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1. Minimize the risk of students or employees acquiring or transmitting communicable diseases through an organized education program, which shall emphasize primary prevention.
2. Protect the confidentiality of students or employees with a communicable disease.
3. Provide for an annual review of the Communicable Disease Policy in light of current information.
4. Establish a Communicable Disease Committee, the purpose of which shall be to review any cases of communicable diseases that may be of public health concern as they arise.
South Plains College recognizes that students or employees with communicable diseases may wish to engage in as many of their normal pursuits as their condition and ability to perform their duties allows, including attending classes or working. As long as these students or employees are able to meet acceptable performance standards, and medical evidence indicates that their conditions are not a threat to themselves or others, the Administration of the College should be sensitive to their condition and ensure that they are treated consistently and equally with other students and employees. At the same time, South Plains College has an obligation to provide a safe environment for all students and employees. A student or employee with a communicable disease is required to report the condition to his or her immediate supervisor or to the Student Services Office as appropriate. Failure to inform the college may result in dismissal of the student or employee from the college. Every precaution should be taken to ensure that student's or employee's condition does not present a health and/or safety threat to others. The fact that a student or employee has a communicable disease does not relieve that individual of the requirement to comply with performance standards as long as he or she is enrolled in classes or remains employed with the college. All reasonable efforts will be made to protect the student's or employees right to confidentiality.
The following general guidelines are adopted:
1. South Plains College will make information on the prevention of communicable diseases available to students and employees.
2. A student or employee's health condition is personal and confidential, and reasonable precautions should be taken to protect information regarding an individual's health condition. The Student Services Office should be contacted if it is believed that students need information about communicable diseases, or if further guidance is needed in managing a situation that involves a communicable disease. The appropriate Dean should be contacted for any situation involving a communicable disease.
3. The Dean and the Student Services Office should be contacted if there is concern about the possible contagious nature of any student's or employee's illness.
4. A student or employee with a communicable disease should be encouraged to provide current reports from his or her treating physician concerning the individual's condition, whether the student or employee should be in contact with other students or employees, and if current health status permits him or her to attend classes or to perform the essential functions of his or her job. South Plains College reserves the right, with the consent of the student or employee, to require a medical examination by a physician appointed by the college.
5. A student or employee with a communicable disease may attend classes or perform duties at South Plains College. If his or her presence does not pose a threat or danger to that individual or to others in the college, or to the academic process.
6. Temporary removal of a student or employee with a communicable disease may be made by the administration of the college. The removal may be made summarily pending receipt of documentation by a physician that the individual does not pose a substantial threat or danger to himself or herself or other persons at South Plains College.
7. The administration of South Plains College will determine whether a student or employee with a communicable disease may continue to attend classes or perform his or her duties at the college on a case-by-case basis, after hearing the recommendations of the Communicable Disease Committee.
8. Due process, including the issuance of recommendation by the Communicable Disease Committee, shall be afforded the individual.
9. Students or employees with communicable disease should be encouraged to seek assistance from established community support groups for medical treatment and counseling services. Information can be requested from the Student Services Office.
10. Any student or employee coming in contact with another person's body fluids should be encouraged to seek assistance from established institutional medical personnel or private medical facilities. As a minimum the individual should report to the Student Health Office.
For purposes of this document, a student/instructor exposure (i.e., exposure that occurs during the performance of job duties) that may place a worker at risk of HBV or HIV infection is defined as some percutaneous injury (e.g., a needle stick or cut with a sharp object, especially when the exposed skin is chapped, abraded, or afflicted with dermatitis, or the contact is prolonged or involving and extensive area), with blood, tissue, or other body fluids to which universal precautions apply, including semen, vaginal secretions, blood or serum, urine, feces, vomitus, wound or tube drainage (tears and perspiration do NOT constitute an exposure). Human bites, patient nails that break the skin, and blood/body fluid exposed to mucous membrane such as eyes, mouth, nose, or open skin are considered exposures.
1. Students/Instructors who are exposed to blood or body fluids by any route must report applicable to the instructor, supervisor or charge nurse and infection control nurse immediately. In addition, an occurrence report must be prepared and a copy given to the director of Allied Health at South Plains College. All records, documents and interactions resulting from the implementation of the plan of treatment for an exposed student/instructor will be afforded all confidentiality required by law.
2. The student/instructor should report the following routes of exposure:
A. A contaminated (dirty) needle stick or puncture of the skin with a needle or sharp
instrument/object soiled with blood or body fluids.
B. Splash or aerosolization of blood or body fluids onto the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, or eyes.
C. Human bite.
D. Open wound that is soiled with blood or body fluids.
E. Non-protected mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
3. It is the policy of South Plains College Allied Health Department that all students/instructors provide written proof of immunizations against Rubeola, Rubella, Mumps, Tetanus, and Hepatitis B. A PPD Manuoux test is also required on a yearly basis.
4. Students/Instructors should determine if the needle was clean or dirty. A clean needle is one that has NOT met blood or body fluids. The Allied Health Department requires tetanus boosters; therefore the only treatment would be to cleanse the wound with an antiseptic and cover with a dressing if needed.
A dirty needle is a needle that has been in contact with blood or body fluids or a patient's used equipment such as a piggyback needle from the intravenous tubing or a needle used for an injection or an intravenous sty let needle. If student/instructor is exposed to a contaminated (dirty) needle/sharp, they must report the occurrence as soon as possible so the appropriate treatment can be taken. Reporting the injury promptly would also document the occurrence as an occupational exposure and would be evidence of how the student/faculty was infected if the student/instructor seroconverted later.
5. The student/instructor should follow the exposure policy and procedure of the clinical facility where the exposure occurred. Usually, the student/instructor will report to the emergency room for initiation of treatment.
6. The following steps outline recommended treatment for occupational exposure to blood or body fluids:
A. If the blood or body fluid source is known, the student/instructor can request
the patient/source be tested for Hepatitis B surface antigen and HIV antibodies.
B. Whether or not the source is known, the student/instructor should be tested for Hepatitis B and HIV antibodies. With this method, there will be baseline tests to compare with all future tests.
C. Counseling should be initiated concerning the treatment and the follow-up care that will be done. The student/instructor will learn about the risk of infection and follow-up laboratory testing
1. All Allied Health programs will be required to integrate an instructional unit on communicable diseases into their curricula, and students will be required to complete the unit before they may be assigned to clinical training facilities. The unit should emphasize primary prevention and precautionary measures for the protection of staff, students, and their patients as outlined in current Center for Disease Control guidelines. The instructor and each student in the program will sign a certification statement that such training has been successfully completed and the student understands the risk involved in caring for patients with communicable diseases before the student begins clinical training.
2. Students and employees of the college should routinely follow precautionary measures for the protection of themselves and patients as outlined in current Center for Disease Control guidelines.
3. A student or employee with a communicable disease should provide current reports from his or her treating physician concerning whether the student or employee should be in contact with patients, and whether he or she can perform the functions of his or her job or training site without exposing patients or other students or employees to an unreasonable risk in light of current medical knowledge.
4. Students placed in a clinical affiliate are expected to follow the affiliate's guidelines governing caring for patients with communicable disease provided that the care is within the student's level of training and consistent with the Center for Disease Control guidelines. The supervising staff in clinical affiliates should see that students assigned to the affiliate are familiar with the health status of all patients under the students' care.
A Communicable Disease Committee is to be established, and will be composed of a physician appointed by the college, a public health official, administrative representatives of South Plains College, and one or more representatives from South Plains College health care programs. The individual who has a communicable disease and his or her representatives, which may include a physician appointed by the individual, are encouraged to consult with the committee.
The purpose of the Communicable Disease Committee shall be to review any case of communicable disease that may be of public health concern on a continuing basis. The committee will issue recommendations to the administration on the individual's potential threat or danger to himself or herself and others in South Plains College or its clinical affiliates. Final disposition and action rests solely with the Board of Regents of South Plains College or its designated representatives.
When considering recommending the dismissal of a student or the discharge of an employee with a communicable disease, the Committee will consider the interests of the affected individual, other students and employees, patients in clinical affiliates, and the college.


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No. 12 Baylor falls 82-72 to Texas Tech, Bears shot poorly and Red Raiders were hot
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LUBBOCK, Texas – Baylor coach Scott Drew watched his team get outplayed by Texas Tech.
"I want to credit Texas Tech for coming out and really executing well, playing well, putting us on our heels and just dominating us for 20 minutes," he said. "I thought for 10 minutes we played like we're capable of playing, but first half I don't think we had anything go right. I don't think they had much go wrong."
Jaye Crockett had 19 points, Toddrick Gotcher added 17 for Texas Tech in its first Big 12 win of the season with the 82-72 victory over the No. 12 Bears on Wednesday night.
