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Our Sermon for July 16, 2017: What Will You Share? Genesis 25:19-34
These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled together within her; and she said, 'If it is to be this way, why do I live?' So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lordsaid to her,
'Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger.'
When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb.The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. Afterwards his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
When the boys grew up, Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, 'Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!' (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, 'First sell me your birthright.' Esau said, 'I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?' Jacob said, 'Swear to me first.' So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
What Will You Share? Genesis 25:19-34
Our story begins with strong Rebekah, whom we met last week. She married Isaac and supported him through the grief of his mother's death. Like her mother-in-law before her, Rebekah found herself unable to conceive. For twenty years, she lived with her husband, knowing the promises of his God, their God, that their family would be the roots of a great lineage, and, yet, she never grew pregnant. Maybe Isaac remembered the stories Hagar had told him about her time in the wilderness, seeing and being seen by God. Maybe Isaac and Rebekah needed to be reminded that God could see them. So they settled in Beer-lahai-roi, where Hagar had once encountered and named God as she hid from Sarah's cruelty. Isaac prayed for Rebekah. We don't know how long he prayed but we do know that, eventually, she became pregnant.
As is true for many women, pregnancy was not easy for Rebekah. It becomes clear that she is carrying not one child but two, and it feels as though the children are battling inside of her. Rebekah was growing up in a time with poor pre-natal care, far from the women in her family who could have talked about the difficulties of pregnancy with her. It is not clear if she had a relationship with any women from Isaac's family who could have supported her this way. And, she would have known that pregnancy was easily among the most life-threatening experiences that a woman could go through. This pregnancy became so difficult that she wondered if it might be better that she died than live with such pain. So she prayed, because that's what you do when you're hopeless. Like Hagar and Abraham and the unnamed servant before her, God heard her and answered her. God tried to explain the turmoil inside of her.
It is not clear if God is simply describing the future or setting the future in action by speaking. God said that the two children inside of her will be as two nations who have always been at war. This may not be a surprise for her to hear. Siblings often fight, and fight hard. However, the next part of God's revelation would be more unusual. In their culture, the eldest son was the most valued. He would inherit twice what the next son would inherit. He would become the leader of the family if the father died. He would be expected to carry the family's legacy. His life would be privileged based on the accident of his birth order, not on his merit as a leader or devotion as a son. God told Rebekah that her sons would not follow the traditional path. In her sons' lives, the elder would serve the younger. Again, it is not clear if God is describing what will happen or making this strange relationship happen. But, in this vision from God, we learn, and Rebekah learns, that we should expect something unusual from these boys.
Esau was born first, red-faced, red-headed, a wild child who becomes a wild man at home in the field and on the hunt. Esau's name is connected to both the color red and the nation of Edom, a nation he will be said to found and with whom Israel will be in conflict. Jacob is born second, coming out gripping his brother's heel. His name is similar to the Hebrew word for heel. He was named for the circumstances of his birth, just like his father was named for his own mother's laughter. Jacob's name is also similar to the Hebrew word for supplant or cheat. Jacob, the boy who held his brother's heal and may one day replace him. I wonder if Jacob heard his destiny every time his mother called his name. Maybe he grew to be the trickster. Maybe he saw manipulation as his only way forward. He grew into the name, this quiet boy who stayed with the women among the tents, figuring his life and his part of God's promise could only truly be secured if he could outsmart the traditions that favored his brother.
As we will see throughout Jacob's life, he will have a sense that he has a part to play in God's plan for his family. However, it is not clear that he believes that God will actually follow through with God's promise. Jacob clearly believes that he must act in order to put himself into a more favored position where God can use him in his family. This is not an unfamiliar tactic for many people, especially people born into systems with rigid senses of social mobility or systems that really resist change. When it seems like the system can't be changed, you learn to work around the system. It's like that line from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, when they talk about securing the father's blessing on his daughter's marriage to a non-Greek man. According to the mother, while the father was the head of the family, the women were the neck, figuring out how to move the head wherever they wanted it. Jacob is going to spend a lot of his life trying to be the neck moving a stubborn head.
