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Severe respiratory illness associated with a nationwide outbreak of enterovirus D68 in the USA (2014): A descriptive epidemiological investigation
Claire M. Midgley, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
John T. Watson, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
W. Allan Nix, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Aaron T. Curns, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Shannon L. Rogers, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Betty A. Brown, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Craig Conover, Illinois Department of Public Health
Samuel R. Dominguez, The Children's Hospital, Aurora
Daniel R. Feikin, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Samantha Gray, Cook County Department of Public Health
Stacey Hoferka, Illinois Department of Public Health
Mary Anne Jackson, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Daniel Johnson, University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital
Eyal Leshem, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Lisa Miller, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Janell Bezdek Nichols, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Ann Christine Nyquist, The Children's Hospital, Aurora
Emily Obringer, University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital
Ajanta Patel, University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital
Megan Patel, Cook County Department of Public Health
Brian Rha, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Eileen Schneider, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Jennifer E. Schuster, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Jane F. Seward, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
George Turabelidze, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
M. Steven Oberste, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Mark A. Pallansch, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Susan I. Gerber, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(15)00335-5; PMCID: PMC5693332
Background: Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been infrequently reported historically, and is typically associated with isolated cases or small clusters of respiratory illness. Beginning in August, 2014, increases in severe respiratory illness associated with EV-D68 were reported across the USA. We aimed to describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory features of this outbreak, and to better understand the role of EV-D68 in severe respiratory illness.
Methods: We collected regional syndromic surveillance data for epidemiological weeks 23 to 44, 2014, (June 1 to Nov 1, 2014) and hospital admissions data for epidemiological weeks 27 to 44, 2014, (June 29 to Nov 1, 2014) from three states: Missouri, Illinois and Colorado. Data were also collected for the same time period of 2013 and 2012. Respiratory specimens from severely ill patients nationwide, who were rhinovirus-positive or enterovirus-positive in hospital testing, were submitted between Aug 1, and Oct 31, 2014, and typed by molecular sequencing. We collected basic clinical and epidemiological characteristics of EV-D68 cases with a standard data collection form submitted with each specimen. We compared patients requiring intensive care with those who did not, and patients requiring ventilator support with those who did not. Mantel-Haenszel χ2 tests were used to test for statistical significance.
Findings: Regional and hospital-level data from Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado showed increases in respiratory illness between August and September, 2014, compared with in 2013 and 2012. Nationwide, 699 (46%) of 1529 patients tested were confirmed as EV-D68. Among the 614 EV-D68-positive patients admitted to hospital, age ranged from 3 days to 92 years (median 5 years). Common symptoms included dyspnoea (n=513 [84%]), cough (n=500 [81%]), and wheezing (n=427 [70%]); 294 (48%) patients had fever. 338 [59%] of 574 were admitted to intensive care units, and 145 (28%) of 511 received ventilator support; 322 (52%) of 614 had a history of asthma or reactive airway disease; 200 (66%) of 304 patients with a history of asthma or reactive airway disease required intensive care compared with 138 (51%) of 270 with no history of asthma or reactive airway disease (p=0·0004). Similarly, 89 (32%) of 276 patients with a history of asthma or reactive airway disease required ventilator support compared with 56 (24%) of 235 patients with no history of asthma or reactive airway disease (p=0·039).
Interpretation: In 2014, EV-D68 caused widespread severe respiratory illness across the USA, disproportionately affecting those with asthma. This unexpected event underscores the need for robust surveillance of enterovirus types, enabling improved understanding of virus circulation and disease burden.
Midgley, C. M., Watson, J. T., Nix, W. A., Curns, A. T., Rogers, S. L., Brown, B. A., Conover, C., Dominguez, S. R., Feikin, D. R., Gray, S., Hassan, F., Hoferka, S., Jackson, M., Johnson, D., Leshem, E., Miller, L., Nichols, J., Nyquist, A., Obringer, E., Patel, A., Patel, M., Rha, B., Schneider, E., Schuster, J. E., Selvarangan, R., Seward, J. F., Turabelidze, G., Oberste, M. S., Pallansch, M. A., Gerber, S. I. Severe respiratory illness associated with a nationwide outbreak of enterovirus D68 in the USA (2014): A descriptive epidemiological investigation The Lancet Respiratory Medicine 3, 879-887 (2015).


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Teen porn star shocks group as she has sex with 20 men in BBC's Porn Laid Bare
The British visitors from the BBC to the porn film set were left horrified
Charlotte Tutton
Nathan Bevan
Documentary Porn Laid Bare sees a group of Brits explore the adult film industry in Spain (Image: BBC)
A group of young Brits were left shocked when they witnessed a teenage girl having sex with 20 men while on a visit to a porn set.
The group had travelled travel to Spain a part of new BBC Three documentary called Porn Laid Bare, which investigates the darker underbelly of the adult movie world.
Whilst filming the programme, the six - chosen for their varying views toward pornography - find out about the human trafficking, violence and drug taking that goes on in the industry - as well as discovering up close and personal the harsh realities that come with getting involved in the scene.
A 19 year old shares her nerves at learning she has to sleep with 20 men (Image: BBC)
The shy Welshman who's at the very top of the global porn industry
At one point they're taken to the set of a porn film, where a Russian girl, 19, shares her nerves after learning she's about to have sex with 20 men for the movie, having believed there would only be half that number of men present.
Not only that, but another shocking moment sees the group meet a couple on a beach, only for them to have sex right in front of them moments later.
And, while it comes as a shock to the Brits, those passing by barely seem to notice as the two porn stars get intimate on the sand.
The group of Brits were left changed by what they saw (Image: BBC)
Later on, they're also invited to get involved with the filming process and are mortified see the film's director pulling a woman along by her hair, his reasoning being that "people are into it."
According to The Mirror , one girl called Neelam detailed her shock at being "thrown into the deep end" not sure what to expect when agreeing to take the trip.
She said: "None of us had ever been on a porn set before and they really dropped us in at the deep end.
"We'd just met these people and then we were watching them have sex on the beach. It was a massive shock."
The group were all said to have been left "changed" by what they'd seen.
Porn Laid Bare will launch on BBC3 on Thursday 14th March.
The Only Way Is EssexInside TOWIE star Lydia Bright and Lucy Mecklenburgh's glam Welsh baby shower weekendLydia Bright, 29, gave fans an insight into her lavish weekend of celebrations
Welsh historyThe extraordinary rarely seen images of working life in Cardiff 90 years agoThe picture collection provides a snapshot of working life during a turbulent time in Welsh history
Love IslandWhat happened to the Love Island stars from the first ever series in 2005Do you remember watching?
Amazing HomesThe beautiful hidden paradise on the edge of the A470 for sale with its own slice of the Taff, a lake and stablesTurn off the main road and there's a little lane that leads to a valleys haven
ITVThe huge backstage operation at the Masked Singer to keep its stars under coverThe masks don't slip behind the curtain

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Burroughs High baseball team, which has endured its share of controversy and strife over the last seven months, suffered another blow Monday when its coach was fired.
Eddie Alvarez, who was hired as the new Indians' coach in June, was dismissed because of "inconsistent leadership," said Burroughs Principal Emilio Urioste said Monday .
Urioste declined to elaborate further , but said there were no major incidents or violations that prompted Alvarez's firing.
"I will be sharing this information on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. with our boosters and sharing with them what we will be doing in terms of the remainder of the fall ball season that we have and the search for our new coach," Urioste said.
Alvarez said he met with Urioste at the school at approximately 10 a.m. Monday. The coach said he was floored by the news.
"I was on the phone talking to [Burroughs Athletic Director Jose Valle] while I was on my way to being fired and we were discussing our practices this week," Alvarez said. "He didn't even know.
"I had no idea at all that this was coming. I thought we were moving in the right direction and I thought we were doing some good things with the team and all of a sudden I'm fired? It just doesn't make any sense to me. I'm just blown away."
Alvarez, who came to Burroughs after being an assistant at West Ranch under Casey Burrill and an assistant at Granada Hills under Josh Lienhard, admitted there was a problem concerning some Indians assistant coaches during the summer.
"We had a problem and we got rid of them there and then," he said. "I took care of it. I called them and said 'You guys are done, thanks a lot but we just don't need this in our program.' And we haven't had one coaching problem since."
Alvarez alluded to an incident during a summer league game in which Burroughs assistant coaches "ran up the score" on another team and "didn't shake the opposing coach's hand" after a game. He said he was not present at that game.
Alvarez acknowledged he had some problems with the Burroughs baseball boosters, but he was under the impression that any outstanding issues had been resolved.
"We all had a sit down and we figured everything out. We haven't had a problem since," he said.
With the baseball season four months away, Urioste said the school will step up its efforts to find a new coach. The principal added that interviews will begin the week of Nov. 14.
Last season, the Indians (9-7-1, 3-2 in league) were tied for third in the Pacific League when the season was halted.


