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We've been looking at Matthew Chapters 8 and 9, tremendous truth about the miracles of Jesus Christ, His wonders, His mighty deeds, signs of His messiah ship. This morning we come again to the 9th Chapter. We're going to be examining verses 9 through 17 as a unit. We'll do it this week and next week, but I just want you to know that we're going to take it as a total unit because I feel that it flows together in the logic of the Spirit of God in this chapter.
Matthew Chapter 9. Now we've entitled this section Receiving the Sinner, Refusing the Righteous, Receiving the Sinner and Refusing the Righteous. Frankly that is the central message of the Christian faith, but it's amazing how that is misconstrued. You hear people say, "Well Christians certainly aren't perfect." That knowledge we already have. In fact, it is because we know that that we're Christians. Or you hear people say, "Well churches certainly aren't filled with perfect people." We know that too. That's why we're here. It's our imperfection that has driven us. Or you hear someone say, "Well I would never go to the church because it's full of hypocrites." My thought is always, "Come on, we can always use another one." Everybody in the world has been hypocritical. We're willing to admit it. We know our faults. You see, most people have the idea that religion is for good people, but the truth is it's for bad people who know just how bad they are. That's why they come to God.
Now in our text from verses 9 to 17 from Matthew 9, there is one of the most definitive dramatic insightful and comprehensive statements our Lord ever made. It gives us a full perspective on His ministry. It gives us the basic rationale of the incarnation. It is one of the most important statements ever recorded in the Bible and it's at the end of verse 13. "The Lord says, 'I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners,'" now that's the essence of the statement. "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners." God has come for bad people, not good people. That is the message of Christianity, the essence of the gospel, the reason for the incarnation.
Why did Jesus come into the world? Clearly He says it, to call sinners. Those who know they have a terminal disease, those who are desperate, those who are hurting, those who are hungry, those who are thirsty, those who are weak, those who are weary, those who are broken, those whose lives are shattered, sinners who know they're sinners. Augustine, the world thinks to be a great saint, he said this: "Lord save me from that wicked man, myself." John Knox affirmed as perhaps the greatest preacher in the history of Scotland, certainly a man that most would think to be a man of great righteousness said, "In youth, in middle age, and now after many battles I find nothing in me but corruption."
John Wesley wrote, "I am falling short of the glory of God. My whole heart is altogether corrupt and abominable and consequently my whole life. Seeing an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit." And his brother who wrote so many marvelous hymns in one of them said, "Vile and full of sin I am." One of the great ministers of God of times past was a man named Augustus Toplady, who among other things wrote the hymn Rock of Ages, of himself he said this: "Oh that such a wretch as I should ever be tempted to think highly of himself. I that am myself nothing but sin and weakness in whose flesh naturally dwells no good thing."
Jesus came to call not the righteous but sinners. Peter said it, "Depart from me oh Lord, for I am a sinful man." Paul said it in I Timothy he summed it all up for all of us and said, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to what, save sinners of whom I am foremost." And he undoubtedly had in mind, among other things, the word of our Lord in Matthew that Jesus said he had come to call sinners.
Now this is precisely, beloved, the point of our text. This is the point of the passage. Jesus has come to call sinners. Aren't you glad about that? If He came into the world only for the righteous there wouldn't be anybody in His kingdom because there is none righteous, no not one. But there are many who think they're righteous and He can't help them because they have no need. You see that's why the gospel has to be negative because people don't come to Christ for a solution unless they understand they have a problem. They don't come for a healing unless they know they have a disease. They don't come for life unless they know they're dead, they're in death. In fact Julius Schnewin has made a tremendous statement. He says this: This then is conversion, to accept the death sentence and then the acquittal of God." What a great statement, to accept the death sentence and then the acquittal of God. We have to accept the death sentence first. Jesus came to expose us as sinners. That's why His message was so penetrating, so forceful. Why it tore off the self-righteousness of men and exposed their evil hearts. That was necessary that they might see themselves as sinners. You'll never win a relative to Christ, a friend to Christ, a neighbor or anyone else until they know they need Him.
Now let me set the context for you as we approach this passage. Matthew is presenting the messiah ship of Christ, and He's trying to prove it every way possible. And in Chapter 8 and 9, He verifies the messiah ship and lordship of Christ, the savior hood of Christ, the deity of Christ, the reality that He's the Son of God, the Messiah. He tries to verify it here marvelously by the miracles that Jesus did. And they are not random miracles. They are categorically selected to show the range of Messiah's credentials and how they fulfill all the Old Testament expectation. You have nine miracles, three sets of three, and after each set of three there is a response given.
The first three miracles dealt with disease, sickness, and showed Christ's power over illness, disease, infirmity of the flesh; the power over the body and its decay. And after those miracles there was a response. Three would-be disciples came. They were half-hearted, shallow, and superficial and they said we want to follow you but when they heard the price they went away. And so the response was sad.
Then there was the second three miracles. They had not so much to emphasize illness, but rather the first of the second three was His power over the elements of nature, the wind and the sea. The second is power over demons and the third is power over sin. That's where we are in Chapter 9. Jesus has just forgiven a man's sin totally, comprehensively, and completely. And Matthew is saying the Messiah has power over the physical body, He has power over the natural elements, He has power over the demonic hosts, and He has power over sin and, therefore, he is fitted to bring us the kingdom. And He has just given this tremendous miracle where Jesus forgave a man's sins. Monumental! Than comes the response, three miracles and then a response. And the response is divided. There is a positive response and there is a negative. The positive response comes from a sinner; the negative comes from one who thinks he's righteous. But the response is in verses 9 through 17, and then we go back into the miracles again. So we want to cover this passage.
Now think with me so you'll see the transition. Verse 9 is the call of Matthew. That's the first part of the response, the positive. He sees a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. He said unto him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed. Positive response. Then he enters into a dialogue with the Pharisees, negative response, poles apart reacting to the same thing, the same miracles. Think with me now as I help you to see the transition. Jesus has just forgiven sins. Matthew makes that point in verses 1 through 8. He has the ability and the power to forgive sin.
Now immediately then the question comes, but how much sin can He forgive? Whose sin can He forgive? Whose sin does He not forgive? What are the parameters? The extents? The dimensions of His forgiveness? And there in lie the reason we find what we find in the following verses. He can forgive sin, yes, forgives the paralytic, but whose sin can He forgive? How far does it go? And whose sin does He not forgive, and what is the required response? What is necessary to experience this forgiveness? All of these questions are answered in what follows. It is an incredible passage.
Get the picture. Jesus has been teaching, verses 1 to 8, in probably Peter's house in Capernaum by the seashore. The meeting is over. The paralytic is healed. He's gone home with his four friends. Jesus goes out the door, meeting is dismissed in that house, but typically Jesus leaves and the other writers, Mark 2 and Luke 5, describe it for us, He walks along the shore on the northern edge of the Lake of Galilee and following are His disciples, the ones, at least, who have been called and behind the multitude. They never left Him. They were astonished. They were fascinated. They were amazed. The meeting may have been over in the house, but they followed Him. And He's walking along the shore with this mass of people around Him and at that point we come to verse 9.
"And as Jesus passed forth from there," that is from the house walking along the shore, "He saw a man named Matthew." By the way the other gospel he's called Levi. It's not uncommon for a man to have two names. Thomas was called Ditymus, Bartholomew had another name, it may have been like Simon Peter that he was Simon but the Lord gave him Peter and he may have been Levi and the Lord gave him Matthew because Matthew means gift of Jehovah. We really don't know that, but it's not uncommon to have two names so Levi and Matthew was the same person, but He sees him sitting at the tax office and said unto him, "Follow Me, and he rose and followed Him."
Now if you don't know anything about Matthew you're going to learn in this message this morning that Matthew was a modest man. He was truly humble. He reduces his whole conversion to one verse and says absolutely nothing about himself. But he has something very potent in mind. Now listen to this. The first part of the text shows Jesus receiving the sinner. And the question comes oh yes He healed the paralytic and He forgave all his sins, but just how far does this forgiveness go? I mean what kind of people can Jesus really forgive? And so Matthew says in effect in verse 9, "He forgave me." You say, "Is that significant?" Yeah, it is. You want to hear something that might shock you? Matthew was categorically the vilest person in Capernaum. That's right! By all the evaluation of the time Matthew was the most wretched sinner in town. That's why he used himself as an illustration. How far does this forgiveness business go? It goes to the extremity. Matthew calls himself here what Paul tried to take as his title, the chief of sinners.
You say, well now wait a minute MacArthur. I don't see that in that verse. It just says He saw a man named Matthew. Oh yeah, but you've got to know about him. It tells you a little bit. It says that he was sitting at a tax office. You say I have a brother-in-law that works for the IRS and he's basically a good guy. That might be true. We probably have people in this church who work for the IRS. They don't tell us who they are, but I'm sure we have them. But this was different. Let me tell you a little bit about Matthew and why he's a classic illustration of the Lord's power to forgive sin.
Matthew was a publican, publicani; they were a breed of people who served Rome. Now when Rome moved in and took over Palestine they wanted to exact taxes and individuals living in the land of Palestine would buy franchises from the Roman government, which gave them the right to operate the taxation system in a certain district or a certain town. So when Matthew bought into the Roman system he revealed himself as a traitor to the cause of Israel. Now nothing in the mind of a Jew is as heinous as being anti-nationalistic, anti Jewish. To hire on to the oppressive conqueror who has your people in his grasp would be inconceivable in the Jewish mind. He literally bought his way into the Roman system. He bought a franchise for taxation from Rome. And then Rome then required that he collect a certain amount of taxes. Anything he could get over that he could keep and the Roman government in order to keep him happy and on their side would support him in his excesses and his abuses so when he did over charge, and when he did extort the people he had the Romans behind him. And so there was gross oppression and abuse. He just had to pay Rome a certain amount and everything else he could get was his own.
