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Truth: The Test of Christian Hospitality
We now find ourselves so privileged as to hear the voice of God by turning to His Word, 2 John...2 John and looking really at the last portion of this very brief letter, verses 9 through 13. And we'll read those in a moment. Let me introduce our fourth and final look at this little epistle by reminding you that we have titled it, "Living in the truth."
Now all genuine and faithful Christians have always understood the Great Commission. All true believers who understand what the New Testament teaches and what Jesus commands know what our duty is, it is to take the gospel to the ends of the earth and to preach it to every creature. That is unmistakable, unambiguous. It is a clear command. It is a mandate. It is an obligation. It is a duty not without privilege, but rather with high privilege but nonetheless a duty. We know we have been told to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. We also know and Christians have always known that apart from the knowledge of the true gospel and faith in the true Christ, no one can go to heaven. That is not a revolutionary statement, that is a fact laid down in Scripture and affirmed by true Christians since the New Testament. Sinners must hear the gospel. They must believe the gospel. And they must embrace the gospel. This clear command understood by all faithful biblical Christians has been maintained through the centuries by all of those who sought to obey the Lord. It is behind all the witnessing and all the evangelizing and all the missionary work that has ever gone on.
Since faith comes by hearing, and hearing only by the message of Christ, we know what we are to do. We are to preach Christ and Him crucified. Time, years, lifetimes, of millions of people have been invested in this, the highest and greatest of all duties. Money, incalculable sums of money has been spent in this effort, teaching, preaching, witnessing, training, strategizing, acquiring languages, traveling, building, establishing, printing, producing media that the gospel indeed might be taken to the ends of the earth to every creature. An unrelenting effort to use every means available and call every Christian to this duty and this privilege. And here we are at a time when we have the greatest means to do this in history, unquestionably. We have the capability virtually to reach the world. We can get there physically faster than ever. We can translate and print material faster than ever with the use of computers. We can mobilize people, train people, and dispense people faster than ever. We can use the media, it's instantaneous whether it's the Internet, or whether it's tapes, or whether it's CDs or DVDs, or videos, or you name it. Never has the church had this capability to fulfill the Great Commission, never to disseminate the gospel to the ends of the earth.
It is astounding to me that just when the church has its greatest opportunity, it has become confused about its message. This is unthinkable. This is unimaginable. Frankly, for me this is inconceivable that we would reach the point, really the ultimate point in all of the history of the church when we can go everywhere faster than ever and get the gospel in the hands of people and now we're not sure what the message is. In fact, the church is confused enough to debate what the message is, to argue what the message is, to tolerate a minimal kind of gospel. The church seems to be embarrassed by its narrowness. It seems eager to redesign it to make it more acceptable. Now that we can reach everybody, we're afraid of what they're going to say when they get the message. All those people who gave their lives for all those centuries, all those people who battled and fought in the hardest periods of the church's history to train and prepare and to learn the meaning of the Word of God without all the tools we have today, without all the endless books and commentaries and resources, all those people who traveled for months and sometimes years, all those people who made sacrifices away from their families, all those people who died from diseases and hard places, all those people who laboriously worked to create languages, ??? the writing and translate the Scripture, all of that effort passed down to us and here we are in the high-tech world, we can expedite all of that like never before and we're not sure, one, what we want to say, and, two, whether or not we want to say it because we're a little embarrassed about the fact that it's going to condemn them.
And in fact, the latest wave is, "Ah, the whole deal might not even be necessary. It might not even be necessary." I can't resist reviewing something I said to you a couple of years ago. This view has risen to the forefront in evangelical theology. This idea, we have these people who aren't sure what the gospel is, we have these people who are embarrassed by the gospel and they're trying to tweak it and take out anything that's offensive. And then we have the people who aren't sure we even need to bother with the gospel. They all call themselves evangelical Christians.
And this last group has come up with a view called "natural theology." And that says that man by his natural reasoning powers apart from written revelation, apart from Scripture, apart from the gospel, man by his natural reasoning powers can discern that there is a God. And if he can discern there is a God, and desires to know that God, God will accept his rational effort to know Him without requiring belief in the gospel, without requiring the knowledge of the name of God, or any of His revelation, without requiring any knowledge of Jesus Christ. Sinners can get to heaven without the Bible, and without the knowledge of the gospel.
Now this has always been Roman Catholic theology, but it's never been Protestant evangelical theology. It was Pope John Paul II who said, "All who live a just life will be saved, even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ." That's Catholic theology. The new Roman Catholic catechism says, "The biblical teaching that salvation only comes in response to faith in Jesus Christ is to be rejected. It is unreasonable and cruel. The heathen are saved if they just live good lives." Well that's Catholic theology and yet I told you a couple of years ago that well-known evangelists have said this, they may not even know the name of Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have and they turn to the only light they have and I think they're saved and they're going to be with us in heaven. Even though they don't know Jesus? Or His name?
This is a sort of natural theology idea that you ascend as high as you can get and God says that's good enough. You sort of crawl up this rational ladder to the point where you believe there's a God.
There's another view that even goes beyond that, it's called the Wider Mercy view. And this view, the advocates of this view say people can actually be saved through nonchristian religions. The first view would say that they sort of have to believe there's a God up there and come to that God. And the second view says and they may be aided by their false religion. Clark Pinnock(?) says, and I quote, "When we approach the man of faith other than our own, another faith, it will be with a spirit of expectancy to find out how God has been speaking to him and what new understanding of the grace and love of God we may ourselves discover in this encounter. Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion is to take off our shoes, the place where approaching is holy. We may forget that God was there before our arrival."
What in the world are you saying? These people who are engaged in non-Christian and false religions know God? That God is speaking to them? And God has been there before we arrived with the gospel? He adds, "God has more going on by what of redemption than what happened in first century Palestine." He does? He has more going on by way of redemption then what happened in first century Palestine? Are you trivializing, minimizing the work of Christ?
You ask, "How can people believe this?" Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me." Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other, there's no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved."
Then there's that view called trans-dispensationalism which says...Well, God saves people without the gospel by treating them as if they lived in some other dispensation before there was a revelation from God. Sort of pre-Mosaic, or pre-Abrahamic.
Does God save people without the truth? Does God save people without the gospel? Without the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Does He take just whatever they've got to give?
That's not what the Bible teachers. That's not what Protestant, biblical orthodox Christianity has ever believed. And this is such a tragic, tragic moment for us to come to such conclusions just when we have the greatest potential to spread the message. We're not sure what it is. We're not sure we want to offend with it. We're not sure it's even necessary.
Does the Scripture support these concepts? Does it support the idea that you can be saved without the gospel? Let me remind you of some passages briefly. Romans 1...Romans 1, this is a very important word that I'm giving you tonight, very important for us and you'll see its connection to our text. We'll get there. Romans 1:18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them through reason and moral law. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks. They became futile in their speculations. Their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools."
What happens is, built into man is the reason that would take you to the conclusion there is a God. The moral law that would take you to the conclusion that that God is a holy and just and righteous God and law giver. While that truth about God is evident within us, and verified by the creation around us that there is a great and powerful Creator, even though we know that, where man goes with that isn't where he should. He doesn't honor God as God. He doesn't give Him thanks. He becomes empty in his speculations. His foolish heart is darkened. He thinks he's wise. He becomes a fool. He exchanges the glory of the incorruptible God for an image or an idol in the form of corruptible man, of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Man has ample evidence for God in the creation, but it doesn't lead him to God. It only makes him inexcusable when God judges him. And his problem is back in verse 18, he suppresses the truth in unrighteousness.
The bottom line is, his unrighteousness, his depravity, his wretchedness negates the possibility of reason leading him to God. His depraved passion leads him to dishonor the Creator, to refuse to be thankful, to develop empty ideas, to end up in the dark, a fool, proud, idolatrous and even wicked. Verse 24 and following, "God gave them over to lusts because...as verse 25 says...they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever.
Natural revelation will only take you far enough to be inexcusable when God judges you. It's not enough to save you, it's only enough to damn you. And to see why that's true, go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. First Corinthians chapter 1 unfolds why that is so. "No one through the rational pursuit of God who is the Creator can achieve salvation, it doesn't get you there, it just makes you inexcusable when God judges you. And the reason is, you have to go beyond that, verse 18, 1 Corinthians 1, "For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God, for it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever I'll set aside. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?'" This is an amazing diagnosis of man. They think they're wise, they're fools. The conclusion of the wise, the conclusions of the scribes or the scholars, the conclusions of the debaters of this age all together, the sum of them is foolishness.
Why? Verse 21, here's the key, "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom didn't come to know God." There's the bottom line. You can't get there through human wisdom because God determined that that's how it would be. In God's wisdom people can't be saved through their wisdom. "Rather...verse 21 says...God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." The only people who will ever be saved are those who believe the message preached. And what is the message? Well verse 22, "The Jews asked for signs, the Greeks searched for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. To Jews a stumbling block, to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
The only way you can be saved is through the message of the cross. That's why in chapter 2 of this same book, verse 1, Paul says, "When I came to you, brethren, I didn't come with superiority of speech, or of wisdom proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." That's all I ever preached. Down in verse 5, "So that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." And that power is released only through the gospel.
So Romans 1 says man by reason only brings himself to maximum culpability. He is inexcusable because by himself in his own reason he will suppress the truth because he is so dominated by sin and he will twist that truth, end up dishonoring God, refusing to be thankful, developing empty ideas, finding himself in the dark a proud idolatrous and wicked fool. And here we further understand that the reason the wisest of the wise and the scholars and the debaters don't ever find God through their own wisdom is because God designed it to be impossible. The only way you can ever come to God is through the message preached. What is the message? We preach Christ crucified. Only the message of the cross can save. And that takes you back to verse 18 in 1 Corinthians 1, "For the word or the message of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." Man left to himself, left to his own wisdom lowers God, elevates himself, denies the truth, believes lies. And so it is absolutely critical that men never be thought capable of attaining to the knowledge of God through human reason.
In 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 3, Paul says, "If our gospel is veiled...and it is...it is veiled to those who are perishing." Why so? "Because the God of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of the unbelieving that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God." Double blindness, they're blind by virtue of their nature, and they're blind by virtue of Satan. It is a compounded stone blindness. The highest achievements of human wisdom will be destroyed along with the most meager achievements of human wisdom. The wisdom that is from below, that is earthly wisdom, is characterized in James this way, "The wisdom that is...this wisdom that is from below is earthly, natural, demonic...earthly, natural, demonic." The only supernatural connection you make through human reason is through Satan. No person by natural reason, no person by religious intuition can come to know God and be saved from hell.
Now you're in 1 Corinthians 2, go down to verse 11, let me show you another very important portion of Scripture...1 Corinthians 2:11...well, verse 10, we need that one. "For to us God revealed them....them meaning the things that God has prepared for us in salvation...God revealed these saving realities through the Spirit." Of course, this is in the Scripture, "Where the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God, for who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him. Even so, the thoughts of God knows no one except the Spirit of God." You can't know God's mind, you can't know God's thoughts. You can't read God's mind. You cannot know what God requires through intuition, through human wisdom, through religion. You don't get to God, you get to Satan. The best that men can do cannot reveal to them the mind of God. The only one who knows the thoughts of God is the Spirit of God. Verse 12 says, "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God which things we also speak not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit."
What Paul is saying is this, we have to have words from God brought to us by the Spirit to know what God thinks, what God wants, what pleases God. You can't know God through human wisdom. You can't get there. Only the Spirit of God knows the mind of God. You are dependent upon the Spirit of God conveying to you the words of God, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit. And that's what the Bible is, it is words taught by the Spirit. It is combining spiritual realities with spiritual words.
But you know what? Even if you have that, even if you have a Bible, verse 14 says, "The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, they're foolishness to him and he can't understand them because they're spiritually appraised." You can't get there, listen to this, you can't get there through human wisdom. You can't even get there through divine revelation as a natural man. Not only with Natural Theology, Wider Mercy, Trans-Dispensationalism, or any other term, not only will they not get you there, you can't get there on your own even with this...because your mind is so darkened by sin, compounded our blinded by Satan, and naturally do not accept the things of the Spirit of God.
You see what the Bible teaches is absolutely the opposite. You can't get there by your own wisdom, your own intuition, your own insight, your own rationality. You can only get there by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and you can't even get there by the revelation of the Holy Spirit on your own. Man in his natural capacity-no hope, no hope. The Holy Spirit has to go beyond the Scripture and illuminate the soul, right?, and awake the dead and regenerate the corpse.
Look at Acts 17...Acts 17, I'm preparing you for a eureka when you hit 2 John, it's all going to be clear. Acts 17, Paul's on Mars Hill. He stood in the midst of the Areopagus, I've preached three several times, it's quite an experience. He said, "Men of Athens," in fact I preached on this very text, "I observe that you're very religious in all respects. You're a very religious group, this is the religious elite of the great city of Athens where the most erudite and brilliant people were. And this is the philosophical ground, the high ground, the high place where the philosophers and religionists gather. You're very religious in all respects. While I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with the inscription, 'To and Unknown God.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you." Here's your problem, you're worshiping the God you don't know because you can't know Him. So I'm here to tell you about Him.
"He is the God...verse 24...who made the world and all things in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, doesn't dwell in temples made with hands. Neither is He served with human hands as though He needed anything since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things." Your whole religious thing has got it all wrong. You've got all these temples, He doesn't need that. You've got all these people taking food to serve these imaginary gods, He doesn't want that. He is the God who gives to all life and breath and all things, He gives, He doesn't need. "He made from one every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation that they should seek God if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him though He's not far from each of us." This is the dilemma the sinner has. He reaches out in his rational mind to that Creator he knows is there, that moral Lawgiver he knows is there, and he gropes to try find Him. And he's not far away because verse 28 says, "We're actually living and moving and existing right in His presence."
What do we conclude? Verse 29, "That the divine nature is gold or silver or stone, some image formed by art and the thought of men?" Verse 30 describes this as the times of ignorance. Forget all that. All that religious effort going on to the epitome of human culture in Athens, the pinnacle of Greek learning, all of that ended up in ignorance. And verse 30 says, "God is now declaring to men that all men everywhere must repent." Whatever your religion, turn from it. It's taking you in the wrong direction. That's the point. You have to repent of your religion. God isn't going to say, "Ah, you're going down the right path, you're nearly there, just another step." He says, "Repent of it all," which means to turn and go the other way. "You're going entirely in the wrong direction and you better repent because God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed having furnished proof to all men by...what?...raising Him from the dead." It was the resurrection that proved that Jesus was the Savior. It was the resurrection that proved He was God.
And so what does Paul say on Mars Hill? "Oh, you guys are doing really well." Does he get up there and say, "Oh, hey, guys, what's God been saying to you lately? Has God been here before I arrived?" He says, "Whatever it is that you believe in, whatever your religion, repent, turn around and go the other direction, go in the direction of that man." And you can believe that this isn't the whole sermon. He told them who that man was. "In the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Savior and the Judge as proven by His resurrection from the dead." We know Paul said more because verse 32 says, "When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, they began to sneer and others said, 'We'll hear you again concerning this.' Paul went out of their midst but some men joined him and believed...and believed." The full message of Christ was there and it was given. Some believed.
Natural reason is incapable, natural reason is ignorant. Natural reason is idolatrous. Natural reason is hopeless. You have to repent of it.
First Corinthians chapter 10 takes it a step further. If you want to know where people get without the gospel, this is the last word on it. First Corinthians 10:19, Paul says, "A thing sacrificed to idols," talking about pagans who gave their offerings to idols, something that had gone on through the centuries, is an idol anything? What are you doing when you do that? What are you doing? There's no god there because there's only one God. So this idol that you think is God, like the people down at the other end of the block who bring food and put it at the foot of the feet of the fat Buddha, who is that? There is no god Buddha, there's only one true and living God. So the thing sacrificed to that god, what is that? Who is that god? What are they really doing? Verse 20, "I say the things which the Gentiles, which the heathen sacrifice, they sacrifice to...whom?...demons...demons, not to God." You can't get there by human reason. You can't get there by the wrong religion. All you end up with is demons and Satan. No one comes to the true God through human reason, no one comes to the true God through human wisdom, no one comes to the true God through false religion, no one comes to the true God apart from the message of the cross. The church has always known that.