Baylor's appetite for a win wasn't strong enough to overcome a Texas Tech team eager for its first Big 12 win of the season.
"We just felt like they (were) hungrier than us," said Kenny Chery, who was 8 of 15 from the field in the loss. "We didn't come out with the composure to win the basketball game and they came out like it was the last game of their life."
And the Red Raiders got help from their fans.
""I thought this crowd really gave a lot of energy," Drew said. "That's the best crowd I've seen here in a couple of years."
Dejan Kravic and Robert Turner scored 14 apiece for the Red Raiders (9-8, 1-3), who ended a four-game slide against Baylor in Lubbock with their first victory over a ranked opponent in 35 games.
Texas Tech led all the way and was able to hold off a late comeback attempt by the Bears (13-3, 1-2) after they pulled to 76-66 on a 3-pointer by Taurean Prince with 2:02 left. That was the closest Baylor had been since late in the first half, but it got no closer down the stretch.
Chery scored 22 points and Prince had 13 for the Bears. They finished with only six assists, a season low for a team averaging 16.3.
All five Red Raiders starters scored in double figures. Crockett matched the 19 points he scored in a loss at Texas last weekend.
Texas Tech kept Baylor's top scorers in check for much of the night. Cory Jefferson, the Bears' leading scorer (13.5 points per game), had just eight and center Isaiah Austin was well below his 10.7 average with four.
The Bears climbed back into the game on a 15-5 run to pull within 65-54. Prince hit two 3s, Rico Gathers had a dunk, Chery hit two jumpers and Royce O'Neale got a field goal.
The Red Raiders simply had more energy and Baylor looked lethargic until late in the game. And the Red Raiders shot well. Texas Tech made 57 percent of its 49 shots to 41 percent for Baylor, which took 63 from the field.
After hitting on all 21 of their free throws in their win at TCU on Saturday, the Bears made only 16 of 24 from the foul line this time.
Texas Tech dominated the boards, outrebounding Baylor 35-19, and the Bears couldn't even capitalize on Texas Tech's errors. On nine Red Raiders turnovers, Baylor managed only two points.
The Red Raiders hit 62 percent of their shots from the field in the first half. Meanwhile, Baylor had no assists and just 12 rebounds while making only 25.9 percent of its field goals, including several chippies down low.
Texas Tech had 22 rebounds and owned the paint on offense. The Red Raiders got 24 points inside, compared to 14 for their much-taller opponents.
Texas Tech used an 11-0 run, including a dunk by Crockett, layups by Randy Onwuasor and Kravic and a jumper by Dusty Hannahs, to lead 43-22 at the break.
In two losses to Baylor last season, Texas Tech scored just 48 points in each game.
Baylor failed to make a field goal in the final 4:24 of the first half.


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Verenium Announces Debt Repurchase
Mar 11, 2011, 08:00 EST
SAN DIEGO, March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM), a leading industrial biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes, today announced that it repurchased $28.4 million in principal amount of its outstanding convertible notes in a series of privately-negotiated transactions.
As part of these transactions, the Company repurchased $19.9 million in principal amount of its 5.5% Notes and $8.5 million in principal amount of its 9% Notes, leaving an aggregate of $46.3 million in principal amount of 5.5% and 9% Notes outstanding. To effect this repurchase, the Company paid a total of $27.6 million in cash to a group of institutional investors, excluding accrued interest as of the closing date. The Company has repurchased $49.4 million in convertible notes since September 2010.
"We are very pleased to have completed these repurchases, and believe this is another important step in creating a capital structure that supports the continued growth and success of Verenium as we focus on building the next leading industrial enzymes company," said Jeffrey Black, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Designate at Verenium. "We believe that we have now reduced our debt to a more appropriate level for the Company given our size and stage of development."
About Verenium
Verenium, an industrial biotechnology company, is a global leader in developing high-performance enzymes. Verenium's tailored enzymes are environmentally friendly, making products and processes greener and more cost-effective for industries, including the global food and fuel markets. Read more at www.verenium.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. These include, but are not limited to, statements related to Verenium's lines of business, operations, capabilities, commercialization activities, corporate partnerships, target markets and future financial performance, results and objectives, all of which are prospective. Such statements are only predictions, and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to the differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with Verenium's strategic focus, risks associated with Verenium's technologies, risks associated with Verenium's ability to obtain additional capital to support its planned operations and financial obligations, risks associated with Verenium's dependence on patents and proprietary rights, risks associated with Verenium's protection and enforcement of its patents and proprietary rights, the commercial prospects of the industries in which Verenium operates and sells products, Verenium's dependence on manufacturing and/or license agreements, and its ability to achieve milestones under existing and future collaboration agreements, the ability of Verenium and its partners to commercialize its technologies and products (including by obtaining any required regulatory approvals) using Verenium's technologies and timing for launching any commercial products and projects, the ability of Verenium and its collaborators to market and sell any products that it or they commercialize, the development or availability of competitive products or technologies, the future ability of Verenium to enter into and/or maintain collaboration and joint venture agreements and licenses, and risks and other uncertainties more fully described in Verenium's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Verenium's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and any updates contained in its subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Verenium expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Kelly Lindenboom
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Sarah Carmody
Manager, Corporate Communications
SOURCE Verenium Corporation


text:
Enrollment Questions
Navigating The Fauquier Hospital eChart
The Fauquier Hospital eChart for your family
After I Have Enrolled
Technical Questions
Billing & Payment
What is The Fauquier Hospital eChart?
The Fauquier Hospital eChart offers patients personalized and secure online access to portions of their Fauquier Hospital medical record. It enables you to securely use the Internet to help manage and receive information about your health. With eChart, you can:
Is there a fee to use The Fauquier Hospital eChart?
eChart is a free service offered to our patients.
How do I sign up?
Just click on Register for an eChart Account and the form will walk you through the process.
If you need help in the activation process, you may contact 540-316-4440.
When can I see my information in the Fauquier Hospital eChart?
How much historical information is viewable in the Fauquier Hospital eChart?
Why are certain test results not shared on eChart?
Tests of a very sensitive nature are not released to eChart according to Virginia Law.
If your allergy was documented prior to January 1, 2010, it will not appear until your next hospital visit.
What is the "My Health Information" section of the Fauquier Hospital eChart?
The "My Health Information" section is your personal health journal. It is information you want written down, but this information is not shared with your provider or the hospital.
If some of my health information in the Fauquier Hospital eChart is not correct, what should I do?
eChart information comes directly from your electronic medical record at the hospital. Ask your doctor to correct any inaccurate information at your next visit. You may also report an error online through the Reports page of eChart.
Can I view a family member's health record in the Fauquier Hospital eChart?
Yes. We offer three opportunities for individuals to access the eChart account of another.
Parent/Guardian Access.
According to Virginia State law, there are certain parts of a child's health records that are not accessible to parents (any information relating to reproductive health). For children 10 to 18 years old, parents will need to come to the hospital to ask for their children's records (the Health Information Department). Whatever information is allowable under the law will be released upon request. It is not possible to release a child's health record electronically through Your Health Record because of these legal restrictions.
Parents may not view medical records for children 18 and older unless they have been granted access by the patient. (See Consenting Adult Access)
Legal Custodian Access.
A legal custodian is someone named in the patient's Advance Directive or someone who has been given power of attorney (requires review by Health Information Management Department).
Consenting Adult Access.
As a user of eChart, you can grant access to your health record to another registered user of eChart. For example, a wife could grant access to her husband or a mother could grant access to her child. Consenting access is managed by you and can be revoked at your discretion.
Can my spouse and I share one Fauquier Hospital eChart account?
No. Due to the sensitive nature of medical information, each adult must establish their own eChart account. You may elect to share access to your eChart. See Consenting Adult Access above.
What is my Access Code and how does it work?
Your access code is only used once to log into The Fauquier Hospital eChart for the first time. The code will expire after you have used it or after 30 days. When you log into eChart the first time, you will then be asked to create your own unique user name and password.
I forgot my password. What should I do?
You may click the "Forgot Password" link on the sign-in page to reset your password online.
How do I update my e-mail address?
If your e-mail changes you can update it in the Settings Section of eChart.
How is The Fauquier Hospital eChart secure?
We take great care to ensure your health information is kept private and secure. Access to information is controlled through secure access codes, personal IDs and passwords. The hospital uses the latest encryption technology to protect your data.
What is your Privacy Policy?
Your name and e-mail address will be treated with the same care and privacy given to your health records and will never be sold or leased by Fauquier Hospital.
I was logged out of eChart, what happened?
