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The Sovereign Love of God, An Examination of Romans 9
The text under consideration in this article forms the most contested territory in the debate over Calvinistic theology and its consequences concerning the character of God and man's salvation.[1] While it is true that a comprehensive consideration of Biblical teaching reveals that the notions of Calvinism are erroneous, we make a gross mistake if we do not take the time as students of the scripture to consider the significance of this context in the presentation of the theme of the epistle to the Romans.
It is an exegetical mistake to isolate Romans 9 from the rest of the epistle. Actually, Romans 9-11 is recognized by most scholars as a single cohesive argument forming the climax of Romans 1-11. After having demonstrated that both Jew and Gentile were guilty before God (Romans 3:9, 19, 20) and were, thus, in need of grace through a submissive faith in the Lord, it was important that the chief Jewish objections to the faith of Christ be answered definitively.
In this text Paul addresses three of the most prominent Jewish objections to the gospel, which all centered on the singular truth of God's expression of mercy to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. In doing so, Paul offers an inspired response to those who would attempt to restrict God's mercy to physical Israel (Romans 11:32).
Brian Abasciano offers insight into the meaning of this text as it relates to the book of Romans as a whole,
"On a literary level Romans 9-11 completes the exposition of the theme of the epistle (1.16-17), a summary statement of the gospel, by explaining the priority of the Jew and by defending the gospel Paul has presented at length against its most compelling objection ~ how the … gospel can be the fulfillment of Judaism/the Old Testament and its promises to Israel when the vast majority of Jews had rejected Christ and were therefore excluded from God's salvation and promises to them" (p. 31).[2]
Paul's Sympathy for Israel (9:1-5)
The introductory statements of this section frame the rest of the discussion of God's sovereignty in salvation. Paul writes, "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh" (Romans 9:1-3). Why would Paul have such sorrowful grief over Israel being lost if the doctrine of unconditional election were true? Paul's sincere desire for the redemption of all men was in harmony with God's love for all of mankind (Romans 10:1-3; 11:15; John 3:16; I Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).
The apostle was saddened at the present condition of his people in light of the Lord's divine purpose in the election of physical Israel.
"Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen" (Romans 9:4-5).
Ironically, God had chosen Israel in order to bring the Messiah into the world to bless all who would seek him by faith and now they were the very ones who were rejecting the promised Christ (Romans 1:1-5).
The First Objection: God's Faithfulness "If the Gospel Is True, Then God Has Been Unfaithful To Israel" (9:6-13)
Paul answers the Jewish accusation that the gospel would result in God being unfaithful to His promise to Israel by demonstrating that His word had not failed in anyway.
"But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: 'At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son'" (Romans 9:6-9).
It was not that God had failed in His promise, but the Jews had developed a false sense of security and misunderstanding of the promise itself. Not all of those who were members of physical Israel were a part of spiritual Israel (9:6). Paul clearly differentiates between the "children of the flesh" and the "children of the promise." The "children of the promise" are those who are the true seed, i.e. those who believe.
"Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'All the nations will be blessed in you.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer… Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith…and if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:7-9, 13-14, 29).
Paul uses Hebrew parallelism and flips oppositional phrases in order to emphasize his point. He uses the term "seed" in two different ways to demonstrate that the Jews had missed the application of the promise. One time Paul uses the phrase "seed of Abraham" to reference physical Israel (9:7), whereas he uses the phrase "counted for the seed" (9:8) to reference those who are spiritual Israel. He is distinguishing between the "children of God," as the class of believers and the "children of the flesh," as the class of unbelievers (Romans 4:11, 12, 16). It was imperative that his hearers come to understand that it is not physical descent, but spiritual descent that comprises the faithful of God (Romans 2:28-29).
Isaac was not personally elected unconditionally before the foundation of the world, but he was saved from his sins by faith (Hebrews 11:20). Paul's point in Romans 9:9 is not about Isaac's personal salvation, but God's decision that he constitute a part in the lineage which brought the Messiah into the world, "For this is the word of promise, 'At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son" (Romans 9:9, cf. Genesis 18:14). Again it must be emphasized that the phrase "word of promise" identifies the provision of the Messiah for the whole world through the Jewish people: i.e. "Sarah shall have a son."
It cannot be over-emphasized that God's word had not failed, because physical Israel had fulfilled the purpose for which God had chosen them as a nation. The choice of God in accordance with His divine purpose, to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham, would stand through the lineage of Jacob, not Esau.
"And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, 'The older shall serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated' (Romans 9:10-13).
The belief or unbelief of Israel would not alter the purpose of God to offer mercy to all nations through Christ. Paul wrote, "For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?" (Romans 3:3). God's choice to use ethnic Israel to fulfill His purpose was not dependent upon their goodness, evil, or works, but God's faithfulness (9:16; 11:28).
Those who argue that this passage refers to God's unconditional election of particular individuals to salvation do so in spite of the context not because of it. Paul's statement that "the older will serve the younger" is a quotation from Genesis 25:23: "And the LORD said to her: 'Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.'" Historically, Esau never personally served Jacob, yetthe Edomites, as Esau's descendents, did serve Israel, the descendents of Jacob. (Genesis 33:4, 5; 2 Samuel 8:13, 14).
Scripture demonstrates that God's love of Jacob and hatred of Esau did not refer to their personal salvation, but to God bestowing His blessing upon the nation of Israel. Long after the decease of both Jacob and Esau the scripture records the following, "I have loved you," says the LORD. 'Yet you say, 'In what way have you loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?' says the LORD. 'Yet Jacob I have loved;but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness" (Malachi 1:2, 3).
So why do we read of Isaac being chosen over Ishmael and Jacob being chosen over Esau? It was important for Israel to understand that even their place in the provision of the Messiah was by God's sovereign choice. The ones NOT chosen (Ishmael & Esau) are NOT thereby condemned to hell; they are simply excluded from having a part in the working out of God's redemptive plan. Jehovah has the sovereign right to choose how he will work out His redemptive purposes and through whom He does so.
If the election of Romans 9:11 is that of personal salvation then there are grave consequences regarding the nature of God, for the election of this verse was not based on any good or evil that Jacob or Esau did. The logical conclusion for the proponent of Calvinism is that all those who are damned to hell are not condemned ultimately because of their "evil," but due to the fact that God did not have any redemptive love for them.
Stephen Garrett, a Calvinistic Baptist, in expressing his view of Romans chapter 9 said,
". . . Brother, when you talk about God loving somebody and God hating somebody, are you not talking about eternal salvation? He hated Esau before He was born and He says it was not based on any evil that he did"[3]
Gene Cook, Jr., a well known defender of Calvinistic theology said in discussion of this context,
"'Non elect infants who die in their infancy will spend eternity in hell' – I would answer true to that question, you have to be elect in order to be saved. If this question is false, then we should perform abortion, because abortion is the greatest evangelistic act that has ever taken place since the time that Jesus walked the face of the earth, because everyone of those children are going straight to heaven according to Mr. Brown's theology"[4]
"So when he (Bruce Reeves) stands over here and says, 'His' (Gene Cook, Jr.) 'God is a monster, his God is not fair, his God sends little babies to hell … there is nothing they can do about it,' he (Bruce Reeves) is really arguing against the God of the Bible…"[5]
"You just got up and heard Mr. Reeves make the argument that my version of God is a God who puts one baby on the saved list and another baby not on the saved list and I'm going to show you from Romans chapter nine that that's what the Scripture says" [6]