And there's another reason why it can't happen. Romans 3, I keep thinking of other passages, pardon me, Romans 3:9 and 10...well, verse 10 would be enough, "There's none righteous, not even one. There's none who understands, there's none who seeks for God." That's enough, isn't it? Whatever they're doing, they're not seeking the true God. Whatever they're learning they don't understand what they need to understand. And however good they are, they're not good enough. So if you can't be good enough and you can't really understand, and you're not really looking for the true God, why would you think God would save you? It's just the opposite. They're not seeking God. They've turned aside. Even that which they knew about God they rejected, Romans 1. "They turned aside. Together they've become useless. There's none who does good, there's not even one. Their throat is an open grave. With their tongue they keep deceiving. The poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their paths. And the path of peace have they not known. There's no fear of God before their eyes. Therefore...verse 19...we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." You can't make your life right with God by any kind of religious action. You can't get there from there. No one gets to God on his own because he can't.
Now, 2 Thessalonians 1, and this is the last one and then we'll go to our text. Second Thessalonians 1 and verse 7, the middle of the verse. It talks about when Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire. It's talking about His return. And verse 8 defines this very clearly. "He will deal out retribution, or punishment, to those who do not know God." And then a modifying, equalizing phrase, "Who do not know God," or another way to say it, "Who do not obey...what?...the gospel of our Lord Jesus." You don't know God if you don't obey the gospel. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction.
Now do you understand why I'm so passionate about this? We only have one message. Here we are at the greatest point in church history in terms of being able to deliver that message and we don't know what it is. Or we think people might be offended by it and so we want to change it. Or the easy way out, ah, they don't need it anyway. Any effort to confuse the gospel, any effort that ends up with an embarrassment about the gospel, or any effort that says you don't need the gospel doesn't come from God, does it? It comes from the enemy of men's souls.
Now, please turn to 2 John. This passage has to be added to the list I've just given you. Second John 9, "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son."
Can it be any more clear than that? Even if you deviate from the biblical teaching of Christ, if you do not abide, remain in the teaching of Christ, you do not have God. This seals the case. Salvation, knowing God, having God requires the truth about Christ being believed. Now this brief letter to a Christian lady and her children is a call to all Christians to live in the truth. And I've sort of poured my heart out on these last three and then this message, telling you that there's nothing more important than the truth and we're all in a battle to fight to protect it. Both 2 John and 3 John emphasize the centrality of the truth.
And do you remember the setting? This is written to a lady and her children about how to live in the truth and love in the truth and be loyal to the truth. And what really prompted this letter was the issue of Christian hospitality. As I've been telling you in those times there were preachers who traveled around to the churches to preach the gospel and to bring the truth of God to the people of God. And the only way they could do that would be to be received into the homes. Inns were unacceptable, dangerous places, immoral places. And so people opened their homes. In fact, the Bible lays down hospitality as a very important part of Christian life.
One of the dangers, of course, was that false teachers knew about this. And they wanted to get in too, just like they want to get into Christian radio, Christian television, Christian publications, etc. I asked one of the great publishers in America why he published a heretical book and he looked at me like, "What do you mean? We publish everything." Didn't even understand the question. These people want to get in everywhere. They don't want to operate outside the Kingdom, they want to operate as much inside as they can. So they push their Trojan Horse through the city gates and then let loose the damaging army of error. And what happened was, in the early church, false teachers pretending to represent Christ would travel around, it was a great gig to make a living, you went in, you stayed with somebody, ate their food, they took an offering for you, and you went to the next place, and you just kept getting more money and more money as you went along. And at the time, of course, you were representing Satan and undermining the truth and damaging the lives of people.
Apparently this lady wanting to be hospitable had done this. She had allowed herself to be put in a very compromising situation, a very dangerous situation for both her and the church, to give a place where the false teacher could be embedded in the very fellowship of saints. And so John writes this letter to warn her and her children and everybody else and maybe he had heard about this from her sister who is mentioned in verse 13, because as he was writing, most likely, from Ephesus, he says to her, "The children of your chosen sister greet you," so she had a sister and maybe it was the sister that had told him about this problem. Here was probably a compassionate, tender-hearted, gracious lady and her children that wanted to allow these people who said they were Christ's into the home. And so the letter is written as a warning. The church was loving, the church was hospitable. The church was gracious. And so they were vulnerable.
So John writes to establish the limits of our loving. We live in the truth. We love within the confines of the truth. And we are loyal to the truth. Now we come to verse 9, and let me add another little "L" in our list, living in the truth, loving in the truth, being loyal to the truth, we have to be looking for the truth...we have to be looking for the truth. The perspective here in verse 9 through 11 is a perspective of protection...protection. John laid out the reality of the truth of redemption back in 1 John when repeatedly in 1 John he talks about one of the marks of a true believer being an understanding of the Son of God and the Father. First John 2:22, "Who is a liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, this is the antichrist. Whoever denies the Son doesn't have the Father, the one who confesses the Son has the Father also."
In chapter 4, very similar, verse 14, "And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God." Chapter 5 verse 1, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Verse 12, "He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn't have the Son of God doesn't have the life." Everything in the gospel comes down to the Son. If you don't have the Son, you don't have the life. If you don't believe in the true Christ, you can't be a true Christian.
Satan's strategy was to deceive. Verses 7 and 8, "Many deceivers have gone out into the world." And what do they characteristically do? "Well they do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh." They have a warped Christology. "This is the deceiver and the antichrist, watch yourselves." You've got to be alert. You've got to protect yourself. You've got to be loyal to the truth. Just because someone uses the term Jesus Christ doesn't mean they represent Him. They may well represent Satan. In fact, sometimes I think there are...there are maybe more popular people who claim the name of Jesus Christ who belong to Satan's kingdom than God's. So you have to learn to look for the truth. And so verse 9 says, "Anyone who goes too far, proago, to run ahead, to go beyond. That is to say to offer teaching beyond...what?...beyond what? Where is all the teaching we need about Christ? The Scripture. So when somebody comes along and offers teaching beyond Scripture, you have a problem. First Corinthians 4:6, listen to this, "Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes...listen to this one line...that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written." You can underline that, 1 Corinthians 4:6. "Not to exceed what is written." Don't go beyond that.
And so, verse 9 says, "Anyone who goes beyond what is written and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God." Now the teaching of Christ...immediately you're asking yourself...what does that mean? Is that a subjective genitive or an objective genitive? That is, is Christ the subject or the object? Is it His teaching or is it teaching about Him?
Answer: yes...yes. It is the teaching about Him which, of course, is consistent with His teaching. You could never separate the two, could you? And that's why you don't need to argue over whether the Greek subjective or objective genitive is in view here, there's nothing to choose between. Both are the same. The truth about Christ is taught by Christ. The point is, the biblical revelation about Jesus Christ...if someone goes beyond that or does not remain true to that, they do not have God. Listen, you can't be saved without the gospel. You can't even be saved with a warped gospel. You can't be saved without believing in Jesus Christ. You can't even be saved without believing in the one true Christ.
Galatians 1 Paul says, and it can't be again argued what he means because it is crystal clear. "Even though we are an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be...what?...let him be damned." And in case you didn't get that. Verse 9, "As we said before, I say again, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you've received, let him be damned." You can't get there without the gospel and you can't get there with a warped gospel. Anyone who doesn't acknowledge the true Christ and the true gospel does not know God, does not have God no matter what he claims. The one who abides in the teaching of Christ about Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.
You know, you really have to look for this today. I mean, you have to have your theological magnifying glass with the little nuances people want to use to somehow escape a real assessment. The one who is faithful to a biblical Christology, the one who meno remains in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. You don't get the Father without the Son. You don't get the Son disconnected from the Father. There's no possibility of knowing God apart from knowing Christ. This is the strongest statement on gospel exclusivity anywhere. It's a packaged deal. Yo don't know the Father except by the Son. "No man comes unto the Father but by Me."
So that is the principle of looking for the truth. And when you meet someone who has perverted it, deviated from it, added to it, gone beyond it, act wisely...act wisely. And how would you act wisely? Verse 10, "If anyone comes to you," and they did, this is A with the indicative, a likely condition. It probably happened to this lady, as I've said, as to many through the centuries and many even today, and even us as they've kind of come into our house through the television and radio and whatever, and sometimes even knocking on the door. "If anyone comes to you and does not bear this teaching....what teaching?...the teaching of Christ, that is about Him by Him, do not receive him into your house." This is not someone coming to learn from you or you'd never be able to witness to an unbeliever. This is someone coming to teach you lies. Understand the difference? We answer the questions of the ignorant. We answer the questions of those who want to know. We don't affirm or give a platform to the deceivers. The fastest way to put them out of business is to make sure that you never receive them. If anyone comes to you, I'm not talking about someone ignorant who wants to understand the truth. We're talking about an apostate lying deceiver looking for a foothold embedded in the fellowship of believers to make money off the unsuspecting while he plies his evil lies. Don't receive him into your house.
He could have said, "Don't receive him in your church." That's true, but then churches were not the first place they would go. Why? Because churches were protected by what group of men? Elders. And what...what was necessary to be an elder? First Timothy 3, they had to be...end of verse 2...didaktikos, skilled teachers. So you wouldn't expect a false teacher just to invade a church. He's not going to get in here. We have elders who are skilled teachers. Titus 1:9, "Elders are able to hold fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the doctrine and are able both to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict." And they can handle the rebellious men, the empty talkers, and deceivers. That's what elders and pastors do. So they don't come to the church. That's where they ultimately end up, that's where they'd like to end up. They don't come there first, they go to the home. They want to get you on your front porch. They want to get you through the television or the radio. They want to find their way to those who are vulnerable. In 2 Timothy 3 and verse 5 it says, "These false teachers have a form of godliness without power." And verse 6 says, "They enter into households and they captivate weak women." Hmmm, that's what they do. They look for the weak and the sympathetic and tender hearted and compassionate and embed themselves there and start their divesting of those people's resources and the confusion of their minds. Don't let them in your house. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly." And this doesn't apply to new Christians, or those who seek a full knowledge of Christ. These people are not learners, they are...what?...teachers, the emissaries of deception.
But that's not all it says. They are so dangerous, not only do you not let them in, look at the end of verse 10, "Do not give him a greeting...do not give him a greeting." Saintly Polycarp met a heretic and greeted him with this, "I recognize Satan's firstborn." Greeting...greeting is chairo, it means to give a greeting, literally means to rejoice. That was the Christian greeting, standard Christian greeting to rejoice. That is to say to someone, "Rejoice." In other words, this is a happy occasion to see you, it produces joy. Your presence is a source of joy. Welcome to the fellowship...is an affirmation of solidarity. You don't ever want to say that to a false teacher and a deceiver and a liar and an emissary of Satan, somebody who has gone beyond what the Bible teaches about Christ. Don't ever say that to a false teacher.
You say, "Well, that's narrow." You bet. You say, "That's harsh." You've got it right. You say, "That's unloving." Absolutely. But nothing is as dangerous as deception because nothing is as precious as truth, right? He's speaking of dangerous wolves, Acts 20. He's speaking of thieves in the language of Jesus in John 10 who come to kill and destroy the flock. Any hospitality, any commendation, any acceptance of them would be dangerous exposure to antichrist influences. You can't overstate this. It would be impossible to overstate this. If you ever put yourself in a position in which you give yourself over to lying teachers, you're in defiance of this text. You may think they're academic and you may think they're something very elite about being a part of some academic environment, the appropriate thing would be to borrow from Polycarp and tell your Christ-denying religious professor, "I recognize Satan's firstborn when I see him. Shut the door in their face, John says. John was a real shepherd. He was protecting his flock. The quickest way to contribute to their failure is to shut the door and give them no affirming greeting at all. Their mouths, Titus 1 says, must be stopped. And the church today is not willing to do this...not willing to do this.
How serious is this? You say, "Well, I should do it for the love of the truth." Right. "I should do it for the honor of God." Right. But John goes beyond that, look at verse 11. "For the one...not the one who lets him in the house...the one who gives him a...what?...a greeting participates in his evil deeds." Wow, koionos with him, fellowships, shares, partakes literally in the evil works of him. That's amazing. If you even show hospitality, beyond that, if you even give him an affirming greeting, that's a tight narrow responsibility. Don't do anything to acknowledge them as Christians.
You know, the government...the government locks up criminals. Why? Why does the government put people in prison, people who kill and plunder and rape and steal? Why does the government put them in prison? For their rehabilitation? Not really. It doesn't do that. But they put them in prison, you hear this all the time, I just want to see that guy off the streets. You put them in jail to protect people, right? Put them in there to protect everybody else. The government understands the destruction these people do physically. And yet I wonder if the church understands the destruction that liars and deceivers do spiritually. The church must never aid or abet or encourage spiritual criminals in any way.
So unmistakable we are commanded to live and love in the truth, to be loyal to the truth and to look for the truth in all who claim to speak for God. One final thought, or so. Learning the truth. John closes this little letter with a reminder that no matter how much you know, you don't know enough. Verse 12, "Having many things to write to you..." I love that. "Having many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come to you and speak face to face that your joy may be made full."
John sort of signs off here before his final word there in verse 13, by reminding us that there's more to know. If we're going to be vigilant, if we're going to be diligent, if we're going to be protectors of the truth, if we're going to be protectors of this sacredness of the church, if we're going to care for the little lambs and be guardians of the people of God, we'll never know enough, never know enough. I never cease to be amazed at the nuances and subtleties of error that just keep coming. So John says, "Having many things to write to you." By the way, that's how he closed 3 John, look at verse 13 in 3 John. "I had many things to write to you, but I'm not willing to write them to you with pen and ink, but I hope to see you shortly and we'll speak face to face." The same thing. And it's appropriate with a short letter to say that, isn't it? So much more to say. So much more you need to know, dear lady, so much more I want you to know.
This is the reality of every growing Christian's experience. There's so much more in the vast truth of Scripture to know, you've got to go from the milk level of the truth to the meat level of the truth. I know I've been doing this a long time and there's so much more to know. I don't know it all, by any stretch of the imagination. I stand like a man in front of the ocean with a bucket full looking at the vast ocean ahead of me and realize the depth and height and breadth and length of the wonder of divine truth. I haven't begun to even approach grasping it all.
And then John opens his heart as a pastor and he says, "I don't want to do so with paper and ink." The word ink is actually the word black. What they wrote with in those days was a combination of water, charcoal and gum resin that made ink. I don't want to write this to you, I don't want to write it, I hope to come to you...personal touch...and speak, I love this, speak...and here's the Greek phrase, stoma pros stoma, mouth to mouth. It's mouth to mouth resuscitation, not talking about an actual contact. We would say eyeball to eyeball. But the Greek idiom was stoma pros stoma, it's the way God spoke to Moses in Numbers 12:8, as a man speaks to a man, mouth to mouth. I want to come and have a personal conversation. This is so wonderful. Here is the Apostle, the last living Apostle, the last one who had walked and talked with Jesus, the beloved Apostle John at the end of his life, and he still could say, "Dear lady, I want to come and I want personally to bring more truth to you and I can't discern in a letter what it is you need or how I may be required to apply that truth. And so you'll have to wait until we see each other face to face."
And then he says, "In order that your joy may be made full." In order that your joy may be made full. What kind of joy is he talking about? The joy that is produced by knowing the truth. I don't know what your highest joy is. Mine is found in knowing the truth. John, 1 John 1:4, "These things I write unto you that your joy may be full...full." It's the truth that produces joy. Like Luke 24 I think it's verse 32, they walked on the road to Emmaus and after having been taught by Jesus they said, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us in the way." The burning heart of joy of learning the truth. Jeremiah says, "Thy words are found and I did eat them and Thy word was in me the joy and rejoicing of my heart." So John says you've got to keep learning and I want to come and I want to see you and see your situation and know what you know and I want to tell you what you need to know so that you can come to fullness of joy. The fullness of joy is connected to the greatest knowledge of the truth. The truth of God, dear ones, is our life. It saves us, it sanctifies us, it assures us of eternal glory and it protects us and it protects God's church. And so we live in the truth, we love in the truth, we're loyal to the truth, we look discerningly for the truth in those we embrace and we keep learning the truth.
And then John says a brief goodbye in verse 13, "The children of your chosen sister greet you." It's a personal letter and she would want to know that her sister had sent her greetings. This is the tender touch of John, the sister and children send their love to the sister and her children. They greet you, aspazomai, it simply means to greet. But it's not the word greet that we saw back in verse 10, that was the Christian greeting chairan(?), this greet you is a very common New Testament word which was a technical term used at the end of letters. You find it at the end of Romans, Romans 16:22. You find it at the end of Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 16:21. It was the final way to sign off. So from his location, the old man John signs off after having called this dear lady to the truth. He embraces her in his heart personally, hopes to come, fill in what she doesn't know so that she can live in the truth, love in the truth, be loyal to the truth, look for the truth and learn the truth and sends her the love of her own sister.
We live in a tender family, a loving family. In some ways it's too loving to be a battlefield, but in other ways we have to see that it is. We fight to protect the love that we enjoy in the truth.
Father, we thank You again for this wonderful epistle. John signs off and we sign off, never to forget the richness of this letter. Thank You for it. Amen.