Resort Overview: Club St. Lucia, now called Odyssey St. Lucia, was the first property to receive a $5 million renovation. We visited the Club St. Lucia property last year and were very impressed with the service, the value offered, and the way the property catered to families. Now things are even better. The property has a spa, four children's clubs catering to babies through teens, free evening babysitting, the largest pool in St. Lucia with water cascades and waterslides, themed roaming food carts, and upgraded rooms. Rates for these properties are budget oriented, and offer an excellent value when compared with other family-friendly all-inclusive properties. During the high season, rates for rooms start at $284; family suites start at $312. During the low season, rooms start at $236; family suites start at $262. Prices include all meals and drinks (including alcohol), entertainment and activities. Children under 12 stay free (one per paying adult), with a maximum of two children in a family room.
Accommodations: The 372-room resort is located on 50 miles of tropically landscaped property, and includes two beaches for guests' enjoyment. As part of the resort's new concept, the property has been redesigned with five smaller villages. A wide variety of room types are offered. Category A rooms provides a ceiling fan and bathroom with shower only; Category B rooms provide air-conditioning, radio and tub with shower. These rooms are equipped with regular amenities including hair dryers, irons, ironing boards and coffee makers and each villa is ground level with a walk-out patio or terrace. Another option is family suites. These rooms feature an air conditioned bedroom with a king size bed, a separate living room with a ceiling fan and a couch bed that can sleep two additional adults or children, and an outdoor patio.
Restaurants: The food is abundant at the Odyssey. Kid's will get a kick out their own restaurant named: Da Boat featuring all their favorites like pizza and chicken nuggets plus yummy deserts. High chairs are also available. St. Lucia has five different restaurants from buffet to ala carte, as well as resort-wide food theme courts featuring sheltered and open-air kiosks serving exciting, made-to-order cuisine and a 24-hour snack bar. The International Grill - buffet restaurant open for breakfast (7 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.), lunch (12 noon - 2:15 p.m.) and dinner (6:30 p.m. - 10:15 p.m.) serving popular international fare. The Moveable Feast - features colorful food carts constantly offering changing specialties from morning to night, and serving a variety of foods including everything from authentic English fish and chips to Mexican tortillas. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. The Jade Vine Restaurant - a specialty dinner restaurant with an oriental flair where the food is individually cooked at every table by your chef or by the diners. An interactive cooking, eating and drinking experience. Hours are from 6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. For more casual dining, The Cap Trattoria features pizza, pasta and salad restaurant featuring fine Italian country cooking with a casual outdoor feel. Hours are Noon - 10:30 p.m. The Great House Restaurant is for special occasion dining with finest European cuisine and a special discount for Odyssey St. Lucia guests. (Not included in Odyssey St. Lucia rates.) For a quick snack, check out the Coffee Station - open 6:30 a.m. to midnight serving a continental breakfast from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and afterternoon tea from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Children's Programs: Odyssey St. Lucia offers one of the most extensive children's programs available. The ratio of child to child care provider is 3:1. The Baby Parrot's Nest cares for infants through three-year olds in an air-conditioned nursery with trained nannies. The Programs are open from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Sunday. Three other children's programs are offered: Jacquot's for ages 4-9; Cicero's for those 9-12; and the Jump Club for teens featuring pool tables, cyberspace Internet area, games inventory and a VCR and Television. Free evening babysitting services are also provided by specially trained nannies. Older children will enjoy the kid's park and playground; Govenor's play fort; Kid's Rollerblade Track; (for 5-12 years old), and kid's spa with massages. The Kid's Club offers cartoons, videos, Nintendo, face painting, T-shirt designing, games, cooking classes, field trips, bicycles, complimentary t-shirts and badges.
Swimming: Swim and play in the largest swimming pool in St. Lucia, with water cascades and waterslides. The pools are life guarded . Guests also have access to two beaches including Odyssey's own intimate beach.
Other Activities and Amenities: The resort offers entertainment programs and activities throughout the day and evening, as well as a water sports center, spa, fitness club, and extensive tennis facilities. St. Lucia is a wonderful island for families, with many activities to enjoy. Take a boat ride on the Unicorn to the quaint town of Soufriere, where you can stare in awe at the Pitons, visit the Sulfur Springs, the drive-in volcano, Diamond Head waterfalls, and the Botanical Gardens. Hike through the rain forest, take a picnic lunch trip to Pigeon Island to enjoy the beaches, or go shopping in Castries. The people of St. Lucia are warm and friendly, and love children.


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Egypt's 'Indiana Jones' Zahi Hawass Questioned Over Pyramid Theft
Did the former antiquities minister help three Germans steal numerous artifacts?
Dr. Zahi Hawass Photo via: gsfd3d
Egypt's former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass has been accused of helping three Germans to steal rocks and samples of a cartouche from the Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, the Guardian reported.
The three men were sentenced in absentia on Tuesday of last week, together with six Egyptians who helped them commit the deed. According to AFP, they were condemned to five years in jail.
Dominique Görlitz, Stefan Erdmann, and Peter Hoefer entered the inner sanctum of the pyramid in April 2013 and took the samples, supposedly with the intention of proving that Egypt's best-known monument wasn't built, as is widely agreed upon, for Pharaoh Khufu but in fact belongs to another, much older dynasty.
The group brought the pieces back to Germany, but Egyptian authorities announced in August of this year that the artifacts had subsequently been recovered.
Hawass is accused to have been the one who facilitated the theft based on his involvement in a 2010 documentary about the Pyramid of Cheops's cartouche. That the country's antiquities minister would be involved in such a theft is perhaps intriguing enough in and of itself.
However, Hawass's case gets better. Beside his political career, he is something of a celebrity archeologist with several documentaries and even a clothing line to his name. Some have reportedly gone as far as to call him the Egyptian Indiana Jones, after the popular film character.
Denying Theft Claims
Hawass left the government in the wake of the Egyptian revolution in 2011. He vehemently denies the theft claims currently against him, pointing out that he wasn't in office when the Germans entered the pyramid.
"There is nothing against me," Hawass told the Guardian. "I just have to go to the district attorney to prove that what happened in 2010 was according to the law."
The looting of ancient artifacts in an old problem in the country, but political instability has exacerbated the issue. Former minister for antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim Ali, then minister for antiquities, told the Washington Post this past June: "In Egypt, when you dig, you find something. So some gangs have started to become active very quickly because of the breakdown of the police force."
New technologies, including DigitalGlobe and Google Earth, are now used by the authorities to locate and monitor looting "hot spots." Yet the task remains herculean—and many looters continue to go unnoticed.
As the Germans and their accomplices were sentenced last week, an Egyptian grocer was arrested on a road south of Giza with 23 ancient artifacts hidden in food packages. According to a DPA report, these are now to be handed over to the antiquities ministry for examination.
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Macedonia's Flag
Flags of Macedonia
Capital of Macedonia
Government of Macedonia
Languages of Macedonia
Macedonia's Information
Macedonian (official) 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Romani 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 est.)
Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Romani 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 est.)
Macedonian Orthodox 64.8%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian 0.4%, other and unspecified 1.5% (2002 est.)
8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsed independence from Yugoslavia)
25,713.00 km2
A fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations
Southeastern Europe, north of Greece
Albania 181 km, Bulgaria 162 km, Greece 234 km, Kosovo 160 km, Serbia 101 km
$14,500.00 (USD)
Its major export partners are Germany, Kosovo, and Bulgaria.
Its main exports are foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, and textiles.
Its major import partners are Germany, the United Kingdom, and Greece.
Its major imports include machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, and food products.
Warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall
Mountainous with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River
Where is Macedonia?
Located in Southeastern Europe, Macedonia has a 838.00 km border with Albania (181 km), Bulgaria (162 km), Greece (234 km), Kosovo (160 km) and Serbia (101 km). Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in September 2008.
The capital city of Macedonia is Skopje. It is located on the northern part of Vardar River and north-south Balkan route. Skopje is not only the capital city but also the political, cultural, and economic center of Macedonia. It is the largest and the most populous city in the country, boasting over 506,000 residents within the city and about one million in the larger metropolitan area. The capital is a preferred tourist destination in Macedonia, hosting several ancient buildings and sites such as Byzantine churches, Roman aqueducts, and Ottoman mosques. The Memorial House of Mother Terasa was built in 2009 in Skopje in honor of Mother Teresa who was born in the city. Skopje experiences a semi-Mediterranean climate which is characterized by a short winter period.
Read more on Macedonia's Capital
Macedonia is a European country covering 25,713.00 km2 of which 1.09% is water and 25,433.00 km2 is land. This makes it the 50th smallest country in the world and slightly larger than Vermont. Its geographic coordinates are 41 50 N, 22 00 E and Skopje is the capital city.
The name Macedonia derives from the ancient kingdom of Macedon.
Its ISO code is MK.
Macedonia has a mean elevation of 741 m above sea level.
