The Ten Commandments Enter your info below and get ready to take the following quiz: The Ten Commandments You are taking this quiz on December 6, 2019 Name Email The text of the Commandments is from Chapter 20 of which book? Genesis Matthew Leviticus ExodusRather than coveting, God would have us be .You shall not your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Luther's explanation says, "We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor's wife, worker, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.True or False: There are three kinds of laws in the Old Testament: 1) the moral law, which tells people their duty toward God and other people, 2) the ceremonial law, which regulated the worship practices of Israel of old, and 3) the political law, which was the state law of the Israelites of old. Only the moral law was written in the human heart. False TrueTrue or False: We should avoid (and help others avoid) things that that harm the body and the mind, such as drugs, too much alcohol (which leads to drunkenness and possible death), or intaking household substances meant for cleaning or other purposes. True FalseTrue or False: God forbids divorce except for marital unfaithfulness (adultery or desertion). False True"You shall have no other gods" is which of God's commandments? Second Third Fifth FirstWe sin against the third commandment when we... despise preaching and the Word of God share the Good News about Jesus to others go out for dinner on Saturday avoid or carelessly use the Word of God and the Sacraments gladly hear it, learn it, and meditate on it How is God's name misused? using God's name uselessly or carelessly giving thanks and praise to God blaspheming God by speaking evil of Him or mocking Him swearing falsely that something is true by God's name praying to God and asking Him for help in time of trouble cursing by His name Which commandment forbids idolatry in all its forms? Eighth Seventh Tenth Sixth First your father and your mother. Luther's explanation: "We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but [same as the fill in the blank word] them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them."The Seventh Commandment says, "You shall not ." What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor's money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income."True or False: Married persons are commanded to love, honor, and respect each other. False TrueYou shall not misuse the of the Lord your God.What were some of the other gods of the Old Testament time period? carved idols of wood, silver, or gold Kiddo Ibid and the Naasackaja Baal (storm god) and Ashera (fertility god)Love covers a multitude of .The Fifth Commandment says, "You shall not ." Martin Luther's explanation says: "We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor but help and support him in every physical need."We should strive to put the best meaning on everything, that is, we should explain our neighbor's actions in the best possible way (in order to help preserve their reputation, which God also wants to protect, especially if they are innocent of wrong-doing). False TrueTrue or False: God forbids sexual sins such as: intercourse between unmarried persons, rape, homosexual activity, incest, sexual child abuse, obscenity, and use of pornographic materials. False TrueDoes anyone have authority to take another person's life? No. Absolutely never. Yes, lawful government, as God's servant, may execute criminals and fight just wars.What is summary of commandments 4-10 (Second Table)? "...You shall love your as yourself" (Matt. 22:39; Lev. 19:18).You shall not commit adultery. Luther's explanation says, "We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife and honor each other."Which is the first commandment with a promise that it will go well you with you and that you may live long in the land (Ephesians 6:3)? Second Commandment Fourth Commandment Sixth CommandmentTrue or False: No person can keep any or all commandments perfectly, except Jesus Christ. But all those who have faith in Jesus Christ (by the power of the Holy Spirit) willingly strive to keep these commandments. False TrueTrue or False: Fortune-telling, asking for supernatural help from the devil or demons, casting spells, and consulting the dead are harmless and can be done for fun. False TrueRemember the day by keeping it holy.Who alone has kept the Law of God perfectly? You shall not your neighbor's house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.Coveting is having a ______ desire for anyone or anything that belongs to our neighbor. Special Sinful Godly GraciousTrue or False: The Sabbath was a sign pointing to Jesus who is our rest. Since Jesus now has come as our Savior and Lord, God no longer requires us to observe the Sabbath and other holy days of the Old Testament, but we are free to observe days and seasons according to the revealed faith we have in Jesus. For example, early Christians moved the primary day of worship to Sunday, the first day of the week, because it was the day Jesus rose from the dead. True FalseWhat prevent us from keeping God's commandments perfectly? Jesus Our sinful nature Our dog or cat Our neighborTrue or False: My own life is a gift of God to be ended only by Him. True FalseWhat does God say about all of the commandments? He says, "I, the Lord your God, am a God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Ex. 20:5-6).True or False: God forbids us to take another person's life (murder, abortion, euthanasia) or our own life (suicide). False TrueTrue or False: We should defend our neighbor, that is, we should speak up for and protect our neighbor from false accusations. False TrueWhat is the summary of commandments 1-3 (First Table)? " the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37; Deut. 6:5).What is the summary of all the commandments? "...does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore is the fulfilling of the law" Romans 13:10.You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. In other words, we should not tell lies, betray, and slander our neighbor or hurt his , but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.True or False: God forbids sexually impure thoughts and desires. True FalseAccording to the explanation to the first commandment, "We should fear, love, and in God above all things."Be sure to click Submit to see your results!


Podcast: Being Disciples
Learning One’s True Identity
Introduction to Discipleship
What is a disciple?
A disciple is a person who learns the ways and beliefs of a mentor and adopts them, applying them to his or her own life, thus becoming like that mentor.
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth that they should imitate him as he imitates Christ Jesus.
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1 KJV
Paul praised them for remembering him and holding the traditions and following the teachings that he passed onto them.
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you.
1 Corinthians 11:2 KJV
Paul was an apostle and a disciple of Christ Jesus. He is calling the believers to be disciples just as he had become. It is a choice each of us must make whether we will be followers of Christ or if we will be followers of someone or something else. The choice will be to either follow the Creator, or to follow after some aspect of His creation.
In another of his letters to believers in Christ, Paul wrote that they should not follow after the ways of the world systems, rather, they should discover and follow the perfect will of God for their lives.
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2 KJV
The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the elders, prophets, priests and people that had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon. He sent a letter that contained the word of the LORD for them to give them hope and a promise of deliverance. A portion of this letter involved the personal relationship between the people and God.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
Jeremiah 29:11-14 KJV
We see that the desire of God was to have a personal relationship with the people, and that remains His desire to this day. Paul was pursuing such a relationship and was encouraging others to follow his lead and establish that relationship as well.
The personal relationship is one of love: this is a pure love for one another and for God, not romantic love based upon lust. Scripture instructs us as to how we should act and what we are to believe, revealing what is acceptable to God, our Creator. We exhibit our love for Him in our obedience as we follow His ways, His teachings, and His example, through Christ Jesus.
And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.
1 John 2:3-6 KJV
Christ Jesus calls us to follow Him. He displayed His great love for us through His actions and calls for us to display our love for Him through our actions. What were His actions? Christ Jesus left the throne in heaven and came into this earth to rescue us from the result of our sin in order to restore us to a loving relationship with Almighty God. He laid down His life to pay a debt He did not owe. Through His death on the cross He paid our debt that we could not pay, thus delivering us out of the hands of our enemy and into the loving embrace of God.
Here is how it works:
- We had been separated from God because of our sin, and due to this, we had no way of restoring our relationship with God.
- The Father, Almighty God, had such a great love for us that He sent His son, Christ Jesus, as our Savior, our Redeemer, to restore that loving relationship.
- It is the love of the Father that draws us to the Son. He initiates the restoration of the relationship, and without Him we have no hope.
- We decide whether or not to accept that restoration through our decision whether or not we will answer the call to follow Christ, apart from whom we cannot know the Father.
- The Spirit of God, Holy Spirit, provides the faith we need to believe through the grace He shows toward us.
- We simply need to surrender to the Lord, Christ Jesus, and choose to follow Him.
- His promise is to give to us eternal life in a loving relationship with God, our Creator. His grace will give us the strength and ability to see it through to the end.
We see this throughout the Word of God, the Scriptures:
- But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:2 KJV
- For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV
- No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. John 6:44-45 KJV
- If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: If any man serve Me, him will my Father honour. John 12:26 KJV, and, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me. John 14:6 KJV
- Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 12:3 KJV, and, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
- Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For mu yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 KJV
- That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:15 KJV, and, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:27-29 KJV
With this foundation of understanding laid, in future episodes we will progress to discover what the life of a disciple ought to look like. We need to know our identity in Christ in order to live out the plans that He has for us; both individually and corporately.
The totality of the disciples of Christ Jesus is known as the Body of Christ. We will first explore the body through the fitting together of the individuals into one body. Peter the apostle describes us as living stones. He describes a spiritual house built of these stones with the apostles and prophets being the foundation. We will cover that in a couple of weeks. Peter also speaks of Christ Jesus being the cornerstone. We will begin there on the next episode of Being Disciples.


Churches from around the world will take part in Sea Sunday services for Sailors’ Society this year on July 9.
Each year, the Christian maritime charity, asks congregations to remember and pray for the world’s 1.6 million seafarers and give thanks for their lives and work.
Stuart Rivers, Sailors’ Society’s CEO, said: “Look around you; more than 90 per cent of everything we own comes by sea – your cars, your phone, even your cup of coffee.
