarity with one another. Perhaps God is not simply the possessor of a perfect love, but rather, that perfect love in of it self, for which we must everlastingly pursue. Perhaps God is not at all a separate thing from the human capacity for love, but is one with it. And perhaps the worship of God is not in the noise of song and dance, but of the manner of life and love itself. Ultimately, no one with any truth or sincerity can say for certain the full knowledge of what God is, as God shall always remain a mysterious topic until the end of all time and reality itself.
The Christianity of today is far different than what it was yesterday, and tomorrow it will be far different than it is today. This is the nature of religion, despite the claims of both the Fundamentalists, who regard religion as an immutable monolith through the ages, and those unbelievers who have mistakenly concluded that we as the human race have outlived all purpose and use of religion. The true nature of religion is that it is an ambivalent force, one which evolves according to the path of society, as it is and always was a product of the larger social organization. And within religion there are two streams, one of the powers who use it to subordinate the masses into obedience to them, the other in critique and defiance of it, a religion of the down and out and suffering, hence the ambivalence of religion.
Our understanding of God must evolve, and it will evolve, because it evolves with human history, as do all human things. We cannot hold back the march of progress, the church has already attempted this, and such stagnation only has led to decay and rot. Christianity will evolve, but the churches, as we understand them now as rigidly hierarchical institutions that seek their own ambitions over the pursuit of Christ and evolution of understanding, will perish. But in what direction will the religion evolve? What will it look like once it has shaken off the old fetters of the present condition, with all of it’s dogmas and legalism and institutionalism? That is ultimately in our hands and what we accomplish here and now, as it will be the foundations for what will come.
Our theology must be developed for that time. It must be critical of the present condition, and optimistic of the future conditions. And this theology must be thoroughly developed both within itself and without itself, that is to say, it must be developed both with the evolving understanding of everything, and with the external critique of modern religion. The question of the misotheist, “What if God is as vile and as tyrannical as the churches depict Him to be, and that He sides with the rich and the powerful, and damns the weak and deviant as they depict Him?” and the question of the atheist, “What if there is no God to call our actions to account in the afterlife?” are no less crucial to the development of theology than questions within the faith. As to the answer of these questions, it is simple; let whatever heaven or hell, or nothingness and the void, come for us in the beyond, for our duties to love and good works are for this world and life.
Salvation and redemption will not be an individual manner, it will be a social and intercontinental manner. The redemption of the whole of humankind will come, with or without the church. We all as the human race are bound to the same destiny, the same time and space, and all of us are the One Children of the Creator. This salvation will not be brought about by the use of state government, in fact it is state government which is opposed to God’s Kingdom, and is the Chief Rejection and Usurpation of God. And we can never achieve a righted relationship with God until we have achieved a righted relationship with one another and with Creation. This demands that we fully abandon all mastery and servility, all notions of the ones on the inside and the outside, greater and lesser, and that we restore the well being of all.
As for my position on what the new Christian society will be like, I envision it being a society of brethren and kin united by a common purpose, that being the well being of all persons, and the restoration of humanity and the creation. This will not be brought about by a single individual or a small minority of men over the masses, but all of humanity as one Children of One Father the Creator. There will be no institution or structure of greater and lesser, but all will be equals in the ministry and evangelism of deed and character, and all will be one in spirit and in truth. All will have their share of access to the land and it’s resources, to all of the basic necessities of life and happiness, not in word but in truth. There will be no buying or selling, but all will receive in full all needs without debt or charge. And there will be no law but the Law of Love Almighty, enforced not by armies or state, but this law will be lived to fruition by the reason of it’s truth in the souls and nature of humanity.
My allegiance is to God, and not to government, country or nation. Despite the attempts of the powers that be to proclaim their nations as Christian, the true nature of state government is contrary to Christianity and its principles. Christ teaches the love of one’s neighbors, renunciation of allegiance to earthly authorities, solidarity with the poor and oppressed, and to welcome the dispossessed and ostracized of the world. State government, and by extension its ideology called patriotism, teaches the fear and hatred of those outside of the nation, allegiance to the authorities, the worship of power and the preparation for eternal unending war. The nation teaches its followers to murder their fellow human beings, to make glory of conquest and plunder, and to see all who oppose themselves or are otherwise outside of the nation as inferior specimens. And considering that the nations all proclaim themselves the greatest, and likewise that all others are inferior, what then can be the final conclusion when two or more opposing nations arrogantly make this assertion against one another than war breaking out between them?
I would also consider my faith to be apocalyptic in nature, not in the sense of the end of the world, but the end of the world as we now understand it. The language of that faith is that of the ushering in of the Reign of Mercy, and the ushering out of the Reign of Man over Man. Apocalyptic theology is best described as the evangelism of a radical transformation of everything, and not focusing simply on the destruction of the present, but the construction of the new. It is a vision of what can and should be, every bit as much as it is a vision of what needs to go away.
And with that apocalyptic theology, I take seriously Revelation, that the Antichrist at present, and has for a long time, reigns in defiance of the Law of Righteousness on the earth, and that this is the source of all inequality, oppression and suffering in the world. The Antichrist is not an entity or being, but a condition OF being, a condition that has been made the foundation of human civilization; greed, war, exploitation, covetousness, idolization, self preservation and dehumanization. All of the previously mentioned evil in this work as a collective, the state, the corruption of the church, nationalism, all of it, are not just of the Antichrist, but ARE it. As a Christian radical, I recognize the means to destroy this Antichrist to be Christ, the restoration of His covenant and the levelling down of all means of coercion and force. This conflict between the Antichrist and Christ has been the defining force of society ever since original sin corrupted humanity, and which generation will at last overcome and vanquish Antichrist has yet to be determined, but it is my hope that such a generation will be soon. This generation will overcome the conditions of exploitation, subjugation, corruption and deprivation and excess, that at last Mercy and Reason shall be established as the guiding light of humanity and its reorganization.
My theological position is very inspired by and enforced by the many Christian movements and societies throughout history, from the first Christian communities as is described in Acts, to the later Cathars of France and Diggers of England, to the modern radicals around the world. And I had recognized throughout this history a pattern; a sect of Christians strives to achieve that vision of the Kingdom of God, calling for the uplifting of the down and out, and the overturning of the powerful. Those in power, most often the churches in power aligned with the authorities of the world, retaliate against this radical sect, most often through militaries, suppression and genocide, then the legacy of that sect lives on and inspires the next generation of radicals. Will it not be the same of modern radicals, who now work to undo what suffering the powerful have brought onto the less fortunate masses?

ALL TIMES EASTERN
AAC Tournament
9:00 AM Game 11: #8 South Florida vs. #1 East Carolina espn+
12:30 pm Game 12: #7 Tulane vs. #2 Houston espn+
4:00 PM Game 13 (#8 South Florida vs. #1 East Carolina, if necessary) espn+
7:30 PM or 4pm Game 14 (#7 Tulane vs. #2 Houston; if necessary) espn+
ACC Tournament
1:00 PM Game 13: #1 Wake Forest vs #4 Miami (Chapel Hill, NC), ACCNX
1:00 PM Game 14: #3 Clemson vs #7 North Carolina (Durham, NC), ACCN
America East Tournament
(Championship Day)
1:00 PM Game 8: #1 Maine vs. #3 Binghamton espn+
4:00 PM Game 9: (#1 Maine vs. #3 Binghamton; if necessary), espn+
ASUN Tournament
11:00 AM Game 7: #2 FGCU vs. #7 Jax State espn+
3:00 PM Game 8: #3 Liberty vs. #1 Lipscomb espn+
Atlantic 10 Tournament
(Championship Day)
12:00 PM Game 12: #4 Saint Louis vs. #6 George Mason, espn+
4:00 PM Game 13: (#4 Saint Louis vs. #6 George Mason; if necessary), espn+
Big10 Tournament
10:00 AM Game 11: #3 Iowa vs. #6 Michigan BTN
2:00 PM Game 12: #1 Maryland vs. #4 Nebraska BTN DL-btn
6:00 PM Game 13: (#3 Iowa vs. #6 Michigan; If necessary) BTN
10:00 PM or 6pm. Game 14: (#1 Maryland vs. #4 Nebraska; If necessary) BTN
Big 12 Tournament
10:00 AM Game 11: #4 TCU vs #5 Kansas State, espn+
1:30 PM Game 12: #6 Texas Tech vs #2 Oklahoma State, espn+
5:00 PM Game 13: (#4 TCU vs #5 Kansas State; if necessary), espn+
8:30 PM or 5pm. Game 14: (#6 Texas Tech vs #2 Oklahoma State if necessary), espn+
Big East Tournament
(Championship Day)
2:00 PM Game 6: #2 Xavier vs #1 UConn icefs2 & 1Lfs2 or FloBaseball
5:30 PM Game 7: (#2 Xavier vs #1 UConn; if necessary) FloBaseball
Big South Tournament
(Championship Day)
10:00 AM Game 6: #1 Campbell vs. 2 USC Upstate, ESPNU
2:00 PM Game 7: (#1 Campbell vs. 2 USC Upstate; if necessary), espn+
Colonial Athletic Tournament
2:00 PM Game 8: #1 UNCW vs. #3 Northeastern (resume suspended GM8 from Fri., T5) FloBaseball ($)
TBD Game 9: #2 Elon vs. Loser GM8 (Elimination Game) FloBaseball ($)
TBD Championship Game: Winner GM8 vs. Winner GM9 FloBaseball ($)
Sunday, May 28 (if necessary)
?1:00 PM Game 11: Championship Game: Winner GM8 vs. Winner GM9 if necessary), FloBaseball ($)
Conference USA Tournament
10:00 AM Game 11: (7) Middle Tennessee vs. (3) Charlotte espn+
1:30 PM Game 12: (1) Dallas Baptist vs. (4) WKU espn+
5:00 PM Game 13: ((7) Middle Tennessee vs. (3) Charlotte; if necessary) espn+
8:30 PM (or 5pm) Game 14: ((1) Dallas Baptist vs. (4) WKU; if necessary) espn+
Horizon Tournament
(Championship Day)
12:00 PM Game 8: #2 Oakland vs. #1 Wright State espn+
4:00 PM Game 9: (#2 Oakland vs. #1 Wright State; if necessary), espn+
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament
(Championship Day)
12:00 PM Game 10: #2 Rider vs. #1 Fairfield, espn+
3:30 PM Game 11: (#2 Rider vs. #1 Fairfield; if necessary) espn+
Mid-American Tournament
(Championship Day)
12:30 PM Game 5: #3 Ball State vs. #1 Kent State, espn+
~4:30 PM Game 6: (#3 Ball State vs. #1 Kent State; if necessary), espn+
Missouri Valley Tournament
(Championship Day)
2:30 PM Game 14: #1 Indiana State vs. #4 Evansville, espn+
6:00 PM Game 15: (#1 Indiana State vs. #4 Evansville; if necessary) espn+
Mountain West Tournament
4:30 PM Game 5: #4 Fresno State vs. #1 San José State (Elimination Game) MW Network
9:00 PM Championship Game: #3 Air Force vs. Winner GM5, MW Network
Sunday, May 28 (if necessary)
4:00 PM Game 7: Championship Game (Winner GM4 vs. Winner GM5; if necessary) MW Network
Northeast Tournament
12:00 PM Game 9: #4 Sacred Heart vs #1 CCSU (Elimination Game), espn3 & NEC Front Row
4:00 PM Championship Game: #2 Wagner vs Winner GM9, espn3 & NEC Front Row
Sunday, May 28 (if necessary)
12:00 PM Game 11: Championship Game: (#2 Wagner vs Winner GM9; if necessary), espn3 & NEC Front Row
Ohio Valley Tournament
1:00 PM Championship Game: #1 Morehead State vs. #5 Eastern Illinois, espn+
PAC-12 Tournament
10:00 PM ET Championship Game: #6 Oregon vs. #8 Arizona ESPNU
SEC Tournament
1:00 PM Game 15: #10 Texas A&M vs. #2 Arkansas (Elimination Game) SECN
4:30 PM Game 16: #4 Vanderbilt vs. #1 Florida (Elimination Game) SECN
Southern Tournament
(Championship Day)
8:00 AM Game 11: #1 Samford vs. #6 UNCG (Elimination Game) espn+
11:25 PM Game 12: #3 Wofford vs. #1 Samford, espn+
~3:00 PM Game 13: (#3 Wofford vs. #1 Samford); if necessary) espn+
Southland Tournament
(Championship Day)
2:00 PM Game 11: #1 Nicholls vs. #4 New Orleans, espn+
6:00 PM Game 12: (#1 Nicholls vs. #4 New Orleans; if necessary) espn+
Summit Tournament
(Championship Day)
2:05 PM Game 6: #1 Oral Roberts vs. #3 SD State Summit DN
5:35 PM Game 7: (#1 Oral Roberts vs. #3 SD State; if necessary) Summit DN
Sunbelt Tournament
10:00 AM Game 13: #2 Southern Miss vs. #6 App State espn+
1:30 PM Game 14: #1 Coastal Carolina vs. #4 Louisiana espn+
5:00 PM Game 15: #2 Southern Miss vs. #6 App State; if necessary espn+
8:30 PM or 5pm Game 16: #1 Coastal Carolina vs. #4 Louisiana; if necessary espn+
SWAC Tournament
12:00 PM ET Game 11B: (E1) Alabama State vs. (E3) Florida A&M SWAC Youtube
3:00 PM ET Game 12B: (E2) Bethune-Cookman vs. (W1) Grambling State SWAC Youtube
WAC Tournament
(Championship Day)
6:00 PM Game 14 #2 Sam Houston vs. #3 Utah Valley, espn+
10:00 PM Game 15 (#2 Sam Houston vs. #3 Utah Valley); if necessary) espn+
WCC Tournament
(Championship Day)
4:00 PM ET Game 8: #3 Santa Clara vs. #2 Portland, ESPNU
~8:00 PM ET Game 9: (#3 Santa Clara vs. #2 Portland; if necessary) WCC Network
Big West Conference Regular Season Games
4:00 pm CS Northridge vs. CS Bakersfield espn+
4:00 pm UC Riverside vs. UC Irvine espn+
4:00 pm CS Fullerton vs. Cal Poly espn+
9:00 pm UC Davis vs. Long Beach espn+
12:30 am UC Santa Barbara vs. Hawai'i espn+
Not sure if PPL will post today, so I am posting this in place of the usual format.
This is the one I use on my site and wanted to get it to you fans asap. Cheers.
~
Live Crowdsourced Scoreboard ~by u/CTIDmississippi