While logged into eChart, if your keyboard remains idle for 15 minutes or more, you will be automatically logged out of eChart. We recommend that you log out of eChart if you need to leave your computer for even a short period of time.
My bill/statement lists "none" for insurance, but I have insurance. What do I do?
Please contact a Financial Counselor directly at 540-316-2970 and please have your insurance card ready, several pieces of information from your card will be required.
If I don't want to pay my bill online, where can I mail my payments?
Fauquier Health System
Attn: Cashier
500 Hospital Dr
Warrenton, VA 20186
I do not have health insurance or I have limited coverage. If I can't afford my hospital bills are there programs to assist me?
Option 1: Please contact a Financial Counselor to request a Financial Aid application at 540- 316-2970 Monday-Friday between the hours of 8am-4:30pm. More information can also be viewed on our website at: http://www.fauquierhealth.org/patients.financial-assistance
Option 2: Monthly payment plans are available. Please contact a Financial Counselor at 540-316-2970 to assist you.
I have questions about the information I see on my bill and I would like to speak with someone. What number can I call?
Please contact our Financial Counseling Office for assistance at 540-316-2970.
Can I have an itemized bill?
Option 1: Yes, on the eChart site, your statements are available. Please use the link on your statement to request an itemized bill.
Option 2: Please contact the Financial Counseling office at 540-316-2970.
Can I pay my Hospital Bill online?
You can pay your hospital bill without an eChart account by using the Pay Your Bill Link
What payment methods do you accept to pay my bill?
Option 1: Online bill pay: Visa, MasterCard, Discover
Option 2: In Person Bill Pay: Cash, money orders, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discoverer), personal checks
Option 3: by mail: checks or money orders (please do not send cash)
Do you file claims with my insurance company?
If you have provided us with your insurance information at the time of your registration we will file a claim for your services with your insurance company. Insurance transactions are listed on your statement as "Insurance Adjustment" and "Insurance Payments"
What insurance plans does Fauquier Hospital accept?
Please contact a Financial Counselor at 540-316-2970 to determine if we participate with your insurance
What if I can't pay my entire bill in one payment?
By speaking with a Financial Counselor, you can set up payment plans 540-316-2970.
Where can I get a copy of my bill?
Option 1: eChart stores all of your statements; you can print a statement by using the Print link
Option 2: You can contact a Financial Counselor at 540-316-2970
When will I receive my bill?
After we have received the correct payment from your insurance company, you will receive a bill in approximately 7-10 days. If you are uninsured, you will receive a bill within 14 days of your date of service and/or discharge date.
When do I pay my insurance co-payment and deductible?
Please pay your co-payments and deductibles at the time of service.
When should I provide you my insurance information?
At the time of your registration, during your appointment or stay at the hospital, or as soon as possible after your discharge. If you do not provide correct insurance prior to your service, we may not be able to bill your insurance if they require pre-authorization.
I have received more than one bill for my visit. Why?
You may receive more than one bill since several providers may be involved in your treatment and bill independently. ER and Hospital Physicians/providers bill separately for their professional services. We also utilize the services of independent Radiologists, Anesthesiologists, Pathologists, Specialty Labs, and Others in order to provide a high quality of specialized care. Each specialty bills your insurance or you directly for the services provided.
I made a payment on my bill, but my balance due hasn't updated. Why?
Your statement will not update once your payment has made. It is a fixed document and you can use the balance due on your most recent statement to determine the payment required. If you have any questions, please contact a Financial Counselor at (540) 316-2970.
How do I make a payment if my account is in collections?
You can contact the collection agency directly to make a payment and to obtain the most up to date balance. You can also contact a Financial Counselor at (540) 316-2970 to make a payment by phone or stop by the Cashier Window located on the main floor of the Hospital.
How can I get a report of my payment history?
Please contact a Financial Counselor at (540) 316-2970 to request your payment history.


text: Thank you again for all the wonderful advice!! Things have started to get better. This morning I didn't pump at all and her spit up was way less. She is still gassy, but we can manage that. Just as I say this she projectile spits up on me, lol. She seems happy, but is fussy when her gas is bad. Sometimes she seems uncomfortable when she spits up a lot, but Im not sure if it's because she is hungry still.


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39573 Community Colleges
- For the 2018-19 school year, there is 1 top community college in 39573, Perkinston, Mississippi, serving 9,799 students.
- Minority enrollment is 33% of the student body (majority Black).
- The student:teacher ratio of 26:1 is more than the state average of 22:1.
39573, MS Community Colleges (2018-19)
- College Location Students
- 51 Main Street
Perkinston,  MS 39573
9,799 students
Recent Articles
We report on the recent increases in Stafford Loan Rates, which have led to some community colleges across the country discontinuing this option for financial aid.
Attending college is expensive but there are options for financing beyond just student loans. Keep reading to learn more.
College is expensive enough without the added cost of medical school on top of it. If you're on a pre-med track, consider taking some of your prerequisites at community college. Keep reading to learn more.


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Rampage was featured on TMZ.com yesterday — no, not for flashing his vagina while getting out of a car. Instead, the UFC light-heavyweight champ was asked for his thoughts on the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor. His reply:
"They shot him in the leg and he died? Where the hell was the ambulance? Flavor Flav was real when he said 911 was a joke. Black folks, y'all get in any trouble and y'all need 911, please sound white when you call…We all know how to talk white when we need to."
Click here to see the clip. Also on TMZ today: Lynyrd Skynyrd's drummer is apparently a sex offender.


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The hits keep on coming for Tyson Gillies, the centerfield prospect acquired as part of the ill-fated Cliff Lee trade of December, 2009.
Gillies has been suspended from Double-A Reading for what the club says is a violation of team rules. No further information is available at this point in time.
Gillies has struggled to stay on the field since the Phillies acquired him from the Mariners along with righthanders Phillippe Aumont and J.C. Ramirez in exchange for Lee.
He appeared in just 28 games in his first season in the organization, which was marked by hamstring injuries and an arrest for cocaine possession (the charges were later dropped). The hamstring troubles carried over into 2011, when he appeared in just three games. This year, Gillies is hitting .294/.382/.433 in 46 games at Reading, but he missed close to two months with a concussion, only recently returning to the field.


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posted by Thom Holwerda on Sat 7th Apr 2007 20:58 UTC, submitted by rx182
Paul Thurrot writes about Windows XP SP3: "If you were looking for any glimpse into the mind of Microsoft, this is it: the company has completely abandoned Windows XP, and it has absolutely no plans to ever ship an XP SP3. My guess is that Microsoft will do what it did with the final Windows 2000 Service Pack: claim years later that it's no longer needed and just ship a final security patch roll-up. This is the worst kiss-off to any Microsoft product I've ever seen, and you'd think the company would show a little more respect to its best-selling OS of all time."


text:
514 members2041 Comments 18 Likes
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Lisa Cash Hanson Nov 27, 2012. 26 Replies 0 Likes
Hi. I'm new to the club and have started blogging just this year. My blog is called http://reenasramble.com/ which is about all different topics from parenting…Continue
Reena Virdee has not received any gifts yet
Posted on October 11, 2012 at 4:26pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
It's soccer season for many of our kids and this takes a lot of family commitment. Every weekend belongs partially to soccer and for some families there are weekday practices as well. During my many hours on the field, I've been noticing and appreciating the fathers who volunteer their time and effort by coaching the kids.…Continue
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 2:39pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
We recently went on a family vacation to Jamaica and it gave me time to reflect on the importance of family vacations, whether they are simple or extravagant. Stepping away from real-life stressors for a while can be critical to appreciating the joys of family. The kids fought less because they were excited and distracted. We…Continue
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 2:29pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Allergy season is here again, though for some it never left. Both my kids have horrible seasonal allergies. I guess they inherited it from me and my husband, but mostly from me. All day today I've been dealing with a major headache despite taking my Allegra. The allergies just drain you and hit hardest at the beginning…Continue
Posted on September 25, 2012 at 4:23pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Yesterday at the park, I noticed a child rolling down a hill. She laid herself flat on the grass, rolled all the way down then got up smiling and ran up to do it again. My first reaction to this was 'oh gross!' because I kept thinking about the dirt and bugs and possible animal poop on the grass. Then, suddenly I had a…Continue
Hi Reena, It is awesome to have you here,welcome!


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Let's open our Bibles tonight to the book of Romans, and what I'm endeavoring to do is to take you through Romans 4 and 5, we started really in chapter 3, but looking at the doctrine of salvation in this great section of Paul's writing. I know that many of us are familiar with this. I'm very familiar with it. I know that for many of you it is rehearsed again and again and again. Even on a Sunday night like this, you heard the doctrine of salvation explained to you in one way or another four times already by the testimonies of those who were baptized. When you go to a Bible study or when you go to a class or an FOF group, you will hear a true explanation of the gospel. We're committed to that so that not only can people hear the true explanation of the gospel and be saved, but those of us who are responsible to proclaim the gospel can know how to present it accurately.
