text:
Well, we've been studying the book of Titus but we have some very special things planned over the next few weeks, and so I didn't want to launch into the next section of Titus for a while. And I was reflecting, as I often do, on the Christmas season, I spend a lot of time doing radio talk shows by telephone and talking to people about Christmas and what it means. Sometimes even unbelieving people who called in and wanted to talk about it. And, of course, I watch the world as you do go by and nominally, superficially celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, understanding this is the Son of God in human flesh who died and rose again and all of that gospel data that they know. And I watch the world with that sort of shallow apprehension of fact and truth, look at Christ, celebrate this particular time of year and then go right back to the way they've always lived, if in fact they ever changed anything even during Christmas.
They have some kind of interest in Christ, some kind of fascination about Christ, maybe some appreciation of Him. But it never ever causes a change in their life. They ultimately reject Him. And I began to sort of pose the question in my own mind, "How can people do that? Why do people reject Christ?"
I mean, if someone came along and said, "Look, I want to forgive all your sins and remove them as far as the east is from the west so that they'll never be remembered again and you'll be eternally free from guilt, shame and any punishment." That sounds like a fairly good offer. You can't imagine a rational person saying, "I'm not interested."
If someone comes along and says, "Look, there's a real possibility that you're going to spend forever in a burning pit where you're going to live forever in torment and torture and you're going to cry out in pain forever and I want to deliver you from that place. And I want to take you to a place called heaven where everything is bliss and everything is joy and rejoicing and happiness and fulfillment and satisfaction." Now you would assume that any rational person would respond by saying, "That sounds like a pretty good offer. I think I'll take that."
Somebody came along and said, "I want to tell you about life. Life can be frightening, life can be terrorizing, life can be uncertain, life can be debilitating, life can be painful, life can be sad, life can be unfulfilling. I want to change all that. I want to fill your life with joy. I want to fill your life with abundance. I want to fill your life with peace. I want you to be able to live life in this world to the maximum level. I want to make possible for you the fulfillment of every relationship and every experience." Sounds like a pretty good offer, doesn't it? And those are precisely the things that Jesus Christ offers. And they are precisely the things that people refuse. Why? Because they don't understand them? No. There's a major hindrance here and it is at the heart of understanding a gospel call, or a gospel presentation. We're being told today that if we...if we were more effective in marketing the gospel, more people would be buying it. If we were more clever in presenting it, more people would respond to it. If our presentations were more entertaining, or more dramatic, or more attractive, if we could just throw in some added stuff like signs and wonders and health and wealth and a little worldly fun, we could get people to buy Christ much more easily.
Is that really so? Is it a matter of marketing strategy? What is it that keeps people from responding to Christ? What causes people to ignore the truth and reject Him? Even understanding what that truth offers?
Well, I think the Lord Jesus gave us deep insight into that question and gave us the answer in some illustrations found in Matthew 8 and Luke 9. Let's look at Matthew 8 and then in a moment I'll read you from Luke chapter 9.
Matthew chapter 8 verse 18, "Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him He gave orders to depart to the other side. A certain scribe came and said to Him, 'Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.' And Jesus said to Him, 'The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' And another of the disciples said to Him, 'Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.' But Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me and allow the dead to bury their own dead.'"
Then over in Luke chapter 9 we find the parallel passage. Verse 57, "As they were going along the road someone said to Him, 'I'll follow You wherever You go.' Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' And He said to another, 'Follow Me.' And he said, 'Permit me first to go and bury my father.' And He said to him, 'Allow the dead to bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the Kingdom of God.' And another also said, 'I will follow You, Lord, but first permit me to say goodbye to those at home.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one after putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God.'"
Rather strange responses on the part of Jesus, are they not? Generally by our measurement. Because what you have here is basically three people who are interested in following Christ. They even go so far as to say, "I'll follow You wherever You go. I want to be a part of this. I want to join the group." After all the incomparable, matchless, lovely, gracious Lord Jesus Christ had put on a demonstration of power and wisdom, the likes of which nobody had ever seen, His words and His works, the very demeanor by which He carried Himself, His affections, everything about Him was attractive.
The people of His time saw many things that verified that He was a supernatural person, that He was, in fact, God who had come to save. For example, His authority was apparent. The people were astonished at His teaching for He taught them as one having authority, it says in Matthew 7:28 and 29. His words were absolutely unique. In John 7:46 they commented, "Never a man spoke like this man." Nobody had ever talked like He talks. His works were undeniably from God. The blind man...the blind man said, you remember, in John 9, "It is a marvelous thing that you don't know where He is from, and yet He has opened my eyes. If this man were not from God, He couldn't do this." His authority and His words and His works were supernatural. His wisdom was superhuman. From time to time they were so astounded at His wisdom that all they could so was walk away, themselves amazed that anyone could be so wise. In fact, it says in Matthew 22:22, sort of summing it all up, "When they heard these words, they marvelled." They marveled, and that was in response to what He said about, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's," but many times He confounded them with His wisdom. His purity was undeniable. In John 8:46 He said, "Which of you convicts Me of sin? Who has a sin against Me? Who can identify any iniquity in My life?" And no one could. His truthfulness was unquestionable. And He said, "If I say the truth, why do you not believe Me? If what I say is true and you can verify it and you know it's true, it accords with what you know to be truth and what you know the Old Testament has taught, if what I'm saying is true, then why don't you believe it?" His power fascinated them. Luke 8:25 they said, "What manner of man is this, He commands even the winds and water and they obey Him. What kind of person are we dealing with? With what kind of power?" His provision astounded them. He fed the multitudes, creating food for them and then said to them, "You seek Me because you did eat the loaves and were filled," John 6:26. They saw, they experienced, they ate the very things He created.
His healing took away their sickness. Even here in Matthew 8 He's just accomplished healing miracles and even made a comment about His healing power in verses 16 and 17, the prior texts to the one I read. When the multitudes, for example, in Matthew 9, saw Him heal the paralytic, they marvelled and glorified God who had given such power to man. He was astounding and everything about Him was astounding. His love overwhelmed them. In John 11:36 they said, "Behold, how He loved him," commenting on His love for Lazarus. His dominance of demons shocked them. They had never seen anybody who could control demons totally. When He cast out the demons in the next chapter, Matthew 9, the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never so seen in Israel." No one has ever been able to do this. His judgment was awesome. He came to the fig tree that time in Matthew 21, He cursed it, it died on the spot and they marveled. They were astounded. They were amazed. Even His composure, His unruffled character, His absolute confidence was beyond human. Here He was silent before Pilate, showing no fear, giving no defense, answering not a word so that the governor marveled greatly, it says in Matthew 27:14. His teaching was something like they had never heard. In fact, they said of Him, "How does He know anything because He hasn't been to school?" John 7. Even as a boy in Luke 2:47, they were utterly astonished at His ability to talk in the temple there and talk about theology. His independence made them shudder. The Pharisees marveled that He didn't first wash before dinner. What does that mean? Well, He defiled their ceremonies. He acted completely independent of the system.
His tender condescension shocked them. They marveled at Him because He talked with a woman at the well who was a Samaritan, He was a Jew. They marveled at Him because He hung around tax collectors, Publicans, and sinners and prostitutes. Everything about Him was astonishing. Everything about Him was marvelous. Everything about Him was supernatural. There was never any question, that's why Mark 6:6 says, "He marveled at their unbelief." Equally amazing was the fact that they could see this all and reject. He said, "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly." "He that believes in Me shall never die." He said He had come to take away sin, the Lamb of God, the sacrifice for the world. And yet He came unto His own, His own received Him not and He Himself said, "You will not come to Me that you might have life. You choose death, I give you life. You choose hell, I give you heaven. You choose sin, I give you forgiveness."
And finally at the end they just screamed, "We will not have this man to reign over us. Crucify Him, crucify Him, crucify Him, crucify Him." And you ask the question...why? How can such an offer be spurned on such a broad level? Why does the world continue to reject? Why are there only a few who come to Christ?
Well the answer in general is found in John chapter 3...and the obvious answer. John 3, "This is the judgment, the judgment on the world, that the light has come into the world...that is Christ who is the light...and men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil." Simply stated, they love sin...they love sin. And the real issue is, they don't want to give up sin...that's the bottom line. They don't want to give up sin. They want to hold on to it. They would rather have their way than receive what Christ offers. It's unimaginable, isn't it? Now, it's the same today. People reject the Lord Jesus Christ, they pay Him some tacit attention around Christmas and maybe a little thought or two at Easter time. But generally they reject Him, even when they know the gospel and when they fully understand the gospel they reject Him. They know what He offers. They know what He came to provide and they reject it. Some of you sitting in this church have been coming here for months, maybe even years...we hear testimonies to that effect in baptisms frequently...and you still haven't responded to Christ. It is inexplicable from the rational viewpoint that you would reject Christ when you know what you know about what He offers, but the reason you do is because you cling to your sin. You love it. You hold it. It's more important to you than anything else.
You say, "How does all this fit into Matthew chapter 8?" Well I think Jesus does a very, very good thing for us, He helps us to understand this sinful attitude by putting it into three general categories into which it falls. What He shows us here is how sin manifests itself in three common ways that cause people to reject Christ...very simple illustrations of the general categories of human sin which cause people to reject Christ.
The first one is personal comfort, or personal lifestyle might be a better way to say it, personal lifestyle. The second one is personal riches, personal possessions. And the third one is personal relations...personal relations. And they're illustrated here. People's sins fall into the categories of personal pleasure, personal lifestyle, what I want to do with my life, personal possessions, riches, materialism, things I want and relationships. And those are the things that hold people. They chose their own personal lifestyle, their own personal riches, their own personal relationships over Christ. And here you have that illustrated.