It is here that it becomes painfully obvious that Calvinistic theology must ignore the immediate context of this section of scripture, as well as the remote context of scripture in order to uphold its position. Those who are willing to abuse this text to teach unconditional individualistic election take unwarranted liberties with scripture for one reason and one reason alone: to affirm their own theology. The view that would assert that "God is the first cause of all evil,"[7] "the devil does what God commands him to do, no more and no less"[8] and the total inherent inability of men to seek Christ by faith does not come to the book of Romans in an unbiased fashion. Calvinists have in many ways put all of their eggs in the basket of Romans nine and it is my conviction that this very text may be the key to removing the underpinnings of Calvinism: that is a false view of sovereignty!
The application of Romans 9 to unconditional individualistic election violates the very point that Paul was trying to make to the Jews, and that is, that God intended Israel to be the conduit for the provision of salvation for all who would believe. Those who will say that "God provided salvation for all men," but foreordained from eternity that they would not and could not respond are guilty of illogical doubletalk in order to avoid the necessary conclusion of their teaching.[9]
Second Objection: God's Righteousness "If the Gospel is True, Then God Has Been Unrighteous in His Dealings with Us." (9:14-18)
The Jews were insulted by the truth that believing Gentiles would be included in spiritual Israel whereas unbelieving Jews would be excluded. Paul writes, "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not" (Romans 9:14). Paul affirms that God is righteous in offering mercy to the Gentiles through faith in Christ, as well as to believing Jews (Romans 9:30-33).
Israel was on dangerous ground in questioning both God and His gospel,
"For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.' So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:15-17).
This passage is expressing God's willingness and right to extend His mercy to all men that seek Him by faith. After all, God had historically extended mercy to Israel in spite of themselves (Ex. 33:4-23; Rom. 10:20, 21).
This portion of Romans has been terribly proof-texted by some to deny the ability of men to choose faith in Christ, when in fact its actual purpose is to defend God's sovereign choice for "whosoever wills" to come and take of the "water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).
Paul writes, "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:16). It is critical that we interpret this verse in light of the theme of the chapter. We see that the will of the Jewish people notwithstanding, the invitation to salvation to all those who would believe fell into the realm of God's choice. The phrase "it is not of him that wills or runs" refers to "the word of promise" (9:9, 16), i.e. the offering of salvation to Gentile believers. The Jews' disdain for the scope of the gospel including Gentiles would never supersede God's plan to "show mercy." God's choice that physical Israel would bring the Messiah into the world and, thus, be a blessing to Jewish and Gentile believers could not be revoked even by those who rejected Christ (Romans 11:28; Ephesians 3:1-5). It is in this sense that God's Messianic promise was not based on the Jews' will, but His choice.
Why is the hardening of Pharaoh brought into the discussion at this juncture? The writer is not taking an unrelated excursion, but he is introducing a well known event in Israel's history which is meant to serve as a powerful illustration of the futility of resisting God's purpose to extend mercy.
"For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.'Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens" (Romans 9:17-18).
Albert Barnes precludes any intimation that God directly forced Pharaoh to do evil.
"Margin, in Exodus 9:16, 'made thee stand,' i.e. sustained thee . . . That is, I have kept thee from death; I have preserved thee from ruin; I have ministered strength to thee, so that thy full character has been developed. It does not mean that God had infused into his mind any positive evil or that by any direct influence he had excited any evil feelings, but that he had kept him in circumstances which were fitted to develop his true character."[10]
The scripture explains that God providentially allowed Pharaoh the opportunity to do what he desired to do by maintaining the circumstances that would allow him the ability to carry out his true wishes, "For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up [or have spared you, NIV mg.] for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exodus 9:15-16).
How had Pharaoh been hardened? We read that God hardened his heart, but we also read that he hardened his own heart (Exodus 9:34; 10:1). The Lord confronted Pharaoh through Moses and commanded that he let Israel go. Pharaoh responded by refusing Moses' demands and, thus, hardened his own heart and rebelled against God and His word. The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, in that, He provided the occasion for Pharaoh to respond as he did. When God tells a man to do something that he does not desire to do – He hardens by his truth. It has been said that "the same sun that softens butter, hardens clay."
It is worthwhile to note the similarities between Pharaoh and Israel. God providentially maintained Pharaoh in circumstances that permitted him to express his character and likewise God had shown mercy to Israel in order to bring the Messiah into the world (Galatians 4:4). Just as Pharaoh had rejected God's word to his own demise, likewise, Israel was rejecting God's word to their own condemnation (Romans 9:27-29). God's mercy and deliverance for his true people hardened those who remained in unbelief. This is a point that cannot be missed: God's purpose was not thwarted by their rebellion. If anyone should have remembered the end of Pharaoh it should have been the Jews. Yet, they were following in his footsteps by their attempt to interfere with his expression of mercy to those who would serve Him.
Third Objection: God's Fairness "If the Gospel is True, God Has Not Been Fair In His Treatment of Israel" (9:19-33)
The Jewish defiance against the gospel's inclusion of Gentile believers, as well as its rejection of Jewish unbelievers escalates to a charge against God Himself, "You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?'" (Romans 9:19)
The Jewish conception is that since God established Israel as His people through Abraham and through the Law, God is unfair if He rejects circumcised Jews who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ (Rom. 2:17-24; 9:14). Basically they were blaming God for their own unbelief, as if they had caught God in the "horns of a dilemma." Their reasoning seems distorted, but it is similar to the discussion earlier in Romans,
"But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous is He? (I am speaking in human terms). May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world… Their condemnation is just" (Romans 3:5-6, 8).
How could God use the Jewish people to provide the Messiah and yet reject them due to their unbelief? The Jews' accusation against the gospel according to Paul was in reality slander against God Himself. To argue that God's use of unbelievers to accomplish His purposes renders Him responsible for their wickedness is slanderous.
The Calvinistic interpretation of this passage grants the Jewish argument Paul denies! It is only by divorcing vv. 10-24 from the surrounding context that this passage has been interpreted primarily in terms of unconditional individual election.
Paul rebukes the perverse rebelliousness of the unbelieving Jew,
"But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this?' Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" (Romans 9:20-21).
The unbelieving Jews had no right to demand God to be answerable to them – God sets the criteria for justification, not them (Rom. 10:1-3). The Jews were attempting to obligate God to fulfill their false concepts of His purpose, which were contrary to Old Testament scripture.
The potter-clay metaphor has been sorely abused by Calvinistic expositors, but by reading the original Old Testament passages from which the apostle Paul is quoting we can receive a clearer understanding of his line of argumentation.
"Therefore the LORD said: 'Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, 14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.'Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, and their works are in the dark; They say, 'Who sees us?' and, 'Who knows us?' 16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; for shall the thing made say of him who made it, 'He did not make me'? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?" (Isaiah 29:13-16)
Isaiah's use of the potter-clay metaphor evidently does not fit with the Calvinistic viewpoint. Notice that Isaiah says, "…They have removed their hearts far from me." One is made to wonder how this fits with the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints within their theology. Contextually, we observe the real meaning of the potter-clay metaphor when Isaiah warns the people,
"Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; for shall the thing made say of him who made it, 'He did not make me'? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?"
This is precisely why Paul employs the metaphor under consideration. The Jews had everything "turned around," by attempting to dictate to God who should be the recipients of the gospel invitation and what the conditions should be for salvation.