Tax collectors then took bribes from the rich, they extorted from the middle class and the poor, they became hated, they became despised for their lack of nationalism, for being traitors of the worst kind, they had entered into the service of their country's conqueror, they were amassing fortunes at the expense of their own oppressed country, and most of the Jews believed it was wrong anyway to pay taxes. They felt that only God should receive their money. They were looking backwards to an Old Testament theocracy. That's why the question that the Pharisees asked our Lord was so devastating when they took a coin and said, "Whose is this?" He said, "It's got Caesar's picture on it." Then what do we do with it, do we give it to Caesar? And the reason they wanted Jesus to answer that was because if he said yes he would have gone against everything the Jews believed. They believed that God was the only one who should receive anything they had.
The Jews believed only in the theocracy, so they despised the fact that this was not only extortive and anti-nationalistic, but it was anti-religion. They went even further than that. If you were a tax collector Dr. Alfred Ettershime says in this day you could not attend the synagogue. You were barred from the place. You couldn't even have religious interactivity with the people. You were listed; get this, in a list with unclean beasts out of the Old Testament. You were like a swine. They were forbidden to be a witness in any court of law because they could not be believed. They were known as flagrant liars. They wouldn't even allow their testimony. They were classified with robbers and murderers.
Well I was so fascinated by this that I continued to read in Ettershime, and by the way he's a classic Jewish writer on the times with historical insight, and I found that not only that but it goes a step further, and this is most fascinating. That's just a tax collector in general, but of those there were two categories. Category number one, says Ettershime, were the general tax collectors and their job was to take the regular taxes, and there were three of them. There was the land tax or the ground tax. That's like property tax. There was income tax and then there was the poll tax, just a registration tax. In other words if you're alive you have to pay a tax just for being alive. If you're dead you don't have to pay.
So you had this poll tax, you had this income tax and land tax. Land tax, one-tenth of your grain, one-fifth of your fruit and wine. Income tax, one percent of your money earned. And the poll tax was a determined figure that varied. Now the general tax collector took that. Their title in the Hebrew was gabbai, g-a-b-b-a-i. Interesting huh? That's what you think today when you send in your tax, gabbai. You won't forget that term. But the general tax collector was the gabbaiand his job was simply to take those basic regular taxes and then he would add surcharges on to that to make his own fortune. But there was another kind of tax collector. This one dealt in the taxes that were other than these very stationary taxes. His job was to collect duty on everything else. Now we have the same thing in our society. We have certain land property tax. We have income tax and things like that and then we've got all the other taxes, taxes on what you buy, on the food you eat, taxes you pay every time you fly in an airplane, taxes that airplanes pay when they land at an airport, boat taxes. I mean there are taxes on axles on trucks and wheels on trucks and all of these road taxes, tolls you pay to go across a bridge, whatever, whatever, whatever. Now that comes under the second category.
Now these duties were given to a different man who was called a mokhesm-o-k-h-e-s. He was able to collect tax on all import, all export, everything bought, everything sold, every road, every bridge, every harbor, every town, every everything. And Ettershime says they could invent taxes on anything they wanted. They could put taxes on axles, the more axles you had the more taxes you paid, cart axle, taxes on your wheels, the more wheels you had, if you had a two-wheeled cart it was cheaper to transport than a four-wheel cart, pack animals, a three-legged burro was cheaper than a four-legged burro, slower but cheaper, pedestrian taxes. It cost you money to cross a certain road, across a certain bridge, highway taxes, road taxes, market taxes, if you wanted to have your little business in the marketplace you paid the mokhes a tax. Taxes on your ship, your boat, the dock, the fish you caught. They would open every package coming along the road and they had the right to open every private letter to see if there was a business going on in that letter and they could attach a tax to that. Unlimited. The gabbai were despised. The mokhes were more despised. They were unlimited in the abuses. They were oppressive and they were unjust. And Ettershime says they were the ones who sat at the conflux of the roads where Matthew was sitting.
Now Matthew would have been sitting by the north port of the Sea of Galilee and there probably was collecting taxes on all of that which was going on on the lake of industry, fishing, and whatever else. He would have been in a strategic point on the road from Damascus and the Orient to the west so that he probably taxed everybody going by east and west, so he had one of the really wealthy tax franchises that the Romans had let out.
Now he wasn't a gabbai. He was a mokhes. He was the more hated of the two, oppressive and unjust, extorted robbing people, taxing for everything and having the Romans behind it so that the intimidation of the threat was there. Ettershime even goes on to say this: and this is most interesting. Of the mokhes there were two kinds. The first were called the great mokhes.They were the ones who hired somebody to sit at the table and stayed behind the scenes because they wanted to kind of keep their hands clean on the outside. They wanted to sort of have a good reputation.
And then there were what the Hebrews called the small mokhes. They did it themselves. They actually sat at the table themselves, too cheap to pay somebody else and too unconcerned to care about their reputation to care what anybody thought. They did it themselves. It was one thing to be publican. It was worse to be a mokhes, but far worse to be a little or a small mokhes.You know what Matthew was? Matthew was the little mokhes of Capernaum, the worst man in the city. As far as the people were concerned he was the most wretched human being in their town. They hated him. They paid him because they were afraid not to. You know what the rabbi said? "For a little mokhes repentance is well nigh impossible." If there's one sinner who could never be forgiven it would be a little mokhes.That'll be it. And here he was the little mokhes of Capernaum sitting at his table doing his thing. And Jesus said to him, "Follow Me," and he did. And you can imagine the gasps. Matthew. Now we think of Matthew so wonderful. I mean I'm rethinking my son's name, you know. We always thought of Matthew as a wonderful, Matthew was the worst. Now he got better. I don't have that problem with John. He's always good in the Bible. That's why my son's name is John Matthew. Just want to keep the perspective.
But Matthew, you see, he doesn't talk about himself or about any of his potential or about how honored he is to be an apostle. He doesn't say a word about himself because he knows the kind of man he is. Now I believe that Matthew was a man under conviction. I believe we have his conversion in verse 9, we just don't have all the details. You see that Jesus went along the shore when he called the disciples and they just jumped up and followed Him and said I don't know what we're getting into guys, but it looks like a good deal. No. You see Jesus had ministered and ministered and ministered and ministered all over that area. They knew who He was. They knew everything He taught. They knew everything He did. They knew His wonders and His miracles and His signs. They heard what He said. They knew He was coming for the forgiveness of sins. They knew exactly what they were getting into and they were ready. Their hearts were prepared and Matthew was a man under conviction and Matthew was a man who I believe must with all of his heart have wanted the forgiveness but the system told him that he could never have it.
And so he wasn't up at the house seeking Jesus like the paralytic, he was down there getting his money because that's all he was consigned to do. He recognized his sin and I believe that's the reason he got up so fast and followed. It isn't even a big discussion. He doesn't say, well now what's this going to involve. I've got a lot of interest here. In fact, Luke adds a little statement that says, "He forsook all." Matthew doesn't say that. He won't say that, he's too humble. He's not going to talk about what he left. I mean if you were a fisherman and Jesus said follow Me, you could follow and you could always go back to the fish right? I mean they're always going to be there, but if you're a tax collector and you get up and say goodbye I'm leaving you can't ever go back because next day Rome is going to have somebody in your place and it's all over. So the price that Matthew paid is much greater than the others paid. He walked away and Luke says he forsook all of it. He didn't say well I'm coming Lord, but hey I can finance this whole operation if you just let me grab these bags. He didn't say that. He just followed. The Lord didn't need that.
Matthew knew about the Lord. His home base had been the city of Capernaum and all you have to do is go to Capernaum to see what it's like. It is a tiny little place. Miracle upon miracle upon miracle had happened there. He knew. That's why he followed so fast. I believe deep down in his heart he must have hoped for forgiveness. He must have longed for what Jesus offered him and that's why he ran. You know true conversion is like that. When you really see someone converted they're not fighting trying to drag on the garbage of the past. They can't unload it fast enough. And he was that way. Jesus fixed that look of love on him, searched the depths of the inmost part of his soul, turned him instantly into a man of God, and he didn't need to think about it. When he heard follow Me he was up and gone. Ettershime says, "He said not a word for his soul was in the speechless surprise of unexpected grace." Boy I love that. His soul was in the speechless surprise of unexpected grace. He was redeemed at that spot. Far from being depressed about what he left, he couldn't run fast enough to get to Jesus.
Amy Carmichael in a very lovely little poem wrote, "I heard Him call come follow, that was all. My gold grew dim, my heart when after him. I rose and followed that was all. Would you not follow if you heard Him call?" I guess for Matthew he couldn't understand why anybody wouldn't follow when Jesus offered forgiveness. Matthew lost a career and gained a destiny. He lost his security and gained an undreamed adventure. He lost material things and gained a spiritual fortune. And Matthew understood the spirit of the Lord. He knew He had come to save sinners and he knew that he was the worst, the unforgivable, the worst man in his town. That's how far it goes. That's how deep it reaches.
While he was so overwhelmed that he decided to throw a banquet. That's right. It was the banquet attended by the most rotten people in the history of banquets, because the only people Matthew knew were crummy, rotten, wretched, vile people because no one else would come near him. They despised him, so the only people he knew were people like himself, prostitutes, murderers, robbers, thieves, irreligious, godless, and other tax collectors, perhaps the local gabbai and of his sort in other districts that he knew.
Now Matthew's gospel doesn't tell us about the details of the banquet because Matthew again, in his humility, won't talk about that. But like so many new believers the first thought he had was to win his friends to Christ. So as we read Mark 2 and Luke 5, we find that he calls this banquet in his own house and Jesus is the honored guest. He's got the whole thing set up. He invites all the wretched, rotten, vile people in Capernaum and they're all in one building and Jesus is the honored guest.