It experiences warm, dry summers and autumns and cold winters with heavy snowfall. Its terrain is mountainous with deep basins and valleys.
Macedonia has a population of 2,100,025 making it the 145th largest in the world. The population is evenly dispersed throughout the country.
Macedonian is the official language, and Albanian and Turkish are both also widely spoken. The major ethnic groups reported are Macedonian, Albanian, and Turkish. The majority of the population is either Macedonian Orthodox or Muslim.
The official language of Macedonia is Macedonian. It is a South Slavic language that was adopted as the country's national language in 1945. Macedonian is composed of 13 Cyrillic alphabetical letters and has been hugely influenced by Serbian. Macedonian is spoken by approximately 2.5 million people around the world, of which about 1.4 million are in Macedonia. It is spoken as a first language by over 60% of the total Macedonian population. The language is one of the minority languages in Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. Macedonian is subdivided into three dialects, namely the northern, eastern, and western dialects. The minority languages spoken in Macedonia include Albania, Serbia, Romani, Turkish, Bosnia, and sign language.
Read more on Macedonia's Languages
Macedonia is an independent country. It became independent from Yugoslavia in 1991. Its constitution was last ratified in 1991.
The executive arm of the government of Macedonia comprises of the prime minister and the cabinet ministers. The prime minister is in charge of the affairs of the government while the president is largely ceremonial. The other arms of government include the legislature and the executive. The legislature is in charge of legislation and the amending of laws while the judiciary administers justice to the people. The parliament's meeting place, known as the Great Hall of Macedonian Parliament, is located in Skopje. The official workplace of the president, known as the Villa Vodno, is at the foothill of Vodno in Skopje. Elections in Macedonia take place every five years with citizens above the age of 18 taking part in the electoral process.
Read more on Macedonia's Government
Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Macedonia's GDP is $29,520,000,000.00 (USD) with $14,500.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 131st largest economy and its citizens the 109th richest in the world. The currency of Macedonia is the Denar (MKD).
Its major export partners are Germany, Kosovo, and Bulgaria. Its main exports are foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, and textiles. Its major import partners are Germany, the United Kingdom, and Greece. Its major imports include machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, and food products.
The flag of Macedonia is rectangular in shape and is characterized by stylish yellow sun on a red background. The flag is referred to as "the new sun of liberty" and is mentioned in the national anthem. The Macedonian flag has eight stylish yellow sun runs that widen towards the edges of the flag and narrows towards the center (sun). The sun of liberty was designed in 1994 by Professor Miroslav Grcev in a competitive process that involved nine other designs. However, the flag was only adopted one year later on October 5, 1995, following a year long dispute with Greece over the use of the Vergan Sun symbol. Previously, the Macedonian flag was red in color with a golden five-edged star on it. The flag was modified to depict five pointed golden stars on the upper hoist side. The Vergan sun symbol was introduced at the center of the red flag in 1992. The flag had 8 outstanding rays and 8 minor rays originating from the middle.
Read more on Macedonia's Flag


Thank you to all who helped to make our Holy Week and Easter services and events so successful.
Congratulations to baby Susie who was baptized this morning.
Sermons for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday can all be found on the sermon blog here.
This is the last of the Lenten blog posts. I hope you have found them helpful.
If you have questions on any of the types of prayer we have tried during Lent, please let me know. If you have suggestions on future blog post series, I would love to hear them.
Prayer in the Christian Tradition is not something we simply do alone. We are also called to pray together, because the fundamental commandment of Jesus is that we should love one another, and we can't do that if we never gather together. We may not always agree with each other, or get along, but we are still members of one family.
Rather than posting suggestions for individual prayer through this week, I would like to invite you to find others to pray with, either at Seal or elsewhere this week.
There are services on every day through Holy Week in Seal Church.
On Holy Saturday there will be Compline at 8pm.
On Easter Sunday we will celebrate the Resurrection with a joyful service of holy Communion and a Baptism too.
Come along and join in these acts of liturgical prayer, or, if you aren't in Seal, find a church near you to gather with others to pray. If you can't get to services, be aware that others both locally and around the world are praying along with you, even if you can't see them and they can't see you.
In order to help you journey through this week, I will post the readings for our services at Seal each day, so you can read them for yourself beforehand. You could use any of the techniques we have explored through Lent to help you contemplate them.
You can substitute the readings we will be using at our services during Holy Week at Seal if you would like to.
On Good Friday afternoon at Seal I put up a number of reflective displays for people to come and look at in their own time. They usually remain in church for at least a week after Easter Sunday, so if you haven't had a chance to see them today, you can pop into church on any day to spend some time looking at them.
The display asks us to think about whether we sometimes try to squash the new opportunities and new life that are offered to us. We can sometimes be "guarded" in our welcome for them too, and try to stop anything from changing, even if it would be for the better.
The donkey Jesus rode on on Palm Sunday can't have ever imagined that this would ever happen to him. At Messy Church we made donkeys out of cardboard and jiffy bags (like hobby horses) The children enjoyed riding them around the church!
The display asks us to think about times when we might have felt silly or thought no one would ever choose us. There is also a reproduction of "The Donkey's Tale" by Margaret Gray - you can read it here.
How do you feel about your feet? On Maundy Thursday we heard the story of Jesus washing the disciples's feet, despite their protestations that this wasn't his job at all. This display asks us to think about our feet. How do they feel, and how do we feel about them? How would we have reacted if Jesus had wanted to wash them The display has pictures of many different feet, and invites us to consider what prayer we might say for those whose feet they are. It also has this poem by Moses Schulstein about the mountain of shoes at the German Nazi concentration camp of Majdanek in occupied Poland.
On Good Friday there will be a Messy Church session at 10 am, then the church will be set up with various focuses for self-guided reflection for you to drop in on throughout the rest of the day. From 2.30 - 3pm there will be a service of hymns, reading and prayer as we think together about the crucifixion and its meaning for us. The day will end with Compline at 8pm.
On Thursday we observe Maundy Thursday with a service of Holy Communion at 8pm, followed by the service of Tenebrae, where we hear 12 readings taking us into the darkness of the night Jesus was arrested, extinguishing the candles that will light the church as we do so.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday there is Compline - night prayer - lasting 15 minutes or so, at 8pm in the Lady Chapel, preceded by 10 minutes of quiet music as we gather.
In order to help you journey through this week, I will post the readings for our services at Seal each day above, so you can read them for yourself beforehand. You could use any of the techniques we have explored through Lent to help you contemplate them.
Crafts and activities to help us think about Good Friday and Easter.
During the afternoon and early evening of Good Friday there will be a number of different reflective displays in church. These displays encourage us to reflect and pray on various themes relevant to Holy Week and Easter. There will be quiet recorded music playing to create a reflective atmosphere.
Easter Sunday was the traditional day for baptisms in the earliest days of the church, and we are delighted to be continuing that tradition as we baptise baby Susie this Easter.
A simple service of hymns, readings and prayers exploring the Easter message.
This week, I will be posting a picture for you to contemplate each day.
What do I think is going on here?
How are the people in it feeling?
What am I drawn to or challenged by in this picture?
If I could talk to the characters, what would I say and how would they respond?
What do I want to say to God in response to this?
Our Pilgrim Courses have just finished. Here is a picture of our youngest Pilgrim... getting to grips with the material. She is to be baptised on Easter Sunday, so she should be very well prepared for the event! Thanks to all our (slightly older) participants, in both groups, for some very good conversations and reflections. If you'd like to keep meeting for discussion, there is the monthly Good Book Club on Wednesday mornings, and I am open to requests for an evening or weekend meeting (Good Book Club or even another Pilgrim course) if enough people want it.
This week might seem like a bit of a cop-out on my part, but all I would like to suggest for this week's prayer is that you simply sit quietly and breathe in and out during your prayer time.
You will probably find it helpful to begin by saying a short prayer; "God be with me" will do, as you breath in and out gently and relax your body. But then just sit still.
Thoughts will rise up, but don't pursue them; just let them go as if they are clouds drifting across the sky.
If you find yourself chasing after them or worrying about them, come back to your breathing again.
At the end of the prayer time, thank God for being with you.
The Big Silence - BBC2 takes five volunteers to experience silence at Worth Abbey.
I often come across things I wish I had written... The post by Ben Myers on his blog "Faith and Theology" is definitely one of them! I it is a brilliant and powerful unpacking of the Apostles' creed, and it says everything I would want to say about it.
Read the whole post on Ben's blog here.


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Realize, above, that you cannot find them—especially not your site-seated beliefs. For me, may has always been dangerous with growing. It's possible to feel someone of a straightforward may and be successful to your website, too. One advice is going to be great.
And as our relationship progressed, we undoubtedly had some challenges that have resulted from the obvious differences in our spiritual beliefs. Would they attend religious-education classes? How do you teach your children to be good without the basis of religious morality?