For anyone in town who's looking for events to enjoy this Memorial Day Weekend and/or ceremonies to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, here's 28 local events you can enjoy and participate in.
1. 2023 Wilderness Road Bike Ride Bisset Park, Radford Saturday, May 27, 2023, 7:00 AM - TBD Youth Up To Age of 17: $40.00, Adults (age 18+): $50.00, Family of 3-5: $120.00 FCA Endurance SW Virginia presents the 32nd Annual Wilderness Road Ride titled "A Gran Fondo" starting and ending at Bisset Park's Shelter #2. The Wilderness Road Ride is a scenic and historical adventure through Southwest Virginia’s beautiful New River Valley, the ride follows part of Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road. This is a recreational ride for all cycling levels to enjoy, with something for everyone, five routes to choose from ranging from a 26 mile relaxed journey for novices, to a century challenge for the fittest cyclist. This is a great ride for cyclists of all ages and athletic abilities. The start will be a rolling start open from 7:00-8:00 AM. Riders may also gather in front of Bisset Park Shelter #2 at the starting line at a designated time for an optional group start time. Those who sign up for the century and 80 miler must leave no later than 7:30 AM. All pre-registered riders are guaranteed a technical t-shirt and other goodies. ANSI or Snell Certified helmets are required. Riders under 16 must be accompanied by an adult and riders under 8 years old must have permission from the event director. All proceeds will benefit FCA Endurance ministries and missions projects in Southwest Virginia. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707984
2. Used Book Sale Park United Methodist Church, Christiansburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Price depends on book(s) purchased. Stop by for some summer reading. Hard cover, paperbacks and children's books will be available for purchase with something for everyone. Proceeds will support Park United Methodist Church's children's missions. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708111
3. Pearisburg Junior Woman's Club Junior Jamboree and Donut Dash Pearisburg Community & Recreation Center, Pearisburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Donut Dash: Children: $5.00, Adults: $15.00, Family Pack (2 Adults & Up to 4 Children): $40.00 Junior Jamboree Vendor & Craft Show Admission: Free The Pearisburg Junior Woman’s Club will be hosting the Junior Jamboree starting with the Donut Dash Day at 9:00 AM and the Junior Jamboree Vendor & Craft Show from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Participants in the Donut Dash will stroll along the park trail with tasty donut stops along the way. They will make their way to the pavilion where gourmet donuts and coffee await along with a prize for each participant. At 11:00 AM, artists, crafters and food trucks will be set up on the lawn and in the gym of the community center. All proceeds from the event will help fund future community service projects through Pearisburg Junior Woman’s Club. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=697325
4. Music at the Villa with Stella Trudel Villa Appalaccia Winery, Floyd Saturday, May 27, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Relax and enjoy some great music along with great wine and food. Stella Trudel is a singer and songwriter who lives in Floyd, Virginia and winters in Canyon Lake, Texas. She is also the lead singer of the band Cocobolo. She loves to sing from the heart and consciously directs her attention and focus to music to see what will unfold. Kids and well-behaved dogs welcome. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707445
5. Jeff Levy in Concert Chateau Morrisette, Floyd Saturday, May 27, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Jeff Levy is a real country, old rock, bluegrass, Americana folk and gospel musician from Radford, VA. Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase out of the Hut on Saturday and Sunday. Bringing seating is suggested as the tables fill up fast. Note: Music will cancel if there is inclement weather. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707485
6. 2023 Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad Open House Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, Blacksburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free The Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad presents their 2023 Open House on Saturday, May 27, 2023. See what we do, be social, have fun and enjoy some free food! Get a tour of Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad's ambulances and see some of the special equipment they carry during their technical rescue demonstrations while enjoying free food, cotton candy and face painting. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708076
7. Dark Blue Paradox and Dan Fox in Concert Buffalo Mountain Brewery, Floyd Saturday, May 27, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM (Dark Blue Paradox) and 6:00 - 9:00 PM (Dan Fox) Admission: Free Buffalo Mountain Brewery presents Dark Blue Paradox in concert from 1:00-4:00 PM and Dan Fox performing from 6:00-9:00 PM. Dark Blue Paradox is an acoustic-electric duo hailing from Richmond, VA. Dan Fox is a singer and songwriter performing primarily acoustic guitar music including many favorites and originals from a wide variety of genres including folk, rock, country and Americana. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707884
8. Shawsville Ruritans 75th Anniversary Celebration and Ice Cream Social Meadowbrook Center, Shawsville Saturday, May 27, 2023, 2:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free The Shawsville Ruritan Club and Meadowbrook Museum presents the Shawsville Ruritan Club's 75th Anniversary Celebration and Ice Cream Social. In addition to free ice cream (complete with toppings), the celebration will feature a "Shawsville Ruritans Through the Years" exhibit curated by the Meadowbrook Museum and music from 1948 and the surrounding period. The Shawsville Ruritan Club was chartered in 1948, making it one of the oldest clubs in the nation. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708095
9. 2023 Youth Film Festival Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 2:00 - 3:30 PM Admission: Free Support young filmmakers, both international and local, as The Lyric showcases their films to the New River Valley. Admission is free with a free complimentary popcorn. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708100
10. Ash Devine in Concert Moon Hollow Brewing, Blacksburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 4:00 - 6:30 PM Admission: Free Award winning songwriter, folk rock musician, caring clown Ash Devine is based the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville North Carolina. Ash Devine’s folk Fusion style gleans sounds of Appalachian traditional folk, Americana-pop and classic rock. Ash Devine is an accomplished instrumentalist on finger-style and flat pick style guitar and innovative original ukulele picking style. Her breathy and rich vocals are captivating and cathartic, reminiscent of Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young. Ash’s stage presence is dynamic, charismatic and steeped in audience connection and participation. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708091
11. The Salt Pond Pub Summer Kick-Off Party Mountain Lake Lodge, Pembroke Saturday, May 27, 2023, 5:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Celebrate Summer at Mountain Lake Lodge and kick-off Memorial Day Weekend. Enjoy good food, live music from The Untrained Professionals, giveaways, and more. The Untrained Professionals are an acoustic music duo featuring Clinton Scott and Chris Huddle. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=697573
12. High Country Grass in Concert Wildwood Farms General Store, Floyd Saturday, May 27, 2023, 5:00 - 7:00 PM Admission: Free High Country Grass is a bluegrass band that was established in 2014 by founder Charles McMillian. The kitchen will be open until 6:00 PM with a limited menu. The concert will be held inside. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708114
13. Blue Phoenix in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Blue Phoenix is a vibrant band based in Blacksburg, VA that brings together a powerhouse of talented musicians that take you on a musical journey that transcends genres and ignites your soul. From blues to classic rock, americana to jazz, and folk to country, Blue Phoenix masterfully blends these styles to create a unique sound that will keep you grooving all night long. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707873
14. Old Time Dance with The Crooked Road Ramblers Floyd Country Store, Floyd Saturday, May 27, 2023, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: $12.00 The Crooked Road Ramblers are an old-time band from Southwest Virginia, steeped in the traditional music of the Blue Ridge. They have played at the Carter Family Fold, the Wayne Henderson Festival, HoustonFest, The Floyd Country Store & many other venues across Virginia and North Carolina. They have won 1st place in the old-time band category at the Ashe County, Alleghany County, Laurel Bloomery, Fries & Union Grove Fiddlers Convention in addition to a 2nd place finish at the Galax Fiddlers convention. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708079
15. Ian Vest in Concert The Mason Jar at Claytor Lake, Dublin Saturday, May 27, 2023, 7:30 - 10:30 PM Admission: Free Ian Vest is a Southwestern Virginia native, born and raised in rural Floyd County. Music has been his passion from a very young age: singing, learning to play several instruments, and performing in churches. Ian has a throwback style of country music that is reminiscent of those like George Strait and Randy Travis. His original songs are heavily influenced by the experiences in his life, faith in God, family, and pride of country. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707515
16. Timewave Zero in Concert Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Saturday, May 27, 2023, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $8.00 This group of all-star musicians hail from the New River Valley, up in the spine of the Appalachians where rock and blues meet to jam, where the mountains meet the sky and raise your spirits high, where psychedelic funk punch is just what’s for breakfast. Timewave Zero music drives crowds straight into the heart of the singularity connect today. With a band name inspired by Terrence Mckenna's i-Ching mathematics and eschatological explorations, TW0 is always at the ready for a live dance music adventure. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=697283
17. A Tribute To The Band's "The Last Waltz" Square 5 Public House, Blacksburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: Free Enjoy an evening of music from The Band and their historic 1976 farewell concert "The Last Waltz" featuring an all-star lineup of New River Valley musicians. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708092
18. Lost In Taste Cosmic Comedy Club Lost In Taste, Christiansburg Saturday, May 27, 2023, 9:30 - 11:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Enjoy a night of comedy hosted by Aayush Patodiya with featured comedians Andrew Gustafon, Katherine Rogue and Jordan B. and introducing comedians Garrett Brumfield and Taylor Reschka. For ages 18 and up. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708093
19. Sunday Mountain Music Series Kickoff with Ash Devine Mountain Lake Lodge, Pembroke Sunday, May 28, 2023, 4:00 - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Stop by Salt Pond Pub every Sunday starting Memorial Day weekend through Sunday, August 20th for live music and delicious food and drinks. Perfect for relaxing with the whole family (furry friends too). Award winning songwriter, folk rock musician, caring clown Ash Devine is based the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville North Carolina. Ash Devine’s folk Fusion style gleans sounds of Appalachian traditional folk, Americana-pop and classic rock. Ash Devine is an accomplished instrumentalist on finger-style and flat pick style guitar and innovative original ukulele picking style. Her breathy and rich vocals are captivating and cathartic, reminiscent of Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young. Ash’s stage presence is dynamic, charismatic and steeped in audience connection and participation. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=697572
20. The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs in Concert Palisades Restaurant, Eggleston Sunday, May 28, 2023, 5:00 - 7:30 PM Admission: Free The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs are a folk(ish)/Americana group hailing from Winston-Salem, NC. Their influences range from Neil Young to Regina Spektor. Blending their unique musical sensibilities, the band seeks to craft an entertaining experience that has a little something for everyone. Reservations are not required, but recommended for dining area seating. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707368
21. 2023 The Murph Workout Challenge Blacksburg Fit Body Bootcamp, Blacksburg Monday, May 29, 2023, 8:00 - 9:30 AM Admission: Free Blacksburg Fit Body Boot Camp is an official host location of The Murph. The Murph is a challenging workout that builds confidence, camaraderie, and honor to all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice serving our country. Participants can participate in one of three options, the Full Murph, the Full Murph (scaled), or the Half Murph. This workout is about challenging yourself. You can modify the movements however you need to and break apart the total reps in several sets. There is no set time to finish, just the goal to finish. The Full Murph usually takes about one hour and the Half Murph about 30 minutes. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Murph foundation. This year, Blacksburg Fit Body Bootcamp will also be hosting a Kids Lil' Murh at 10:00 AM, open to all ages. The Lil Murph will be a 0.1 mile run, 10 push ups, 20 mountain climbers, 40 body weight squats, followed by another 0.1 mile run. Parents are welcome to participate alongside their child. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708113
22. 2023 Jimmyfest Memorial Day Cruise-In & Cook Out Jones Car Company, Shawsville Monday, May 29, 2023, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Admission: Free Jones Car Company presents the 2nd Annual Jimmyfest Memorial Day Cruise-In and Cook Out to celebrate the life of James "Jimmy" Buriak. Classic cruisers, muscle cars, off road SUVs, lifted trucks, euro specialties, and everything in between is welcome. No entry fees or awards, this is just for fun. Jones Car Company will be providing free hot dogs, chips and non-alcoholic beverages. Donations will be gladly accepted for the AWS1 James Buriak Foundation. AWS1 James "Jimmy" Philip Buriak, USN, died 31 August 2021 in a Naval helicopter crash on the coast of San Diego, where he served as a naval aircrewman rescue swimmer (AWS) with HSC-8. The legacy of a hero is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. This foundation was created in the wake of Jimmy’s death as a way to honor him and his memory, but also keep his purpose alive – to help others. Jimmy was a Salem High School graduate. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708096
23. 2023 Memorial Day Ceremony Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, Dublin Monday, May 29, 2023, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Admission: Free The public is invited and encouraged to attend this tribute to honor and remember the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation. The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be former Chief Master Sergeant of the US Air Force, Rodney McKinley (US Air Force, Retired). Members of the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery Volunteers will place American flags on all graves prior to the ceremony. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708098
24. 2023 Radford Memorial Day Program Bisset Park, Radford Monday, May 29, 2023, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Admission: Free Radford VFW Post 776, American Legion Post 30, the NRV Marine Corps League, the Dublin-Radford Ruritan Club, the Radford News Journal, WRAD AM1460, and WPSK 107.1 presents the 2023 Radford Memorial Day Program. The ceremony includes a speech by the Radford Army Ammunition Plant Commander, a 21-gun salute and music. The Master of Ceremonies is Dana Jackson, the past Commander of American Legion Post 30. The program will serve to remember the veterans of all wars who have sacrificed to serve our country and also the families who have lost loved ones because of those sacrifices. The ceremony will be broadcast on radio across the WRAD Talk Network (101.7 103.5 and 1460 am) as well as streaming live. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708103
25. 2023 Memorial Day Cruise In and Car Show Narrows Fire Department, Narrows Monday, May 29, 2023, 12:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free The Narrows Memorial Day Committee presents the 2023 Memorial Day Cruise In and Car Show in the fire department parking lot. Vehicles of all types are welcome and will be on display. There will be a 50/50 raffle and food will be available for purchase. All vehicles are welcome and there is no entry fee for your vehicle to be included. Dash Plagues will be provided by Newberry Ford. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708101
26. Dedication Ceremony for the Field of Honor Glencoe Mansion, Museum & Gallery, Radford Monday, May 29, 2023, 2:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free The Radford Noon Rotary Club presents the Dedication Ceremony for the Field of Honor on the grounds of Glencoe Mansion, Museum & Gallery. The event will be the official start of the Field of Honor display of American flags sponsored to honor heroes of all types from service members to individuals who have made an impact on someone’s life. The ceremony will include remarks from multiple members of the community. Master of Ceremonies Dr. Richard Harshberger will lead the program, which will include Mayor David Horton, Radford VFW Commander Gary Harris, Grace Episcopal Church Rector William Yagel, and Virginia Delegate Jason Ballard. A 21-gun salute will be provided by the Dublin American Legion Post 58. The Field of Honor is comprised of flags sponsored by members of the community, and the proceeds will benefit 14 organizations. Those groups include the Radford University Scholarships for Students from Radford High School, Vittles for Vets, the Women’s Resource Center, Beans and Rice and the Glencoe Mansion. The Field of Honor display will be on display from Memorial Day through the 4th of July. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708097
27. Music Road Co Trio in Concert Rock House Marina, Pulaski Monday, May 29, 2023, 2:00 - 5:00 PM Admission: Free Rock House Marina concludes their four-day 2023 Claytor Lake Music Festival featuring the Music Road Co. trio. Music Road Company is a Floyd, VA based band that plays a great music featuring elements of rock, funk, reggae and fun for your dancing and listening pleasure designed to groove and move you. Food will be available for purchase. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707887
28. 2023 Narrows Memorial Day Parade Downtown Narrows, Narrows Monday, May 29, 2023, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free The annual Memorial Day Parade will feature floats, bands, cars, trucks, bikes, military & emergency vehicles and more. Following the parade, there will be a Hero's Dinners for all local doctors, nurses, EMTs, fire, rescue, veterans and active duty personnel / members and their families. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708102
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

First the relevant verses from Matthew and Mark.

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” \ Matthew 12:1‭-‬8 ESV
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” \ Mark 2:23‭-‬28 ESV

So, did Jesus sin here? No. Did Jesus violate Sabbath? No. Why not?

“If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain. \ Deuteronomy 23:24‭-‬25 ESV

Because it wasn't a sin to pick grain to eat. What Jesus and the disciples violated was the pharasee Halacha. The pharasee Halacha is what we would call doctrine in English today. They also referred to halacha as "the oral law".
Today, this would amount to a Baptist walking into a holiness pentecostal church wearing shorts and a t-shirt. They would scoff at you and tell you to put some clothes on because they have a different interpretation and standard about modest dress. They are enforcing their interpretation of the Bible.
A different example would be a Methodist being shocked that baptists don't accept infant baptism.
The pharasee had wrongly decided that rubbing grain together in your hands on the Shabbat amounted to work. Their interpretation of the Torah is what was violated, not the actual Torah. They were so strict about it that they had determined exactly how many steps a person could take on Sabbath day. That's where the term "Sabbath's day journey" comes from in the new testament.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/39_Melakhot
Jesus and the disciples actions would fall under their definition of gathering, threshing, and winnowing.
Pekuach Nefesh: https://bje.org.au/knowledge-centre/studies-of-religion-sopekuach-nefesh/
Jesus' reply to the pharasee is interesting though because he appeals to Pekuach Nefesh. That is a principle that preserving human life is more important than blindly following the the letter of law. Jesus and the disciples must have been VERY hungry for him to answer this way. It's known they did not take supplies as they traveled, but rather relied on the provisions from YHWH.

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. \ Matthew 10:5‭-‬11‭, ‬13‭-‬15 ESV

Aswan Granite - Symmetry of Ramses Statue
J. Davidovits research into ancient geopolymers has demonstrated through chemical X-ray analysis that the casing stones of the Giza pyramids are synthetic, being of lower density than any quarried stone due to trapped air bubbles and consisting of 85-90% calcite with other exotic mineral constituents like opal CT, hydroxy-apatite and silico-aluminates. .-Geopolymer Analysis -Geopolymer Giza Its an "exotic " admixture thar enhances the limestone's natural capacity to convert all atmospheric acoustic energy into an electrical current within the crystals, inducing a strong electromagnetic field around the pyramid structures and within their passages and chambers. Both the low density and exotic mineral composition of the limestone show them to be synthetic but the drill marks in the clip Basins
At the Grand Canyon, analysis of the Coconino Sandstone shows The natural piezoelectric property of minerals comprising sandstone, limestone, andesite and basalt rocks enables conversion of incident acoustic waves into an encompassing EM field. This special effect becomes amplified by semiconductor geopolymers, specially manufactured with a high content of fine metallic particles, including ferromagnetic, paramagnetic such as iron, nickel, titanium –in combination with piezoelectric, pyromagnetic and pyroelectric mineral constituents such as tourmaline and pyrite..
The Hopi told me it was called ‘firestone’ for its ability to spark plasma in the air above the pyramid faces during phases of increased planetary infrasound resonance..
The limestone surfaces of the square basins revealed the presence of oxalates, leading to speculation about beer production. However, the presence of oxalates results from geopolymer stone casting processes employed at Göbekli Tepe to produce megaliths from a liquid slurry of sand, fly ash and water. Oxalic acid was used to chemically disaggregate available bedrock into fine grains. In South America, oxalic acid residues were identified on the Saqsaywaman temple megaliths, and on the surfaces of the Tiwanaku Gate of the Sun. Göbekli Tepe's standing stones also retain residual oxalates.... I'll explain later in this thread, why all sites such as Göbekli Tepe were constructed on fault lines, Harvard.edu- Anatolian fault Geothermal applications.. now we have indigenous cultures in Kenya who are working with Corporations to provide Geothermal/electric power for millions by using the energy of the Mother Earth(gaia).
The internal chambers of the Great Pyramid are constructed of massive rose granite blocks cut with precise right angles and perfectly planed faces, brought from the nearest granite quarry in Aswan directly to the south. The surface of the stone is covered in a thin glaze of quartz, the main constituent of granite, which is typical of a stonecutting technique now known as thermal disaggregation. Watkins, Professor of Geosciences at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has designed a "Solar powered focusing and directing apparatus for cutting, shaping, and polishing", U.S. Patent No. for the thermal disaggregation of stone. The lightweight unit is a parabolic reflector that focuses only a few hundred watts of light into a 2mm point capable of melting granite at a 2mm depth upon each slowly repeated pass.
The notes of Garcilaso de la Vega have described the findings of the Conquistadors upon arrival in the Andes, detailing the Incas’ large gold-covered parabolic stone bowls over 10’ in diameter which were destroyed and processed into ingots.
In 2013, in the Llanganates mountains i saw the modern The Festival of the Sun- New sacrifices must be given by the hand of the Sun. So a chipana is held by high priest. "It was larger than usual, and had on it a highly polished concave plate, about the diameter of an orange. They put this towards the Sun, at an angle, so that the reflected rays might concentrate on one point, where they had placed a little cotton well pulled out, for they did not know how to make tinder; but the cotton was soon lighted in the natural way. With this fire, thus obtained from the hands of the Sun. There were Solar cells found in Egypt, our ancestors understood Nature was technology.
In the case of hammering, generally you'll see rock wanting to break along pre-existing planes of weakness. When river sand, which is mostly quartz, is used to grind and polish rock with quartz, the softer minerals in the rock are sanded out, while the quartz crystals, little affected, are left standing above the rest of the minerals on the surface. In the case of wedging rock, Watkins didn't find any low-angle fractures, and no ability to control the cracking of the rock. On a surface worked with pounding stones, all the minerals are unevenly fractured.
'The most fascinating feature of the granite core Petrie describes is the spiral groove around the core indicating a feed rate of 0.100 inch per revolution of the drill. It was 500 times greater than modern diamond drills, but the rotation of the drill would not have been as fast as the modern drill's 900 revolutions per minute.'
Rose granite was used in the construction of the internal chambers because of its resonant properties. The quartz matrix of the granite stones is like a hall of mirrors with billions of parallel faces reflecting energy.The very shape of the pyramid is an amplified-receiver or resonator of various kinds of energy fields, i.e. electro-magnetic waves, cosmic rays,,etc surrounding our planet and which are in the air around and within the pyramid. Inside the pyramid the received energies, interact with one another.
Standing Waves Phi "today we see plenty Diverse new technologies have incorporated fractal patterning for signal enhancement and more. That's a Recent acoustic resonance experiment that shows a connection between the phi ratio and a nonlinear acoustic standing wave structure". The effect of this encasement in granite is that the airspaces can be given harmonic dimensions to specify the wavelengths, which will resonate through the formation of standing waves. The dimensions of the upper chamber reflect a 1:2 ratio, allowing standing waves of integer multiples to store acoustic energy.The methods that are supposed to have been used by the ancients, such as pounding, hammering, grinding, polishing with abrasives, and wedging, just don't match up with what is seen under a microscope.
'
These specific alchemical processes were only obtained through the serpent wisdom. Ill cite the geopolymer analysis at the Gran canyon, Coconino Sandstone, Stonehenge, its obvious the same knowledge was employed at each site. Sumerian text say that Enki sent the Apkallu (birdman) led by Oannes & One of their functions was as protective spirits against disease and demons. Genetic findings show R1b-V88(Mende/Yoruba) & Rb1-m269 are not only found at all these sites but you can follow archaeological evidence showing they introduced agriculture, domesticated cattle, metalworking, as well as writing. The fish men were created or sent by Enki to bestow humanity with moral codes and the arts of civilization (through the me)...Thread
Note: There are now almost a dozen locations around the world who offer initiates in M'TAM. Which means "from within the Earth”, and is the oldest science in the world. M’TAM represents the original body of education to harmonize the human being’s mind, body and spirit with the Earth.is structured in three disciplines: Medu (Language), Ka'at Ibi (Meditation) & Sounnt (Healing)
The reason we fall short & don't understand how our ancestors accomplished these feats can be summed up quite easily. ..
Francis Bacon defined the mission of Modern Science shortly after the onset of the Scientific Revolution (1543). Accordingly, the purpose of science was, "to dominate and control Nature." Nature isn't to be dominated, explains why these ancient cultures lived in such harmony with the Earth because she was more than the sustainer of life. The ancients knew the Earth was a power station giving her children free energy.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum in Low-Intensity Conflict USAF - this research by the USAF shows us how classical concepts of electrodynamics are inadequate.
In other words, the classical theories are at the very least partially wrong in that they do not fully explain all of the reactions which are observed in the body... Electromagnetic energy naturally surrounds and permeates most planets. Our ancestors understood quite well that This energy can be used as an endless, inexhaustible power source which is very cheap to access.This energy can be tapped in the simplest of ways with technology we have right here on planet Earth now. It is so prevalent that our bodies pick it up unintentionally..it doesnt require generators & each user could have their own reciever like we have tv.
Early on they were known as 42 Tribes of Sesh, and the land wasnt called the Nile and the Delta. It was the sedge and the bee, which are the actual pictures of a bee and a sedge plant. After Osiris & the first Kings SmsHr developed the civilization whos remains fascinate us so, they became known as the 'Sheshu-hor' (People of the Realized man) We see a civilization who respected nature & knew the secrets of the universe which are Light, Acoustics, Frequency, Vibration. Dr Devereaux found every navel of these sites resonated at the divine frequency 111hz which would allow initiates to reach the 'dreamstate' much easier. Calcite microcrystals in the pineal gland of the human brain: first physical and chemical studies
.
Electromagnetic Properties of Pyramid’s from Positions of PhotonicsScienceDaily-Light Accelerates Conductivity in Natures Electric Grid The Great Pyramid is flat dab in the center of the Earth’s land mass and also acts as a fulcrum. This design takes advantage of the sound waves pushing out of the inner core into the shafts; where the limestone dampens the low frequencies and only allows the highest frequencies to emanate out of the pyramid. Dee Jay Nelson and David H. Coville see special significance in the stone the builders chose in building the King’s Chamber: “this means that lining the King’s Chamber, for instance, are literally hundreds of tons of microscopic quartz particles. The Slight plasticity of the granite aggregate would allow a ‘piezotension’ on the parallel surfaces and cause an electromotive flow" " There were customized crystals housed in the chambers. When the high frequency sped through the water then the crystals began to vibrate. A frequency so high it was undetectable by humans ears.A crystal oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency. This means a precise frequency was generated; instrument, tools, and weapons had to be configured to this precise frequency allowing them to basically tune in and gain power If you were an outsider and you needed power you had to be cleared and trained about the precise frequency. Any invention in the ancient land need only tune-in and massive amounts of free energy were available.
The PrNtr-(pyramid) were once surrounded by those basins, which contained energetic waters the ancestors knew it as Lake Hathor. The lake waters were absorbed by the porous limestone of the pyramids which provides a connection to the water tables underneath. Again, The pyramid texts of Saqqara describe this absorption of water within the stones in exact terms, stating that the pyramids' "foundations are the stones, the water..." Corroborating evidence for the ancient use of advanced geopolymers comes from Mesopotamia, where the manufacture of basalt has been extensively documented. Note that the synthetic stones are of high piezoelectric crystalline content. Limestone is Efficient Energy Distributor -
One of the principles of Ma'at & the single most important concept to the builders of these structures was harmony.(Harmonic unified equations)The whole of physical reality was in fact manifested by a complex pattern of interlocking wave-forms. Youll find that the harmonic values could be applied to all branches of scientific research and atomic theory.
The Earth is simply a huge magnet, a dynamo, wound with magnetic lines of force as its coils. Wiith application of grid mathematics you'll find that an atomic bomb is a device based on the geometrics of space and time. To be successfully detonated, the bomb MUST be geometrically constructed, placed on, under, or over a geometric position in relation to the Earth’s surface, and activated at a SPECIFIC TIME in relation to the geometrics of the solar system. Geometric and mathematical analysis of the polar sections of the world energy system show the harmonic value for mass was equal to the harmonic of the speed of light plus the square root of the harmonic of the speed of light reciprocal.
As we look into this even further, we can see that the fundamental, harmonic value of 144,000 for the speed of light is precisely the same as the fundamental harmonic values for many different things, including:
-the Mayan Calendar’s baktun, at 144,000 Earth days
-the Bible number of the 144,000 souls who will Ascend
-the fundamental "building block" of all sound vibration frequencies, 144
-the fundamental Gematrian "frequency number" for light, 144. And, of course, the harmonic of 12 times 12 ;So, the Gematrian meaning for the number 144 is ’light.’
Ive posted lots of research in the field of geophysics but id like to give an explanation.Ley lines vary in intensity depending upon the geographical makeup of an area, such as mineral deposits, underground streams and gravitational forces. Depending upon the location, ley lines will either support life or be detrimental to it. Every valid sacred site has been found to have water under it.
The massive 'batteries' hidden beneath your feet - Environmental Health News There are two type of water. There is the ‘water table’ water which is regarded as rain water absorbed by the earth. The other is called is called the ‘primary water’ which is created in the bowels of earth as the by-product of various chemical reactions. This water is forced under pressure towards the surface of Earth in what dowsers call ‘domes’.In Great Britain the domes are called ‘blind springs’. They could be described as geysers that don’t reach the surface. The water continues an upward journey until it hit’s a layer of rock or clay. The pressure then forces the water out (horizontally) in what dowsers call veins through cracks and fissures in the rocks. One can find primary water under every valid holy site.
The pyramid were built on the worlds largest aquifer, they needed water because sound travels about 4 times as fast in water as it does in the air. Which means the high frequency was moving with increased velocity by the time it hit the crystals. “Due to the partial co-valency of water’s hydrogen bonding, electrons are not held by individual molecules, but are easily distributed among water clusters, giving rise to coherent regions capable of interacting with local electric and magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation.”
LetterIn sixth century, Pope Gregory, Gregory wanted them to destroy their idols, but insisted they build the churches on the older holy places, thereby automatically linking alignment to the ley lines and maintaining the power sources.Well aware of these energies, the Benedictine abbeys and monasteries were built on major power centers..
We see that the geomagnetic field inside the circle was much weaker than outside, it acted like a shield.Dr John Burke also discovered how the stones of Avebury are deliberately placed and aligned so they'd focus electro-magnetic currents to flow in a premeditated direction..Dr Brooker says its just like our modern day atomic particle collider geological analysis Durability stonehenge *The core was 99.7% silica—almost entirely quartz, through-and-through, which was more pure than any sarsen stone Nash had worked on.
I probably should say more about the piezoelectric effect vibration has on quartz crystal. Alternately compressing and releasing the quartz produces electricity. Microphones and other modern electronic devices work on the same exact principle. The quartz crystal is the transducer.
It transforms one form of energy into another. Understanding the source of the energy and having the means to tap into it, all we need to do is convert the unlimited mechanical stresses therein into usable electricity utilizing quartz crystals.. The Shining Ones that the granite out of which this chamber is constructed is an igneous rock containing silicon quartz crystals. (Aswan Granite 55%quartz)
Finally, it should be pointed out that the whole musical scale, the whole sonic temperament, obeys the same law of the Golden Section.
Remember what it says in the Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word" - and the word is sound (a wave process characterized by frequency). The idea that this came from Pythagoras is comical. It is no coincidence that we find in the human being in particular the law of the Golden Section : The bones of the fingers, three in number; three parts of the arm (the relationship of lengths) - elements of the Golden Section. The heart beats in this rhythm and pushes blood into the aorta, leaving a portion in the ventricle.
-the rods and cones of the eye, the cochlea of the ear (the ratio of the lengths of the spirals), the structure of the whole skeletal framework - examine the statistical averages and it is all the Golden Section. Even the dynamics of the neural structures in certain mental states obey the same law.
One thing we have carried with us for tens of thousands of years is the many beneficial uses of quartz.This we received from Our principle diety Horus. Ancient Serpent priests of Egypt would use Wands of Horus To regulate the energy balance in the body. cylinders with various contents. The use of these cylinders to a considerable extent helped the pharaoh (or other user) to perfect his nervous, energetic and (as a consequence) immune systems, to improve his health and physical condition, since the cylinders had a beneficial effect on those areas. The correct use of the cylinders enabled the pharaoh or priestly user to prepare himself for "Intercourse with the Gods". If certain conditions are observed and sessions conducted on a regular daily basis, the Wands of Horus can not only correct, but also stimulate a person's nervous, energy and immune systems, creating the preconditions for their improvement.
Like energy healing requires the competent healer in harmony with the patient, This requires precise understanding of what the Wands of Horus are and the principle by which they work, a knowledge of the cycles of activeness in the human energy system and a number of elements making up a complex approach, an essential part of which is interaction with natural sources of energy, such as trees, rivers, lakes, mountains..
Most people tell me that the ancient healing practices i use work so much better than today's watered down energy healing. Specifically Sekhem healing. In Sekhem a person is viewed as a whole energetic system with the physical body at the core. However, a Sekhem healer would work more specifically in the energy body, or aura, as it is here that illness first begins as a blockage in one of the energetic bodies or layers. In Sekhem, healing is seen very much as a two way process. It is a way of supporting a person during their own healing journey. The Sekhem energy is taken by the client at the level of the higher self, so only the exact amount needed is taken. Sekhem cannot be given if it is not wanted, and neither can a Sekhem practitioner heal a person if that person chooses (for whatever reason) not to be healed.