In chapter 4 of Romans, we are finding Abraham to be the model of salvation by faith by grace. It may surprise some people, it would surprise Jewish people that Abraham is the model of salvation, salvation proclaimed by Christians in the New Testament, but it is nonetheless true.
As we approach the text tonight, I wanted to look at verse 9 and read down through verse 17, I want to set it in your mind. Romans 4:9, "Is this blessing then on the circumcised or on the uncircumcised also for we say faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness? How then was it credited, while he was circumcised or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised but while uncircumcised and he received the sign of uncircumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised that righteousness might be credited to them. And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also fall in the steps of the faith of our father, Abraham which he had while uncircumcised."
Just to stop there and say the simple point is Abraham's salvation had nothing to do with circumcision because righteousness was credited to him before he was circumcised. And that's in the perspective of the Jews, a revolutionary idea because they connected salvation to circumcision. Abraham was given righteousness from God, justified, declared right before God before he was ever circumcised.
And then starting in verse 13, reading down to verse 17, "For the promise to Abraham, or to his descendants, that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith, for if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified. For the Law brings about wrath. Where there is no Law, there also is no violation. For this reason it is by faith in order that it may be in accordance with grace so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all. As it is written, the father of many nations have I made you in the presence of him whom he believed, even God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist."
Now that little text that I just read to you takes us to another very important consideration. Abraham was declared righteous by faith, apart from circumcision. He had not yet been circumcised. Here we learn that Abraham was declared righteous apart from the Law because the Law had not yet been given. So, he didn't earn his salvation by circumcision, a ritual, or a rite, and he didn't earn his salvation by keeping the Law, the Law had not yet been given.
The clear message of the Christian gospel is that salvation is by faith and grace, not by rite and law-keeping. This is the very opposite of the religions of the world. In India there is a festival that occurs periodically called The Ard Komph Mala(????), you may have read about it. It takes place at the conflux of the two great rivers, the Gangi(??) River and the Emana(?) River called the fabled waters of the Pramog(??). It is led by holy men of the Hindu religion called Digombar(?) Sadus(?). These holy men lead it with a stark naked parade to the water, followed by millions of Hindus that are going into this convergence of these two rivers. It is the world's largest religious event, millions of people dipping in the fabled waters of the Priogue(??) Disregarding the heavy expense of getting there and the difficult journey and the massive amount of people, and by the way, the chilling water...they come from everywhere, rich and poor...and in that event, all the caste barriers that usually exist in India are waived and everybody has a right. There are many who begin their journey months before the event to get there, fakirs, as they're called, sit on spiked beds, ascetics meditate on hours sitting on their heads. Worshipers pierce their tongues to sentence themselves to eternal silence. Some kill the use of their limbs permanently by tying them in one position until they atrophy. Others blind themselves purposely by staring directly into the sun. You may have seen some of the photographs of this shocking sea of millions of people on the river bank. What are they doing there?
The Regveta(??) says, and I quote, "Those who battle at the conflux of the Black and White River, the Gangi(?) and the Umara(?) go to heaven. Amahabara(?) says, quote: "The pilgrim who bathes at this place wins absolution for his whole family, and even if he has perpetrated a hundred crimes, he is redeemed the moment he touches the Gangi whose waters wash away his sins," end quote.
So, all along the water's edge are erected shaving booths where the deeply devout strip themselves naked and then shave off all the hair on their body. The shaved hair is then dumped into the already filthy river and they are told to say, quote: "For every hair thus thrown in, you are promised a million years residence in heaven," end quote.
Once the most acceptable gift to give at an event like that was your life and religious suicide was a part of the festival. It was said, quote; "Whoever wishes to be born in heaven ought to fast down to a grain of rice and then drown himself in these waters," end quote.
So you starve yourself to death and then if you're still alive, you drown yourself. Why do they do this? They believe bathing in these waters washes away all the pollution of sin. Millions come, spiritual hunger. One Hindu source says, "Those who come and enter into this rite, depart with peace in their hearts and renewed faith." Really, what a hellish damning tragic system of Satan's designing.
But Satan designs all kinds of religions like that, system of ritual, systems of ceremonies, systems of works, systems of an external kind of nature that are supposed to grant forgiveness and heaven. It's a shocking thing to see actual pictures of this, but it should be no less shocking to consider any kind of religion that promises a salvation to those who go through certain rituals and certain works.
Jesus faced it in the Judaism of His own day. Judaism, the true faith of the Old Testament, which was salvation by grace through faith, as illustrated in Abraham, had long been lost and in its place, Pharisaism had come, a system of legalism. Jesus confronted it by saying in Matthew 15:8, "This people...quoting from Isaiah...honors Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me." Verse 9, "In vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men." In vain do they worship Me. It is useless.
And that is what is in the mind of the Apostle Paul as he writes in Romans 3 through 5. To present this great treatise on the fact that nobody is going to be saved by some ritual or some noble, moral effort, or religious activity, salvation and heaven are available but not through any external action, only by grace through faith and that faith in the true and living God who has now revealed Himself in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is therefore no salvation apart from Jesus Christ. And while Abraham did not know of Jesus Christ, he certainly wouldn't have known anything about His life or death or burial or resurrection, he did know that salvation comes by faith alone, and he believed that, and he believed that God was a God of grace who would give salvation to a sinner who knew he couldn't save himself. So Abraham becomes the model of justification by faith.
Now as the chapter that we're looking at kind of breaks up a little bit, the first portion, verses 1 to 8, tells us Abraham was justified by faith, not works. The second section, verses 9 to 17, which I just read, says that Abraham was justified by grace and not by Law. Now in what I read, I want you to look at verse 16, it's really the key verse. "For this reason, salvation is implied there, by faith in order that it may be in accordance with grace...in accordance with grace. It is not earned, it is a gift of grace." Grace by very definition is something unearned. When God gives grace, it is free favor to undeserving sinners. And that, of course, is what Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works." Abraham was not made righteous by works, he was not made righteous by circumcision, he was declared by God to be righteous before he was ever circumcised. He was declared by God to be righteous before the Mosaic Law was ever given. Yet by the time you get to the New Testament era, the Jews believed that salvation comes by circumcision and Law keeping. And in neither case did Abraham fulfill the requirement. Declared righteous, Genesis 15:6, by God before he was circumcised and before the Law was even given.
And the whole point of this is that statement in verse 16. God designed salvation by faith alone in order that it may be in accordance with grace. Why? Because then the salvation being an act of the free gift of God gives all glory to Him...gives all glory to Him. God is worthy to receive all glory because salvation is completely a free gift of grace, unearned by any sinner.
Now remember again, by the time you get to the New Testament era, the Jews don't buy this at all. In Acts 15:5 at the Jerusalem Council, you had some of the sect of the Pharisees who had supposedly believed and they stood up at the Jerusalem Council and they said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Law of Moses."
Wow! They have to be circumcised to be saved, they have to go through the ritual and they have to observe the Law of Moses. Even though they had come to some measure of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, they were unable to divorce themselves from the brainwashing of a lifetime of believing that salvation was connected to circumcision and Law-keeping.
And so, as we come to verse 13, we have done with the circumcision issue in verses 9 to 12, and now we're going to look at the issue of Law. Now the key word here in verse 13 is the word"promise." "For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law but through the righteousness of faith," not through the Law but through the righteousness of faith. Key word, promise....promise. Abraham was justified...listen...not by anything he did, not any ritual, or any law-keeping, he was justified because he believed the promise of God. He believed the promise of God. God justifies the ungodly who believe His promise.
Back in chapter 4 and verse 5, "It is not the one who does some kind of work but the one who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." What is it that Abraham believed? He believed the promise. The promise of what? A promise of salvation in all its fullness. He believed that when God disclosed to him a covenant, that God would keep his promise. Justification then is believing in a promise. It is to say it is believing in something that is immediately not realized. The promise, I think, in verse 13 refers to the Abrahamic Covenant.
I don't want to get caught up in all the details of this, but just to give you a kind of overall sense. When God brought Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees and when God decided sovereignly to identify Abraham as the father of the people as we now know as the Jews, in chapter 12 of Genesis, God made a promise to him. He promised him a number of things, reiterated it in chapter 15, reiterated it in chapter 18 of Genesis, and again in chapter 22 and then reiterated the promise that He had given to Abraham to the sons of Abraham, the patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
Abraham understood this spiritual promise. That's why in Hebrews 11:10 it says He looked for a city that had foundations, whose builder and maker is God. He was still looking for the fulfillment of these promises.