My answer is always the same: His blatantly stating how he smoeone always wanted to end up with someone of Datinh own religious beliefs has at times left me feeling disappointed and upset. Why should my anotheer or lack of it have anything to do with how we love? And why does it even matter at all? Oftentimes, our Dating someone of another religion talk will turn into a debate about relihion or not the Datign is real. His dedication to expanding his perspective is exactly what makes me want to do the same. Some might even call it a blessing.
Want to be an MTV Voices contributor? With the right attitude and emotional tools, any relationship can be successful, no matter the differences in faith and culture. Welcome to the guide to dating across religions. This advice is going to be uncomfortable. What does this mean? A Christian can learn from an atheist. A Muslim can learn from a Buddhist. A Hindu can learn from a Jew. All faiths contain unique nuggets of profound wisdom. While you should never compromise your beliefs to make someone else happy, allowing your beliefs to evolve because of your partner rather than for him or her can result in a better you, and a stronger bond with the one you love.
Be Respectful Contempt is the biggest killer of interfaith relationships.
Imagine your partner will never, ever change their faith. Can you still see yourself staying with them, committing yourself to them? If not, it may be time to look elsewhere for love—for the good of both of you.


To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many seniors aged 65 and above currently receive payouts from Silver Support Scheme in addition to CPF monthly payouts; and (b) what is the average quantum of the combined monthly payouts.
The objective of Silver Support is to provide retirement support to Singaporeans who had low incomes throughout life. About 20% of elderly Singaporeans aged 65 and above receive quarterly Silver Support payouts of $300 to $750, with those living in smaller flat types receiving higher payouts.
In 2018, about 51,000 elderly Singaporeans aged 65 and above received Silver Support payouts in addition to their CPF monthly payouts. Because it is targeted at those with low incomes throughout life, one of the eligibility criteria for Silver Support is low total CPF contributions; understandably, all Silver Support recipients would therefore have low monthly CPF payouts. Many of these members could also have made lump sum withdrawals which now supplement their current payouts. The combined monthly payouts may therefore not be the only sources of retirement income for these members. Nevertheless, for those living in 1- and 2-room HDB flats, the median combined payout is $500 per month, whereas for those in 5-room flats, the median combined payout is $350 per month. For reference, a 65-year-old member who had set aside the Basic Retirement Sum and started his CPF payouts this year would receive $520 per month.
On top of their Silver Support and CPF payouts, seniors may receive benefits from the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation Packages, annual GST Vouchers, concessions on Public Transport and caregiver support schemes. Those living in public housing may also receive subsidised rental or utility rebates. Elderly Singaporeans who need additional financial support can apply for ComCare and other assistance schemes.


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Men and Women: Different When It Comes to Sleep
Is there really a difference in men and womens sleep cycles?
This article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye recently—it's a great roundup of recent research on the differences between the way men and women sleep. Gender differences in sleep are a fascinating and important area of study. We all know that men and women have different sleep tendencies—think of all those early bird/night owl partnerships out there—but we're now beginning to understand more about why gender matters when it comes to sleep.
I was particularly interested in a couple of the most recent studies, which show evidence of some fundamental biological differences between men's and women's sleep. One suggests that there are marked differences in the circadian rhythms of men and women. In this study, researchers observed the circadian cycles of 157 men and women between the ages of 18 to 74, measuring melatonin levels and body temperature in order to track the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. Over the course of a month-long inpatient sleep period, researchers found significant differences between men and women in both the timing of their circadian clocks—which help govern sleep times and wake times—and the duration of the circadian clock itself. Among those differences:
Women's circadian clocks are set to an earlier hour than men's, making them more inclined to fall asleep earlier and also to wake earlier. Women showed a stronger inclination for activity earlier in the day than men.
Circadian cycles were actually shorter for women than for men, by six minutes. Even a slight difference can have significant impact on nightly sleep and on energy levels during the day. Think about a clock that runs a handful of minutes behind every day. Over time, those minutes really add up!
Not only did women's circadian clocks generally run earlier and shorter than men's, but also many more women had internal clocks that ran a full cycle in under 24 hours.
Another recent study found that women tend to perform better than men when low on sleep, and also can rebound more quickly from mild sleep deprivation when they get restorative sleep. I was really interested in this one because it looks at the question of making up for work-week sleep deprivation with extra rest over the weekend. Women and men were asked to sleep for only six hours per night, over six consecutive nights, to approximate the typical sleep deprivation that many of us experience during a busy work week. The participants then spent two nights "catching up" on their rest with extended overnight sleep. Researchers found that women scored higher on performance tests during the period of low sleep, and that their performance improved more than men's after two nights of extended sleep. (Take note: Neither men nor women in the study were able to truly "catch up" on their sleep over the two nights. Both fell short, but women simply came closer than men.) We know that women spend more time than men do in deep, slow-wave sleep stages over the course of a night. Time spent in deep sleep is restorative and memory boosting, which likely explains the advantage women have in performing under low-sleep conditions.
Women may reap real benefits from deeper sleep, but there is also evidence that they are in other ways more vulnerable than men to sleep disorders, and to the health risks associated with lack of sleep.
The biological phases of a woman's life—menstruation, pregnancy, menopause—and the hormonal shifts that accompany them make women more likely to experience disruptions to their sleep. Women in general are more susceptible than men to sleep disorders such as insomnia. Because of their propensity for deep sleep during the first part of their lives, women may receive protective benefits early on. But particularly after the age of 40, women's sleep often deteriorates.
Research suggests women have a different relationship with sleep when it comes to illness. One study showed that women who got less than 8 hours of sleep demonstrated an elevated risk for heart problems. Men in the study who got the same amount of sleep also saw increased risk, but the increase was not as significant as it was for women. The results of a recent study on cancer and sleep found that women were significantly more likely than men to suffer from insomnia while undergoing cancer treatment.
I'd like to see even more research that sets out to explore differences in the ways men and women experience sleep. The more we understand about how gender influences sleep, the better we'll be able to develop targeted, effective remedies for sleep problems for both men and women.
Sweet Dreams,
Michael J. Breus, PhD
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Sleep studies vs. reality
Submitted by Lyndsay Katauskas on February 28, 2012 - 4:39pm
Dr. Breus,
What an interesting article! I know from my own experience with being pregnant as well as sleeping for year's besides my husband, that men and women have different sleep patterns. I also recall how when I was in the Marine Corps, and in a leadership billet responsible for the accountability of every officer at the firing range...that I barely slept the whole night, because I was on alert for others discomfort, etc. I've also watched how my mind is so active, especially, when there is a newborn in the house, as opposed to my husband's who doesn't even register the wails to be fed or changed.
I always find that when you can logically explain what could be a sticking point in a male/female relationship, then tensions are eased, you can look at the dynamic with logic, without emotions getting in the way.
It's refreshing to see that there are studies that find a difference in men and women's sleep cycles. It would be interesting to see if the variations lessen when a male-female couple co-sleeping have less stress in their lives. I've found the more stress/cortisol involved, the wider the variation in how we settle down and if we get a good night's sleep. Although, having a pre-schooler may be altering my perception at the moment.
I'll be sharing with my circle--it's fascinating follow-up to a sleep study I've been reading on my kindle.
Lyndsay Katauskas, MEd
Mars Venus Coaching
Corporate Media Relations
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Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. He is the author of Beauty Sleep.
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Many Crowns
Inspired By the Glory of God
Media Library | Pastor Doug's Weekly Message Archives
| Many Crowns
What is the significance of crowns in Scripture?
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Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the live broadcast. It is presented as spoken.
Welcome comments. Our message this morning is dealing with the subject of crowns, more precisely, many crowns. I was surprised as I began to study the theme in the Bible how many crowns, there are in the Bible. All different kinds, some good, some bad, mostly good. Some are symbolic, some are real, some are figurative, some are tangible. And maybe it would be a good idea before we get into this study on the subject of crowns, to begin with a definition. A crown, it's a noun, is an ornamental circlet or head covering, often made of precious metal, set with jewels and worn as a symbol of sovereignty. It's often the power, position, or empire of a monarch, or of a state governed by a monarchy. A distinction or a reward for achievement, especially a title signifying championship in a sport. Something resembling a diadem in shape.
That the best we can tell, the idea of the ancient sovereigns or kings wearing crowns sprang from the belief that God emanated light. The Bible tells us, God is light. Matter of fact, if you and I could see God the Father, well we couldn't, we wouldn't survive it. He exudes so much light. In the face of God, it says even the eyes of God proclaim light. You've probably seen many of these ancient paintings that the saints and the holy ones all have these halos around their heads. Even a moment ago you saw the Statue of Liberty up there with seven radius of light that were coming out from Lady Liberty there, sort of like a halo of light. A crown was something to resemble a halo, a divinity, a sovereignty, authority. And so these man-made crowns that they put on all became a figure of that. Matter of fact, the way you say crown in Greek is stephanos. And so if you know anybody with the name Stephen that means crown. Stephanie, it means crown in the Bible. Stephanos, that would be the Greek word.
