text:
A single save. One of 15,518 in his career.
But it says so much. And you know which one it is.
A Saturday night in San Jose, the Sharks' grinders are pressing. Manny Malhotra takes a couple of cracks at loose pucks. Then, to the right of the crease, appears Scott Nichol, who chops a rebound over the fallen netminder.
A sure goal — on anyone else. But Miikka Kiprusoff, flat on his belly, kicks it out of harm's way — with his left heel.
Only overhead cameras can do the sequence justice. Kiprusoff's handiwork provokes a video review, possibly out of admiration.
Minutes after the Dec. 5, 2009, game, Dustin Boyd declares it the "save of the century." Adds Daymond Langkow: "Unreal. I don't know how he even saw it. He was on his stomach. Obviously, a huge save there. The highlight reel."
Olli Jokinen, too, wants to talk about the Calgary Flames' star netminder: "He's unbelievable. He's been our best player pretty much every single night. Same story tonight. He made big saves in the first period, second period, third period."
But Kiprusoff? Well, you know.
Shrug. Sigh. A few words.
"Tough to control," he mutters, "but I tried it and it worked out this time . . . I was pretty happy."
As for the significance of that particular stop (beyond the obvious)?
It's a shining example of what the Flames — from the top of the organization's flow chart to the bottom — will tell you: it is Kiprusoff's off-the-chart drive that has made him the goaltender he is.
The likes of whom the Flames — or their fans — may never see again. Wednesday could mark his final appearance on Saddledome ice. The man is worthy of your applause.
Because rare is the puck that Kiprusoff abandons.
"His compete level, first and foremost, is what really stands out to me," says Chris Butler. "He refuses to quit on any play, whether we're getting blown out or it's a tight game. He makes the kinds of saves that have us, as defencemen, thanking him often. He does things that you don't think are possible."
Ask Kyle Wellwood.
Then a member of the Vancouver Canucks, Wellwood is standing near a wide-open cage. Kiprusoff isn't merely on the far side of the crease, he's well beyond the net. So when the puck skitters to a cocked Wellwood, well, it's over — except the Flames goalie lunges to his right and, stretching, conks the puck out of mid-air with the paddle of his stick.
Cory Sarich happened to be on the ice for that bit of brilliance, Feb. 17, 2009.
"He just wants what's best for the team," Sarich says of Kiprusoff. "He's always been that — a team-first guy. Being as prominent a player as he is, that's a really great quality to have."
According to Lee Stempniak, Kiprusoff's ability to somehow think like a forward is the key to his splendid career.
"He's got a bit of a scoring mentality," says Stempniak. "He's able to get into players' heads as they're shooting. He beats a pass before it gets to the other side (of the net) because he anticipates the play really well. That's the big thing — he reads the play extremely well. As an opposing player, it was always a challenge to shoot on him."
Belying that intense on-ice mindset is his off-ice demeanour.
Sarich refers to Kiprusoff's "normality." Sure, the dude may chuck his pads into the sauna to soften them up before home dates. Beyond that? A regular guy. Low-maintenance, even. He lets the equipment guys tape his sticks, for goodness sake.
"He's very normal by what I judge normal to be . . . for people in general," says Sarich. "And for a goalie? Extra normal. A great sense of humour. A funny, funny man, which I enjoy. He's always making me laugh. He's a happy guy. Real easy to get along with.
"He knows how a team should function. Kipper is a leader, just with his ability to do what he does in the net — his effort when he's out there. That's one thing that rubs off on guys. He may not be vocally a leader, but as a competitor, he's one of the best I've played with."
Not surprisingly, Kiprusoff's teammates appreciate the heroics — "Without him last year," says Butler, "we would have been in a world of hurt" — and are keen to see their man receive a rousing send-off this week.
"How can you not be supportive?" says Sarich. "What more do you want out of a guy?"
Adds Stempniak: "He's meant so much to the team. For so many years, you thought of Jarome (Iginla) and Kipper as the two guys that were the Flames."
Now, Iginla has moved on to greener (playoff) pastures. And Kiprusoff, it would appear, is barely a week away from retirement.
Life without No. 34 is soon going to be a reality.
"It would definitely be weird," says Sarich. "It would be a huge change. You're so used to Miikka Kiprusoff never being injured, to playing every single game. Definitely, it would be a huge hole if he were not here next year."
Follow Scott Cruickshank on Twitter/CruickshankCH


text:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Former Lipscomb pitcher Josh Smith added to his success this season as the selection by fans as the top starting pitcher on the Class A level for 2011.
Smith, pitching for the Dayton Dragons in the Midwest League, was the top pitcher in Class A with 14 wins and 166 strikeouts. His 2.97 earned run average placed him in the top 15 at the Class A level which also includes the South Atlantic League.
His honor was announced by Minor League Baseball (MiLB.com). The Dayton franchise is one of the most successful at any level of sports with a record string of sellouts. Smith was selected by 48 percent of fans.
"It's an honor," Smith said. "Anytime you can get recognized on a web site like Minor League Baseball.com it is really cool.
"We had great fans in Dayton all year. Everyone knows about our sellout streak. They really came out every game and support us. This is an award that can be given back to the fans because of that support and their voting."
A 2010 Midwest League All-Star, Smith also credits his success in his second year as a professional player to the support of his family.
"When you have a tough game it is good to have someone who is behind you 100 percent,'" Smith said. "I have been blessed with family, friends that I can go to whenever I need support."
Smith, a right-hander, was a 21st round selection by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2010 Major League Amateur Draft. He is going to spring training in 2012 with the expectation of at least a promotion to Double-A.
"It is great anytime you can put up really consistent numbers and help your team go the playoffs," Smith said. "That is all you can really hope for."
Like every player laboring in the minors, Smith hopes that the right people in the Reds' organization noticed his performances.
"They are pretty good about giving everybody a look," Smith said. "To win a job at Double-A would be nice. But all that matters to me is that I have a job.
"I just try to get better every day. There are little things I can do to make my pitches sharper. I try to learn as much as I can."
Smith also gives credit to members of the Reds' organization including Dayton pitching coach Tony Fossas.
"We had great coaches and coordinators who came in and helped me if I had a rough start or a rough time working in the bullpen," Smith said. "They helped me learn.
"No outing is going to be perfect. Even if I had a good game they helped me out with certain things I did wrong. They have done a great job of guiding me along the way."
Written by Mark McGee, Senior Publisher/Director of Media Relations.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tales from Exit 138: First Official Pitchers & Catchers Workout
Mark Twain once said, "Never let your schooling interfere with your education." (This quote was brought to my attention by Will of The Smiler's Dugout).
Despite the fact that I think Mark Twain is highly overrated, I decided to take his advice on Tuesday because it worked in my favor. Don't get me wrong: I think that schooling is fundamental; but at the same time, school does not teach you some of the most important lessons of life–the things you learn in the real world: how to love, how to forgive, how to maintain a friendship, etc. Nor does it teach you how to pursue a passion. Passion can't be taught: it is something that strikes when we least expect it to. School can only take you so far, and I think the rest has a lot to do with passion.
This is why I skipped school on Tuesday and went to Fort Myers to see the first official workout for pitchers and catchers. Baseball is my education, and it actually has taught me a lot. I did not let my schooling interfere with my education.
I woke up at 5:30 am, and was on the road a little after 6, with the intention of arriving around 8:30. The last time I left my house this early was for the Fall Instructional League. I don't even think I have left for class that early.
It was actually my first time driving up to Fort Myers by myself. It's not a hard drive, but it is a bit lengthy: especially the mundane stretch of Alligator Alley. I've made the drive so many times, that I could probably make it with my eyes closed. Even though I did not have anyone to keep me company, I kept myself entertained by rocking out to Journey on the way up. And, of course, I kept Tolkien's advice in the back of my head:
"It's a dangerous business: going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet there's no telling where you might be swept off to."
I arrived at the stadium around 8:15, and arrived at the complex via shuttle bus before 8:30. I forget how much I love baseball during the off season, but it certainly did not take me long to remember. I think that a fan's love for the game is almost like muscle memory: "when a movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for the task, allowing it to be performed without conscious effort." And even if we are away from the game for a while, it does not take long to pick it back up.
The catchers were the first group to come out just after 9. Among them, of course, were Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. They were going through a series of drills, and one of the things I really noticed was how much of a leader Saltalamacchia has become. He was the one leading all of the guys from station to station.
This is not to say that Jason Varitek is not the leader he used to be. But I think that for the spring, he is letting Saltalamacchia take the reigns. The catching situation is still a little bit vague, but I think that Saltalamacchia and Varitek will split responsibilities a little more evenly than Varitek and Martinez did, but I think that Saltalamacchia will be the primary catcher. That being said, this is probably why Salty is acting as the leader out there. I was really glad to see that because catchers are the guys who control the game, and Saltalamacchia looks like he is becoming really comfortable with his new team.
Since it was not a full-squad workout (ie. with the position players too), the pitchers were split up into small groups of five and split up around the fields. That being said. the minor league complex has an unfair advantage over me: there are five fields and one of me. It was nearly impossible to keep tabs on everyone. Kyle Weiland and Michael Bowden were on Field 5, while Alex Wilson was on Field 4, while Andrew Miller and Felix Doubront are on Field 3. I kept losing people (I lost the catchers completely at one point).
I would station myself diligently between fields hoping to catch guys between rotations, but the second I left to go watch Luis Exposito hit in the cages, the pitchers switched stations. I just couldn't win. But it's not like the players were signing/able to stop and take pictures, anyway. It was the first day, so like me, they were figuring things out too. I'm sure that they will sign and stop for pictures more once they are used to the whole atmosphere.
However, I am resolved to defeat the complex's unfair advantage over me. I began to weigh my options, and since neither cloning myself nor time travel is a feasible option, I think I'm going to bring a scooter next time.
There were a lot of position players at camp too: Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Ryan Kalish, Daniel Nava, Lars Anderson, Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Iglesias, and Josh Reddick were just a few of the many guys taking batting practice and shagging balls in the outfield.
Lars stopped to sign for some people before he went into the clubhouse, so I was able to say hello. He recognized me immediately and asked how my blog was, and we briefly talked about our respective off seasons.
I wanted to say hello to Michael Bowden and Kyle Weiland, but I wasn't able to get a good spot. I was only able to say hello as they were walking in to the clubhouse, but I'm pretty sure they recognized me.
It seemed like everything was done for the day, and I was beginning to think that hope was lost for a picture. But after Jarrod Saltalamacchia finished an interview, he came over and signed down the line for every last person, and he was even nice enough to pose for a quick picture with me.
Hideki Okajima, whose situation on the roster is uncertain, also signed for a lot of people. What really surprised me, though, was that Jason Varitek was actually signing because an autograph from him is hard to come by. There was a huge crowd of people, and I thought any attempt would be futile, but patience was indeed a virtue.
He was not the happiest of guys when I got up there, though. People wanted multiple things signed, and he was getting frustrated with it. He said, "You guys have come back two or three times, and it's not fair to the other fans. I don't appreciate it." It did not surprise me that Jason Varitek was promoting fairness–just as any good captain should.
This whole process was 90% standing around doing nothing/watching drills and 10% getting pictures, autographs, etc. But it's not like time was completely wasted during that 90%. Brian MacPherson, the writer that I shadowed when I was in Pawtucket, was around, so I got to catch up with him,
and he was encouraging despite the not-so-good college news.
So it was not the best day for photos and small conversations with players, but it was a great day nonetheless just because baseball is back. Nearly all of my senses were invigorated: watching the drills, smelling the grass and the dirt, the sound of the glove snapping over the ball, and holding a baseball–which fits perfectly in the palm. I have no doubt that I will have more luck as the spring goes on.
My next pilgrimage will be Saturday: the first full-squad workout. I was serious about bringing a scooter. I'm also planning on wearing an old press pass backwards and seeing how much access I can get. Let's see how far audacity can take me this year.