And interestingly enough in this particular text and in the Luke text, in each case these people appeared to be prospects for salvation. They wanted...in fact they were already disciples, in a sense, as we shall note. In fact, they are even called disciples in verse 21. So they had already started to follow Christ. So we're not talking about the worst of men, from the human view, we're probably talking about the best, those who were morally self-conscious, who wanted to do right things and good things and noble things and were religious people. But even they illustrate the truth of the categories into which sin falls that keeps people from Christ.
Furthermore, they would all have wanted to follow Christ if they could have had Christ and the other stuff they were holding on to. And there are many today who would suggest that they had every right to have both. They were attracted by the signs and wonders, if you will, they were attracted by the incredible things that surrounded Jesus Christ, the amazing personality that He was. Their emotions were fired. Their feelings were touched. And they really wanted to follow and under the terms of most evangelistic strategies today would have been labeled as Christians. But Jesus didn't accept any of them. What sin keeps men from Christ? First of all, the sins that fit into the category of personal lifestyle. Look at verse 18, in Matthew 8. "When Jesus saw a crowd around Him He gave orders to depart to the other side." That's just a little note to let you know that the heat was on. Back in chapter 8 verse 1 He already had a multitude following Him, and then He does some healings and this just excites the crowd just at a fever pitch. It's at the point now where He could be thrust into some situation that wouldn't be the will of God. They could begin to try to force the issue with Him, and He knows it's time to leave. And so, in effect, in verse 18 He says, "Guys, we've got to get out of here. This thing is reaching a point of no return, we've got to move." So He gave orders to depart to the other side. It's a little process to get there, but they needed to start moving away from this massive crowd that had been attracted by these healings.
And so He does give them that order, but before they can leave and this is a break, and there are people there that know it. He's got around Him some followers. It's not yet chapter 10 where He really identifies the Twelve. He's got these followers around Him and they're there because they're fascinated by Him. And as He says "we're leaving," and there's already certainly a recognizable inner core there, and they're going to go with Him, some others that are a little bit further out in the circle of would-be followers, they start to say, "Wait a minute, we've got to talk to You before You go." And the first one says, "Teacher, I'll follow You wherever You go. I'll go wherever You go."
Now it was evening, Mark 4:35 tells us that. The Lord was tired, even sleepy, down in verse 25 He goes to sleep in a boat during a storm, so you know how sleepy He was. He needed some relief from the pressing crowds, some time to pray, some time to sleep, some time to get away from the misguided enthusiasm of the crowd that could reach too high of a fever pitch. So the order was given, "Go to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee." But just before they could get that in motion, three men appear.
And the first one is a scribe, look at verse 19, he's a certain scribe. Ah, this is great. You see, scribes were themselves the teachers of the law. They were qualified by the Jewish authorities, they were highly educated and loyal to the system. They were the interpreters of the law. They were the religious lawyers of their day. They were generally hostile to Jesus. They had already manifested their hostility earlier in the book of Matthew, we saw some of it back in chapter 5 verse 20. You see it all the way through the life of Jesus, the scribes and the Pharisees always taking positions against Christ because Jesus Christ threatened their system. So here is one of them, a teacher of the law, an expert in the law, knew the Old Testament, was fascinated by Jesus Christ. Surely Jesus was the most powerful individual he had ever seen. We know that in ancient times and certainly in Jewish history, they tended to follow great lights, rabbis who were great lights at any era of time, great teachers, and was certainly the greatest teacher this scribe had ever heard. And even though Jesus stood for the destruction of all that was narrow, legalistic, and unbiblical that the scribes and Pharisees stood for, He was still irresistible to this man. His personality and His power he couldn't resist. And here Jesus has an opportunity to pluck off a scribe, that would be a real trophy. And he's a very respectful scribe because he says in verse 19, "Teacher," that's the word "rabbi," "master," didaskalos. He recognizes this miracle worker from Nazareth as a very gifted rabbi and teacher. And he says, "I am willing to follow You wherever You go. I want to go with You. I want to be in on this miracle power. I want to be in on this profundity that comes out of Your lips."
But Jesus had seen this before. This isn't new. He had seen people attracted to Him for the wrong reasons. In John chapter 2 the record tells us in verse 23 when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover at the feast, many believed in His name, beholding the signs which He was doing. They too saw the wonders and the signs and the miracles and they were enamored of that and emotionally excited about it. "But Jesus on His part was not entrusting Himself to them for He knew all men and because He didn't need anyone to bear witness concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man." He knew what was in them wasn't legitimate. To put it simply, He had no faith in their faith. It was superficial, it was shallow. It was an attraction based upon the phenomena of what they saw, the supernatural. There were always those who wanted to follow the miracles. There were always those who wanted to cash in on a moment's popularity. There were always those who emotionally became excited about this individual. He knew that...Jesus did...that human nature hungers for sensation, it hungers for the supernatural, the amazing. He knew it was fickle. He knew it was unstable. He knew it was self-centered.
So here's the scribe, he sees the crowds, the multitudes, the excitement. He hear the teaching, this is profound, this is powerful. I want to follow this man, I want to go wherever He goes. He was ready. He was eager. And his offer was very complete, "I'll go wherever You go." Boy, I'll tell you what, if that were today in our contemporary kind of evangelism, he would become a statistic, a convert. Lenski(?), the Lutheran commentator writes, "He sees the soldiers on parade in fine uniforms and the glittering arms and is eager to join, forgetting the exhausting marches, the bloody battles, the graves, perhaps, unmarked." He doesn't understand the cost. He never really understood the basic principle of discipleship, self-denial, self-sacrifice, suffering, service. And Jesus knew that. All he could see was the sensation and sensation will always attract a certain level of follower.
So Jesus hits him with the real issue. Listen to this response. You would have thought maybe Jesus would have said, "Oh that's a wonderful offer, I accept. Come along." He didn't. Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." What kind of an answer is that? You would have thought He would have said, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," or something like that. Or, "The Lord is going to make you healthy, wealthy and wise." "You follow Me and I promise you paths of clover." No. He says, "You need to know one thing, I"m homeless. You follow Me, you're homeless. You willing to do that?"
He calls Himself the Son of Man, the first of eighty times in the gospels, and that's His term of humiliation, His favorite term for Himself, fulfillment of the messianic prophecy of Daniel 7:13, the title of His humiliation. He was humbled, Paul tells us in Philippians 2, and here is His humiliation...the foxes have holes. There were foxes in that land, lots of them and they had their burrows and they went into them at night. And birds have nests, places where they go. But the Son of Man in His humiliation doesn't have any place to lay His head. He had to sleep in a boat in a storm. Wild animals, birds are better off in terms of creature comforts than I am. What's He saying? Well what He's really saying is, there's a price to follow Me. It isn't just a matter of lining up and signing up to follow the sensation. There's a price. The life that I live and the walk that I walk is a walk of suffering. You have to choose the spiritual over the fleshly, the eternal over the temporal, the heavenly treasure over the earthly comfort. What I'm asking from you, He said, is a new lifestyle. You have to become what Paul called the off-scouring of the world, the filth of the world, rejected. You see, Jesus didn't want followers who were swept away by emotion, who were carried by the ebb and tide of their feelings. He wanted people who followed Him who understood fully what was involved, a total change in lifestyle, self-denial, self-sacrifice.
You see, what this young scribe wanted was to add some excitement to his life. Jesus wanted him to change his life. He might have been a potential Judas, there might have been two of them if Jesus had let him in, cause he was following for the same reasons, apparently, that Judas did. He was looking for personal gain, personal glory, personal sensation, satisfaction. But he wasn't about to change his life style. And when he heard that Jesus was homeless, that was the end of the discussion, he doesn't say anything. He drops off the page of Scripture for good. He's like stony ground, the seed went in, in Matthew 13:20 and 21, and a little plant started up but there was rock bed underneath the roots and they couldn't get to the water and the sun came out and there was no water and it burned and it died. There was an emotional exuberance about this Jesus but not to the point where it could endure anything. And Jesus says you're going to have to endure...self-denial, self-sacrifice.
Listen, that category of sin is very common. People don't come to Christ because they don't want to change their life style. They are not willing to make sacrifices in their life style. They don't want to change their behavior. They don't want to change the things that they do. They don't want to say no to their pleasures. They don't want to say no to their creature comforts. They don't want to change their lifestyle and the Lord demands that you be willing to do that. And that was this man's problem.
Look at the second man. In verse 21, another of the disciples, so he was a follower like the other. Disciple used in a very sense, simply means a follower or a learner. He said to Him, "Lord," and he's chiming in with the first guy saying, you know, in effect, "I'm going to go wherever You go too but first, permit me to go and bury my father." You say, "Well that sounds like a reasonable request, I mean, after all, a body lying around could smell bad pretty fast. And doesn't the Old Testament say that when somebody died they were to buried immediately? Yes...yes. It was a noble thing to do. Back in Genesis 50 verse 5, "My father made me swear saying, 'Behold, I'm about to die in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Cana and there ye shall bury me.' Now therefore please let me go and bury my father, then I'll return." Joseph talking to Pharaoh. I've got to bury my father, that's a noble thing to do, that's part of biblical history. You've got to do that. The Jews didn't embalm and even Lazarus in four days "stinketh," it says in John's gospel. So they got that body in the grave as fast as they could. Remember the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? He was taken off the cross, taken immediately to the tomb and buried, there wasn't any waiting time. And it was very customary that this be done and here's a man who seems to be asking a very reasonable thing. According to Jewish custom and tradition, burial took place immediately after death and in Israel giving an honorable burial to the dead person was considered a duty and a kindness and it was the highest level of service and normally the responsibility of the oldest son as his final act of devotion to his father. You will see that all through Genesis, Genesis 25, 35, 49 and 50. And that was just normal behavior. So he says, "I know You're leaving the area, I know You're going away, and I want to follow You wherever You go, but I need to bury my father." Well the Twelve were ready to go and there were some others who obviously like this man are hanging around the fringes. In verse 23 Jesus entered a boat and left and there were other boats that went with Him so there were some other disciples following along. But this man isn't quite ready. He's attracted but he's not quite ready. He has to bury his father. What does that mean? Interesting statement really. It doesn't mean that the father is dead. Let me give you an illustration. One writer tells about an incident related by a Syrian missionary. And just to show you that this is a Middle-Eastern custom, this missionary was friendly with an intelligent and rich young Turk. He advised him to make a tour of Europe at the close of his education so his education would be complete and his mind would be broadened. The Turk answered, "I must first of all bury my father." The missionary expressed his sympathy and sorrow that the young man's father had died, but the young Turk explained that his father is still very much alive and that what he meant was that he must fulfill all his duties to his parents and to his relatives before he could leave them to go on this suggested tour, that in fact he couldn't leave home until after his father's death which might not happen for many years. That's what he meant. When he said I must bury my father, he said I have to wait around till my father dies. Why? Because it's my duty to my father and I will receive the inheritance. You think I'm about to walk away from that? I'm going to follow you but not till my father dies. I'm going to hang around to get my part of the money, the loot. That's what he's really saying. He's saying...Yeah, I'm interested in You and You fascinate me, and I really do want to follow You, but, man, I can't forfeit my fortune." And that was what was on his heart. And Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, follow Me and allow the dead to bury their own dead." You let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. You let the system take care of itself. You let the world take care of itself. He's not saying you're forbidden to go to a funeral or to bury your father. He's just saying those are trivial matters when compared to matters of the Kingdom. Those things don't matter. That's why He said, as it's recorded in Luke chapter 9, the text we read, He said to the man, "You go and proclaim everywhere the Kingdom of God." In other words, get on with the spiritual enterprise. You let the world's passing fortunes take care of themselves. you just follow Me and preach the Kingdom.