Now some supercilious people might say, "Well He shouldn't go to those evil people," and that's exactly what the Pharisees thought, but that's not the way Jesus operated. There is a right way to fellowship with sinners. Do you understand that? You know what Jesus became know as? Matthew 11:19 indicates that His name among the people was the friend of publicans and sinners, and this probably started out that reputation right here. But He became known as the friend of publicans and sinners. I can't think of a better title, can you, the friend of publicans and sinners. That's how they got to know Him. Now sinners is a harmataloid; it's almost a technical term for people who wouldn't even touch the law of God or the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees. They were the vilest, the most wretched and the worst people of all.
Verse 10, "It came to pass as Jesus sat eating in the house, behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples." What a crowd, all the worst people. Can you get the picture? This is so devastating to the Jewish system of self-righteousness that it shocks them. It just knocks them out. They can't handle this. I mean if this is really God why isn't He having a dinner for us? And the answer is because He came to save sinners and if you're not willing to admit that He has nothing to say to you.
So they come in verse 11 and they linger outside, the Pharisees. They wait until the banquet is over and as the disciples come out, they don't confront Jesus head on, they corner the disciples. Verse 11, "And when the Pharisees saw it they said unto his disciples, 'Why eateth your master with tax collectors and sinners?' Now this is not just an honest question. Why is He doing this? Could you please tell us? It's not that. What they're really saying is a stinging rebuke. It is the venting of their bitterness. Shame on you. I mean fraternizing with a master or a teacher who hangs around with such riff raff. I mean this is vindictive. This is hateful. True religious people, pious people, righteous men like we are, we shun such vile sinners. That's what they're saying.
Well there's a lot of people in the church today who would hate to think of it but that's how they act. Our world begins and ends with people who are in the family and all we can do is stand and criticize the ones who are outside and not reach out and help them. You need to think about that. They don't need your criticism; they need your help. They don't need to be kept at a distance; they need your mercy, your love. And so they say, "What kind of a leader have you got who hangs around with the scum?"
Verse 12, "Jesus overheard the conversation apparently and when He heard it He said, "They that are well need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go and learn what it meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Now listen, in the statement in verse 12 and 13, Jesus defends His disciples following Him, and He has a three-fold argument, powerful argument. The first one is from human logic. Second one is from Scripture. Third one is from His own divine authority.
First of all, from human logic, the analogy. Verse 12, "When Jesus heard He said unto them, 'They that are well need not a physician, but they that are sick.'" The Greek order emphasizes need not. Well people don't need a physician. Sick people do. And what He's doing is indicting the Pharisees. He's saying, "You are the ones who are saying they are the sickest and then by your own affirmation they most need the physician." The analogy is simple. A physician can be expected to go among sick people and so a forgiver should be expected to go among sinful people. His defense is simple. He went to the people who had the deepest need. If the eyes of the Pharisees, and get this, if you're so perceptive as to see them as sinners, if your diagnosis is so accurate, where's your passion? Where is your concern? Are you a doctor who diagnosis but has no desire to cure? What an indictment of their self-righteousness. What an indictment of their judgmental spirit that was spoken of in Matthew 7. What an indictment of their condemning attitude, these pious critics. They so freely have defined them all as sinners, but are utterly indifferent.
In Matthew 23, the Lord says to them, "You make sure that you carry out the ritual of tithing a mint and an anise and a cumin, the smallest little seeds there are. If you've got ten little of those deals you make sure you give one to the Lord. You tithe all that stuff, but you have omitted the weightier matters of the law like justice and mercy." Where's your mercy? Where's your compassion? Where's your love? Where's your care. You've made the diagnosis and you've condemned your self because you stop there. And the same is true with us. We say oh so and so is a terrible sinner. Why those neighbors of mine they're awful people and you stand on your own porch and damn them as sinners or do you care? Is there mercy there? It's the issue.
Jesus is saying, "I did not come to invite people who are so self-satisfied that they are convinced of their own goodness, that they are convinced they don't need anybody's help. Rather I have come to invite people who are desperate and conscious of their sin and need for a savior. The scribes and Pharisees would have made lousy doctors. They were more concerned of the preservation of their own holiness than with helping someone else. They'd be like a doctor who would say, "Oh I would love to come over and cure you, but I might get your sickness." Some doctor he'd be. Or "I certainly will give you a diagnosis but I don't have time to bother with a cure." But Jesus comes along and expresses the fullness of the statement of Exodus 15:26, where God said, "I am the Lord that healeth thee." Jesus came right down and got in the room and ate with them. He got as close to them as you can get, and rather than being contaminated by them, He made them pure and white as snow. He was the divine eeatros, the divine physician. The argument from analogy is potent. If they're sick they need a doctor, and boy what an indictment. You don't think you're sick and you're the sickest of all.
Second is an argument from Scripture, verse 13, and here He pens them to the wall with their own Scripture. "Go and learn." And by the way, that little statement go and learn is from the rabbinic writings. You see it many many times in the rabbinical writings. The rabbi's used to use it as an exhortation or a rebuke to persons who didn't really know what they should have known. Go and learn, he says. Go back to the books and come again when you've gotten the information and learn what your own text says and he quotes Hosea 6:6. "I will have mercy and not sacrifice." In other words, God says, "I am not concerned with ritual. I'm concerned with a merciful heart." Here they were, they crank out all the little ritual, but they had no mercy or compassion or love for a sinner. And in Hosea you remember God said to His people, "You've committed harlotries, you've committed adulteries, you've gone into idolatry, you've left Me, you've forsaken Me and still you crank out your little religious ritual."
And so he says to them in Hosea 6:6, "It is not sacrifice that I want from you. It is mercy." In other words it's your hearts I'm after. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." It's the same thing in the Beatitudes. God is indicting the Pharisees saying you'll never get the mercy of God because you show no mercy, which indicates your hearts are not right. Jesus shows the self-deluded religionists they were far worse than the publicans and the sinners and He says, "Go and learn." And you'd better learn what your own text says.
Now listen to this: God had instituted the sacrificial system. God had ordered Israel to offer those sacrifices, but they were only pleasing to God when they were the expression of a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. And when the heart wasn't right the ritual was an abomination to God. and He's saying that to them here. I want mercy. You say you're righteous because you do the ritual. I say you're vile because you show now mercy and that's the real indicator. You don't have the heart of God. God is never pleased with ritual separated from personal righteousness. I think some people just think they go through a certain Christian routine, go to church and do certain things, and God is pleased. He is never pleased with a routine that is separated from personal holiness. Without a change of heart, without a deep sense of sin, sacrifices were dead ritual, loathsome, hateful to God.
Listen to what the prophet Amos said, "I hate, I despise your feast days, I will not take delight in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer burnt offerings and meal offerings I won't accept them. Neither will I regard the peace offering of your fat beasts. Take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not hear the melody of your harps, but let justice run down like waters in righteousness like a mighty stream." Amos 5. He says, "I ordained all those things but I hate them because your hearts are not right. I want justice and I want righteousness."
Thirdly, he has argued from logic and analogy. He's argued from the Old Testament Scripture and lastly He argues from His own authority. "For I am not come to call the righteous but sinners." The last two words, "to repentance," are not in this text in the better manuscripts but appear in one of the other gospels so they do fit the situation. But in our text he says, "I am not come to call the righteous but sinners." You know what it says in Luke 18:9? It says, "The Pharisees believe they were righteous," so He accepts their self-evaluation. He says, "You say you are righteous. I accept that as your self-evaluation. I have nothing to say to you. I have come to call sinners."
That's the whole issue. Logic says it. Scripture says it. Jesus affirms it. Could these Pharisees really be righteous when they had no mercy for sinners, when they were blind to the word of their own prophet, when they were raging at a merciful physician who reached to those who so deeply needed help? Jesus was right on target. By the way, the word call is often used, kalene, as a technical term for inviting a guest to a home, to a meal, to a lodging.
In Matthew 22:1-10, the Lord gives a picture that fits this so well. Let me just briefly remind you. Don't turn to it, just remind you of it. You remember the Lord pictures His kingdom like a banquet and He sends out invitations, but all the people who are invited refuse to come. That's the picture of Israel. Then He says, "You go out in the highways and byways, and the poor and the lame, and the crippled, and the blind and bring them in." You see the kingdom is for the hungry and the thirsty. They shall be filled. The kingdom is for the hurting and the mourning and the meek and the sinful. That's what He's saying. "I call you," he says, "but your pious, cold-hearted, self-righteousness causes you to refuse My invitation, so I invite those who know they need Me." This is the theme, beloved, of the gospel, that Jesus came to save sinners. That is the ringing, recurring, constant theme and until you know you're a sinner the Lord has nothing to offer you.
Matthew, he knew and he arose and he followed Jesus, and the rest is a glorious history, isn't it? Matthew became the saint of God who penned this incomparable gospel, and entered into a spiritual inheritance that goes on forever. Jesus receives sinners and Matthew was the little mokhes of Capernaum. And Jerry McCauly was the dregs of human society and those are just the kind of people the Lord can save. That's the message of this passage. He saves sinner. I'm one. I hope you know you're one. If you do you're in the range of the great physician.
Let's bow in prayer. We're grateful again this morning that You've spoken to us through Your Holy Spirit and Your word. We thank you so much that You saw us through our sin and loved us anyway, that You cared for us when we were not worth caring for, but You redeemed us to Yourself, by the blood of Your Son. Thank you Father for that great gift. And Lord I pray too for those here this morning who may not ever have invited Jesus Christ into their life, who've never seen themselves as vile sinners. May they know it this day, and may they come to You and hear You say, "Follow Me," and may they arise and follow. May no one Father, here leave without a sense of sinfulness and without a calling upon You for thanking You for forgiveness already received. We pray these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