“These are brought by seafarers who risk extreme loneliness, storms and even piracy.
“We all rely on seafarers, and holding a Sea Sunday service for Sailors’ Society is a great way of recognising them.”
The Southampton-based charity has created a variety of resources for churches, which it has made available free to download at www.seasundayhero.org.
Included in the resource pack is a sermon by Dr Hugh Osgood, Sunday school resources and a video of Psalm 107 read by Chine McDonald, Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Mike Hill and Krish Kandiah.
If you would like receive a Sea Sunday pack, please call Leila Hyde on 02380 515903.


Tyumen “Holy Trinity” Reformed Church
Our church is Presbyterian in government and Reformed in theology. We are a protestant Christian denomination. The word Presbyterian is related to the Greek word "presbuteros" which means Elder. Our church is governed by ruling elders, one of which is the pastor. Reformed theology is a product of the protestant reformation. We hold to the teachings of the reformers, more particularly as enumerated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
In the late 90s a small group Bible Study was formed in Tyumen. For several years, the group met in their home in a warm family atmosphere. They came to know God by studying His Word.
In autumn 2000, the group decided to organize a Church. That Christmas first protocol on the establishment of the Church "Holy Trinity" was adopted on December 25, 2000. The church was to be based upon Reformed Theology and the Presbyterian form of church government. The first pastor of the Church became Vladimir Cherniavsky. The local religious organization Tyumen Christian Presbyterian Church "Holy Trinity" received its official registration on April 28, 2001.
Today, "Holy Trinity" Church - is a group of believers who serve God and their fellow man. During the week the church hosts a variety of spiritual programs and social events: Sunday services are in Russian and English, basics of the Christian faith, children's and youth ministry, Bible study in English and Russian, separate meetings for men and women to fellowship and pray together, social service for people with chemical dependency and other social services for the good of the city and its inhabitants, and to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For many years, the Church has been a member of the “Council of Christian Churches of Tyumen". This council sponsors events such as the "Great Christmas Concert", "City Easter concert", "Family Day" and others.
The work of "Holy Trinity Church" is to be an oasis of comfort, joy, peace among the world's deserts. We seek to bring people into the family of God, to promote their spiritual growth and knowledge of God for His glorification.
A word from our Pastor
Psalm 119:105 " 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
About our Church
505 years ago men like Martin Luther and John Calvin rescued the church and returned it to its true foundation. That foundation is the Word of God. Thus was born the idea Sola Scripture (by the scriptures alone). My wish for you is that you will return to God’s word. May you find, with God’s help, a lamp unto your feet, so that when the world seems to be in chaos around you, or it seems that your life is falling apart, you will find Peace in God. It will bring us great joy to see you in God’s Family.
Ernst Toerien, missionary, Holy Trinity Church
Schedule of Services
Wed: 18:30 Bible Study (English and Russian)
Sun: 11:00 Sunday Service (English and Russian)
Where are we located?
Address: 625000, Russia, Tyumen, 4 Yamskaya Street, 2 floor
By public transport:
Bus Stops at Architectural-Building university ‘Архитектурно-строительный университет’, We are located on Yamskaya, opposite the university building. Look for a Red brick building with a green roof.
We are located on Yamskaya, opposite the university building. Look for a red brick building with a green roof. There is some parking out front or further down Yamskaya on the left.


Current events in the Gaudiya world, or the world out there, as long as it's relevant.
Pope John Paul II dies in Vatican -
Gaurasundara - Sun, 03 Apr 2005 08:11:20 +0530
: Pope John Paul II, the third longest-serving pontiff in history, has died at the age of 84.
The Pope died in his private apartment at the Vatican at 2137 local time (1937 GMT) on Saturday, surrounded by his closest Polish aides. Many thousands of people gathered in Rome's St Peter's Square to pay tribute to the pontiff, while church bells throughout the city began tolling. The Pope had suffered worsening health problems including a heart condition.
Our Holy Father John Paul has returned to the house of the Father.
Archbishop Leonardo Sandri Senior Vatican official
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said a mass was held at his bedside by senior officials before his death, at 2000. The Pope then received the Viaticum, a Catholic rite for the sick and dying.Long applause
The Italian government has declared three days of mourning.
The Pope is to lie in state in St Peter's Basilica from Monday afternoon, the Vatican said. The funeral date has not been set but it is not expected before Wednesday. Pope John Paul II died after suffering from heart and kidney problems and unstable blood pressure.
Minutes after his death, the Vatican issued a brief statement to confirm the news, adding that procedures to be carried out in the event of the death of the Pope had been set in motion.
THE POPE'S LIFE
1920 - Born near Krakow, Poland
1964 - Archbishop of Krakow
1978 - Elected first non-Italian Pope for 450 years
1981 - Assassination attempt
2002 - Final visit to homeland
The Pope's death was immediately announced to the crowds gathered in St Peter's Square. The news was met with long applause, an Italian sign of respect, followed by several minutes of silence as the crowd took in the news. "Our Holy Father John Paul has returned to the house of the Father," senior Vatican official Archbishop Leonardo Sandri said. The BBC's Peter Gould, at the Vatican, says people in the square stood in groups, comforting one other.
In the Pope's native Poland, people fell to their knees and wept as the news reached them. Tributes have been coming in from political and religious leaders in other parts of the world. US President George W Bush said the world had lost a champion of freedom.
A wonderful beacon of truth and justice for the world
John O'Byrne, Dublin, Ireland
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was deeply saddened by the death of a Pope whom he described as a tireless advocate of peace.
The Cardinal Chamberlain of the Roman Catholic Church, Eduardo Martinez Somalo, is now in charge. He has to seal the papal apartments and summon the cardinals from around the world to elect the Pope's successor. The cardinals, many of whom are already on their way to Rome, must meet no more than 20 days after the Pope's death to choose a successor. A preliminary meeting has been arranged for Monday morning.Breathing trouble
The Pope's condition deteriorated suddenly on Thursday night with a high fever caused by an infection of the urinary tract. He had been suffering from breathing troubles, exacerbated by the progress of Parkinson's Disease, an incurable condition from which he had been suffering for nearly a decade.
He appeared briefly at the window of his Vatican apartment on Easter Sunday to bless the faithful, but was unable to speak. It was the first time during his 26-year pontificate that the Pope had delegated the main Easter ceremonies to his cardinals.
Polish-born Karol Wojtyla became Pope in 1978, taking a conservative stand on issues like abortion and contraception. He was the most widely travelled pontiff and visited more than 120 countries during his 26-year papacy.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ope/4399715.stm
Gaurasundara - Sun, 03 Apr 2005 08:19:45 +0530
Pope John Paul Dies, World Mourns
By Philip Pullella and Crispian Balmer
VATICAN CITY (Reuters
) - Pope John Paul II, whose globetrotting papacy inspired millions but left a divided Church, died Saturday, ending years of painful physical decline for the Polish prelate once known as God's Athlete.
"Our beloved Holy Father John Paul has returned to the house of the Father," said Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, announcing the death to a huge crowd that had gathered under the Pontiff's windows to pray for a miraculous recovery that never came. The Vatican said the Pope, who reigned over the world's 1.1 billion Catholics for more than 26 years, died in his apartments at 9:37 p.m (1437 EST), surrounded by his closest Polish aides.
As the news spread through Rome, thousands of faithful streamed to the Vatican to join those already there, paying respects to a man who helped undermine Communism in Europe while upholding traditional Church orthodoxy. The slow mourning toll of one of the great bells of St. Peter's Basilica made the only sound to cut the stunning, tearful silence in the Vatican.
The exact cause of death was not immediately given but the Pope's health had deteriorated steadily over the past decade with the onset of Parkinson's Disease and arthritis. Earlier this year it took a sharp turn for the worse. He had an operation in February to ease serious breathing problems, but never regained his strength and last Thursday developed an infection and high fever that soon precipitated heart failure, kidney problems and ultimately death.
"The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd. The world has lost a champion of human freedom and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home," President Bush said in a televised address from the White House.
Just two hours after his death, around 130,000 people were in St. Peter's Square, police estimated. Necks craned up toward the lighted windows of the Pope's apartments where his once vigorous body lay. "I can't believe that's it. I know God will provide a new Pope but we'll miss him so much," said Adrian McCracken, an Irishman who kept pressing his fingers against his eyes and apologizing for crying.LYING IN STATE
The Vatican announced that the Pope's body would lie in state for public viewing in St. Peter's Basilica from Monday afternoon at the earliest. No date was set for a funeral, but it was not expected to happen before Wednesday. Italy announced three days of national mourning, while his native Poland will hold six days.
Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Sodano will say a Requiem Mass for the Pope Sunday at 10.30 a.m. (0830 GMT) in St. Peter's Square. The conclave to elect a new Pope will start in 15 to 20 days, with 117 cardinals from around the globe gathering in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel to choose a successor. There is no favorite candidate to take over. The former Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow was himself regarded as an outsider when he was elevated to the papacy on Oct. 16, 1978.