Now, I don't know if any of you have been to England, but there are some places in the world. Pastor Mike, you ever been to England? You can go to the Tower of London. Now I never did this because when I went to England I was either working or my Mom lived there and I was sort of bored. But they take you on these tours and you can go to the Tower of London. And I guess, I don't know if they're still on display, but they've got the Crown Jewels that you can see. And people come and they look at this array of splendid, priceless jewels that the various monarchs through England's history had fought over and worn. From kingdom to kingdom the crowns differ greatly. The crowns that the pharaohs wore were very different from the crowns that the English or European monarchs wore. Sometimes they were little wreaths like the one Napoleon wore when he crowned himself. Other times they were very big, bulky, heavy, laden with jewels. But these crowns represented authority, victory, dominion and often were very glorious.
If someone were to ask you, "Would you like to be crowned?" Well, that depends. If it's your father asking you that question you might hesitate. Because it could mean something different. I remember when; any of you ever play checkers? You don't see many people playing that anymore, in the age of video games. A lot of kids are looking at me now like, "Checkers, what's that?" But some of us remember when checkers were video games, that was the game. I played checkers by the hour and of course the idea was to get to the other side so what? You could be crowned. Do you want to be crowned? What comes with that? You know the Bible talks a lot about the redeemed being crowned. In preparation for this sermon this week that song popped into my head that the kids often sing in the lower divisions, "I will wear a crown in my Father's house." How many of you know that? The kids sing that, I will wear a crown, and the kids get excited about that. "Won't you come with me to my Father's house. I will wear a crown in my Father's house." But is that why we are really wanting to go? So we can wear a crown.
And there are a number of different kinds of crowns that the Bible talks about. They're not all crowns of gold, per se. For instance, did you know, in the Bible, it tells us that those of you that have a hoary head—the word hoary head means a frosty head, or white hair-- that's a crown. That's what it says. Proverbs 16:31, "The silver haired head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness." The very fact that God has preserved you over the course. Now some of us get our silver crown sooner than others. Don't think you're going to get any credit if you go dye your hair gray just so you can say, "I'm now crowned." You have to get it in the way of righteousness. Some of you who didn't dye your hair you to get your crown back, right?
And then it tells us that man is crowned. The Bible tells us in Psalm 8:5-6, "You have made him, man, a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under his feet." Man was basically given a crown over this world. It was crowned to be the leader of this world, to have dominion over the world. A great extent of that dominion was lost through sin. It was surrendered to the Devil, who became the prince of this world. Man sort of handed over the crown to the enemy. And you know what often happens is when one kingdom conquers another kingdom, the defeated kingdom, the monarch, hands his crown over to the winner. There's an example of that here in our study today.
Now, if you've ever seen a beauty pageant, and they are something to behold, not just because it's usually an assembly of all the beautiful women. My stepmother was Miss Kentucky, so she told me a little bit about this. I've got another friend that some of you know, Becky Trueblood with the Heritage Singers, she was Miss Idaho and was one of the contestants of course for Miss America. It's funny because they are all so sweet in front of the camera. And as they're announcing the runners up, they all clap, and they hug the one who's been chosen, and they're wishing that they could throw daggers, but they're just smiling. It's a very cutthroat kind of industry. Well anyway, the great moment is when they get the last two finalists. Under after hugging each other, "Oh, I hope it's you." "No, I hope it's you." You know they're lying through their teeth, but they're looking gracious, because that's what beauty queens are supposed to do. And then they announce the winner. [comments about photo on screen] The big moment is when she gets the crown, right? And it means now you've got the title, you have won, the beauty queen.
You know, there's a crowning of a beauty queen in the Bible. Did you know that? The book of Esther is really a struggle over crowns. I don't know if you've ever considered it that way, but it begins with the king calling for his beautiful wife Vashti to come so that they could look on her beauty with her crown. Now I know you and I are thinking, "What a chauvinistic thing for a bunch of drunken men to do." I don't blame her one bit for saying I'm not coming to your party. You're all playing poker, want us to come." When you think about it, why do people watch beauty pageants? People love of beauty. They want to admire it. And so it wasn't really all that unusual that the king should say that. And she didn't want to come. Let me just read it to you. Esther 1:11-12, "To bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown in order to show her beauty to the people, for she was beautiful to behold. But Vashti refused to come at the king's command." Now that's something.
If the king's wife and queen refuses to come at the king's command, first of all, it was mortifying for the king. And it was unheard of in the kingdom. The queen was basically saying, "I don't need to listen to your orders." I mean, what's he going to do? Execute his wife? Well, Henry VIII that was a no-brainer for him, but it was a little different in Persia. So the king finally is counseled, "You need to find a new queen, who will listen to the king." Finally, all of these beautiful virgins, they had a beauty contest, they had a beauty pageant. And when the king, he was the only judge, he laid eyes on Esther and he said, "Bingo!"
Wouldn't you like to see a photograph of what Esther really must have looked like? We don't know, but it says that she was more beautiful than any of the women in Persia. And the king, he was king over 127 provinces. It was from a great spectrum. Esther was the most beautiful. And it says in Chapter 2, "The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She obtained grace," she got the envelope, "and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti." So now, was she seeking it? She was crowned, but she was not seeking the crown. Don't miss that. Because then we transition to another part of the story of Esther where Esther's uncle Mordecai, he would not bow before the king's friend, Haman. And hey men became so enraged and incensed he said, "I'm going to exterminate not only Mordecai, but all of his people. But first him." So he built a gallows 50 feet high and he went to the king to get permission to have Mordecai hung on the gallows. And he and the king were close buddies.
He thought, "This is no problem." But God had other plans. And that night, the king couldn't sleep. And he said, "You know, whenever the scribe reads the chronicles it usually puts me to sleep. So I'll just bring the scribe in and have him read the chronicles to me and that ought to put me to sleep." So the scribe comes in and he's reading through the chronicles of what's been happening in the kingdom. And there had been an assassination attempt against the king, Ahasuerus. And the person who had exposed it had not been thanked or rewarded in any way. That should remind us that sometimes the reward of the king comes a little later than you expect. So hang in there. So the king says to the scribe, "Did we ever do anything for this man, Mordecai?" And the scribe said, "There's no record of any way of thanking, no reward. He saved your life." The king said, "Well it's not good for a king to be so ungrateful."
So while the king is thinking, "What shall I do for this man who I want to honor and thank," Haman comes in. And he says, "I just want you to sign this death certificate for a man named Mordecai." But before Haman has a chance to say that the king says, "Haman buddy, what shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor? I need some ideas." And so Haman thinks within himself, "Well, who would the king like to honor more than me? What shall I ask for? Put him on the king's horse, get the most noble person in the kingdom to lead the horse, and get the royal robes and put them on him, and put the crown on his head, the king's crown." Haman's like the devil; he wanted God's position, didn't he? "And then have them go through the cities of the streets and this herald will pronounce, 'Thus shall it be done to the and whom the king delights to honor."
Have this big triumphal parade. The king says, "Well, I'm not very imaginative. That's better than anything I could think up." And he says, "Tell you what. That's what we're going to do." Esther 6:8, "Let the royal apparel be brought which the king uses to wear and the horse that the king rides upon and the crown set upon his head." And the king said, "Do everything you said." And Haman is beaming. And the king says, "To Mordecai." And right about then he took the certificate for Mordecai's death and crumbled it up and stuck it in his pocket and he went out of there totally mortified. And I wonder if that's any connection with the word Mordecai.
He didn't get the crown. He wanted the crown. It went to the one who wasn't searching for it. The one who was actually seeking the welfare of the king got the king's crown. And if you seek the welfare of your king you will be crowned. He was interested in the life of the king. And then when you end the book of Esther, not only is this a temporary parade for Mordecai. After there's vindication of God's people, Esther 8:15-16, "So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad and the Jews," God's people, "had light and gladness and joy and honor." When the righteous wear a crown the people rejoice, right? Just a little snippet of this exchange of crowns in the Bible.
By the way, there's a lot of examples in prophecy of how there's a three and a half year period connected with the persecution of God's people. Did you know that the book of Esther begins with a three and a half year period before there's a change of crowns? In the third year of the reign of Ahasuerus he has a feast lasting 180 days. What does that add up to? 1,260 days. Interesting. Esther's a prophetic book in disguise.
Then you've got the coronation of Joash. Now we don't live in the day where there's a lot of coronations anymore. We don't have as many monarchs. We're in the days, the age of democracies. How many of you remember living when Queen Elizabeth II was coroneted? That's over 50 years ago now isn't it? It's been a long time ago. And maybe someday Prince Charles will be King Charles. We don't know. But not too many monarchs. Some of you remember King Haleysalacia [?] of Ethiopia. A little fellow, but he was a big king. Don't have too many coronations that we see. The closest thing that we've seen in our day and age is the pope, and I'll get to that later.