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The pursuit of health and wellbeing is an ongoing goal toward which most all of us strive. Given busy lifestyles and numerous demands from both personal and professional obligations, it's not always easy to stay on track in this pursuit. Innovative developers recognize this fact and have begun creating gadgets and gizmos that are easy to plug into our always-on, mobile lives.
In this slideshow, we've gathered 20 unique and innovative gadgets focused on helping users maintain a healthier lifestyle. From gadgets that make exercise and coaching more accessible, to devices that work to improve sleep habits, to those that manage chronic conditions, we hope you find something that piques your interests and helps you on your journey.
Related Topics : In Their Own Words: The Four Dark Horses for the Third Major Mobile OS Speak, HTC, Mobile Search, 3G, Location-Based Services
Wearables are revolutionizing the workplace, with innovations that create a safer work environment or enhance the way professionals are able to go about their job. ... More >>
Here are the top 10 strategic technology trends that will impact most organizations in 2017. Strategic technology trends are defined as those with substantial disruptive potential or those reaching the tipping point over the next five years. ... More >>
Digital innovation is by far the biggest influencer, changing the way we do just about everything, from shopping to communication to running a business. ... More >>

subset: commoncrawl


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Return to 11 December 2014 - A Little Help Holiday Party.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Assisted Living and Senior Related Events.
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Celebrate your anniversary with a special jewelry gift from Helzberg Diamonds.
Browse our gift guide by anniversary milestone to find the gift that's right for your special occasion.
Stunning pink tourmaline and shades of sapphire are beautiful symbols of your love.SHOP 5-year gift ideas
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We've all been there. You are innocently Twit-blogging on the Interscape, logging a few hours on Facebook, or checking your e-mail and you click on a link without thinking. Suddenly, you are confronted with an image or video so horribly nauseating it makes your eyes bleed. Whether it be pictures of someone's overstretched nether regions or a video of two young ladies sharing substances they oughtn't - your mind begs for cleansing (or a swift death)! The brilliant minds at BoingBoing (specifically Xeni - don't sue us BB!) originated the concept for a Unicorn Chaser - an image that would purify your eyes. But now, in partnership with BoingBoing, ThinkGeek has taken the idea to the next level.
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Can a board require hurricane shutters?
Q: Does Florida law allow a condominium association to require unit owners to install and maintain storm shutters? Can owners who have shutters be required to pay a special assessment due to damage to units that have not completed the installation of storm shutters?
S.L., Aventura
A: This is a very timely question as we begin the hurricane season. Several factors allow the board to require storm shutters for every unit. Your insurance company may require this improvement. The county and local code enforcement offices may require this improvement. Your location and proximity to the coastline are important factors in this requirement.
The short answer is yes, the board can require installation of shutters, but it should seek legal guidance to force this improvement.
As to the question concerning some or all of the unit owners paying a special assessment: With little exception, all unit owners must pay for damage repairs.
Since we're talking about hurricane preparedness and other disasters, it's time for the board to start thinking and planning. All owners should also start with emergency planning.
It's been a few years since Florida has experienced a major storm and we tend to be complacent about emergency procedures. Each owner is responsible for preparing for emergency situations for their personal property and life. The board of directors is responsible for the preparation for the building and common areas.
If there is any question regarding either party's actions, you must immediately seek legal guidance.
Q: Our homeowner association elects a board of directors, which in turn elects the president. Our covenants say that we must use Robert's Rules. Our president talks on motions, debates with the board of directors, and says that she can speak anytime on anything. In past articles, you said that the president is not bound by these rules. This is confusing to me, as all books on Roberts Rules say she cannot speak unless she turns a meeting over to the vice president. Can you clarify this question?
S.P., Miami
A: Let me first address "orders of powers." When there are conflicts in documents, statutes, or "policies/rules," the highest order prevails. It starts with the U.S. Constitution, federal laws and statutes, state constitution and laws, association documents, and policies and procedures. Robert's Rules falls last in this order of power.
The fact is that most board of directors meetings for association business do not fall under Robert's Rules. These meetings do fall under the state statutes wherein most officers, including the president, are first elected as directors by the members and therefore have every right and duty to discuss any agenda items.
Therefore, since the president was elected as a director first, at a board of directors meeting he or she is acting as a director first. Just because she has a title of president and may be chairing the meeting do not limit her rights and duties to talk and vote on agenda items.
The board has every right to establish meeting policies that conflict with Robert's procedures. Robert's in fact allows meeting policies to be established. Robert's Rules are not written in concrete but do allow alterations of operations. Rather than try to apply Robert's Rules, I suggest your board follow the state statutes.
Q: Should the board of directors of the homeowner association have a list of contractors and services that the homeowners can trust?
L.J., Port St. Lucie
A: I rarely recommend that a board create a list of contractors to provide services, repairs or replacements for the owners. If board members feel that they need to create such a list, they should establish requirements for repairs and replacement that comply with the documents to include styles, brands, color, materials and other such requirements.
But under these conditions, I would recommend the list include a number (three or more) who will guarantee that they will comply with the association's rules and quality of work.
The reason is a potential liability problem. Let me give you an example. I had a manager's office policy that we did not provide contractors for unit owners' repairs. But, with the board's instructions we prepared a list of more than three contractors who could do repairs and replacements, with the notation that the owners could use their own contractors but must comply with the documents and rules.
The office secretary had a friend who made repairs but was not on the list of suggested vendors. She recommended this contractor to one of the owners, and this unapproved contractor did a lousy job. That owner sued the association because the association "recommended" the contractor.
If the board has a list of contractors, caution must be used to reduce its liability. I do not think it's a good idea for the board to recommend contractors.


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There could be a measure of cross-sport revenge on the table for the Eastern Alamance boys� basketball team.
Eastern Alamance will play host to Orange in the first round of the state playoffs Monday night, with the game coming a few months after Orange knocked the Eagles out of the football state playoffs in the third round.
First-round action for the state playoffs for area teams begins Monday night. The North Carolina High School Athletics Association used a 1-16 seeding method for each region. Here�s a look at the matchups:
In the Class 3-A Mideast Region, 16th-seeded Eastern Guilford will travel to face top-seeded Chapel Hill, the Carolina 3-A Conference Tournament champion. Eastern Alamance, which earned the No. 3 seed after winning the Mid-State 3-A Conference regular season and tournament titles, will play host to 14th-seeded Orange.
In the Class 2-A Mideast Region, No. 2 Graham will play host to No. 15 East Bladen after tying for the Mid-State 2-A Conference title and winning the conference tournament championship.
No. 5 Cummings High School, which shared regular-season honors with Graham, will play host to league foe and 12th-seeded Jordan-Matthews. No. 11 Eastern Randolph travels to No. 6 Whiteville.
In the Class 1-A East Region, No. 3 River Mill has a home matchup against No. 14 North Carolina School of Science and Math. The teams are both in the Carolina 12 1A/2A Conference.
In the Class 4-A Midwest Region, No. 9 Southern Alamance will travel to No. 8 Northwest Guilford. The winner faces a potential matchup against top seed and undefeated Charlotte Myers Park.
In the Class 3-A Mideast Region, No. 4 Eastern Alamance will play host to No. 13 Oxford Webb. Williams High School, the 12th seed, makes a trip to Raleigh for a matchup against No. 5 Cardinal Gibbons, while No. 9 Eastern Guilford will travel to face No. 8 Southern Vance.
In the Class 2-A Mideast Region, No. 11 Graham will travel to East Duplin. Cummings, the 13th seed, is also on the road for the first round, with a matchup against No. 4 St. Paul�s.
In the Class 1-A East Region, No. 2 River Mill will play host to No. 15 Camden County. River Mill is coming off a regular season in which it didn�t lose a game in the Carolina 12 1A/2A Conference regular season or tournament.