Jeremiah similarly uses the metaphor in his reproof of the people of God,
"The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 'Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.' 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?' says the LORD. 'Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. 11 'Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,' 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. ' "And they said, 'That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart'" (Jeremiah 18:1-12).
One might be interested to take note of the many aspects of Calvinism the context of Jeremiah contradicts. For instance, there was clay that was marred in the hand of the potter. Was it the clay's fault or the Potter's fault? Has God eternally decreed that unbelievers be damned? It is also obvious that he is addressing the nation of Israel, e.g. the phrase "O house of Israel." The potter-clay metaphor references the right of God to demand that certain conditions be met by His people and they are refusing to do so, just as the Jews were refusing to believe in Christ for salvation.
With the proper background to the citations Paul offers as the foundation for his reproof of unbelieving Jews we resume our study of Romans nine. God has chosen what He will do regarding the clay, (sinner), in that he has chosen to respond to the clay, (sinner), according to his/her repentance or lack of repentance.
By quoting the potter-clay metaphor Paul essentially tells the Jews that God will deal with men based on their repentance—as he has always said he would deal with them. The image is that of the vessel of dishonor blaming its position on the Potter, rather than humbly submitting to God. The Potter determines the standard or criteria of acceptance, i.e., vessel of honor or vessel of dishonor.
The writer now exonerates God's treatment of unfaithful ethnic Israel. His patience with them was not to be interpreted as either acceptance or indifference toward their sin.
"What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?" (Romans 9:22-24)
God's patience and grace was an overt expression of God's love and mercy and an indication that the greater glory redounds to God by the salvation of sinners than by their destruction.
The nature of the categories or classes, i.e. "vessels of his mercy" and "vessels of his wrath," is unchanging, but the inclusion of an individual in either category or class is based on that individual's own response to the offer of grace (Rom 10:1-3; 11:22).
The Calvinist cannot successfully harmonize his view of unconditional individualistic election with Paul's presentation of conditional election in Romans 11:16-33.
Both his explanation regarding the "natural branches," i.e. unbelieving Jews, being cut off and his warning to "wild branches," i.e. Gentile believers, about the possibility of their own apostasy demand a conditional view of election.
"But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.' Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either. Behold the kindness and severity of God, to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again" (Romans 9:17-23).
There has been some controversy over the use of the term "prepared" (NASB) or "fitted" in Romans 9:22. The issue has been over whether or not it should be read in middle voice or passive voice, but at the end of the day none of this changes the meaning of the context. Scholars on both sides of the technical question end up in the same place and only a strained and biased perspective would lead one to ascribe to God responsibility for the condition of the "vessels of dishonor." Such an argument would violate his infinite holiness (I John 1:5).
The Greek word, κατηρτισμενον, is the accusative plural neuter form of the perfect participle passive of the verb "prepare," "make," or "create." However, since there is no separate form to express the perfect participle of this verb in the middle voice, the rule in Greek is that the perfect participle passive form would be used to express the middle sense if a writer had that intent. Since the form could have either a passive or middle sense, context and interpretation would determine in what sense the form should be taken. The middle voice expresses action that an object performs on itself.
This is why some scholars believe it should be read in the middle voice. The entry for "kat-artizo" in the Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, pp. 418-19, has a reference to Rom. 9:22. The entry reads: "…vessels of wrath, created for destruction or, ready (ripe) f. destruction, or, taking k. as a mid., having prepared themselves for destruction." W.E. Vine comments, "Fitted / Prepared. . . in Rom. 9:22 . . . the Middle Voice signifies that those referred to 'fitted' themselves for destruction"[11]
However, the comments of some scholars who take it to be the passive form rules out any interpretation which would argue that God made these vessels as they were and then derives pleasure from damning them.
C.H. Spurgeon: "Are there not some of you here present, who are being fitted for destruction? God is not fitting you, you are fitting yourselves, by daily developing and indulging the depravity of your heart. …Are you not making yourselves ready to be as stubble fully dried, cast into the oven of his wrath? This is not to be laid to the charge of God, but at your own door the guilt must be. If you perish any one of you, on your own head shall be your blood. The eternal God is not guilty of the murder of men's souls, they that die and sink in hell are suicides; they have rejected mercy, they have despised the Savior, they have chosen sin and hated holiness" (Sermons on Romans).
John Gill "…these are said to be 'fitted for destruction', that is, eternal damnation; not by God, …but by Satan … and by themselves, by their own wickedness, hardness of heart, and impenitence, do they treasure up to themselves wrath, against the day of wrath, so that their destruction is of themselves.." (Comments on Romans 9:22)
William Hendriksen: "Paul does not state who it was that prepared these people or made them ripe for destruction. From 9:18 some have drawn the conclusion that it was God. But here in v. 22 we are not told that it was God…But it is not at all impossible that the apostle wishes to present a contrast between the present passage and verse 23, where the active agent is mentioned, in order to show that here, in verse 22, the people themselves … were the active agents…" (Commentary on Romans 9:22)
Indeed the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. Paul identified those who chose unbelief as being their own worst enemy, "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2:5).
Paul supports his argument with scripture in a masterful manner. Israel's salvation was dependent upon faith in Christ as Messiah (10:1-3). The notion that Gentiles were to be a part of the body of Christ had been prophesied by Hosea. Additionally, the fact that there would be a remnant of physical Israel saved had been prophesied by Isaiah. All of Israel that would be saved, would be saved in the same manner as the Gentiles, i.e. through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 11:26).
In summary, we find that Paul's illustrations demonstrated irrefutably that the Jewish objections to the gospel were without merit and an expression of disrespect toward God Himself.
He spoke of God choosing Jacob over Esau in order to demonstrate that God did not choose Israel as a nation for salvation, but that He chose Israel as a nation to provide the Savior. He spoke of Pharaoh's interaction with Jehovah in order to demonstrate that God sets the terms of mercy and not Israel.
Finally, he used the Potter-Clay metaphor in order to demonstrate from Old Testament scripture man's need and ability to repent and God's sovereign right to demand that he do so.
May we all submit to the great God of heaven and come to appreciate his Sovereign Love in His Son Jesus Christ.
[1] We are told by R.C. Sproul, a well known Calvinist, that Romans 9 proves Calvinistic theology and disproves the non-Calvinist approach (R.C. Sproul, Chosen By God, [Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1986], page 151).
[2] (Brian Abasciano, PhD – Paul's Use of the Old Testament in Romans 9.1-9: An Intertextual and Theological Exegesis, 31 [The Library of New Testament Studies]).
[3] Quoted in Reeves-Garrett Debate, Reeves' Third Affirmative
[4] (David P. Brown & Gene Cook, Jr. Debate, Feb 16, 2000)
[5]Reeves-Cook Debate, Gene Cook's Fourth Negative, June 24, 2005
[6] Reeves-Cook Debate, Cook's Fourth Negative, June 24, 2005).
[7] "Both evil and good come from God…So what happens when you emphasize the will of man, then evil becomes only associated, there is no sense in which God decrees evil, there is no sense in which God wills evil and so evil is only from the heart of man and from the heart of Satan,… but we recognize as reformed Christians that those are secondary causes, that the first cause of evil is God, Himself…Man does not resist evil when he is fulfilling the decrees of God"(Is God schizophrenic? "The Two Wills of God" Gene Cook – 8/12/05)
[9] Stephen Garrett has written on his blog, www.baptistgadfly.com: "I am confirmed in my 'five point' Calvinism, although I have come to see how God has a general love for all men, and has provided salvation for every man."
[10] Barnes' Notes, Romans, 206
[11] Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words, p. 241