Aswan Granite - Symmetry of Ramses Statue
J. Davidovits research into ancient geopolymers has demonstrated through chemical X-ray analysis that the casing stones of the Giza pyramids are synthetic, being of lower density than any quarried stone due to trapped air bubbles and consisting of 85-90% calcite with other exotic mineral constituents like opal CT, hydroxy-apatite and silico-aluminates. .-Geopolymer Analysis -Geopolymer Giza Its an "exotic " admixture thar enhances the limestone's natural capacity to convert all atmospheric acoustic energy into an electrical current within the crystals, inducing a strong electromagnetic field around the pyramid structures and within their passages and chambers. Both the low density and exotic mineral composition of the limestone show them to be synthetic but the drill marks in the clip Basins shows that they also quarried stone.
At the Grand Canyon, analysis of the Coconino Sandstone shows The natural piezoelectric property of minerals comprising sandstone, limestone, andesite and basalt rocks enables conversion of incident acoustic waves into an encompassing EM field. This special effect becomes amplified by semiconductor geopolymers, specially manufactured with a high content of fine metallic particles, including ferromagnetic, paramagnetic such as iron, nickel, titanium –in combination with piezoelectric, pyromagnetic and pyroelectric mineral constituents such as tourmaline and pyrite..
The Hopi told me it was called ‘firestone’ for its ability to spark plasma in the air above the pyramid faces during phases of increased planetary infrasound resonance..
The limestone surfaces of the square basins revealed the presence of oxalates, leading to speculation about beer production. However, the presence of oxalates results from geopolymer stone casting processes employed at Göbekli Tepe to produce megaliths from a liquid slurry of sand, fly ash and water. Oxalic acid was used to chemically disaggregate available bedrock into fine grains. In South America, oxalic acid residues were identified on the Saqsaywaman temple megaliths, and on the surfaces of the Tiwanaku Gate of the Sun. Göbekli Tepe's standing stones also retain residual oxalates.... I'll explain later in this thread, why all sites such as Göbekli Tepe were constructed on fault lines, Harvard.edu- Anatolian fault Geothermal applications.. now we have indigenous cultures in Kenya who are working with Corporations to provide Geothermal/electric power for millions by using the energy of the Mother Earth(gaia).
The internal chambers of the Great Pyramid are constructed of massive rose granite blocks cut with precise right angles and perfectly planed faces, brought from the nearest granite quarry in Aswan directly to the south. The surface of the stone is covered in a thin glaze of quartz, the main constituent of granite, which is typical of a stonecutting technique now known as thermal disaggregation. Watkins, Professor of Geosciences at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has designed a "Solar powered focusing and directing apparatus for cutting, shaping, and polishing", U.S. Patent No. for the thermal disaggregation of stone. The lightweight unit is a parabolic reflector that focuses only a few hundred watts of light into a 2mm point capable of melting granite at a 2mm depth upon each slowly repeated pass.
The notes of Garcilaso de la Vega have described the findings of the Conquistadors upon arrival in the Andes, detailing the Incas’ large gold-covered parabolic stone bowls over 10’ in diameter which were destroyed and processed into ingots.
In 2013, in the Llanganates mountains i saw the modern The Festival of the Sun- New sacrifices must be given by the hand of the Sun. So a chipana is held by high priest. "It was larger than usual, and had on it a highly polished concave plate, about the diameter of an orange. They put this towards the Sun, at an angle, so that the reflected rays might concentrate on one point, where they had placed a little cotton well pulled out, for they did not know how to make tinder; but the cotton was soon lighted in the natural way. With this fire, thus obtained from the hands of the Sun. There were Solar cells found in Egypt, our ancestors understood Nature was technology.
In the case of hammering, generally you'll see rock wanting to break along pre-existing planes of weakness. When river sand, which is mostly quartz, is used to grind and polish rock with quartz, the softer minerals in the rock are sanded out, while the quartz crystals, little affected, are left standing above the rest of the minerals on the surface. In the case of wedging rock, Watkins didn't find any low-angle fractures, and no ability to control the cracking of the rock. On a surface worked with pounding stones, all the minerals are unevenly fractured.
'The most fascinating feature of the granite core Petrie describes is the spiral groove around the core indicating a feed rate of 0.100 inch per revolution of the drill. It was 500 times greater than modern diamond drills, but the rotation of the drill would not have been as fast as the modern drill's 900 revolutions per minute.'
Rose granite was used in the construction of the internal chambers because of its resonant properties. The quartz matrix of the granite stones is like a hall of mirrors with billions of parallel faces reflecting energy.The very shape of the pyramid is an amplified-receiver or resonator of various kinds of energy fields, i.e. electro-magnetic waves, cosmic rays,,etc surrounding our planet and which are in the air around and within the pyramid. Inside the pyramid the received energies, interact with one another.
Standing Waves Phi "today we see plenty Diverse new technologies have incorporated fractal patterning for signal enhancement and more. That's a Recent acoustic resonance experiment that shows a connection between the phi ratio and a nonlinear acoustic standing wave structure". The effect of this encasement in granite is that the airspaces can be given harmonic dimensions to specify the wavelengths, which will resonate through the formation of standing waves. The dimensions of the upper chamber reflect a 1:2 ratio, allowing standing waves of integer multiples to store acoustic energy.The methods that are supposed to have been used by the ancients, such as pounding, hammering, grinding, polishing with abrasives, and wedging, just don't match up with what is seen under a microscope.
'
These specific alchemical processes were only obtained through the serpent wisdom. Ill cite the geopolymer analysis at the Gran canyon, Coconino Sandstone, Stonehenge, its obvious the same knowledge was employed at each site. Sumerian text say that Enki sent the Apkallu (birdman) led by Oannes & One of their functions was as protective spirits against disease and demons. Genetic findings show R1b-V88(Mende/Yoruba) & Rb1-m269 are not only found at all these sites but you can follow archaeological evidence showing they introduced agriculture, domesticated cattle, metalworking, as well as writing. The fish men were created or sent by Enki to bestow humanity with moral codes and the arts of civilization (through the me)...Thread
Note: There are now almost a dozen locations around the world who offer initiates in M'TAM. Which means "from within the Earth”, and is the oldest science in the world. M’TAM represents the original body of education to harmonize the human being’s mind, body and spirit with the Earth.is structured in three disciplines: Medu (Language), Ka'at Ibi (Meditation) & Sounnt (Healing)
The reason we fall short & don't understand how our ancestors accomplished these feats can be summed up quite easily. ..
Francis Bacon defined the mission of Modern Science shortly after the onset of the Scientific Revolution (1543). Accordingly, the purpose of science was, "to dominate and control Nature." Nature isn't to be dominated, explains why these ancient cultures lived in such harmony with the Earth because she was more than the sustainer of life. The ancients knew the Earth was a power station giving her children free energy.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum in Low-Intensity Conflict USAF - this research by the USAF shows us how classical concepts of electrodynamics are inadequate.
In other words, the classical theories are at the very least partially wrong in that they do not fully explain all of the reactions which are observed in the body... Electromagnetic energy naturally surrounds and permeates most planets. Our ancestors understood quite well that This energy can be used as an endless, inexhaustible power source which is very cheap to access.This energy can be tapped in the simplest of ways with technology we have right here on planet Earth now. It is so prevalent that our bodies pick it up unintentionally..it doesnt require generators & each user could have their own reciever like we have tv.
Early on they were known as 42 Tribes of Sesh, and the land wasnt called the Nile and the Delta. It was the sedge and the bee, which are the actual pictures of a bee and a sedge plant. After Osiris & the first Kings SmsHr developed the civilization whos remains fascinate us so, they became known as the 'Sheshu-hor' (People of the Realized man) We see a civilization who respected nature & knew the secrets of the universe which are Light, Acoustics, Frequency, Vibration. Dr Devereaux found every navel of these sites resonated at the divine frequency 111hz which would allow initiates to reach the 'dreamstate' much easier. Calcite microcrystals in the pineal gland of the human brain: first physical and chemical studies
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Electromagnetic Properties of Pyramid’s from Positions of PhotonicsScienceDaily-Light Accelerates Conductivity in Natures Electric Grid The Great Pyramid is flat dab in the center of the Earth’s land mass and also acts as a fulcrum. This design takes advantage of the sound waves pushing out of the inner core into the shafts; where the limestone dampens the low frequencies and only allows the highest frequencies to emanate out of the pyramid. Dee Jay Nelson and David H. Coville see special significance in the stone the builders chose in building the King’s Chamber: “this means that lining the King’s Chamber, for instance, are literally hundreds of tons of microscopic quartz particles. The Slight plasticity of the granite aggregate would allow a ‘piezotension’ on the parallel surfaces and cause an electromotive flow" " There were customized crystals housed in the chambers. When the high frequency sped through the water then the crystals began to vibrate. A frequency so high it was undetectable by humans ears.A crystal oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency. This means a precise frequency was generated; instrument, tools, and weapons had to be configured to this precise frequency allowing them to basically tune in and gain power If you were an outsider and you needed power you had to be cleared and trained about the precise frequency. Any invention in the ancient land need only tune-in and massive amounts of free energy were available.
The PrNtr-(pyramid) were once surrounded by those basins, which contained energetic waters the ancestors knew it as Lake Hathor. The lake waters were absorbed by the porous limestone of the pyramids which provides a connection to the water tables underneath. Again, The pyramid texts of Saqqara describe this absorption of water within the stones in exact terms, stating that the pyramids' "foundations are the stones, the water..." Corroborating evidence for the ancient use of advanced geopolymers comes from Mesopotamia, where the manufacture of basalt has been extensively documented. Note that the synthetic stones are of high piezoelectric crystalline content. Limestone is Efficient Energy Distributor -
One of the principles of Ma'at & the single most important concept to the builders of these structures was harmony.(Harmonic unified equations)The whole of physical reality was in fact manifested by a complex pattern of interlocking wave-forms. Youll find that the harmonic values could be applied to all branches of scientific research and atomic theory.
The Earth is simply a huge magnet, a dynamo, wound with magnetic lines of force as its coils. Wiith application of grid mathematics you'll find that an atomic bomb is a device based on the geometrics of space and time. To be successfully detonated, the bomb MUST be geometrically constructed, placed on, under, or over a geometric position in relation to the Earth’s surface, and activated at a SPECIFIC TIME in relation to the geometrics of the solar system. Geometric and mathematical analysis of the polar sections of the world energy system show the harmonic value for mass was equal to the harmonic of the speed of light plus the square root of the harmonic of the speed of light reciprocal.
As we look into this even further, we can see that the fundamental, harmonic value of 144,000 for the speed of light is precisely the same as the fundamental harmonic values for many different things, including:
-the Mayan Calendar’s baktun, at 144,000 Earth days
-the Bible number of the 144,000 souls who will Ascend
-the fundamental "building block" of all sound vibration frequencies, 144
-the fundamental Gematrian "frequency number" for light, 144. And, of course, the harmonic of 12 times 12 ;So, the Gematrian meaning for the number 144 is ’light.’
Ive posted lots of research in the field of geophysics but id like to give an explanation.Ley lines vary in intensity depending upon the geographical makeup of an area, such as mineral deposits, underground streams and gravitational forces. Depending upon the location, ley lines will either support life or be detrimental to it. Every valid sacred site has been found to have water under it.
The massive 'batteries' hidden beneath your feet - Environmental Health News There are two type of water. There is the ‘water table’ water which is regarded as rain water absorbed by the earth. The other is called is called the ‘primary water’ which is created in the bowels of earth as the by-product of various chemical reactions. This water is forced under pressure towards the surface of Earth in what dowsers call ‘domes’.In Great Britain the domes are called ‘blind springs’. They could be described as geysers that don’t reach the surface. The water continues an upward journey until it hit’s a layer of rock or clay. The pressure then forces the water out (horizontally) in what dowsers call veins through cracks and fissures in the rocks. One can find primary water under every valid holy site.
The pyramid were built on the worlds largest aquifer, they needed water because sound travels about 4 times as fast in water as it does in the air. Which means the high frequency was moving with increased velocity by the time it hit the crystals. “Due to the partial co-valency of water’s hydrogen bonding, electrons are not held by individual molecules, but are easily distributed among water clusters, giving rise to coherent regions capable of interacting with local electric and magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation.”
LetterIn sixth century, Pope Gregory, Gregory wanted them to destroy their idols, but insisted they build the churches on the older holy places, thereby automatically linking alignment to the ley lines and maintaining the power sources.Well aware of these energies, the Benedictine abbeys and monasteries were built on major power centers..
We see that the geomagnetic field inside the circle was much weaker than outside, it acted like a shield.Dr John Burke also discovered how the stones of Avebury are deliberately placed and aligned so they'd focus electro-magnetic currents to flow in a premeditated direction..Dr Brooker says its just like our modern day atomic particle collider geological analysis Durability stonehenge *The core was 99.7% silica—almost entirely quartz, through-and-through, which was more pure than any sarsen stone Nash had worked on.
I probably should say more about the piezoelectric effect vibration has on quartz crystal. Alternately compressing and releasing the quartz produces electricity. Microphones and other modern electronic devices work on the same exact principle. The quartz crystal is the transducer.
It transforms one form of energy into another. Understanding the source of the energy and having the means to tap into it, all we need to do is convert the unlimited mechanical stresses therein into usable electricity utilizing quartz crystals.. The Shining Ones that the granite out of which this chamber is constructed is an igneous rock containing silicon quartz crystals. (Aswan Granite 55%quartz)
Finally, it should be pointed out that the whole musical scale, the whole sonic temperament, obeys the same law of the Golden Section.
Remember what it says in the Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word" - and the word is sound (a wave process characterized by frequency). The idea that this came from Pythagoras is comical. It is no coincidence that we find in the human being in particular the law of the Golden Section : The bones of the fingers, three in number; three parts of the arm (the relationship of lengths) - elements of the Golden Section. The heart beats in this rhythm and pushes blood into the aorta, leaving a portion in the ventricle.
-the rods and cones of the eye, the cochlea of the ear (the ratio of the lengths of the spirals), the structure of the whole skeletal framework - examine the statistical averages and it is all the Golden Section. Even the dynamics of the neural structures in certain mental states obey the same law.
One thing we have carried with us for tens of thousands of years is the many beneficial uses of quartz.Traditions among the Serpent cults is that this knowledge was handed down by Our principle diety Horus. Ancient Serpent priests of Egypt would use Wands of Horus To regulate the energy balance in the body. cylinders with various contents. The use of these cylinders to a considerable extent helped the pharaoh (or other user) to perfect his nervous, energetic and (as a consequence) immune systems, to improve his health and physical condition, since the cylinders had a beneficial effect on those areas. The correct use of the cylinders enabled the pharaoh or priestly user to prepare himself for "Intercourse with the Gods". If certain conditions are observed and sessions conducted on a regular daily basis, the Wands of Horus can not only correct, but also stimulate a person's nervous, energy and immune systems, creating the preconditions for their improvement.
Like energy healing requires the competent healer in harmony with the patient, This requires precise understanding of what the Wands of Horus are and the principle by which they work, a knowledge of the cycles of activeness in the human energy system and a number of elements making up a complex approach, an essential part of which is interaction with natural sources of energy, such as trees, rivers, lakes, mountains..
Most people tell me that the ancient healing practices we use work so much better than today's watered down energy healing. Specifically Sekhem healing. In Sekhem a person is viewed as a whole energetic system with the physical body at the core. However, a Sekhem healer would work more specifically in the energy body, or aura, as it is here that illness first begins as a blockage in one of the energetic bodies or layers. In Sekhem, healing is seen very much as a two way process. It is a way of supporting a person during their own healing journey. The Sekhem energy is taken by the client at the level of the higher self, so only the exact amount needed is taken. Sekhem cannot be given if it is not wanted, and neither can a Sekhem practitioner heal a person if that person chooses (for whatever reason) not to be healed.

We recently moved to Charlotte, NC from out of state and wondering which health system is better- Atrium vs Novant? My husband and I are hopeful to get pregnant in the next year. Any recommendations or experience with primary care and OBGYN providers in the area? What health system has a better birthing center and overall better patient experience with deliveries?