But there's a story in the Bible where Joash, who is a type of Christ. Queen Athalia, when her son died she didn't want to be just a grandmother. She wanted the power. So instead of one of the king's sons being coroneted she tried to have them all exterminated. Don't forget Athalia is the daughter of Jezebel, who doesn't want a king worshipping Jehovah on the throne. She wants Baal worship in the kingdom. So she exterminates all of the sons of David—almost.
By the way, the Devil inspired that. The same Devil who wanted all the baby boys in Israel killed in the river. And all the babies in Bethlehem killed. The Devil knew a savior was coming and tried to prevent it from happening. But one baby, a year old, named Joash was rescued by his aunt, taken to the temple, nourished and protected in the temple. And after she ruled over the land six years, when Joash was seven years of age, they said, "He's old enough now. We can't wait any longer. We've got to get him on the throne." "As the Sabbath was beginning," the whole thing can be found in II Kings 11. I don't have time to read it all now, "but as the Sabbath was beginning they brought him out of the temple. They blew the trumpets." II Kings 11:11-12, "Then the escort stood, every man with his weapons in hand." Jesus when He is coroneted when He comes to this world will be surrounded by angels, won't He? "From the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple. By the altar and in the house." Where's our King now? Isn't He in the temple? When He comes out is He going to receive His kingdom? "And he brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony," the law. Jesus is the Word. "And made him king and anointed him." They anointed him with the holy oil so he's chosen by God, a symbol of the Spirit. They clap their hands. They said, "Long live the king." And while he was coroneted Athalia was executed. That's what's going to happen when Jesus comes.
At the beginning of the millennial Sabbath He's going to come out of the temple, the trumpets will blow; He will receive His kingdom that He deserves. Now Christ has already received the spiritual kingdom. And I'll talk about that later, but that's when all the wicked are destroyed. And Athalia, she's kind of like that woman in Revelation 17, the scarlet harlot. She's let out, she is destroyed, the people rejoice that he was crowned. Little seven-year-old boy wearing a crown must have been something to see.
A number of different crowns in the Bible that it talks about. You've got the crown of righteousness. And I'm not going to even read you all the verses, but you can look with me at II Timothy 4:8. This was in our memory verse. Paul says, "I have fought the good fight. I have kept the faith. I have finished the race. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me that day." Why did Paul say "the Lord, the righteous Judge?" Paul says this in jail when he has been judged by Nero and found guilty and he is waiting on death row for execution. Paul said, "I've finished, I'm on death row. I'm waiting to be executed." He was beheaded. But was he worried? He said, "Nero's an unrighteous judge, but there is a righteous Judge who's going to crown me." Nero thinks he's king.
He took his own life; cut his own throat when the people were about to execute him. But Paul, who was executed by Nero. What a change of sovereignty there will be that day, when Paul is on the walls of the new Jerusalem wearing his crown, looking down at Nero who is now crownless. So can you see what Paul is alluding to in this statement? "I will get a crown of righteousness. Nero, he was famous for his debauchery, he hedonism, his sensuality. Paul said, "That's not the kind of glory I want. I want the crown of righteousness that the Lord the righteous Judge is going to give me, but not to me only," here's the good news, "but unto all of them," that would be you, "who love His appearing." That means we long for it. We love the coming of the Lord. Do you long for His appearing? Then you can wear that crown of righteousness. You're looking for a different kingdom.
Then there's the crown of life, the Bible speaks of. Several verses, I'll read a couple. James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those that love Him." Isn't that what Paul just said? A crown given based on love. Now James Warren says you're going to have to endure temptation. Before King David got his crown did he go through some trials? How many of you know the story of David? After Samuel anointed him and said, "You'll be the next king," did they parade him into the kingdom, set him on a velvet throne and give him a crown? He said, "You're going to be a king, but you're going to have to endure before you get your crown." And David spent years running for his life and fighting for his life and hiding out. And after he endured all of that, finally he was brought into the kingdom and he was crowned.
Same way, you and I need to endure before we receive our crown. So don't get discouraged. It's a crown of life. Revelation 2:10, "Do not fear any of those things that you're about to suffer. Indeed, the devil's about to throw some of you in prison and you may be tested and you'll have tribulation 10 days." This is the message to the church of Smyrna, and for 10 years they had a very severe persecution. But it also applies to you and me. We may be tried. Don't be afraid of those things you may suffer. "Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." You may have to die for your faith some day, at the hands of an unjust government. Was there a crown that threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the furnace? But did the Lord give them a crown of life? Was there a crown that threw Daniel in the lion's den? Someday there's going to be a crown, there'll be a government in this world that will persecute us and we'll be tried for our faith. Be faithful, even if it's unto death, and you're going to get a crown of life.
The Bible speaks about an incorruptible crown. And Paul and Timothy use a couple of illustrations to bear this out. I Corinthians 9:24-25, "Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receives the prize. So run that you might obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is tempered in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible crown." Also in II Timothy 2:5, "And also if anyone competes in athletics he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. And so there are rules for these races that you run. Now Paul is writing this, and he's in Ephesus. The Olympic games are already well underway. In other words, they had been around for years. It was grueling training. They had self-denial and discipline and racing and training to prepare to win this crown for the victor of the race.
Do you know what that crown was? Well, during the Greek games it could be a laurel, a little diadem, of leaves. Sometimes they were bay laurel leaves, had a little fragrance to them. At one point during the games, the winners of the raise wore a crown of salary. Salad head. All the discipline, all that striving, some of them running a marathon, 26 miles, for a crown of celery. And only one person gets the crown. You might run for all it's worth, do your very best, and all you get was nothing. Someone else gets the celery. By the time of the Romans they had dispensed with the celery that they had crowns of fur. Douglas fir, or something. I guess that's what I'll get. Sometimes before the games were even over it began to wilt.
What Paul is saying here is, by comparison, if you do your best to run the race, many can win that race, not just one. And it's a crown that will last forever. Look what they do in the world for a crown where it's just temporary accolades, and a leafy crown. And he said how much more reasonable it would be to invest the energy into running the Christian race. What did Paul say in Hebrews? "Let us lay aside every weight, and every sin, and the weight that does so easily ensnare us and run with patience that race," that endurance, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." So that's a crown that will last. We don't want that perishable crown, that corruptible crown.
The Bible speaks of a crown of glory. I Peter 5:4, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that does not fade away." It doesn't wither like some of these other crowns that we talked about. Some of you remember when Moses came down the mountain from talking with God. They had to ask him to veil his face because he was emanating light. This crown of glory, this glory he's talking about, this light that surrounds God. Hebrews 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering and death, crowned with glory and honor that by the grace of God, He should taste death for every man." Christ, when He comes, is He going to be crowned with glory? This is talking about that crown, that halo of light that just emanates a brilliance.
What is glory? When Jesus was on the earth He said, "Father, I've glorified your name." And a voice came from heaven that said, "I know you have and I'm going to glorify your name." And it's like they're fighting to exchange, to give the glory to the other. The Spirit is wanting to glorify the Son and the Son is wanting to glorify the Father and the Father's wanting to glorify the Son. Haman wanted the crown for himself. Mordecai and Esther were interested in their people, and they were interested in the King, but they got glorified. He who tries to glorify himself will be humbled. But God wants to glorify us. But the trick is you must not want the glory. Now I don't know if that makes sense. Let me say it better. "He that will seek to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life will save it." It's great to be glorified. It's nice to be honored. It's nice to be exalted. It's the kind of thing that's really nice when you don't seek it, when it's given. If you blow your own trumpet their something wrong with that. If you're clamoring for a crown, that's what the devil did. That's how sin entered the world. But the Lord wants us to have glory. It's the difference between your crowning yourself like Napoleon did. Do you know what Absalom did? Wanted to crown himself, didn't he? [end side one]
Napoleon died in exile. Absalom died swinging between trees, hanging by his hair probably. So there's a balance in the Bible, wanting to exalt the Lord. The Lord says, "That's the way it should be and I will glorify you." And it should bring us some peace. Paul did say, "I'm going to get a crown that the Lord's going to give me. I'm not giving it to myself." Do you see the difference? You'll find this all through the Bible. Anyone who is wanting to crown themselves so they can rule over others, that's not the Spirit of Christ.
Now, can a person be changed by a crown? If you're walking through the woods, any single ladies here? You're walking through the woods and you happen to see a frog, you'd probably never even think but just taking up that frog and kissing it, would you? But if that frog had a crown on, you'd probably look both ways and say, "What have I got to lose," right? A crown can make a big difference. A crown transforms somebody. When somebody puts a crown on, all of a sudden, there's authority that's there. Isn't that right? It makes me think of the story of the prince and the pauper by Mark Twain. When they traded places, and this prince who is now living in a household where he's being abused, and they just think that he's the bottom of the ladder. And finally when the people in the household found out that this boy that they had been forcing to do all these menial things, they saw the crown sit on his head and that he was actually the crown prince, changed their whole attitude, didn't it? About the one that they had been abusing. Those who abuse Christ, are they going to someday see Him crowned? Didn't Jesus say when they were trying Him, "Hereafter you will see the son of Man coming on the right hand of power." Is He going to be crowned when He comes? It's going to make a big difference.