Now the promise can be summed up in verse 13 in the phrase that he would be heir of the world. That is a fairly large promise. Heir of the world...wow! What an amazing promise that is. How do you break that down? What do you mean you'll be heir of the world?
Well in the simple sense it means that in the end, you will be...to borrow a New Testament language...a joint-heir with Christ and you will inherit everything that is Christ's. That's the New Testament view of it. We who come to God by faith, we who believe the promise of salvation will inherit everything...everything. Everything is ours in Christ. First Corinthians 1:30, "By His doing you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption."
And not only all those spiritual benefits, but we become heirs of the world. So many people today are worried about what's going to happen to the earth, caught up in all these efforts to save the planet based upon a whole lot of mis-information to start with and based upon some pretty ridiculous assumptions that they're in charge of the perpetuity of the universe and the earth. The fact of the matter is, those of us sitting here who don't buy in to any of this are the true heirs of this planet and the whole universe. That's a staggering thought, isn't it? One day the New Heaven and the New Earth will belong to us.
But when you go back to the promise that was made to Abraham, you go back in to Genesis 12, Genesis 13, Genesis 15, Genesis 18, there were several components. Number one, the land. Abraham was promised land...the land we call the land of Canaan. It actually was a lot more vast than Israel possesses now. Israel is only in a little portion of it. It stretched basically to cover the entire Middle East. The book of Joshua tells us that this came to pass as Canaan became the possession of Abraham's descendants, but that was just sort of down payment on the whole world because Abraham was an heir ultimately of the world, like all other believers.
Part of the promise was the land. Another part of the promise was a great nation. Genesis 13 and 15 and 18 build on the promise that God would give to him a seed and out of that seed would come a nation that would number like the sand of the sea and the stars in the heaven. Exodus shows us the beginning of the realization of Abraham's seed, the history of the Semitic people.
The third component in the Abrahamic Covenant was the promise of the blessedness of the world coming through them. Genesis 12:3 says, "In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed." And that is why in verse 17 he's called the father of many nations. He is really the father, the spiritual father of all who have been blessed in all the nations.
So he was made these vast promises of a land of a people, a nation, and being the source of blessing to the whole world. Later on in Romans 9, Paul shows how this is true because it is through t he people of Israel that the Messiah comes, the doctrines come, the covenants come, the scriptures come, the promises come all through the people of Israel who are the authors of holy Scripture.
But most importantly in capping off the promises, inside THE promise, the Abrahamic Covenant, is the pledge of the Redeemer...the Redeemer. I believe Abraham knew that there would be a greater than Isaac, that he knew there would be one who would surpass that son. In John 8:56, Jesus said, "Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad." I'm glad the Lord said that. That needs to be in there to help us to understand what was in the promise. The Redeemer was in the promise.
Turn to Galatians chapter 3 for a moment. How and where did he see the Redeemer in the promise? Well in Galatians 3 verse 16, "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham, the promises in the promise, the promise of the land, the promise of the nation, the promise of being the source of blessing to the whole world. They were spoken to Abraham and to his seed."
Here Paul says he doesn't say to seeds as referring to many, but rather to one and to Your seed, that is Christ. And so Paul says that Christ is the real seed and in Him comes the salvation to Israel and through Israel that blesses the world. That's why verse 29 is true, if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. All who come in faith are the children of Abraham. We are Abraham's seed by faith but more importantly, there is one seed that came from Abraham who is the source of the salvation of all the rest of Abraham's seed.
What is promised in the Abrahamic Covenant, land, a nation, blessing to the world, the key to the promise, is the Messiah, the Christ. Abraham saw his day and rejoiced to see it.
What did Abraham believe then? He believed in the promise of God, of salvation, a salvation that would make him an heir of the world, a salvation that would include land, a nation, blessing to the world, most importantly the seed, the promised seed.
Did Abraham connect that with Genesis, the seed of the woman who would come to bruise the serpent's head? I'm sure he did...I'm sure he did.
So God gave him a great promise, a salvation promise. It's the same promise to us. We have a Savior and we're among those who have been blessed, among the nations of the world who have been blessed and through us we carry the gospel and therefore become the source of blessing to the world. We have become the people of God. One day we will inherit the earth in the millennial Kingdom and then finally the Hew Heaven and the New Earth.
Now what is important about all this salvation promise? What is essential about it is it did not come by the Law....it did not come by the Law. Verse 17, "What I'm saying is this, the Law which came 430 years later...Galatians 3:17...the Law which came 430 years later does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on Law, it is not longer based on a promise. But God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise." It's so critical.
Abraham could not have been justified by keeping the Mosaic Law because it wasn't given for 430 years. That's the argument. It can't happen when there is no Law. And before the Law was ever given, there was already a promise in effect that when the Law came, verse 17, go back to it, it didn't invalidate a covenant, namely the covenant called the Abrahamic Covenant which is a grace covenant, it didn't invalidate that covenant previously ratified by God so as to nullify the promise.
You could say, "Well wait a minute. When the Law came, the rules changed." No...no. "For if the inheritance...verse 18...is based on Law, it's no longer based on a promise. God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise." You understand how that relates to us, that salvation is not based on circumcision for us or some ritual, even baptism, it's certainly not based on moral behavior and obedience to the Law.
Salvation for Abraham was based on a promise. Salvation for us is based on a promise. It is a sovereign promise, it is a gracious promise. It is given to people who do not deserve it. Abraham was given righteousness. He was declared righteous, declared just, he was justified because divine righteousness was imputed to his account simply because he believed that God was a God of salvation.
It is still so. God promises to give you salvation. He promises to give you the world, to inherit as a joint-heir everything that is Christ's. Salvation is universally by promise, not by Law.
The Apostle Paul, you'll remember, tried hard to be saved by the Law, didn't he? He even met the requirement of circumcision, Philippians tells us in chapter 3, "He was circumcised the eighth day." It also tells us that he was zealous keeping the Law and tradition. In fact, as far as the Law was concerned externally, he was blameless and he looked at it all when he met Christ and considered it all manure.
So how does righteousness come? Let's go back to Romans again...if you're still in Galatians. It comes apart from the Law. For if those...verse 14...who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void. There's no point in faith if you have to earn it. And the promise is nullified because the promise was given to someone before the Law was ever revealed.
In other words, the original condition of salvation is faith. If another condition is established, then the original condition is invalidated and the promise is void. Now that is exactly what legalists believe. That is exactly what all the false religions of the world believe, that you have to earn it, and that makes faith empty and useless and the promise nullified. What it's...what it's saying is, the whole biblical basis of salvation which is faith and grace based on promise collapses if the rules have changed. If once Abraham was declared righteous before God by simply believing the promise and became an heir of the world, the Kingdom and all that God possesses, but now once the Law has been given there's a new way, then the whole structure of salvation by promise collapses...it's void, it's empty. One writer says, "Faith is able to receive anything that God promises but if the allotment is to be enjoyed by means of a Law which Abraham had not and which none of his children ever kept or any other Law, faith is cancelled and a promise with an impossible condition is nullified.
In other words, if the promise now becomes conditional on Law keeping, we're all damned. The Law can never bring the promise cause it has no power to make men obey it. Through the years I have, from time to time, taught an entire lesson on what the Law cannot do, a long lesson on that. I think I have 20 points. The Law gives you no help. The Law gives you no strength. The Law gives you no assistance. The Law doesn't aid you, you're on your own.
If legalism and Law-keeping were ever meant to be the principle of justification, the entire plan and program of salvation which God identified at the very outset would crumble. It would mean that Abraham was not justified by faith, or if he was, nobody after the Law is. And that, of course, raises the question, then why the Law? Which is the issue in verse 15. What does the Law do?
We're talking here about God's moral Law, for the Law brings about wrath. But where there is no Law, there also is no violation. If you don't have any laws, you can't break them, right? So God gave the Law in order to manifest the violators. The criminals were all there but they aren't deemed criminal until the Law is given. The Law can't save, all the Law can do is condemn. And again, that is the message of Galatians 3 verse 10, "For as many as there of the works of the Law are under a curse, the curse is everyone who doesn't abide by all things written in the book of the Law to perform them."
So what the Law does is curse you and condemn you and damn you, and that means to bring wrath, to produce wrath. It doesn't produce salvation, it produces divine wrath. The Law works wrath because it curses those who can't keep it, making them guilty of violations and set for judgment. The Law condemns everybody who is not absolutely perfect.