text:
On Monday, All the Homeless Beneath U.S. 59 Underpass in Midtown Disappeared
Where did all the homeless go?
Meagan Flynn
Just like that, the dozens of homeless people or vagrants camped out beneath the U.S. 59 underpass near Wheeler Station disappeared on Monday, leaving their bicycles and comfy chairs and makeshift tents behind.
Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Perez told the Houston Press that, after the Houston Police Department raised safety concerns about many people wandering into the road, including the U.S. 59 exit ramp, TxDOT began constructing a large fence around the area to keep people from entering and to keep them safe.
"Some are under the influence of some type of substance. They're not paying attention. They're not looking both ways. And you've got vehicles coming down that ramp at a high rate of speed," Perez said. "The concern was that there would be a serious accident and someone would be seriously hurt, not just the person that's crossing, but the motorist: somebody trying to swerve and make a last-minute move."
The underpass had long been known as a hot spot, particularly for the synthetic drug known as kush, and on a trip to the urban campground on any given day, kush users could be seen swaying back and forth right next to the guardrail, or lying in the dirt, or standing zombie-like, seemingly unaware of their surroundings. Complaints about the ruckus and the vices have flooded city government for months, as kush continued to plague the streets of Houston and city emergency-response resources. Marc Eichenbaum, Mayor Sylvester Turner's special assistant for homeless initiatives, told the Houston Press on a trip to the underpass that it was the city's last remaining kush hot spot — albeit a rather large hurdle.
Now, with all the underpass dwellers and kush users gone from the area, the obvious question is, well, where did they go?
We were unable to find out by the end of the day Monday. One man who had just gotten off the light rail at Wheeler Station told us that he had seen homeless people being loaded onto buses earlier in the afternoon — buses that were not affiliated with Metro. KPRC, which had a crew present during the quasi-evacuation, reported that homeless organizations were on the scene as police helped TxDOT clear out the area to begin fence construction. Thinking Star of Hope might have been one, since we have seen the organization passing out free water and help at the location in the past, we contacted the organization but did not hear back by press time. City officials also did not get back to us by press time, either (though were contacted late in the afternoon).
Some people at the Metro light rail station speculated that the city was simply trying to clean up the area before the Super Bowl by sweeping away all its homeless.
However, recent efforts suggest the city is actually making serious strides toward permanently housing the homeless and helping them find work — not simply relocating them so they become another street's problem. As we reported recently, in the past four years, the city has permanently housed more than 8,000 homeless people — 3,300 who were chronically homeless and 4,920 who were veterans, meaning veteran homelessness has essentially been wiped out in Houston, officials said at a recent press conference.
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"It is less expensive to house the chronically homeless with supportive services than it is merely to walk by them on the street," Mayor Turner said at the time.
We will update this story once we can find out where all the people were taken. Eichenbaum has told us in the past that not everyone there is homeless — some are just there for the kush — and so perhaps some simply left the party and went home.
Meagan Flynn
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Wyatt Earp (1994)
Directed by
Starring (View all)
Kevin Costner
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Dennis Quaid
Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
Gene Hackman
Nicholas Earp
Nicholas Earp
David Andrews
James Earp
James Earp
Linden Ashby
Morgan Earp
Morgan Earp
Jeff Fahey
Ike Clanton
Ike Clanton
Joanna Going
Josie Marcus
Josie Marcus
Mark Harmon
Sheriff Johnny Behan
Sheriff Johnny Behan
Written by
Dan Gordon
(written by) and
(written by) and
Lawrence Kasdan
(written by)
(written by)
69 votesRazzie award worst movie of the year (192 items)
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Description: Wyatt Earp is a 1994 semi-biographical Western film, written by Dan Gordon and Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Kasdan. It stars Kevin Costner in the title role as lawman Wyatt Earp, and features an ensemble cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Joanna Going, Tom Sizemore, Bill Pullman, JoBeth Williams, Linden Ashby, and Mare Winningham. The film opens with Wyatt Earp as a teenager living on the family farm. His older brothers, Virgil and James, are away at war serving with the Union Army. Wyatt dreams of war, and packs some belongings, bids his younger siblings goodbye, and attempts to run a ... (more)
Release date: 24 June 1994
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Kevin Costner Films Viewed by Kathy (16 movies items)
" Director: Lawrence Kasdan Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Joanna Going, Tom Sizemore, Bill Pullman, JoBeth Williams, Linden Ashby and Mare Winningham Epic version of the legendary western sheriff-gunslinger's life story. "
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Top 10 Razzie Winning Movies We Secretly Love (10 movies items)
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"Cast: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Linden Ashby, Jeff Fahey, Annabeth Gish, Joanna Going, Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Catherine O'Hara, Bill Pullman, Isabella Rossellini, Tom Sizemore, JoBeth Williams, and Mare Winningham. "
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ASC Award for Best Cinematography (Film): 1990s (52 movies items)
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Developers in East London
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Pioneer Point
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Pioneer Point, 3-5 Winston Way, Ilford, IG1 2FS
Ballymore - Goodluck Hope
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Royal Wharf Royal Wharf grasps one of the last opportunities to build a new town within London, introducing 3,385 residential units to a prime ... Full details
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Upton Gardens will deliver 842 new properties and consist of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes. Located in Newham and formerly home to the ... Full details
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OFF GALLEONS DRIVE, Barking, IG11 0GU
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Bellway - Dockside
Dockside, Canary Wharf, E14 9RD
Welcome to Dockside Dockside is a contemporary development of new homes in London Docklands, comprising a mix of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom ... Full details
Bellway - Lansbury Square
Welcome to Lansbury Square - visit us today to reserve your new home. Lansbury Square is a contemporary development of new homes in ... Full details
Berkeley - South Quay Plaza
183-185 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9SH
South Quay Plaza is a unique 68 storey dockside development adjacent to Canary Wharf, London's newest financial district. The Tower is to be one ... Full details
Canary Wharf - One Park Drive
One Park Drive, Canary Wharf, E14 9SB
One Park Drive, Canary Wharf London's First Residential Tower by Herzog & de Meuron Now Available. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, One ... Full details
Chalegrove Properties Ltd - Landmark Pinnacle
15 Westferry Road, London, E14 9AB
15 Westferry Road, London, E14 9AB
Clarion Housing - East City Point
Hammersley Road, Canning Town, E16 1RA
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Countryside - East City Point
Fife Road, Canning Town, London, E16 1QB
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Countryside - Feature 17
Marlowe Road, Walthamstow, E17 3HH
Coming Soon to Walthamstow in Winter 2017 Feature17 is a brand new Countryside development coming soon to Walthamstow with an excellent modern ... Full details
Countryside - St Pauls Square
Geoff Cade Way, Bow, E3 4GJ
Located in one of the most vibrant parts of the East End of London, this exciting development in Bow features a fantastic range of 1, 2, 3 and 4 ... Full details
East Thames - Prospect East
Leyton Road, London, E15 1DT
Leyton Road, London, E15 1DT
East Thames - Royal Dock Gardens
Royal Dock Gardens, Berwick Road, Custom House, London, E16 3DS
Royal Dock Gardens, Berwick Road, Custom House, London, E16 3DS
East Thames - The Fusion
Plasma Court, 6 Bacon Street, Shoreditch, E1 6LF
Plasma Court, 6 Bacon Street, Shoreditch, E1 6LF
Fairview Homes - Phoenix
1 Bloomfield Street, London, E14 6BX
Register your details to find out what's coming soon. Poplar is an historic residential area of East London just a stone's throw from Canary ... Full details
Family Mosaic - Stratford High Street
River Heights, 90 High Street, Stratford, E15 2GQ
River Heights, 90 High Street, Stratford, E15 2GQ
Family Mosaic - Turnberry Quay
Turnberry Quay, Tower Hamlets, E14 9RD
Turnberry Quay, Tower Hamlets, E14 9RD
Galliard Homes - Baltimore Wharf
Baltimore Tower, 25 Crossharbour Plaza, London, E14 9TA
Baltimore Wharf Set to become a new landmark for luxury living, The Apartments at 9 Baltimore Wharf incorporate 14 exclusive 1, 2 & 3 bedroom ... Full details
Galliard Homes - Harbour Central
Harbour Central 64 Marsh Wall Isle of Dogs, london, E14 9SL
The spectacular Harbour Central is a brand new development in London's Docklands, comprising of five residential buildings and a leisure complex; ... Full details