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Christian girl aged 21/2 raped then left to die for the greater glory of Allah.
"Baby Neeha, at the age of 21/2, was raped by the son of her father's employer and left to die by the roadside, he said. No one was arrested for the crime.
These horrific events took place because her father, who was Christian, refused to give in to pressure from his Muslim employer to convert to Islam," El Shafie said.
The family went underground in Pakistan to hide from Muslim extremists who were seeking revenge for their non-conversion, he said.
"The family has lived for years in hiding and in constant fear of being discovered by the employer's family or Islamic extremists," El Shafie said. "We are thrilled that she's finally in Canada."
For those of us seeking a better understanding Islam, there are a few points to note:
The rapist wasn't prosecuted, because according to Islamic law he hadn't committed any crime. The 'prophet' Mohammed was a child-rapist, and Mohammed is the perfect man and role model for all Muslims. Also, rape is a legitimate weapon of Jihad, especially against children, as we saw in the Beslan school attack.
Not only had the rapist not committed any crime, but his action was actually commendable from the Islamic point of view, because spreading Islam (by whatever means may be necessary) is the greatest good which justifies ANY action. The system of morality (if it can be called that) in Islam is totally different from that in any other religion.
This attack also shows a common Islamic trait of getting at Christians by attacking children and other vulnerable people (as at Beslan and in the 'Street Jihad' intifada by young Muslim men).
No compulsion in religion
The fate of baby Neeha should make us wary of Muslims who tell us that the Koran says there should be 'no compulsion in religion'. Yes the Koran does say that, but the statement is null and void, as the Muslim propagandists (but not the gullible infidels) very well know.
The Koran is full of contradictions, and later violent verses (such as 'Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them') abrogate (cancel out) the earlier peaceful ones.
The early peaceful verses were written when Mohammed was trying to recruit his fellow citizens of Mecca to join his cult. But he didn't have much success among the people he'd grown up with, because they knew he was a nutjob.
So he moved to Medina and adopted a different strategy of recruiting criminals and psychopaths by promising them lots of rape, murder and pillage in the service of Allah. This worked perfectly and gave us the version of Islam we see in action in the world today.
Quoting abrogated parts of the Koran to deceive the infidels is one of the tactics of taqiyya (lying and deception in the cause of Islam).
As I said before, increasing the power of Islam justifies ANY action, which includes lying as well as rape, murder and anything else you can think of.
Consequently, Jens Orback is living in fluffy-bunny-land if he thinks that if we are nice to the jihadists when they're in the minority, they'll be nice to us when we're in the minority.
Otherwise there will be many thousands of baby Neehas and other violated kuffar children as Islam spreads throughout Europe, as the following links demonstrate...
Islamic pedophile child abduction and gang-rape is a tactic of sexual jihad and is being increasing used against infidel children in Western countries.
Islamic Gang Rape and Pedophilia as a 'Community Activity'
"Of course every culture produces rapists and child molesters, but in non-Muslim societies these are usually isolated loners. In contrast, Muslim rapists and pedophiles are well-organised and these predators often hunt their prey in rape-gangs in a tradition of Muslim razzia going back to the 'prophet'....
Beslan - Child rape, torture, enforced urophagia and murder in the name of Islam
"Young girls were gang raped. Young girls were raped with gun barrels and other objects. Many young girls did not survive these rapes. Children were forced to drink their own urine before being executed... "
Man boy sex (Pederasty) in Islam
"In Muslim societies women are kept covered in burkhas, so the prettiest things that most unmarried Muslim men ever see are beardless pre-pubescent boys. Beardless boys are not regarded as male, so sex with them is not considered as homosexuality as it is between adult men.
Bacha bazi feminizes these boys in order to degrade them. By forcing them to perform in women's clothes and by raping them, this tradition not only seeks to humiliate these boys for the pleasure of wealthy men, but also to reinforce the idea that women are inferior and for a boy to have feminine affectations is degrading for him.
Muslim pedophile gangs prey on British Children
Pedophilia is socially acceptable in Islam because 'the perfect man' Mohammed was a pedophile. In addition, pedophile attacks on 'kuffar' (non-Muslim) children are seen as a legitimate form of jihad, inflicting humiliation and demoralisation on the children and their parents.
Mufa' Khathat - cleaning up the mess after thighing Ayesha
Mohammed married Ayesha when she was six but could not 'consummate' until she was nine. In the meantime he 'thighed' her then made her wash his semen off his clothes - a fact that is well documented in Islamic scriptures.
Islamic Ritual Murder and Human Sacrifice
Human sacrifice is an integral part of this evil cult
Inbreeding, Incest and Cousin Marriage in Islam
Young girls are sold as sex-slaves to older cousins and uncles to ensure that the bride purchase transaction money remains within the family.
Islamic Child Sexual Abuse: Muslim Pedophilia
Women are kept in purdah, and must be accompanied by a male relative whenever they leave the house. Wealthy older men acquire the youngest brides (often young cousins), with polygamy ensuring that young women are always in short supply for impoverished young men.
Islam is powered by Muslim sexual repression
Proponents of wars and terrorism in the name of Islam often exploited the frustration of sexually deprived young males and tantalised them with the prospect of captured women as 'war booty' if they succeeded. If they died, 72 lovely virgins in paradise as 'houris' would be provided to them which makes these boys ready to die for it, as suicide bombers.
Charlene Downes
Allegedly Pimped, Raped, Murdered by Islamic Pedophile Gang then minced into burgers and fed to kuffars.
95% of Pakistani Truckers have sex with Boys
Young boys are prostituted and abused in The Land of The Pure
Muslim sex criminals are above the law
Muslim pedophile gangs are immune from prosecution as police do not want to risk damaging 'community cohesion'.
Hypermasculine Muslims - Islam and hypermasculinity
Predatory and domineering, Islam is a brutal, hypermasculine, barbarian, tribal warrior cult that glories in murder, mutilation, rape, genocide, terrorism, destruction and anarchy. Women, girls and all the feminine aspects human nature are chattelised and subjugated. Weakness is despised and seen as ripe for predation. A woman or girl is to be owned, not treated as an equal. If she punctures the fragile inflated ego of her owner, then she must be killed to restore the man's 'honour' among his peers. Kuffar women and children are war booty.
Islam is bullying, swaggering, predatory, wife-beating thuggery, which is the destroyer of all that is beautiful, spiritual, gentle, innocent and vulnerable.
Muslim religious leader's fawa encourages Muslims to rape non-Muslim women and children
On October 28, 2011, the jihadi forum Minbar Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad published a fatwa by Sheikh Abu Humam Al-Athari, a member of its shari'a council, in which he unequivocally permits mujahideen to capture the infidels' women and have sexual intercourse with them, even those who are married, on the claim that their marriage bonds to infidels are dissolved as soon as they are taken captive.
Following are the fatwa's main points:
The inquiry in response to which Al-Athari issued the fatwa reads as follows:[1] "Is it permissible for mujahideen in jihad fronts to kidnap the infidels' women and hold them as their captives? What is the ruling regarding a captive in our times? How should they be divided [among the mujahideen]? Is it permissible to imprison [an infidel woman who has been taken captive] in an infidel land, or must she be brought to Dar Al-Islam [the abode of Islam]? How much time must one wait before having sexual intercourse with her, regarding both one who is a virgin and one who is not?"
Al-Athari replies: "There is no doubt that taking the women of the combatant infidels captive – whether they are from Ahl Al-Kitab [i.e., Christians or Jews] or pagans – is permitted according to the shari'a... That being said, it must be done only after [the spoils] has been divided by an imam in Dar Al-Islam; if there is no imam at hand, prisoners may not be taken..."
Al-Athari emphasizes that before deciding to take infidel women captive, "one must consider the gains and losses that will result from this deed, which is to say that if the imam of the Muslims in a given country believes that taking the infidels' women captive will lead the infidels to band together and rape the Muslims' women, and that the Muslims are in too weak a state to prevent this, he should forbid taking [infidel women] captive..."
Al-Athari notes that "there are too many proofs of the permissibility of taking the infidels' women captive to enumerate here, but we can divide them into two categories: 'general proofs' and 'concrete proofs.'" He explains that the "general proofs" are those which clarify that it is forbidden to violate the honor of Muslim women, but that this does not hold true regarding the infidel women, except in cases where they are assured protection. Al-Athari claims that the permissibility is absolute and anchored in the principles of the shari'a. Therefore, he says, it does not necessitate proof, and it falls rather on those who forbid taking infidel women captive to prove the legitimacy their claims.
In his discussion of "concrete proofs," Al-Athari quotes Al-Qurtubi, who says: "Most scholars, including Malik [ibn Anas], Al-Shafi'i, Abu Hanifa,[2] and others, thought that taking [infidel women] captive removes the protection [they previously enjoyed], and permits whoever is holding them to have sexual intercourse with them." Al-Athari also quotes another scholar whose interpretation of Al-Qurtubi's ruling says that the latter uses the word "protection" to refer to married women, who are forbidden to men other than their husbands. That is, when these women are taken captive, their marriage contracts with their infidel husbands become void, and they become permissible to their captors. Al-Athari adds that the amount of time a captor must wait until having sexual intercourse with a captive infidel woman depends on her condition: if she is pregnant, he must wait until after she gives birth; if she is menstruating, he must wait until after her period is over; and if she is young and has not yet begun menstruating, he must wait a month from her capture. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/islamic-cleric-misunderstands-islam-issues-fatwa-permitting-jihadis-to-kidnap-imprison-and-rape-infi.html
Predatory cult
The difference between predatory cults such as Islam and real religions, is that a true religion attempts to bring out the best in people, whereas a predatory cult does the opposite.
Muslims inhabit a different moral universe from the rest of us, where good is evil and evil is good, if it serves the purposes of Islam.
While other religions teach goodwill to mankind, Islam teaches hostility to all non-members of the cult.
Jesus, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, taught his followers to help all people in need, irrespective of their religion. Jews are commanded to be a light unto the nations. The Buddha taught compassion for all suffering beings.
But in Islam, charity applies only to fellow Muslims, and in fact many Islamic charities are money-launderers for jihad.There is no Golden Rule in Islam. There is no place for conscience in Islam. Peel away the thin veneer of religiosity, and all you find is vicious, primitive, predatory tribalism.
Why we MUST destroy Mohammed's credibility
Islamic 'Blasphemy Laws' against insulting the long-dead pedophile Mohammed are so vicious and repressive because the truth about this megalomaniac charlatan has the power to DESTROY Islam, and the Muslims know it.
Islam's one and only foundation is the credibility and resultant authority of Mohammed. If you can undermine that credibility, then you have destroyed Islam.
ALL of Islam derives from Mohammed and nowhere else. Even aspects of Islam that appear to derive from Christianity and Judaism are actually corrupted versions of those religions which have been twisted and perverted to suit Mohammed's psychopathic agenda.
There are three ways of attacking Mohammed (1) Ethical Arguments (2) Rational Arguments and (3) Undermining his leadership.
(1) Ethical arguments are not as effective as they might at first seem.
By our standards, Mohammed's actions were evil. But Muslims live in a different moral universe from the rest of us, where the very definition of good and evil are determined by what Mohammed (the Perfect man) did and said. Islam aims to completely destroy the conscience and free will of the Muslim and replace it with the cloned behavior of a psychopathic megalomaniac.
(2) Rational arguments are no better. Muslims are taught from an early age that faith is superior to reason, and that it is a sin to even question the Koran ('Bi-la kayf' or 'Bi-la kaifa', which means Mohammedan contradictions and absurdities must be accepted without asking how or why) . Apart from which, the majority of Muslims are below average intelligence due to genetic damage caused by generations of inbreeding.
(3) Undermining Mohammed's leadership...
(3a) Nobody likes to be conned, and when they find they have been conned they turn against the conman. Muslims are naturally suspicious to the extent of paranoia and much given to conspiracy theories, so if you can show Mohammed as a person who deceived his own followers (as well as deceiving the kuffars - which is OK), then you will have more seriously undermined their faith than any rational or ethical argument could.
(3b) Nobody likes to be a laughing-stock. So if you can make Mohammed into a figure of ridicule and derision he will no longer appear to be 'The Perfect Man' and role model. This is why the Motoons were so effective.
- the One Stop Shop for Islamic Awareness