The Law does something else, corollary to that. The Law not only condemns the sinner but strangely enough, according to Romans 7:7 to 10, the Law even incites sin. It even activates sin. Paul says that and he doesn't hold anything back, he gives it personal testimony. Is the Law sin? Romans 7:7, "May it never be, on the contrary, I wouldn't have come to know sin except through the Law, that's its first function, it reveals sin and therefore produces wrath and judgment. I wouldn't have known about coveting if the Law hadn't said, 'You shall not covet.'"
Further, sin taking opportunity through the commandment produced in me the coveting of every kind. Well that's the second thing the Law does. You make a rule and that rule will incite the sinful heart to violations. Tell a sinner he can't do something and you just raise his motivation to do it.
We all deal with that with our children, right? They're often tolerable until you give them a command not to be violated and then something in them desperately needs to violate that. That's just part of the human heart. So the Law in itself is not bad, the Law is good in that the Law raises the issue of sin to a level where it cannot be ignored.
So the Law brings about wrath. The Law produces a curse that there weren't any Law...there wouldn't be any violation of any Law.
Now here's the goal of his reasoning in verse 16. "For this reason it's by faith." What reason? "In order that it may be in accordance with grace." That's the only way we could ever be saved. You can't earn salvation, justification by rite and ritual, you can't earn it by law-keeping. So it has to be by faith and it has to be a gift of grace. There's no other possibility because by the deeds of the Law no flesh can be justified, as we saw in chapter 3. All we're going to do is end up cursed. The promise of justification and the inheritance that comes with it, the promise of all the blessings of eternal glory come only by grace so that the promise, verse 16, will be guaranteed.
Look, if it's by works, nobody gets a guarantee, right? If you have to earn your justification by works, it's up to you to earn it, then it's pretty obvious that you could forfeit it. If you did something to stop earning it or to default, no it is consistent with bad theology to say both sides of that. Those religions that teach you earn your way don't teach having once earned your way, you're secure forever. They don't teach that. Even forms of Christianity that we call Arminian in their theology for Arminius, Pelagian, semi-Pelagian views that say it's completely up to us to believe on our own, it's completely up to us to accept the gospel on our own. It's something we have to do.
Don't believe that having done that once, you're secure forever. One of the tenets of Arminian theology is you come on your own power and you could lose your salvation by disobedience. And so there is no real guarantee of the promise. But when it is by reason of faith and in accordance with grace, the promise is guaranteed.
Guaranteed? How widely is it guaranteed? Well he says it is guaranteed to all the descendants...to all the descendants, to all the spiritual sons of Abraham who come by faith, there is a guarantee of the promised inheritance. Peter says it's undefiled, fadeth not away, as you heard in testimony a moment ago. It's a guaranteed inheritance.
Guaranteed to whom? To all the descendants. And then he splits them out, "Not only those who are of the Law, Jews...Jews. Not only to Jews but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, Gentiles." Abraham was not a Jew. Abraham was a Chaldean Gentile. So Abraham didn't receive justification by being a Jew, being a circumcised Jew and being a law-keeping Jew. And yet the Jews of the New Testament era thought that that's exactly how you receive justification by being a Jew, being a circumcised Jew, being a law-keeping Jew. It's not by Law, it's by grace and thus the promise can be absolutely guaranteed to all Abraham's spiritual descendants whether they are of the Law, meaning the Jews who have the Law of God, or whether they are simply of the faith of Abraham, that is Gentiles who don't necessarily have the revealed Law of God.
As a footnote, by the way, in Romans 2 he says they do have the Law of God written in their hearts which holds them accountable and from which the Holy Spirit can certainly reveal their sin. But also, God having revealed His Law on the pages of Scripture, made Israel responsible to proclaim His Law to the whole world as He has made the church responsible to proclaim His Law to the whole world today so that men can see their sin against the revealed Law of God.
The intention then is that salvation is by grace alone because that's the only way men could ever be saved because no one can keep the Law. And once you come by faith, it is a gift of grace, the promise can be absolutely guaranteed to everyone, Jew and Gentile. Isn't that how Paul began his gospel? "I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, the power of God and to salvation to all who believe, to the Jew first, also to the Gentile."
Verse 17, "As it is written...this is parenthetical...a father of many nations have I made you." The eternal purpose of God in justifying Abraham was to make him the prototype of salvation by faith in a promise given by grace to an unworthy, ungodly, undeserving sinner. And in that sense, the spiritual sense, he is a father of many nations because there have been many in many nations who have come to salvation by faith that is like Abraham's.
Abraham believed, verse 17 speaks of the one in whom Abraham believed, even God. That is the heart of it, folks. Salvation comes by faith and what do you mean by faith? By faith in anything? No, by faith in God. To whatever degree that God had revealed Himself. To what degree did Abraham understand God? He understood Him as the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which doesn't exist. He understood Him as the Creator/God and the life-giving God.
What do you mean he understood God as the one who gives life to the dead? Well, somebody might say he knew that Sarah's womb was dead and he was passed the capability to produce a child and in that sense God gave life out of two dead people. I think it was more than that. I think you remember in verse 22 when he took Isaac up to the mountain, laid him on the altar, he put him there because the Lord had said to put him there and then you kill him. And he lifted up the knife to plunge it in his heart. Why would he do that? Hebrews 11 says because he believed in God who raises the dead. And so he believed in the God of creation and the God of resurrection.
He believed everything that had been revealed about God. He also believed that God was the only hope of salvation for himself, that he as a sinner had nothing in his own life that could commend him to God. And so he came to the God that he knew to be the God of creation and the God of resurrection and he pled with that God to be gracious to him, forgive his sin and to some degree he knew that the fulfillment of the promise was not locked in Isaac only but in a seed far down history. John 8:56, "He saw his day and was glad." He knew that if Isaac wasn't the sacrifice, there would be a final and complete sacrifice.
So Paul so magnificently tells us that salvation is by faith, not works; grace, not Law. Let's bow in prayer.
Lord, as we covered this tonight again, it's just so wonderful to see the consistency of Scripture. We're just grateful and blessed. Saints through the history of the church have fully understood this. I think of the wonderful testimony of John Bunyan in his remarkable work called Man's Soul, so many centuries ago talking about how Prince Emmanuel arrived in the city of Man's Soul and set all the unworthy sinners free. This has always been the message. We thank You for the testimonies we've heard tonight from those who have been brought to the place where they understand that their salvation rests only in faith and grace. Lord, help us to spread this message. Help us to love this truth. Help us to embrace the promise that is our promise of an eternal inheritance, undefiled, preserved for us, that never fades. We will inherit the earth as we were promised, even though we are bankrupt in ourselves we will inherit the earth. We will inherit the Kingdom. Even though we are sinful, we will become eventually more than just righteous by declaration, we will become righteous by recreation. We thank You, Lord, that Jew or Gentile, anyone who believes can become in this sense a follower and a child of Abraham, following in the prototype of his faith. Be gracious, Lord, to those who have not yet embraced Christ and may that be the miracle that happens to them, even this day. We pray in His name. Amen.
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Jackie Bradley, Jr., the top story of spring training with an electrifying .419/.507/.613 batting line, has been placed on the 25-man roster and will make his major league debut on Opening Day tomorrow at Yankee Stadium III.
Mike Andrews of Sox Prospects recently took a look at Boston's outfield prospects and had this to say about Bradley, who turns 23 on April 19:
"Bradley, 22, has been a tour de force this spring, and the hype would lead you believe that he's a slam dunk to be enshrined in Cooperstown. While that may not be the case, Bradley is an outstanding prospect that profiles as a long-term everyday center fielder for a first division club, and possibly an occasional All-Star. On offense, he has an advanced approach, plus bat speed, a smooth swing plane, slightly below-average power, and slightly above-average speed. He still has some areas to develop, but at this stage he looks like a player who could hit .290 with 12-15 home runs and 15 stolen bases per year. He's also quite polished defensively, projecting as a plus-to-elite center fielder. Bradley has strong instincts, makes excellent jumps, has a plus arm, and above-average range. Ultimately, he should be a permanent fixture in the Red Sox outfield over the long-haul, even if he bounces back-and-forth between Boston and Pawtucket in 2013."The Opening Day roster:
Catchers: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, David Ross
Infielders: Mike Napoli, Dustin Pedroia, Jose Iglesias, Will Middlebrooks, Pedro Ciriaco
Outfielders: Jackie Bradley Jr., Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes, Daniel Nava, Mike Carp
Starting Pitchers: Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Ryan Dempster, Felix Doubront, John Lackey
Relievers: Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey, Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa, Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Miller, Clayton Mortensen
More good news: GM Ben Cherington says in terms of total talent in the minor leagues, the Red Sox farm system is "as deep as it's been since I've been involved, going back to 2002, 2003 when I first got started in player development".