text:
I am thinking about setting up a new domain to host static content on my website and have it cookieless just like Stackoverflow with their static domain. So before going ahead and buying the domain and setting it up I wanted to test it on my developement machine first under localhost (I have to mention that i am planning on having IIS running on my new domain for the static files).
I therefore created a new application under IIS and disabled session state and forms authentication. When my main application needs resources like css, images and js , I use the path to the "static" application where they are hosted.
The problem is that when I look at the request and the response for the requested files, they still have the session_id cookie defined as well as the asp.net authentication cookie.
Is it at all possible to accomplish what i am trying to do on a development machine or do i have to just go ahead and purchase the new domain which hopefully with make things right? I tried to read about cookieless domain but can't figure out what i might be missing.


text:
International Services Council of Alabama Recognizes Birmingham Botanical Gardens as Cultural Partner
Pictured above, Education Director Henry Hughes accepts recognition from the International Services Council of Alabama as a Cultural Partner. The luncheon was held on Monday, December 5 at the Harbert Center in Birmingham. Standing with Henry is ISC Board President Rena Anderson. Below is a release from ISC, which offers more about the partnership with The Gardens and other cultural attractions also recognized.
Birmingham, Ala. – Diplomacy begins with a smile, a word or two, and a shared experience. Citizen diplomacy, one handshake at a time, has been practiced by the International Services Council of Alabama (ISC) for more than 40 years.
A U.S. State Department affiliate, ISC sponsored its Annual Citizen Diplomacy Luncheon on Monday, December 5, 2011, at the Harbert Center, 2019 Fourth Avenue North.
The keynote speaker was Sherry Mueller, Ph.D., President Emerita of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) which operates under the auspices of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Before coming to NCIV, she worked for eighteen years for the Institute of International Education (IIE), first as a program officer and then as Director of the Professional Exchange Programs staff. Prior to joining IIE, Dr. Mueller served as an Experiment Leader to the former Soviet Union, an English Language Officer for the U.S. Department of State, and a lecturer at the University of Rhode Island.
The luncheon's Honorary Chair was Terry Oden, Mayor of Mountain Brook and former U.S. Attaché to France. He is also a former Secret Service Agent who guarded the Kennedy and Johnson families. Mayor Oden presented to the audience a proclamation from the Jefferson County City Council and Mayor William Bell declaring December 5 as Citizen Diplomacy Day in Birmingham.
The luncheon program included the recognition of Alabamians who have dedicated themselves as citizen diplomats while promoting international understanding. The honorees include Rena Anderson, Attorney Orrin Ford, Imam Abdul-Hakeen Nabeeh Um'Rani, Alston Fitts, Paul Daymond of the FBI, H. Pennington Whiteside of UAB, Carolyn Foster of the Alabama Faith Council, Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson, Cindy Dawson of Global Women, Rev. Wanda Gail Campbell, Honorable Oscar L. Crawley, Sr., Betty Morrison, Verna Gates, Henry Hughes of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Hampton Inn East Chase, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Rosa Parks Museum, National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, Alabama State University Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture, Birmingham International Center, CATCH Coalition, The Friendship Force of Montgomery, and Southern Poverty Law Center.
ISC is proud to be an active participant in the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which brings leaders from around the globe to the U.S. to broaden their professional horizons through contact with American professionals. Through this program, Alabamians engage in citizen diplomacy, "the concept that every citizen has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape U.S. foreign policy one handshake at a time." Jacquelyn Shipe is the Executive Director of ISC.
Tags: Alabama Faith Council, Alabama State University Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture, Alston Fitts, Andrew Krebbs, BBG, Betty Morrison, Birmingham, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham International Center, Blake Ells, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Carolyn Foster, CATCH Coalition, Cindy Dawson, Fred Spicer, Global Women, H. Pennington Whiteside, Hampton Inn East Chase, Harbert Center, Henry Hughes, Imam Abdul-Hakeen Nabeeh Um'Rani, International Services Council, International Services Council of Alabama, International Visitor Leadership Program, ISC, Jacquelyn Shipe, National Council for International Visitors, National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, Orrin Ford, Oscar L. Crawley, Paul Daymond, Rena Anderson, Rev. Wanda Gail Campbell, Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson, Rosa Parks Museum, Sherry Mueller, Southern Poverty Law Center, Terry Oden, The Friendship Force of Montgomery, The Gardens, Verna Gates, William Bell


text:
In a convent in rural France, three ageing nuns remain. Cloistered within her failing faith and her failing body, Sister Bernard navigates each day by the simple markers domesticity; but when the convent is threatened with closure the soft threads of piety and daily existence unravel. What lies beneath are Sister Bernard's terrible memories of wartime disgrace; of a German soldiers' bet turning lust into a love that deafened the heavens, of the full horror of both war and motherhood, and of a furious God who begun to sulk. Obedience is the story of a woman in a spinning world, and her attempts to keep her bearings. It draws its power from the grey spaces between guilt and innocence, the power of memory and how the aching need to love, and be loved, can cause good people to do terrible things.
In 20th century France, an ancient convent is scheduled to be forever closed. Only three, elderly nuns, who have lived nearly their entire lives in the confines of its cloister, remain to pack things up and prepare to move on to new living arrangements. Sister Marie suffers from dementia and is unable to comprehend the life-altering move she must soon make. Sister Therese is eager to embrace the future and opt for less restrictive life. Sister Bernard has lived almost 75 years in the convent. Memories of the past haunt her, sweeping the reader into a time long forgotten; when the war forever altered her life and Germans occupied the convent.
Sister Bernard hears the voice of God and she strives to heed it. As a young nun, she is naive and slow to adapt to cloistered life. When one of the young German soldiers occupying the convent shows an interest in her, God stops talking to her. Sister Bernard is lured by the sweet young man's attentions. But what she doesn't know is that his interest is merely to win a wager. Nevertheless, she begins to meet with him in secret and is soon seduced by him, breaking her vow of chastity. As their relationship progresses, she soon betrays others and the impact will be felt for generations to come.
This passionate, but powerful story explores forbidden love and the loss of innocence. The author delves deep into the personality of each character, leaving the reader with a sense of their imperfections. Their complexities are revealed through a smooth narrative, filled with vivid details and deep instrospection.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book for its uniqueness, complexity, and its ability to provoke thought. The characters remained in my thoughts long after I finished reading it, a testament to the powerful prose of the author. This gut-wrenching tale makes for great fiction, especially for those who like novels that explore the human spirit with all its sins and sorrows. I highly recommend it.


text:
Jaap Veenendaal was born Evert Jacob Veenendaal in Amsersfoort as the son of a book salesman. He developed an early talent for drawing, and was later a pupil of Johan Herman Isings in Soest. Veenendaal went to work as a painter and illustrator, and also as a drawing teacher.
Veenendaal has worked as an illustrator for publishers like Ploegsma, Ten Brink, Huisman, Callenbach, Bosch & Keuning, Edecea, Van Goor, Kluitman and Noordhoff. This includes drawings for books by W.G. van der Hulst, P.A. de Rover, A. Grimme, Klaas van der Geest and Cor Bruijn.
In the 1930s, he made nature drawings for the the 'Kwispelstaart' section of children's magazine De Merel. Among his more notable work were his drawings for the school booklet series 'Open Vensters' in the 1940s. He also spent about a year in Bandung for an Indonesias version. He also made two picture books for Kanis & Gunnik coffee with biologist Rinke Tolman.
He painted many oilpaint portraits during World War II, as well as city views of Amersfoort. Veenendaal's many drawings of Amersfoort were issued as postcards after the war. In the 1950s and early 1960s he also established himself as a comic artist under the signature Javé. He drew two stories with the adventures of the little pygmy boy 'Bongo', the first containing 124 strips, the second 541. These stories were published in a couple of Dutch newspapers, including most likely Trouw. Jaap Veenendaal passed away in Soest in 1981.