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AFTER TEX by Sherryl Woods, (c) 1999/2013. This story was a nice, yet predictable read. We all know love will triumph in the end in a Sherryl Woods story. This one involves Megan O'Rourke who's head of a media empire in New York City. After her grandfather Tex O'Rourke passes away Megan is called home for the first time in 5 years. (Honestly I can't ever imagine staying away from my home and a beloved grampa that long even if we didn't see eye to eye on my lifestyle).
Once Megan arrives home she is greeted by her old love Jake Landers and the fact that she's now the guardian of her own eight year old aunt! Doesn't that sound complicated? It seems Tex was lonely after Megan left for New York and got himself involved with a woman of loose morals, whom dumped the child with Tex and took off six months earlier. Well, I think I'll let you read the book to find out the ending.


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Hey, so after seeing other people so openly willing to share knowledge, I figured I should go ahead and share some of my ML strategies. My Bot is sitting around 9-11 right now, and I have another one that is also doing ok. I started from the Halite-ML-starter-bot . I'm just going to go over some important topics that should be useful to other people when thinking about how to make their ML bot better! Be warned, this article assumes a fair bit of knowledge about deep learning, so anything that's unclear, please post a question and I will definitely make sure to respond.
This is my far the most underrated topic. People just put their favourite in-built default optimizer on the job and then assume that they are all equivalent. They aren't. Try different ones. Here are some general guidelines for Halite:- Momentum isn't always the best because it tends to overshoot the minima. After moving from Nadam to RMSProp I went up from 77% accuracy to around 81%. - Look at what's happening when it's training. Is it going up then down? You probably have a large step size/learning rate. Is it barely moving? It's probably too small. Does it start off well and then taper off? Maybe the decay is to steep etc. Here is a good resource that goes over all the optimizers.
Everyone thinks that get as much training data as possible, but it's important to maintain consistently. If I feed it data from acoutte and erdman, they have very different strategies. So it would get confused. There's a funny example. If you're trying to teach a model to avoid a tree. Then giving it examples of going left and going right, then going into the tree minimizes loss! So make sure you give consistent data. When I trained it on 3k samples it broke top 40. Then I trained it on 175 samples of erdman v11 only, and it broke top 16.
So there are a couple challenges we face when designing a good deep learning architecture. Changing Map sizes, varying number of players, symmetry etc. The current way people have tried to do this is by saying that for each square you own, the move is calculated independantly. So you take a nxn square around a square you own and ask an NN to predict the move it should make. In the starter bot it's 3 fully connected layers that are each of size 512 then one final that outputs a softmax over 5 values. This is ok, but upon closer inspection, this is actually equivalent to running a convolution network of the shape nxnx4x512->1x1x512x512->1x1x512x512->1x1x512x5 then evaluating the board for positions you own. And this is weird, since nobody actually runs a bunch of 1x1 convolutions for a task like this. So instead I run a 3x3x4x200->3x3x200x150->3x3x150x100->3x3x100x100->11x11x100x5. This improved accuracy from about 72->77. This bot finished 10th, altho I submitted it again and it finished 13th now.
Another important thing to realize is 170 games can turn into 1360 games by adding 4 rotations, then a flip and then 4 rotations for every training example. This remains consistent and helps avoid games where your bot has never seen this before and so it stay's still for the whole game.
Make sure to understand all of the ML starter bot's code. There's a lot going on. And make sure to evaluate every change by keeping everything constant and adding the change. Because sometimes you will be surprised at what happens when you make many changes together and no idea why.
Good Luck!Happy Machine Learning!
Do you believe Deep Learning is the correct direction for learning or have you also tried 'older' methods such as penalized regression?
I can't entirely speak to @KalraA's process (since I'm not him) but I've chatted a lot with him on the Discord channel (incidentally, if you're interested, there's a machine learning thread on the channel) and my understanding is that he's been mostly working in the realm of supervised deep learning with CNNs and occasionally a touch of RL?
That makes sense, thanks!
Accuracy can be a misleading metric. A bot that just picks STILL every turn achieves a similar level of accuracy, depending on what samples you are training on.
I get around 81% accuracy for actual moves and 90% accuracy for STILLs.
So I have it print the number of each class before training, and I always make sure it's close to even! But good observation.