One of the first times in the Bible you find reference to a crown is the priestly crown. Exodus 29:6. When the high priest was getting his garments it was specified by the Lord. Moses didn't have some fashion designer that concocted this. This was God's idea. "You'll put the turban on the head of a high priest and put the holy crown on the turban." This is a painting by Harry Anderson where Aaron was being anointed by Moses. He got going the anointing oil; the turban was placed on his head, and then on top of the turban there's more. Exodus 39:30, "Then they made a plate," a golden plate, "of the holy crown of pure gold and wrote an inscription on it like the engraving of a signet ring, Holiness to the Lord." Now that high priest is a type of whom? He is our Melchisadek. Jesus was both a king and a priest. And up until the time of Saul, who was the king of Israel?
Up until the time of Saul, when people asked for a regular monarch, the high priest, wasn't the high priest, wasn't Samuel? He was the prophet, he was the priest and he was the judge. He was in effect, a king of sorts. But he was a king that said, "I am not the king." He was a king that said, "God is your king." Later they got a king that said, "I'm your king." And that's when the people really began to go downhill. As long as the priest was their king, the purpose of the priest was to say, "God is your king." Then everything changed. And that's why he wore, right on his forehead, right on his crown it said, "Holiness to the Lord." Of course, Christ is our holy King.
The Bible tells us we are a nation of kings and priests. Isn't that right? Do you feel you are turban? Do you know that you're supposed to have a placard that says "Holiness to the Lord"? If we have been called as a nation of kings and priests, and that high priest war that turban that said, "Holiness to the Lord," it ought to remind us that yes, we are to make atonement, we are to bring people to Christ as priests. But we're to have that Holiness. There's to be a humility in our priesthood. We have come to serve.
You know, one of the things that caused the Reformation and the Protestant movement was born because they did not think that a religious man should be exalted. One of the only times we've seen a coronation in the last century now is when Pope John and Pope Paul were coroneted. Now you don't really think of a Pope being coroneted, but that's what they used to do. They don't do it so much now, because it got so much ridicule. But the pope's crown, you don't typically think of the pope's crown because they don't wear it now. It's politically incorrect. But up until the last century, the pope's wore crowns. Matter of fact, it was a triple tiered crown. The reason was he was supposed to represent King of Heaven, king of earth and king of purgatory. That's what the three tiers were to represent. As matter of fact they didn't all wear the same crown. People have talked about the writing on the pope's crown that says vicarus phili dei [spelling?]. Evidently, that wasn't in all the crowns. I've got a picture here that shows many of the different crowns.
The crown that Pope John was just wearing isn't any of these three and they're all popes' crowns. You can go look in the Vatican; they've got different crowns on display. Some of them are gifts from different monarchs that they ruled over. And then I've got a picture of the coronation of Pope Paul. And you look at this and here is a man who is supposed to represent Jesus. His entry, look at the entry of Pope Paul with his crown, on his throne, being carried on a litter and you can understand why they're so lots of ridicule afterwards saying, "Is this a Christian leader? And Jesus is supposed to be a servant of servants." How did Jesus come into Jerusalem? On a donkey. We're going to get to that a little later.
Now let's talk about the crowning of Christ. There are different levels of the crowning of Christ. The message is Many Crowns, because there are many aspects that were looking at, many facets of crowns. Matthew 26:6, "And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very," who was that woman? Another gospel tells us it's Mary Magdalene. "A very costly ointment," fragrant oil. "She poured it on His head as He sat at the table." Christ was anointed. You know what happened with Jesus just a few days before that. He rode into Jerusalem like a king; they proclaimed him king, on a donkey. Matter of fact, a baby donkey, a colt. Everything about the anointing of Jesus was the antithesis of what earthly kings typically do. For instance, kings when they are coordinated, they have ceremonies, right?
There is usually a banquet with dignitaries and their future cabinet at the banquet. Is that right? Did Jesus have a banquet before He received his crown? At the house of Simon, when Mary poured this oil on His head, He was surrounded by His apostles, wasn't He? When a king is corrugated there is an anointing that takes place. We just touched on that. Mary anointed Jesus. There's usually a parade when kings are coroneted. We just showed a picture of the parade of John Paul. Now the kings are paraded with a motorcade, because of security. But there's usually some parade that takes place, a triumphal entry. Did Jesus have a parade into Jerusalem through the Golden Gate? Usually there's some fancy conveyance, a golden carriage. They still have the carriage that Queen Elizabeth rode, as royal carriage, when she was coroneted. Big, beautiful, ornate, elaborate carriage. What was Jesus conveyance, what did He ride? A donkey. Look how humble His coronation is.
Then there's a place where the feast takes place, and the coronation takes place. It's usually a church, and it's cleaned very carefully. When Jesus came, after at the triumphal entry, did He clean the sanctuary before He received His crown? Yes, He did. He cleansed the temple. There are special royal garments. Did Christ wear special garments when He was coroneted? He was given a purple robe. Isn't' that right? And then ultimately a throne, or a crown of thorns. But I'm not going to go to that just now. I jumped past something else that I want to talk about.
I want to talk about the weight of our crown. Can you feel the weight of your crown? In II Samuel 12:30. When King David conquered the kingdom of the Ammonites and the capitol of Rabbah, he took the king's crown. When you conquered one king you got his dominion, you got his crown. "They took their king's crown from off his head," the king of Rabbah, "its weight was a talent of gold." Do you know how much that is? A talent of gold, that's about between 56 and 70 pounds. How many of you would like to wear a crown that weighs 56-70 pounds? When I first read this in the Bible I thought, "That can't be right. That's a mismeasurement." And then I traveled. I started reading the Bible years ago. Then I did a little more world travel. I went to Africa and I saw ladies carrying cement bags, 100 pound cement bags, on their head. I went to India and I saw these ladies carrying these jars on their head that were filled with water that had to weigh 60 pounds. Maybe King David did get this crown. Didn't wear it all day, but for this occasion they put it on his head.
There is a weight that goes with a crown because the crowns in the Bible represent responsibility. Can you imagine the weight of responsibility that David felt not only for the many kingdoms? David was a king of kings. He conquered many other kingdoms. And you're responsible for all of that. You are to be a judge. You are to lead the people to God. As a Christian there is a spiritual crown that you should feel the weight of even now. The holiness to God on the crown, a responsibility that God has called you to lead others to Him.
In addition, the Bible talks about the soul winner's crown. That's connected with the weight of the crown I'm talking about. I Thessalonians 2, "For what is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing?" Paul says, "Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord, Jesus? You are the crown of our rejoicing," he said. It goes on to say in Isaiah 62:2-3, "The gentiles will see your righteousness and all the kings your glory." It's like when Paul is on the wall and Nero sees his glory. "And you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Now there is no verse in the Bible that specifically says that when you bring others to the Lord they become stars in your crown or that the stars in your crown represent that. The teaching is there. You can read in Daniel that those that turn, Daniel 12, "others to righteousness will shine like the stars for ever and ever." Soul winners.
There's an interesting quote from the book Early Writings. Can I read that to you? Speaking of heaven. "We all entered the cloud together and we were seven days ascending to the sea of glass when Jesus brought the crowns and with His own right hand He placed them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory. Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square. Some of them had very bright crowns, others not so bright. Some crowns appeared heavy with stars while others had but a few. All were perfectly satisfied with their crown." Oh Lord, I just want to be there. If I don't even get a crown, I just want to be there. I'll be satisfied. "All were perfectly satisfied. They were all clothed with glorious white mantles, from their shoulders to their feet." This is Early Writings, page 16. She saw this in a vision. I believe it. And these stars in the crown represent others that we have brought to the Lord.
Now I'm not necessarily wanting a crown that's got a lot of stars [?] say, "Hey check out the stars. How many do you have?" I just want to be there. But, at the same time, I want to do everything I can to bring as many as I can to the Lord, and be as effective as I can. That will be nice to know that there are people who are there because of your influence. Whether I've got a little star on my crown or not. These kids in Cradle Roll Sabbath School, Elementary School, if they got perfect attendance, a little star for perfect attendance and they get excited about that. And we're all a little like that, I suppose, right? But I really want to look at the people who are there. And each of those stars represents somebody who is there because of our influence. And that's worth something to think about.
Some people are going to lose their crowns through neglect. Think about that. The Lord might have a crown for you that you could lose? Did God call Saul to be king? King Saul, yes, He did. And he was given a crown. He was chosen by the Lord to be king. But because he stopped listening to God, became proud, decided to do it his own way, he lost his crown. The Bible tells us that the enemy, the chief enemy of the Kishites (Saul was from Kish) were the Amalakites. By the way, Mordecai was a Kishite. Haman was an Amalakite. Did you know that? Just brings down that feud. Do you remember when Saul went to the Amalakites, exterminated all of them except Agag, the king. And he lost the kingdom, Samuel said, because he didn't follow through with what God had told him to do. Guess who found Saul's crown when he was dead on the battlefield? An Amalakite slave took away his crown. Brought it to David and then he made up some big story that he killed King Saul himself. And David had him killed. So it didn't do him any good. But the crown of Saul was handed to David. He lost his crown.