Alex Speier's "Jacoby Ellsbury And The Gap Between Perception and Reality" examines how the media's portrayal of Ellsbury as a soft player stands up to the truth demonstrated throughout his career.
Gordon Edes offers some tidbits from the 2013 Red Sox media guide including this one: "With John Farrell as manager in 2011, the Blue Jays were undefeated in 11 extra-inning games at home. The Jays were the first team since 1901 to win at least 10 extra-inning games at home without a loss."


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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partners. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
|Hives, or urticaria, are elevated, red, itchy blotches on the skin. Hives may occur suddenly, last a short time and go away, or they may last a long time (>6 weeks), at which point they are called chronic. Hives can be accompanied by more severe swelling which can occur underneath the skin, especially in the soft tissues around the eyes, lips, hands and feet. This form of swelling is referred to as angioedema. Hives and angioedema may occur alone or together. Sudden causes of hives include medications such as penicillin, a viral infection, an insect sting or from eating certain foods such as eggs, peanuts, tomatoes, walnuts, and fish.
|Sudden onset of hives may be due to medications or certain foods such as eggs, peanuts, tomatoes, walnuts, and fish
Most patients who come to the allergist's office with hives have suffered with them almost on a daily basis for six weeks or more and are therefore chronic in nature. Often in these cases, no underlying cause such as food, infection, other underlying diseases or drug reaction can be identified, and we call these hives "idiopathic" or of unknown cause. Chronic hives usually is well controlled with antihistamines, but may require combinations of medication to control them. For many people, hives will go away over period of five years.
Some patients may experience the onset of their hives following exposure to physical factors such as extreme cold or sunlight, exercise, or following direct pressure on the skin (for example, from a tight belt or bra strap). In these cases, it may be wise to avoid physical factors that are known to provoke hives.
In most cases, hives and angioedema can be controlled by ruling out underlying causes and treating with proper medication.
Last Reviewed: Oct 19, 2010
Professor of Medicine
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University of Cincinnati
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College of Medicine
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DariusD is offline
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Essay: Descriptive Writing
This is an essay that I wrote for another forum, detailing how to write descriptively in erotic roleplay. Many of the ideas also apply to writing descriptive erotica in general, as well.
I haven't edited it from the original version (except for the end cap) so if there are references that make no sense, just ignore them.
What I Mean When I Ask for "Descriptive" Writing
After several discussions and more than a few cut threads due to misunderstandings about what I mean, I've decided to add this segue into my O\o thread.
10-25% Rule:
Out of every ten sentences, one or two should include some form of description
. Ideally, the description should be appropriately related to how a character appears as tied into to either actions they are taking or to simply enhance/add to the image the author is building for their audience. The key word here is "appropriate." If my character is looking down at yours, tell me what he sees or feels when he touches her, in addition to taking time to write what she is thinking or feeling about the situation. Most female authors (including published ones) are kinesthetic and emotional as opposed to visual. It's
for a woman to write how her character feels emotionally and it's natural for her to write how my character's touch impacts her character. There's nothing wrong with it.
However, most men are
. There's a reason most men look at porn instead of reading Fifty Shades of Grey. They key when writing with a visual man is to think of your character in somewhat objective terms; try imagining her looking into a mirror, or attempt to see her through the man's eyes. If she's wearing a dress, does he see cleavage? If so, what amount? Is she sweating? Is that a drop of sweat beading down her collarbone? And so forth.
I'm not trying to suggest that you should alter your entire writing style, or even telling you that you need to "get outside" of your character's head. I'm telling you that your character is, in fact, your character. It's not another writer's place to describe your character. This is why, when I'm writing with another person, I don't describe what my character sees or thinks about the other author's character
until after the other author describes it.
An example of writing that draws me, as a visual reader, out of an erotic roleplay is when the other person's character changes posture in a way that lends itself to an enhanced description being added, but it's not. Specific opportunities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Your character is wearing a low cut shirt and bends over.
My character is in a fight with yours. You've established that she's wearing a skirt and she kicks at my character's face, doing a full splits in order to reach it.
And the worst offender of all (and more common than you'd think): when your character gets naked.
Descriptions Can Drive Plot in Erotica:
I don't know about you, but I prefer erotica that is driven by plot over smut most of the time. That means our characters won't always get along. Hell, they probably won't have the desire to have sex for quite a while. In this case, describing our characters and keeping those descriptions tantalizing is what keeps the tension between our characters elevated. Yes, anger and suppressed desire for the person you don't get along with is an equally valid notion; however, I suggest that people who feel no physical attraction for one another are not likely to want sexual relationships. When was the last time an argument you had with someone you found physically repulsive turned you on? When we write plot-driven erotica, our descriptive imagery takes some of the weight off our audience's imagination. Instead of
that the other character
wants to secretly have carnal relations with another, it's our job as writers to build that desire on multiple levels - the most important of which (to visual readers) is through descriptiveness.
Smut Lives on Descriptiveness:
Conversely, if you're writing a one-shot or "quickie" with minimal character growth and tension, descriptiveness can be
to a visual reader.
Descriptiveness Does Not Equal Only Visual Descriptors:
I know I've been talking a lot about visual imagery here, but the visuals aren't always available or appropriate. Sometimes we get bored writing the same descriptions, even using new adjectives, over and over again. Toward that end, I suggest changing it up: describe how your character smells, or how her skin feels. Remember what I said before about you being in control of
your character.
This includes taking ownership of how your partner might perceive your character in multiple dimensions.
Be careful! When you describe your character in a way beside the visual, you may encroach on the other author(s) involved. In fact, if written poorly, it can borderline on "God Moding," wherein you take control of another person's character. For example, if you write:
He can smell her perfume; it smells amazing!
, then you've taken away the other author's ability to react. You've
your partner that it smells amazing, instead of allowing him or her to describe what influence it has. In this situation, I suggest using something like,
His scent was musky and sharp, but he'd been told that it wasn't entirely unpleasant in the past and he felt no need to cover it up with deodorant.
In this case, I've described his scent, added that I don't intend for it to be bad, as well as a reason for him not to mask it, and left an opening for my partner to respond as he or she feels is appropriate.
Descriptiveness Can (and Often Should) Help Develop Character:
Lots of authors I've discussed this with feel that being too descriptive takes the emphasis away from writing "from within" their character. In other words, it distracts from developing the character's personality. This need not be the case. Describing your character can (and often should) allow you to establish your character's values. Fit characters, for example, value either their appearance, some sort of exercise or athletic competition, or both. Characters wearing short skirts usually
to be looked at, and so forth. You may want to consider using descriptiveness as a way to evolve your character over time.
Evolving Your Character's Appearance:
I didn't realize this until recently, but did you know that by page 3 on these forums (assuming posts averaging 400-500 words), you've probably written around 50-60 pages of text? I post twice a week in my games. That means it's been three or four months since initial descriptions and introductions were done. In some games, it means that my partners (or I), haven't described anything about our characters in as many as 20,000 words.
And we're writing erotica!
As our characters evolve and time passes, it becomes increasingly important to find reasons to re-describe our characters. It also can become repetitive to those of us who pride ourselves on descriptiveness. As mentioned above, I suggest tying your character's appearance into his or her growth throughout a story. On page 1, you described your character as X. Now, on page 60, after going through X and Y events, how does she look? Do "once light and happy eyes" now have a "dark and brooding shadow beneath them"? This is just another opportunity for you to display your character's evolution while telling your audience how he or she appears.
- I added this part specifically for the Literotica crowd.
Also, while
writing requires a character with flaws,
writing requires attractive qualities. Usually, those qualities are exaggerated (like the cock size of the male actors in porn). This is not always the case, but it depends on the story and where it comes from.
Below, I have included three examples of my introductions, one realistic, one fantastic, and one sci-fi. Hopefully these will help illustrate the ideas above. Keep in mind, however, that the real challenge of being descriptive doesn't begin with a good introduction; it begins as the story waxes long and new, inventive use of words becomes a requisite for you to continue enjoying the writing.
Silas stood before the lectern, a stark contrast to the English professors of other colleges. Lean and muscular, with something between the build of a swimmer and a martial artist, the dark haired, dark eyed, man was quite tall and severe looking. Hed been described as a stormy blade by one of his students before, and it wasnt far from the truth. Given the summers inclement heat, Silas wore a simple navy button up and khakis, all that fit him snugly, without giving the impression that he was trying to show his physique off. It was natural to him.