Terpstra Charles J [The Standard Bearer]
Why Read?
“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” Mortimer J. Adler
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” Mark Twain
“. . . Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”Ecclesiastes 12:12b
“. . . Give attendance to reading. . . .” I Timothy 4:13a
Have you started to read a good Reformed book yet? If not, find one and get started! If you have, keep at it! As we pointed out in our initial article, we want to encourage our Standard Bearer readers to become greater readers, that is, to read more books and to read better books.
In this article encouraging you to read, we want to explore the “WHY” of good reading. That is, why should you as a Reformed Christian want to become a greater reader? Or, to put it another way, what are the reasons for reading solid Reformed/Christian books? We believe there are many reasons that may be given; we will highlight a few of them in this article.
First of all, we begin with the most important reason, the THEOLOGICAL reason (where all good Calvinists should begin!): We should read good books because GOD wants us to! Why do we say this, and how do we know this? We have several points in mind under this reason. First, God wants/expects/calls us to read as His people because He gave us the greatest book to read—His Holy Word, the Scriptures!
When God chose to communicate to us, His covenant friends, He chose to do so in WORDS. It is true that these words were initially given ORALLY (and in some cases VISUALLY—cf. the visions of Ezekiel and John), that is, out of God’s mouth through the mouths of His spokesmen (prophets, apostles, etc.). But in the end God committed these spoken words to writing and had them placed in His Book, the Bible (cf.Ex. 24:7; I Sam. 10:25; Neh. 8; Luke 3:4, 20:42; II Tim. 3:15, 16; II Pet. 1:20, 21; Rev. 1:11), or scripture (Mark 12:10, 24; Rom. 1:2, 15:4).
And therefore, this holy Book God charges His people to READ (cf. Neh. 8; Is. 34:16). That means that we must first and foremost be readers of this Book! Not just any book under the sun, but the Bible must be the first book we turn to! Every Christian must be devoted to reading the word of God, like the Bereans of old searching the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). This is chiefly what Paul meant when he instructed Timothy to “give attendance to reading” (I Tim. 4:13). And what was true for that young pastor is to be true of every member of God’s covenant. God wills that we be readers because He gave us this marvellous Book of His words!
Second, and closely related to this, is the truth that this chief and fundamental book God gave us to read centers in His Son, Jesus Christ. The most important Word God gave us to read was His Son, the living and abiding Word of God (John 1:1, 14; Heb. 1:1, 2; I Pet. 1:23). Everywhere we go in the Scriptures we must read “Jesus Christ” the “Word of God.” That is true not only in the New Testament portion of the Bible, but also in the Old Testament (cf. Ps. 40:7; Luke 24:27; John 5:39). This is why the Scriptures are able to make us “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 3:15). This is why they are “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” so that we may be complete and mature Christians (II Tim. 3:16). But only if this word be read! So read, people of God! Read the Bible chiefly and diligently! Set yourself to do so faithfully in this new year! Let SOLA SCRIPTURA be the motto we live by in 2015! Indeed, God wants us and calls us to be readers, because He gave us this holy Book, centered in His Son, our Savior.
There are more reasons why we should be and become better readers. And we may confidently say that the other reasons we will now list are all rooted in that first one. The fact that God gave us His Book to read is the principle that governs all our other reasons for reading. This will become plain as we proceed.
So then, why should we read? In the second place, because reading is vital to the growth of our faith and walk in godliness. God in His sacred Book calls us to spiritual growth. II Peter 3:18, e.g., states, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (cf. also Eph. 4:15; I Pet. 2:2; Jude 20). Earlier in that same epistle Peter wrote that we should be “giving all diligence” to “add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness” (I Pet. 1:5, 6). And how are we going to do this? By reading! By reading (and hearing!) the Scriptures, of course (cf. I Pet. 2:2). But also by reading other sound Reformed/Christian books that teach us and encourage us to spiritual growth.
So then, are you tired of not being as strong in your faith as you should be and could be? Are you frustrated by the fact that your walk with God is not as close as it ought to be? Do you struggle with being spiritually mature and wise in handling trials and temptations in your life? Then READ. Yes, again, read the BIBLE, so that your faith becomes more grounded in Jesus Christ and your walk is brought closer to the Lord! But also read the books that your fellow believers have written to help you grow in faith and godliness! They stand with you and support you in this calling to grow. They have wisdom and experience to share with you as we walk the common path of the Christian in this world. Our fellow Reformed Christians have written books because of their own struggles and hardships. Let us read them to benefit from them; to enhance our own spiritual life; to become stronger in faith and more holy in life! This too is why we must read!
In the third place, we should read good Reformed/Christian books because it is important to defend our faith and abide in the truth of God’s word. We are talking about the area of APOLOGETICS, the defense of the Reformed-Christian faith and walk. In this present world there are always threats to our faith and life. The devil and his hosts walk about as a roaring lion seeking to devour us with lies and deception (I Pet. 5:8). The world of unbelief with its “lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” seeks to lead us astray from the Father (I John 2:16).
False prophets and teachers in the church “bring in damnable heresies” and “pernicious ways,” trying to overthrow “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3; I John 4:1ff.; II Pet. 2:1ff.). And, yes, our own sinful nature is still inclined to and tempted by all these lies and errors and ungodliness. We are Christian soldiers, called to be on the defensive against all these spiritual dangers (Eph. 6:10ff.). We are exhorted to resist doctrinal lies and remain steadfast in the faith (I Pet. 5:9). We are admonished to abide in godliness and stay obedient to our Savior, suffering accordingly (I Pet. 3, 4).
And how shall we be able to do this? By READING! Yes, again, by reading the Scriptures (Eph. 6:17). But also by reading good Reformed books that lead us and help us in the battle for the truth and for godliness! By reading we stay abreast of dangerous trends in the church and in the world. By reading we are informed of and warned about wolves in sheep’s clothing. By reading we are encouraged by the courageous stands of our fellow believers in other times and places. By reading we are urged to be faithful when the majority fall away into error and lawlessness. Yes, we must read for this reason too! Do you see the need for reading, especially now in these last days? Will you become a greater reader with this in mind too? We pray that you will, for the honor of Christ and His word, and for the safety of your own soul.
Finally, we have a very practical reason for reading good Reformed/Christian books. That is that by reading such books we set a good example for our children and young people. This too is so important, especially in the world in which we now find ourselves. As we mentioned in our opening article, we and our children are exposed to so many temptations and hindrances to good reading.
We are in constant competition with TV, video games, the Internet, iPods, etc. But when our children and young people see us as adults taking time to read, to read the Bible and to read books that make us grow in our faith and walk, we provide a great example and encouragement for them to do the same. Then we are better able to gain their respect when we tell them to read good books. And, of course, at the same time, when we have on our shelves and on our tables (and in our hands!) good Reformed/Christian books that we are reading, we provide them with the very materials we want them to read too! And THAT is a win-win situation!

This was edited by jeffrey s siker who has a PhD. and includes 13 authors.
"This reads far more into the text than it actually says, or even presupposes, and it overlooks the function of the account in which it stands.
Like the Priestly account in Genesis l, the account of creation in Genesis 2 and 3 is concerned to explain why things are as they are and why they happen as they do. In this earlier account, however, attention is not directed to the natural order but to society. Accordingly, there is nothing here about the creation of "male and female" (biological terms) or about the need for procreation. Instead, in Genesis 2 one reads about the creation of "woman" from "man" (social terms) in order that the man may have a fit companion; then much of Genesis 3 is concerned with explaining why men and women have distinctive roles and tasks in society. The special point in Gen. 2:23—25 is to explain that a man is (typically) attracted to a woman and enjoys physical union with her because God created her out of man's own bone and flesh.
The patriarchal orientation of the passage is evident, and so is its presumption that "heterosexual" desire is universal. No mention is made of woman's sexual desires, nor is any account taken of people who are incapable or deprived of sexual companionship or who are attracted to their own sex. It is worth noting, however, that this passage neither commands nor presumes a "monogamous" relationship between man and woman and that it offers no comment on "marriage" as such. The concern in these verses is much narrower: to explain why, ordinarily, a man is moved to leave his own blood kin to join himself in sexual union with a woman.9
Summary
It is sometimes argued that the creation accounts present heterosexuality as intrinsic to the created order, God's intention for humankind, and at least part of what it means to have been created in the image of God. It has been concluded from this that any kind of a homosexual relationship is fundamentally evil, a perversion of the created order, and contrary to God's will. The texts themselves, however, do not support this interpretation. Although the creation accounts presume and explain heterosexual behavior, they do not command it. They are not about God's will for individual members of the species but only about what is typical of the species as a whole. For this reason, they take no account whatever of the physically or mentally impaired, the celibate, the impotent—or of those who in modern times have come to be described as "homosexual.""
"Our primary access to Jesus' own teaching is through traditions about Jesus that have been incorporated into the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Although these traditions include teachings on a number of specific topics, the matter of "homosexual" relationships or practice is not among them. For example, the Levitical prohibition of sex between males is neither cited nor alluded to in the Jesus traditions; and, as noted above, the references to Sodom (Matt. 10: 12—15, parallel Luke 10: 10—12; Matt. 1 1:23—24) do not specify the nature of the city's sinfulness.
According to Mark 10:6—9 (parallel Matt. 19:4—6), Jesus did cite the comment in Gen. 1:27 about God's creation of "male and female" and also the statement in Gen. 2:24 about man and woman becoming "one flesh." However, the topic of this tradition is not "heterosexuality" but divorce, and the conclusion is not about "homosexuality" but that divorce is in every case a perversion of the created order and thus always contrary to God's will (Mark 10:1 1—12; the parallel in Matt. 19:7—9 allows for one exception: a man may divorce his wife if she has been unfaithful). Nor does the saying about "eunuchs" in Matt. 19:1 1—12 have anything to do with "homosexuality." It is presented as Jesus' response to his disciples' suggestion that it may be "better not to marry" (v. 10). On the contrary, says Jesus, in addition to those who lack the needed sexual organs or have become sexually disabled, singleness is appropriate only for those [males] to whom celibacy is "given" (v. I l ) for the purpose of serving God's kingdom more fully (v. 12).
This silence of the Jesus traditions about same-sex practices does not mean that Jesus had nothing to say on the subject. It does suggest, however, that Jesus had nothing distinctive to say about it, and that "homosexuality" was not a matter of special concern within the church that preserved and applied his sayings."
"1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10
In I Cor. 6:9—10 Paul has identified a number of types ofpeople who, in his view, will not be allowed to enter the kingdom of God. Similar lists of disapproved behaviors or people are found rather often in firstcentury works on morality, pagan and Jewish as well as Christian. Other Pauline examples of such lists include Rom. 1:29—31, Gal. 5:19—21, and I Cor. 5:11. Despite some overlapping of terms (especially of those in I Cor. 5:11 and I Cor. 6:9—10), no two of Paul's lists are identical. Moreover, none of them was meant to be either comprehensive or definitive, and none of them was formulated with any specific cases of immoral conduct in view.
Two terms appear in I Cor. 6:9 that refer to males who have sex with other males. The first of these (in Greek, malakoi) means literally, "soft ones." In Paul's day, this term was often used negatively to describe men who, in the eyes of others, appeared to be somehow "effeminate." It was also applied to the more passive male in a same-sex relationship, and—more specifically—to adolescent boys who sold themselves for sex with older men (hence the NRSV translation, "male prostitutes"). The second word has been translated in the NRSV as "sodomites," but the term actually used (arsenokoitaö is a combination of two Greek words meaning, respectively, "male" and "bed." Since this is the earliest occurrence of the word discovered so far, it is theoretically possible that Paul himself coined it. However, it is also possible that it had already been coined by other Hellenistic Jews, who would have been acquainted with the Greek version of Lev. 18:22 and 20:13, where the words "male" and "bed" (meaning "intercourse") both appear. In combination, then, the words seem to mean, "a male who has intercourse (with another male]." The same word, with the same meaning, is listed among the vices identified in I Tim.
It is unclear whether, in I Cor. 6:9, Paul was thinking particularly of male prostitutes and their customers or of "homosexual" acts between any two males. Whichever the case, he disapproved, as did the anonymous author of I Timothy. But "homosexuality" is not the topic in either passage, and neither writer provides any reason for condemning it. Both of them simply list it as one of the behaviors that their readers regard as "obviously" evil."
"Romans 1 26:27
26For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions, for just as their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, 27so also the men, abandoning natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the penalty required by their error.
This sentence contains no specific moral instruction or commandment, nor is "homosexual" practice the topic. The subject of the sentence is God (see v. 26a), and it stands in a passage where Paul is commenting on "the revealing of God's wrath" within the Gentile world (1:18—32). In the wider context the topic is the human predicament and, consequently, humanity's need for the saving grace of God. The "bottom line" is summed up by the apostle himself when he emphasizes that "there is no distinction" between Jew and Gentile, meaning humankind as a whole, because all have sinned and fall short of God's glory (3:22b—23). In these chapters, Paul is not trying to specify what Christians should or should not do. His specific moral instructions and appeals come at the end of Romans, in chapters 12—15.
Paul's comments about the Gentiles in Rom. 1:18—32, and again in 2: 12—16, bear the imprint of his Hellenistic-Jewish heritage, especially as this is evident in the Wisdom of Solomon, a book of the late first century B.C.E. which the church regarded as scriptural. According to this tradition, idolatry leads inevitably to various forms of "sexual immorality" (Wisd. Sol. 14:12), including the "interchange of sex roles" (Wisd. Sol. and thus to same-sex intercourse. The belief expressed by Paul in Romans that such intercourse is "unnatural" and an expression of "degrading passions" accords with certain presuppositions about "homosexuality" that were widespread in the Greco-Roman world. Paul himself does not identify these presuppositions, but they are evident enough in a number of other first-century works, both Jewish and pagan.
The Cultural Context of Paul's Remarks
If the apostle ever discussed his reasons for opposing same-sex intercourse, that discussion has not survived. However, many of his contemporaries addressed this matter rather extensively, and a number of their discussions do survive. From these one can gain a good idea of what was generally presumed about "homosexuality" in the Greco-Roman world and why many people regarded it as evil, including Paul."
l . It was universally presupposed that anyone who sought intercourse with a partner of the same sex was willfully overriding his or her own "natural" desire for the opposite sex. There was no conception of what modern research calls "sexual orientation," and, of course, not the slightest inkling that anything like biological, psychological, or sociological factors could play a role in shaping it. The presupposition that same-sex intercourse is a free and deliberate choice is reflected in Paul's references to women who "exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural" and men "abandoning natural intercourse with women" to have sex with men (Rom. 1:26—27).

1. It was also commonly presupposed that homoerotic acts are intrinsically lustful and that anyone who engages in them is giving in to an insatiable sexual appetite. There were two especially visible and debated forms of male "homosexuality" in Paul's day. One was known as "pederasty," a term formed from the Greek words for "boy" and "eros." A "pederast" was an adult male who sought sexual pleasure from earlyadolescent boys, often from boys who had been forced into prostitution. A comment about pederasty by the Jewish philosopher Philo (d. 45 C.E.) is especially interesting because it presumes that a wicked man might sometimes choose to indulge his lust with a woman, and at other times with a boy. Philo wrote that such a man "attacks in his fury the marriage-beds of others, but even plays the pederast and forces the male type of nature to debase and convert itself into the feminine form, just to indulge a polluted and accursed passion" (Special Laws 2.50 [LCL]).

The other common form of male "homosexuality" involved masters and their slaves. Seneca, the moral philosopher and statesman (d. 65 C.E.), writes about this, complaining that at a banquet there is often one slave who
must dress like a woman and wrestle with his advancing years; he cannot get away from his boyhood; he is kept beardless by having his hair smoothed away or plucked out by the roots, and he must remain awake throughout the night, dividing his time between his master's drunkenness and his lust (Moral Epistles 46, ''On Master and Slave," 7 [LCL]).
This widespread view of "homosexuality" as both willful and lustful is particularly well illustrated in a passage from one of the works of another moral philosopher, Dio Chrysostom (d. ca. 1 12 C.E.). He argued against brothel-keeping, first, because the women who work in them are corrupted by their lecherous customers; and, second, because they make it too easy for young men to satisfy their lust for women. Eventually, he wrote, these men will seek the greater challenge of indulging themselves with other males. Thus, he compared them to people who are so addicted to wine that they have lost their taste for it and must "create an artificial thirst" by some such means as salted foods (Discourse 7.151— 52 [LCL]).
3. Again, it was presupposed that sexual intercourse requires one partner to be active and the other passive, that "nature" has assigned these roles to the male and female, respectively, and that homoerotic acts inevitably confuse these roles, thus confounding what is "natural." In the case of two males, one was understood to be "demeaned" by assuming the passive role, thought to be "naturally" the woman's. In the case of two females, one was understood to be usurping the dominant, active role, thought to be "naturally" the man's. 12
This view is often reflected in the writings of Philo (e.g. Special Laws 2.50, quoted above), and it is found as well in Dio Chrysostom (e.g. Discourse 77/78.36). It also finds expression in the works of Plutarch (d. ca. 120 C.E.), when a character in one of his dialogues argues that even if a male youth consents to be the passive partner, "there is still weakness and effeminacy" (Dialogue on Love 75 ID, E [LCL]). The point about females usurping the male role is registered in a HellenisticJewish precept from Paul's day: "Do not transgress with unlawful sex the limits set by nature. For even animals are not pleased with intercourse of male with male. And let not women imitate the sexual role of men" (Pseudo-Phocylides 190-92 [OTP]).
4. Finally, it was widely feared that "homosexual" practice could lead eventually to the extinction of the human species. This fear was based on the erroneous view that men who engage in same-sex intercourse are thereby rendered sterile (e.g., Philo, Special Laws 3.37—39, and On the Contemplative Life 62) and on the equally erroneous presumption that "homosexuality" is a temptation for everyone. To many in the ancient world, these seemed like additional reasons for describing same-sex intercourse as "unnatural."
These ancient presuppositions about "homosexuality" are all reflected in Philo's description of how the people of Sodom had been corrupted by their wealth (On Abraham 135—37 (LCL]). The passage is therefore worth quoting at some length:
Incapable of bearing such satiety, plunging like cattle, they threw off from their necks thc law of nature and applied themselves to deep drinking of strong liquor and dainty feeding and forbidden forms of intercourse. Not only in their mad lust for women did they violate the marriages of their neighbors, but also men mounted males without respect for the sex nature which the active partner shares with the passive; and so when they tried to beget children they were discovered to be incapable of any but a sterile seed. Yet the discovery availed them not, so much stronger was the force of the lust which mastered them. Then, as little by little they accustomed those who were by nature men to submit to play the part of women, they saddled them with the formidable curse of a female disease. For not only did they emasculate their bodies by luxury and voluptuousness but they worked a further degeneration in their souls and, as far as in them lay, were corrupting the whole of mankind. Certainly, had Greeks and barbarians joined together in affecting such unions, city after city would have become a desert, as though depopulated by a pestilential sickness. But God gave increase in the greatest possible degree to the unions which men and women naturally make for begetting children, but abominated and extinguished this unnatural and forbidden intercourse ."
"The Theological Context of Paul's Remarks
The references to same-sex intercourse in I Cor. 6:9, I Tim. 1:10, and Rom. 1:26—27 simply presume, without argument, that "homosexual" practice is contrary to God's will. However, it is apparent from both the wording and the content of Paul's remark in Romans that he shared the common Hellenistic-Jewish view of "homosexuality." There is nothing distinctively Pauline, or even Christian, about that remark. Philo himself could have written it—and so could any number of pagan moralists, given just a few changes.
Paul meant his comment in Rom. 1:26—27 to help demonstrate the reality of the human predicament, as he discusses this in and thus to help prepare for his exposition of the gospel, which begins in 3:21 and continues through chapter 8. What he has said about "homosexual" practices in 1:26—27 must not be isolated from this wider theological context. Two points in particular have to be borne in mind.
First, Paul wishes to demonstrate the brokenness of life apart from God. This is his point in Rom. 1:18—3:20, which he recapitulates in 3:22b-23 as he opens a new phase of the discussion: "There is no distinction, because all humanity has sinned and come short of God's glory" (author's translation). What Paul understands by sin is evident from although the word itself is not used there. Humanity can know God through what God has created (1:18—20), yet knowing God is not enough. God must also be acknowledged as the One from whom all life has come and by whom all life is claimed. "Sin" is the refusal to do this, the refusal to glorify [NRSV: "honor"] God and to give God thanks ( l :2 1 ). 13 Sin means trying to go it alone without God, refusing to let God be God, seeking to be one's own god, attempting to live out of one's own finite resources. Sin is the presumption that one exists as a self-generated and self-sustaining individual. It is the refusal to accept one's creatureliness—one's own humanity—as a gift from God. This is the folly that Paul sees manifested in pagan idolatry (Rom. 1:22—23): those who fashion the idols, refusing to acknowledge their own mortality, end up worshiping lifeless images that are inferior even to themselves. Thus, in Rom. 1:24—32 Paul is not enumerating specific "sins" but listing some representative consequences of sin. Here it is evident that he shares several Hellenistic-Jewish ideas: that "one is punished by the very things by which one sins" (Wisd. Sol. 1 1:16), that the failure to acknowledge God leads to a fundamental "confusion" about right and wrong (e.g., Wisd. Sol. 14:26), and that sexual immorality is an especially telling symptom of this confusion (e.g., Wisd. Sol. 15:15—17). In short, humanity's refusal to let God be God sets "Murphy's Law" in operation; everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Alienation from God brings the breakdown and de-formation of every other relationship. And Paul makes it clear that this is not the case only among the Gentiles; the Jews as well have come short of God's glory (Rom. 2:23— 24). Far from singling out any particular group or practice for special criticism, the apostle is insisting that when people condemn others they are also condemning themselves (Rom. 2:1).
This "bad news" about the human condition is followed in Rom. 3:21—8:39 with the "good news" about God. Here is the second point that needs to be kept in mind about the context of Paul's remark in Rom. 1:26—27. Having completed his description of the human predicament, he goes on to proclaim that the source of humanity's salvation is God's grace as that has been disclosed and established in Christ. Moreover, he emphasizes that this saving grace is bestowed as a sheer gift (e.g., 3:24), with absolutely no conditions (e.g., 5:6, 8). Clearly, he had not written the earlier paragraphs in order to "condemn sinners," to frighten them into repenting, or to specify what one should and should not do. He had written them in order to demonstrate that the whole of humanity shares a common plight, and that all people are equally dependent on the One from whom they have received life and by whose grace their lives are renewed and enriched.
What, then, have we learned about the remark in Rom. 1:26—27 about same-sex intercourse? While it is true that this is the only biblical reference to same-sex practice that stands within a specifically theological context, the point of view that it represents has no distinctively Christian roots. Rather, it is nourished by presuppositions that were widespread in ancient culture, including Hellenistic Judaism. Nor is there any evidence that Paul's thinking on this subject was specifically informed either by the rule of Leviticus 18 and 20 or by the story about the men of Sodom. Some interpreters do argue that his description of same-sex intercourse as "unnatural" is based on a reading of the Genesis creation accounts, which he understood to affirm that "heterosexuality" is intrinsic to God's created order. 14 Perhaps Paul did believe this, but it can scarcely be documented from Romans l. Three points are worth noting.
First, Rom. contains neither a quotation from Genesis 1—3 nor a single identifiable allusion to any part of those creation accounts. Creation is of course in view, but not because Paul wants to emphasize what God brought into being or God's intentions for creation. Rather, in this passage his emphasis is almost entirely on God as the Creator because his concern is to show the folly of pagan idolatry. For this purpose, he seems to be relying mainly on Wisdom of Solomon 13—15; behind these chapters lie not the accounts of creation in Genesis 1—3 but such passages as Psalm 1 15 (esp. vv. 1—8), Isaiah 40 (esp. vv. 18—26, 28), and Isaiah 44 (esp. vv. 9—20).
Second, the Hellenistic-Jewish texts that are roughly contemporary with Paul's letters almost never invoke an argument from the order of creation. 15 Homoerotic acts are usually condemned for the same kinds of reasons given by non-Jewish authors of the period. We have already seen that these texts generally refer to "homosexuality" as unnatural because it was thought to "confuse" the roles of male and female and because it was regarded as a threat to the continuance of the human species.
Finally, no such "creation theology" as that alleged for Rom. I is evident in any of Paul's other references to what is "natural" or "unnatural." The most significant of these (with respect to the present topic) occurs in I Cor. 1 where the apostle is trying to show why women who pray or prophesy during worship should do so with their long hair neatly bound up on the top of their heads, like a covering. 16 In this passage, his appeal to what "nature itself" teaches (vv. 13—15) is nothing more than an appeal to social convention—to the practice with which he himself is familiar and that he therefore regards as selfevidently "proper."
Summary Observations
This survey of the biblical texts most often disussed in connection with homosexuality yields the following general observations.
l. There is nothing in the Bible about homosexuality understood as a "condition," since the ancient world had no conception of anything like sexual orientation.