While spending his time among the tents, Jacob learned to cook. The story tells us that he cooked up a rich, red lentil stew. Esau plopped himself down next to his brother's cooking fire, exhausted from his day in the fields, and demanded some of the red stuff. Now, Jacob is smart. Maybe he's being playful with his rough older brother when he says, "Really hungry, huh. Well, this meal is going to cost you. What could be an appropriate price? I know... your birthright." Or, maybe he's deadly serious, knowing his brother well, understanding that this wild man cares not for his future plans when his immediate need is so distracting. Maybe Jacob's been waiting for a moment of weakness to find a way to get what he really wants, and, this is the moment that his strong brother finally cracks. Esau says, "I'm about to die; what good is a birthright to me?" Maybe Esau didn't believe his brother was serious. Maybe the hunger in his belly was far more pressing than his future plans. Maybe he was actually near death. Whatever the reason, when Jacob demanded Esau swear to give away his inheritance, he said yes, and he swore. Then, he ate and drank at his brother's side and left. I sure hope the stew was worth it.
Part of me wonders if Esau really believed that Jacob would hold him to a silly bargain made over a bowl of soup. I mean, how many of us in this room haven't said, "I'd sell my right arm for a good hamburger right now," and counted on the people listening to us to understand that we were simply exaggerating to make a point? Or, maybe Esau counted on his brother being too intimidated by his physical strength to actually risk making him stay true to his word. Regardless, as we will see in the coming readings, Jacob will hold Esau to his word. The birthright, and God's blessing, as mediated through their father Isaac, will belong to Jacob simply because he will be wily enough to take them. I can't help but wonder, though, if the story had to be this way. What could have happened if Jacob had not felt like he had to resort to manipulation to secure his blessing?
Several articles I read in preparation for this sermon pointed out something important about Jacob's story. We will hear in the coming week's how Jacob's name is changed by God to Israel. His name will become the name of the whole nation. A whole people will understand themselves as being his descendants. When we remember their history and read this story of a wily, smart, small man who finds a way to thrive in the face of a bigger, stronger, more privileged brother, we are learning something about how this nation understands itself. They often found themselves at the mercy of stronger nations, nations that occasionally wanted to destroy them. They had to outsmart stronger people in order to survive. Jacob becomes the embodiment of this survival strategy. He is the one who makes sure he gets God's blessing, regardless of what the more powerful have in mind.
I can't help but wonder if the next part of God's kindom plan is to help create a world where the Jacobs don't have to work so hard to secure their blessings. I can't help but wonder if the next step that we are being invited to create with God is the step that dismantles the need for manipulation and trickery from smaller, weaker parties, a step where the powerful can learn to look at their privilege and decide to use it for the common good. Maybe God's kindom will be a place where a brilliant man like Jacob will see a future in God's blessing and be confident that his powerful brother will share that blessing with him. Maybe God's kindom will be a little more like this meal that we will share today in Communion, where all are equally welcome and all are equally called to share with the person next to them, rather than Jacob's meal with Esau. We are here, today, because of the wily machinations of a less privileged younger brother. May we help God make a world where such schemes are no longer necessary.
Resources Pastor Chrissy consulted while writing this sermon:
Kathryn M. Schifferdecker: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3340
Amy Merrill Willis: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2149
Juliana Claassens: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=967
Esther M. Menn: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=119
Melissa Tidwell: http://www.workingpreacher.org/print_questions.aspx?lectionary_calendar_id=712
Frederick Buechner:
-http://www.frederickbuechner.com/quote-of-the-day/2016/8/7/jacob?rq=jacob
-http://www.frederickbuechner.com/quote-of-the-day/2016/10/16/esau?rq=esau
Our Sermon for July 9th, 2017: I Will. - Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
So he said, 'I am Abraham's servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. My master made me swear, saying, "You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father's house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son."
'I came today to the spring, and said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, 'Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,' and who will say to me, 'Drink, and I will draw for your camels also'—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son."
'Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water-jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, "Please let me drink." She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, "Drink, and I will also water your camels." So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?" She said, "The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him." So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.' And they called Rebekah, and said to her, 'Will you go with this man?' She said, 'I will.' So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
'May you, our sister, become
thousands of myriads;
may your offspring gain possession
of the gates of their foes.'
Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, and said to the servant, 'Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?' The servant said, 'It is my master.' So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
I Will. Genesis 24: 34-38, 42-49, 58-67
One of the perks of going to the United Church of Christ General Synod is that I get to listen to some great preachers and worship leaders. Upon returning home and beginning my preparations for this week's service at our church, the reading from Genesis reminded me of a story that the Rev. Traci Blackmon, the newly elected executive minister of the UCC Justice and Witness Ministries, shared on Friday afternoon during worship. Now, she was preaching on a different text than ours today, but it's a good story and I think it has some interesting connections with the story of brave and strong Rebekah's decision to leave home and marry Isaac. I'd like to share it with you to see if you can feel those connections, too. The story Rev. Blackmon shared began on June 30, 1859, 158 years to the day before her sermon. It was the day a man named Charles Blondin would attempt to be the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
Monsieur Blondin, whose given name was Jean François Gravelet, was a French acrobat. He had been waiting for months for the weather to be amenable for attempting such a dangerous feat. According to one article I read, he never used a net, believing that, and I quote, "that preparing for disaster only made one more likely to occur." Honestly, that sounds like a terrible way to go through life to me, but, I am not a daredevil. What do I know? It was just going to be him and 1300 feet of 2 inch diameter rope crossing the falls. The day he planned to walk, 25,000 people showed up to watch, many of whom assumed that they would be seeing him fall to his death. Remember, this was a very tumultous time in American history... only two years before the Civil War. Tension was high. I bet a lot of folks were looking for something to distract themselves from the greater conflicts at hand. And, as we all know, people show up to watch a disaster. I mean, isn't that why some people like NASCAR? They just want to see the crashes?
The US and Canadian sides of the falls quickly developed a fairground atmosphere, with bookies traveling around taking bets on Blondin's likelihood of success, vendors selling lemonade and whiskey, and journalists coming to record the spectacle for posterity. Blondin began his precarious journey wearing spangled pink tights and fancy, soft-soled leather shoes, carrying a 50 pound balancing staff. One witness stated that he looked like a rooster strutting across a barnyard. Halfway through, he stopped and hauled up a bottle of wine from the Maid of the Mist tourist boat that was anchored nearly 200 feet below him. He drank some wine and finished his walk across the falls with a flourish, greeted on the far side by a band playing a song called, "Home, Sweet Home."
What drew Rev. Blackmon to this story, and the reason I share it with you today, is that this one incredible traverse is not actually the end of Blondin's story. He walked back out across the tightrope a second time, this time carrying one of those giant daguerreotype cameras. He stopped partway through, pulled the heavy camera off his back, took a picture of the American side, hauled it back onto his back, and finished a second traverse. Then, he announced that he would do this all again in just a few days on July 4th. On the fourth, he, and the crowds returned and he walked back and forth across the tightrope again, this time walking part of the time backwards and, once, covering his whole head with a sack so he could not see. Then, on July 15th, he returned again to the falls, walking over to Canada and then returning to the US, this time with a wheelbarrow he pushed across the tightrope!
According to Rev. Blackmon, this is where the story gets interesting. Upon seeing Blondin safely crossing yet again, this time with a wheelbarrow in tow, the crowd roared with applause. Blondin called out to the crowd, "Do you believe that I could carry a person across the falls in this wheelbarrow?" The crowd responded back, "Yes! Of course! You are the greatest tightrope walker of all time! We believe!" Blondin turned and looked at the crowd and said, "Ok then... who wants to get in the wheelbarrow?" With the mist from the falls clinging to their faces and roar of the water roiling at their feet, the whole crowd, to a person, came to the same decision. Not one of them was going to get in that wheelbarrow. Sure, the trek would have been glorious, but that kind of glory is terrifying and totally not worth the risk. "Nope," they said, "We are just going to stay here on the solid ground thank-you-very-much." Blondin never ended up taking anybody with him in that wheelbarrow.
As I began to read today's scripture, I recognized something from Blondin's story. I realized that today's scripture is a story about someone choosing to get in the wheelbarrow. I mean, it's is not as glamorous a story as that of the acrobat's death-defying stunt, but it is just as surely a story of life-changing risk. Like the crowds on the edge of the falls, Rebekah stood on her own precipice and received her own wildly risky invitation. There seemed to be two options before her: on one side, a possibly glorious future in a land she did not know, with a family she did not know (but was supposedly related to), married to a man who she did not know and, on the other side, a more safe future at home in a land she knew, near her own family, married to a local boy with a family whom she actually knew and people her father trusted. Rebekah stood on the side of her falls, looking between an acrobat with wheelbarrow and crowd safe on dry land. Shockingly, she picked the wheelbarrow, and she stepped inside, certain that she would wind up somewhere worth being when she got to the other side.
We don't know much about Rebekah before she began her own tightrope trek, so it is difficult to know what gave her both the courage and the audacity to believe that she could survive taking such a risk. This story begins not with a recounting of her life, but with a command that Abraham gives one of his servants, an unnamed man who is charged with finding his son Isaac a daughter back in Syria, among Abraham's kinfolk. In fact, we know more about the servant's motivations for going on this trip than we do about Rebekah's. The servant was both loyal to Abraham and faithful to Abraham's God, praying that he would be able to find an appropriate wife for Isaac and that that woman would be willing to come back to Canaan with him.
