runstuck

Joseph of Arimathea pulled a corpse off a cross with his bare hands. Blood under his fingernails. The weight of a dead man sagging into his arms. He wrapped God in linen, pressed the fabric into wounds that were still wet. Nicodemus brought seventy-five pounds of burial spice. A king's funeral for a man the world just murdered. They carried Him into a hole in the rock and rolled the stone shut. And everything you've ever done went in with Him. Every night you can't sleep because of what you did. Every morning, you can't look in the mirror. The thing you did to her. The thing you did to them. The lie you've been carrying so long it feels like bone. The version of you that drinks alone and pretends tomorrow will be different. That man was buried with Christ. Stone sealed. Done. Not managed. Not in therapy. Not on a payment plan with God where you slowly earn your way back. Buried. In a tomb. Under rock. Gone. Three days of silence. Three days of a cold body in the dark. Then the stone moved. And when He walked out, the grave clothes were folded on the slab. He didn't stumble out tangled in death. He left it sitting there like a man who's done with the clothes he used to wear. Lazarus needed someone to unwrap him. Death still clung to him even after he was breathing. Jesus folded His own burial linen and walked out clean. That's the difference between religion and resurrection. Religion unwraps you slowly. Asks you to manage your sin. Attend the class. Read the book. Try harder next week. Resurrection says the man who walked into that tomb is dead. The man who walked out doesn't know him. You're not fixing the old you. The old you is in a sealed tomb in Jerusalem, and he's not coming back. The man reading this, the one who thinks he's too far gone, you're not too far. You're already buried. The funeral happened two thousand years ago. Now get up. The stone's already moved. The linen's already folded. Walk out.

14 years ago, a 9 year old kid named Caine spent his summer sitting in his dad's auto parts shop. He was bored, so he started taping old cardboard boxes together to pass the time. He built a basketball hoop, a soccer game, and a claw machine made out of an S hook and some yarn. He even taped calculators to the boxes to serve as credit card verification terminals. By August, the front of the shop was a fully functional cardboard arcade. Caine designed a "Fun Pass" that gave you 500 plays for two dollars, but he had zero customers. People just came in for car parts and left. Then a filmmaker named Nirvan Mullick walked in looking for a door handle for a 1996 Corolla. He saw the cardboard games, asked Caine how much it cost, and bought the two dollar pass. Nirvan set up an event page online. He asked the internet to show up on a Sunday afternoon to surprise the kid, thinking maybe twenty people would come. When Caine pulled up to the shop that Sunday, the street was completely blocked. Hundreds of strangers were waiting in line to play his cardboard games, holding handmade signs and chanting his name. Nirvan posted a short documentary about that afternoon on YouTube titled "Caine's Arcade," and it went massively viral. People watching online ended up donating over $240,000 for Caine's college fund.

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Chuck Norris died yesterday at 86. The internet will spend the next 72 hours posting roundhouse kick memes. Nobody’s going to talk about the thing that mattered most to him. He was a Christian. Saved at 12 years old. Baptized at Calvary Baptist Church. Attended a Billy Graham crusade and recommitted his life to Christ. His mother raised him alone in Oklahoma. Dirt poor. Father was a drunk who left. She had nothing but a Bible and a prayer life that wouldn’t quit. Told him every single day: “God has a plan for you.” He strayed in Hollywood. First marriage fell apart. Fame rotted the inside while the outside looked invincible. Then God gave him a second chance. He came home to Christ through his wife, Gena. Joined Prestwood Baptist Church in Dallas. Fought to put the Bible back in public schools. Created a foundation that embedded biblical principles in 6,500 schools. He stood in front of cameras and said, “We are unashamed Christians. Our faith is the primary anchor for our souls.” In a town that hates the name of Jesus, he said it anyway. 2 Timothy 4:7 — “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Rest in peace, Chuck. Your mother’s prayers held.

NEW: Former MMA fighter Ben Askren reveals he has been baptized just months after he spent two months in the hospital and died four times. “I got baptized last weekend, it was even more special because I was able to do it with my wife!!” Askren said on Instagram. “Amy has always been a believer and we have been going to church together for the last 16 years and for the last 16 years she has been praying for me to become a believer also.” “Last summer that happened and it felt so good to be able to become the man that my wife had been praying for. Last summer taught me a lot of things and a big one was that we are not guaranteed any more days here on earth.” “Everyday I pray and thank God for giving me the to live another day. I have immense gratitude to be able to spend it with my family and friends.” “Thank you to everyone who pushed me in my faith and prayed for me, i plan on spending the rest of my days spreading the word of jesus and helping as many people as l can.” Awesome.