text:
The 2013 NFL Scouting Combine you might say lacked a bit of the sizzle from a year ago. While the NFL world buzzed about Andrew Luck and RG3 last year, there wasn't a marquee player who really piqued the interest of NFL fans this year. At least not for the on-the-field stuff.
The two guys everybody wanted to talk about this year were cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and Manti Te'o. But for more dubious reasons. The two troubled players had some redemption stories to write, and both grabbed the spotlight.
But who walked away the winner and who has the brightest future? Well there is really only one fair way to settle this and that's to take them to the grid!
And without further ado ...
|Tyrann Mathieu
|Manti Te'o
|Give it to ...
|5-9, 186
|6-1, 241
|Te'o. Mathieu is going to face a lot of a questions about his height, even though he seems rather confident he can cover Calvin Johnson. You know what, I like the swagger, swing this back to Mathieu.
|Notre Dame
|Animal he'd like to distance himself from:
|Honey Badger
|Would like people to forget:
|Rules violations at LSU
|Well, you know
|Te'o. Hey, we've all received mixed signals from girls. Even if those girls, you know, didn't exist. Besides, they don't wake you up at 4 a.m. to test you about your online friends. Though, it's not a terrible idea.
|Distinguishing feature and it's Hollywood counterpart:
Blonde hair like Wesley Snipes/Dennis Rodman
Tribal tattoo that reminds me of the Rock
|Te'o. Dude, that thing is going to be pretty sweet.
|Excelled in:
|The 40
|Press conference
|Te'o. He set a record for most media members in attendance, according to Gil Brandt, who said he even exceeded Tim Tebow. Of course, the media member estimation is still unofficial.
|What was that 40 time:
|Mathieu. He did a pretty good job making his case with his 40-time. A slower time would have likely doomed him.
|Was he clowned by John Harbaugh for his 40-time?
|Mathieu. Now the "John Harbaugh is not impressed" will become the internet meme of the 2013 NFL offseason.
|Was he clowned by LeBron James for his 40-time?
|Te'o. Hey, at least they aren't talking about, you know. That's progress. Although I do agree with Dan Hanzus' assessment James' 40-time is disputable at best. A 4.6? Really?
|On-field nemsis:
|Projected round:
|Sliding out of the first
|Mathieu. He's going to end up being a better draft value.
|NFL comparison:
|Cortland Finnegan
|DeMeco Ryans
|Would be a perfect fit for:
|Detroit Lions
|Baltimore Ravens
|Push. Push. We are all thinking Lions for Mathieu, so don't act all indigent. But the Ravens might be a good spot for Mathieu, too. In fact, the Ravens are the perfect spot for everybody.
|Bottom line, did they help themselves as the combine:
|Mathieu. Scouts raved about Mathieu. Deion said he was 'all that and a bag of chips.' Te'o is going to need a huge improvement in his Notre Dame Pro Day.
Mathieu not only wins the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine, he takes this battle, too.
Talk about it with Rank via Twitter or via Facebook. Also be sure to catch the latest "Dave Dameshek Football Program."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Category : Template.
Topic : Boat bill of sale word template free. Author : Brisa Wells.
Posted : Wed, May 22nd 2019 00:48 AM.
Format : jpg/jpeg.
Using invoice templates improves your efficiency, productivity, and accounting practices. More importantly, studies show that how you present your bills significantly influences how urgent your customers regard payment; the more professional your invoices look, the more seriously clients take the payments. Invoice templates improve your companys image and reinforce your brand.