1. There are only a few biblical references or allusions to same-sex acts, and in no case is there any extended discussion of these. The sub-ject seems not to have been a major concern of any biblical writer or tradition.

3. Each reference or allusion stands within its own particular literary, cultural, and theological context. Except for the rule in Lev. 18:22 and 20: 13, same-sex acts are not the topic as such in any of these instances.
4. Every biblical reference or allusion to same-sex intercourse presumes that it is wrong, but no specific arguments, theological or otherwise, are offered to explain why. These must be inferred from the literary, cultural, and theological contexts of each reference.
5. The most comprehensive and important biblical reference to samesex intercourse is Rom. 1:26—27, where Paul, like many other ancient critics of the practice, describes it as "unnatural." Such a description presupposed that everyone is "naturally" attracted only to the opposite sex, that all same-sex intercourse is intrinsically lustful, that same-sex intercourse compromises what patriarchal societies regard as the properly dominant role of males over females, and that same-sex intercourse could lead eventually to the extinction of the human species.
https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=h_dD_MP2Zn0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=info:_ZVWKKkUM6cJ:scholar.google.com/&ots=17UlIeLXZj&sig=0CJDFX6wfajzOiavuq3_FKc4Fw0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Check out our full Durham events calendar.
If you'd like to add an event to our calendar, submit an event here. Please check with the event organizers to see if events change due to weather. Have a great weekend!

Venue Weekend Schedules

Events at The Pinhook

• Thu, May 25 at 8:00 p.m. - The Cook Up
• Sat, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. - Narrow Head / Graham Hunt / Fake Eyes
• Sat, May 27 at 10:00 p.m. - The Gemini Bash Feat: Ver / Black As The Cosmos / Gemynii / Femi Th Femme
• Sun, May 28 at 8:00 p.m. - Summer In Tha Carolinas Preshow

Events at The Fruit

• Thu, May 25 at 9:00 p.m. - Below Decks: Jermainia / DJ Bosslady / DJ Eleven12
• Fri, May 26 at 9:00 p.m. - Undrgrnd Presents: Criso / Analog Future / Craeons / Apah
• Sat, May 27 at 8:00 p.m. - HAC The System Dance Party
• Sun, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. - Zelda

Live Music at Blue Note Grill

• Fri, May 26 at 6:00 p.m. - Jess Klein Trio (filling in for The Duke Street Dogs)
• Fri, May 26 at 9:15 p.m. - Sayer McShane
• Sat, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. - The Mighty Messengers of Soul

Events at Moon Dog Meadery

• Thursdays - Free Board Games
• Thu, May 25 at 7:00 p.m. - Trivia
• Fri, May 26 at 8:00 p.m. - 4th Friday Blues Night with Live Music! (lesson at 7:30 p.m.)
• Sat, May 27 at 8:00 p.m. - CoLab On Fire
• Sun, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. - Moon Dog Open Mic

Live Music at Sharp 9 Gallery

• Fri, May 26 at 8:00 p.m. - Lovell Bradford Quartet
• Sat, May 27 at 8:00 p.m. - Geoff Clapp Trio
• $27.55

Events at Arcana

• Thu, May 25 -The Deneckes and Tarot with Virginia
• Fri, May 26 - Ben Lassiter Trio and Tarot with Rene
• Sat, May 27 - Patrick McGrew Trio and Tarot with Joy
• Sun, May 28 - Eric Lee Hardt and friends feat. Adriana Walsh and Tarot with Rene

Events at Rubies on Five Points

• Thu, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. - XOXOK
• Thu, May 26 at 10:00 p.m. - Gay Agenda Presents: Last Friday
• Fri, May 27 at 9:00 p.m. - Blind Tigers Live Band Karaoke: 80s Mix
• Sat, May 28 at 8:00 p.m. - Slow Teeth with 1970s Film Stock

Events at Durty Bull Brewing Company

• Thu, May 25
  • 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Food Truck: El Jefecito
  • 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Thursday Trivia with Nick
• Fri, May 26
  • 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Food Truck: Tacos Paradise
  • 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. - Open Mic Stand-up Comedy
• Sat, May 27
  • 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Food Truck: Tacos Mama Chava
  • 4:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m. - The Blood Connection
• Sun, May 28
  • 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Hammered Trivia with Thor

Live Comedy at Mettlesome

• Thu, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. Bulldog Ensemble Theater presents: Single Black Female - A fast and funny look at the lives of single Black women, as they navigate love, success, and stereotypes.
• Fri, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. Bulldog Ensemble Theater presents: Single Black Female
• Fri, May 26 at 9:00 p.m. Well Seasoned
• Sat, May 27 at 2:00 p.m. Bulldog Ensemble Theater presents: Single Black Female
• Sat, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. Bulldog Ensemble Theater presents: Single Black Female
• Sat, May 27 at 9:00 p.m. Golden Age
• Sun, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. Bulldog Ensemble Theater presents: Single Black Female

Events at Boxyard RTP

• Thu, May 25 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Live Music: Shrub(b)
• Fri, May 26 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Friday Night Live: Still Rise
• Sat, May 27 from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. - Fitness Pop-Up: TITLE Boxing Club
• Sat, May 27 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Saturdaze: DJ Damu
• Sat, May 27 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Live DJ: Selector B Steady

Events at Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP

• Thu, May 25 from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Beer Garden Jam Sessions
• Every Friday from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - RTP Food Truck Fridays
• Sat, May 27 from 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Team On Draft Bike MS Fundraiser Night
• Sat, May 27 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Beer Garden Jam Sessions

Events at Glass Jug Beer Lab in Downtown Durham

• Thu, May 25 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. - Live Music in the Taproom
• May 26-28 from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Weekend Food Trucks

Multi-Day Event

Memorial Day Remembrance Event at Bennett Place State Historic Site

• Following the American Civil War, a “Decoration Day” began in communities across America remembering soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Senator John A. Logan, a former Union officer on staff with Major General William T. Sherman, was instrumental in making this a formal national day honoring our fallen soldiers, which became Memorial Day. Join military historians representing the American soldier of all time periods throughout our nation's history.
• Sat, May 27 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Sun, May 28 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• $3 for adults, $2 for children 5-16
• Children under 5, veterans and active service personnel are free

Local Sports

ACC Baseball Tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park

• The 2023 ACC Baseball Championship will again feature 12 teams in a pool play format leading into a four-team, single-elimination bracket to determine the league champion.
• Today - May 28

Carolina Flyers at Durham County Memorial Stadium

• vs Houston Havoc
• Fri, May 26 at 7:00 p.m.
• $12 (free age 12 and under)

Thursday, May 25

Durham Night Market at American Tobacco Campus

• Featuring 40+ vendors, entertainment, interactive stations to celebrate the spring season, games, a bar provided by Mellow Mushroom, and surrounding eateries within the American Tobacco Campus!
• 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• Free admission

Thirsty Thursdays at Dashi

• Each month Dashi's Thirsty Thursday drink specials revolve around a monthly theme – spirits, cocktails, special ingredients, brand, location, etc. – with new sips every Thursday. Learn more about upcoming themes on their website or visit them in person – there's always something new to try from their expansive bar!
• 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Accessing Nature: Dispelling Myths and Opening Doors at the Nasher

• Our natural environment provides us with many of the resources we need to live and thrive, but for many people, access to healthy outdoor spaces is limited. Join attorney and conservation professional Mavis Gragg, Farm Aid program director Shorlette Ammons, Ebony Anglers founder Gia Peebles and artist Stacy Lynn Waddell for a conversation about accessibility, ownership and our relationship with the natural world. This event is inspired by the exhibition Spirit in the Land.
• 5:45 p.m. - lecture hall doors open
• 6:00 p.m. - panel discussion
• 7:30 p.m. - cash bar and reception
• Free admission

Vinyl Night with DJ Deckades at Gizmo Brew Works

• Enjoy fresh vibes on the patio with DJ Deckades. Bring your own vinyl to share or just listen to what the DJ is spinning.
• 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• Free admission

Boulders & Brews Meetup at Triangle Rock Club - Durham

• Show up and climb at TRC Durham, then head over to Hi-Wire for some brews. Don't worry if it's your first time or haven't bouldered before; everyone's welcome.
• Your first visit to the gym with the Meetup includes free admission and gear rental, and subsequent visits with the meetup are $15 and include harness rental (outside of meetups, day pass rates of $19 apply and do not include rentals).
• 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Trivia Night w/Big Slow Tom at Clouds Brewing Brightleaf Square

• Join Clouds Durham for Big Slow Tom's Trivia Night, every Thursday. Win some prizes, drink some beer, and show your smarts.
• Enjoy $4 select draft and $5 rotating bartender's choice all night.
• 7:30 p.m.
• Free admission

Friday, May 26

Tasting at Ten at Counter Culture Coffee

• Every Friday morning at 10 am, Counter Culture Coffee opens their Training Centers to coffee lovers who want to learn more about Counter Culture Coffee’s high-quality, sustainably sourced menu.
• 10:00 a.m.
• Free, but donations accepted

Mallarme Music Concert: Bach Lit at Durham Arts Council PSI Theater

• What's better than the cello suites of J.S. Bach? The cello suites accompanied by a laser show. Join Mallarme Music as cellist Bonnie Thron and marimbist Juan Alamo perform Suites 1 and 2 with lasers provided by Salty Robot Productions.
• 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
• $10-30

Saturday, May 27

Durham Farmers’ Market at Durham Central Park

• The Durham Farmers’ Market offers locally grown fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, cut flowers, artisanal cheeses and breads, home-baked pies, honey, handmade chocolates, preserves, local wines, handmade soaps, fresh pasta, and artwork of all sorts!
• 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Free admission

South Durham Farmers' Market at Greenwood Commons Shopping Center

• The market strives to support new and growing farms and vendors in the greater Durham area, and they are also home to some of the most iconic Durham brands around.
• 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Free admission

parkrun Durham at Southern Boundaries Park

• A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer, or spectate. It's up to you!
• 8:00 a.m.
• Free admission

Walk for the Animals at Duke East Campus

• APS heads back to Duke’s East Campus for their annual Walk for the Animals, a 1.5-mile charity walk around Duke University’s East Campus to raise money and awareness for homeless and neglected pets throughout the Durham community.
• More than 500 Triangle residents participate in the Walk for the Animals each year. Proceeds raised at the Walk will benefit APS of Durham and its work care for more than 5,000 animals who rely on the organization’s services yearly. Participants can register as individuals or as a team – recruiting friends, family, and coworkers to join. Registration is available online through our Walk webpage.
• 10:00 a.m.
• $40 adults, $15 kids

Mystic Memorial Day at Mystic Farm and Distillery

• Live music, apple pie eating contest, bouncy house, yard games, slip 'n slide, splash pad for kids, and food trucks.
• 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Veterans and active service members admitted free with ID. Guests under 21 get in free.
• $20, $10 in advance (includes first cocktail)

Crafternoons at Gizmo Brew Works

• Free pint with purchase of craft box. Choose from a variety of craft packages available for all ages.
• 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Taste of Soul NC (Variety Edition) at Durham Central Park

• Seafood, Mexican, BBQ, Jamaican, Dominican, pineapple smoothies, italian ice, and more delicious goodness.
• 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• Free admission

Sunday, May 28

Al Strong Presents Jazz Brunch at Alley Twenty Six

• Al Strong, the Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter, composer and recording artist, will bring a rotating lineup of musicians to perform during Sunday brunch at Durham's Alley Twenty Six. Weather permitting the band will perform in the bar’s namesake alley.
• Brunch from 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
• Music 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Public Tour at Duke Chapel

• Learn about the history, architecture, and life of Duke Chapel in this tour, which is free and open to the public. The tour begins at 12:15 p.m., or immediately following the conclusion of the Sunday morning service, and lasts approximately forty-five minutes.
• No reservation is required but if you plan to bring a large group please notify us in advance. Meet the docent on the front steps of the Chapel.
• Paid parking is available on a first come, first served basis in the Bryan Center Parking Lot at 125 Science Drive. ADA parking is available in the Bryan Center Surface Lot at the same address.
• 12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Trivia at Navigator Beverage Co.

• Hosted by the Triangle’s Trivia team, Hammered Trivia, gather your team and post up to compete for prizes and enjoy an afternoon of great drinks, great friends, and great games.
• 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Free admission

Running Art Exhibits

In Ecstasy, I Call Your Name So I Won’t Forget By Kennedi Carter at Pop Box Gallery

• A visual archive of Black women in pin up.
• Wed-Sat from 12:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m.
• Runs through May 27

Exhibits at 21c Museum Hotel

• Whitney Stanley: We Just Be in the Vault Gallery
  • Runs through May 2023
• Truth or Dare: A Reality Show
  • Runs through March 2024
• Open 24 hours
• Free admission

“Extra-Spectral” at the Durham Art Guild Truist Gallery

• This exhibit highlights several NC-based artists that, on the surface, use colors that are “extra” (which is where their commonality ends) to evoke their intent through a combination of this color with forms and imagery as well as the concepts embedded in color’s many identities. Artists Jane Cheek, Jerstin Crosby, Zach Storm, Tonya Solley Thornton and Leif Zikade all require color to play a primary role in their work and their relationship to an audience.
• Mon–Sat from 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Sun from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Runs through June 4
• Free admission

Donna Stubbs, Featured Artist at 5 Points Gallery

• 5 Points Gallery in downtown Durham introduces a new exhibit featuring the work of our member artist, Donna Stubbs. Donna uses an archaeological approach to painting, as she lovingly photographs her surroundings and unearths discarded items in thrift stores to create abstract mixed media works.
• Free admission

Chieko Murasugi & Renzo Ortega at Craven Allen Gallery

• An exhibition featuring both abstract and figurative works by two artists with international backgrounds. The SEQUENTIAL exhibition invites the observer on a visual journey, generating an organic relationship between the artworks and the gallery's visitors. Through the dynamics of color, form, ideas, and narratives, Chieko Murasugi and Renzo Ortega seek to generate a dialogue and the experience of art appreciation with the audience.
• Sat, May 20 at 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - opening reception
• Runs through July 8

Spirit in the Land at the Nasher

• Spirit in the Land is a contemporary art exhibition that examines today’s urgent ecological concerns from a cultural perspective, demonstrating how intricately our identities and natural environments are intertwined. Through their artwork, 30 artists show us how rooted in the earth our most cherished cultural traditions are, how our relationship to land and water shapes us as individuals and communities
• Tue-Fri from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sun from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Runs through Jul 9
• Free admission

Andy Warhol: You Look Good in Pictures at the Nasher

• Andy Warhol: You Look Good in Pictures explores the breadth of the artist’s relationship with photography through several distinct bodies of work including screenprints of celebrities, all of which were taken from photographs, a group of Polaroids and black and white snapshots illustrating his social circles, and an early silent film of the curator Henry Geldzahler from 1964.
• Tue-Fri from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sun from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Runs through Aug 27
• Free admission

Art of Peru at the Nasher

• This gallery features ceramics, textiles, metalwork and carvings produced by ancient cultures across what is known as present-day Peru.
• Tue-Fri from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sun from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Runs through Dec 2
• Free admission