But the man's priorities were fouled up. He wasn't about to follow Christ until he had gotten his money. Secular matters, Jesus said, belong to secular people. If you're going to be a spiritual man, you've got to be about spiritual matters. Well it proved to be that the man was not a spiritual man because he wanted to stick with the secular issues. He's like the rich young ruler, remember Matthew 19, came to Jesus...how do I get eternal life? And Jesus said to him, "Take what you have and sell it, and give the money to the poor." And he went away, he left. That was it, he split, he wanted eternal life but not that bad. There are a lot of people like that. They...they look at Christ, they attracted to Christ, they're enamored about Christ, they see some things in Christ that attract them, that fascinate them, that astonish them even and they understand that He's offering the forgiveness of sins and they understand that He's offering heaven, and they understand that He's offering abundant life, but they are in love with another god and that god is money and possessions and all the stuff that goes with that. They're attracted, astounded, amazed, even overwhelmed by Jesus, but to walk away from the loot and the money...no way, the price is too high.
So, you see, here again you have a very, very clear illustration of a category of sins which keep people from Christ. The love of money, the love of possessions...John said, "If any man loves the world, the love of the Father isn't in Him." They're mutually exclusive, you can't serve God and...what?...money. That keeps people from Christ. They want to hold on to their possessions and their money and they live for that. It isn't that you can't have possessions, it's that you think of them differently. They live for that, to achieve and attain and garner and store up like the rich fool who had all the barns and loaded up all the stuff...and then his soul was required of him. It's what Jesus had in mind when He said, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." But that's what people do. On the one hand people reject Christ because they don't want to change their lifestyle. ON the other hand they reject Christ because they live for money and possessions.
And here's some well-meaning guys. And Jesus doesn't say, "Come on in and we'll straighten you out later, just believe on Me and we'll fix the rest as we move down the path." He says, "Either you understand that you're going to be living a wholly different lifestyle and that you're going to be turning away from the things which you possess to do what I ask you to do, or you can't come into My Kingdom." Very strong. There's no pragmatism in this kind of evangelism.
And then the third would-be disciple appears over in Luke 9 and we have to turn over there to see this one. In Luke chapter 9 and his problem was personal relations. He illustrates a whole category of people who don't come to Christ because it will cost them relationally. He said, "I'll follow You...verse 61...I'll follow You, Lord," it's good that he uses the word "Lord," I mean, it's very honorable and respectful. "But first permit me to say goodbye to those at home." You say, "What's wrong with that? I mean, there's no harm in a goodbye." Well the implication here is it's far more than just some simple reasonable goodbye. What Jesus saw in the heart of this man was a malingering apron string. He wanted to go home and ask his mother if it was okay, or his father, or check with the patriarch, whoever it might have been, his grandfather. Family stood in the way, relationships. The family in this case, or whoever was there in his home is emblematic of people who don't come to Christ because other people threaten them. "I don't want to come to Christ, it will cost me a relationship with this person or that person, or these people." Many people are kept from Jesus for fear of being put out of the family, fear of being alienated from their friends, emotionally ostracized. They're embarrassed to be identified with Christ. They'll be laughed at and mocked and they're not about to do that. They have a certain reputation among unbelievers. They want to maintain that reputation. They want their friends and they're not willing to make the sacrifice. There are young people who won't come to Christ because they don't want to go against their parents. I talked to a young man who wouldn't acknowledge Christ as Savior and Lord even though he knew all of the truth because his father had died an anti-Protestant Catholic and he said, "The day I acknowledge that Protestant evangelical theology is correct, I will also have to say my father is in hell and I can't bring myself to say that." That kind of pressure, they don't want to sever a relationship between a living and a dead person.
Matthew chapter 10 verse 34, Jesus said, "Do not think I came to bring peace on the earth, I didn't come to bring peace but a sword. I came to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. And he who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who loves son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me." I mean, it's going to cost you relationships. There are some people who aren't willing to make that sacrifice. Jesus said to him, "No one...verse 62...after putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God." Very simple agrarian word picture. When you take hold of a plow you better look forward if you're going to plow straight forward, right? You can't be looking back all the time or you're going to be all over the place. And Jesus says, if you're going to be a legitimate disciple, you put your furrow in the ground and you go forward and you don't worry about relationships. There are people who don't want to come to Christ because they'll lose a lover, they're bound into a sexually immoral relationship, they'll lose a family, they'll lose friends. Jesus said you can't have a divided heart, you can't plow a furrow forward looking backwards. That's unacceptable. Half a heart is no heart at all.
Here's a guy who needed to go home for some fond farewells. He didn't understand the seriousness of eternal matters. He had a trivial purpose betrayed that his family was more important to him than Christ. Now he's not referring particularly to his wife and children, but going back and getting the permission of those who were in authority over him, or those who were the patriarchs in his family. He says you're not fit for My Kingdom if that's your concern. People reject Christ no matter how magnanimous and wonderful the offer is because of sin. That sin seems to find itself in these three categories. Here are people who otherwise would have come to Christ. All Jesus had to say them was, "Look, don't worry at all about your personal lifestyle, just take Me as Savior and we'll work on your lifestyle somewhere down the road. Don't worry about this personal concern about riches and material things, who knows, Jesus may make you very wealthy. And don't even give a thought about how these other folks feel about it, you just commit your life to the Lord and you go back and you just share with them and do your best to keep that relationship all it should be. You don't have to make any radical kind of commitment."
So here are a people who might fit very well today in the no-cost disciple kind of evangelism, the signs and wonders kind of evangelism, the health, wealth, prosperity kind of evangelism. They might just be classic, classic examples for those kinds of people, converts to those kinds of movements. But as far as Jesus is concerned, they're not adequate.
Personal lifestyle, preferences, personal riches and money, personal relationships keep people from the full commitment to Christ, in which you say, "I will give up my lifestyle, I will give up all that I possess if that's what You ask, I will give up every relationship if it is needed, that is how important Christ Jesus is to me." And until you're willing to say that, Jesus said you're not worthy to be My disciple.
It doesn't mean that He'll ask you to give up everything. I didn't have to give up my family when I became a Christian, they're Christians. The Lord has not made me poverty stricken. In His goodness as I seek the Kingdom, He has blessed. The Lord has changed my lifestyle to some degree as He does everyone's who becomes a Christian. But He hasn't asked me to become a monk. But the willingness was there because the level of desperation about sin and repentance and desire for what Christ offers was so overwhelming that the true repenting person comes with a Beatitude attitude, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, as Jesus said in Matthew 5. William McDonald wrote, "We are not told how these disciples responded, but there's a strong implication that they left Christ to make a comfortable place for themselves in the world." And I love, "And to spend their lives hugging the subordinate." To spend their lives hugging the subordinate.
It's sad. Through the centuries people have seen the same things in Christ that these people saw because they have Bibles, they can read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They can marvel at His authority, His words, His works, His wisdom, His purity, His truthfulness, His power, His provision. They can marvel at His healing, at His love, at His dominance, His judgment, His composure, His teaching, His independence, His compassion, His condescension. They can marvel at all of that but myriads of people who marvel at that walk away just like these three. And Bishop Ryle once wrote, "The saddest road to hell is the one that runs under the pulpit pass the Bible and through the midst of warnings and invitations."
What does this say to us? Well, we can't evangelize in a Burger King manner theology, have it your way. It doesn't work that way. Sometimes I fear that the gospel we preach plays into the hands of these very errors. Jesus wants you rich. Jesus wants you happy. Jesus wants you giving up nothing. It's man-centered rather than Christ-centered. Our gospel can't be altered to promise people the very things that Jesus says they have to be willing to give up. But so often it is.
I guess the sum of it would be...would be Matthew 10:38, just to close. The sum of it would be these words, "He who doesn't take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it."
If you're not willing to take up your cross, put your life on the line, the life you found, whatever its material benefits, whatever its lifestyle might be, whatever its relationships, if you're not willing to lose it, you'll never find the true life. Strong words, aren't they, from Jesus? But true. We have to know that there are compelling things in the heart of sinful men that keep them from the glorious and gracious invitation of Christ. It's unimaginable to those of us who have come to Christ because we...we have better relationships, greater riches and a more wonderful lifestyle. But the world clings to its own stuff and that's why, in spite of the offer, they reject Christ. May it not be so in your life. Let's bow in prayer.
Father, we pray that if there are any here this morning who have rejected You because of the love of sin, their own personal pleasures and desires and lifestyle, their own longing for riches and worldly things and relationships, be there good or bad ones, honorable or dishonorable, and those are holding them back from coming to Christ, Lord, may that hold be broken and may they come to know Christ and be true followers who say...I'm willing to take up my cross and follow You, whatever it costs, whatever You ask, I'll follow. We pray in Christ's name. 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