text: These milk pails are straight-sided seamless stainless steel with lids and bail handles. These finely made dairy pails feature rolled lips and highly polished finishes. Grade A quality. Made for years of service. Will fit in the Weck canner/pasteurizer. The 12 quart pail is $12.00 more than the 8 quart pail.


text:
Every phone or tablet comes a selection of wallpapers — images for your home screen or lock screen background that give your device a bit of personality. However, often times those wallpapers don't reflect your personality. We're here to change that.
This is where you can find all the best wallpapers for your Android phone or tablet!
- Google Wallpapers
- Backdrops
- Muzei
- DeviantArt
- InterfaceLIFT
- Android Central Wallpaper roundups
- Android Central Forum
Google Wallpapers
Google got into the Wallpaper game last year with their Wallpapers app, which launched with the Google Pixel and has been growing every day. Wallpapers has a wide selection from satellite imagery to architecture to patterns to the wonderful beauty of nature. You can even choose to have Google mix up your wallpapers every day if you're so inclined!
Backdrops is a massive wallpaper app that features hundreds upon hundreds of wallpapers from artists all around the world. Backdrops has a "Wall of the Day" feature, but some of its best walls are available in paid, premium collections. Whether you're looking for something modern, something natural, or something completely new, Backdrops has some of the best wallpapers around, and you should give it a peek.
Backdrops (Free, in-app purchases)
Muzei wants to mix up your wallpaper a little more often than just daily, allowing you to see a new wallpaper on your phone every few minutes if you so desire. Muzei's many plugins also allow you to pull your prospective wallpapers from thousands of unique and curated sources, ensuring you'll love whatever wallpaper Muzei picks. Plus, if you don't like the current wallpaper, you can set a Quick Settings tile to skip to the next wallpaper.
DeviantArt is one of the biggest and most diverse online art communities on the internet, and as such, is an incredible place to go and search for a wallpaper for anything and everything under the sun. When I'm building an Android theme, the DeviantArt app is usually where I start. Just remember that while DeviantArt has millions and millions of amazing wallpapers, it also has millions and millions of "deviant" art pieces, if you get my drift. Please search responsibly.
InterfaceLIFT is technically an iDevice theme site, but seeing as how theming an iPhone is just a wallpaper, that means it's a great place for Android users to grab a wallpaper before we get into real theming.
Start your wallpaper search at InterfaceLIFT
Our wallpaper roundups
Every now and again, we endeavor to bring you the best of the best wallpapers from all across the internet — many of them from DeviantArt — and sometimes beyond, if need be! Our Wallpaper Weekly posts offer wallpapers for everything from anime to nature to art to science for your wallpaper needs.
Start your wallpaper search in our Wallpaper Weekly archive!
Android Central's wallpaper forum
Android Central's forums are more than just a place to find help with your gear and talk about what we're expecting from the next big smartphone announcement — they're a great place to find new normal and live wallpapers! Our Theming forum can give you new wallpapers and themes to try out on your own phones, and if you come across a wallpaper you really like elsewhere, be sure to share it in our forums and share the love with the rest of our readers!
Start your wallpaper search in our forums
Your turn!
What are your favorite places to find wallpapers? Maybe you have an app you love or an artist whose work you cherish? Leave us a comment down below!
Updated July 2018: This article was updated with some of the latest apps for finding the best wallpapers.