Revelation 3:11, "Behold, I'm coming quickly. Hold fast what you have that no one may take away your crown." God has promised you a crown of glory, a crown of life, a crown of righteousness. These things are waiting. And not only does He have a mansion prepared for you, He's got a crown prepared for you. Don't let anyone take your crown. Don't make the dumb mistakes that Saul made. Judas had a crown prepared for him. But he traded that eternal crown, that crown of glory filled with potential stars, for 30 pieces of silver. What a bad deal. Then he traded it back in anyway, didn't even get to keep it.
I want to return to the crowning of Christ. Jesus was crowned with the very humblest aspects because He wanted to demonstrate the humility. Who gets the glory ultimately for any crown that you and I might have? It belongs to the Lord, doesn't it? Revelation 4:4, 10-11, "Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders. These twenty-four elders, by the way, if you look in the Old Testament, there are 24 groups that would praise God in the temple of God. These twenty-four elders are probably composed of those who are in that resurrection of Jesus. Remember when many graves were opened? And some of the saints who slept, patriarchs and prophets and kings who were faithful to God. "Clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their head." And then you go to verse 10, "And the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they cast their crowns before the throne." We don't deserve these crowns. "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you created all things, and by you they will exist and they were created." So in heaven we're going to all cast our crowns at Jesus' feet. Because it's a gift that we don't deserve. They're given to us by His grace.
Now back to the crown of Christ. What crown did He receive on earth? After He rode the donkey and after He went to the feast at Simon's house with a leper, Simon the leper. I mean, here Jesus is saving lepers. Then He's anointed by a prostitute; sitting among cursing fishermen; riding on a donkey. Ultimately He gets a crown of thorns, doesn't He? That's the crown. Why thorns? When did thorns first appear in the Bible? They're a type of sin. When Adam sinned then thorns and thistles came out. And what kind of robe did Jesus get? They gave Him a purple robe and the Roman soldiers then mocked Him, and they hailed Him as though He was a king. They took a reed, that was His scepter, a staff from the river. And they struck Him in the head with this artificial staff and drove the thorns in. You know, Jesus not only came from the grave with scars in His hands and His feet and His side, but you know He also had scars in His head.
Let me read something else to you. How many of you have read the book Desire of Ages? If you have not read the book Desire of Ages you are robbing yourself of a tremendous spiritual blessing. I'll say you'll never be the same. This is how the book closes, speaking about the saints going back to glory. When Jesus is bringing the resurrected saints back to glory. After His sacrifice on earth, after His resurrection, this is what's happening in heaven. That's how the book of Desire of Ages ends. "When did Jesus receive His crown in heaven? All heaven was waiting to welcome the Savior," by the way, this is Desire of Ages, page 833-834. "All heaven was waiting to welcome the Savior to the celestial courts. As He ascended He led the way and the multitude of captives set free at His resurrection followed.
The heavenly hosts with shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song attended the joyous train." There's this triumphal entry, very different from what happened on earth. "As they drew near to the city of God the challenge is given by the escorting angels." And the angels actually then begin to quote Psalm 24:7. "Lift up you heads, o you gates, and be lifted up you everlasting doors and the King of glory will come in. Joyfully the waiting sentinels respond, 'Who is the King of glory?' they say, not because they don't know who He is, but because they want to hear the answer of exalted praise. 'The Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads o ye gates, even lift them up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory will come in.' Again is heard the challenge, 'Who is the King of glory?'
For the angels never weary of hearing His name exalted. And the escorting angels reply, 'The Lord of Hosts. He is the King of glory.' Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide and the angelic throng sweep through the gates amid bursts of rapturous music." I'd like to hear that music. "There is the throne and around it a rainbow of promise. There are the cherubim and the seraphim, the commanders of the angelic hosts. The sons of God, the representatives of unfallen worlds, are assembled. The heavenly counsel before which Lucifer had accused God and His Son. The representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan had thought to establish his dominion. All are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph over sin and to glorify their King. But Jesus waives them back, not yet.
He cannot now receive the coronet." What's a coronet? "The crown of glory, and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head." Does His head still have the wounds? "His pierced side, the marred feet. He lifts His hands bearing the print of the nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph. He presents to God the wave sheaf of those raised with Him." It points to those who are in this special resurrection, the twenty-four elders. "As representatives of that great multitude, who will come forth from the grave at His second coming. He approaches the Father, with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents, who rejoices over one with singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled when upon the cross He cried out, 'It is finished,' He addressed the Father.
The compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares, 'Father, it is finished. I have done my will. O, my God, I have completed the work of redemption. If thy justice is satisfied, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am.'" It's a quote from John 19:30. "The voice of God, the Father, is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ's toiling, struggling ones on earth are the accepted in the Beloved. Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10. The Father's arms encircle His Son. The word is given, 'Let all the angels of God worship Him.' With joy unutterable rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the prince of life. The angelic hosts prostrate themselves before Him. While the glad shouts fill the courts of heaven, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.' Revelation 5:2. Songs of triumph mingle with the music from the angel harps until heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise. Love has conquered. The lost is found. Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains proclaiming, 'Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him that sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Oh, isn't that beautiful? That's so eloquent.
After the experience Jesus comes back to earth. That's when He says in Matthew 28:9; remember, He told Mary, "Don't cling to me. I've not yet ascended to my Father." He goes to heaven. This is what happens in heaven. Then after He is coroneted in heaven He comes back to earth. He lays that all aside. I'd just stay there and drink it all in. He comes back to earth and then when the women get a hold of His feet they worship Him and He says, "All hail. I have now been crowned victorious. It is appropriate for you to worship me." So that's what was going on in heaven between Mary Magdalene and the other women when they grabbed Him by the feet.
You know, the Bible then tells us in Revelation that there are many crowns that Jesus wears. Revelation 19:11, "Now I saw heaven open and behold a white horse. And He who sat upon him was called Faithful and True. In righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns." What are those many crowns? Crowns of dominion. He is the King of kings. Crowns of eternal glory. All the glory is due Him. Crowns of purity. He is the only one who has come to earth that is without sin. Crowns of victory. He is the ultimate overcomer. And then I put down finally the crown of love because that's His very essence. And it is through love that we all overcome.
How many of you would like to wear a crown someday? I will wear a crown in my Father's house. I want to wear a crown so I can cast it at His feet. Don't you? And just give Him thanks and praise. William Penn said, "No pain, no palm. No thorns, no throne. No gall, no glory. No cross, no crown." If you and I want to wear that crown then we need to share the cross. Spurgeon put it this way; "There are no crown wearers in heaven who are not cross bearers here below." We may not have a crown of thorns, but Jesus wore that for us. We will have a cross to bear. And He says, "Take up my cross and follow me and you will have treasure in heaven." He told the apostles, "You will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." And He says to all of us, we will live and reign with Christ. He's going to move the capitol of the universe to this planet and you and I will sit on thrones and we will be able to declare to the unfallen worlds the goodness of God because we've experienced it in a way no one else has. We have gone from lost to saved.
Friends, I'm looking forward to that. I hope that you will feel the weight of your crown. I hope, even now, you can be transformed by that crown. But ultimately I think that in order to experience that heaven, that throne in heaven, to live and reign with Christ we must realize that He is our Lord now, and be willing to give Him that sovereignty over our lives. Have you surrendered your lives to Him? Are you willing to recognize Him as your King and your Lord?
Father in heaven, Lord, we are so thankful for the truth that Jesus is the King of Kings, that He has been coroneted, that His sacrifice, His life were declared successful and accepted and He has the right to justify us. Lord, it is our prayer that thy kingdom will come. First it begins with the internal kingdom, the spiritual kingdom. We pray that Jesus will be enthroned in our hearts, that we'll be willing to recognize Him as the King, the Sovereign of our lives, and He will be enthroned within us. And then, Lord, we pray that we can be your ambassadors here in this world. That we can be a nation of kings and priests in this world that has rejected the sovereignty of God, and prepare others to accept Him when He comes with His many crowns. Lord, I pray that we can, with Paul, know that we have fought a good fight, we have kept the faith and that there is laid up for us a crown of righteousness, a crown of glory, a crown of life, that you will hand us someday. And we long for the privilege of casting our crowns at your feet. Bless each of us, that we might share in that experience. We ask in Christ's name, amen.
History's Holy Hoax
The Storm of Jonah
The Woman of Light
Battle for the Mind - Part 2
Questions and Answers - Part 1
What does it mean to fear the one who destroys body and soul mean?
Why do people try to discredit the writings of the Apostle Paul?


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