I've found these super useful while planning my wedding (5/19/23- a week wed tomorrow!) so I thought I'd give back and share some of our thoughts, figures, regrets, etc!
So we started with a budget of 20k. We tried to allot it towards the stuff that was going to be expensive no matter what (venue, food) and to the stuff we cared about (photos, flowers), moreso than to "wedding stuff" that was traditional. I think we for the most part succeeded, however we did end up overbudget by far. I knew there would be surprise expenses but I underestimated them.
Overall goals: we both wrote down some dream goals for the wedding when we started to plan. It is a bit bittersweet to look back on those notes now because the wedding definitely took on a bit of a life of its own, and I think our goals did get a bit lost along the way. I wrote: Cinderella (2015) garden party wildflowers, black cat motifs, Taylor Swift, Mamma Mia vibes, delicate, whimsical, floral. He wrote: live band, ice cream cake, food truck, vibey, lowkey, fun.
Venue: (ceremony): $750. We got married at our church which could have been even cheaper but we added a few hundred for a donation to the general fund. The breakdown was a $100 cleaning fee, $300 musician fee (would have been lower but we asked the music director to learn a few new pieces for the service and wanted to compensate him for the extra work). The church is a gorgeous old Chicago church that we've been attending just over a year. We loved getting married there- the religious element was important to us, and our church community was so happy for us to get married there. It was a pretty church so we didn't really need to decorate it, which saved money as well.
Venue (reception): Firehouse Chicago ($6k). link. We looked for venues for a while and toured a few. Our guest count was sort of in between the cozy dinner party vibe we wanted, and the giant repurposed warehouse/ballrooms that most of the venues felt like. Smaller spaces that were still beautiful were wildly costly. But we liked Firehouse- it was pretty/unique enough looking that we wouldn't have to cover the place with decor to make it look halfway decent. My only regret about the venue is that it rained on our wedding morning, so they set up these big white tents outside, covering up the courtyard- and the tents were not very cute- the tops of them all stained from tree debris, etc. The courtyard was beautiful- fairy lights, flowers, Chicago brick buildings surrounding it, old trees- it felt like a little secret garden. But with the tents up... you are just in a white tent with stains on the top. I wish I'd made a better plan for rain or thought seriously about what to do and if I still liked the venue in rain mode. And it wasn't even raining by the evening! D: The tents weren't even necessary. But they were up and everything in them setup so there was no taking them down. Oh well. The venue also could have been cheaper - we added their candles for $150 (they strew a bunch of candles around for you) and their getting ready room ($500) for my bridesmaids and me to get ready in. We also took a bunch of pictures up there- it's a beautiful getting ready space. Very vintage feeling. The staff was very helpful to work with, though there were a few restrictions on vendors which we didn't love. They wanted us to use a catering vendor off their approved vendors list, and literally every single caterer would have been over 10k. We ended up going off the list (which would have incurred a small charge- not greater than the difference between that and 10k!) and since they had worked with that caterer before, they didn't charge us the fee- but still. Approved vendor lists sometimes are just a list of pricey people you can't opt out of. The staff of Firehouse was great, and the cost included people to set up your decor for you in the morning, a drop off time the day before with someone to listen to how you wanted things set up, and someone at the event all day to handle any emergencies / guide the staff for the room flip. Dinner is one setup of tables, and then you go outside for a toast/cake cutting, and the staff changes the floor around / takes away some tables to clear space for a dance floor, which was nice optimization of the space. The staff was awesome- they listened to my thoughts about what should go where, took my hampers of table numbers and a giant crossword and a guestbook tablecloth and card box and favors and 50 plus vases of flowers- all this stuff- and set it up beautifully. Prettier than I could have. I didn't have to fix a single thing. When I came downstairs in my wedding dress to go to the church, the place looked incredible. Husband wants me to add that we might have gone with a different reception space if we had known when we started planning that we were going to do the ceremony elsewhere. Part of the appeal of Firehouse was it had the pretty outdoor space where we could have a ceremony. But if we'd gone with a restaurant elsewhere, it would have been probably half the cost (since it would have combined food and venue).
Catering: City BBQ ($4,728, this is with gratuity included.) We had barbecue catering and it was delicious- we got a lot of compliments on the food. Brisket, turkey, mac n cheese, green beans, corn bread, potato salad, buns, and chocolate cake for dessert. They also did some fruit and cheese trays during cocktail hour. It took us weeks of searching last fall to find a caterer that wouldn't be over 10k for our number of guests but it was so worth the search. Chicago ups the cost on sooo many things but there are still some places you can find something cost effective if you put in a lot of time looking. We had wanted to do a food truck, particularly a taco truck, but they were all super expensive. We talked to three of them and it was going to be over 12k, some closer to 15k. We decided we didn't care that much abt the food truck and just wanted something tasty- ideally not the plated classic wedding dinners. So we had the buffet from City BBQ, and it was lovely. They were super nice to work with, and their head caterer came to our walkthrough at the venue a month prior and worked out the timeline etc with the venue coordinator. They did all the serving, setup, clean up, behind the scenes- they were awesome. So worth the money. I saw a lot of recommendations of just get some big tin trays of food and have family / friends manage the serving, but to me it was sooo worth it to have people working the event. I wanted my family and friends to be enjoying themselves.
Bar: Drinks On Us ($2k, gratuity included). The drinks were good. They provided two bartenders (one for the inside bar, one for the outside), and all the alcohol. I went with the package that had one red wine, one white wine, three kinds of beers, all sodas and such, and one custom cocktail (grapefruit fizz and vodka). The going back and forths with this vendor was a little frustrating- they have a faulty system, so as soon as I made a payment, the next day they send an email with vaguely grim language about a payment being over due- "take the easy way out and pay now before incurring 15% fees". The first time (initial deposit in December) I emailed them all alarmed. They said oh don't worry it just does that. The second time (paying the full balance in early May), I was more irritated. I'd just paid $1400, I'm managing giant payments to vendors left and right, and it's telling me I'm overdue and need to PAY NOW. It was unprofessional and a little menacing. The people were great, but the email system they have in place really soured me on them. They were very apologetic. I think I'd still recommend them, but know that you might get faulty emails warning you about late payments and fees.
Cake: Bittersweet Pastry, $140 (link we got this cake in pink and white for the cake cutting picture. Guests had chocolate cake from the caterer. The cake was beautiful, but not that good lol. But still worth it I think. This was a semi last minute addition as I realized we didn't have anything to cut for a picture.
Rehearsal dinner: A restaurant near our church. I believe this was around 2k, but my husband's parents paid for this. We had sliders and french fries and an open bar. The rehearsal was a lot of fun- the format of the room was a little restrictive, but it felt private to just our group, and it was super close to our church so we could walk right over after the rehearsal.
Marriage license: $60
Officiant: $0 (our priest officiated, she did not take a fee since our church considers marriage a sacrament and part of the duties of the church. We do donate to the church regularly though so you could consider that to be part of the fee.)
Ceremony music: see above church fee- it was about $300 but tied into the church fee
Photographer: Artbelka (Mariya Byelikova) Photography, $3,800. link. This got us seven hours of shooting, and we will have a gallery of pix as soon as she is done editing them. Photos were very important to me and I loved her style. We did engagement pictures with her, and both my husband and I are a little nervous in front of the camera. She set us at ease and got great movement pictures of us- very natural and candid and documentary style, while still having that stylish cinematic sort of feeling. We loved working with her- I'm hoping to do yearly pics with her or something. She was incredible. She also came to our rehearsal the day before because our church is in the round and is a slightly awkward space to photograph. And we last minute added an hour (we were originally set to do six hours) because we were either going to miss getting ready pics for me, or the special dances on the other end of the day, and she added an hour like 3 days prior to the wedding, no problem. Highly recommend her!
Videographer: Initially, Birch Films (James Birch Eiesland), for what was supposed to be $750 for a local Chicago videographer. It turned out he was from Minneapolis and finishing up school so he'd have to travel to Chicago and added a $200 travel fee. ok... well why are you listing yourself as local? Anyway... 12 days before the wedding he cancelled and refunded our money due to a family emergency. We scrambled and a friend of a friend who has a photography business was able to jump in. Paige Evans photography. This cost about $1200 but they also were doing it SUPER last minute, and they in general seemed more professional than James. (When we asked him how he was going to capture audio during the ceremony since vows are usually kind of quiet, and the videographer is standing a ways away, he said "his camera will pick up the audio". When we asked Paige how they would get the audio, she said they have a mic for the officiant and one for my husband. Just a glimpse into - you get what you pay for sort of thing.) They shot video of the entire ceremony, entire set of speeches/toasts, first dances- and caught highlights of other moments like dancing, guests, etc. They'll be sending me a 1 minute highlight reel in the next week or so I believe for social media, and the full videos will come later. Husband's parents paid for video, so I am not counting it towards our total.
Flowers: Romee Willow Floral, ($2k) link. Flowers were one of the most important things to me- I wanted a wildflower sort of feeling, a garden party vibe even though our wedding is in the city. I got quotes from a few florists and I really liked Romee Willow. I sent them my Pinterest board of flower inspo and they made a mood board and we talked through which flowers would be available right now, and the most important colors to me (yellow, light pink, light blue) and the shape of the bouquet, etc. They provided one bridal bouquet, 4 bridesmaids bouquets, 10 boutonnieres, 2 mom wrist corsages, a flower crown and basket of petals for the flower girl, and 54 bud vases of flowers for the tables at the reception. We originally were going to rent the vases and return them, but we wanted people to be able to take the flowers home (we couldn't, since we have cats) so we ended up getting vases off amazon link and everyone was able to take the flowers home in their cute vases. LOVED our florals. She beyond delivered. It would have been cheaper if we hadn't had the rental vases in our original contract, but she added more flowers to make up for the difference of not having the rentals. She perfectly caught the vision of what I wanted, and even though some of the flowers I wanted weren't in season (rip black eyed susans, queen anne's lace, etc) she made great substitutes. link to some pics we snapped of the flowers
Flower preservation: Bloom and Make ($600) link This was a last minute addition as I panicked two weeks prior to the wedding and realized I would want to preserve the bouquet. I wanted it pressed into a flat picture frame to hang on the wall, and I also added a pair of flower earrings. We'll be working together on this as the flowers come out of the press to see which ones look nice still and how I want to do it. I kept my bouquet in water overnight and we drove it to her house the day after the wedding. Very excited to work with her- I love her stuff on her website. She had great insight about colors too- apparently white flowers don't press that well, and reds turn brownish? She was excited to press my bouquet because it was so colorful. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
Other Decosignage/DIYs: $600ish. This was all very random stuff. Little gold wire stands to put the table numbers on. Templates to make the seating chart and name cards and table number cards. I got the templates off of etsy and made them on templett, and printed them at Staples. We did a custom crossword from etsy which was about $40 (on sale!) so we provided about 40 questions and answers, and this lady assembled it into a gorgeous "sip n solve" crossword for us. We printed it on laminated paper and got expo markers and a big poster board on an easel for cocktail hour. We also had little paper ones I printed at home if people wanted to try the crossword themselves. Probably about $60 to get the poster printed. I got a tablecloth off of ebay (still in package) for $20- super nice linen hemstitched tablecloth- and we had that set up almost like a blank canvas, for people to sign as a guest book. We also had a board of family wedding pics from our parents and grandparents' wedding days, and had that leaning on the wall behind the card box and matchboxes. All this stuff was super fiddly and time consuming- nothing individually that expensive, but just took time to make and think through what I wanted. I think they all turned out really nice though- especially the tablecloth. I plan to embroider on everyone's messages, and bring it out for holidays and have whoever attends the holiday sign it and date it- trace kids' hands, etc. A living heirloom. :) Our card box was a big yellow bread box from Michaels for $12- I didn't want a "card box" I'd literally never use again, so I got something I think is cute (I love yellow) and I'll use it as decofun storage. We also had an embroidered guest book from Rifle Paper co that was an impulse purchase in the last cpl weeks- I got worried that older guests might not sign the tablecloth and would be looking for a traditional "guest book". That did in fact happen. I'm going to try and transfer their signatures over to the guest tablecloth if I can. I made the matchbook design on my ipad and sent it to someone who had them made into matchboxes for me- about $100 for 100 matchboxes as our wedding favors. I was briefly worried no one would take any but MIL marched around with the basket and gave everybody a matchbox so we only have about 30 left which is a true miracle. Bless her heart. link to tablecloth results / inspo, and some other DIY stuff.
Invitations, Save the dates, postage: $400. I used a template on canva for the save the dates, and those were prob about $60. I found a template on Etsy and made the invitations on templett for the wedding- it's a beautiful art nouveau Mucha green frame. Those were also probably about $60-70. Most of the money here went to stamps. I love stamps. I made envelopes that match the garden party / floral vibe, but also that sort of corresponded to each guest's personality a bit. My sister who likes turtles, got a turtle stamp. My friend from ballet class got a ballerina stamp. I just really like stamps. This was an excellent excuse to get a lot of MNH stamps off of ebay I'd been eyeing for years and use them on my stationery. stationery pics
DJ: Just Press Play Productions (originally $550, but we had $9.60 added on). Very mixed feelings on this vendor. I think you get what you pay for. Most DJs were like 2k and we were reaaaally looking to save money by this time. This one was on the preferred vendors list, and they were super cheap, and brought the speakers / microphone themselves, and all we had to do (in theory) was provide the playlists and a device for the music to be played on. When I paid them, I got an irritated email about the fact that I turned on purchase protection (they requested we pay thru venmo, to avoid the credit card fees.) They requested I pay the extra nine dollars and sixty cents, and said it didn't benefit them to have the protection on, and that "they have never not shown up for their customers". I was like ...... but I paid the nine dollars, and decided to reserve judgment. They told us to make a couple of playlist- one of fast songs, one of slow songs, and one with the special music for the first dances, anniversary dance, last dance, etc. We did so. We had a call with the DJ a few days pre wedding and went over his script/transitions. He was going to announce tables for dinner, announce the speeches/transition between them, announce the dances, etc. He did some of those things. We had to do some of the transitions ourselves- everyone gave their toasts and speeches, and then we had to kind of say "that's all the speeches, thank you" and he was just standing there. The music was way too loud. We asked him a few times to turn it down, but if he did, it never took. It was super super loud during dinner, and during dancing. He texted me during the ceremony (I didn't see it till i got home that night lol) "where is the cocktail hour playlist". I didn't know we needed to make one of those- we made a slow song playlist and a fast/dance song playlist, as they had said most people do. It wasn't that he was bad... it just wasn't ideal. We should have looked into it a little more and realized we needed a cocktail hour playlist. And the email chiding us for the purchase protection thing and requesting the nine dollars really made me laugh.
Attire (groom): Husband got his suit made from scratch from an online try on place called Lords of Wool. I'm not sure if we would do it again. It was a lot of hassle to take the measurements and try and figure out what was going to be the closest fit, and when the suit arrived (cost abt $500) he still had to go to a tailor to get it altered. I think it would be easier to just go to someone to get a suit made for you locally. The suit was a light blue linen- really pretty- which was why we didn't go with a bigger name brand - nobody had that specific color. His parents paid for his suit, so I am not counting it towards our total.
Attire (bride): Here's where I really would do stuff different. I got my dress ($2k originally, more like 3.5 with alterations) from Diana's Bridal (not to be confused with David's Bridal!). The alterations cost a lot- even though there really wasn't much that needed to be altered. It fit me pretty well. They took the bust and waist in a little bit, and hemmed the dress, and added a bustle. I think we got "wedding charged" a bit. And then the real reason I am a bit bummed about this aspect is I ultimately decided to wear my mom's wedding dress for the ceremony. 3 grand later- I'm wearing a dress I had all along. So fricking silly. I wore my Diana's bridal dress to the reception, but it was a very full ballgown on little spaghetti straps. Beautiful (I still love it!) but super super heavy. Not very danceable. And I still have welts on my shoulders from those beaded spaghetti straps chopping into my shoulders with the weight of the giant ballgown all night. The bustle failed bc of course it did- it is a super heavy skirt- and my mom had to safety pin it up. I never ended up wearing the veil I got for this dress (it was this one but it was only $100 when i purchased it because the veil was for the ceremony. And by the week of the wedding I was eyeing stuff like this on ebay and just wishing I'd been more true to myself and gotten some vintage dress for less than a thousand dollars, a little more danceable, maybe even rewearable- and not felt like I had to get a "wedding dress". Oh well. You live and you learn. dresses
Hair and makeup: Nika Vaughan ($1430) link. This cost included hair and makeup for me and for two of my bridesmaids- so six hours and six services. My stylist was Lia. She did a great job for the most part! When we did the trial in March, I thought I was going to be wearing the ballgown for the ceremony. So we did loose curls and a little braid for the veil to sit in, and it was beautiful! Get to the wedding day and I'm wearing my mom's dress which has this Edwardian like high collar. I have long hair- curls/down is going to fight with the collar of the dress. But I knew I was going to switch to the ballgown later. So I said what can we do hairwise that's still sort of Rapunzely, that I can take out later and it's still curly and pretty down. So she had to sort of improvise on the day of, and she did a french braid, which isn't my favorite. Oh well. And the flowers she wove into my hair looked sort of straggly- there were daisies and things but she picked these little evergreen looking things that didn't go that great in my hair in my opinion. Oh well. The makeup was beautiful! And the hair came down post ceremony and had gorgeous curls still. I would definitely recommend them- I didn't like "bridal makeup" and wanted something more natural and modern, and they definitely delivered.
Rings: I just used my engagement ring as the wedding band again- it doesn't stack well- ($140 off of etsy, can't find the link anymore but here it is on me) and he got this ring from Ethereal Bloom for $55.
Other outfits (mostly bride): $350. I got a dress from Asos link for the bridal shower and somehow have no pictures in it. It's a great dress though, I will wear it again! Got a little clip in veil from Lulus for $30 for the rehearsal dinner, and a dress from Anthropologie for $176 for the rehearsal dinner, and shoes from Target for $26. rehearsal dinner dress.
Bridesmaid and groomsman and flower girl/ring bearer attire: I wanted each bridesmaid in a different color- we did lavender, light blue, light pink, and light green. I wanted yellow originally but they all begged me not to make them wear yellow. So I put the flowers girls in yellow lol. I did a survey of each girl's size, budget for a dress, and requested color of (pink lavender green blue yellow), and once each had a color, I looked online and found 5 dresses for each girl within the price range they listed, with their size available, in the sort of garden party fairy vibe I wanted. They then picked the dress they liked best from the 5 options. Somehow, all four bridesmaids ended up picking dresses in almost the same cut and fabric, so it looks like I told them "this dress!" but it all worked out. They looked great. two of the bridesmaids. I had a flower girl and ring bearer who were kids, and two babies to be "jr" flower girl and ring bearers. I put the girls in adorable yellow dresses, and the boys had kids / baby versions of what the groomsmen wore. I did not care about the groomsmen attire at all- they did khaki vests because they all had khaki pants already, over a white shirt. I sent each of them a link to a tie in a color matching the bridesmaids- pink, green, blue, lavender. They looked great too.
Other costs: Thankful registry ($30). Definitely recommend registering with Thankful! So convenient to use different websites across the internet- can do literally any store you want, and can attach your paypal/stripe accounts for people to send cash. They also compile a thank you note list with who gave what and when, and little notes from the gift-givers. Other random costs... we used Minted for the wedding website which was free. Definitely recommend! Our website is beautiful and looks like us, and has my lily of the valley motif which I love. We also did both digital and physical RSVPs which worked really well. Plenty of people mailed their RSVPs but a lot of the younger ppl did online. And we could just go in and enter the online stuff for people who lost their card in the mail and/or weren't tech savvy. We had a bridesmaid suite for us to stay in night before the wedding: $218. Half of us ended up not even staying there lol- one of my bridesmaids brought a plus one and she was going to be staying there with us without us knowing that ahead of time... so me and one friend just slept at our own houses (we live in Chicago) and the bridesmaid suite became moreso this one girl and her plus one, and one of my sisters. Oh well lol. For the wedding night we thought abt a hotel room but it never happened and we were happy to just come home to our cute cats and our nice apartment.
total cost: $26,524
tldr; we had a beautiful wedding. We were 6k over budget... some of that was stuff I would definitely change (skip the Diana's bridal dress and get something 3k cheaper), some of that was stuff we forgot to include (we added tip into the totals on things and hadn't had that factored into the original budget, that was definitely over a grand across all the vendors), and some of it was just stuff you don't know you need until you're buying gold wire table number holders on amazon two weeks before the wedding. If I did it again I'd do it different in some ways, but most of the things came out great. And I am SO relieved and happy to be done. Thank goodness we are married and it's done and it was beautiful. Despite the rain.
If you have any questions about anything let me know! I hope this helps other Chicago brides/grooms on a budget. It's expensive out here but we did our best to keep costs low.