text:
THURSDAY, Sept. 1 HealthDay News) -- After rising steadily through the 1990s, the rate of circumcisions for newborn American boys has waned a bit over the past decade, a new report shows.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), circumcisions among newborn males dropped from 62.5 percent in 1999 to just under 57 percent by 2008. That data came from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, and was corroborated by similar results from other nationwide sources.
"Newborn male circumcision levels in the U.S. remain relatively high, but have declined slightly," said agency spokesman Scott Bryan.
The report examines trends in newborn circumcision in hospitals, and therefore underestimates the overall level of newborn circumcision, Bryan noted. "The results of the analysis indicate that approximately 55 to 57 percent of males born in hospitals are now being circumcised there," he said.
The recent drop in the circumcision rate reverses a trend of the late 1980s and 1990s, when the procedure rose from about 48 percent of newborn boys (in 1988-1991) to over 61 percent (in 1997-2000).
The CDC doesn't have a definitive answer as to what's behind the recent decline. According to Bryan, changes in parental preferences and the fact that many state Medicaid plans do not cover the procedure could play roles.
"In fact, a recent study found that, after controlling for other factors, hospitals in states in which Medicaid covers routine male circumcision had circumcision rates that were 24 percentage points higher than hospitals in states without such coverage," Bryan noted.
The longstanding controversy over circumcision of newborns has heated up recently, with opponents claiming it is not medically justified and can lead to mental health issues later in life.
On Wednesday, the California Senate passed a bill preventing cities in that state from banning newborn circumcisions. The move came after a controversial ballot initiative, begun earlier this year in San Francisco, which would have banned circumcision in that city for people under the age of 18. A judge in July ruled against the proposal and it was struck from the ballot.
Dr. Jeff Brosco, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said that "there is some evidence that circumcision improves the health of boys."
Some of the benefits of circumcision include helping to prevent urinary tract infections and making it less likely to transmit sexually transmitted diseases, Brosco said. "But the evidence is not so strong that we routinely recommend it," he added. "It's really up to families."
As far as the critics of circumcision go, Brosco said "there is no evidence that there are real dangers associated with circumcision," he said. "In the long-term the benefits seem to outweigh the risks," he added.
However, Brosco agreed that there is no health effect on the infant if he is not circumcised.
The report was published in the Sept. 2 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about circumcision.


text:
The past five years has seen a resurgence of work on replicated, distributed database systems, to meet the demands of intermittently-connected clients and disaster-tolerant database systems that span data centers. Each product or prototype uses a weakened definition of replica-consistency or isolation, and in some cases new mechanisms, to obtain improvements in partition-tolerance, availability, and performance. We have developed a framework for defining and comparing weaker consistency and isolation properties. We show how these weaker properties affect the programming model and how they are leveraged by new mechanisms. Although we don't recommend one solution above all others, we hope this framework will help architects navigate through this complex design space.
The outcome of this survey and analysis was a tutorial presented at the ACM International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD), June 2013 in New York. We also have a five-page paper that appeared at SIGMOD 2013.
The slide deck is here, which is the most complete and up-to-date version.
We also presented the material as keynotes at the New England Database Summit 2013, 19th International Conference on Management of Data (COMAD 2013), the 33rd International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems, and the 2013 VLDB Summer School in Shanghai.
Distinguished Scientist


text:
Two Different Responses
We are greatly encouraged that the Lord is true to His word even when His people sin. If His blessings were based ultimately on our faithfulness, we would be totally lost. Still, while God was faithful despite Jacob's unfaithfulness ...Read More
Simeon and Levi Attack
The Lord's use of Israel to pour out His wrath on the inhabitants of Canaan was a case unique to that particular time in the history of God's people. As Paul tells us in Romans 12:19, God ...Read More
Inferior to Melchizedek
There is a tendency among Christians to think that our salvation depends on our own faithfulness to the Law. But when we act as if this is so, we deny that Christ's priesthood is superior to the priesthood of ...Read More


text:
If you are thinking of joining any of the top 3 weight loss plans in the US (Bistro MD, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers) you are in for a real treat. In this article I will talk about how each program works, and I will provide links to:
- Bistro MD discount codes
- Nutrisystem coupon codes
- Weight Watchers promo codes
Bistro MD
If I would sum up the many benefits of the BistroMD diet meal delivery program, I would highlight the fact that this company has perfected the art of losing weight without feeling deprived. And when I say deprived I mean both food- and money-wise. The meals in the plan are tasty and filling. And the cost comes down to a few dollars a meal, thanks to the BistroMD coupon that you can avail.
There is a good reason that Bistro MD has been endorsed by Dr Phil and personal trainer Jillian Michaels. They have both seen how this nutritionally balanced plan has helped their patients get rid of their excess weight and enjoy a better life. Here is a promotion code for Bistro MD.
BistroMD Discount Code
Bistro MD ships food to your home once a week. The food comes in a big container kept at almost freezing temperature. Shipping does cost about $20, but with a bistromd coupon you can have the food delivered free of shipping costs. Just enter SaveonShip at checkout and the shipping cost will be removed from the total expense.
Advantages of BistroMD
There are many advantages to using BistroMD for your dieting needs. The great thing is it can be tailored to your needs, crafting a diet plan that is right for you. Some of these reasons are:
Many people are deterred from using diet programs because no matter how motivated they may be about losing weight, they quickly grow tired of bland, repetitive diets, and bad tasting weight-loss shakes. BistroMD provides an alternative, with a diet program centered around the belief that losing weight through healthy eating should be based on delicious, real food. This will help to keep you motivated to stick with the program, thereby increasing your chance of getting results quickly. Although BistroMD, like any diet plan, is not suitable for everyone, you would be hard pressed to find a bad review for the flavor of their entrees. In addition, the general consensus appears to be that BistroMD portions are more satisfying and more filling than many alternative programs. Read this post to learn more about the Bistro MD taste and program in general.
BistroMD offers over 200 different chef-prepared entrees to choose from. When you set up your account on BistroMD, a dietician will create your diet plan for you, which you can then customize to your liking. You are free to choose entrees from the menu, selecting those which you like and avoiding the foods you don't like. Each day is made up of three meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By default BistroMD offers two main weekly diet programs, one providing 7 days of food, and the other providing 5 days of food. In addition to the main meals, BistroMD offers an optional snack package, which provides 2 high protein snacks per day to help maximize your results. Further choices are available to tailor the diet program to your specific needs according to gender and unique health requirements such as allergy or low sodium.
Credentials and Endorsements
BistroMD was created by Dr. Catherine J. Cederquist, M.D., a fully qualified physician with a bariatric certification, the specialty associated with the treatment of obesity. Dr. Cederquist has over 20 years of experience helping people lose weight through a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. She originally designed BistroMD for use in her Wellness Center in Florida, where she helped thousands to lose weight. Here's a short list of others who recommend BistroMD:
- Dr. Phil
- Personal trainer Jillian Michaels
- "The Doctors" medical talk show
- Shape Magazine
- Men's Fitness Magazine
- Weight loss show "The Biggest Loser"
- New York Times Bestseller, "The 17 Day Diet"
- Next Advisor has rated BMD top meal delivery program in 2014
- And many more
Finally, although I mentioned it already, let me point out that Bistro MD is really low priced. They are currently running a promotion where you can get a full week's worth of food for $99 with coupon BigSavings7.
Lose Weight Fast with Nutrisystem Coupon Code and Fast5
Nutrisystem's newest addition to their results-proven dieting program promises users will lose five pounds in just their first week or their money back, guaranteed. As the jumpstart dieters are looking for, Fast 5 helps users get on the fast track to their weight loss finish line.
But jumpstarting a diet is not only a matter of joining a special diet plan. The cost of the plan is an important issue. Thankfully, with their Nutrisystem coupon codes and deals, Nutrisystem is the lowest priced meal delivery diet program, making it easy for almost any of us to jump into the fast diet wagon. Consumer Reviews has given Nutrisystem 4 stars based on 800 consumer ratings.
Nutrisystem Coupons and Saving Deals
One thing that I like about Nutrisystem is that it has always a variety of deals. A Nutrisystem coupon may not always be available, but a deep discount deal is likely to be featured in the home page of the company's site every month. Here are the Nutrisystem promotions and discounts for this month.
Deal 1. Get on the Fast Lane to Weight Loss with Fast5 and Lose 5 pounds in your First Week. To learn more about the Fast 5 plan, see below.
Deal 2. Save 40% when you join the auto-delivery program
Nutrisystem got 3 stars from the experts of US News.
What is Nutrisystem Fast 5?
The Nutrisystem Fast 5 was created for anyone and everyone as an easy to follow, short weight loss introduction program. As with other Nutristystem programs premade meals are shipped directly to your doorstep making dieting more convenient than ever. The proportioned meals provided with the Fast 5 program are typically low on the glycemic index and offer a wide range of the nutrients your body needs to perform at its best.
Sold as a bonus with the Nutrisystem My Way program you can begin benefiting from Fast 5 for free. With Fast 5, you'll get a bonus week of specially selected breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to maximize your results, seven EnergiZING shakes to rev your metabolism, seven Craving Crusher shakes to fight off hunger, and a unique seven day meal plan for ultimate weight loss. Losing weight with Nutrisystem is as easy as following the simple meal guide.
Good for Vegetarians and Diabetics, too
Because Nutristystem's target audience is anyone looking to lose weight, Fast 5 is not only offered as a standard program kit but also as an add-on kit for vegetarians and diabetics. Like the My Way program, both men and women can benefit from using Fast 5 to jump start their weight loss and reach success more quickly.
By ordering a 28-Day Nutrisystem My Way plan you will get the Fast 5 kit absolutely free allowing you to kick start your weight loss immediately. Fast 5 was specifically designed as an introduction to the Nutrisystem My Way plan. Because of this it prepares you in every way to not only lose weight fast, but to move onto your monthly plan five pounds lighter and more motivated than ever.
The Nutrisystem Fast 5 may just be exactly what you need to boost your confidence, lose weight fast, and become more excited than ever about dieting. Free with any Nutrisystem My Way plan, or sold separately for a small price, Fast 5 promises amazing results faster than ever. In just one week, you can jump start your weight loss, become more motivated than ever, and drop five pounds fast. And with a Nutrisystem discount code or deal, you are equipped for weight loss success.
Promotion Codes for Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers is the weight loss program with the most scientific references in peer reviewed journals. It has been studied again and again. Its efficacy as a way to safely reduce excess weight and keep it off in the long run has been proven throughout the years.
Promotion codes for weight watchers refer to both the OnlinePlus and the Meetings branches of the program. OnlinePlus allows you to follow Weight Watchers from the comfort of your computer, whether at work, at home or on the go. Meetings allow you to physically interact with a group of people who face the same challenges as you, receive encouragement, as well as hone your healthy eating skills and strategies.
Here are the promotional codes for weight watchers as of March 2015:
Weight Watchers OnlinePlus Promo Codes
Enjoy savings of more than 20% when you buy a 3-month plan.
Weight Watchers Meetings Discounts
Receive 30% off when you enroll in the 1- or 3-month Meetings plan