text:
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Spoilers will be present within the article.
|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
The Weasley family ghoul was a ghoul that lived in the attic at the Burrow. Considered to be more of a pet than a pest by the Weasleys, the ghoul is largely ignored, although it does bang on the pipes when it feels the house is too quiet.[1]
In the summer of 1992, Harry Potter, who was staying at the Burrow, found some chains that belonged to the Weasleys' ghoul. He returned the chains to the ghoul, who repaid Harry by giving him a Chocolate Frog Card he had found.[2]
Harry also assisted Ronald Weasley in calming down the ghoul when it was incessantly tossing pipes everywhere, a task set for him by his mother. To accomplish this, Harry and Ron sneaked into the attic by way of an open window (both to avoid Ron's angry mother and in case the ghoul had locked the attic door) and caught a number of the pipes in an old chest. Eventually, the ghoul became frustrated and escaped into a nearby dresser.[3]
Later that year, Molly threatened to set the family ghoul on the reporters who had come to ask about her husband's inquiry at work because of his flying car.
In 1997, Ron came up with a plan to use the ghoul in his plans to assist Harry Potter and Hermione Granger and himself search for Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. Since he would not be at school and did not want to endanger his family, he convinced his brothers, Fred and George, to help him transfigure the ghoul so it looked more human and dress it in pyjamas. He gave it boils so it looked like he had Spattergroit. Arthur Weasley also helped, albeit without the knowledge of his wife.[4]Ron's plan called for the ghoul to take up residence in his room while he was away. The Transfiguration also made the ghoul appear to have Spattergroit, a highly contagious disease. It was Ron's hope that this would convince any Ministry officials or Death Eaters that he was seriously ill, since no wizard would risk getting close.[4]The plan worked, to a certain point. After being interrogated following the fall of the Ministry on 1 August, the Weasley file kept by Dolores Umbridge noted that Ron was seriously ill and confined to his bed.[4] He narrowly missed detection when he temporarily abandoned Harry and Hermione and was caught by Snatchers; he told them that he was Stan Shunpike and then managed to escape. Another close call came when Ron, Harry, and Hermione were ambushed at the Lovegood House; Hermione threw Harry's Invisibility Cloak over Ron as they escaped so that Death Eaters Selwyn and Travers did not see him.
However, after Harry accidentally broke the Taboo on Voldemort's name in 1998, the Death Eaters learned that Ron was with Harry; the rest of the Weasleys were forced into hiding and prevented from going to their jobs.[4]
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (First appearance) (GBC and PS1 versions only.)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Downloadable character pack)
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)