text:
If you're ready to lose weight or get fit, click "Buy Now" to order your Challenge Kit today. Or click "Promote The Challenge" if you want to earn rewards for sharing The Challenge with others.
*Results not typical. Challenge Participants should consider personal circumstances and create reasonable and achievable goals. Vi does not recommend nor promote a weight loss goal of more than 2-3 lbs lost per week. Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any weight loss program, especially if you have any preexisting medical conditions.
Having helped millions of people transform their health on The Challenge, we're so confident in our program that it's backed with a 90-Day Money-Back Results Guarantee. You truly have nothing to lose, except the weight!
The road to a healthy lifestyle starts with being smart about what you eat. That's why we've put our most popular combinations of healthy meals, drinks, snacks, and supplements into Challenge Kits, designed to deliver the complete nutrition you need to support your Challenge goal.
*Product selection may vary by market.
Losing weight and getting fit is a lot more fun when you have the personal support from a community. Thats why Vi created Challenge Groups! Walking, running, hiking, bootcamp, biking, and other kinds of support Challenge groups happening everyday. What type of Challenge Group will you join?
Whether you're goal is losing a few inches, staying active, or completely transforming yourself, our proven Challenge programs offer everything you need, and reward you for achieving your goals!
Lose 10 lbs. or build 10 lbs. of lean muscle, and earn the "i LOST it." t-shirt and help Vi Cares.
Enter for a chance to become a Challenge Champion and win amazing prizes.
Stay consistent on your Challenge for 12 months to to earn the ViLife T-Shirt and access a lifetime of exclusive rewards and recognition.
We've designed convenient Challenge Kits, offering a combination of nutritious and delicious Vi products. Enjoy complete nutrition to support any weight loss, healthy lifestyle, or fitness goal, or build your own Custom Kit and have your perfect combination delivered right to your door.
*Product selection may vary by market.
The shake mix that tastes like a cake mix
*Product selection may vary by market.
The revolutionary protein super cereal!
Vi cutting edge drinks are packed with lasting energy and great flavor to fuel your healthy lifestyle goals.
*Product selection may vary by market.
For smart snacking, VI provides convenient options for bite sized nutrition throughout your day. Don't let lazy snacking choices derail your Challenge progress! Snack smart with Vi!
*Product selection may vary by market.
Vi's proprietary supplements are designed to support your health and fuel your Challenge with optimal nutrition.
*Product selection may vary by market.
To inspire you to take The Challenge with others, you can receive your Challenge Kit and other Vi products for FREE every month by simply referring 3 others to take The Challenge with you!
See program rules for complete details.
*Product selection may vary by market.
Once you Accept The Challenge, you'll get instant access to the exclusive Challenge.com online community and mobile application. Use the Challenge Group Locater to find other Challengers near you, use progress tracking tools to help stay on track, browse thousands of shake recipes, and more!
We've found that people who are passionate about health are inspired to share The Challenge with others.
That's why we've put together a financial incentives program for people who want to live the entrepreneurial lifestyle and promote The Challenge.Tell Me More!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Review Group Week #283: Red Wing #1
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
*Membership spots not really limited!
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
*Membership spots not really limited!
by Eli Katz » Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:17 pm
You cranky? Never.
by superfictious » Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:53 pmI'll have to admit that Hickman is turning a personal fav of mine. I like the abstruse, byzantine, and sometimes irreverent nature of his storytelling. I love his ideas even if at times they remain formless on the page.
And I love time-travel stories.
Red Wing is far from a perfect book. It's old-school sci-fi storytelling, a 50s B-movie given a shiny veneer. But for me, it works. The rules are simple and laid out on the pages: Time is not linear...there is no paradox. The ideas presented are nice, but even I can't give it a pass on the characters. There's nothing there (yet) as far as an intimate connection. By the end I'm sure this will be a grande, sweeping, weird time-crossed father-son tale with the backdrop of temporal war. But for now the two ends of the characters' emotional link are as far away as the years between them. We're not even sure what's being fought yet and why.
The art definitely has a Quitely quality, but nowhere near the storytelling dynamicism. It fails to capture the scope of what Hickman's trying to tell, and at times fluctuates between stylized detail and cartoony. Not bad art, but very uneven.
Story: 6.5
Art: 6
by SilverPhoenix » Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:14 pmThe Red Wing #1
If being an "active" fan of comic books has opened my eyes to anything, it's the fact that my tastes in comics have changed from my childhood. While still being a fan of Big 2 characters, the all-important reality that most of their higher-profile characters are beholden onto a "Corporately Mandated Status-Quo" is something that I've hard time adjusting to, due to how it affects the stories being told. The biggest impact of this sometimes painful adjustment is that it has helped me to open my eyes to stories, characters and concepts that I would've never appreciated as a teenager. It is through this new perspective that Jonathan Hickman's "The Red Wing" became a work of great interest, and only the question of whether this book can deliver on its promise remained. Sadly, the first impression didn't hook me as I thought it would.
It goes without saying that the special thing that makes "The Red Wing" stand out amongst the crowd is the fact that the story takes place in the confines of an Army-Scale War across time, making use of a very common element in an extremely uncommon way. It especially hits home when you wrap your head around the fact that the only way to truly win a war is to manipulate the losing side into realizing that the culture that led to the conflict was the wrong path to follow, which could easily lead into some of the best mind games ever seen. With such potential, it's hard to anticipate where this could go wrong and even harder when you realize where it does go wrong.
Despite the high concept there, there are two aspects where I feel the writing falters with characterization being the first area. Daddy Issues (especially with Pilots) have become far too cliché lately and it's the reason why the main character seems far too trite. If Hickman was going to go this route, then he would've been better going with blank slates, because blank slates have a better chance of being developed into refreshing characters in a story like this. That being said, that issue would be a lot more forgivable if it spent more time talking about the more nuanced points it introduced in its introductory pages. Had The Red Wing #1 done so, it would've been more than enough to make me (and others) forgive the shortcomings in characterization to see if they would be corrected in future issues. Instead, it just feels like Hickman was trying his hardest to make sure this comic didn't get the "hipster" label in order to increase sales.
If you tasked me to describe the art in one word, said word would easily be conflicted. Without a shadow of a doubt, there are brilliant moments sprinkled all around this comic as the battle scenes really do give the reader the feeling of watching a fast, frantically dramatic battle unfold. The single spread on Page 7 is a great use of imagery and the ending 2 page spread is just well built up to, helping to ratchet up the suspense of the cliffhanger. Sadly those moments are put together with splashes of complete mediocrity as the character drawings and non-fighting backdrops usually give a feeling of complete disinterest from the artist and the characters themselves. It's a damn shame that this didn't get more polish.
My Final 22 Cents:
As a whole "The Red Wing" has the potential to be one of the best mini-series of the year. If written up to its high concept, the plot and story would put it right up there with "The New York Five", "Cinderella: Fables are Forever" and "Mystery Men" as top contenders for this honor. As it stands right now, while it does have redeeming qualities, those same qualities aren't enough to save this book. With shallow characterization, disinterested art and just a plain dumbed-down feeling, "The Red Wing #1" is a clumsy start to this whole affair.
The Verdict:
Story: 4.5
Art: 7
Accessibility: 8
Final Judgment: 5.5
by Eli Katz » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:36 pm
When I watch an episode of Star Trek, I see fully developed characters engaging with each other in an interesting plot. Yes, the characters say mumbo-jumbo sci-fi stuff, but they also say normal things. The interactions between Bones, Spock, and Kirk are often filled with personal references and amusing one-liners. They say just enough silly, geeky bullshit to justify the sci-fi setting, but fortunately they say a lot of normal sentences that don't include the words "tricorder" and "warp speed."
Hickman's characters talk like space-age deities, incapable of human emotions. That's because Hickman focuses on concepts -- not plot, but concepts -- and forgets about characterization.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:11 pmShort review of Red Wing #1
I had the same take on this several other people did--although it may set up conditions for an interesting time travel story hopefully over the next 3 issues, nothing about issue #1 serves to distinguish it from scads of other similar time travel tales and the main characters still feel underdeveloped if not downright bland and stiff by the end of it.
WTF on the lost fathers theme? Someone needs to ask Hickman what the deal is.
It's not as engaging a first issue as I would have hoped it would be, but there's unlimited room for the story to grow.
leave a comment with facebook
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: FaceBook [Linkcheck] and 34 guests