text:
Countless firearms, old and new, bear the marks, burrs and gouges that are the result of using the wrong tools for taking them apart. In the interest of preventing this sort of thing, Kevin Muramatsu shares a few gunsmithing basics, from the most recent edition of the Gun Digest Book of Rimfire Rifles Assembly/Disassembly.
Screwdrivers: Always be sure the blade of the screwdriver exactly fits the slot in the screw head, both in thickness and in width. If you don't have one that fits, grind or file the top until it does. You may ruin a few screwdrivers, but better them than the screws on a fine rifle.
A note on coin-slotted screws: Many action takedown screws and main stock retaining screws have slots designed for use with a coin, the theory being that a shooter in the field might not have a large screwdriver at hand, but would be likely to have pocket change. The slots in these screws are wider than normal, and the floor of the slots will be curved, to match the curve of a coin edge. It is possible, and advisable, for the gunsmith or advanced amateur to alter a large shop screwdriver to exactly fit these screws. In general, though, the following advice applies: Do not use an ordinary, unaltered large screwdriver on coin-slotted screws.
Slave pins: There are several references in this book to slave pins, and some non-gunsmith readers may not be familiar with the term. A slave pin is simply a short length of rod stock (in some cases, a section of a nail will do) which is used to keep two parts, or a part and a spring, together during reassembly. The slave pin must be very slightly smaller in diameter than the hole in the part, so it will push out easily as the original pin is driven in to retain the part. When making the slave pin, its length should be slightly less than the width of the part in which it is being used, and the ends of the pin should be rounded or beveled.
Sights: Nearly all dovetail-mounted sights are drifted out toward the right, using a nylon, aluminum, or brass drift punch.
One last tip: In gunsmithing, brute force is the enemy. If it doesn't come out with a light tap, there is probably a good reason – like a set screw, or you are trying to tap it out the wrong way. "Getting a bigger hammer" is generally not the solution in a gunsmithing situation.
Click here to purchase a copy of Gun Digest Book of Rimfire Rifles Assembly/Disassembly from the Gun Digest Store. Get free standard U.S. shipping on your order by using promo code INSIDEGDB. *
While you're there, you might also want to check out this 8-piece gunsmithing screwdriver set from Grace Tools. This 8-piece set was in your grandfather's gun repair box. Hand assembled and custom hollow-ground to fit scope screws, plug screws, guard screws, floor plate screws, sight screws, and many other gun screws as well. The square-shanked blades are hardened and tempered to R/C 52-56 and guaranteed not to twist or chip. The handles are turned from quality Maine hardwood and protected with a smooth finish.
Guaranteed to last for years, the manufacturer will replace screwdrivers from this set that have not met your total satisfaction.
*Promo code fine print: This offer is valid with the purchase of Gun Digest Book of Rimfire Rifles Assembly/Disassembly and the 8-piece gunsmithing screwdriver set from Grace Tools. Items which ship directly from the manufacturer, indicated by a little red truck symbol on the GD store website, do not qualify for free shipping.


text:
Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 3
Welcome to the online companion of Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 3! Here you will find all of the reference information you will need to try the techniques in Jessica's latest version of the popular series Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking.
Don't have Photoshop Elements 7.0? Click here to download a free trial from Adobe.
Chapter 1 Photographs
From pages 34-35: Stamped Blocks Brushes-n-Stamps Set by Katie Pertiet (ZIP)
Chapter 2 Type
From pages 50-51: Curving Photo Template by Jessica Sprague (ZIP)
From pages 60-61: Summer Girl Design by Jessica Sprague (ZIP)
From page 66: Bonus – Cool Sites for Scrapbookers
Tools to Gather and Share
Del.icio.us delicious.com
vi.sualize.us vi.sualize.us
Flickr flickr.com
Picasa picasaweb.com
Shutterfly ck.shutterfly.com
Facebook facebook.com
Tools to Design and Play
Kuler kuler.adobe.com
ColorSchemer colorschemer.com/schemes
StumbleUpon stumbleupon.com
Sites to Get Great Free Stuff
Brusheezy brusheezy.com
Dafont dafont.com
Jessica's Favorite Digital Scrapbooking Shops:
Designer Digitals designerdigitals.com
Jen Wilson Designs jenwilsondesigns.com
Little Dreamer Designs littledreamerdesigns.com
ScrapArtist scrapartist.com
Sweet Shoppe Designs sweetshoppedesigns.com
Chapter 3 Embellishments
From pages 72-73: Beautiful Evidence Brush by Jan Crowley (ZIP)
From page 83: Chapter 3 Bonus – Digital Supplies for Every Scrapbooker
Journaling Brushes
Hello Life Title & Journaling Blocks by Ali Edwards
Schmootzy Journaling Tags by Nancie Rowe Janitz
Swirls/Floral Brushes
Hipster Plumes No. 17 Brush Set by Anna Aspnes
Floral Clusters No. 02 Brushes-n-Stamps by Katie Pertiet
Free Refill Font by Fontologie
VT Portable Remington Font by Susan Townsend
Seeing Stars by Blue Vinyl Fonts
Zymbols by Iconian Fonts
Stitched & Stated Photo Frames by TaylorMade Designs
Vintage Boho Frames by Gypsy Chick
Chapter 4 Design
From pages 112-113: Photo Template by Susan Weinroth (ZIP)
From pages 114-115: Library Pocket Template by Jessica Sprague (ZIP)
Chapter 5 Albums
From pages 128-129: Traditions Album by Marcia Bettich (ZIP)
From pages 130-131: Garland Album by Candice Stringham (ZIP)
From pages 136-137: Printable Tag Album by Katie Pertiet (ZIP)
From pages 138-139: Calendar Album by Jessica Sprague (ZIP)
From pages 146-147: Inspiration Cards by Jessica Sprague (ZIP)
From pages 148-149: Calendar Mini Album by Jessica Sprague (ZIP)
|To comment on this article you must be logged in. Not a member?


text:
|Home > Florida Then & Now > Character Frames Strategy
Character Frames
This strategy helps students select and describe a character from a story, and then present evidence to justify the characters description. The students can also use this strategy as a way of comparing/contrasting between two different characters from either the same story or from another.
The students choose a character that they wish to describe in detail.
The students complete a character frame by filling in information about the character under three headings: character, personality characteristics, and evidence. The evidence comes from the story and supports the personality characteristics.
- The students share and discuss their character frames with the class.
Santa, C. (1993). Pegasus: Teacher implementation guide for grade 4. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
|Home > Florida Then & Now > Character Frames Strategy
Florida: A Social Studies Resource for Students and Teachers
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2002.


text:
Xbox SmartGlass offers exclusive The Dark Knight Rises content
The Dark Knight Rises arrives on Xbox Video this week and brings with it a bunch of additional features accessible only through Xbox SmartGlass. Synch your console with the mobile and tablet app in order to access and storyboards, Triviax, quotes from the film's director and actors, "time-synced information about the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend", a behind the scenes look at Bane's in-flight hijacking, the stadium disaster and more, plus unrevealed "exclusive content". Full details on Major Nelson's blog.