text:
Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2005
According to Current Population Survey estimates for 2005, 75.6 million American workers were paid at hourly rates, representing 60.1 percent of all wage and salary workers.1 Of those paid by the hour, 479,000 were reported as earning exactly $5.15, the prevailing Federal minimum wage. Another 1.4 million were reported as earning wages below the minimum.2 Together, these 1.9 million workers with wages at or below the minimum made up 2.5 percent of all hourly-paid workers. Tables 1 - 10 present data on a wide array of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics for hourly-paid workers earning at or below the Federal minimum wage. The following are some highlights from the 2005 data.
- Minimum wage workers tend to be young. About half of workers earning $5.15 or less were under age 25, and about one-fourth of workers earning at or below the minimum wage were age 16-19. Among employed teenagers, about 9 percent earned $5.15 or less. About 2 percent of workers age 25 and over earned the minimum wage or less. Among those age 65 and over, the proportion was about 3 percent. (See table 1 and table 7.)
- About 3 percent of women paid hourly rates reported wages at or below the prevailing Federal minimum, compared with under 2 percent of men. (See table 1.)
- Less than 3 percent of white hourly-paid workers earned $5.15 or less. Among black, Asian, and Hispanic hourly-paid workers, about 2 percent earned the Federal minimum wage or less. For whites and Hispanics, women were twice as likely as men to earn $5.15 or less. (See table 1.)
- Never-married workers, who tend to be young, were more likely to earn the minimum wage or less than married workers. (See table 8.)
- Among hourly-paid workers age 16 and over, 2 percent of those who had a high school diploma but had not gone on to college earned the minimum wage or less. (See table 6.)
- Part-time workers (persons who usually work less than 35 hours per week) were more likely than their full-time counterparts to be paid $5.15 or less (about 6 percent versus 1 percent). (See table 1 and table 9.)
- By occupational group, the highest proportion of workers earning at or below the Federal minimum wage occurred in service occupations, at about 8 percent. About three in four workers earning $5.15 or less in 2005 were employed in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and service jobs. The proportion of hourly-paid workers whose earnings were reported at or below $5.15 was lowest for persons employed in management, professional, and related occupations and natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (less than 1 percent for both). (See table 4.)
- The industry with the highest proportion of workers with reported hourly wages at or below $5.15 was leisure and hospitality (about 14 percent). About three-fifths of all workers paid at or below the Federal minimum wage were employed in this industry, primarily in the food services and drinking places component. For many of these workers, tips and commissions supplement the hourly wages received. (See table 5.)
- Among the states, Oklahoma and West Virginia had the highest proportion of hourly-paid workers earning at or below $5.15 (at about 4 percent). Alaska, California, and Washington had the lowest proportion earning the minimum wage or less (less than 1 percent). It should be noted that some states have minimum wage laws establishing minimum wage standards that exceed the Federal level of $5.15 per hour. (See table 2 and table 3.)
- The proportion of hourly-paid workers earning the prevailing Federal minimum wage or less has trended downward since 1979, when data first began to be collected on a regular basis. (See table 10.)
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bureau of Labor Statistics' data on minimum wage earners are derived from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a nationwide sample survey of households that includes questions enabling the identification of hourly-paid workers and their hourly wage rate. Data in this summary are 2005 annual averages.
1 Data are for wage and salary workers, excluding the incorporated self-employed, and refer to earnings on a person's sole or principal job.
2 It should be noted that the presence of a sizable number of workers with reported wages below the minimum does not necessarily indicate violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as there are exemptions to the minimum wage provisions of the law. Indeed, the relatively large number of workers with reported wages below the minimum in 2005 includes about 300,000 hourly-paid workers reported as earning exactly $5.00 per hour; to some extent, this may reflect rounding in the responses of survey participants. The estimates of the numbers of minimum and subminimum wage workers presented in the accompanying tables pertain to workers paid at hourly rates; salaried and other non-hourly workers are excluded. As such, the actual number of workers with earnings at or below the prevailing minimum is undoubtedly understated. Research has shown that a relatively smaller number and share of salaried workers and others not paid by the hour have earnings that, when translated into hourly rates, are at or below the minimum wage. However, BLS does not routinely estimate hourly earnings for non-hourly workers because of data concerns that arise in producing these estimates. For further information, see Steven Haugen and Earl Mellor, "Estimating the number of minimum wage workers," Monthly Labor Review, January 1990 (PDF 415K).
Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2005, Tables 1 - 10
Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2005 (PDF)
Last Modified Date: September 12, 2016


text:
Topcon's new System 210 addresses three important farming operations from the cab of the tractor, and is based on time-tested control systems made famous by the company.
System 210 uses Topcon's Agricultural GPS+ technology and operates on the X20 multi-function, touch screen controller. With the system, an operator can gather field surveys in minutes, or let Topcon's AGForm-3D survey and design software calculate best-fit slopes to reduce yardage of soil moved.
The system features include dual-constellation GPS plus GLONASS satellite reception for accuracy and 24/7 capability. It operates in conjunction with AGForm-3D land-leveling, surveying and field design software, and allows an operator to break fields into multiple sections to reduce yardage, shorten hauls and minimize topsoil cuts.
The HiPer AG mobile base station provides GNSS corrections for high-accuracy Z-axis positioning for land leveling. The one-piece, cable-free unit incorporates a receiver, radio, antennas and a rechargeable battery.
Dual constellation antenna options include the PG-A1 with integrated ground plane and micro-center technology which reduces multipath errors or the CR-G3 dome with internal choke ring for high performance in more demanding environments.
For more information, visit www.topcompositioning.com.


text:
The Chain Staff is a melee and ranged weapon in one. The deadly chainsaw always returns to the staff after it is fired. these warriors are some of th deadliest fighters. Now undead they are even more deadly.
The standard trooper has a personal force shield and light sabre. They also have a rapid fire blaster for ranged combat.
Heavy weapons and NCO. Plasma Bazooka, Gyrojet Rocket Launcher and Sconic Disruptor armed NCO.
The Gyrojet Rocket Launcher is the perfect weapon against heavy armoured targets. A rapid Fire Blaster Carbine and melee weapon is also carried.
Lrdofbriks, the only survivor of the ill fated Azure Guard and sworn to avenge them. Note the face tear tattoo, it itches when the undead are near.
Unbeknownst to lrdofbricks I have brain stormed an idea that has sort of evolved as most of my ideas usually do, by haphazard accident.
You can find the cause of this conversation here.lrdofbricks wrote:im most likely depicted as the random spaceman crying...Almighty Benny wrote:I call the guy with the green shirt and knight helmet
http://www.brikwars.com/forums/viewtopi ... c&start=45
Ok, I'm going to try and explain my unordered and shattered minds eye view of what I mean by outlaying a sort of story, hope you like it.
The Deadly Spacemen have an Elite Force called the Azure Guard, amazingly they wore Blue uniforms. As well as expanding the Deadly Spaceman Empire one of the other duties of the Deadly Spacemen was to protect the order and stability in the Civilised Systems. these tasks were given to the freshest of recruits as a part of their training. One small contingent of this force was lead by a young nobleman by the name of lrdofbriks. This is his story.
After the latest and most bold of raids on the local shipping reached the ears of Central Command it was decided that Piracy in the Cromerty System must be eradicated. However, these Pirates had amassed enough wealth to arm and crew a small fleet and were presently well entrenched in a fortified base in the Cerberus Straights, a wide band of asteroids that intersected the main shipping lanes. These Pirates were too strong for the regional governors to tackle head on with the limited resources they had ready. The Azure Guard were contacted and a team dispatched.
Unfortunately, the Pirates had a vast network of informants and so news of this mission reached them. Even so, the Azure Guard, even a small contingent like this were not to be taken lightly. Plans were laid and an ambush set to greet them on arrival.
This treachery was to be expected and had been planed for in turn. The Azure Guard in a lightning strike made their landing from a stealthed ship in boarding torpedoes. Before the now de-cloaked ship was destroyed the torpedoes had already breached the base's hull. The Azure Guard stormed aboard, sowing death and confusion amongst the Pirate crew as they went. A fierce battle was fought but despite the ferocity of the Pirates they could not match the Elite Deadly Spacemen. Eventually they cornered the Pirate Leader in his command bridge. A heroic battle ensued between the hulking brute and the young lrdofbriks that left the young noble terribly wounded but victorious. When the base was taken the remaining ships in the system fled rather than lend aid to their fellows, the Pirate band had been broken.
However, the victory was to be short lived for on that base a stolen artefact lay dormant until now. Called from his slumber by the souls of the dead and dying an ancient curse stirred and Zombie Lincoln awoke.
The Azure Guard were beset with re-animated corpses of the Pirates they had only recently slain, they tried to co-ordinate a defensive fall back to the life pods but at every turn they were hunted. One by one the Deadly Spacemen fell only to be re-animated by the cursed necromancy of Zombie Lincoln. Desperately the Guard battled, their loyalty to their commander driving them to even greater acts of heroism. Lrdofbriks despite his wounds had tried to stay with his men but his wounds proved too much. Seeing their commander fall the Deadly Spacemen fought their way through to the Life Pods giving their lives for him. They had just enough time to strap Lrdofbriks into the medi-comp and send it into space before they were overrun.
Leaving the base of the dead behind the Life Pod cruised through the system headed for the main planet of Cromerty I. lrdofbriks wounds were stabilised and in some cases mended before the journey was over but he vowed his revenge for the loss of his men and secretly held himself responsible for their demise. (Hence the tear tattoo on his face). He swore he would not rest until they had been given the honourable rest they so richly deserved and the Necromancer controlling them was destroyed.
On his arrival in system lrdofbriks was to be met with an even greater shock. A raiding force of The Immortals sensing the systems temporary weakness had taken the opportunity to raid the planet. Lrdofbriks, life pod was detected and captured by an Immortal Cruiser. When later found to be a Deadly Spaceman he was given the opportunity to serve them, or die. The young man saw his only opportunity to avenge his men and atone for his guilt. He serves them still but his quest for vengeance has never been forgotten.


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Management (CVMNGA)
Advanced Certificate
Program is also available online.
This advanced certificate offers students in any occupation or trade an opportunity to acquire skills to supervise an operation by learning and applying basic management principles through case studies and exercises. Upon completing this program, students will be able to use various tools to manage an operation which includes developing goals, organizing work activities, promoting desired employee performance, and monitoring productivity with a customer focus. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills that will involve both a critical and creative approach to management problem-solving activities. The advanced certificate may also be applied toward a WCC Associate in Applied Science Degree.
Eastern Michigan University, several BS degrees.
Copies can be obtained from the Counseling Office, a program advisor, or from the Curriculum and Assessment Office Web site: www.wccnet.edu/curriculum/articulation/levelone/colleges/.
Admissions Requirements
Successful completion of a career certificate or degree program or equivalent work experience. CIS 100 with a "C-" or better or equivalent skills.
Contact Information
- Division
- Business/Computer Technologies
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- Sandro Tuccinardi
Requirements(Items marked in orange are available online.)
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Western Europe Phrasebook - French (PDF Chapter)
This is the French chapter from Lonely Planet's Western Europe phrasebook.
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Best Theatre & Stage Supplies Online
Theatre House is your one stop theatrical supply shop since 1955, including supplies, props, wigs, makeup, lighting, costumes and fabrics. Quick shipping from our Northern Kentucky location, right across the river from Cincinnati, means you get your items fast. Same day shipping on available items.