Fuck, I wish I had a horse, Devrim muttered in slippery common, tainted by his Drow heritage. Wearing ceremonial battle garb, a flowing purple robe embossed with gold twine and enchanted within an inch of its expensive life, he moved almost as silently as an assassin, though not quite. Hed never perfected that art. On his back was a single, apparently empty, sheath where a long, narrow sword might hang, also covered with purple and gold etching and more magic. A scan of his magical aura would reveal the man was nearly a sun of it, from the little rings in his pointed ears to his odd little Oriental-style slippers (stolen, no doubt, from Wai). Of rich purple-black skin tone with angular, sharkish features, the man was as beautiful as a nightmare and muscular enough to deepen that beauty into shocking handsomeness. His eyes, cat-slitted through some unknown process (as Drow did not have such irises), were luminous purple, matching his battle robe.
It was the deal that had attracted David, along with dozens of the systems wealthiest business men. Taller than genetic norm at nearly seven feet, David had the bronzed looks of an Adonis; though that wasnt saying much any man with his level of wealth had those. His short, bleach blond hair brought out the cruel, hungry gleam in his currently icy blue eyes and contrasted well with his form-fitted silvery blue suit, open enough to reveal a hint of clavicle. His salesman-perfect whiter-than-white smile brought out his expressive, not-quite-too-full smile as he waited for the official greeting. Hed put in a request six months prior and had scheduled his first meeting for this very day.
Roleplay Style and Preferences
My essay on descriptive writing.
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Steel_n_Silk is offline
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Thanks for the tips.
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You are quite welcome.
Roleplay Style and Preferences
My essay on descriptive writing.
What I'm currently seeking can be found
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Step back in time to a period of refinement, elegance, and of course good social etiquette. The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum's 11th annual Victorian tea is a way to enjoy food and friendship while learning more about this fascinating part of America's past.
This year's program focuses on Victorian fashion, with a special program titled "Dressing for Tea" presented by staff from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Historic Site's Costume Resource Center. This glimpse at the elegant fashions of the era features all the luxurious underpinnings, dresses, hats and accessories that went into the perfect, in-style ensemble for afternoon tea, as well as how tastes changed over the decades.
Guests will also enjoy a traditional three-course tea, including scones with cream, finger sandwiches, fresh fruits and assorted desserts. Attendees are invited to get into the spirit of the program by wearing Victorian dress, hats, and bringing their favorite tea cup so they may truly take part in this unique event.
This year's tea will be held on Saturday, April 20, from 2 until 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person ($10 of which is tax deductible); no coupons or passes are accepted for this event. All proceeds benefit the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. Seating is limited, and reservations and prepayment are required, so call 716-693-1885 or email [email protected] today to reserve your place at this popular annual event. Come meet new friends, or you can reserve your own table for four.
The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum is housed in the historic Allan Herschell Company Factory building at 180 Thompson St., North Tonawanda. For directions and further information about special events, programs or group tours, visit www.carrouselmuseum.org, call 716-693-1885 or email [email protected].


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The Matrix is a powerful metaphor expressing some of Judaism's most fundamental beliefs.
More Seminars
Explore the incredible labyrinth of tunnels, arches and passageways surrounding the Temple area, tracing thousands of years of Jewish history.
Understanding the true cause of the world's most longstanding and irrational hatred.
Examining the impact Jewish values and ideals have had on modern civilization.


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SE 14th and Powell
The Tabor to the River Program uses green infrastructure to manage both public and private stormwater runoff at the source.
The city recently partnered with a property owner at SE 14th and Powell in the Brooklyn neighborhood to manage stormwater from a total of 8,000 square feet of pavement. This planter manages an average of 176,000 gallons of stormwater annually. This project was constructed by Braun Construction.


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Waiting Dangerously in Rio
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Artist Statement
I paint astronauts and, sometimes, dinosaurs. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in 1968, well before I was born, so I have no firsthand knowledge of how it was received. I don't know if people really believed we'd be living in space in 2001; if we'd have robot butlers and flying cars, geodesic lunar homes and genetically reconstituted dinosaurs helping or eating us. But from Lost in Space to the Jetsons to Jurassic Park, it seems that popular culture fostered this space-age perception of the future. Generations raised on these TV shows, movies, comic books and novels are now grown and living in a future filled with minivans, Starbucks, iPods and hip-hop videos. In many ways, the year 2001 failed to live up to expectations. And yet the world today is peculiar in ways unimagined in 1957, when Sputnik was launched, or in 1968, when 2001 was released, or even in 1994, at the dawn of the internet. The present is, in fact, a very unusual place, and it's strangest in the ubiquity of things we take for granted. The astronaut in my paintings is simply here to explore the present.
Scott Listfield | See All Editions
Scott Listfield (b. 1976, Boston, MA) is known for his paintings featuring a lone, exploratory astronaut lost in a landscape cluttered with pop culture icons, corporate logos and tongue-in-cheek science fiction references. Scott studied art at Dartmouth College, which was maybe not the brightest thing to do. After some time spent abroad, Scott returned to America, where, right around the year 2001, he began painting astronauts and, sometimes, dinosaurs. Scott has been profiled in WIRED and the Boston Globe, and online at Big RED & Shiny. Additionally, his work appeared in New American Paintings in 2005 and 2008. His work has been exhibited extensively in Boston, and less extensively in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami.
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- Expertly finished with hanging wires, protective backing archival sleeve for certificate of authenticity, and wall-friendly footers.
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Deaths by the beach: Eight investigations keep police busyBy JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent
October 20. 2013 8:36PM
HAMPTON — Police Chief Jamie Sullivan has seen a lot during his 29 years on the Hampton police force, but eight death investigations in less than a month is unlike anything he's ever experienced.
"It's been an extremely busy month for us and certainly there are some impacts on our agency," Sullivan said.
Nearly all of the police department's 34 full-time officers have responded in some way to a deadly scene over the past few weeks.
The series of investigations began Sept. 20 when the bodies of Bruce Menezes and Mark Classen, both of Hampton, were found floating in the Hampton River. Autopsies revealed the two men drowned.
The drownings were followed the next day by the deaths of two Massachusetts women, Pamela Wells and Elise Bouchard, who were struck and killed while riding their bicycles in a charity ride on Route 1A. Unlicensed driver Darriean Hess, 19, of Seabrook, was charged in the accident.
Two weeks later, neighbors found Robert Roderick dead inside his beach house on Oct. 4. Roderick's roommate, Peter Bartoloni, was arrested days later and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly bludgeoning Roderick with a sledgehammer.
With several death investigations already underway, police responded to another serious accident on Oct. 13. Pedestrian Charles Sayre of Amesbury, Mass., was hit by a car at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Highland Avenue. The driver, Danielle F. Kooyoomjian of Hampton, was accused of driving drunk when she struck Sayre, who died the next day.
Police have also investigated two "unattended" deaths in recent weeks involving people who died from natural causes. Investigating such deaths isn't uncommon, but still requires police involvement.
"It requires our response in dealing with the families and the folks involved in those," Sullivan said.
Sullivan said support from neighboring police agencies and New Hampshire State Police has helped his department through the difficult weeks. The agencies have provided mutual aid to assist in many ways, from directing traffic and helping with patrols while Hampton officers were tied up lending a hand with the investigations.
"We're very proud of the work they're doing under these circumstances. For a period of time to have this number of serious incidents is unusual for us and you eat up a lot of manpower in these major events initially," said Sullivan, who joined the police department in 1984 as a part-time officer and has been chief for the past eight years.
Sullivan said the officers are the first on the scene and must provide medical assistance and help victims in any way they can. Police then transition to the investigative phase.
"That's a coordinated effort. A lot of resources are necessary in these critical incidents," Sullivan said.
State police were involved in many of the incidents and played an active role in the investigation into Roderick's murder.
"Anytime that they have instances such as this, where their manpower is tied up on whatever the incident may be, we offer our people to not only help with the incident but with patrol coverage. We're here to basically assist them in any way, shape, or form," said state police Lt. Chris Vetter, who worked with Sullivan as a part-time officer in Hampton when he began his career in law enforcement.
Like Sullivan, Vetter said he couldn't remember a time when one police department had so many death investigations in a matter of a few weeks.
"I can't ever recall it being so busy in one place in such a short amount of time and certainly not in Hampton," he said.
Sullivan said he does not yet know how much the string of death investigations has cost the department in terms of extra manpower and overtime.
"Yes, there is an impact, but when these (incidents) are going on that's the least of our concerns. We'll deal with that later," he said.
The deadly incidents have been exhausting for many of the officers, some of whom have found themselves at more than one of the scenes, Sullivan said.
They can also take an emotional toll.
"Our officers, our medics, all of our first responders go out and sometimes see these horrific scenes," Sullivan said.
At the same time, the officers have had to face many grieving family members and friends.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of all of these victims," Sullivan said.
Crime, law and justice Public Safety Hampton Top Section Stories