In his native Poland bells rang out across the country and sirens wailed in the capital Warsaw as news of the Pope's death dashed any lingering hopes of a miraculous recovery. "I am overwhelmed by pain. I have prayed for two days and thought that a miracle will happen, but it didn't happen and now we can only weep," said Teresa Swidnicka in Krakow. Wojtyla, who saw his country occupied by the Nazis in his late teens, cut his teeth as a clergyman when Poland was run by atheist pro-Soviet communists after World War II.
Apart from his battle against communism, John Paul will be remembered for his unswerving defense of traditional Vatican doctrines, drawing criticism from liberal Catholics who opposed his proclamations against contraception, abortion, married priests and women clergy. In death, tributes poured in from around the world.
"The world has lost a religious leader who was revered across people of all faiths and none. He was an inspiration, a man of extraordinary faith, dignity and courage," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair.VIGOROUS PAPACY
The first non-Italian pope in 455 years, John Paul threw off the stiff trappings of the papacy, meeting ordinary people everywhere he traveled -- 129 countries and territories in all. But as the years passed, his energy faded. Once a lithe athlete and powerful speaker, he suffered a series of health dramas, including a near-fatal shooting by a Turkish gunman in 1981. By the end of his life he could no longer walk and his voice was often reduced to a raspy whisper. Earlier this year, the breathing crises silenced the "great communicator" and he failed dramatically in two attempts to address the faithful last Easter Sunday and again Wednesday.
The Vatican said the Pope received the Roman Catholic sacrament reserved for the sick and dying shortly before dying. "The Holy Father's final hours were marked by the uninterrupted prayer of all those who were assisting him in his pious death," a Vatican statement said. While many people loved the man, his message was less popular. Critics constantly attacked his traditionalist stance on family and sexual issues. In the United States, there was a widespread feeling that the Pope responded too slowly to sex abuse scandals that rocked the Church in 2002.
But the Pope was also an untiring advocate of Christian unity and inter-religious dialogue. He was the first pontiff to preach in a Protestant church and a synagogue and to set foot inside a mosque. A decade after witnessing the fall of Soviet-bloc communism, the Pope fulfilled another dream. He visited the Holy Land in March 2000, and, praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall, asked forgiveness for Catholic sins against Jews over the centuries.
"We all feel like orphans tonight but our faith teaches us that those who believe in the Lord live in him," Archbishop Renato Boccardo told the crowd at St. Peter's. Some Catholics hope the next Pope will be more liberal. But John Paul appointed more than 95 percent of the cardinals who will elect his successor, thus stacking the odds that his controversial teachings will not be tampered with.
(Additional reporting by Jane Barrett, Phil Stewart, Antonella Cinelli, Rachel Sanderson, Raffaella Malaguti)
Gaurasundara - Sun, 03 Apr 2005 10:10:43 +0530
To the end he raged against the dying of the light. 'At a certain point, a few moments before he died, the Pope raised his right hand, moving it in an obvious, if only faint, gesture of blessing, as if he were aware of the crowd of the faithful present in the square who at the time were following the saying of the rosary,' said Father Jarek Cielecki, editor of the Vatican news service.
'As soon as the prayer was over, the Pope made a very great effort and said the word "Amen". A moment later, he was dead.'
In the minutes that immediately followed news of the pontiff's death the sound of pealing bells was interrupted only by crying among more than 60,000 people packing St Peter's Square in Rome last night. As many recited the rosary, the city was united in its grief at the news of the the Pope's death. An unnatural hush gripped the city. Vast traffic jams spread through the roads leading to and from the Vatican as Romans trying to reach the square edged over the cobbled streets alongside partygoers.
Yet, astonishingly for a city of legendarily impatient drivers, not a single car horn was sounded.
Throughout last night prayers were relayed to the crowd through loudspeakers placed high up in the brilliantly illuminated, sweeping collonades that embrace the square. The front of the Catholic world's most important place of worship also blazed with light. Many of those in the square were young, some wearing leather jackets, others fashionably dressed in their low-cut jeans and ultra-pointed boots.
Anna Dall'Oglio, aged 19, said: 'This was a moral obligation for me. I felt I had to be here at the end. I was not in agreement with some of the things he said, but I admired him enormously as a person. I loved his readiness to laugh.' Virgilo Carga, a hospital worker from Riano, near Rome, saw John Paul II as 'a political Pope'. 'If it wasn't for him the fall of the Wall at the end of communism would never have happened,' he said. His wife, Giuseppina Mura, said: 'I felt him to be very near because he was so open, because he talked to the young, especially about peace. He was very young at heart. And I care a lot about peace.'
Meanwhile, in Poland the faithful wept and prayed in grim silence. 'This is a terrible shock, I don't know what to say. He meant everything to us,' said Maria Drapa, one of several thousand who held a vigil in the Pope's home town of Wadowice. In Krakow, where the man born Karol Wojtyla began his steady rise to the Vatican, thousands fell silent and many people fell to their knees and wept. 'I am overwhelmed by pain. I have prayed for two days and thought that a miracle will happen, but it didn't happen and now we can only weep,' said Teresa Swidnicka, one of the mourners.
The bells tolled last night at Westminster Cathedral in central London, bringing hundreds of Catholics to pray. Far from the typical noise of the capital on a Saturday night, inside the marble-walled cathedral there was a sepulchral hush, pierced only by the saying of prayers. Worshippers gathered among the wooden pews, some with eyes that were still raw from weeping. A few clutched rosary beads and studied them pensively.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who heads the church in England and Wales, led the worshippers in a prayer, paying tribute to the pontiff: 'He was a faithful standard bearer on earth of the mystery of your forgiveness and grace on earth.' It was followed by a hymn. Later other priests recited prayers as the mourners continued to come. Cathedral staff distributed leaflets entitled 'Prayers upon the death of Pope John Paul II', bearing a colour illustration of the Pope's face, as soon as the news was confirmed. On the back of the leaflet was a 'Prayer for the new Pope'.
A quiet, patient queue formed at the cathedral's Holy Souls Chapel where a makeshift book of condolence was opened. One entry said: 'Thank you for all you have done to the Church. I pray God that we, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will follow your example.' Roderic O'Sullivan, 60, who lives nearby, said: 'I heard the bell tolling and I had to come. The death of a Pope who had such a long reign has an effect on all Catholics. He will be remembered as a man who had a profound influence on both the church and the world.
Michelle Ramsingh, 27, from Westminster, said: 'He's the only Pope I've known in my lifetime, so there is grief and mourning, but also thanksgiving. I am here to pray that he rests in peace and give thanks for his life as an influence on the Catholic Church. The challenge for the next Pope is to remain faithful to his beliefs, just as John Paul refused to bend to certain views in society. We want to be equally proud of the next Pope.'
A spokesman said that a solemn requiem is to be held at the cathedral this morning, followed tomorrow by Solemn Vespers of the Dead, which the Prime Minister, a senior member of the royal family, representatives of heads of state, senior diplomats and representatives of other religions of other Christian traditions, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, are expected to attend. Earlier in the day, many of those who flocked to St Peter's Square in Rome had expressed relief the Pope's suffering was finally coming to an end. 'We are here praying for him while he is about to set out on his last voyage,' the American cardinal, Edmund Szoka, a Vatican official, told the crowd during a service.
Throughout the day the scene in the square had at times been festive, with children chasing pigeons and families picnicking on pizzas. At other times it turned quiet, when only the trickle of the fountains and the hum of rosary prayers could be heard. Under a lamppost in the centre of the square some followers had left candles. A bouquet of tiny yellow flowers with a note attached, written in a child's handwriting, said simply: 'Stay with us John Paul, don't leave us.' A painful reminder of the Pope's imminent demise came when workmen in the square started dismantling an awning on the steps of St Peter's Basilica. The removal of the canvas traditionally used to shield the Pope from the sun during outdoor masses, was to clear space for the pontiff's funeral.
But then, Rome, while in a state of shock, has been preparing for the Pope's demise for days, making plans to house the tens of thousands of pilgrims expected to flock to the city over the coming days. In recent days, portable toilets and ambulances have appeared in ever greater numbers near the Vatican. The pilgrims' desire to be near the Holy Father was such that some city buses had begun skipping intermediate stops to rush pilgrims straight from Rome's main train station to St Peter's Square.
City officials had also lined up fairground pavilions and sports stadiums to house the faithful, and the Italian state railway had started to add additional trains to bring the faithful direct to the holy city. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the groundswell of grief that is rising up in Rome, the commemoration of John Paul II has already begun. In Vatican City, the Vatican post office announced that it would issue a special stamp which can be used only when a new pope is elected.