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Searching for a fresh and fabulous way to give the gift of fruit? When the occasion calls for a truly special gift look no further than Shari's Berries and our premium assortment of fresh fruit gift baskets. Beautifully presented, like all of our amazing gourmet gift baskets, baked goods and tasty dipped treats, our luxurious fruit baskets make for a wonderfully fun and fresh gift option.
Packed with all of the flavors of the season, freshly wrapped and delivered right to your home or office. That's what we have in store here. From spring and summer's fresh berries, cherries and plums to fall's crisp apples and pears, when it comes to picking fruit, we always serve up the best of the bounty. Discover everything from sweet spring cherry gift baskets, zesty citrus gift selections, crisp fall apple and pear gift boxes, exotic fruit hampers and much more. We even feature wide line-up of organic fruit baskets.
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Some 30 prisoners escaped after a bomb blast at a prison in southern Yemen on Thursday, police said. According to AFP, they said a dispute broke out at a police post next to the jail between policemen and sympathisers of the breakaway movement arrested for having taken part in a protest in Daleh, 280 kilometres from Sanaa.
The detained protesters hurled a bomb, according to police, who said two policemen and three of the demonstrators were hurt. About 30 of those just arrested managed to escape in the mayhem.
Members of the movement for the independence of south Yemen told AFP the bomb was thrown by police.
Elsewhere on Thursday, police shot dead one protester and injured five others in the nearby city of Radfan as they opened fire to disperse a demonstration led by southern separatists. Witnesses said the demonstrators, some of whom were armed, carried flags of the former South Yemen.


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Dust control is an integral part of the Festool system and design philosophy. That is why the CT 48 is equipped with tool-triggered auto start functionality so that when you plug your tool into the supplied outlet socket, the vacuum cycles with the tool. This represents greater efficiency in dust extraction, noise reduction, and with less energy consumption versus a constant-on unit. Variable suction force allows you to regulate the suction based on your tasks. A small detail sander may not require the full 137 CFM of this unit, but a router may require it.
HEPA filters are standard and remove 99.99% of particulate to 0.3 micron. In fabrication, dust happens. It's very small, floats everywhere, lands on everything in sight, and gets inside your tools. Due to its minute size, wood dust particles can be particularly troublesome to remove from an environment once airborne. The fine dust that is ejected into the air can make you sneeze, cough, and experience other allergy-like symptoms. Experts agree that limiting your exposure is the best protection.
Smooth start, infinitely adjustable electronic air flow control and tool triggered or manual on-off switch ensures convenient and efficient dust control.
An ergonomic handle is positioned 7-9 inches in from the body, which is the most natural position for lifting. The supplied antistatic hose stores neatly into the integrated hose garage, a standard feature on all current dust extractor models. The hose garage also protects your hose from inadvertent damage during transit. A dust extractor that is designed properly will offer convenient storage solutions for keeping the hoses and accessories well organized and readily available. On-board cradles, handles, and the ability to use the flat top as a temporary shelf to support tools are nice features that you should consider.
Festool's ingenious Sys-Dock feature turns your dust extractor into a mobile cart for your tools and accessories. Festool Systainers, the carrying cases which are standard with nearly every Festool power tool, latch to the top of our dust extractors allowing you to move tools together, reducing steps when setting up your jobsite. The Sys-Dock is also flat, serving as a convenient place to rest your tool or materials while you work.
As with all CT dust extractors, the 1 1/16" x 11.5' (27mm x 3.5m) antistatic hose comes standard.
Having the ability to vacuum wet spills is important. An integrated water level detector and auto shut-off minimize problems with overfilling your vacuum with too much liquid. The motor housing is sealed, and the lid has a gasket to keep water where it belongs. A complete range of optional Festool cleaning sets complement both wet and dry operations.
Everything needs its own storage space. The cord can be wound on the dedicated cord wrap to prevent it from getting in the way during transportation.
Festool dust extractors are designed with a low center of gravity to prevent inadvertent tipping. Many other manufacturers' units are not designed in this way and tipping could result in costly damage to the vacuum or to your client's floors. An easy-to-use, conveniently located parking brake offers peace of mind to prevent your Festool dust extractor from rolling down stairs or moving during transport in your vehicle. Festool CT dust extractors feature larger-than-average wheels, making it easy to maneuver over bumpy terrain with ease. The wheels are coated in a rubber-like, non-marring material to protect your clients' floors from damage and abrasion.
Watch video of Brian
Robertson of Green Goods describing the importance of using Festool sanders and
HEPA dust extractors in his business.
We're here to help. Feel free to give us a call toll-free at 888-337-8600 or use
our contact form and one of our tool
application specialists will help answer your questions.
Visit the Festool Owners
Group forum, consisting of over 15,000 international members. The forum
is a great place to collaborate with other Festool power tool owners. There's no
better online resource of Festool information than the Festool Owners Group.
© Copyright
Festool USA, Tooltechnic Systems, LLC. All rights reserved. Festool reserves the
right to correct any erroneous information on this site.


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Supplies All Designer Digitals:
Katie Pertiet:
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Pocket Pages Layered Templates No. 18 **New This Week**
Wooden Arrows No. 01
Classic Cardstocks: Festive Brights Paper Pack
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Nikki Journalers
Just Linens Paper Pack No. 37
Annino Solids Paper Pack
Ali Edwards:
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Cathy Zielske:
J-Cards No. 03
Simple Patterns No. 01 Paper Pack
Cassie Jones:
Howd They Do That? No. 04: Selective ReColoring
Thanks for looking!


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The premium end of the smartphone world is about to get more crowded.
Chinese handset makers, mostly present in the low-end segments of the market thus far, are now all set to enter what has been the exclusive domain of Apple Inc. and a handful of other well-established firms, an arena where smartphones cost upwards of $500 apiece.
Chinese vendors will help grow the mainland China market for premium-end smartphones to 20 million units this year from just about 1 million units in 2012, Nomura Equity Research estimates. And the foray into a segment dominated by Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S3 is expected to drive a meaningful growth in their profit margins, the brokerage said.
Nomura mentioned the following models that cost more than $500:
-- ZTE Corp.'s Grand S, costing about $620
-- Huawei Technologies Co.'s Ascend D2, with a price of around $630
-- Lenovo Group Ltd.'s K900, with a price tag close to $520, and
-- China Wireless Technology Ltd.'s 9960, costing approximately $680.
All four of the above models come with screen sizes between 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, and claim some better features in terms of screen resolution, processor speed and rear-camera specs than the Galaxy S3 or the iPhone 5, according to Nomura. The iPhone 5 comes with a 4-inch screen, while the Galaxy S3 has a 4.8-inch screen.
"Based on our conversations with [global] telecom operators, we believe there are rising concerns regarding the dominant influence of Samsung and Apple, especially in the premium segment," Nomura's Leping Huang and David Hao wrote in a note to clients.
"China smartphone vendors may be able to take share of the operator pie from Apple and Samsung as part of operators' efforts to offset the dominant positions of leading handset vendors," they said.
The analysts expect total shipments of high-end phones by Chinese vendors to reach about 20 million units in 2013, up from almost zero in 2012. Total smartphone shipments, including high-, mid- and low-end handsets, are estimated to reach 300 million units in 2013, 50% higher than the estimated sales in 2012, they said.
And while the Chinese vendors' profit margins on smartphones are at present only a fraction of Apple's, or Samsung's, Nomura expects an improvement on the back of these high-end launches.
"China vendors can generate operating profit margin of 7% from one high-end smartphone with a retail price of $400, and boost per-unit operating profit by 18 [times]," Huang and Hao said.
-- V. Phani Kumar
Follow the Tell on Twitter: @thetellblog
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @MktwKumar