(from oca.org)
“And Ascended Into Heaven ....”
“I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and to My God, and Your God” (John 20:17).
In these words the Risen Christ described to Mary Magdalene the mystery of His Resurrection. She had to carry this mysterious message to His disciples, “as they mourned and wept” (Mark 16:10). The disciples listened to these glad tidings with fear and amazement, with doubt and mistrust. It was not Thomas alone who doubted among the Eleven. On the contrary, it appears that only one of the Eleven did not doubt—Saint John, the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” He alone grasped the mystery of the empty tomb at once: “and he saw, and believed” (John 20:8). Even Peter left the sepulcher in amazement, “wondering at that which was come to pass” (Luke 24:12).
The disciples did not expect the Resurrection. The women did not, either. They were quite certain that Jesus was dead and rested in the grave, and they went to the place “where He was laid,” with the spices they had prepared, “that they might come and anoint Him.” They had but one thought: “Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher for us?” (Mark 16:1-3; Luke 24:1). And therefore, on not finding the body, Mary Magdalene was sorrowful and complained: “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him” (John 20:13). On hearing the good news from the angel, the women fled from the sepulchre in fear and trembling: “Neither said they anything to any man, for they were afraid” (Mark 16:8). And when they spoke no one believed them, in the same way as no one had believed Mary, who saw the Lord, or the disciples as they walked on their way into the country, (Mark 16:13), and who recognized Him in the breaking of bread. “And afterward He appeared unto the Eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them who had seen Him after He was risen” (Mark 16:10-14).
From whence comes this “hardness of heart” and hesitation? Why were their eyes so “holden,” why were the disciples so much afraid of the news, and why did the Easter joy so slowly, and with such difficulty, enter the Apostles’ hearts? Did not they, who were with Him from the beginning, “from the baptism of John,” see all the signs of power which He performed before the face of the whole people? The lame walked, the blind saw, the dead were raised, and all infirmities were healed. Did they not behold, only a week earlier, how He raised by His word Lazarus from the dead, who had already been in the grave for four days? Why then was it so strange to them that the Master had arisen Himself? How was it that they came to forget that which the Lord used to tell them on many occasions, that after suffering and death He would arise on the third day?
The mystery of the Apostles’ “unbelief” is partly disclosed in the narrative of the Gospel: “But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel,” with disillusionment and complaint said the two disciples to their mysterious Companion on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:21). They meant: He was betrayed, condemned to death and crucified. The news of the Resurrection brought by the women only “astonished” them. They still wait for an earthly triumph, for an exernal victory. The same temptation possesses their hearts, which first prevented them from accepting “the preaching of the Cross” and made them argue every time the Saviour tried to reveal His mystery to them. “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26). It was still difficult to understand this.
He had the power to arise, why did He allow what that had happened to take place at all? Why did He take upon Himself disgrace, blasphemy and wounds? In the eyes of all Jerusalem, amidst the vast crowds assembled for the Great Feast, He was condemned and suffered a shameful death. And now He enters not into the Holy City, neither to the people which beheld His shame and death, nor to the High Priests and elders, nor to Pilate—so that He might make their crime obvious and smite their pride. Instead, He sends His disciples away to remote Galilee and appears to them there. Even much earlier the disciples wondered, “How is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” (John 14:22). Their wonder continues, and even on the day of His glorious Ascension the Apostles question the Lord, “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They still did not comprehend the meaning of His Resurrection, they did not understand what it meant that He was “ascending” to the Father. Their eyes were opened but later, when “the promise of the Father” had been fulfilled.
In the Ascension resides the meaning and the fullness of Christ’s Resurrection.
The Lord did not rise in order to return again to the fleshly order of life, so as to live again and commune with the disciples and the multitudes by means of preaching and miracles. Now he does not even stay with them, but only “appears” to them during the forty days, from time to time, and always in a miraculous and mysterious manner. “He was not always with them now, as He was before the Resurrection,” comments Saint John Chrysostom. “He came and again disappeared, thus leading them on to higher conceptions. He no longer permitted them to continue in their former relationship toward Him, but took effectual measures to secure these two objects: That the fact of His Resurrection should be believed, and that He Himself should be ever after apprehended to be greater than man.” There was something new and unusual in His person (cf. John 21:1-14). As Saint John Chrysostom says, “It was not an open presence, but a certain testimony of the fact that He was present.” That is why the disciples were confused and frightened. Christ arose not in the same way as those who were restored to life before Him. Theirs was a resurrection for a time, and they returned to life in the same body, which was subject to death and corruption—returned to the previous mode of life. But Christ arose for ever, unto eternity. He arose in a body of glory, immortal and incorruptible. He arose, never to die, for “He clothed the mortal in the splendor of incorruption.” His glorified Body was already exempt from the fleshly order of existence. “It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). This mysterious transformation of human bodies, of which Saint Paul was speaking in the case of our Lord, had been accomplished in three days. Christ’s work on earth was accomplished. He had suffered, was dead and buried, and now rose to a higher mode of existence. By His Resurrection He abolished and destroyed death, abolished the law of corruption, “and raised with Himself the whole race of Adam.” Christ has risen, and now “no dead are left in the grave” (cf. the Easter Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom). And now He ascends to the Father, yet He does not “go away,” but abides with the faithful for ever (cf. the Kontakion of Ascension). For He raises the very earth with Him to heaven, and even higher than any heaven. God’s power, in the phrase of Saint John Chrysostom, “manifests itself not only in the Resurrection, but in something much stronger.” For “He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19).
And with Christ, man’s nature ascends also.
“We who seemed unworthy of the earth, are now raised to heaven,” says Saint John Chrysostom. “We who were unworthy of earthly dominion have been raised to the Kingdom on high, have ascended higher than heaven, have came to occupy the King’s throne, and the same nature from which the angels guarded Paradise, stopped not until it ascended to the throne of the Lord.” By His Ascension the Lord not only opened to man the entrance to heaven, not only appeared before the face of God on our behalf and for our sake, but likewise “transferred man” to the high places. “He honored them He loved by putting them close to the Father.” God quickened and raised us together with Christ, as Saint Paul says, “and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Heaven received the inhabitants of the earth. “The First fruits of them that slept” sits now on high, and in Him all creation is summed up and bound together. “The earth rejoices in mystery, and the heavens are filled with joy.”
“The terrible ascent....” Terror-stricken and trembling stand the angelic hosts, contemplating the Ascension of Christ. And trembling they ask each other, “What is this vision? One who is man in appearance ascends in His body higher than the heavens, as God.”
Thus the Office for the Feast of the Ascension depicts the mystery in a poetical language. As on the day of Christ’s Nativity the earth was astonished on beholding God in the flesh, so now the Heavens do tremble and cry out. “The Lord of Hosts, Who reigns over all, Who is Himself the head of all, Who is preeminent in all things, Who has reinstated creation in its former order—He is the King of Glory.” And the heavenly doors are opened: “Open, Oh heavenly gates, and receive God in the flesh.” It is an open allusion to Psalms 24:7-10, now prophetically interpreted. “Lift up your heads, Oh ye gates, and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty....” Saint Chrysostom says, “Now the angels have received that for which they have long waited, the archangels see that for which they have long thirsted. They have seen our nature shining on the King’s throne, glistening with glory and eternal beauty.... Therefore they descend in order to see the unusual and marvelous vision: Man appearing in heaven.”
The Ascension is the token of Pentecost, the sign of its coming, “The Lord has ascended to heaven and will send the Comforter to the world”
For the Holy Spirit was not yet in the world, until Jesus was glorified. And the Lord Himself told the disciples, “If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you” (John 16:7). The gifts of the Spirit are “gifts of reconciliation,” a seal of an accomplished salvation and of the ultimate reunion of the world with God. And this was accomplished only in the Ascension. “And one saw miracles follow miracles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “ten days prior to this our nature ascended to the King’s throne, while today the Holy Ghost has descended on to our nature.” The joy of the Ascension lies in the promise of the Spirit. “Thou didst give joy to Thy disciples by a promise of the Holy Spirit.” The victory of Christ is wrought in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“On high is His body, here below with us is His Spirit. And so we have His token on high, that is His body, which He received from us, and here below we have His Spirit with us. Heaven received the Holy Body, and the earth accepted the Holy Spirit. Christ came and sent the Spirit. He ascended, and with Him our body ascended also” (Saint John Chrysostom). The revelation of the Holy Trinity was completed. Now the Spirit Comforter is poured forth on all flesh. “Hence comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of mysteries, apprehension of what is hidden, distribution of good gifts, the heavenly citizenship, a place in the chorus of angels, joy without end, abiding in God, the being made like to God, and, highest of all, the being made God!” (Saint Basil, On the Holy Spirit, IX). Beginning with the Apostles, and through communion with them—by an unbroken succession—Grace is spread to all believers. Through renewal and glorification in the Ascended Christ, man’s nature became receptive of the spirit. “And unto the world He gives quickening forces through His human body,” says Bishop Theophanes. “He holds it completely in Himself and penetrates it with His strength, out of Himself; and He likewise draws the angels to Himself through the spirit of man, giving them space for action and thus making them blessed.” All this is done through the Church, which is “the Body of Christ;” that is, His “fullness” (Ephesians 1:23). “The Church is the fulfillment of Christ,” continues Bishop Theophanes, “perhaps in the same way as the tree is the fulfillment of the seed. That which is contained in the seed in a contracted form receives its development in the tree.”
The very existence of the Church is the fruit of the Ascension. It is in the Church that man’s nature is truly ascended to the Divine heights. “And gave Him to be Head over all things” (Ephesians 1:22). Saint John Chrysostom comments: “Amazing! Look again, whither He has raised the Church. As though He were lifting it up by some engine, He has raised it up to a vast height, and set it on yonder throne; for where the Head is, there is the body also. There is no interval of separation between the Head and the body; for were there a separation, then would the one no longer be a body, nor would the other any longer be a Head.” The whole race of men is to follow Christ, even in His ultimate exaltation, “to follow in His train.” Within the Church, through an acquisition of the Spirit in the fellowship of Sacraments, the Ascension continues still, and will continue until the measure is full. “Only then shall the Head be filled up, when the body is rendered perfect, when we are knit together and united,” concludes Saint John Chrysostom.
The Ascension is a sign and token of the Second Coming. “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
The mystery of God’s Providence will be accomplished in the Return of the Risen Lord. In the fulfillment of time, Christ’s kingly power will be revealed and spread over the whole of faithful mankind. Christ bequeathes the Kingdom to the whole of the faithful. “And I appoint unto you a Kingdom as My Father has appointed unto me. That ye may eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29-30). Those who followed Him faithfully will sit with Him on their thrones on the day of His coming. “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne” (Revelation 3:21). Salvation will be consummated in the Glory. “Conceive to yourself the throne, the royal throne, conceive the immensity of the privilege. This, at least if we chose, might more avail to startle us, yea, even than hell itself” (Saint John Chrysostom).
We should tremble more at the thought of that abundant Glory which is appointed unto the redeemed, than at the thought of the eternal darkness. “Think near Whom Thy Head is seated....” Or rather, Who is the Head. In very truth, “wondrous and terrible is Thy divine ascension from the mountain, O Giver of Life.” A terrible and wondrous height is the King’s throne. In face of this height all flesh stands silent, in awe and trembling. “He has Himself descended to the lowest depths of humiliation, and raised up man to the height of exaltation.”
What then should we do? “If thou art the body of Christ, bear the Cross, for He bore it” (Saint John Chrysostom).
“With the power of Thy Cross, Oh Christ, establish my thoughts, so that I may sing and glorify Thy saving Ascension.”
—V. Rev. George Florovsky, D.D.
Originally published in Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Quarterly, Vol. 2 # 3, 1954.
Troparion — Tone 4
O Christ God, You have ascended in Glory, granting joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through the blessing they were assured that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world!
Kontakion — Tone 6
When You had fulfilled the dispensation for our sake, and united earth to heaven: You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, not being parted from those who love You, but remaining with them and crying: “I am with you and no one will be against you!”

ALL TIMES EASTERN
AAC Tournament
9:00 AM Game 6: #2 Houston vs. #3 Wichita State (Elimination Game) espn+
1:00 PM Game 7: #4 UCF vs. #8 South Florida espn+
4:30 PM Game 8: #7 Tulane vs. #6 Memphis espn+
ACC Tournament
11:00 AM Game 7: Pool A #1 Wake Forest vs. #12 Pitt, ACCN
3:00 PM Game 8: Pool B #2 Virginia vs. #7 North Carolina, ACCN
7:00 PM Game 9: Pool D #4 Miami vs. #9 NC State, ACCN
America East Tournament
11:00 AM Game 3: #1 Maine vs. #5 UMass Lowell, espn+
3:00 PM Game 4: #2 UMBC vs. #3 Binghamton, espn+
7:00 PM Game 5: #5 UMass Lowell vs. #3 Binghamton (Elimination Game) espn+
ASUN Tournament - 2 pool play
10:00 AM Game 4A: #1 Lipscomb vs. #2 FGCU espn+
2:30 PM Game 4B: #5 Stetson vs. #8 Austin Peay espn+
7:00 PM Game 5B: #6 EKU vs. #7 Jax State espn+
Atlantic 10 Tournament
11:00 AM Game 7: #3 Dayton vs. #2 Davidson (Elimination Game) espn+
3:00 PM Game 8: #5 Richmond vs. #1 Saint Joseph's (Elimination Game) espn+
7:00 PM Game 9: #1 St Joseph's vs. #3 Dayton (Elimination Game) espn+
Big10 Tournament
11:00 AM Game 6: #8 Michigan State vs. #5 Rutgers (Elimination Game) BTN
3:00 PM Game 7: #3 Iowa vs. #2 Indiana BTN
7:00 PM Game 8: #1 Maryland vs. #4 Nebraska BTN
Big 12 Tournament
10:00 AM Game 5: #5 Kansas State vs #1 Texas (Elimination Game) espn+
1:30 PM Game 6: #2 Oklahoma State vs West Virginia (Elimination Game) espn+
5:00 PM Game 7: #4 TCU vs #8 Kansas, ESPNU & espn+
8:30 PM Game 8: #7 Oklahoma vs #6 Texas Tech, ESPNU & espn+
Big East Tournament
2:30 PM Game 3: #4 Georgetown vs #3 Seton Hall (Elimination Game) FloBaseball ($)
6:30 PM Game 4: #1 UConn vs. #2 Xavier FloBaseball ($)
Big South Tournament
1:00 PM Game 1: #1 Campbell vs. #4 Gardner-Webb, espn+
5:00 PM Game 2: #2 USC Upstate vs. #3 Winthrop, espn+
Colonial Athletic Tournament
11:00 AM Game 3: #4 Charleston vs #6 William & Mary (Elimination Game) FloBaseball ($)
3:00 PM Game 4: #1 UNCW vs #5 Delaware FloBaseball ($)
7:00 PM Game 5: #2 Elon vs #3 Northeastern FloBaseball ($)
Conference USA Tournament
10:00 AM Game 5: (3) Charlotte vs. (2) UTSA (Elimination Game) espn+
1:30 PM Game 6: (6) Louisiana Tech vs. (7) Middle Tennessee espn+
5:00 PM Game 7: (8) Rice vs. (5) Florida Atlantic (Elimination Game) espn+
8:30 PM Game 8: (1) Dallas Baptist vs. (4) WKU espn+
Horizon Tournament
11:00 AM Game 3: #1 Wright State vs. #5 Milwaukee, espn+
3:00 PM Game 4: #2 Oakland vs. #3 Northern Ky espn+
7:00 PM Game 5: #5 Milwaukee vs. #3 Northern Ky (Elimination Game) espn+
Metro Atlantic Athletic Confernce Tournament
11:00 AM Game 4: #1 Fairfield vs. #6 Manhattan espn+
3:00 PM Game 5: #2 Rider vs #4 Quinnipiac espn+
7:00 PM Game 6: #3 Canisius vs. #6 Manhattan (Elimination Game) espn+
Mid-American Tournament
12:30 PM Game 3: #4 Western Michigan vs. #2 Central Michigan (Elimination Game) espn+
6:00 PM Game 4: #1 Kent State vs. #3 Ball State espn+
Missouri Valley Tournament
9:00 AM Game 7: #3 Southern Illinois vs. #7 Belmont (Elimination Game) espn+
12:30 PM Game 8: #6 UIC vs. #2 Missouri State (Elimination Game) espn+
4:00 PM Game 9: #1 Indiana State vs. #7 Belmont, espn+
7:30 PM Game 10: #4 Evansville vs. #5 Murray State, espn+
Mountain West Tournament
4:30 PM Game 1: #2 San Diego State vs. #3 Air Force, MW Network
9:00 PM Game 2: #1 San José State vs. #4 Fresno State, MW Network
Northeast Tournament
11:00 AM Game 4: #1 CCSU vs #4 Sacred Heart, espn3 & NEC Front Row
3:00 PM Game 5: #2 Wagner vs #3 FDU, espn3 & NEC Front Row
7:00 PM Game 6: #5 LIU vs #4 Sacred Heart (Elimination Game) espn3 & NEC Front Row
Ohio Valley Tournament
12:00 PM Game 5: #1 Morehead State vs. #5 Eastern Illinois, espn+
4:00 PM Game 6: #2 Little Rock vs. #6 Tennessee Tech espn+
8:00 PM Game 7: 5 Eastern Illinois vs. #6 Tennessee Tech (Elimination Game) espn+
PAC-12 Tournament - 3 pool play
1:00 PM Game 7B: #5 Arizona State vs. #2 Oregon State, PAC12 Networks
5:30 PM Game 8C: #4 USC vs. #3 Washington, PAC12 Networks
10:00 PM Game 9A: #6 Oregon vs. #1 Stanford, PAC12 Networks
SEC Tournament
10:30 AM Game 9: #6 South Carolina vs. #10 Texas A&M (Elimination Game) SECN
2:00 PM Game 10: #9 Alabama vs. #5 Auburn (Elimination Game) SECN
5:30 PM Game 11: #3 LSU vs. #2 Arkansas SECN
8:00 PM Game 12: #1 Florida vs. #4 Vanderbilt SECN
Southern Tournament
9:00 AM Game 3: #4 ETSU vs. #8 The Citadel, espn+
12:30 PM Game 4: #3 Wofford vs. #6 UNCG, espn+
4:00 PM Game 5: #1 Samford vs. #4 ETSU, espn+
7:30 PM Game 6: #2 Mercer vs. #3 Wofford, espn+
Southland Tournament
12:00 PM Game 5: #2 UIW vs. #6 McNeese (Elimination Game) espn+
3:30 PM Game 6: #1 Nicholls vs. #3 Lamar espn+
7:00 PM Game 7: #5 NW State vs. #4 New Orleans espn+
Summit Tournament
1:05 PM Game 3: #4 Omaha vs. #2 ND State (Elimination Game) Summit Digital Network
7:05 PM Game 4: #1 Oral Roberts vs. #3 SD State Summit Digital Network
Sunbelt Tournament
10:00 AM Game 7: #6 App State vs. #7 James Madison (Elimination Game) espn+
1:30 PM Game 8: #8 Georgia State vs. #5 Texas State (Elimination Game) espn+
5:00 PM Game 9: #3 Troy vs. #2 Southern Miss espn+
8:30 PM Game 10: #1 Coastal Carolina vs. #4 Louisiana espn+
SWAC Tournament
9:00 AM ET Game 5: (W2) Texas Southern vs. (W4) Prairie View A&M SWAC Youtube
12:00 PM ET Game 6: (E2) Bethune-Cookman vs. (E4) Jackson State SWAC Youtube
3:00 PM ET Game 7: (E3) Florida A&M vs. (E1) Alabama State SWAC Youtube
6:00 PM ET Game 8: (W3) Southern vs. (W1) Grambling State SWAC Youtube
WAC Tournament
12:00 PM Game 7 #4 Seattle vs. #6 UT-Arlington (Elimination Game) espn+
3:00 PM Game 8 #5 Abilene Christian vs. #7 UTRGV (Elimination Game) espn+
7:00 PM Game 9 #2 Sam Houston vs. #3 Utah Valley, espn+
10:00 PM Game 10 #1 Grand Canyon vs. #6 UT-Arlington, espn+
WCC Tournament
6:00 PM ET Game 3: #1 LMU vs. #5 St. Mary's WCC Network
10:15 PM ET Game 4: #2 Portland vs. #3 Santa Clara WCC Network
Big West Conference Regular Season Games
9:00 pm Cal State Fullerton vs. Cal Poly espn+
9:00 pm CSU Northridge vs. CSU Bakersfield espn+
9:00 pm UC Davis vs. Long Beach State espn+
9:00 pm UC Riverside vs. UC Irvine espn+
12:30 am UC Santa Barbara vs Hawaii espn+
.
Not sure what happened to PPL today, but I am posting this in place of the usual format.
This is the one I use on my site and wanted to get it to you fans asap. Cheers.