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text: "I tried to talk them down. They made a grab for my Ghost. After that it was a short conversation." - Ikora Rey Invective was Ikora Rey's weapon of choice during her younger, more rebellious days. An ideal fallback for situations that can't be solved by wit, quick talk, or pure intimidation, this modified shotgun uses a self-replicating magazine to keep its owner well-stocked for any and all trouble that waits beyond the City. Retrieved from "http://destiny.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Grimoire_Cards/Invective?oldid=155664" Categories: Special Weapons Grimoire Cards Add category Cancel Save


text:
mmmmm :3
Red and white. Lovely contrast.
Assalamualaikum. :3
Red Velvet is traditionally a Christian wedding cake. But now it's widely popular and enjoyed at any times, wedding or no wedding.It seems to be a rage among my friends right now, so, I decided this will be an awesome way to start my cakes business again. Tomorrow, first day of selling. :3
Pray for my success yeah?
60g butter
45g brown sugar
100g flour (sifted, thrice )
2 eggs
1 tsp of baking powder
1tbsp cocoa powder
Bright red food colouring
. Cream the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy
. Add in the eggs one by one, beating well each time ( about 5 minutes for each egg )
. Fold in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Folding is a technique used to incorporate air into the mixture, to ensure it rises when it bakes, and the texture fluffy and light. It's very different from stirring or mixing. Hmm. I wish I could show you this.
. Add in as much food colouring as needed to get the right brightnedd of red. About 2tsp should do, I think.
. Spoon then into the paper cups and bake for about 10 minutes on 150'c
. Leave to cool. Decorate with white butter cream frosting.
Happy baking, people ! :3