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Fist-pumps all around! Jenni "JWoww" Farley of "Jersey Shore" fame has given birth to a baby girl.
Farley, the body-building former denizen of Seaside Heights, welcomed daughter Meilani Alexandra Mathews on Sunday.
Her fiance, Roger Mathews, with whom she's starring in We TV's celebrity edition of "Marriage Boot Camp," made the birth announcement the same day on Twitter.
"She is here! Meilani Alexandra Mathews 7lbs 13 ounces. Words can't describe what looking into your child's eyes can do to you. Im Humbled," he wrote.
The new dad later added: "She makes cooing noises while she sleeps. Amazing how a simple little noise can make you want to make the world a better place for her 2 live."
Farley, 28, reportedly induced labor in New Jersey over the weekend, TMZ said, and she posted photos of her "lil nugget's" 3-D ultrasound on Instagram as she eagerly awaited the baby's arrival. No word yet on what inspired Meilani's tropical name.
"Jenni and Roger are so excited to welcome the newest guidette to the world," Farley's rep told E! News. "Meilani and her parents are doing great and are happy and healthy. Meilani is already looking to trade her baby bottle for barbells."
The gym enthusiasts, who announced their engagement in September 2012 after two and a half years of dating, revealed they were expecting on Christmas Day 2013. In January, they publicized that their first child would be a baby girl.
Not long after the birth, JWoww's "Jersey Shore" costars poured out their congratulations.
"I'm an auntie!!!!!" tweeted Farley's BFF and "Snooki & JWoww" costar Nicole Polizzi. "Can't wait to meet my baby."
Polizzi, 26, who is also expecting her second child (a girl), added on Facebook that she was "getting dolled up to meet my niece! So proud of my boo JWOWW."
"Congrats @JENNIWOWW and @RogerMathewsNJ on the birth of your beautiful baby girl! You are going to be the best parents! Love & many blessings!," tweeted Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola.
"So happy for @JENNIWOWW and @RogerMathewsNJ on their beautiful baby girl congratulations!" wrote Deena Cortese.
"Congrats @JENNIWOWW and @RogerMathewsNJ . Can't wait to see the baby," tweeted Vinny Guadagnino.
Gym, tan, baby! Follow me @NardineSaad.


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What would you do if you lost your past?
In 1988 Su Meck was twenty-two and married with two children when a ceiling fan in her kitchen fell and struck her on the head, leaving her with no memory of who she is or anything that has ever happened to her. Not only are her husband and children strangers to her, but she must relearn simple life skills, including how to read and write. Although her body healed rapidly, her memories never returned. Yet after just three weeks in the hospital, Su was released and once again charged with the care of two toddlers and a busy household. I Forgot to Remember: A Memoir of Amnesia is an extraordinary first person account of a woman's journey to quite literally find herself. Mary @ Forest Home


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BACKORDER - Internal Bliss - GAPS Cookbook
Finally, a cookbook for those on the GAPS diet!!! Featuring over 140 GAPS friendly recipes and meal ideas.
Internal Bliss is a cookbook designed for individuals and families pursuing the difficult journey towards digestive healing. With the GAPS principles in mind, Internal Bliss provides recipes that will satisfy all palates.
Featuring a wide variety of GAPS friendly meal ideas and treats for the enitre family, including:
Yogurt Cheese
Deviled Eggs
Lima Bean Hummus
Cream of Delicatta Squash Soup
Cowboy Stew
Turkey Pecan Waldorf Salad
Cauliflower "Potato" Salad
Peanut Butter Pancakes
Banana Caramel Sticky Buns
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Chinese Lemon Chicken with Broccoli
Scallops with Shiitake Mushrooms in Ginger Sauce
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Squash Pudding
Hazelnut Pizza Crust
Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
Key Lime Pie
Strawberry Shortcakes
Mixed Melon Sorbet
And Many, Many, More!!!
Spiral bound for easy use while cooking. 223 Pages of information and recipes.


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Posts tagged 'lights lamps and lighting'
Although lamps and chandeliers have their practical purposes, I'm sure I'm not the only one who insists on having a lamp inside of a room that already comes with about three or four different light sources. And will you ever need that much light at once? Maybe not, but when you are looking to accent your home a bit, don't underestimate the power of lamps and other lighting options - they make great accessories and really add to the overall design of your home.This may seem like a given, but when purchasing a lamp, choose one that has a shape, size, and color that compliments the design of your home. Avoid the temptation to purchase a lamp that can match pretty much any color scheme or design; choose one that really pops. Note: Also be careful not to go overboard or clash with the colors you have going on in your home. If there is already a lot of pop and flair going on in one particular room, you may be better off with a neutral-colored lamp.


text: |No representation is made that the quality of the dental services to be performed is greater than the quality of dental services performed by other dentists. Listing of these previously mentioned areas of practice does not indicate any certification of expertise therein. No specialty license is held in the area(s) listed.