text:
Cola Cake
Serves 12
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup cola
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup softened butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup cola
16 ounces confectioner's sugar
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter; add cocoa and cola. Heat to a boil, then cool slightly.
4. Pour cola mixture over flour and sugar. Add baking soda, vanilla, eggs and buttermilk; mix well. Stir in marshmallows. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake for 40 minutes.
5. While cake is still hot, make icing: In a saucepan, bring butter, cocoa and cola to a boil, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and add confectioner's sugar. Beat until smooth, stirring in nuts if desired. Pour over cake while icing and cake are still hot.
— Submitted by Sue Langhorst, Linda Sue Liu and Paula Perry


text:
I evaluate the current situation.
First, we have to understand the situation. Here's the way I see it:
We're sliding into socialism. The majority of people in this country no longer work – they are supported by the government – federal and state. We face majoritarian despotism, which can never be reversed by the minority. Let me invent a word: deadbeatocracy. Deadbeats will always vote to support Big Brother. It's starting to appear as if Democrats – the party now under firm control of the extreme left --will win all future elections at the national level.
The federal government looks more and more like a dictatorship. The president and his appointed ministers choose which laws to enforce, and they simply ignore quite a few of them. Congress has become an impotent laughingstock with an approval rating of less that twenty per cent. Obama governs by regulation – without regard to whether he or the various departments of the executive branch have the legal authority to issue the regulations. He seeks to nullify constitutional restrictions by ignoring them.
Minorities in this country seem to like being the underclass and being dependent on government. They vote Democrat in astoundingly large percentages. It's as if they don't want a good economy with employment opportunity.
Morality in this country is falling apart. The recent pot festival in Oregon, where hundreds or thousands of young people gathered to smoke marijuana and engage in other deviant behaviors is a telling symptom. It doesn't help that the institution of marriage has been cheapened by gay marriage legislation in several states.
The economy of the United States is looking more and more like the economy of Detroit. We're spending much more than we're taking in, and we're borrowing most of the annual deficit. A financial collapse is becoming ever more possible. Suppose this marvelous Big Brother government of ours could only pay out all the benefits by printing more money – it could take a wheelbarrow full of cash to buy a loaf of bread, as it did in Germany in the early 1920's.
So much for the good news. Now for the bad:
The Republican party is riddled with non-conservatives who talk big but vote with the Democrats for much of the above. Even if we win control of the senate in 2014 and/or the presidency in 2016, we have no leadership for the reforms necessary to correct our nation's course.
We desperately need to reform taxes, government spending, entitlements, health care, and bring the economy back to what it was before Obama took office. Sadly, it doesn't look as if that could possibly happen. The ship has sailed.