The courage Pope John Paul II showed in his final days sparked a sustained outpouring of reverence. His brave battle to continue as spiritual head to more than a billion Catholics drew admiration from supporters and opponents alike. But it was not until last Thursday night that the full gravity of his condition was acknowledged. The Vatican put out a statement at 10.22pm saying the pontiff had been stricken with a high fever as the result of a urinary-tract infection and was being treated with antibiotics. More important than the content of the announcement, however, was its timing. The Vatican has never been known to make anything public at such a late hour - a clear indication that the Pope's condition was not just serious but critical. It was a sign, too, that the Vatican was willing to keep the world informed of his progress.
It emerged that the infection had set off a 'septic shock' that sent the pontiff's body temperature soaring and his blood pressure plunging and eventually prompted heart failure. Hours later, and even with the help of an artificial respirator, the Pope was struggling for breath. The stabilisation of the Pope's condition in the hours that followed enabled steps to be taken the following day for an orderly succession. A stream of senior prelates was ushered to his apartment.
His callers were precisely those who might be expected to hear a dying Pope's final instructions: Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Vicar-General of Rome charged with making the official announcement of his death; Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, his closest ally, who, as dean of the college of cardinals, will supervise the election of his successor; Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State, and his two deputies, and Cardinal Casimir Szoka, the Vatican City governor. The sixth visitor was the most junior, the least known and the most significant: Paolo Sardi, a Vatican envoy who is also vice- chamberlain, one of two officials responsible for the central administration of the church in the interregnum between Popes.
Once Sardi had left, everything appeared to have been made ready for the end. Shortly before 7.30 on Friday evening, Cardinal Ruini appeared to indicate that the time had come. At a special mass attended by all of Italy's leading politicians, he dec lared that the Pope 'already sees and already touches the Lord. He is already united to our only saviour.' It would be more than a day before the final announcement of his death came.
But the Pope was to hang on for another 26 hours.
'A Pope is never ill', or so an old Roman saying has it, 'until he is dead'. Down the centuries, the Curia - the central administration of the Roman Catholic church - has sprung a good few surprises on the faithful, frequently announcing that pontiffs had gone to meet their maker when no one outside the Vatican's great walls had any idea they were even ailing. Back in St Peter's Square, as the early hours of the morning slipped by, a group of youths began to sing, 'Alleluia, he will rise again'. Others resumed reciting the rosary; a priest raised a Polish flag partly draped with a black cloth. Bells tolled at the Vatican and across Rome as flags of the Vatican, Italy and the European Union were lowered to half-mast.
Giulio La Rosa, a 23-year-old student in Rome, burst into tears. 'I'm not a believer, but I came here because I believe in him as a builder of freedom,' he said. 'He was a marvellous man. Now he's no longer suffering.'
Gaurasundara - Sun, 03 Apr 2005 10:35:22 +0530
Obituary: Pope John Paul IIKarol Wojtyla's election as Pope in 1978 stunned the Catholic world. Not one expert had tipped the 58-year-old bishop of Krakow for the top job.
His stand against Poland's Communist regime had brought him respect. But he was not part of the Vatican "in-crowd" and, above all, he was the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years. He went on to become one of the most familiar faces in the world. His papal odyssey covered more than 120 countries and he earned himself the reputation of an international fighter for freedom. But, to his critics, John Paul II was the arch-conservative - an autocrat whose pronouncements on abortion, contraception and women's rights have had an effect on millions of lives.Theologian in hiding
The youngest pope of the 20th Century was born near Krakow, Poland, in 1920. As a young man he excelled at sports, including soccer and skiing. He also had a great love for the theatre and, at one time, seriously considered becoming an actor. World War II and the Nazi occupation saw Karol Wojtyla working as a labourer. He studied theology from 1942 and was forced into hiding in 1944 following a crackdown on religious teaching. Continuing his studies after the war, he was ordained a priest in 1946. Rapid promotion followed and by 1964 he was archbishop of the city. Three years later he was a cardinal.
Throughout, he had continued his theological studies and was often seen in Rome, but no more than dozens of other cardinals from distant and obscure dioceses.Approachable
"The Year of the Three Popes" came in 1978. Pope Paul VI died at the age of 80. His successor, elected in a single day, took the name John Paul in memory of his two predecessors. Thirty-three days later he, too, was dead. Once again the College of Cardinals conducted the centuries-old ritual of a papal election in the Sistine Chapel. After two days of deliberation, Karol Wojtyla became the next successor to St Peter. Taking the name John Paul II, the new pontiff signalled a new era in Catholic affairs. He was dynamic and approachable, an instantly recognisable leader for the world's largest Christian community.
Above all, he travelled. On an early trip to Ireland, he appealed to the men of violence to return to the ways of peace. American Catholics saw him reject all calls for a change in moral teaching.Ecumenical services
But his insistence on getting close to crowds almost led to his death in May 1981. Leaning out of his vehicle in St Peter's Square, he was shot and seriously wounded by a Turkish fanatic. After a long recovery, he visited and forgave his would-be assassin. In 1982 he visited Britain. This was a historically charged trip made all the more important as it occurred during the Falklands crisis. For the first time since the Reformation, the Pope met the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Pope appealed for a peaceful end to the Falklands issue, a plea which was mirrored in a visit to Argentina days later. He participated in a number of ecumenical services with the Church of England, something unthinkable in previous eras.
Huge crowds, Catholic and Protestant, attended his every move and the talk was of union between Rome and Canterbury - a union which today seems as far away as ever, because of the issue of women priests.Influential in eastern bloc
With the break-up of the Soviet bloc, relations between the Kremlin and the Vatican gained a new significance. In 1989, Mikhail Gorbachev visited Rome, the first time a Soviet leader had crossed the threshold of St Peter's.
"The Pope," he told his wife Raisa at the time, "is the pre-eminent moral authority in the world. But he's still a Slav." The understanding between the two men undoubtedly eased the way to democracy in the eastern bloc. The collapse of Communism coincided with increasing demands in the West for a compromise on religious teaching. By consistently rejecting these calls, John Paul effectively closed the debate before it had started. He was a complex man. While calling for action to combat world poverty, he insisted that contraception was morally unacceptable. He said that he wanted to improve the status of women while writing that motherhood should be a woman's natural aspiration.Reign saw great change
He frequently criticised the liberalism which he saw all around him. Homosexuals incurred both his wrath and his pity, to the dismay of campaigners for gay rights. Although dogged by ill-health in later years, the journeys continued - to Cuba, Nigeria, former Yugoslav republics and the Holy Land, each with its own particular set of pastoral and political problems. In 2002, the Pope made an emotional and nostalgic final visit to his homeland, flying over his birthplace in Wadowice and visiting the graves of his parents and brother in Krakow.
Once again, vast crowds turned out to see the man many Poles regarded as a living saint and who had, they believed, played a key role in liberating them from Communism. John Paul's reign also saw other radical changes throughout the world - including the emergence of Aids. And he had to deal with an increasing number of sex abuse scandals which have recently beset the Catholic Church. Throughout his reign, his work to maintain the dignity of mankind against what he saw as the dangers of modern life, together with his personal magnetism, made Pope John Paul II one of the most remarkable men of his times.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...rope/207959.stm
Advaitadas - Sun, 03 Apr 2005 12:29:08 +0530
I am not an expert in Catholic history, but John Paul II appears to me to be the greatest pontiff ever because of
1. His great courage.
2. His outspoken, unmixed message.
3. His moral 'conservatism' (holding on to timeless values and virtues).
4. His 'progressive' political views (opposing oppression and social injustices).
5. His pacifism.
6. His integrity.
I heard that he ensured that he will be succeeded by a similar hero.
We sincerely hope that he will.
adiyen - Sun, 03 Apr 2005 13:23:14 +0530
Apparently he entered priesthood when his country was occupied by the Nazis who had forbidden the training of new priests, at great personal risk.
I was also particularly moved when he visited prison to personally offer his assassin forgiveness. He didn't have to do that.
In light of his achara, I believe we ought to be be justified, in the tradition of Vaishnava magnanimity, proclaiming
at the passing of this soul.
Tamal Baran das - Mon, 04 Apr 2005 04:15:58 +0530
He has visited my country many times. I saw him just once in a crowd of people, and he did look to me as a very determined and spiritual person.
Great person, and i will certainly miss him in this world.
He was example until the very end.


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Wheatwyn Church was constructed in 1906 and 1907. It was dedicated on November 3rd, 1907. It was originally known as the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. John and Elizabeth Lingner part of the original members of the congregation, donated land. The area was home to many German Lutherans at the turn of the century. Church services were held here until 1961 when the members amalgamated with St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Markinch, thirteen kilometres north. It features a balcony added in the 1920s, when the congregation outgrew the building. Lightning struck the church in 1950, but damage was minimal and repaired quickly. It was designated as a Provincial Heritage property on January 11th, 1982.


There is no doubt that St Leonard’s is a very remarkable building indeed. I will leave the desriptions to people who know about such things, much better than I.