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1157 N. Marion Ave.Gearhart, OR, 97138
Friday, February 8, 2019
Gearhart Hotel - Sand Trap Pub
7 - 10 pm
All ages welcome
7 - 10 pmFreeAll ages welcome
"Classic American
songwriting and vocals that are at once both soulful and crisp. Honest music is
the best kind, and Brian Copeland's music is honest." - Steve Sundholm,
Hollywood Producer/Engineer Singing and strumming since the age of ten, Brian Copeland has
cultivated a unique brand of catchy and lyrical guitar-pop.
Born in Iowa City and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Copeland draws on a planet of inspiration ranging from a
loving family and unwavering friendships to quirky Portland encounters and spectacular Cascadian scenes.
Built on honest themes and experiences, his music engages
a wide range of listeners from all walks of life.
The evolution of Copeland's current band can be traced back through
nearly fifteen years of on-stage success and partnerships with dozens of accomplished
musicians through his previous bands The Furleys and Pale Green Pants . This
year, with some of the best regional talent on board, including Arcellus Sykes on bass guitar, Brud Giles on
drums, Jeff Koch on lead guitar, and Amanda Breese on keys/vocals, Copeland released a 4-song EP "The
B Sides" to a sold-out house at the famous Jimmy Mak's in
Portland. Anchored by reflective lyrics, powerful vocal arrangements and silky
guitar hooks, the recording showcases not only superb musicianship, but
Copeland's production and songwriting chops.
"His (Copeland's) songs
dance with dreamy winks of Beatles-esque shiver; Crowded House's Neil Finn (who
remains at large); and a majestic dose of Matthew Sweet - all of these things,
of course, are Very, Very Good." - Corey Frye - Corvallis Gazette Times
In 2010, Copeland teamed up with world-class pianist,
songwriter, and arranger Matt Burnett and award-winning engineer and producer Keith Sommers (Absinthe, Lowcraft, Phonochrome) to record "Circles," his third full-length
recording. "Circles" is an expertly orchestrated collection of songs that combine the warmth and
refinement of classical strings with Burnett's undeniably catchy piano hooks
and Copeland's powerful lead vocals. Copeland followed the release with a west coast tour, which included
dates in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He has since returned to play dates
in southern California, including an appearance at the Yahoo! Music Studios in Santa Monica, CA.
"There's something to be
said for a well-crafted pop song, and this disc is full of them...Copeland's
voice is
true and amiable, with a
slight husky edge. With plentiful vocal harmonies, "Circles" is pop flavor with substance." - Kyle O'brien, The
As a vetted pop musician at the center of a galaxy of accomplished
musicians, Brian Copeland has built a powerhouse pop institution that remains
fresh and engaging from album to album and show to show.
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New Sales Team employees
As of November 1st, Marc Zengerink, Regional Sales Manager of East-NL, has said goodbye to the firm. His work will be continued by Sandra Wassink and Tjade van der Snel.
Sandra Wassink, Regional Sales Manager South-East NL
As of December 1st, Sandra will join the external sales team as Regional Sales Manager for the South-East of The Netherlands. She will be responsible for the customer portfolio for this part of The Netherlands.
Sandra has been working for Electromach for 14 years now, starting in the internal sales department and the last years responsible for the Marketing department.
Tjade van der Snel, Regional Sales Manager North-East NL
As of January 1st 2014, our external sales team will welcome a new employee, Tjade van der Snel. After several years working in the external sales team of a company specialised in switch gear, Tjade will be responsible at Electromach for the customer portfolio in the North-East of The Netherlands.


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Updated: April 2018
Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage are two separate parts of a motorcycle insurance policy. Each coverage helps pay to repair or replace your bike if it's damaged in a covered claim. But, collision insurance covers different types of risks than comprehensive insurance.
If your bike is damaged in a collision with another vehicle or object, such as a tree or fence, your collision coverage helps pay for repairs.
Collision coverage does not pay for medical bills (yours or another driver's), and it does not pay for damage you cause to another vehicle or object.
Get the protection you need and the peace of mind you deserve with Allstate insurance.
Comprehensive insurance helps cover your motorcycle if it's damaged in an incident that's not a collision. Comprehensive typically covers risks like theft, falling objects or vandalism. So, if your bike is damaged in a hail storm, for example, your comprehensive coverage may help pay to repair it.
Comprehensive coverage does not pay for normal wear and tear on your bike or breakdowns due to lack of maintenance.
Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage each have their own coverage limits. A limit is the maximum amount your policy will pay for a covered claim. You are responsible for costs that exceed your coverage limit.
The limit for collision coverage is your motorcycle's actual cash value. The limit for comprehensive coverage is also your bike's actual cash value. Actual cash value takes into account depreciation.
Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage each have a separate deductible. The deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket toward a covered claim. You select your deductibles when you buy comprehensive and collision coverage.
Let's say you have comprehensive coverage with a deductible of $500. Your motorcycle is totaled in a covered claim when a tree falls on it. Suppose the bike's actual cash value just before the tree smashed it was $8,000. Your insurer would cut you a check for the motorcycle's actual cash value, minus your deductible. So, in this situation, your policy would reimburse you $7,500. If you wanted to replace your totaled bike with a brand-new motorcycle that costs more than $7,500, you'd have to pay the rest out of your own pocket.
Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage typically cover only the standard parts your bike was fitted with when it came off the line. You may want to look into purchasing additional equipment coverage if you add accessories or custom parts to your bike.
"Full coverage" motorcycle insurance does not exist. Typically, when people talk about "full coverage," they are referring to a combination of coverages on a motorcycle insurance policy.
Certain coverages are required by state law. For example, motorcyclists in most states are required to have motorcycle liability coverage.
Other coverages -- such as comprehensive coverage or collision coverage -- may be optional if you own your bike outright. If you lease or finance your motorcycle, your lender may require you to purchase collision coverage and comprehensive coverage until your bike is paid off.
If you want insurance to help protect your motorcycle, talk to a local agent, who can help you explore and understand motorcycle coverage options.
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Rihanna Shares Snippets From 'Talk That Talk' Album
Rihanna has generously (and smartly) shared 30-second snippets of 11 songs from 'Talk That Talk,' which drops Nov. 21. The snippets are super short, but they certainly offer a satisfying taste of what to expect and what's to come on the new album!
From a few listens of these teasers, the album comes across with quite a sunny, island, reggae vibe, which the Barbados-born RiRi explored on last year's 'Loud.' But there are also elements of "classic" RiRi, too, such as 'Roc Me Out,' which reminds us a bit of 'Rude Boy.'
It sounds like RiRi is doing her thang, and doing it well. Her shimmery voice is distinct as a fingerprint, and she's at her best when surrounded by clubby beats and singing about love.
Below is PopCrush's description of the short but sweet teaser tastes of 'Talk That Talk.'
'You Da One': Has a clubby, upbeat, island vibe.
'Where Have You Been': This one is a thumper, built on a beat.
'We Found Love': The hit first single, which proves to be emblematic of the album's overall energy.
'Talk That Talk': Her mentor Jay-Z delivers raps about filling arenas on this grooved out title cut; we only hear the Hova, not RiRi, on this snip.
'Cockiness (Love It)': Another super reggae moment, with RiRi singing "Love it" super fast.
'Birthday Cake': This was made to bellow out of a low-rider, as the word "cake" is repeated rapid fire and RiRi asserts "Ima make you my b—-." Rawr.
'We All Want Love': It's a sweet ballad, but still has a beat!
'Drunk On Love': RiRi sings about how she wants it and craves it, utilizing the XX's addictive jam 'Intro.' She sings about wearing her heart on her sleeve, too.
'Roc Me Out': It's a dancefloor banger that reminds us of 'Rude Boy.'
'Watch n' Learn': More island pop from an island girl. Get us some sunblock. We want to soak up rays and listen to this song while sprawled on a beach towel.
'Farewell': RiRi bids adieu in this ballad — her voice full of emotion. After all the tough girl talk that she talks, this is RiRi at her most vulnerable on the album.
Which one was your favorite, leaving you breathless and wanting more?
Listen to 30-Second Snippets of Rihanna 'Talk That Talk'


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Cats for Adoption
Homeward Trails Animal Rescue adopts pets to homes in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland. Many of the dogs and puppies available for adoption are being cared for in foster homes in the DC area but many are still in rural animal shelters and can only be brought to the DC area once we have approved adoptive or foster homes for them. If you're interested in adopting one of these animals, please review our pet adoption process and contact the volunteer whose email is listed on his or her page. Or attend a pet adoption event where you can meet a number of dogs at once and talk to Homeward Trails volunteers about adoption.


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We're sure most of you are no strangers to weird advertisements, but Microsoft's newest Windows 8 ads might just be in a league of their own. The bizarre ads, which were made to elicit something between a hearty laugh and an awkward snort, don't even show Windows 8 computers. They do, however, feature face smashing make-up routines, butt pingpong, and watermelon fingering – yes, you read that right.
None of the ads entitled are in English (but trust us when we say you don't need to understand anything being said to find them funny and/or weird), and with all of them starring Asian actors, they're oddly reminiscent of the Difficulty Level: Asian meme. The folks at Microsoft posted the three "Windows Training Camp" ads on YouTube but quickly pulled them down without explaining why they're depriving us of our entertainment for the day. Luckily, someone else saved copies of the videos and have put them up again on the same website – check them out below!
Don't be fooled by the geeky kid in the video. His watermelon-fingering skills are top-notch.
Next time your girlfriend takes an hour to put on a full face of make-up, show her how the woman in this video can do it in 9 seconds.
Ever skipped a music lesson or a practice day? All you'll feel after watching this ad is regret, because you'll never be able to play butt pingpong.