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Robotics Industry News
Automation Leader Makes Changes to Enhance Value for Clients, Reflect Global Growth
Piab, Robotic Gripping Posted 07/31/2013
SAS Automation launches initiative to advance automation industry through End-of-Arm Tooling
XENIA, Ohio — SAS Automation, the leader in superior robotic End-of-Arm tooling and automation technology, is launching a strategic global initiative to advance the automation industry through end-of-arm tooling solutions. Over the past year and a half, SAS has conducted extensive market research, surveys and customer interviews to uncover new insights into the automation industry and its areas of strategic global growth. As part of this initiative, the company is unveiling a new look for SAS Automation, which better communicates its commitment to global growth and dedication to being an innovative leader in the industry.
"Our refreshed brand signifies our ongoing commitment to innovation, quality and exceptional service and communicates that we are at the forefront of our industry," said Trent Fisher, CEO, SAS Automation. "This is the first rebranding our company has undertaken in 15 years, and it comes at a critical time as we continue to grow and expand our global presence, especially in places such as Europe and Asia."
As part of the company's comprehensive global initiative, SAS Automation has hired new sales managers in the US, Germany, and China to better serve customers, built a strategic plan for global growth and is developing an integrated operations and e-commerce model to focus on superior global delivery.
"As a result of SAS Automation's continued commitment to advancing the automation industry with sophisticated end-of-arm tooling products, we have been able to improve functionality for our customers," said SAS customer Bruce (Bubba) Coy, Maintenance Supervisor, Johnson Controls Interior Manufacturing. "Over the past several years, we've witnessed SAS' evolution into becoming a global leader in this industry. Their growth and expertise has helped us to become a global leader in our category as well."
For more information on SAS Automation's growth initiative and new look, please visit SASAutomation.com.
SAS Automation, headquartered in Xenia, Ohio, provides superior end-of-arm tooling and automation technology to customers and suppliers around the world in a variety of industries, including food, automotive, metal handling, palletizing, and plastics. SAS Automation is one of the world's largest suppliers of modular component-based robotic end-of-arm tooling and gripper systems.


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Arts Education Standards
Achievement Standards for Grades K4
Achievement Standards for Grades K4
Achievement Standards for Grades K4
Achievement Standards for Grades K4
Visual Art
Achievement Standards for grades K4
Source: National Standards for Arts Education, published by Music Educators National Conference (MENC). Copyright © 1994 by MENC. Used by permission. The complete National Arts standards and additional materials relating to the Standards are available from MENC, The National Association for Music Education, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 20191, telephone: 800-336-3768.
Source, Dance Standards: This article/quote is reprinted
from National Standards for Arts Education with permission of the National
Dance Association, an association of the American Alliance for Health,
Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The original source may be purchased
from: National Dance Association, 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1599;
Video Library Home | Site Map | About This Video Library | Support Materials
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The people behind the resurrected KickassTorrents have condemned the sentence handed to one of the site's former music releasers. After uploading Top 40 songs to the old KAT, Wayne Evans was sent to prison for 12 months, something the team describes as "offensive in the extreme."
katcommFollowing a joint investigation with licensing outfit PRS for Music, last year officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) and Merseyside police raided an address in Everton, Liverpool.
They arrested Wayne Evans, a local DJ who was involved in the online distribution of digital music. Known online as OldSkoolScouse, Evans uploaded packs of the UK's current Top 40 Singles to torrent sites each week. They included at least 200 uploaded to KickassTorrents.
After pleading guilty during an earlier hearing, this month Evans was sentenced for copyright infringement and fraud. The 39-year-old, who had no previous convictions, was jailed for a year.
Both police and rightsholders celebrated the conviction, describing the 12 months sentence as a deterrent to others considering music piracy. But of course, among file-sharers the long-term detention of Evans was less well received and has been widely criticized online.
Now, the team behind the resurrected KickassTorrents have added their dissenting voices, slamming the sentence as a waste of time and money.
"We find the 12-month sentence of OldSkoolScouse which the judge ruled a 'deterrent to others' offensive in the extreme and an irresponsible waste of taxpayer resources," the team told TF in a statement.
"One questions the motivations of the agencies and resources assigned in regards to copyright infringements whilst actual criminals walk free. Is this what our legal systems have now become?"
While Evans undoubtedly knew that what he was doing was illegal on some level, it's unlikely he'd have expected a knock on the door from the UK's most elite anti-piracy unit followed by a major conviction for fraud. Undoubtedly a show of force and a stern warning would've ensured no more uploads, but clearly the police and PRS were out to prove a point.
But herein lies the problem. Whether copyright holders like it or not, the general public simply does not see infringement as a serious crime, so when hefty sentences like this are handed out, the numbers are rarely seen to add up.
For instance, take the woman who smashed a glass into another woman's head in an unprovoked nightclub attack in May. This November, she also received a 12-month sentence.
Another man, who regularly tortured his girlfriend and subjected her to waterboarding sessions, got the same sentence in August.
Worse still, over the past 15 years many convicted terrorists in the UK have been released after serving just 12 months in prison.
It's no surprise at all that the public has difficulty equating the seriousness of file-sharing to these violent and obnoxious crimes and it's hard to imagine a time when that will change. However, the authorities have clearly drawn a line in the sand, so if they wanted a deterrent, then they definitely have one here.
Finally, the KickassTeam call for solidarity and wish Evans all the best for the future.
"We urge OldSkoolScouse to appeal the case and allow justice to prevail. Now is the time for the community to show its full support and put an end to corporate greed, bullying, ransom and censorship."
New KickassTorrents Team Condemns Jailing of Music Pirate
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New KickassTorrents Team Condemns Jailing of Music Pirate
THREE new pieces of music listening to now
On a side note, dont you get out of college next week for Summer Break?
On a side note, dont you get out of college next week for Summer Break?
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Saturday, January 01, 2011
Collective Accounting, New Year's Eve
At midnight on the last day of the year, as the moon lays a blanket of light on the pastures and the wind stirs the needles on the pines that line their edges, nothing seems different than the night before or the day after. Yet, the horses will celebrate a birthday.
It is a custom used to categorize the species simply. The event slips away undetected. In a quiet room where records are kept and matters like this may mean something, someone takes notice. But the horses don't. They sleep standing, bobbing gently when the burden of their weight on a leg makes the other leg numb. Meanwhile, another passage in the continuum of life rolls on by.
A small band has gathered in a corner. The tracks of a rabbit in the snow corral its members. An aurora of steam frames their elegant shapes with a halo. Their bodies are backlit by the blue from a lamp that hangs from the eaves on the corner of a nearby farmhouse. Smoke seeps from the chimney. Stars splatter the globe's dome. The night is unremarkable, otherwise.
Acknowledging a faint faraway sound, a mare paws the sodden Earth. She is heavy through the middle like an old man laying face down in a hammock. She shakes the dusting off her swaybacked spine with a tremble and lets out with a snort. Her eyes shut, her head dipped, the jagged movement in her back is subtle.
The waning hours of the 365th day, with their emphasis on ritual and excess, represent a human concept. Nature marks the seasons by the forming of ice on the streams and the flight of geese and a new circle in the trunk of a sycamore. Homo sapiens, the ingenious species, create history, define goals and make resolutions.
As proof of this, the farm's owners are engaged in Lucullan revelries. Homes across the region are aglow. Strands of Auld Lang Syne can be heard, champagne's poured, toasts are made and there's kissing when the clock strikes twelve. People are unique in maintaining a record of their lives. The past, present and the future merely happen for other life forms.
Animals comply with the natural order. Possessed with uncanny awareness, horses behave at the command of their instincts. Their sense of place and role is a result of a genetic disposition. Which of the many shall lead the pack through a figure eight in the paddock? Which will enter a gate first when they're brought home from the elements?
Remarkably, within the fenced borders, myriad issues that escape the human experience are being sorted out. The equine universe is holistic. Hierarchy and purpose are the dictates of DNA, not the adherence to convention. There's a place for even the least of the beasts.
Why anyone allows cruelty in this kingdom is a mystery. Yet, men with a worldly motive have shown to be uncommonly heartless. Everything in nature deserves to be watched over. Rescue, sanctuary and euthanasia are choices. The world is connected.
When a living thing appears at the end of its happiness, humans who do less than they can to preserve its dignity face the sad fate of becoming diminished. The life of a creature exists at their biding. Horses ask little in return for their beauty, their loyalty and service. A person enters into a compact with a force beyond comprehension whenever a horse is bred, born and raised. At the very least, the manner with which people dispose of animals who suffer is a reflection of how they themselves wish to be treated.
There are men who can see invisible things, it is said. This night, on the occasion of collective accounting, a man of unusual insight approaches the arena. He breaks the peace of the falling snow. The pointed flakes, each in their own composition, descend on the oil-treated shoulders of his Barbour. He is a shaman, whose mystical powers enable him to operate in nature's realm.
Quietly standing in the circle of the herd, the shaman understands that his thoughts lack in consequence. But he's unable to escape them. And he listens, and hears nothing. And the horses show no signs of wariness. Their acceptance of fate proceeds without complication, as if nothing in the past or the future, regardless of its influence, will intrude upon the stillness.
Written by Vic Zast


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Britney Spears had one helluva wild weekend in NYC , but Saturday night's vomitfest could be the topper.
Brit started her weekend in high gear by showing up at club Tenjune at midnight Saturday and partied until 3:30 AM -- but the excitement came after she left. After Spears was ushered from her SUV to her hotel, the waiting crowd noticed that Brit's ride was covered with puke!
Her lost weekend didn't end there. Brit was also seen heading into Club One, sporting a hoochie mama red dress, and once again being shielded from photogs.
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