St Leonard’s lays currently on the edge of the town, on the border with its neighbouring parish, Sholden. It currently sits next to a very busy mini roundabout, but towers over all buildings around, with it’s jaunty cupola.
Inside, the original church has been greatly enlarged reminding me slightly of King Charles the Martyr in Tonbridge Wells, or that could just be my memory playing tricks.
I received another warm welcome here, for which I thankful, but also to finally see inside this wholly remarkable church.
There can be no more remarkable church in Kent than this. St Leonard’s incorporates work of every century but you do need to search out its architectural gems so closely are the different periods overlaid. Its chief period are Norman and early and late Georgian, although there is something for everyone here. From the outside it is obvious that the church has been clothed in an outer layer of brick and render, but just here and there medieval stonework appears from under the skirts. The fine west tower is obviously a Georgian structure and it is through this that the church is entered. The vestibule contains the 1st of what will be a fine collection of 15 hatchments and benefaction boards showing that this was one a very wealthy place. On entering the church one is baffled by an illogical layout. In front of you is an empty space that should be the nave, leading into a very little medieval chancel. To the south is an aisle and chapel but to the north is a veritable auditorium facing south and surrounded on three sides by huge balconies improbably lit by circular windows! You really do have to see it. Occupying the nave is a most elaborate nineteenth century font but it isn’t until you are in and look back that you realise that this area too has an enormous gallery currently holding one of the grandest organs in Kent, rising like a slightly bedraggled marriage cake! Of the contents one must choose a favourite. For me the Norman pillar piscina of sandstone is an oddity and would not look out of place in a cathedral, whilst the east window of the south aisle with its garish depiction of The Crucifixion cannot be ignored. It is by William Morris and Co of Westminster and is about as far removed from the famous William Morris as it possibly could be! Apart from the hatchments the church contains many fine monuments mostly to Naval men and two Royal Arms. It is not a church to rush as something brand-new is to be found at every turn. To those interested in structures, how it all fits together is a mystery in itself with the lovely Norman arcade having been stretched out to support two elliptical arches. Somehow it works and draws us in.
St Leonard’s is still the Parish Church of Deal, despite currently lying on the outskirts of the town and there being several other churches within the town. It gains its name from the Saint to whom it is dedicated – St Leonard of Limoges an Abbot who lived in France during the 6th century and who is currently the Patron Saint of Prisoners.
Today, St Leonard’s serves the local community as the mother church of a Benefice (group of churches) which includes three other local churches;
St Richards, Mill Hill; St Nicholas, Sholden; and St Martins, Great Mongham. Services are held several times a week in all four churches, with each church having its own unique look and feel.
Although some sources give credence to a place of worship having been on the site since Saxon times, no evidence of this building exists currently, however parts of the current Church of St Leonard’s certainly date to approximately 1100 although over the centuries since, it has seen many alterations. This leaves the building currently standing, as a confusion of architectural styles. The Nave and chancel contain the earliest remaining arcitecture, with the original tower being added some 80 to 100 years later.
The chancel was remodeled in the 13th century, and during this period the narrow north and south aisles were enlarged and doors added to each (These doors are both currently gone, although the southern can be detected in the outside wall and parts of the northern doorway were reused in the current north door, leading from the early 19th century extension to the church, into the north porch.)
The current tower is of 17th century construction (completed in 1686) having been built to replace the 12th century one which had collapsed due to the church falling in to ill repair prior to the reformation. Many other repairs and alterations have obviously occurred over the centuries and in this history, I will try and lead you through them and show how they have influenced what we have today.
While this amalgam of architectural styles has led to what some would call an aesthetically unattractive building, certainly from the outside, as evidenced in the picture above, it has along with various changes in fashion and the foibles of its congregations over the ages, led to an intriguing, if no less confusing, interior. This is very lopsided and results in the bulk of the congregation facing south, rather than the traditional east and therefore sitting side on to the Altar.
The picture alongside is a view from the gallery over the north door and shows how the orientation leaves the choir and high altar hidden in the chancel off to the left and the congregation facing the end of the brand-new altar which has been installed forward of its more usual position. One Bishop is said to have commented that it is "The most cockeyed church in Christendom". It does however mean that the church contains features of architectural importance and interest spanning nine centuries.
The current tower is surmounted by a cupola which featured on charts as an important landmark for ships approaching the Goodwin Sands. This cupola has recently been completely refurbished, at a total cost in excess of £69,000.
The original 12th century tower that collapsed in the mid 17th century had possessed a steeple ( at least according to Philip Symond’s Map of Kent which can normally be relied upon in these matters. I am not aware of any pictorial evidence either way)
The tower currently has a clock on the north and south faces and a peal of six bells. Originally there was a peal of five, 1st cast and hung in 1686. These were recast in 1887, with a 6th bell being added, as a jubilee gift (interestingly to the town rather than the church) from Captain George Coleman who later became mayor of Deal. The current clock is dated 1866, the earliest record of the tower having a clock is for 1715, but the current one dates from 1866.
One normally enters St Leonard’s via the west door in the tower, however the north door to the church is available to to give access for wheel chair users etc and also serves as the entrance for the bride at weddings as it allows her a longer procession, passing through the congregation.
Once through the main doors of the tower, the visitor passes down several steep steps into a lobby notable for a spiral staircase to the bell tower and two hatchments (those numbered 12 and 15 in the separate article) The table on which the Deal Charter was displayed after its signing by William III in 1699 also stands here. It is also worth noting the insides of the entrance doors and the large lock, which are probably original to the present tower
. If you are lucky and the inner doors into the body of the church are open and the sun shining in the right direction, you will be struck by the splendour of the view this allows of the altar, chancel and ascension window. Unfortunately, they are normally kept closed to help keep the heat in and drafts out.
As you enter the main body of the church, take time to look back the way you came; as well as the modern interior doors, you will have passed by an earlier door which is a fine example of Jacobean panelled work complete with a hand wrought latch and bolt. This door is currently kept open, but it is worth closing it as far as possible, to better view its splendour from both sides.
Once inside the main body of the church, you begin to sense the "ordered chaos" that has resulted from the many extensions. To the south the aisle is still the width it became when the church was expanded in the 13th century, the northern aisle however was extended both in the 13th century to a similar width to that of the current south, and again in the 19th century, which created the current lopsided interior. Prior to the Reformation, St Leonard’s, in common with most churches had many side altars and images of Saints, where candles were kept burning in both these aisles, these are all currently gone..
It should be noted that the extensions of the 13th C were not symmetrical, the south aisle was always longer than the north, both to the east where the Lady Chapel altar currently stands and to the west where it stretches almost as far as the west wall of the tower. Part of this was divided off to form the clergy vestry in 1709 and a further section in 1979.
The 2nd extension to the northern aisle took place in 1819 when the whole north wall was taken down and the current dimensions reached. It was with the building of this extension that the pews in the northern aisle were turned to face south so giving the bulk of the seating in St Leonard’s a most unusual orientation. For a long period of time after this it meant that any acts of worship carried out at the main altar in the chancel were hidden from the bulk of the congregation.
In 1979 this changed. Worship was becoming much more centred around Holy Communion and moving away from people attending church primarily to hear the clergy preaching, so leading to a bigger need for people to be able to see the altar. Rather than a wholesale redesign of the seating, screens at the front of the chancel were moved and placed on the walls of the vestry, the pulpit which stood by the side of the little 15th century door linking the chancel and northern aisle was removed and a brand-new, forward altar and communion rails placed where they stand today, just outside the chancel (see picture right) At the same time several pews were removed, leaving an open space from the altar to the west door. It was also at this time that a further section of the western end of the south aisle was partitioned off to increase the size of the vestry and provide today’s toilet and kitchen facilities, such as they are.
Standing in front of the altar and looking around the church, another feature stands out apart from the unusual shape – the galleries. St Leonard’s is rare, if not unique as a parish church, in having galleries from three different periods still intact. Galleries were another way of meeting the needs of the expanding population of Deal over the centuries and these, as with the basic structure of the church have evolved several times over the years.
he Georgian gallery over the north aisle is contemporary with the extension (1819) and is rated as being of great significance by the Georgian Society among others as an Amazing example of its type. Although at 1st glance the benches and kneelers in this gallery appear quite sad, they are for the most part original and I am told by the Georgian Society, well worth retaining. This picture shows the North aisle. The original extent of the aisle was as far as the two iron pillars which currently support the ceiling. The georgian gallery runs round three sides of the brand-new extension. The bulk of the panneling is unfortunatly concealed behind murals currently, but I hope to be able to take a picture with these temporarily removed in the near future,
The gallery which currently houses the Bevington Organ is known as the Pilots Gallery and while not the original, which suffered when the tower collapsed, still dates to 1705 and is clearly of ‘Restoration period’ style. On the front, either side of the picture of an 18th century Man O’ War can still be seen the inscription from its most recent rebuild and some interesting paintings of the globe and pilots in traditional uniform although these are currently much faded. The date shown on the picture of 1705 is the date of painting, rather than the Great Storm of 1703 which it commemorates, where some 1,200 men were lost on the Goodwin Sands.