text:
Georgia Tech Junior
PROS: Has good burst and speed and closes quickly on the ball. Shows good hitting ability, but also does a nice job wrapping up and can make the stop in the open field. Quick to come up and defend the run and shows ability to weave through traffic when playing in the box. Does a nice job when he can keep things in front of him, showing nice ball skills and can play deep centerfield. Shows ability to read the quarterback and break up the pass over the middle. Has decent hips and burst to match up with tight ends and backs. Has good range and quickness.
CONS: Takes some poor angles at times and will miss some stops in the open field. Needs to show better awareness, as he has a tendency to bite on play fakes and will get turned around in coverage at times.
OVERVIEW: Burnett has all the tools you like to see in an NFL safety prospect: size, speed, range, hitting ability, ball skills, and cover skills. Two-year starter that combined for 11 interceptions the past two years as well as 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
NFL FORECAST: Burnett has the potential to play either free safety or strong safety, although I think his transition to the pros probably be will a bit quicker if he starts out at strong safety. I think he can impact right away as a starter, although I'm sure there will be some growing pains. He needs to become more consistent in coverage. With a year or two under his belt at strong safety, he should be able to make a nice transition to free safety. But a team can start him right away at free safety, go through some of those early growing pains and by his third year I think he should be one of the top safeties in the league. He's better in run support than coverage, but I think he can handle the coverage duties teams will ask of him. He's quick and solid enough that he can take on tight ends right away, and I think has enough skill to be a decent option against wide receivers down the road. The key with him is to play a bit more disciplined at the next level. I don't think he will be an elite safety, but I do think he can be one of those second tier safeties in the Quintin Mikell mold.
ATL FORECAST: Burnett has the potential to be an upgrade in Atlanta over DeCoud simply because he's got a better build and physical potential. So he should be an upgrade in run support, although I'm not sure he's going to be much better in coverage than DeCoud is. Maybe he'll have a better knack for making big plays. As for him at strong safety, he can definitely push Moore down the road. In Atlanta, he would likely start off as a backup, and within two years should be able to challenge for a starting job and potentially win one by his third year.
VALUE: Burnett is a solid second round pick that should go in the Top 50.
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite
Morgan Burnett, SS, Georgia Tech
Scouting Reports for the 2010 NFL Draft prospects.
1 post • Page 1 of 1
1 post • Page 1 of 1
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


text:
Contact Us: (503) 273-8719
Portland Made Lil' Roonies 4oz
Local's Choice
Oregon's Best Products Delivered To You
Portland Swag
Willamette Valley Vineyards Exquisite Edibles Pinot Noir
Free Shipping on Select Gift Baskets!
White Sands Throw Blanket, Pendleton
Pendleton Falcon Cove Queen Blanket & 2 Sham Set
Oregon Wool Blankets Shipped To Your Door, For Free!
2016 Eminent Domaine Pinot Noir - Ribbon Ridge Estate
2017 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir – Les Cousins
Shop Sommelier Picks
to browse our currated wines from our Certified Sommelier.
Tillamook Maker's Reserve 2015 Vintage White Cheddar 8oz
Secret Aardvark Drunken Jerk Sauce, 8 oz
Indulge In Our Wonderful Selection Of Gourmet Food & Drinks,
Oregon Hazelnut Toffee - Himalayan Pink Salt, Holm Made Toffee Co 4oz
Oregon Chocolatiers & Candymakers Are Creating Magic. Check Out Our Selection!
Fresh Squeezed Candle, Broken Top 9oz
Myrtlewood Bowl, Berry Products 13x4.5"
Handmade Pottery, Rare Myrtlewood, Beeswax Candles & Much More
Pacific Wonderland Women's T-Shirt
Triangle Earrings In Stripe/Coral, Steady Ceramics
Be the first to review this product
Please allow 3 - 7 business days for your Ground shipment to arrive. For faster service, we also offer 3-Day Select, 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air Saver.
We also ship to PO boxes and military addresses. Just check out normally and we'll select a comparable USPS service.
In stock
Regular Price:
Sale Price:
Check items to add to the cart or select all
Rain Soy Candle: Oregon Rain Soap
Portland Rose Scented Soy Candle: Oregon Rain Soap
Cinnamon Roll Beeswax Votive Candle: Primitive Lights 3 pk.
Join us on Social Media to stay up to date on our new products, sales, and events.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the most recent news, products and discounts.


text:
Orlando Travel Guides
Orlando spotlight
An Orlando travel guide – amusement parks, international dining and a wealth of outdoor activities
An Orlando vacation includes world famous amusement parks. But visitors will also find a world of cuisine, designer shopping and golf. Book an Orlando hotel and discover the many sides of this popular Florida city.View full guide
Where to stay in Orlando – a neighborhood guide
Sleep may seem like a novelty in Orlando – with the bright lights of Disney begging to be explored – however, crisp bed sheets and countless amenities await you all around the city. From frenetic theme park hotels - perched right in the heart of all the action - to more tranquil and romantic escapes, you can pick accommodation to suit your holiday temperament. Whether it's a private villa, family resort or all-inclusive you're after, you'll find it here.
An Orlando shopping guide – where to shop and what to buy
Orlando is best known for its premier attraction – the Walt Disney Theme Parks. However, the family-friendly state has plenty more on offer besides film-set reconstructions and Micky Mouse. Shopping in Orlando is second to none, reaching dizzying new heights with mega malls, shopping streets and local boutiques. Did you ever think indoor skydiving, glow-in-the-dark crazy golf and shopping could go together? They can in Orlando.
Where to eat in Orlando – a food and dining guide
As a global city, Orlando offers everything a visitor could want from its dining scene. With various neighborhoods serving international cuisines as well as hearty all-American platters, you'll find plenty of tasty morsels to tuck into. Head over to Restaurant Row to enjoy some smoky jazz and mouth-watering steak, visit Lake Buena Vista for the ultimate fine dining experience, or, grab a deep pan Chicago-style pizza in the bustling Downtown district.
What to see and do in Orlando – a guide to notable attractions
When you're known for being 'The Capital of Theme Parks', it's highly likely visitors aren't going to pass their time idly twiddling their thumbs. Indeed, if you do come to Orlando, you can expect to spend your days spinning around on rollercoasters, splashing down log flumes, meeting your Disney heroes, hitting a hole in one, flashing your cash on International Drive or munching your way through the buffet of your life. In short, Orlando is an action-packed city where entertainment is right on your doorstep.
A city guide to Orlando – theme parks, thrills and dining by the dozen
Orlando has been nicknamed as 'The City Beautiful' and the world's 'Theme Park Capital,' and it is easy to see why. The city plays hosts possibly the most famous brand on the planet, Disney, with its four exciting main attractions that are fun for all the family. Movie-lovers will enjoy the Universal Studios with its movie-themed rides, while first-timers and regular visitors will relish getting stuck into the splash-tastic waterparks, golf courses in Kissimmee or the enchanting Everglades. The magic of Orlando is hard to resist, as millions of big kids and little kids the world over will testify.
Top 10 family-friendly things to do in Orlando
Mickey Mouse and Cinderella's Castle, alligators and orcas—Orlando is a family-friendly dream come true. Grab the kids and book an Orlando hotel.
Top 10 free things to do in Orlando
Feed the swans at Lake Eola, build LEGO skyscrapers or tour an organic brewery – there's plenty to do in Orlando that won't bust your budget. Book a hotel in Orlando and follow our inspiring guide to the top 10 free things to do in Orlando.
Spring vacations in Orlando
An Orlando spring vacation begins early, when the rest of the northern hemisphere is still shivering. Fruit groves spring into blossom and the sun warms the air early in Florida. Book a spring hotel in Orlando and say goodbye to the cold.
Where to stay in Orlando - a travel guide to Orlando's neighborhoods
Finding where to stay in Orlando is central to a successful vacation. Follow this guide to the city's neighborhoods and choose the right Orlando hotel for you.
Short getaways in Orlando – Walt Disney and fine art
Get the most out of the world famous theme parks on a short getaway in Orlando with this time-saving itinerary. Then use your Orlando hotel as a base to explore the best of the city's culture and shopping.
Top 10 hotels in Orlando
For work or pleasure, choose a top 10 hotel in Orlando. Palm-shaded pools, lush golf courses and free theme park shuttles make the living easy.