This paragraph by C.S. Lewis, written in 1948, still hits hard: “If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”

@CultureExploreX @squareroot80850 Ahh the deification of Mary…surely Paul even or perhaps John said something about this? How we should build temples and honor her? Even pray to her? But no. They did not. So from paganism to…something…different?

@squareroot80850 Sure will look into it. That would indeed make for a fascinating article.

Two thousand years ago, Ephesus was one of the richest cities in the Roman Empire. People traveled across the Mediterranean just to see it. Around 52 AD a Jewish preacher arrived in the city. His name was Paul the Apostle. He began teaching in synagogues and public halls about a crucified man from Judea whom he called Lord. At first it sounded like one more philosophical voice in a city full of competing ideas. But something unusual started happening. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul stayed in Ephesus nearly three years. People listened. Some converted. Others burned books of magic and abandoned old rituals. Slowly the new faith began to disrupt the city’s economy. Because Ephesus was built on religion. Thousands of craftsmen made statues of Artemis. Pilgrims bought charms and silver idols. The cult of Artemis was belief and business. Then a silversmith named Demetrius realized what was happening. If this new religion kept spreading, people would stop buying the statues. So he gathered the craftsmen and gave a speech that ignited one of the most dramatic scenes in early Christian history. He warned them that Paul’s message threatened not only their trade but the honor of Artemis herself. The result was chaos. A mob flooded the massive theater of Ephesus. Up to twenty thousand people filled the seats shouting the same phrase over and over. “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” For two hours the city roared in defense of its goddess. That moment reveals something important about early Christianity. It was not born in peaceful monasteries. It emerged inside cities where religion, politics, and money collided. Ephesus became one of the first major battlegrounds between the old pagan world and the rising Christian one. The city later became tied to another towering figure in Christian tradition: John the Apostle. Early sources claim John spent his later years guiding the Christian community there. The ruins of the Basilica of St John still stand above the city. For centuries pilgrims climbed that hill believing one of Jesus’s closest companions lay buried beneath it. But Ephesus shaped Christian history in an even deeper way. In 431 AD bishops from across the empire gathered there for the Council of Ephesus. They debated a fierce theological question about the nature of Christ and the role of Mary. The council declared Mary to be Theotokos, the “God-bearer.” That decision still shapes doctrine in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity today. Think about that for a moment. The city that once shook with chants to Artemis later hosted one of the most important councils of Christian theology. And today? The temple of Artemis is gone. Only a single column stands where one of the greatest sanctuaries of the ancient world once rose. But the writings of the small Christian community in Ephesus still circulate across the globe. Millions still read the Epistle to the Ephesians every week. The goddess that once ruled the city vanished. The faith once hunted there outlived the empire. That is why Ephesus matters. It shows how quickly the spiritual map of the world can change. Image below: House of Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey

Romans will keep you spiritually grounded

Grandpa funkin youtube.com/clip/UgkxE5Frk… via @YouTube

I think the coolest name anyone has ever given God is tucked inside James 1:17. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Father of heavenly lights. I love this name and I think it is elite for three reasons. First, it is possessive. Not God of light. Not Creator of light. Father of lights. He has a parental relationship with every luminous thing in the cosmos; stars, sun, fire. He didn’t just make them. He fathered them. There is so much weight in that. Second, the contrast James builds is quiet and devastating. Light produces shadows. But God is so far above His own creation that even the behavior of light doesn’t apply to Him. He is not subject to the physics of what He made. Third, the scale is enormous but the tone is almost tender. It doesn’t sound like a war title or a throne room vision. It sounds like a name a son would whisper. And yet the weight of it is staggering. But it’s the second half of that verse that’s been keeping me alive lately. Who does not change like shifting shadows. I’ve been asking myself a quiet, uncomfortable question these past few weeks of fatherhood. What does God see when He looks at me right now? Does He see me praying with one ear open for my baby’s scream? Worshipping in bits and pieces? Reading my Bible on audio cos my hands aren’t free? Coming home buried from the grind, trying to show up for a wife who’s exhausted, trying to be present for a son who doesn’t know yet what presence costs? Does He compare me to the December version of myself; the one who sat with Him every morning for two hours, crying and trembling, hearing His voice with frightening clarity? I know the answer theologically. But knowing and feeling are two different countries, and I’ve been living in the gap between them. He does not change like shifting shadows. He is not the December version of God when it was easy and something less in March when it’s hard. His posture toward me didn’t shift when my season did. The Father of heavenly lights is not a God of favorable conditions. He doesn’t love me more when I’m more available to Him. That’s the thing about fathers, a good one doesn’t love you less when you’re in the middle of becoming something. And I know this now in a way I didn’t in December, cos I held one in my arms in January. My son doesn’t earn my love by being available to me. He can’t. He just receives it. And if I broken, tired, stretched thin, can love like that, how much more the Father of heavenly lights.