The final gallery is Victorian, erected in 1860 over the entrance to the vestry, and of interest for several reasons. The front bears the carved Arms of William III (after Mary’s death) which had originally been on the front of a gallery built in 1696 by Thomas Bowles (who later became Mayor of Deal) which sat over the chancel until it was removed in 1860. The old Gallery is believed to have been made of panels from Northbourne church. Incidentally, it was at this time (1860) that the old ‘horsebox’ pews were replaced with those we currently have. The picture to the left, shows not only the gallery, but also the screening that was removed from the front of the chancel when that area was reordered in 1979. Was it a quirk of fate or a plan which brought the gallery and the screens which for many years had existed in close proximity back together after almost 120 years?


Look inside my heart and you will find a secret place reserved for you and you alone.....
Look inside my soul and you will find my love washing in waves over every moment of our sharing.......
Look inside my thoughts and you will see silver stars dancing our names across the heavens......
Look inside my life and you will know that love has etched your name on my very soul.....
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you says the Lord, thoughts and plans for peace, not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Jeremiah 29:11
~I believe imagination is stronger than knowledge - that myth is more potent than history. I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts - That hope always triumphs over experience - That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death~
Mrs Khomting Vaiphei
!FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS!
"Sunrise, sunset...sunrise, sunset...
quickly go the days.
One season following another,
laden with happiness and tears.”
Freely, and days without end, our tears have flowed since you passed away
in the spring of your life, leaving us behind heart-broken and so empty.
The feeling of numbness within us is as strong and as paralysing
as the day God took you home.
The days have flown by, but memories of you persist.
Echoes of you continue to surround us in our daily life.
We breathe and feel your presence, still.
Many a lonely heartache,
Many a silent tears,
But always a loving memory,
We'll forever store in our heart of hearts!
How precious memories are.....
You may not be here anymore - at least, not physically - but you will always
be in our hearts and minds as a beautiful memory. Your spirit remains,
watching over us until our time comes and we meet you again.
All we are left with are wonderful memories of the love we shared as a family,
and the ache within our hearts from wanting you back.
You were, and will remain,
....a beautiful spirit who once lived among us,
a woman with a beautiful heart that lit up others;
a loud laughter that made everyone smile;
long arms that wrapped around us in a big hug;
and a gentle and kind demeanor which was endearing to everyone.
Such a beautiful life.....
We wonder how you'd be today, Mom...
If love could have saved you, Mom,
You'd live forever!
Oh, how we wish if this road of our life
Could have taken a different turn,
And take us all along,
Wherever the end may be,
Together, as family!
Mom, look inside our hearts and you'll find a secret place reserved only for you.
Our love will forever be etched in our hearts!
None, but only for thee!
And to all our dear friends and well-wishers,
our family wishes to thank everyone who has stood by us during this very difficult


God ordained marriage in the first place. It is not good for man to be alone, nor for the woman either. Through a marriage covenant they grow ideally together, to be one in purpose and goals, and God willing, to have children.
These past two months so far, my wife and I have been teaching a marriage class at church, not that we are qualified, but the Bishop asked us to do this. We have been learning a lot, and so many of these lessons apply directly to us, even after 35 years of marriage, there is still much work to do.
Surely the Lord knew this would be the case.
Marriage is for growth. Marriage is to learn. Marriage helps a man become a better man, and a woman become a better woman, because through the process of learning to become selfless and put the interests and needs of your spouse before your own, you become Christlike. Yes, that's the ideal, and I am still learning and have a long way to go. That reality I think, helps me be a better and more approachable teacher on the topic. I can relate to the struggles that others have had in marriage and raising a family and children and finance, etc. etc. because this is something that goes with the territory.
STRUGGLES WILL HAPPEN.
It's important to realize this truth about the inevitability of struggles, because there will be times of ease where it seems like you have no problems. And then there will be times of trial, sorrow, and possibly pain. How we prepare for these sure things to come will determine if we can KEEP THE FAITH.
The Book of Mormon prophet Lehi taught about OPPOSITION in ALL THINGS and how it is an integral and even necessary part of life here on earth. It will happen to everyone! Opposition will come, trials will come. These challenges give us opportunities to grow, or an unfortunate choice to murmur, or worse. How we respond is what God is looking for. Lehi said:
2 Nephi 2:15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
And so we have this OPPOSITION which is built into the earth experience. No one can escape it, for our very weakness in body and eventual death demands we face opposition... even opposition in ALL things. A good attitude in marriage merely realizes that this is the way it is, life is hard, and marriage is work. But work can be fun and even enjoyable if we have the right attitude and believe in God. Our faith helps us and informs us of how we must behave and respond to the challenges. Our faith tells us by the Holy Ghost when we need to repent, say we are sorry, and what we must DO to help out. The Lord will tell us all things we need to do pertaining to our marriage. He will also tell us, if we ask him in our personal prayers, what we are doing wrong and how we need to apologize, say we are sorry, improve, and show more love. After we have hurt or offended someone, we need to fix that. And the one who was hurt needs to also forgive. Because of they don't the Lord has said
Doctrine and Covenants 64:9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him thegreater sin.
So we absolutely must forgive all trespasses against us. Marriage is not about holding grudges and being sullen, or aloof when things go wrong. It is about communication. Taking time out of your schedule to address the most important thing in your life: your marriage. More important than your job. More important than your house. If there is trouble in the relationship, there is need to immediately address it. Don't let it go even a day without striving to resolve it. Try hard. Make it work. Make it last. Show true love to our spouses because it is what Christ has instructed us to do. He revealed through his prophets:
HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.
Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.
By divine design, FATHERS are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.
MOTHERS are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. I
FATHERS and MOTHERS are obligated to help one another as equal partners.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that shereverence her husband.


The Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral is located in the center of Karakol . It was built of hewn logs in 1894-1895 on the ruins of the brick church. The facade of the church is decorated with carvings, the bell tower is located at the top. On the roof you can see the traditional gilded domes of Orthodox churches.
Holy Trinity Church was built according to the principles of building of six-pillar ancient churches, but it has only four pillars. The church keeps the miraculous Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God created 116 years ago in Athens, and the relics of the martyrs. Holy Trinity Orthodox Church was renovated in the late 1980s and now it is open to believers and tourists.


Are you questioning what are the very best church buildings in Florence, Italy? I visited Florence, Italy along with my husband and our mates throughout our Interrail trip around Europe for 2 weeks. Florence is a very popular city in Tuscany because of its arts, wine, and church buildings. Let me share with you a few of my beneficial church buildings in Florence, Italy that you would be able to go to throughout your journey.
I additionally wrote different articles about Florence, you may learn concerning the Best Things to Do in Florence, Italy in addition to the Best Museums in Florence (Italy) That You Shouldn’t Miss. I encourage you to learn them that can assist you plan on your Florence journey.
Florence’s church buildings and convents function locations of worship and likewise home as a lot priceless paintings as quite a few museums. Actually, some have been remodeled into public museums and are now not used as church buildings in any respect.
One of the vital fashionable vacationer locations within the metropolis is numerous energetic church buildings. You shouldn’t depart with out gazing up into Brunelleschi’s monumental dome within the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore or viewing Michelangelo’s Medici Tombs in San Lorenzo.
Don’t overlook a few of Florence’s lesser-known church buildings, although; there, you’ll discover breathtaking examples of the main Renaissance masters’ and different before- and after-era artists’ fresco, mosaic, stone carving, and architectural works, which collectively made Florence’s church buildings amongst Italy’s most gorgeous.
Search for the packing containers alongside the facet partitions near the entrance of the chapel in some church buildings the place the primary artworks are in the dead of night facet chapels so you may mild the house by dropping cash right into a meter. With our checklist of the highest church buildings in Florence, you may be taught extra about the place to seek out a few of the most well-known artworks within the metropolis.
Checklist of the Greatest Church buildings in Florence, Italy:
1. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Nearly all of essentially the most proficient artists working in Italy throughout the Renaissance interval contributed to the design and building of Florence’s iconic monumental architectural complicated, which consists of the church, baptistery, and campanile.
Probably the most well-known church in Florence is house to a wealth of architectural masterpieces, the likes of which embody the sleek bell tower designed by Giotto, the beautiful bronze doorways designed by Ghiberti, and the magnificent dome designed by Brunelleschi.
Because of the abundance of valuables housed throughout the cathedral, a separate museum needed to be established to accommodate all of them. There are interminable traces to get into this attraction as a result of it’s by far essentially the most well-liked factor to see in Florence. On the Skip-the-Line Florence Duomo with Brunelleschi’s Dome Climb, it is possible for you to to keep away from these and make sure of seeing every little thing within the nice cathedral, together with some locations that aren’t open to normal vacationers.