text:
After a shaky start, including discussion about whether candidates Sabrina Bengel and Dana Outlaw should help cover the cost of putting on the event in order to participate, Wednesday�s second mayoral forum got moving with debate about housing issues, minority involvement, jobs and economic development.
After a shaky start, including discussion about whether candidates Sabrina Bengel and Dana Outlaw should help cover the cost of putting on the event in order to participate, Wednesday�s second mayoral forum got moving with debate about housing issues, minority involvement, jobs and economic development.
The forum, which was organized by the New Bern African American Leadership Council and held at The Flame, was designed to address issues in the city�s minority communities.
Each candidate was asked five questions and given 5 minutes to address them. The questions dealt how the candidates would represent the people in minority communities. At the end of the forum, Bengel and Outlaw took questions from the floor.
The first question dealt with housing in the minority communities. Bengel said she has been active in the issue through the Housing Authority during her term as alderman for Ward 1.
�As mayor, I�m going to be instrumental in working with the Housing Authority and the city to work toward affordable housing that is decent, that is safe and that is more efficient,� Bengel said.
But to provide decent housing, financing issues need to be addressed, she said.
�We must invest in teaching about finances,� Bengel said. �� We can�t produce and provide good housing without educating the community on housing issues. What does it take to own a home? What does it take to sustain that home? Where is that home?�
Jobs also are needed to provide those homes, Bengel said.
�How can we afford to live where we live without job training, job readiness and jobs?� she said. �This is all part of the job issue that we have in the community and throughout New Bern.�
Bengel said safety is also an issue affecting housing. For two years, she has worked with the Housing Authority to make Craven Terrace and Trent Court safer areas, and she was proud of that, she said.
�You should know when you put your head on a pillow at night you are in a safe environment,� Bengel said.
As alderman, Bengel said she has addressed issues in neighborhoods from uncut grass to drugs and would continue to do so if elected mayor.
�Housing is an important issue, but we have to look at all the issues: the education, the financing, the jobs, the readiness for jobs in order to make a better community and make housing better for all of us in this community,� she said.
Outlaw answered the same question by first apologizing as �one-seventh of the problem with housing in the city of New Bern.� He was referring to his position as the Ward 6 representative on the Board of Aldermen.
Outlaw questioned why the city would spend $100,000 to tear down houses with architectural significance while the New Bern Preservation Foundation has gone into the historic area and restored old houses instead of tearing them down.
�So I want to first start off by apologizing to every person in this room that Dana Outlaw could have done more than he did,� Outlaw said. �You know what? It�s like a lot of things happened. There�s a pancake with two sides on it and the other side of that is that seven people let you down. � Maybe I�m starting to get a little motivated here. � Have you been through New Bern and seen some things that should have been torn down that aren�t torn down?�
Several people in the audience said yes.
�And so the grid itself isn�t fair,� he said.
If the city was doing its part, it would pool money and find ways to restore homes instead of tearing them down, Outlaw said.
�Because every home in this city,� he said, �every house in Trent Court or Craven Terrace is dear to somebody; and don�t stereotype what�s going on over there in the housing projects.�
Outlaw said he knows people who grew up in the projects and made something of themselves.
�I get a little bit emotional about this because I�ve been in the real estate business since 1977 and, shame on me, eight years ago I didn�t do what I�m doing right now. �But maybe we are doing it now.�
Outlaw said he was focused on teamwork, coordination, the N.C. Housing Finance Commission and partnering with the Housing Authority, city�s electric department and the Local Government Commission to help �energize and winterize homes� with financing.
One thing that could be done, Outlaw said, is to stop the funding for the city�s drainage program and clean the streets.
�The first thing we can do is clean our streets up and show some pride in our city,� he said. �I went down Cedar Street the other day and I am ashamed to be an alderman. Get a belt and whoop me like my daddy would. The grass is grown up, grown over the pavement. I am embarrassed as an alderman for that. I�m afraid I�m taking it a little bit too far. But � in reference to what we are talking about here, you are fixing to get four more years of lip service out of Dana Outlaw and Sabrina Bengel, one of us, if you don�t hold us accountable for what we are talking about tonight.�
The candidates also were asked how they would incorporate the minority neighborhoods in the Gateway Renaissance Plan to revitalize Five Points and the Greater Duffyfield area.
Bengel said leadership was key along with community education about the plan. The first part of the plan already has been done with renovations to Broad Street, she said.
As Bengel was talking about how she came to New Bern more than 30 years ago and didn�t know anyone or the town, a woman in the audience said the candidate still didn�t know about the town.
Bengel quickly corrected her.
�I do,� Bengel said. �I�m in the neighborhood, ma�am. �When people call me, I�m in the first ward, I respond to my citizens. I�m out there.�
Bengel said she would like to see the Gateway plan better promoted in the community and would like to see a minority advisory council set up to help with the planning.
The Gateway plan was a start for the community, and the revitalization could occur with education, jobs and job training, she said.
�These things will build a better community,� Bengel said.
Outlaw said the city is completing a branding campaign that is supposed to recruit businesses, residents and tourism.
�I did not see a lot � looking back over it � about the minority community,� he said. �I don�t think that was intentional.�
Outlaw said the city had a plan for start-up businesses and there were no black representatives in the community volunteer representatives. It was being guided by the New Bern Chamber of Commerce, Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., the Convention Center, the Visitors Center, the Committee of 100, Coastal Carolina Regional Airport, Tryon Palace and area businesses, he said.
�I�m just trying to answer your question that you are being left out,� Outlaw said. �It might not be intentional.�
Outlaw asked if the audience was being �planned out� by all the city�s intentions and wouldn�t they like to see some bricks and mortar. Several audience members agreed.
The candidates also were asked about how their economic development plans would include jobs for minorities.
Bengel said it would take education, working with the public school system to educate youths about the importance of jobs, how to get them and keep them; and then cooperation from Craven Community College to help train those youths when they are older.
She said she had heard of young people who get in trouble with the law when they are 14 or 16 and have criminal records that follow them through life.
�We need to work with local and state police and get that law changed,� she said, which caused the audience to applaud. �We need to go to Raleigh and change the law. Let it be 18 (years old) so young people can get a job.�
Bengel said college wasn�t for everyone, so there needed to be vocational programs like when New Bern had a bricklaying program and produced some of the best bricklayers in the state.
Providing jobs also brings up the subject of transportation, Bengel said.
The city (and county) is working to provide a transportation service through the Municipal Planning Organization (MPO), she said.
The New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce also has a minority business council, and it needs to work with existing businesses to create jobs, Bengel said.
Outlaw agreed with Bengel, saying that, over the past four years on the Board of Aldermen, the two didn�t disagree on issues much.
But Outlaw said he would like to see an anchor building in Five Points to attract other businesses and a partnership with Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point air station where a lot of jobs are.
When asked how he would establish a minority council to act as a liaison between the mayor and community, Outlaw said he would set up a board of �junkyard dogs like (Alfred) Popeye Barfield� who would �tell it like it is.�
Barfield is in the runoff election against Dallas Blackiston to represent Ward 1 on the Board of Aldermen.
The board would need people who are willing to commit, he said.
�The committee would have to be very active,� Outlaw said.
The city did away with an electric committee because it didn�t do anything, he said.
�We need members who want to be on the board,� Outlaw said.
Outlaw said anyone who knew him knew he was a �boots on the ground� guy who got out in the communities throughout the 30 square miles of New Bern to help people. He wouldn�t spend money decorating the mayor�s office, he said. He and his daughter might vacuum it, but then he would get out in the city to help, he said, causing some people to laugh.
When asked why each candidate thought they would make the best mayor, Outlaw said his experience in office and being in the real estate business has taken him all over the city and he knew the issues. He also said he learned by watching his father, who was New Bern city manager into the 1980s.
Bengel said her record shows �I�ve talked the talk and walked the walk� and when citizen call on her, they get help.
This was the second mayoral forum for Bengel and Outlaw. The third and final scheduled mayoral forum is 7 p.m. Tuesday at Craven Community College�s Orringer Auditorium.
Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.