text:
Traveling Luck for Søre Sandviki, Hordaland, Norway
Where is Sore Sandviki?What's around Sore Sandviki?
Wikipedia near Sore Sandviki
Where to stay near Søre Sandviki
The timezone in Sore Sandviki is Europe/Oslo
Sunrise at 05:13 and Sunset at 20:11. It's light
Latitude. 60.6197°, Longitude. 4.8569°
Weather near Søre Sandviki; Report from Bergen / Flesland, 44.1km away
Weather :
Temperature: 15°C / 59°F
Wind: 3.5km/h West/Northwest
Cloud: Few at 2500ft Scattered at 4000ft Broken at 8500ft
Weather :
Temperature: 15°C / 59°F
Wind: 3.5km/h West/Northwest
Cloud: Few at 2500ft Scattered at 4000ft Broken at 8500ft
Satellite map around Søre Sandviki
Loading map of Søre Sandviki and it's surroudings
Geographic features & Photographs around Søre Sandviki, in Hordaland, Norway
- lake;
- a large inland body of standing water.
- Rotevatnet (2.7km)
- Storevatnet (3km)
- Husvatnet (3km)
- Dalsvatnet (3.1km)
- Hjelmevatnet (3.7km)
- Husvatnet (3.9km)
- inlet;
- a narrow waterway extending into the land, or connecting a bay or lagoon with a larger body of water.
- Sturekylpa (0.9km)
- Austre Sturevågen (1km)
- Vestre Sturevågen (1.5km)
- Skjoldspollen (2.8km)
- Søre Selsvågen (3.9km)
- reef(s);
- a surface-navigation hazard composed of consolidated material.
- Sandvikflui (0.2km)
- Heimferdfluene (0.3km)
- Kvalflui (1.2km)
- Ådnesflui (2km)
- Midtskallen (2.1km)
- island;
- a tract of land, smaller than a continent, surrounded by water at high water.
- Skarvholmen (1.2km)
- Stureholmen (1.4km)
- Alvøyni (2.1km)
- Fureholmen (2.6km)
- Sauøyni (3.6km)
Accommodation around Søre Sandviki
- rock;
- a conspicuous, isolated rocky mass.
- Storegrøningen (1.9km)
- Lislegrøningen (2km)
- Rakevikskjeret (2.3km)
- Hopøyholmen (2.5km)
- Mefjordbåen (3.6km)
- bank(s);
- an elevation, typically located on a shelf, over which the depth of water is relatively shallow but sufficient for most surface navigation.
- Stureskallen (1.8km)
- Søre Revet (2.7km)
- Nordre Revet (3.3km)
- Søreskallen (3.5km)
- Svenneskallen (3.7km)
- rocks;
- conspicuous, isolated rocky masses.
- Tverflui (1.4km)
- Styremannsflui (1.8km)
- Hallgjengskjeri (2km)
- Okseflui (2.1km)
- cove(s);
- a small coastal indentation, smaller than a bay.
- Søre Sandviki (0km)
- Nordviki (3.6km)
- Nordre Kvalviki (3.6km)
- Grunnvågen (3.8km)
- point;
- a tapering piece of land projecting into a body of water, less prominent than a cape.
- Sandvikneset (0.2km)
- Heimferdneset (0.5km)
- Ådneset (2km)
- marine channel;
- that part of a body of water deep enough for navigation through an area otherwise not suitable.
- Hattesundet (2.7km)
- Tjeldstøsundet (3.2km)
- Langøysundet (3.8km)
- hill;
- a rounded elevation of limited extent rising above the surrounding land with local relief of less than 300m.
- Arset (0.7km)
- Sjonarhaugen (1.7km)
- populated locality;
- an area similar to a locality but with a small group of dwellings or other buildings.
- Eide (3.7km)
- administrative division;
- an administrative division of a country, undifferentiated as to administrative level.
- Hjelme Herad (3.7km)
- peninsula;
- an elongate area of land projecting into a body of water and nearly surrounded by water.
- Synneset (1.1km)
- bight(s);
- an open body of water forming a slight recession in a coastline.
- Nordre Sandviki (1.2km)
- bay;
- a coastal indentation between two capes or headlands, larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf.
- Kvernhusosen (1.8km)
Wikipedia entries close to
Søre Sandviki
- Øygarden city city l
- Herdla isle isle
- Radøy city city l
- Rossland, Norway city city o
- Meland city city k
- HMS Tapir (P335)
- Austrheim city city l
- Vikavågen city city o
- Fedje city city n
- Hjartås city city o
- Skjelviki city city o
- Hanevik city city o
- Alversund Bridge landmark bridge
- Askevatnet lake
- Askøy city city i
- Frekhaug city city o
Airports close to Søre Sandviki
Bergen flesland(BGO), Bergen, Norway (44.1km)
Soerstokken(SRP), Stord, Norway (102.3km)
Floro(FRO), Floro, Norway (114.3km)
Sogndal haukasen(SOG), Sogndal, Norway (145.8km)
Haugesund karmoy(HAU), Haugesund, Norway (152.7km)
Airfields or small airports close to Søre Sandviki
Boemoen, Bomoen, Norway (95.6km)
Bringeland, Forde, Norway (105.1km)
Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Ex-Con With "Nervous Colon" Robs Bank After Pooping In Parking Lot
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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.comments2017-08-15T08:21:20.782-04:00Life Out HereDownhookhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-12360046266890584752016-11-20T10:39:35.541-05:002016-11-20T10:39:35.541-05:00While I strongly believe in having good, innocent ...While I strongly believe in having good, innocent fun and much laughter in life, I think that is also much in life that is very serious and should be taken as such. When one is in grief, sometimes it's pretty hard to 'feel' anything but pain, even when we KNOW in our hearts that in due time, feeling joy and a light-hearted spirit will return. It's a roller coaster ride. I have no advice as to how to 'unfeel' what you feel at any given moment, except to do what I KNOW you do....cling to your faith and continue to believe that a new season will come, in its own time. <3Wordsmithhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-17219879892802590362016-11-19T10:22:48.879-05:002016-11-19T10:22:48.879-05:00I remember telling my nervous daughter when she wa...I remember telling my nervous daughter when she was on the verge of leaving for a college term in Spain, 'you don't know what's on the other side of the door, but if you don't open it, you will never go anywhere.' Life is about uncertainties, always! But if I've learned anything in life, surprises come with those uncertain times. Let it happen! (keep in mind that I'm not much of an 'organizer'...I'm pretty flexible, and even when I don't know what will happen next, I am CERTAIN that it'll all work out in the end!) <3
Wordsmithhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-74864402827509283772016-11-18T07:21:17.898-05:002016-11-18T07:21:17.898-05:00Great Grandfather Lester kept a large pot of samp ...Great Grandfather Lester kept a large pot of samp on the back of his woodstove all winter. Ready for company every day. :) Samp and pilot crackers with real butter. Now that, as the old folks would at, is some fittin' Bub.Ben Reicharthttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-50523412372396086242016-11-17T22:58:26.587-05:002016-11-17T22:58:26.587-05:00Why do you have to live by a set of rules that you...Why do you have to live by a set of rules that you have imposed upon yourself? I know humans are creatures of habit, but you can do anything you want to do, regardless of what others think or judge you by. You answer to no one except yourself. The most important 6 weeks of the year are upon us now. Embrace the good things in your life, your family, etc. Everything does not have to be neat and perfect and put in their proper place. Relax, and don't take life too email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-12527331851894395422016-11-17T13:21:28.800-05:002016-11-17T13:21:28.800-05:00I afraid this won't be much help but my Grandm...I afraid this won't be much help but my Grandmother always told me, don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Not certain what that even means. :) Ben Reicharthttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-14738700486948691782016-11-16T09:40:00.328-05:002016-11-16T09:40:00.328-05:00Mmmmm....I'm almost ready too. There are such ...Mmmmm....I'm almost ready too. There are such nasty things said ...and differences of opinion seem to bring out the worst in some people. Division more than togetherness. What I used to find such fun and pleasant has turned ugly. Might just have to move along....Wordsmithhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-68568775423583611212016-11-09T19:07:03.433-05:002016-11-09T19:07:03.433-05:00Enjoy them for us! Other than the ocean, it is wh...Enjoy them for us! Other than the ocean, it is what we miss most. Now and then we'll hear two or three, but it's not often. I hope your flock flies over us!Wordsmithhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-61505180320786008602016-11-09T19:03:41.056-05:002016-11-09T19:03:41.056-05:00I'm with you on the sexist comments...in this ...I'm with you on the sexist comments...in this day and age, that should NOT be an issue...nor should what a woman chooses to wear....etc!! I think I'm still a little angry....but not like my Veteran husband is!

I also think terms of the campaigns should be shortened....

And I can only HOPE and pray that we survive another 4 yrs and can choose ANOTHER President.Wordsmithhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-88783273094834878012016-11-05T15:04:34.958-04:002016-11-05T15:04:34.958-04:00Don't your gas pumps have the ability to take ...Don't your gas pumps have the ability to take your credit/debit card ? Here in Greensboro those pumps are available twenty four seven just the convenience store associated with them are closed. You do have to use your card though, no cash
 Ben Reicharthttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-50224808403571689432016-10-29T14:19:29.811-04:002016-10-29T14:19:29.811-04:00Yuck....we have them here, and I hate the little b...Yuck....we have them here, and I hate the little buggers. I squished one ...got no odor, although I hear they do put out a smell. We spray HOME DEFENSE around (comes in a concentrate that is mixed with water and sprayed) every 3 mos or so. Keeps our numbers of critters at bay.Wordsmithhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-16020278750208816762016-10-29T10:25:31.152-04:002016-10-29T10:25:31.152-04:00got'em here too. not too many but you do have ...got'em here too. not too many but you do have to watch for them
Ben Reicharthttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-76644404989850185442016-10-23T07:34:03.063-04:002016-10-23T07:34:03.063-04:00I understand completely what you are talking about...I understand completely what you are talking about. I think it is best that our grandchildren only know us as Grandparents, not so much as people. :) Grandparents should be the stuff of legend and lore is my feeling and I aim to be just that. Ben Reicharthttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-50448498276745802752016-10-21T10:16:58.388-04:002016-10-21T10:16:58.388-04:00never to late to pursue your dreams. What happens...never to late to pursue your dreams.
 What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Langston HughesBen Reicharthttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-31321203686218497612016-10-21T10:00:42.367-04:002016-10-21T10:00:42.367-04:00YES!!! I'm so glad to hear this news! Being ...YES!!! I'm so glad to hear this news! Being creative is the best therapy for any aching heart, because it allows you to pull from places within you things that you didn't even know were n there! I also had some poor advice from a guidance counselor, and went on to work in 'ok' jobs...but not places that encouraged me in any creativity. Now that I'm retired, I can spend time being who I AM, who I've always been I'm glad you are doing the same!! <3
 Wordsmithhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-54217676878920933002016-10-17T10:59:51.952-04:002016-10-17T10:59:51.952-04:00One time I may have been able to deal with much di...One time I may have been able to deal with much differently!