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Holland America Fine Diningby Paul Motter | 08.21.12
Certain special dining events offered on every Holland America cruise are "not to be missed" attractions.
The sea bass with caviar from the Chef's Tasting Menu is delectable The dining room on Holland America ships is a lovely room with attentive service. It is spacious and accommodating with many tables for two. But I recommend it most for breakfast where you can get a variety of eggs Benedict, with traditional ham, or salmon, or just spinach for example. It comes with crispy hash browns and hot toast. But for dinner I recommend staying with the simple options such as steak or pasta.
But the one place where Holland America has really honed its act is in the premium dining category. Each ship in the fleet now has a "Pinnacle Grill Restaurant" and a visit there for any meal is more than worthwhile, it is not to be missed. Indeed, I met more than one person who said they dined in the Pinnacle grill at every opportunity.
Holland America is based in Seattle and the Grill's cuisine was originally inspired by the Pacific Northwest; featuring fresh beef and salmon on a regular basis. The restaurant is open for lunch ($10) and dinner ($25 per person) daily, but I also had three distinct and very memorable special event dining experiences there, each with a unique theme. Over time this restaurant has taken on a more diverse role by offering a number of special theme dinners throughout the cruise.
How do you feel about the food on Holland America? Tell us here: Holland America Forum
I sampled the lunch and the dinner menu, and both are exceptional. The Pinnacle Burger on the lunch menu is large enough to keep you satisfied the rest of the day, with what appeared to be almost half a pound of ground round topped with cheddar and four slices of bacon - swimming in a plate of thin and crispy French fries.
The regular dinner menu also offers delicious lamp chops, Dungeness crab cakes, Carpaccio or a land and sea combination with filet mignon and jumbo prawns. The crème brulee dessert was enough for an entire table with three different flavors of custard each below a crust of caramelized sugar thick enough to require a knife.
But the most extraordinary Pinnacle Grill experience is the Le Cirque night when the chefs recreate a menu also served by the famous Le Cirque Restaurant in New York City. The starters include a poached lobster salad with haricot and citrus; a trio of caviar, smoked salmon and fois gras; and a Caesar Salad. The soup course includes a hot butternut squash with huckleberry; or a chilled yogurt with melon.
The main courses tantalize the most: The rack of lamb comes with a pair of two cross-boned medium rare chops atop a goat cheese panisse, artichoke and arugula. The Chateaubriand is delivered still sizzling from the kitchen on a rolling carving cart for the Maitre D' to slice into three succulent strips per guest, plated with a small dome of horseradish flan and sweet and sour baby beets. The three-cheese ravioli is covered in a meatless fresh tomato-basil red sauce. Finally, chicken under a brick is a tall stack of carved baked chicken in a ginger-honey au jus.
Lamb chops
The desserts include "Crème Brulee Le Cirque," or a chocolate hot soufflé, a crisp and creamy Napoleon with fresh raspberries or an assortment of sorbets. Surcharges for the "Evening at Le Cirque" are $39 per person for dinner alone, or $59 for the dinner with wine pairing. The wines accoutrements included two whites (one from Washington, the other from France) for the appetizers, a French red for the main course and a Spanish port to accompany dessert.
How do you feel about the food on Holland America? Tell us here: Holland America Forum
The Topper - Master Chef Rudi Sodamin's Tasting Menu
I was also fortunate enough to try, for the first time on the Vista-class ships, a special dinner Holland America has previously only offered on the Signature-class vessels; master Chef Rudi Sodamin's Tasting Menu. This delightful seven course meal comes with wine pairings and is offered to only ten guests per night. It is offered on a first-come basis and fills up very quickly. The cost is a relative bargain compared to other cruise lines that offer the same concept; $89 per person.
This dinner started with a champagne reception in the Pinnacle Grill Bar where we were treated to champagne and hors d'ouevres. Eventually we were led into the back table of the Grill where we were all seated together. The first course was a delicious fois gras atop sliced avocado - too creamy textures that melded together and melted in my mouth in a heavenly combination.
Fois Gras with avacado and reduced basalmic vinegar
Next came and lobster and porcini mushroom frappe - mildly blended to maintain the individual consistencies. The potato and mustard seed crusted cod fish was adorned with a large dollop of paddlefish caviar on top and a spoonful of salmon caviar on the side. The freshness of the ingredients was abundantly evident as each morsel burst with flavor.
Sea Bass with Caviar
To cleanse our palate the lime and candied ginger granite led to a secondary main course; a small but not penurious veal chop topped with full slices of black truffle and onion and pureed artichoke on the side.
Lemon Ginger sorbet
Veal Chop with truffle slices
Dessert is entitled "A Dialogue of Chocolate Seduction" and includes chocolate petit fours, a bite-sized cr�me Brule, a milk chocolate trifle with nuts topped with a meringue dove next to a tower of dark chocolate souffl�. A Spanish port was served alongside the chocolate dessert.
Chocolate Seduction
The night ends with a plate of "artisan cheeses" served with a lovely dollop of fresh honeycomb. The final event is a selection of petit fours and European coffees.
Cheeses with honeycomb
Dining Options
The two special dinners I just described, the Le Cirque and the Master Chef's Tasting Menu are both culinary events that everyone will enjoy a great deal. However, any lunch or dinner in the Pinnacle grill is worthwhile and sure to please. I would recommend it for anyone celebrating a special occasion. On the other nights you can dine for no added cost in the main dining room, or in the buffet area which is open to anyone who wants a casual dinner any night of the cruise, and like most cruise lines these days, some form of hot food is available in the area nearly 24-hours per day so no one will ever go hungry.
Another nice aspect to Holland America is the special ice cream and dessert station which stays open most of the day and night. You can get many flavors of hand-scooped ice creams there along with a variety of wet and dry toppings. Fresh cookies, brownies, cupcakes and puddings are also available on a regular basis.
Italian Dining at Canaletto
If you are craving a special Italian meal at a very reasonable price you can't go wrong at the Canaletto Restaurant. Beginning at 6:00 p.m. nightly a special section of the Lido area is screened off and transformed into an Italian Trattoria. For just $10 per person you get a table service menu featuring Italian Herb Sausage with Cannellini beans, Insalata Canaletto, Veal Osso Bucco or Chicken Cacciatore "Al Forno." The price even includes one glass of wine, beer or a soft drink - which alone is close to the price of this dinner.
How do you feel about the food on Holland America? Tell us here: Holland America Forum


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Reviewed by Sean V. (age 8)
Andro is a very interesting character. He is very smart and knows things because he lives in the future. He teaches Bean many important things like being polite. The illustrations in the book are black and white. There are not too many pictures because it is a chapter book. The pictures show what Bean and Andro look like.
I would recommend this book to second or third graders who like to read fiction. You might be interested in this book if you like to read about happy endings. Bean has bad luck at the beginning of the story but things turn around thanks to his new friend, Andro.


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The holiday season is a busy time — parties to attend and presents to buy. So instead of wasting your money during this hectic time of year on sales messages that will more than likely be ignored or discarded, why not turn your attention to some good old-fashioned relationship building.
Mailing out holiday cards to your customer list is a simple, effective method to help build brand awareness. This simple gesture is a great way to express your appreciation for the business your customer pushes your way. But don't overlook the power of sending out the right type of card. According to Adams Hudson of Hudson, Ink — a Montgomery, Ala.-based creative marketing firm, "The trick is to get your card to stand out from all the other cards. If it doesn't, it's a waste."
Hudson offers the following tips when executing a holiday card marketing campaign.
Bigger is better. "Regular" sized cards blend in to the stack and may not get read. An oversized card, usually a 5.5 inch × 8.5 inch, will stand out from the others, and get noticed.
Think unique. Stock cards with pictures of an ornament or some cartoon Santa with an over-used Holiday phrase are all too common. Make sure your message is unique, inspiring, and thoughtful.
Travel in style. Spend a little extra for postage and go first class. One advantage to sending your cards first class is you'll get back the undeliverables, which will allow you to clean your customer list. If you go standard rate to save a few pennies, you'll never know who's moved.
So remember, this is the perfect time of year for you to say thanks to the people who keep you in business. And a simple holiday card campaign is just one more way for you to rise above your competition.
You can view some unique holiday card samples at www.customerpostcards.com.


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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Syracuse University ended its annual ``Orange Madness'' event at the Carrier Dome 30 minutes early after a man was stabbed during the celebration.
Police said the stabbing happened in an arena concourse at around 9:30 p.m. Friday.
The 25-year-old victim was treated at a hospital.
Syracuse Police Sgt. Tom Connellan tells reporters there were at least 15,000 people at the event, which celebrates the start of the basketball season.
He says the decision to cut the party short came after there were several fights.
Connellan says that neither the fights, nor the stabbing, were believed to involve Syracuse students.
Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Athletic Director Daryl Gross have issued a statement saying that steps would be taken to ensure better safety at future ``Orange Madness'' events.


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