text:
Of course this is one of those very wonderful Lord's days when we gather at the Lord's Table to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. It is when we do that that we are brought to the focus of our salvation. And I always think about the Lord's Table as a place of commonality. It's not a common place but it's a place of commonality. It's a place where we all stand on equal ground. It is a place where we all come recognizing we are sinners. Recognizing that our sin is a serious offense to Holy God. Recognizing that that offense has brought us under a condemnation, which is eternal and that we face an eternal Hell. We have a common experience as depraved, lost sinners.
We are called then to repent of our sin and all of us have that in common. To look at our sin, see it for what it is, as revealed by God in Scripture and to recognize our sinful condition and have a desire to turn from that sin. We're called to a commonality of repentance. We're also called to a faith, to trust in Christ, who is the sacrifice for sin. Trust in him alone for our salvation. We have that in common.
And we come to the foot of that same cross. We stand as sinner together on common ground. And while it is true that there is so much that is unique about us as individuals, there are so many different ways that God works in our lives to bring us to the foot of the cross. So many different ways and circumstances that he uses to bring us to understand our sinful condition and to repent and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is yet so much that is common. We must believe in the faith, which once were all delivered to the Saints. It's the same great gospel truth. It's the same recognition of the same condition.
The table is one table and we come here together to celebrate the one great sacrifice for sin, which is applied to all of us. So that when we think about the Lord's Table we really do think about our commonality. We think about the like precious faith, which we shared, to borrow the words of Peter.
But there was another element of the commonality of the salvation experience that I want to address this morning. It's one of my favorite passages. It focuses on the greatness of God, the goodness of God, the mercy of God as John sung about it a moment ago. I want you to open your Bible to the 20th chapter of Matthew. One of my favorite stories that Jesus every told is given her in the opening part of the 20th chapter of Matthew. I want to address this because I feel that it celebrates another feature of our common life together.
One of the great prophets of the Old Testament was a prophet named Ezekiel. Ezekiel spoke to the people of Judah when they were already in exile. There were several different deportations by the Babylonians and Ezekiel was in the land of Babylon by the river of Kebar and he was instructing some of the Jews who had been deported into Babylon. He was telling them that the rest of the people still in Judah would be devastated in a great invasion by the Babylonians yet to come, which would end in the destruction of Jerusalem, which did occur. But Ezekiel always told the exiles that their condition was the result of their sin. So through the Prophet Ezekiel you read about the various sins, which brought about their punishment.
One of the sins that he reminds them about is stated several times in chapter 18. And this is what it says: "You say the way of the Lord is not equal." One of the things that the people of Israel did was accuse God of inequities. They accused God of being unjust. They accused God of being unfair. And so Ezekiel said, "Here now O House of Israel. Is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal?" God is, through the Prophet, defending his equity, defending his justice. It certainly wasn't the first time that God was accused of being unfair, nor was it, by any means, the last time. Constantly God is accused of being unfair. And the Bible defends God against that a number of times with a familiar line, "God is no respecter of persons." Repeated several places in Scripture. God is not unfair. God is not inequitable in the way he deals with us.
There is a commonality of truth in the gospel. There's a commonality of repentance, a commonality of faith. There's a commonality of the application of the great benefit of justification and sanctification of the believer in salvation. There's also a commonality in the way God treats us. I don't think there's any better parable to see that than the one before us. It starts in verse 1, runs down to verse 15. But it's bracketed by a proverb, which appears at the end of chapter 19 and also at the end of the parable in verse 16. You'll notice there basically the same.
So let's begin reading in chapter 19 verse 30, which, if I had organized the Gospel of Matthew I would have included this at the beginning of chapter 20, where it really belongs. Verse 30 says, chapter 19: "'Many who are first will be last and the last first. For the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for denarius for the day he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place. And to those he said, "You too go into the vineyard and whatever is right I will give you," so they went. Then he went out about the 6th and the 9th hour and did the same. And about the 11th hour he went out and found others standing and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day long?" They said to him, "Because no one hired us." He said to them, "You too go into the vineyard."
"'And when evening had come the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages beginning with the last group to the first." And when those hired about the 11th hour came each one received a denarius. And when those hired first came they thought that they would receive more. They also received, each one, a denarius, and when they received it they grumbled at the landowner saying, "These last men have worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have born the burden and the scorching heat of the day." But he answered and said to one of them, "Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous? Thus, the last shall be first and the first last."'"
I wanna divide this up into just four simple ideas. First is the proverb. As we prepare for the Lord's Table I think there's a wonderful reality here that I want us to understand. The proverb is given in verse 30, "The first will be last and the last first." Repeated in verse 16, "The last shall be first, the first last." Very clearly it brackets the parable, which indicates to us that the parable is an illustration of this proverb. Now, this is a rather simple proverb. Somebody might be confused by it. It's kind of amazing to read all the convoluted things that have been said through the years about. But it's really basically a very, very simple proverb. The Lord used it, apparently, repeatedly. He used it in another context in Luke 13:30. So it was something familiar that he used to express a spiritual point. Now, I suppose you could say that it is a riddle to some degree because if the story weren't here we might struggle to understand it. But if it were to be considered a riddle it would be a pretty simple one. There's only one way to understand this proverb, it is this; if the first are last and the last are first, then everybody's the same.
And that is the proverb. It really isn't that difficult. It's simply Jesus saying, "Everyone is the same." There is no inequality. There are no first place finishers, second place finishers on down the line. The intent of the parable is to explain the proverb and the proverb is very simple and very straightforward, "Everyone will be treated the same, the same." Then graphically and practically and powerfully, and, frankly, unforgettably Jesus illustrates it with the parable. We go from the proverb to the parable.
I'll just tell you this story very quickly. You can recall what I read a moment ago. It's a simple one to understand. Let's just make a few points of identification. "The Kingdom of Heaven is the spirit of salvation." All right, we're talking about the spear of salvation. This is the realm over which Heaven rules. Heaven is just a synonym for God. So this is God's kingdom. The kingdom over which God rules, which would be the believer; those who have been saved, those who have received the imputed righteousness of God by faith, talking about the Saints; those who are in the family of God.
The spirit of Salvation then can be likened to a landowner. This is an Orca des petes; somebody who rules over a house, who manages a house. He owns it in this case, as verse 15 indicates. He says that he will do whatever he wants with what is my own. So he owns this estate. And he was, obviously, a vineyard on his estate. Went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. This is not an imaginary scene, by the way, to the people to whom Jesus told the story. It would be very vivid living in an agrarian society. It's a little bit different for us who live in the city to get a grip on this, but this is pretty practical stuff, for these people a matter of daily routine.
The land of Palestine is a fascinating land and one of its great resources is its agricultural richness. There are basically two areas topographically that produce in the land of Israel. They have throughout all of the millennia and they continue to do so in our day, and that is the planes and the hills. The planes are basically the place where grain is grown, which has always been a major enterprise in Israel. You have the plane of Ezrolon in the north. You have the sweeping Jordan valley that goes all the way from the north all the way down to the south, which is as fertile as any place in the world. Then over the coastal mountains you have the valley that's near the coastline, which is known as the Sharon Valley, also a major area for growing green.
Around and at certain points in the land inside the coastal valley and, of course, then on the Eastern part of the country and the Northern part you have the mountains. There on the mountains, on the hillsides, and the slopes are where the vineyards were grown. They basically terraced off the mountains and the fertile soil of the hillside would produce wonderful crops of grapes. The steepness required the terracing. It was a very great amount of effort to do that. And there was sort of a sequence that they followed.
In spring they prepared the soil to be productive. In summer they pruned and tied the branches for maximum effect and in September the harvest came. It typically would rain coming later in the fall so they had to get the harvest in or the grapes could be ruined by the rain. So close on the hills of the harvest came the rain, which squeezed the harvest time down and required that they hire day laborers to do the harvest. This would even be true today.
And, so, this is a landowner who was going out looking for day laborers, beyond his normal staff of servants who cared for everything. He had to have a very large crew to handle this time of harvest so he went out to the city square, the market place of the city where day laborers would loiter around waiting to be hired. You see that typically today. Many, for example, of the illegal aliens in Southern California have spots where they stand, sort of collecting, waiting for somebody to come along, pick them up, and take them to do some labor so they can earn some money to feed themselves and their families. It's a similar situation in ancient times.
So he went into the market place where the day laborers would be waiting to be hired. Anybody who was available would show up because they wanted to work. And this was a prime time for work. The day was from 6 AM to 6 PM. It was 12-hour workday and it was a 6-day workweek. A little different than we have today. So the landowner went into town to hire laborers. He met some in verse 2. It says, "Agreed with them." It would have been about 5:00 in the morning when he left and went into town to get them time to be hired and get back out there at 6 so they could do a full day's work. He agreed with them for a denarious for the day and sent them into ________________. That was a very good wage, by the way. That was what a Roman soldier made in a day. That was what an employed person made. These were hired laborers. They were the lowest class of workers, in the sense, they were unskilled and they were only employed a day at a time. Life for them was a bit precarious. They lived at a certain level of desperation. If they didn't work, they didn't eat, neither did their families.
Slaves and servants typically had study jobs, even if they weren't poor to some degree. They knew where they were gonna sleep and they knew they were gonna have enough food. They shared the benefits of the family. But day laborers were never certain as to whether they were gonna have enough for the day. Their paid tended to be low - much lower than this offering by this generous landowner.
God was concerned about these kinds of people and every society has them and that's the way it is. Jesus said, "The poor you will have with you." But God wanted them to be cared for appropriately. So way back in the law in the Old Testament in Leviticus, chapter 19 verse 13 it says, "The wages of the hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning. If a man worked during the day you paid him at the end of the day because he had to have the pay in order to subsist and care for his family." Deuteronomy 24:15 says, "You shall give him his hire on the day he earns it before the sun goes down, for he's poor and sets his heart on it. Lest he cry against you to the Lord and it be sin in you. God may punish you for the sin of holding back wages for someone who works for you and depends upon being paid at the end of the day he worked." So this parable is a vivid story, fits into the Jewish context. These were guys who would go out and work the day in order to get the pay they needed to subsist. And he agreed for a denarius. As I said, that's a very good wage, a standard wage for a respected employee. And they agreed, of course, on its fairness.
He went out about the 3rd hour realizing he needed a greater crew. He went back at 9 am in the morning; saw others standing idle in the marketplace. To those he said, "You too go into the vineyard and whatever is right I'll give you." They didn't debate. They didn't have a negotiating position. The day was fast going by. They were losing money every hour and so they didn't say anything about wages. They probably knew him to be a fair man and were aware of what he had offered the others and were glad to get any part of that and went out to work.
And he went out again in verse 5; the 6th hour, that's noon. The 9th hour, that's 3 in the afternoon, repeated the same thing. And this flow is going on through the day. About the 11th hour, this is 5:00 or nearly 5:00, he went out found others standing. He said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day long?" And their response was, "It's not because we're lazy, it's because no one hired us." He says, "You go into the vineyards." So they went out to work for just a portion of that final hour. All through the day he's been sending people into this vineyard with only the pledge that he would do what was right.