text:
STOCKTON - The Pacific women's basketball team opened its season with two competitive wins in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, which gave them plenty to work on in practice.
STOCKTON - The Pacific women's basketball team opened its season with two competitive wins in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, which gave them plenty to work on in practice.
Coach Lynne Roberts said there were stretches of great play in the victories at Seattle (71-70) and Eastern Washington (64-51), but there were far too many turnovers (45) as well.
"I thought the trip was a best-case scenario, because we won both despite not playing great," Roberts said. "It's good not to have to learn from losing and we've been able to come back and improve mentally in a lot of areas."
The Tigers (2-0) will host Nevada (1-0) at 7 tonight in their home opener, a rematch of their 75-70 overtime win in Reno last November. Roberts said junior Sam Pettinger will start at small forward as senior Ashley Wakefield's sprained right ankle continues to improve. Wakefield played a total of 33 minutes in the two games and said she's not yet 100 percent, partially because the sprain aggravated a right tibal tear she suffered last season.
"I'm just trying to get my speed back," Wakefield said. "It's gotten a lot stronger on lateral movement and it's getting better every day."
Roberts said Pettinger and Wakefield will both a play lot this season. Pettinger has provided fill-in and backup minutes at point guard, shooting guard and small forward.
"For me it doesn't matter if I start or not, I have role on the team and it's to bring intensity, create for others and be an Energizer bunny," Pettinger said.
The game against the Wolf Pack will likely be played at a brisk pace as both teams prefer to push the ball off misses and turnovers. Coach Jane Albright's team won 76-72 over Cal State Fullerton on Friday with three players scoring in double-digits.
Roberts said the Tigers would have to focus on 6-foot-7 sophomore Mimi Mungedi, who had six points, seven rebounds and two blocks and 18 minutes.
"Nevada is physical, aggressive and they play really, really hard," Roberts said. "We'll have to match that."
Contact reporter Jagdip Dhillon at (209) 546-8292 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Blogging Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Part 5
Chapter Thirteen: The Secret Riddle
Better Title: The Adventures of Lil' Voldemort!
Harry has another memory/flashback/cryptic lesson with Dumbledore. Most of the chapter focuses on the creepy, scary eleven-year-old Tom Riddle who was spending his childhood at a Muggle orphanage.
Younger Dumbledore visits Riddle and the meeting is one of the best scenes of the book. Lil' Voldy is as creepy as The Shining twins mixed with Stewie Griffin and while we know Dumbledore can handle himself, there's always the chance that Voldy will snap and make Dumbledore explode like a pinata of organs.
Lil' Voldy has been up to no good, causing mischief and killing strangers and keeping "trophies" all without the help of a magic wand. He even hacks into the mind of the mighty Dumbledore using his POWER GLOWER!
Dumbledore sees that this kid is messed up and wants to help him turn away from the Dark Side of the Force. There's a lot of Star Warsy stuff here, and that's not a terrible thing.
Deleted Scene
HARRY: So then you brought Tom Riddle to Hogwarts?
DUMBLEDORE: Yes. He needed a good home where he could thrive and learn.
HARRY: Right...but if you left him at the orphanage, he wouldn't learn magic...or get a wand...or learn about Horcruxes. So even if he was evil and magical, we would be more powerful and knowledgeable, and thus we would be able to thwart him easily.
DUMBLEDORE: Well, yes. But...
HARRY: So all this is your fault. You created the monster.
DUMBLEDORE: Hmm.
HARRY: Thanks for getting my mom and dad killed, jerk. Now how's about you give Gryffindor a million points before I slap that beard jewelry off your chin?
GINNY: Bring tissues to the winter dance, because everyone's saying...YOU'LL BAWL!
DUMBLEDORE: How did you get in here?
Chapter Fourteen: Felix Felicis
Better Title: Hot, Hot Smoochin'
Ginny is caught kissing Dean Thomas and it's a huge deal because:
1. Harry has strong (yet secret) feelings for Ginny.
2. Ron yells at his sister for acting like a slut.
3. Ginny defends her actions and says everyone else has kissed someone but Ron.
4. Ron gets angry thinking about Hermione snogging Viktor Krum.
5. Meanwhile Luna isn't kissing anyone despite the fact that she is the best and Harry should see her greatness instead of being blinded by the light of the lamp.
I'm sure we can all relate to this epic drama of the misunderstood and the never-been-kissed. Ron likes Hermione, Hermione likes Ron, but Ron doesn't really know what to do, and Hermione doesn't know either, all the while Harry is burdened with his forbidden lamp love. This is the stuff reality shows are made of!
And think how worse it would be if these kids had text and/or instant messaging. It would only be more awkwardly confusing.
RON: U there?
HERMIONE: What up?
RON: Nothing.
RON: What?
HERMIONE: Sorry. Wrong message.
RON: What?
HERMIONE: Sent wrong message.
RON: Huh?
HERMIONE: LOL was for other.
RON: Other
HERMIONE: Huh?
RON: Huh?
HERMIONE: Tonight.
RON: What's tonight?
RON: U there?
HERMIONE: Yes.
RON: How are you?
RON: Do you want jelly beans? Have lots!
HERMIONE: Give me sex.
HERMIONE: Stupid autocorrect. Meant six. I'd like six jelly beans.
With all the budding romance who has time for Quidditch? Well...everyone has time for Quidditch, apparently. Before the game against Slytherin, Ron is freaking out with nerves. To help him relax, Harry gives him the luck potion, Felix Felicis. (But not really.) This gives Ron the courage he needs to not only help win the game, but later he makes out with Lavender Brown!
Is this a story about good vs. evil, or an episode of One Tree Hill?!??!
(Note: I've never seen One Tree Hill, and I'm not even sure that was a show. May have been a band or retirement community.)
Deleted Scene
HARRY: You had a good night?
RON: Heh. I guess I did, didn't I?
HARRY: Lavender seems nice.
RON: She is. And kissing is a lot of fun.
HARRY: Did you use tongue?
RON: No. I don't want to get her pregnant.
HARRY: Good call.
RON: So when are you and Luna going to go out?
HARRY: What?
RON: You and Luna. You should date her. She's perfect for you.
HARRY: Nuh-uh.
RON: You two are both fun, creative, and original. Plus, she's pretty.
HARRY: I'm not really into the fun/creative type.
RON: Right now Luna is in the courtyard building a life-sized dragon puppet.
HARRY: Where's Ginny?
RON: She's seeing how fast she can count to three. That's her new hobby.
HARRY: Is she fast?
RON: Not really. Takes about four seconds.
HARRY: [Drools]
Chapter Fifteen: The Unbreakable Vow
Better Title: So Close, Yet So Far
Come on!
This isn't fair.
In this chapter Harry comes very, very close to falling madly in love with Luna and thus making the world a perfect place! But instead of falling in love with her, like he should, he worries about saving the world and stopping Draco.
Why doesn't he marry Luna!?! Why?
J.K. Rowling is teasing us in this chapter as Harry asks Luna on a date! A real date! Sure, they agree to only go to Slughorn's party as friends, but it's a love date in my book. (Because I wrote "love date" in my copy of the book.)
Harry and Luna are perfect together! Their children would be amazing! Their grandchildren would be even more amazing! And their great-grandchildren would be evil, because sometimes evil appears in powerful wizarding dynasties.
It's upsetting that Harry doesn't kiss Luna's face in this chapter. It's perhaps this frustrating, nonexistent romance that makes me hate Ginny. If there was no Luna to compare her too, Ginny might seem like a perfectly adequate mate. But we've all seen the awesomeness that it Luna Lovegood. And next to her, what other Hogwarts student can compare? (Put your damn hand down, Cho.)
Oh, and Draco and Snape are up to something.
Deleted Scene
HARRY: I had a lovely time, Luna.
LUNA: Me too.
HARRY: Will you marry me?
LUNA: Yes.
ROBOCOP: Here I am! I can marry you two crazy kids.
HARRY: Great.
BATMAN: And I'm going to drive you to your wedding reception...at Jurassic Park. But hold on, because first we're going to Stephenie Meyer's house and arrest her for crimes against literature.
GINNY: My hobby is napkins.
HARRY: I don't even know what that means, but who cares? I'm not marrying you. I'm marrying my true love, Luna Lovegood!
NARRATOR: And their love was so powerful that Voldemort's heart grew three sizes and Christmas was saved!
House Bergstein School Announcements
Students wishing to go to on the field trip to the Zone of Chambers must bring their safety masks to the main office for calibration.
The pipe organ team defeated Rockwell's Institute for Floating and Un-Horses by a score of 8 to Love. The victory parade will be held today in the hallway...when you least expect it.
That Golden Compass girl is visiting this week. Don't be a bully like last time, when you all called her "Comp-ASS girl." (Though it was pretty funny.)
Tickets for the Valentine's Dance are not on sale, but have been hidden throughout the world. Find them before it's too late. First Hint: Rope.
The Door to Nightmares has been reopened after the clown infestation was dealt with.
Homework Assignments
Finish this sentence: Ducks aren't really ducks, because ______.
Update your knees.
Design some boats.