It’s because you can be climbing Brunelleschi’s dome. The Baptistery, a gelato tasting, and tickets to the bell tower and museum are all included within the 2.5-hour tour that you just take with a information. You’ll be able to tour the bell tower and museum at your personal tempo.
2. Basilica of Santa Croce
The late 14th and early fifteenth centuries noticed the development of the Franciscan church of Santa Croce, and the 1800s noticed the addition of its facade of inlaid coloured marble. Along with its excellent frescoes and different creative highlights, it’s notable as the ultimate resting place of Florentine greats like Michelangelo and Galileo.
Regardless of being Gothic, Santa Croce’s inside is wider than most buildings of that period, extra open, and has an uncovered painted-timber ceiling.
To find the necessary tombs, look within the facet aisles: As you enter the church, to the left within the north aisle, are Galileo’s and a memorial pill designating the ultimate resting place of Lorenzo Ghiberti (well-known for the baptistery door). On the correct, you may see Michelangelo, Gioacchino Rossini, and Machiavelli, the ultimate chancellor of the Florentine Republic, whose title continues to be used to explain ruthless political methods.
Vasari created three sculptures of the muses of portray, structure, and sculpture to mourn Michelangelo. A memorial to Dante can be positioned within the south aisle. It was in-built 1829, 508 years after his passing in Ravenna, the place he resided after being pushed from Florence. Search for Donatello’s delicate aid of the Annunciation on this aisle (1435).
3. Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
The Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella, certainly one of Florence’s most important buildings, was began in 1246 and completed over a century later. It turns into the point of interest of the expansive sq. in entrance of it because of the placing facade of inlaid coloured marble that was added one other century later.
Its distinctive form was created by architect Leon Battista Alberti, who mixed Renaissance and Romanesque-Gothic architectural motifs. The inside additionally combines Renaissance openness with Gothic top, displaying components of each kinds. The oldest window in Florence is the rose window, and extra Florentine artists will be discovered inside.
Brunelleschi created the marble pulpit on the second pillar within the left aisle in 1443. Certainly one of Masaccio’s most interesting works is the Trinity fresco on the third altar (discover the right perspective).
The Crucifixion scene over the door within the vestry is an early Giotto work from round 1290. The celebrated wood crucifix by Brunelleschi (1410-1425), the primary illustration of Christ with out a loincloth and the artist’s equal of Donatello’s reasonable, peasant-like Christ in Santa Croce, is positioned within the adjoining Cappella Gondi. The altar portray within the Cappella Gaddi is Bronzino’s Christ elevating the Daughter of Jairus.
Between 1486 and 1490, Domenico Ghirlandaio and his helpers fully frescoed the apse. The final main cycle of frescoes from the fifteenth century, these scenes from John the Baptist and the Virgin’s life, have been exquisitely restored to their authentic comfortable, luminous colours. You’ll want to take note of how he depicts the biblical characters in Renaissance-era settings and apparel. Giambologna is the maker of the bronze cross.
Filippino Lippi painted the frescoes within the Cappella di Filippo Strozzi, which is positioned within the left arm of the transept, and Vasari painted the Rosary Madonna within the close by Cappella dei Bardi. Lorenzo Ghiberti created the bronze memorial within the Cappella Rucellai.
The doorway to the cloisters and chapels of the previous convent is to the left of the church façade. The Inexperienced Cloister is so named due to the inexperienced hues utilized in Paolo Uccello’s frescoes of scenes from the Outdated Testomony; pay shut consideration to his illustration of the flood.
The Spanish Chapel, house to a few of the most necessary frescoes created in Italy within the 14th century by Andrea di Bonaiuto, is the convent’s predominant attraction. The partitions of the chapel are coated with intricate representations of salvation and damnation.
4. Basilica di Santo Spirito
When Brunelleschi handed away in 1446, work had already begun on the vaulting of the brand new church within the Oltrarno, which had been commissioned by numerous rich Florentine households. The austere exterior conceals the truth that inside is likely one of the most genuine Renaissance church buildings as a result of it was completed, although not totally in keeping with his authentic plans.
Look as much as see Perugino’s rose window, Descent of the Holy Ghost, within the façade. The facet altars within the nave are adorned with work, statues, and reliefs.
A few of the most priceless gadgets are discovered within the transept chapels. Have a look at the window and Ghirlandaio’s Ascent of Calvary within the first chapel on the left arm, and likewise notice the sculptures that Andrea Sansovino created for the exquisitely designed Cappella Corbinelli in 1492. The altarpiece Madonna and Baby with Saints and Donors by Filippino Lippi, created in 1490, is essentially the most vital piece within the church. It’s positioned on the correct arm of the transept.
Caccini’s early Baroque baldachin altar, the place the transepts converge within the crossing, is richly embellished with pietra dura, the intricate mosaic of semi-precious stones that Florentine artists are identified for. The vestibule, which Cronaca (1492-1494) constructed, and the vestry, an octagonal murals by Giuliano da Sangallo created in 1495, are each accessible from the left aisle.
The doorway to the Cenacolo, the refectory that’s all that’s left of the previous Augustinian monastery, will be discovered to the left of the church. It contains a fresco of The Final Supper painted by Andrea Orcagna round 1360. It’s certainly one of Florence’s most beautiful items of 14th-century artwork, regardless of being severely broken.
5. Basilica della Santissima Annuziata
The church, which Michelozzo fully rebuilt between 1444 and 1481, is considered his architectural masterpiece and homes some excellent artworks, regardless that a few of the artists is probably not well-known to everybody.
The rotunda, which is split into 9 chapels, was began by Michelangelo in 1444 and completed by Leon Battista Alberti in a distinct type. For the miraculous portray of the Annunciation, a small marble temple by Michelozzo was constructed near the doorway, on the left (the miracle includes the Thirteenth-century monk Friar Bartolomeo, who fell asleep whereas portray it and awoke to seek out that angels had accomplished the face of Mary).
The miracle attracted vacationers, who left the church with so many votive choices that it needed to be expanded to accommodate them. Even immediately, newlywed Florentines go to this location to go away the bridal bouquet.
The Cappella Feroni, with its fresco by Andrea del Castagno, Redeemer, and St. Julian, can be on the left (1455). His Trinity is positioned within the second chapel, and Perugino’s Ascension of Christ panel is positioned within the fourth chapel. Giambologna created the Cappella della Madonna del Soccorso, which homes his personal tomb and options frescoes, statues, and reliefs, between 1594 and 1598.
The fresco Madonna del Sacco, a big piece of paintings by Andrea del Sarto, will be discovered contained in the Chiostro dei Morti via a door on the portico’s left facet (1525). The chapterhouse, a number of chapels, and the vestry are shut by.
Chapels and the Chiostrino dei Voti (Votive Cloister), which is famend for its frescoes, will be entered via the portico’s right-hand door. These embody masterpieces by Cosimo Rosselli (Summoning and Robing of St. Filippo Benizzi), Alesso Baldovinetti’s Nativity, Andrea del Sarto (scenes from the lifetime of St. Filippo Benizzi), and certainly one of his finest works, Start of the Virgin (1514).
6. Chiesa di San Salvatore of Ognissanti
The constructing that’s now often called the Church of Ognissanti was initially constructed within the Thirteenth century, however it underwent intensive renovations within the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and was repaired after being broken by flooding in 1966. It’s thought of to be one of many first Baroque church buildings in Florence.
Search for the younger Amerigo Vespucci on the second altar on the correct in Domenico Ghirlandaio’s Madonna della Misericordia (1470). He’s the explorer for whom two continents are named. Lengthy earlier than he started his illustrious profession, Ghirlandaio included himself in an image of parishioners from this church as a result of it was the parish church that his household attended.
Each a portray on wooden depicting the Crucifixion by Giotto within the method of his type and a fresco depicting the Crucifixion by Taddeo Gaddi will be discovered within the vestry. You’ll be able to view frescoes from the seventeenth century that depict scenes from the lifetime of St. Francis for those who enter the cloister via the transept.
The Cenacolo del Ghirlandaio is positioned past, and it’s a refectory that’s identified for the fresco of the Final Supper which was painted by Ghirlandaio and occupies the complete rear wall. There’s additionally a portray by Ghirlandaio titled Saint Jerome in His Chamber (1480) and a well-known portray of Saint Augustine Finding out by Sandro Botticelli.
7. Cappella Brancacci
The unadorned and unfinished exterior of Santa Maria de Carmen gives no trace as to the priceless treasures that may be discovered inside. Really, neither does the preliminary view of the baroque inside, which is characterised by its carvings and trompe l’oeil ceiling. These are the outcomes of the rebuilding that occurred after the inside was destroyed by fireplace in 1771.
To the nice success, the beautiful hooked up chapel often called the Cappella Brancacci, whose inside is embellished by frescoes courting again to the fifteenth century and depicting the lifetime of Saint Peter together with different Biblical scenes, was not destroyed.