Is there anything I missed?
​
Faith Based Organizations
When people get together and center around a shared faith, friendships form. We meet other people who have been in the same situation as us, who understand our struggles, and who share our faith. Below we put together a brief list of some spiritual organizations for young professionals in Chicago.
Park Community Church
Catholic Charities Young Associate Board
Jewish United Fund (JUF), multiple groups for young professionals
Muslim Urban Professionals
Muslim Women's Alliance
Chicago Tabernacle
Young Catholic Professionals
Catholic Charities of Chicago
Young Life Junior Board
Try a Workout
Our next recommendation is to find a fitness club or gym to become a local at. Pick your favorite activity or sport, and check online for a club in your neighborhood!
Chicago Runner's Association
Chicago Cycling Club
Climbing Gym
Title Boxing Club
Crossfit Gym
Yoga Studio
Fencing
Lincoln Square Fencing Club
Fencing Center of Chicago
Red Star Fencing
Join a Martial Arts Class
Adult Karate
Premier Martial Arts
Warrior Institute of Chicago
Try an MMA Class
Join a Political Organization
Another commonality that helps people make connections is politics. By working on a cause that’s near and dear to you, you’ll be sure to find people with similar beliefs and values. We compiled a list of a few political organizations for young professionals in Chicago.
Chicago Young Republicans or Cook County Republican Party
Or Meetups like Chicago on the Right or Chicago Conservatives Meetup
Illinois Young Democrats and Cook County Young Democrats
Or Meetups like Chicago Democratic Socialists or South Side Chicago Drinking Liberally
Liberal and Conservative Common Ground Meetup
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Small Business Advocacy Council
Heartland Alliance Associate Board
Join a Professional Organization
Another commonality that brings people together is their occupation. While we were not able to provide a complete list of every professional organization, we compiled a few of the most popular below :).
Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section
Chicago Young Professional Illinois CPA Society
Chicago Actuarial Society
CFA Society of Chicago
Young Non Profit Workers Executive Board -
Society of Women Engineers -
Public Relations Society
Young Real Estate Professionals
Learn a New Skill
Another great way to develop new relationships is by taking a class or learning a new skill.
Developing relationships with other students who are also serious about learning the same skill can give you an instant commonality to bond over. Below we compiled some of our staff’s top picks for fun new ways to grow your skill set and meet new people.
Dance Classes
See Chicago Dance
Candace Dance
Chicago Dance Factory
Dance Party
Learn an Instrument
Old Town School of Folk
Chicago School of Music
Cooking classes
The Chopping Block
Wooden Spoon Chicago
Cozy Meal Chicago
Give Sugar
Eataly
Comedy Classes
Second City Chicago
Lincoln Lodge
Annoyance Theater
Improv Classes
Second City Chicago
Annoyance Theater
Book clubs
List of Meetup Book Clubs
Women's Book Club Meetup's
Events at Chicago Public Library
Pritzker Military Museum Book Club
Other Random Classes
Scuba Class
Join an Art League
Penguin Foot Pottery
Chicago Ceramic Center
Screen Makers Society
Take a Rock Climbing Certification Class
Windy City Rollers
Toast Masters Chicago
Alumni Associations
While there are too many to name in Chicago do a quick google search to see if your alma mater has a Chicago branch (chances are they do)!
Volunteering
A great way to get involved that you may not have considered is joining a nonprofit board.
As a young professional, volunteering is a great way to connect and collaborate with others while also making a difference.
Growing friendships is easiest when you have a shared passion or interest. For instance, Bear Necessities Young Professional's Board, is a group of young professionals passionate about helping those with cancer. Personally, as someone who saw my sister struggle her way through cancer at 17, I connect with this mission.
Serving others also helps keep us humble and hone our emotional intelligence. I bet you’ll be a little more thankful after serving someone who is confined to a hospital bed.
Below are some possible organizations. For a more complete list of organizations please check out our blog How to make a difference while networking
Volunteering Focused Organizations
Volunteering Untapped Chicago - strives to “untap” resources and opportunities in Chicago for those we serve. There’s a huge group of talented young professionals in the city who want to volunteer. We connect those volunteers with a wide array of nonprofits in the Chicagoland area
Rotaract Club of Chicago - is an international organization of young professionals and students ages 18 to 30 that are committed to service and leadership in their communities and abroad.
Junior League of Chicago- is a group of young women who are committed to industrial and social issues of Chicago and researching ways to effectively address those issues, bring about positive change, and set an example for others about the importance of civic welfare.
Young Associate Boards
PAWS Chicago Professional Board - PAWS Chicago Professional Board is a group of young professionals committed to saving homeless pets from kill shelters.
Little Hero's League - is an Affiliated Organization of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, that seeks to help babies born with medical complexities like Livi achieve their best life outcomes.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Young Associate Board - is a group of young professionals that are passionate about supporting the work of St. Jude!
Chicago Children's Advocacy Center - is a group of young professionals who are passionate about raising funds and awareness for the center.
Project Vision Young Associate Board - has a mission of providing a safe place for teens to call their own, where they can find support and guidance as they navigate through high school.
Junior Council of Lurie Children's - is made up of young professionals who are committed to pooling resources and talents to help raise awareness and funds to support Lurie Children’s Pediatric and Adolescent HIV/AIDS Program.
Children's Research Fund Junior Board - is composed of young professionals who are committed to raising funds in support of pediatric medical research at the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.
Alzheimer’s Association Illinois Junior Board - is a group of young professionals united by a single desire to see an end to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Infant Welfare Society of Chicago Young Associate Board - is composed of young professionals passionate about children, families, and healthcare. They dedicate their free time to raising money and awareness for infants in need.
Compass to Care Young Associate Board - is composed of exceptional young professionals who are interested in impacting the lives of children with cancer.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Associate Board - is a group of young professionals that are committed to farthing LLS’s goal of being the leading source of free blood cancer information, education and support for patients, survivors, families and healthcare professionals, LLS helps patients navigate their cancer treatment and ensures they have access to quality, affordable and coordinated care.
Family Focus Associate Board - is a group of young professionals that pursues a mission of strengthening families and their children in Chicago and NE Illinois so they build social capital and achieve upward economic mobility through high-quality innovative programs and services, grounded in anti-racism and social justice.
Project Exploration Junior Board - is a group of young professionals that are dedicated to advancing STEM opportunities for young children.
Blessings in a Backpack Associate Board - helps to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Young Associate Board - is a group of volunteers committed to advocating and raising awareness, in the city of Chicago, for homeless individuals.
Chicago Scholars Associate Board - is a group committed to building a future society that works for everybody. We believe education is social justice.
Girls on the Run Chicago Associate Board - is a group of young professionals that are dedicated to opening doors for women.
Little Brother Friends of the Elderly Chicago Young Professionals Advisory Board - is a group of young professionals passionate about helping the elderly.
Ravinia Associates - is a group for Chicago young professionals who share a passion for Ravinia and the musical arts.
Chicago Children's Advocacy Center - mission is to support ChicagoCAC within the young professional community by securing monetary and in-kind contributions, facilitating relationships, increasing awareness, and providing counsel.
American Heart Association Associate Board- members apply their time, talent and resources toward building resource capacity and improving the cardiovascular health of the community.
American Liver Foundation Young Associate Board - is a group of young professionals who are determined to educate young professionals about liver health, create funds for patient services and research on liver disease, and improve the lives of individuals and their families affected by liver disease.
Chicago Community Trust Young Leaders Fund - provides young professionals with an innovative way to make a difference. YLF empowers its donors to manage the grant making process. With support from the Trust, they research innovative grassroots organizations, conduct site visits, interview staff and evaluate grant requests.
Red Shoe Foundation - is all about – giving time, inspiration, creativity, and funds to help families with hospitalized children at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana get better together.
Chicago Field Museum Associates - is a group of young professionals dedicated to preserving and supporting the Chicago Field Museum.
Lincoln Park Zoo Auxiliary Board - works to support Lincoln Park Zoo by raising funds to preserve a free experience for the community.
Habitat Chicago Associate Board - is a network of passionate Chicagoans, ages 24 to 39, who raise awareness and revenue for Habitat Chicago through social events, volunteer days and fundraising efforts.
After School Matters Young Associate Board - invests their time, talent, and resources to build a brighter future for our teens and Chicago through fulfilling the following responsibilities.
Chicago Lights Young Associate Board - is a group of young adults who support the work of Chicago Lights and help raise awareness throughout Chicago.
Special Olympics Young Associate Board - is a dedicated group of young professionals who are passionate about supporting Special Olympics Chicago…and having fun while doing it!
Girl Scout Young Associate Board - the Girl Scouts needs no introduction from us!
Almost Home Kids Young Associate Board - Almost Home Kids provides a bridge from hospital to home through an innovative community-based care system for children with medical complexities.
Respiratory Health Associates Board - is a dynamic group of young professionals dedicated to volunteering their time, talents, and energy to preventing lung disease, promote clean air and helping people live better through education, research, and policy change.
Family Focus Junior Board - is composed of passionate and charitable young professionals dedicated to supporting the well-being of children.
Shedd Aquarium Auxiliary Council - achieves its mission through member-led committees that focus on fundraising, membership, conservation, engagement and social. In addition, they help plan fundraising events and work on creating a suite of virtual events in the community.
Reading in Motion Auxiliary Board - is a group of young professionals who partner with Reading in Motion to help young students become successful readers.
American Cancer Society Young Associate Board - has a mission of supporting the American cancer society.
Night Ministry Young Associate Board - compassionately provides housing, health care, outreach, spiritual care, and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness, poverty, and loneliness.
Aspire Young Associate Board - the board serves as Aspire ambassadors to rally the community around our mission of inclusion for kids and adults with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities.
Children’s Home & Aid Young Associates Board - Children’s Home & Aid is a child and family service agency. the agency helps children recover their health, hope, and faith in the people around them.
Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago Associate Board - provides education, advocacy, and case management to people living with epilepsy, their families, and the communities in which they live, all in the service of helping our constituents seize the narrative back from epilepsy.
Chicago Lighthouse Young Associates Board - is a social service organization serving the blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veteran communities.
Illinois Medical District Guest House Associate Board - IMD Guest House builds community and healing by providing comfortable, affordable accommodation for patients and their families throughout their treatment.
YMCA Young Associate Board - is a group of young professionals, and civic leaders working collaboratively to advance the Y’s efforts to develop stronger communities.
Recovery on Water Young Associates Board - is a rowing team that gives breast cancer patients and survivors the unique opportunity to interact, become active in their recovery, and gain support from their peers.
Erie Family Health Center Young Associate Board - is a group of young professionals dedicated to enhancing and expanding the reach of Erie Family Health Centers.
Journeys the Road Home Young Professional Board - is a group for Chicago young professionals passionate about ending homelessness.
Union League Girls and Boys Club Associate Board - is composed of emerging leaders striving for involvement and leadership in the Chicago community.
Heritage Based Organizations
Young Irish Fellowship Club
National Association of Asian American Professionals
United States Hispanic Leadership Institute
Chinese American Service League Associate Board
Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce
Sports Leagues
Sports brings together people of all walks of life that you will share a common interest with. I know people get nervous about meeting people, but sports really do bring people together. With sports you won’t need to worry about making small talk as most conversations will revolve around the game — it’s an automatic ice breaker! (For a more complete list checkout our blog on sports leagues Chicago Sports Leagues)
Multi Sport Leagues
Chicago Sport and Social - is known as the most competitive of recreational sports leagues in Chicago. If you are not good at a sport we recommend starting with Players or S3.
Athletic Alliance of Chicago - is a sports league dedicated to uniting the LGBTQ community.
Players Sport and Social - in my opinion Players Sport and Social is a happy middle ground between the seriousness of Chicago Sport and Social and the partying of S3.
S3 Chicago - S3 stands for “Simply Social Sports” and that is exactly what the league is. In S3 partying comes first and sports comes second. I recommend S3 for anyone under the age of 28.
Stonewall Sports - is an LGBTQ & Ally community-based, non-profit sports organization founded in 2010 that strives to raise funds for local non-profit organizations. Our league values each player for who they are and what they bring to the leagues community.
CSMA Chicago - is the largest not-for-profit gay and lesbian sports organization in the Midwest.
Catholic Sports - offers Christ centered leagues in the Chicago area!
Single Sport Leagues
Royal Palms Shuffleboard Leagues - offers shuffleboard leagues for all skill levels!
Bad Axe Axe Throwing Leagues - offers both axe throwing leagues and knife throwing leagues.
World Axe Throwing League - core values are fun, safe, and competitive. Axe throwing leagues are 8 weeks long and you’re allowed to practice beforehand.
Better off Bowling - is simply a social bowling league. The league has a tendency to play at nicer facilities than S3 or other sports leagues that offer bowling but still has the same laid back feel.
American Bocce Co - I mean who doesn’t love a good game of Bocce? American Bocce Co is a social bocce league that mixes competitiveness with a social atmosphere.
Chicago Fire Recreational Soccer Leagues - offers a variety of soccer leagues both coed and single gender on multiple nights of the week!
Indoor Hoops - offers high-quality pickup basketball every night of the week!
Ultimate Frisbee Leagues - From the experienced club player to the beginner, Ultimate Chicago offers leagues for every skill level.
Chicago Indoor Sports - offers competitive and recreational indoor soccer leagues every night of the week!
Australian Style Football League - Australian Rules football (or Aussie Rules Footy as it is commonly called) may look hard but it is a fun mix between soccer and rugby and a great way to keep in shape!
ChiTown Futbol - mission is to provide a high-quality sports and social experience for Chicagoland adults and youth which improves their community, their health, their sportsmanship, and their personal growth.
Skee Ball League - leagues are currently on hold due to covid but we’ll leave the link just for when they do come back.
Ping Pong League - doesn’t everyone enjoy a good game of ping pong?
Casa Italy Chicago Bocce League - is another smaller bocce league that is growing in Chicago.
Eataly Bocce League- While Eataly is a grocery store they are now offering a new bocce league!
Pinball League - for those who are competitive about pinball why not join in on the fun?
Chicago Cricket Club - Ever thought about giving Cricket a try?
Chicago CSMO - Why not try a Billiards League (Facebook)?
Darts League - Darts is another great social activity!

There are many, many disturbing parts to this case - I was reminded recently of the letters that Brady and Hindley exchanged whilst imprisoned. They allegedly used a code to disguise some of their correspondence. Only a few of the letters have been 'released' into the public domain. Hindley apparently (I say this because Brady claimed this letter was a fake - I've never entirely known why he said that) sent the following letter to Brady from Risley remand centre while awaiting trial. The words in bold are the ones Brady will have found using a code;
"I've been thinking for a while, why don't ask if you can go [end of line] to church on Sundays so we can at least see each other there? It's your right to go there. You get help with this. See the Governor if necessary. There are places in the chapel for people in your situation Ian, so ask someone to look into it for you. There's someone here who goes with two officers. She's in here for killing her own child and also for attempting to throw acid in her boyfriend's face. No-one likes her; she's on Rule 43 of course. Re; your mention of facial expressions in your last letter, I, too, wish I could have seen the one on Brett. His face was a picture when you stared him out!"
The message reads; Why don't you get someone to throw acid on Brett, Brett was the younger Brother of Lesley Ann Downey (he was aged around 4 at the time of the trial) which is truly disgusting.
Source (and for more explanation as to how the code worked): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-myra-hindley-case-the-secret-code-that-kept-me-quiet-1171702.html
Hindley apparently ‘freaked out’ when she learnt that the letters she sent still existed because some of them contained incredibly damning contents about causing harm to children. Her defence was to claim that she was simply following Brady's instructions and providing him with 'stimulation' whilst he was separated from her and that she had copied out things he had written in a notebook he had passed to her…which just sounds a bit nonsensical? To try and illustrate her point, she released the above extract...which (if that extract is genuine) sadly makes me think there was much worse in some of the letters because no doubt she would have been stategic about what she released.
To me, it shows that despite what she claimed in later life, the Myra Hindley that existed in the 1960's got off on fuelling Brady's perversions, had no respect for the lives she had cruelly ended and the pain of their families.
I believe there have been attempts through freedom of information requests to get access to letters that remain sealed in the National Archives but these requests have been turned down There is further information in this article as to why the requests have been refused to date - https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/love-letters-between-myra-hindley-129

Preface, context, and the offseason
The Panthers offseason has been, if nothing else, incredibly entertaining as a fan. Several high profile moves and decisions were made which, whether or not they turn out to be successful, have at least provided something to discuss beyond the consistent, spectacular failure of Matt Rhule. After a grueling stretch of consecutive losing seasons, humiliating statistics bannered across the lower screen during every game, and ever-shrinking confidence that the rebuild we entered following Cam Newton’s departure would eventually lead us back to contention, we have reasons to be excited.
We entered the offseason with a brewing controversy surrounding the decision to hire a new head coach, or to retain the interim Steve Wilks. Wilks, who took over following Matt Rhule’s mid-season departure and the Christian McCaffery trade, led the team to a respectable .5 record through the remainder of the schedule. Despite the outspoken support of many players, fans, and media personalities, Frank Reich ultimately won the job. In the following weeks, Reich assembled an accomplished and experienced coaching staff which, in hindsight, was clearly intended to develop a rookie quarterback.
With the 9th overall pick in hand and the Bears having stumbled into the first overall, thanks to the newly anointed god of our fanbase Lovie Smith, it was never in question that the Panthers were in contention to trade up. What was in question, however, was whether we could beat the offers of several quarterback-needy teams ahead of us. In early March, the announcement was made that we had, in fact, made the deal and would hold the first overall pick. In every tweet and article that I saw, the details were written as follows -
2023 #9
2023 #61 (via SF) 2024 1st 2025 2nd
WR DJ Moore
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One of these things is not like the other
Personally, I wasn’t terribly upset because I believed that DJs value is irrelevant when [Sam Darnold, PJ Walker, Baker Mayfield] are throwing, but others were. The word “fleeced” was being thrown around quite a bit, but the “on-paper” value of these picks is consistent with past trades, so I wasn’t overly concerned with the net value either. The real glaring problem with this trade left us with a receiver core of Terrance Marshall, Laviska Shenault, and Shi Smith. The offensive skill positions were depleted, and the free agency market did not appear promising or cheap.
So we were left with the first overall pick, clearly reserved for a quarterback, and some absolutely critical offensive roster holes at WR, RB, and possibly TE heading into free agency. These were addressed with the following signings - RB Miles Sanders
WR Adam Theilen
TE Hayden Hurst
S Vonn Bell
WR DJ Chark
You could argue, as many Panthers fans did, that while none of these players are adequate replacements for DJ Moore or Christian McCaffery, the overall depth of the offensive group is improved heading into the draft. I wouldn’t, and apparently neither would the panther’s front office based on their first non-quarterback draft selection. Receiver was the top priority, barring some miraculous blue chip prospect falling all the way to 39.
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The Draft
Is it 4/27 yet? How many Anthony Richardson posts am I going to see today? Who is Emilio Estevez and why is he talking about Will Levis in every NFL related post on every platform? Please god just make it stop. I genuinely do not want to recap the “discussions” that went on between the trade up and the draft because I don’t ever want to think about it again.
QB Bryce Young - Round One, 1st overall
With the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Panthers selected the consensus best Quarterback and heavy odds-favorite, Bryce Young, from Alabama. Young’s college stats and overall production set him apart from the other top prospects, with CJ Stroud being his closest competitor. Without context, the data on Young and Stroud put them much closer, but factors such as the fact that Stroud consistently had a top-tier receiving unit, Offensive line, and a so-called “quarterback friendly” system at OSU while Young had almost no such advantages at Alabama, demonstrate Young’s skillset.
I may be the first person in history to write a full paragraph about Young without mentioning his size. This was the topic of every conversation surrounding him, and likely will continue to be through his entire career, because it truly is unprecedented. Even going Young’s combine measurements would make him 2 inches shorter than Brees and 20 pounds lighter than Wilson. But the fact that these measurements are unprecedented shows that we have no way of knowing whether he will be at greater risk for injury, whether he will be able to see over the line, or whether he can physically handle certain formations. We do know that none of these things were issues during his collegiate career, and that’s what we base evaluations on.
Young’s strongest quality is completely intangible and impossible to measure accurately - his so called football IQ. There are countless examples of his decision making abilities, anticipation, and general off-script magic in his college tape. The goal is to find ways to capitalize on these abilities and lean on strategy rather than physicality as with the Cam Newton led teams. Despite the speculative concerns about his height and / or frame, there is good reason to believe that the Heisman winning savant will be very successful and I couldn’t be happier with the selection.
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/bryce-young/3200594f-5512-4763-ab24-c1bd051ef0ef
WR Jonathan Mingo - Round 2, 39th overall
Our second round selection really showcased the importance of retaining our original second round pick in the Bears trade (the second round pick we included was via SF from the McCaffery trade). Pick 39 gave us our choice of Mingo or BJ Ojulari, rather than Scruggs or Mimms. I would have been content with an Edge rusher to compliment Brian Burns, but was very much hoping for a receiver with at least a second rounder chance of success.
Mingo has a physical playstyle and has a good record of winning contested catches. He is generally able to win press coverage matchups by fighting for position rather than outrunning defenders. I see him slowly taking Adam Theilen’s place with most of his targets coming over the middle of the field and the red zone. Incidentally, he received high praise from Panthers great, Steve Smith, and was apparently selected on his recommendation. This is probably a feel-good, draft drama type of story, but Smith grade Mingo highly prior to the draft and has a decent record as a scout, having been one of very few people to predict Kupp’s success.
I’m biased here because I wasn’t sold on the free agent WRs, and I wanted a receiver with this pick. I also love Steve Smith. Someone who did a much more analytics-focused pre-draft write up of our round 2 options could probably convince you that Ojulari was the correct choice. Or possibly a CB, given what happened in the final Tampa Bay game last season. But since this is my writeup, Mingo was a very fortunate combination of BPA and team needs. He was the best remaining receiver and they made the correct choice here.
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jonathan-mingo/32004d49-4e17-0999-c137-d684c1d1ab38
EDGE DJ Johnson - Round three, 80th overall
Everyone had a different rationalization for this pick. We traded up from 93 with several higher graded players on the board and chose someone who, as far as I can remember, hadn’t been mocked anywhere above the mid fourth. He also threw a punch at an Oregon state fan during a game in 2022, which could lead you to wonder if he will have “some off the field stuff” during his tenure. Johnson is considered a raw prospect, showing promise with measurables and a good 40 time, but clearly lacking in production and technique.
The most common defense of this pick was that Ejiro Evero, our new defensive coordinator, had “pounded the table” for him. Evero has a great track record as a defensive mind, and we want to trust that he saw a good schematic fit or something coachable that was clearly holding DJ Johnson back in college. Since I can’t see that, I’m not going to speculate on why we traded up to take DJ Johnson other than promising physical traits. As far as I can tell, this was a classic high-ceiling gamble, and since I’m defending this draft, I have to take the bet. That, or we just had a DJ shaped hole in our hearts.
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/dj-johnson/32004a4f-4820-4752-6ea6-b2eea911de03
G Chandler Zavala - Round 4, 114th overall
Makes sense to me. We covered (or gambled on) our two biggest needs in WR and EDGE. One could argue for some CB depth here, but we are about to field a rookie QB with a supposed injury risk, and we would really like to keep the offensive line solid.
Zavala played alongside our 2022 first rounder and budding star left tackle, Ikem Ikonwu at NC state. His production at the position is fairly consistent with other fourth-round offensive line prospects, so this wasn’t some sort of unexpected gift falling to us. I think this is a more sensible version of the DJ Johnson pick, where we’re betting that his compatibility with Ickey will make the difference and we didn’t have to trade anything. The Panthers retained almost the entire offensive line group from last year’s season where they were, at worst, consistent. But there are injury concerns, and I could see a replacement for Brady Chistiansen becoming a priority in the next year or two.
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/chandler-zavala/32005a41-5607-0576-eb71-62de76a91a52
S Jammie Robinson - Round 5, 145 overall
The final selection for this year’s draft felt like somewhat of a steal. In addition to whatever brownie points prospects are given for playing in the Carolinas, Robinson was frequently graded as a fourth rounder and led the Seminoles in tackles in 2021 and 2022. I’ll admit that I was much less tuned in to the draft coverage by round five, but the excitement of my fellow fans led me to watch some highlight reels and try to do some surface level analysis on him.
Robinson’s best trait is his timing. His movement is very well synced to the Quarterback’s release and he never seems to misjudge a receiver’s speed or acceleration. He generally puts himself in a good physical location to disrupt plays, and he has the versatility to line up as a safety if needed. Overall, I would say this is a great pick from a purely BPA standpoint. Robinson has an excellent chance of making the roster, and a not-insignificant shot at being an eventual starter. These are the hallmarks of a great late-round pick.
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Summary
The Panthers 2024 draft will be less exciting, but it won’t matter. I have full confidence in Bryce Young, and whoever he throws to will find success as well - as was the case for every player around him since he was the backup to Mac Jones. There seems to be a coherent plan, and a proven coaching staff to execute it. This draft class will be historic for the Panthers, based on our 100% hit rate of first overall quarterbacks thus far, and with the NFC South contending for the weakest division in the league, a solid offensive line, and a solid defense, every one of these prospects will be developing from a good foundation. Including DJ Johnson. This draft needs no defense, but the rest of the NFC South certainly will.