And since I put myself "out there" by blogging you have every right to "suppose"! LOL

Yes-the internet can be a dangerous thing. We all need to be aware.

Thanks for corresponding!Downhookhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-57461564291562782412016-10-17T09:45:35.534-04:002016-10-17T09:45:35.534-04:00We have to believe we are forced outside of our &q...We have to believe we are forced outside of our " comfort " zone to fulfill a purpose. At least that is what I think although I do require constant reminders of that. :) Being comfortable is easier, no doubt about that. You'll find a new normal, a new complacency in life. Ben Reicharthttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-44978317080428119982016-10-16T21:23:50.690-04:002016-10-16T21:23:50.690-04:00Yes, Downhook, I don't know the whole story, n...Yes, Downhook, I don't know the whole story, nor is it any of my business. I thought it was one of "those one time things" males in their 60's are known for, either reconnecting with someone on facebook, or whatever. However, if it went on for years, and lt was all lies, then I agree it was totally unfair to you.

I have been on Facebook for 2 or 3 years now and noticed several dozen old female friends are reconnecting with me. While it is harmless, and we mostly discuss old times, it's still playing with fire and I have to be careful. Those old feelings never really die. Good luck, and I wish you only good email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-52875963997712342012016-10-16T06:23:01.342-04:002016-10-16T06:23:01.342-04:00You wouldn't have regrets necessarily if there...You wouldn't have regrets necessarily if there were good years. But when you find out someone you dedicated a lifetime to was never faithful to you and that your years with them were not even real, that's where the regrets come in. It's difficult to cherish memories that were false.I feel that he is the one who has destroyed that portion of my life, not the regrets I have. That is simply the fallout. Until you walk in my shoes, you have no idea, really. But my faith also tells me to move on. Moving on is a process. And not an easy one at all. I have no idea how much time I have left on the earth but I know that I lived a life of integrity. That's all I can rest on at this point. I cannot fathom not having regrets about time spent with the wrong person. If you can you are a better person than I!Downhookhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-84786207120811779632016-10-15T21:34:28.570-04:002016-10-15T21:34:28.570-04:00"Tell me, how would you respond to betrayal, after..."Tell me, how would you respond to betrayal, after investing a lifetime in someone, with no regrets?"

I assume you are talking about a spouse with whom you are/were married to, for many decades and has gone astray? I would cherish the memories of the time spent with that person the same as I cherish the memories of loved ones and friends who have passed. My faith is strong enough to have no doubt that there will come the day when I am reunited with them. You see, I am old enough now to have finally accepted my mortality. It's been an utterly fantastic ride, but we all know it must come to an end eventually. Why would you regret spending all those years with that person, raising a wonderful family and all the good times you had? As I said in the previous post, this is what brings meaning to life. This is why we are here. You can hate what that person has become, leaving you in financially dire straits, etc. But if you regret ever meeting that person, and your life together, then you have also destroyed a good portion of your own life.

Like you, I have also been married for a few decades, raised fine children, two cats in the yard. The whole 9 yards. The only difference is my wife is almost 20 years younger than me. Did it make a difference? No, love knows no age. We strongly believe in our marriage vows. One good thing about the 21st Century is that society has no problem with age hang ups anymore. And we could care less if there are still people who have a dysfunctional problem with it.

The bottom line is, we are humans and we all have our shortcomings. What was done, is done. There is no going back. That's the way things are, and always will be. You can't go home again, because home has ceased to exist as you know it. Pick up the pieces and move on. There is still a lot of quality time ahead…….email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-48111351079970288052016-10-14T08:59:51.944-04:002016-10-14T08:59:51.944-04:00Perhaps this person was trying to say you shouldn&...Perhaps this person was trying to say you shouldn't beat yourself up over a decision you made in good faith. Regrets, I've had a few and am familiar with the angst. Personally I agree with you though, there will be regrets. Ben Reicharthttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-66711232623456282992016-10-13T11:43:48.375-04:002016-10-13T11:43:48.375-04:00just don't close your eyes while praying ! sou...just don't close your eyes while praying ! sounds wonderful though
Ben Reicharthttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-67875634010377773052016-10-12T22:30:37.427-04:002016-10-12T22:30:37.427-04:00At this point, you need something that gives meani...At this point, you need something that gives meaning to life and direction to goodness. I would recommend reconnecting with old friends going back many years. You want to reach a point where if you died tomorrow, you feel you had a wonderful life with no regrets. It's obtainable. just work on it. Surrounding yourself with friends and family who care works wonders. Good luck to firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-8618868156557013512016-10-12T12:34:58.993-04:002016-10-12T12:34:58.993-04:00you got this ! you got this ! Ben Reicharthttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-23715678726021353242016-10-12T09:00:25.701-04:002016-10-12T09:00:25.701-04:00An hour and a half! OH MY!! I'm another one w...An hour and a half! OH MY!! I'm another one whose veins are difficult. Mine are tiny and they roll. I ALWAYS drink tons of water the day before (I'm not good about staying hydrated enough otherwise) and that seems to help, but I ALWAYS make a point of letting Dracula know that they have the best luck with a pediatric needle. When they listen, most of the time it's a successful stick, and I don't walk out feeling like a pin cushion with huge bruises on my arm. I have learned that it pays to speak up with these suggestions, and they don't seem to mind at all. :-) I might not have been so 'sweetly suggestive' however, if it ever took an hour and a half!Wordsmithhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4160188048459737618.post-62492257154314114682016-10-12T08:52:19.323-04:002016-10-12T08:52:19.323-04:00Autumn is invigorating, for sure. My mind races w...Autumn is invigorating, for sure. My mind races with lists of things to get done at this time of year! And...yes, the sleeping is so much better in this cool air! Enjoy your color-filled days! Wordsmithhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com


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kinda counter-intuitive to have off-beat music in my opinion but fun mechanic nevertheless
A 1-bit color beat-matching clicker RPG game, originally created for the 1-bit Clicker Jam.
There is an updated and extended version here.
Experimented with most of the things, and of course ran out of time so had to cut features, graphics and content.
How to play
You have to go from place to place, beating the enemies you encounter. When attacking or defending your skill improves and after a while your skill will level up and will give you bonuses. You will allso gain experience points from beating the enemy, gathering enough will give bonuses on all your skills. Clicking on the beat will give you multiplier - it does not matter where you click, just click.
The game has no ending yet and there are a lot of features that are in development, will upload an updated after the compo version.
Should work in most modern browsers and with modern devices. Tested on Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
Gabor Heja (@gheja_), Zsolt Heja (@hejazs)
|125 days ago
|In development
|Role Playing
|1-bit, clicker, jam, monochrome, rpg
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Thanks! :)
Unfortunately the music can become out of sync in the jam entry, I have updated the WIP version, it works more reliably there.