Me: Jesus is God Unbeliever: SOURCE??!! Me: 4 first-hand gospel accounts, over 500 witnesses, 351 prophecies fulfilled, millions of personal encounters, lengthy archaeological evidence, research from thousands of scholars… Anything else you need? Unbeliever:

The Powerful Word of God. The book of Genesis introduces us to the creation of man, Adam. But the Bible later said that Adam is the first Adam. Scripture calls Jesus Christ the second Adam. That means the beginning of the first man in Genesis is also pointing forward to the beginning of the second Adam. From the start, the story is already hinting at restoration. What book comes after Genesis? Exodus. Exodus tells the story of a child drawn out of water, preserved for a purpose. That child grows, spends years in the wilderness, and then returns to deliver his people from bondage. Now think about Jesus. He comes up out of the water at His baptism, goes into the wilderness, and then returns to begin delivering His people from sin. The pattern is too clear to ignore. Exodus is not just history. It is a preview. After Exodus comes Leviticus. Leviticus focuses on the work of the priest in cleansing people from their sins. It is filled with sacrifices, atonement, and the removal of guilt. After His baptism and wilderness experience, Jesus began His ministry of cleansing people from sin. What Leviticus showed through symbols and rituals, Christ fulfilled in reality. The shadow gives way to the substance. After Leviticus comes Numbers. Numbers shows Moses leading twelve tribes and appointing seventy leaders to help carry the burden. When Jesus begins His ministry, He chooses twelve disciples and later sends out seventy. The structure was already there, written into the story long before Christ walked the earth. After Numbers comes Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy records Moses’ final address. He gathers the tribes, repeats the covenant, reminds them of God’s faithfulness, and they sing together. Then Moses goes up the mountain alone to die. He dies, is buried, and later resurrected. Jesus also gathered His disciples, established the new covenant, sang with them, and went out alone to die. He died, was buried, and rose again. The farewell of Moses echoes in the closing moments of Christ’s earthly ministry. After Deuteronomy comes Joshua. Joshua tells of a leader who brings down a fortified city with a shout, demonstrating God’s power over strongholds. In a far greater way, when Jesus died, He brought down the kingdom of Satan with the cry, “It is finished.” Jericho fell with a shout. The dominion of sin fell with a cry. After Joshua comes Judges. Judges shows the tribes moving forward, conquering and advancing even without a visible leader like Moses or Joshua. After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the early church moved forward conquering in His name, even though He was no longer physically present. They were not abandoned. They were empowered. After Judges comes Ruth. Ruth tells the story of a Gentile woman who joins God’s people. She works in the fields, gathering the harvest, and becomes part of the lineage of Christ. She represents something greater than herself. She reflects the church, gathered from the nations, bringing in the harvest, declaring, “Your God will be my God.” The outsider becomes family. After Ruth comes 1 Samuel. In 1 Samuel, the people reject God as their King and demand a human ruler. They unite religious life with political power, choosing human authority over divine leadership. History later echoes this pattern when church and state unite, replacing the direct leadership of Christ with human systems. Then come 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. These books record Israel’s decline into apostasy and their eventual captivity in Babylon. Compromise leads to bondage. Whenever truth is traded for convenience, captivity follows. The pattern is spiritual as much as it is historical. After Chronicles comes Ezra. Ezra records the decrees that allow God’s people to return, rebuild the temple, and restore worship. Restoration begins with worship. Before walls are rebuilt, hearts must return to God. After Ezra comes Nehemiah. Nehemiah finishes the work that had begun. The people had grown discouraged and distracted, focusing on their own homes while God’s work remained unfinished. Nehemiah, not a priest or prophet but a cupbearer, was moved to rebuild what was broken. God often completes His work through ordinary people who refuse to ignore what lies in ruins. After Nehemiah comes Esther. Esther tells of a death decree issued against God’s people because they refused to bow to the laws of the empire. Loyalty to God is tested by human authority. The conflict between obedience to God and obedience to man is laid bare. After Esther comes Job. Job shows a man enduring deep suffering at a time when it appears God has stepped back. Heaven seems silent. Yet faith endures. Job reflects the experience of God’s people who must trust Him even when they cannot see what He is doing. After Job comes Psalms. In times of trouble, people turn to Psalms. It is the cry of the faithful. “Lord, deliver me from my enemies.” It gives voice to fear, hope, repentance, and praise. It is faith under pressure, refusing to let go. Then come Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. These books teach wisdom and discernment. God’s people must learn to see clearly, to avoid deception, and to understand the difference between what appears right and what is right. Wisdom becomes protection in a world full of illusions. After that comes the Song of Solomon. It is a love story between a bride and a bridegroom. It speaks of longing, union, and devotion. Scripture closes the same way, with Christ coming for His bride. The Bible begins with a union in Eden and ends with a union restored. The love story was always at the center. Then come the prophets. They warn of judgment, call for repentance, and promise restoration. They point forward to the coming King and the final victory of God’s kingdom. Justice and mercy move together toward a day when wrong will be set right. The Old Testament closes with Malachi, promising that evil will not prevail and that righteousness will be vindicated. Then the Gospels open, and Christ arrives. Not symbol, not shadow but a fulfillment. God with us. The book of Acts shows people from every nation becoming one family in Christ. Jews and Gentiles, different languages and cultures, united by one Savior. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells one continuous story: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. The same thread runs from the garden to the cross to the kingdom. And the most astonishing part is that this is not just a story we read. This is the story we are living in right now, today.