They had been designed by Masolino da Panicale and his pupil Masaccio, and Masaccio’s demise allowed Filippino Lippi to complete them after they’d already been began. The current elimination of layers of candle soot has revealed vivid colours and made the distinctions between the works of the assorted artists extra apparent.
The Florentine painters of the fifteenth century had been influenced by Masaccio’s reasonable type and use of perspective.
8. Basilica di San Marco
The architect Michelozzo fully rebuilt the monastery and partially rebuilt the San Marco church, which was in-built 1299, in the midst of the fifteenth century. In 1588, Giambologna added the Salviati Chapel, the Chapel of St. Antonino, and the facet altars.
The convent is the primary cause to go to San Marco, regardless that the church itself has some noteworthy paintings — the funerary chapel of St. Antony is considered Giambologna’s most necessary architectural achievement and the Byzantine mosaic Virgin in Prayer from a Rome oratory dates to 705 —
The Dominican monk Fra Angelico painted the monastery rooms between 1436 and 1445, leaving us with a “pure” museum that’s liable for the monastery’s fame. Together with a number of different works, this brother’s are positioned all through the monastery; nonetheless, it is best to particularly seek for these frescoes.
The fresco by Fra Angelico, St. Dominic on the Foot of the Cross, is positioned instantly throughout from the doorway to the Cloister of St. Antonino; Ecce Homo is positioned within the lunette diagonally throughout from the doorway.
Fra Bartolomeo’s Final Judgment will be discovered within the Nice Refectory, and his giant Madonna with St. Anne and different Saints panel from 1510 will be discovered within the Sala dei Lavabo. Fra Angelico’s fresco The Crucifixion covers a whole wall within the chapter home. There’s a well-known Final Supper by Ghirlandaio within the Small Refectory.
However the greater than 40 monks’ cells that Fra Angelico and his pupils painted with frescoes are what you’ll bear in mind essentially the most. He tenderly remodeled the austere rigidity of the medieval saints into light, human saints who radiate piety and innocence. His type is unmistakable. Maintain a watch out for the extremely personal Annunciation throughout from the steps.
9. Basilica San Lorenzo
Despite the fact that the Medici household was identified for going all out in every little thing they did, not even they might have imagined that their household church and mausoleum would, greater than 500 years later, be considered one of many biggest creative achievements within the historical past of the world. And its crowning achievement, Michelangelo’s New Vestry, was by no means even accomplished to its full potential.
Brunelleschi is credited with creating the best of Renaissance architectural concord throughout the church itself, and it was embellished by Donatello, Lippi, and different famend artists of the time. San Lorenzo is likely one of the hottest vacationer locations in Florence because of the mixed creative benefit of its many notable buildings, most notably Michelangelo’s Medici Tombs.
10. Church of Orsanmichele
This magnificent construction dates again to the 14th century and was initially an oratory and a grain buying and selling corridor. Throughout the oratory was a miraculous image that drew extra worshippers than patrons to the constructing. Subsequently, towards the top of the 14th century, the construction’s spiritual significance prevailed, and it was remodeled right into a church that was also called Orsanmichele.
It adorns its exterior with a few of its most well-known artworks. Stroll all the best way across the constructing to get a very good have a look at the intricate stonework that was used to create the window arches and niches that outline its structure.
St. John the Baptist, created by Lorenzo Ghiberti in 1414 and positioned on the facet of the constructing going through the By way of dei Calzaiuoli (on the left), was the primary vital Renaissance statue solid in bronze. The incredulity of St. Thomas, a significant work by Andrea del Verrocchio, is housed within the following area of interest, which was created by Donatello. On the correct is St. Luke, which was created by Giambologna in 1600.
On the By way of dei Lamberti (south) facet is Donatello’s early statue of St. Mark, and on the west facade is Lorenzo Ghiberti’s most necessary large statue, St. Matthew (1419-1422), in addition to his St. Stephen. Each of those works had been accomplished throughout the identical interval. Donatello’s St. Peter will be discovered on the northern facet.
The frescoes, work, and stained-glass home windows that may be discovered inside make it worthwhile to go searching. Orcagna’s well-known Gothic marble tabernacle, which dates from 1349-1359 and contains a miraculous image of the Madonna painted by Bernardo Daddi in 1347, is positioned on the finish of the right-hand nave.
11. San Miniato al Monte
can see how kinds had been already mixing within the late eleventh and early Twelfth centuries.
The factor that distinguishes San Miniato is the inside design. The nave is giant and open, with a mosaic ground (search for the zodiac motifs) and a painted wood ceiling: the choir and predominant altar rise excessive above the house.
Step ahead into the Renaissance in Michelozzo’s Cappella del Crocifisso, whose glazed terracotta ceiling is embellished within the distinctive blue and white of Luca della Robbia. The church’s Twelfth-century marble pulpit, lavishly embellished choir display screen, and the mosaic within the apse, which as soon as extra shows Byzantine affect, are amongst its highlights from the late Romanesque interval.
The Taddeo Gaddi-frescoed crypt beneath the altar options columns salvaged from historical Roman constructions. Final however not least, the vestry to the correct of the excessive altar is lined totally with Spinello Aretino’s masterpiece, Lifetime of St. Benedict, from the fourteenth century. This is likely one of the most opulent rooms in Florence due to the vivid colours and the intricate element used to embellish the groining that frames the scenes.
I hope that these suggestions of the very best church buildings in Florence, Italy might make it easier to in planning your excellent journey to this stunning Tuscan metropolis.
Have you ever been to any of those church buildings in Florence?
Let me know within the remark field under which is your favourite.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Every little thing Zany
Every little thing Zany Journey Weblog exploring the UK and past. Sharing journey guides, ideas, historical past, and tradition. Our journey media model is based by journey and lodge trade skilled – Ryazan Tristram, a Twin Citizen (British – Filipina) based mostly in Birmingham, UK. Every little thing Zany is a good and award-winning journey weblog. Our work and contributions have been featured in Huffington Put up, CNBC, Discovery Channel, GMA, Readers Digest, and Lonely Planet. Our missions are to construct a terrific journey group and useful resource of journey ideas, visas, and journey guides for vacationers. Be part of us as we journey across the UK and past with a mission to share the very best of the world.


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The New Testament - John 16-19
Did you know the Gospel of John has more chapters about the Passion Week than any other Gospel? I think John wanted to give everyone as much of Jesus' teaching as possible, and my oh my! wasn't that last week chock full of God's love for us!
He was also saying goodbye to His disciples. They were a motley crew, to be sure, but they had been His constant companions for the better part of three years. Jesus was a human being after all, with all the emotions, distractions, temptations and frustrations that I have. This is why John's Gospel is directed to all people - every single one of us has all of this inside us, and Jesus understands, sympathizes, empathizes. He felt everything we feel, and he hasn't forgotten it since then. He's eternal, He always was and always is and always will be. So no, God hasn't forgotten you, nor what it feels like to be lonely, angry, sad, happy, hungry, tired - you name it, He knows exactly what you're going through every moment.
John, at this point, is narrating pretty much everything Jesus taught throughout His ministry. When the Holy Spirit gave John the words, it didn't really matter whether he heard them at the Last Supper or the Cross or the Tomb. The words were the truth - The Word is Truth - and Jesus is The Word.
Chapter 17 is one long prayer to the Father for mercy - the strength to carry out what had to be done, and the love to remember who He was doing it for; basically everyone. Jesus' heart was crying out for mercy from the Lord. John 17 is a Master Class in prayer for anyone who has trouble with it.
Changing the subject abruptly . . . I really feel for Pilate. He's been sent out to the backwaters of the empire, relegated to arbitrating the endless petty squabbles of a people who believed themselves to be God's chosen ones. He doesn't want to get involved with this one - it's a religious matter, and Pilate's not about to stir them up even further.
Too late he realizes that these stiff-necked people are noisy, disruptive, arrogant and just plain rioting in the streets. "I have tested this man, I see no wrong-doing." Scripture says he was afraid. I believe Pilate was afraid for his own soul at this point, not just politically scared of being punished by Rome.
"What I have written I have written."
That statement tells quite a story, at least to me.
Five Weeks Later:
I apologize to anyone who has been reading this blog. It's been an eventful summer, during which I was settling into a new apartment, watched my granddaughters for a week while my son and daughter-in-law went on a cruise, organized and executed a Church Choir Retreat, helped at VBS and other numerous things. This past week, I've been sorting through several bags and boxes of quilting supplies one of my dear older ladies at church gave me; and my oldest daughter is on a volunteer medical/dental trip to Honduras. I'm a little distracted.
Suffice to say, I've been putting off finishing even this post. I have been reading my Bible in the mornings, tho - not every morning, I must confess, but doing my best to be diligent. I will update more about what I'm reading another time - I wanted to let everyone know that I haven't given up, and I know the Lord hasn't given up on me. Much loves.