At the end of the day, verse 8 says, "Evening came." And that would be at the 6:00 time. The owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first." This was a dutiful Jew in the story who did exactly what the Old Testament law required; he paid them at the end of the day of their work. And so he said to his foreman, "You take charge of paying them their wages. And start with the last group." This is to illustrate a point.
When those hired about - the 11th hour came. Each one received a denarius. This must have been a shock to them. What mercy, what graciousness, what kindness, what generosity to receive a denarius. Now, just a little note here, that's exactly what they needed. They didn't need any less than that; they needed that amount because a denarius would be enough to support your family for a day. That's what they needed and that's what they received. A whole day's wage, why, because they had earned it? No, because they needed it.
Verse 10 says, "When those hired first came (these are the ones who had worked all day) they thought that they would receive more. And they also received, each one, a denarius, because that's also what they needed and that's what had been promised." And when they received it; verse 11, they grumbled at the landowner." Now, you know, obviously their imagination was elevated when they saw these people who worked one hour get a denarius. They might've assumed they were gonna get 12 days wages. They got pretty excited about it and they couldn't hide their disappointment when they got to the head of the line and they received exactly what everybody else got. All along the way they had been cherishing secretly, if not in their little group, the silent expectation that they were gonna get more than everybody else because they worked harder.
And so it says in verse 11, "They grumbled." That's another ana mada pay etic Greek word, _______________, complaining. And they get pretty melancholy about it. "We have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day." The burden is the burner. "We've been here with our parched lips and our sun beaten bodies and we've been going 12 hours." The evenings cool down like they do in California in Israel. These people come; they work 1 hour and the cooler twilight. It seems absolutely insignificant compared to 12 hot, sweaty hours in the scorching, blazing September sun of Israel.
How can they get what we get? The reply is marvelous. He answered and said to one of them, "Friend." Now the word friend etarus is usually a rebuking term. Probably if we were gonna use an English equivalent it would be like this. "Fella or buddy, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Was I faithful to what I pledged? Did I give you what you needed?" "Yes." The only issue was an evil heart of competition here. The only issue was jealousy. Verse 15, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own or is your eye envious because I am generous?" Was this illegal, was it unjust, was it unfair, was it without mercy? No. They all had the same need. A denarius would provide what they needed for themselves and their families generously. They all had the same need and he met the need they had. Whether they worked a brief time or a long time or anything in-between they all had the same need and he met it with generosity. And he had every right to do it because what he gave them belonged to him. Are we to assume that his compassion and kindness to others somehow is wrong toward you? That's the question. No, it's just that you're jealous, you're jealous.
That's the parable but what's the point? You saw the proverb, the parable and the point. What is the point here? Well the point is that in the end everybody got the same. That's right that's just what the proverb said. In the end everybody got the same. This is not an allegory with all kinds of convoluted and secret meanings. This is just an illustration. It's an illustration of the fact that people coming in to a vineyard working different hours, putting out different effort, in the end, all receive the same result. It's a simple illustration. Makes one point; everybody received the same. The question is, "What is the same? What are we talking about here?" Well, the householder is God; obviously he's the one who is the landowner. The vineyard is his kingdom. It says, "The Kingdom of Heaven, in the sphere of salvation ruled by God, the laborers are those who are in his kingdom. The day of work is time. And some have been in his kingdom a long time. And some have been in his kingdom a very brief time. The evening is eternity when we receive our reward. The steward or the foreman responds to Jesus Christ who gives out those rewards." But what is the wage? What is the denarius in a word, eternal life? It's eternal life. It's life in the kingdom of God. It's heavenly immortality. It's the glory of heaven.
And what Jesus is saying is this, "Not only do we come as common sinners, commonly depraved, commonly headed for Hell, commonly condemned by the law of God, which we have violated. Not only do we come as sinners recognizing our sin, coming to a common attitude of repentance and putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and standing at the foot of the cross and that kind of commonality, but we receive the common eternal life. We receive the same eternal life that everybody else receives." Some people are gonna spend decades of their life; some people will spend a half century of their life in the service of the King.
Some people have spent their lives in very difficult, challenging, sacrificial kinds of service to Christ. Some people have trekked through jungles and swamps and fought against beasts in the history of the church. Some have been martyred. Some today are being martyred for their faith in Christ. Some pay a great price. Some work diligently to the point of sweat and exhaustion in the service of the King. Others seem to come into the Kingdom at the very last hour, the last moment, the last few minutes, get saved on their deathbed like the thief on the cross and enter into the Kingdom. And the question is, "Do they all receive the same eternal life?" And the answer is, "yes, yes." No matter how long the service, no matter how short the service, no matter how hard the effort was, no matter how easy the effort might have been, we will all receive the same reward because we all need eternal life.
Jesus is saying, "The ultimate eternal benefits of the Kingdom are the same for everybody who comes into the service to the King. Everybody who comes into the Kingdom, who comes into the vineyard, whatever, whenever, and however may be their place and time of service. The same glorious eternal life belongs to us all, whether you are the thief on the cross or the martyr to Apostle Paul you'll receive the same eternal life."
When you read that story, it's a great story and you understand the point but you ever ask the question - I always ask the question, "Why here, why then, why in this place does Jesus tell this?" And all you have to do is go back into chapter 19 and it becomes clear. He is still trying to educate his hardheaded disciples.
There was a man who came to Jesus in chapter 19 verse 16; we call him the rich, young ruler, because that's what he was. He says to Jesus, "What do I do to obtain eternal life?" He comes and he wants to know the way to eternal life. "How do I get eternal life? How do I get it? How do I get into the eternal Kingdom?" Well Jesus leads him through a thinking process, in which he asks him about sin. And the young man won't admit any sin so he's got a problem right there that keeps him out of the Kingdom because he won't acknowledge his sin. And then Jesus wants to test and see if he'll, not only repent of his sin, but if he'll submit to him. And so he says, "I want you to take everything you have an sell it. Take the proceeds from the sale and give it to the poor and then follow me." "No thanks." One, he wouldn't admit his sin, two, he wasn't about to obey Christ. Well if you won't admit your sin and submit to Christ you can't get in the Kingdom. Coming to the Kingdom is confessing your sin and embracing Christ as Lord of the Savior. He wouldn't do either. Bottom line, he said, "I'm not giving up anything. I'm not giving up anything."
After that, verse 27, Peter, who is obviously aware of this and - by the way Peter didn't always articulate just what he was thinking. He articulated things that they were all thinking. So don't be too hard on Peter. He was kind of the spokesman for everybody. Peter answered and said to Jesus - you can just feel the sense of elevation and pride, "Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us?" Peter said, "We're not like that guy. We left everything. We had a business. We had a fishing business operated out of Capernaum: Peter, James, John, Andrew."
And Matthew could have said, "Well, I had a very lucrative tax business." Tax collectors made a lot of money, and we left it all to follow you. We dumped our whole career. We set our business aside. We put everything on whole and we have followed you and, you know, it hasn't been easy; lots of persecution, lots of hostility, lot of animosity, lots of hatred. We don't make any wages. We subsist on whatever food people give us or whatever we can buy out of the meager treasury, which our friend Judas holds. This is not exactly high living. We've made some immense sacrifices. So what is in it for us?" And the assumption is this; these are the complaining 12-hour guys, these disciples. We got in at the start of this deal and we've been banging our heads against the wall. Through all of this difficulty we've been trekking around with you all over everywhere and feeling all this hostility and barely able to subsist, and sometimes you've even had to create food so we could eat. We've been trekking all over everywhere. We've said goodbye to everything that shaped and formed our lives in the past. We've given up everything. What we gonna get out of this?" And Jesus' response is, "You're gonna get exactly what everybody else gets. No more and no less. No more and no less."
To show you how deeply engrained this idea of superiority was in their minds, they thought that when they got into the Kingdom there were gonna be two levels. There are people who think that today. It's a bad theology. They thought when they got into Heaven there was gonna be some superior level of elevation for them, so, later on in chapter 20, you know, they have the gall, James and John, to send their mother to Jesus and ask if they could sit in his right and left hand in the Kingdom. I mean their pride was all caught up in this. I mean you could just hear them having their little discussion, you know? "We're going through an awful lot. We've made all these sacrifices and, you know, we're suffering all this and I don't know how this deal's gonna end. And Jesus has already been talking about stuff that really we don't wanna hear about, like, dying and all. We've put up with a lot, we've suffered a lot, we've endured a lot, we've sacrificed a lot. And there ought to be some special thing for us. We're the ones who've borne the burden in the heat of the day. We've been in the scorching sun through the whole deal." And Jesus' response is, "Well - later on he tells them, "You know, there's gonna be a time in the millennial Kingdom when they'll be 12 thrones over the 12 tribes of Israel and you'll sit in a place of authority. Yes, there will be a special opportunity of service for you. But the bottom line is, gentleman, you are going to receive the same thing that everybody else in my Kingdom gets, and that is eternal life."
That's the whole point here. That is the whole point. What an incredible, wonderful promise. Selfish, confused, envious, jealous perceptions on the heart of the apostles were intolerable to our Lord. And he says, "Believe me, you're gonna have the wonderful opportunity to have a leadership in the Kingdom." Verses 28 and 29. But in the end it's just gonna be a dead heat. First or last, last or first. Bottom line, eternal life is the same for all of us. We all live in the father's house, won't we? In my father's house are many rooms. I go to prepare a place for you. We will all be part of the bride for the bridegroom. We will all inherit the whole inheritance." There is, laid up for us, an inheritance; undefiled, incorruptible, it never fades. We will all be made like Jesus Christ. We will all be conformed to the image of God's son. We will all be a part of that hallelujah chorus, forever praising God and saying, "Worthy is the land." That's the issue. That's the issue.
We all come to the foot of the cross. All as condemned sinners. We all come needing to repent of sin and embrace the gospel by faith and we all receive the same eternal life, whether you came to Christ just hours before you died or whether you knew him for 80 years. You say, "Well, isn't there inequity?" No, because we all have the same need and God's generosity will give us the same great blessing. And in the end, anyway, it's all grace, isn't it? And that's the principle. That's the principle that I wanna close with.
The principle is this; all eternal reward is by Grace. It's all by Grace. Works, length of service, tasks, duties done, they will show up in some measure of eternal blessing. The epistles talk about rewards. But they are not what distinguishes or determines eternal life. All eternal reward, in the sense of eternal life, is by Grace. So length and difficulty of service is not a factor. Sovereign Grace, God's incredible mercy, is not to be measured by our understanding of human equity. God graciously gives to all, all undeserving sinners, the same eternal life.
So instead of exalting yourself and imagining that you're some great person, like the disciples did, who is gonna get some great place in the glory to come, humble yourself, be thankful that God, in his magnanimity, has chosen to give us all the same eternal life. And, by the way, you don't need any more than that anyway. There's no such thing as upper level Heaven. You hear this foolish teaching today about people who are going to be in the Kingdom but not inherit it. That's not what the Bible teaches. We'll all receive the same eternal life, for which we'll spend forever praising and thanking God. Different as we are, as diverse as our background and our paths to the truth have been, we come here and we share this income.
Join me in prayer as we prepare to take the Lord's Table. Father we do thank you for the fact that none of us deserve eternal life and all of us are given the privilege of receiving it. How could we so foolishly quibble over some ranking like the disciples did when we don't deserve anything to begin with? We're so thankful, Lord, that you are merciful to sinners. Humanely speaking, the best of men and the worst of men, receive the same glorious eternal life. What Grace is this? And we praise you for it.
Father, we also know that you have called us to the same table. There's just one table and we all stand at the foot of the same cross. Sinners saved by the same great Grace to remember this mighty work of Christ, which provides our eternal life. You have told us not to come to this table lightly. Not to come with sin in our lives, but to confess and repent. And we do that now.
Lead us, Lord, in thinking, to examine our own hearts and see if there's anything that displeases or dishonors you. We confess it and we ask that you would remove it from us so that we can truly express our gratitude for that eternal life, which you've given to us. Amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information