text:
The county commissioners on Wednesday approved a contract with the Butler division of Stantec to design a new office building next to the government center.
The contract will amount to 3.8 percent of building construction costs, or $380,000 if the $10 million construction estimate becomes the actual number.
Commissioners Bill McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton approved the expense while Commissioner Jim Eckstein dissented.
Eckstein prefers buying a building over constructing one.


text:
Share, discuss, and plan ideas for IYC 2011
Want to post your own idea or comment?
To post an idea or add a comment, you need to be part of the IYC network. Please log in or sign up now.
Join the IYC Network
This forum is all about sharing your ideas and plans for celebrating IYC 2011. Ideas are just ideas! They might lead to nothing more or they might bloom into something exciting – up to you! You can just post simple suggestions, you can start a discussion and seek comments, or you can post a request for collaboration with other members of the IYC network. You can also just browse and search the forum to see what others are thinking about and add your comments.
Ready to turn your ideas into action? If so, switch to the Activities section and submit your plan for consideration.
Scientists in the Class! Suggestion Latrece Johnson | added on Jun 26, 2011 Children engage in simple chemistry experiments all month long. Use a simplified version of the scientific method and ask/answer questions about what you did.
|hands-on courses, engaging the youth, experiments, show
|iyc enthusiasts, preschool teachers, iyc
Atmospheric Chemistry: Urban, regional and global Collaboration Antonio Miguel | added on Nov 18, 2010 Analytical instrumentation development for the characterization of the toxic aerosol present in the troposphere can provide an arsenal of inexpensive online, near real-time, and lab-on-a-chip techniques used to evaluate their impact on human exposure and climate change.
|workshops, meetings, specialty conferences, hands-on courses, experiemnts, seminars, climate change, human exposure, modeling, environment, air quality
|scientists and engineers, researchers, decision and policy makers, modelers


text:
Go ahead. Name one person who would be equally comfortable on "Swamp People" and "America's Got Talent."
Go ahead. Name one person who would be equally comfortable on "Swamp People" and "America's Got Talent."
Can't think of anyone? Then you don't know Chris Bellamy.
The local singer/songwriter is well-known for entertaining crowds with low-key Carolina country music. But when he's not behind a microphone, Bellamy is most comfortable behind the controls of a boat – a fishing boat that he charters or an airboat that skims through the Everglades.
It's the Florida lifestyle that Bellamy captures on his latest album, "Bubbafied." The title track, though, was written by North Carolina artist Catesby Jones. Jones played a version of the song for Bellamy as he was heading south for one of his extended stays. Bellamy instantly identified with the song, and it has evolved into an anthem that kicks off his tribute to his Florida adventures.
Other songs on the album include "Gator Huntin'," "Queen of the Everglades" and "Swamp People Song."
"I've been gator huntin' before gator huntin' was cool," Bellamy said. He doesn't hunt gators as frequently as he used to, but he is still eligible to enter the gator-hunting lottery in Florida.
"Bubbafied" also includes "The Ballad of John Ashley," which dispels the notion that North Carolina had a monopoly on moonshiners during the Prohibition Era.
Bellamy said he had dozens of other songs that could have been included on the album but he wanted the "Bubbafied" songs to have a unified theme. He produced the album himself and recorded it at his home studio on Middle Sound.
Bellamy hasn't delved too deeply into politics on his previous eight albums, but he's pretty straightforward on "Bubbafied," waxing patriotic on "I Remember."
"I'm more outspoken than I used to be," he said. "I've always been fairly outspoken, but now, I feel like things need sayin'."
He reminisces about God in the schools, paraphrases John F. Kennedy and recalls the heroes' welcome our troops received when they returned from war.
The first time Bellamy played "I Remember" on stage was for a rowdy crowd at the Trailer Bar in Surf City. He was asked to sing something patriotic at the end of a set. So he started singing "I Remember." The military crowd grew quiet and listened respectfully.
"You could have heard a pin drop and there were a few moist eyes," Bellamy said. "That was cool. That was a really good experience."
Bellamy wraps up the album with his definition of "Bubbafied." It's more sincere and mature than you might imagine. His spoken words have a little bit of hell-raising and Southern culture thrown in, but his monologue predominately testifies to helping your fellow man and doing what's right.
A song that strays a bit from the theme of "Bubbafied" is "Love Me Like My Dog." The Scotty Emerick song, which Billy Currington put on the country charts in 2011, is a humorous ode to the loyal animals in our lives.
The song's lighthearted lyrics include "He never acts like he don't care for my friends/He never asks me 'Where in the hell have you been?'"
"It's a cool little song," Bellamy said. "It surely brings a smile to people's faces. They always want to hear the 'Dog Song.' "
Today, though, the song might ring a little more poignant for Bellamy. His best friend, first mate and traveling companion, Skipper, passed away last week.
Mike Voorheis: 343-2205


text:
Free Beer & Hot Wings: Amazing Jet Ski Accident Nearly Kills Woman [Video]
While on the beach in The Bahamas, a couple of women were posing for pictures before heading out on a Jet-Ski for a ride.
Out of nowhere, another Jet Ski comes cruising into the shot, ramps off the front of the woman's Jet-Ski, flies through the air and crashes on the beach.
Luckily, the woman who was posing on the Jet Ski saw it coming and was able to bail just in time before taking a Jet Ski to the face.
The woman on the back of the second personal watercraft, though, wasn't so lucky. She smashed HARD on the beach.
Source: Free Beer & Hot Wings


text:
One of the Best Days of my Life
She was in the middle of a sentence when I heard squealing tires, crunching metal and then silence. Then I heard crying, Devyn telling me she was in an accident and she thinks it is really bad. She reassures me that she is not hurt. She tells me she will call me right back.
Mikias stopped rapping. Addis stopped whining. Jem looked up from his homework. I don't recall saying anything to Devyn other than "okay call me as soon as you can" but I suppose the look on my face told them something was wrong.
I said, "Devyn was in an accident."
"Just now? This minute?"
"Yes. She is okay though."
They both immediately teared up. Jem put his hand to his heart and breathlessly said, "Thank God."
We stared at each other, even Addis, and willed the phone to ring again.
What if she thinks she is okay but really isn't? We were all thinking it.
We wanted to jump in the car and go to her. But she is in Delaware and we are in Massachusetts. We had to wait.
Finally she called back and reassured me that she really was okay. The seat beat ripped the dress she was wearing. She was a little banged up from the airbags that deployed to keep her safe. But she was really okay. She told me her car was ruined. I couldn't have cared less. She was okay.
Later she sent me photos of her car. I lost it. She could have died. She is okay. I am filled to the top with gratitude.
Last night as we tried to fall asleep, my tears would not stop. I was not blubbering as I am prone to. It was like my eyes had a mind of their own and they just wouldn't stop. Since the tears were falling on Kurt's chest, it was hard for him to ignore them.
"She's okay." he reassured me
"This could have been the worst day of our lives. But it's not. She's okay. We are so lucky."
"But your crying."
"I am just so grateful."
Going to game one of the 2004 World Series at Fenway. The first time I saw the face of each of my kids. Marrying the boy I loved. Riding an elephant in Nepal. Sitting at cold little league baseball game and having my dad wrap me in his warm sweatshirt. These are some of the best days of my life. Now there is this. Yesterday could have been the worst day of my life. But it wasn't. So it became a best day.