@DagoSupremacy LOL yikes.

My wife asked me to explain why Trump attacked Iran. I knew if I said “he’s controlled by Jews!” She would press me for a better explanation. So I was forced to think about the situation and try to explain it with a more realist bent. So I told her that there are long standing conflicts between the US and China over global influence, dollar supremacy and energy. I told her Israel and Iran have had a feud for 40 years, one that Israel has been itching to end with toppling the ayatollah regime…I said Iran and Venezuela have been supplying China with oil and developing broader ties to China and it seems like Trump maybe has made a couple of chess moves to mess up Chinas long range planning. “Nancy at work said it’s the Jews” MFW.

30 years ago I started a journey. Not one scholarship offer. The reason? I was deemed too slow. That day I DECIDED nothing would stop me. I found my trainer Jay Schroeder and started an unorthodox training program that tested me physically, emotionally, and psychologically to level I could have never imagined. I lived by the mantra that: Your will to PREPARE for success had to be far greater than your desire for success. I went all in, committed my heart and soul, and 5 years later - 25 years ago - I had my chance to show the NFL how far I’d come. Here the video from my pro day: 40 YD - 4.37 Short Shuttle - 3.83 3 Cone - 6.37 Long Shuttle - 10.77 Pedal Flip - 4.11 I also benched 225 lbs 31x , vertical jumped 39.5", broad jumped 10'10" I literally transformed myself from a nobody to one of the best in the world in 5 years. I post this not to brag but as a reminder. BELIEF is powerful. Don't ever allow or entertain anybody's judgment or narrative about you, even for a microsecond. DOUBLE DOWN on yourself and always put it all on your shoulders. Have immense GRATITUDE for what God has put in front of you. Looking back, I’m grateful I didn’t earn a scholarship, that I had to walk on, that I had to fight and sacrifice to a level I never thought possible... To BELIEVE in myself so deeply that nothing could ever stop me. I have immense pride in that journey... More than in any NFL accolade. It represents defying the impossible and forms the foundation for everything I do in life today. My only regret? Back then, I thought it was all me. It wasn't. Better late than never: all glory to God #AlBundy #GloryDays #Resilience #NeverQuit #NFLCombine

Live highlight youtube.com/shorts/Q28h3GU… via @YouTube

i want clothes that are 100% cotton, linen, cashmere and silk… i’m s!ckkkk of plastic clothes