text:
Congress' scramble to find an agreeable step back from the so-called "fiscal cliff" had Brammo boss Craig Bramscher holding his breath until late Tuesday night, when the House passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
Within the bill is an extension of a 10 percent tax credit for electric vehicle buyers.
"In terms of the federal budget, it's a drop in the bucket, but it sure means a lot to us," said Bramscher, Brammo's founder and chief executive officer. "It's a great way to start the year. ... Six months ago, if you would have asked me whether this was going to pass, I would not have given you very good odds."
After receiving an array of text-message updates Tuesday night from a Brammo representative on Capitol Hill, a relieved Bramscher Wednesday applauded Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Republican Rep. Greg Walden for their work in keeping the legislation relevant.
"We've been working closely with Senator Wyden's office and with Walden's office on the House side for most of the year trying to get it restarted," Bramscher said. "We would have loved to have seen it earlier, but it seems like everything is in order now."
The tax credit was extended to two-wheeled electric vehicles through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2010, but was allowed to expire by Congress at the beginning of 2012 along with the rest of the federal Production Tax Credit lumped into the reinvestment act.
"We were kind of at the mercy of the bigger budget issues," said Jeff Allen, executive director of Drive Oregon, the state's electric vehicle industry support association.
"It's not that people expect to have these tax credits to continue forever, but it's going to take a few years for these products to get their spot in the marketplace," Allen said. "This is fabulous to see, because the electric vehicle industry is significant in Oregon."
The renewed incentive already is generating interest from customers, said Don Lemelin, owner of San Francisco-based Scuderia West, an authorized dealer of Brammo bikes.
"The last phone call I took was somebody that just got word that the tax credit was passed," Lemelin said. "I think it will definitely drive sales of the electric bikes. "… There is a substantial number of people who think, 'Well, if it was a little more affordable, it would be easier to justify.' Suddenly, this is starting to look like a really good deal."
Reach reporter Sam Wheeler at 541-499-1470 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
All charged up
Congress' scramble to find an agreeable step back from the so-called "fiscal cliff" had Brammo boss Craig Bramscher holding his breath until late Tuesday night, when the House passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
First off, I would like to thank all those who read this column and share with me their enjoyment of the stories that are told here. Many times, more facets of the stories I share come forward and become, as one popular commentator put it, "the rest of the story."
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Leader Union, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
|ZIP Code:


text:
Shepherd's Pie
Makes 8 Servings
Find this recipe and more in Chef Paul Prudhomme's Pure Magic.
1½ pounds ground beef
½ pound ground pork
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup very fine dry bread crumbs
1 stick + 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, in all
¾ cup small-diced onions
¾ cup small-diced celery
½ cup small-diced green bell peppers
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon (or more when serving) Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Pepper Sauce®
2 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic® OR
¾ cup evaporated milk, in all
2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1½ cups julienne carrots
1 cup julienne onions
1½ cups julienne zucchini
1 cup julienne yellow squash
how to prepareCombine the beef and pork in an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Mix in the eggs and bread crumbs by hand until thoroughly combined, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450°.
In a 1-quart saucepan combine 3 tablespoons of the butter, the onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Magic Pepper Sauce®, and Magic Seasoning Blend®. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently and scraping the pan bottom well, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool, and add to the meat mixture, along with ¼ cup of the milk. Mix well by hand and form into a 12 x 8-inch loaf and center in the pan (the meat loaf will not quite touch the sides of the pan). Bake until brown on top, about 30 minutes, and remove from the oven. Pour off the drippings, reserving 2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons. Set the meat and reserved drippings aside.
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until fork tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Place the hot potatoes in a large mixing bowl with the remaining 1 stick butter, the remaining milk, the salt and pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until broken up, then beat with a whisk (or electric mixer with a paddle) until creamy and velvety smooth. If the potatoes are not creamy enough, mix in a little of the reserved cooking water.
In a large skillet, preferably nonstick, combine the reserved drippings with the carrots, onions, and Magic Seasoning Blend®, and sauté over high heat, stirring frequently, for 1½ minutes. Add the zucchini and yellow squash, and continue cooking until the vegetables are noticeably brighter in color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Raise the oven temperature to 525°.
Mound the undrained vegetables on top of the meat loaf, away from the edges. Layer all the mashed potatoes evenly over the top of the vegetables and top edges of the meat. Bake until brown on top, about 8 to 10 minutes, and serve immediately.
Copyright© 1995 by Paul Prudhomme


text:
Experience Rock Climbing at Sky Top with your own private guide for half day!
Sky Top is the most dramatic view on the Shawangunk Ridge.
Its prominent face and stone tower stand out boldly along the northern ridge and can be seen for miles from the valley below. Sky Top is home to over 300 documented rock climbs, many of which are sought-after classics to Gunks climbers, routes such as: Lakeview, Strawberry Yogurt, Petie's Spare Rib, Sound and Fury, Foops, Supercrack, Grey Face, Jekyll and Hyde, Pilgrim's Progress, and more. Rates are per person


text:
Kings haven't been in a hole like this before
The motivation staring at the Los Angeles Kings is obvious.
Down 3-1 in the NHL Western Conference final against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Kings are down to their final life.
The precedent for such a comeback isn't hard to spot for the Kings, either.
"Look at the opponent we're playing, they were in the exact same situation and they came out of it in the last round," Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr said of the Blackhawks, who completed such a comeback against the Detroit Red Wings in the previous round.
"It's something that is very doable. We're preparing to win one game (Saturday) and that's as far as we're looking right now."
The reigning Stanley Cup champs are on the ropes, so trot out the cliches as they prepare for Game 5 at the United Center.
It's do-or-die time.
There's no tomorrow.
Actually, the Kings are doing all they can to keep an even-keeled approach.
"One thing about this group of guys is we tend to play our best hockey when we're really in trouble," captain Dustin Brown said Friday when the team arrived at their hotel in Chicago. "You look at last year in the regular season, I think we were in 13th place with 20 games to go.
"It's a different situation when you've just got one game to play, but you can draw on being in the trench hole together. I think it's key for us, the fact that we've been through it together and we've been down in the holes together."
The Kings, who have essentially the same team as the one that claimed the crown last year, have been through the battles together before, but they weren't in this kind of hole.
This is the second time in the last couple of playoff runs – the first being against the San Jose Sharks in a Game 7 matchup a week and a half ago – they've even faced elimination, let alone been staring at such a deficit.
"I don't put a big deal on elimination games, because really it doesn't have much impact on anything or anybody," head coach Darryl Sutter said. "If we play like we did the last three games, we have a chance to win."
Going against the Kings, though, are the facts they'll likely be without Mike Richards ("We didn't skate today. He didn't do much yesterday. Honestly, I couldn't tell you. It is still doubtful at best," Sutter said of his centre's status) and their miserable road record.
The Kings have just one victory in eight road playoff games this spring, an incredible flip-flop compared to their 10-1 mark during last year's run to the Cup.
"I'm not too worried about it," winger Justin Williams said of his club's road struggles. "It hasn't gone our way on the road, obviously, but now we need to win two of them in the United Center. We're not scared of it. We're certainly not scared of it. We're going to welcome the challenge to beat the best team in the league this year in their own house, starting tomorrow."
To Sutter, though, most of those losses could just as easily become victories.
"Five of them were 2-1 losses, so if you lose 2-1, a lot of those games you could win," he said. "I think it was three overtime games, one in the last minute of regulation, so what's the difference? Not much. Not very much."
But those games ended in defeat, including the first two clashes of the series in Chicago.
"I just don't think you get too carried away," centre Jarret Stoll said of his team's struggles away from SoCal. "You just simplify your game and try to do little things out there to, first of all, get the lead, win the first period and set up your second period and your third period.
"We've all played big games, must-win games. You don't think of it that way, you just think of it as getting yourself ready to play, ready to play the right way and if everybody does that hopefully we'll be fine. Just simply win a road game, win one game and get this back to Staples Center."
On Twitter: @SunRandySportak


text:
DjunaSaurus wrote:SubStyler wrote:check the area around C11, C31, C32 (voltages across) Q24, Q25 and the solder joints at S1.
maybe one of your eletcrolytic capacitors is bad or soldered in a wrong direction?
if you try to get saw wave, IC23 is getting hot?
I triple checked and everything is soldered right. But I didn't solder C31 and C32 yet (the manual didn't say so), but that normally shouldn't have any effect on the saw right?
you're right. I did not know how far your build has gone at this time. I had the same problem recently and it was a faulty electrolytic cap... C11 to be exactly.
therefore my thought.


text:
Organic Skin Care, Shiffa organic, natural skin care products are created for people who care about what they use on their bodies by providing a long term natural solution, and...
We wish you a very and please visit us again!!! Thanks.
|The Social Traffic
Please feel free to comment or ask any question regarding Website Value Calculator (Website Worth) or SEO Tips