I am intrigued by the criteria that the servant used to judge whether a woman was going to be suitable wife material. When he prayed for God's help in his task, he said, "Let the girl to whom I shall say, 'Please offer your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink and I will water your camels'- let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac." He understands a woman who values hospitality to strangers and care for the needy as the kind of person whom Isaac should marry. Remember, hospitality to strangers is at the center of Abraham and Sarah's faith. Hospitality to strangers will become a hallmark of their descendants' faith, too. We'll read more about it in later stories of Exodus, prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and into the parable of Jesus. This woman will need to value hospitality if she is to become part of this family. With her help, hospitality will become their greatest legacy.
Rebekah not only gave him water. She had the strength to draw up enough water for 10 camels, what would have amounted to 200-300 gallons of water. That is alot of hospitality. Surely this strong woman seemed like an answered prayer to the servant, who quickly asked her family for permission to take her to be Isaac's wife. To her family's credit, while they understood the servants story to be a sign of God's work in Rebekah's life and approved of the marriage, they asked her if she wanted to go with the servant, who wanted to leave quickly, rather than forcing her to go. Shockingly, she says yes, following the footsteps of a father-in-law whom she hadn't even met yet, into a land she does not know because she has decided to trust that God has something good waiting for her on the other side.
As I have already stated, I wish this story told a little more from Rebekah's side of the things. I wish I could hear from her what exactly gave her the courage to say yes. Maybe she recognized a set of values similar to her own at work in the faith of the servant. Maybe she was just ready to begin a new life, and the life that was possible with this family seemed as good a place as any to begin. Maybe she just had the same kind of foolhardy confidence that allowed Charles Blondin to believe he could cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope. I don't know why Rebekah said yes, but I do think it's worth asking ourselves, as Rev. Blackmon asked us at Synod last week, what will it take us to say yes when we are invited into God's wheelbarrow? What will we need to believe to move forward with God? When our turn comes around, how can we be more like Rebekah, and less like the people who watched Blondin. Because, let's be clear, our turn in the wheelbarrow is coming... is probably here right now. What will help us say yes?
Sources Pastor Chrissy consulted when writing this sermon:
Many thanks to the Rev. Traci Blackmon whom I first heard share Mr. Blondin's story at General Synod during worship on June 30, 2017. Here's an article about her election to lead the UCC's justice ministry: http://www.ucc.org/news_gs_traci_blackmon_elected_overwhelmingly_to_lead_uccs_justice_ministry_07022017
Two articles about Charles Blondin:
The Daredevil of Niagara Falls- http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls-110492884/
A Lesson in Faith: The Charles Blondin Story- http://www.inspire21.com/stories/faithstories/CharlesBlondin
Our Sermon for July 2nd, 2017: Abraham to God: "Seriously?" Genesis 22:1-14 and Matthew 10:40-42
* Many thanks to church member Margaret Imber for preaching on a very difficult text while Pastor Chrissy was traveling to General Synod.
Genesis 22:1-14
After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.' So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt-offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.'Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, 'Father!' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' He said, 'The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?' Abraham said, 'God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So the two of them walked on together.
When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.' And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place 'The Lord will provide'; as it is said to this day, 'On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.'
Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.'
Abraham to God: "Seriously?"
Today we heard the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. It is a strange, gripping tale, which has been the source of theological debate by both Jews and Christians for thousands of years. The story is strange from soup to nuts. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering. That is weird. Abraham says yes. That is very weird. The purpose of the sacrifice is to test the faith of Abraham. This is also odd. Isn't God omniscient? Wouldn't he know what Abraham intended to do? Why indulge in such a cruel test?
Conversely, the passage from Matthew seems not strange at all. Jesus promises his disciples before they leave him to proselytize that those who welcome them will be rewarded. Traditionally, most Christians find the story of Isaac difficult to comprehend and feel somewhat reassured by the passage from Matthew. Traditionally, these readings are paired because of the similarity between Isaac and Jesus, each a sacrifice of a loving father. I'd like to suggest today that we should be comforted by the story of Isaac and unnerved by the reward Jesus promises. And while the parallels between Isaac and Jesus are clear, I think these reading belong together because each describes a test and each is about the problems of inclusion and exclusion. It is the test and the problems that make today's Scripture passages eerily relevant to our own age.
Today's reading from Genesis begins with the words "Sometime later God tested Abraham." Later than what? Well, if you recall, the test of Isaac takes place after Abraham banishes his son Ishmael from the newly formed community of Jews that God has created from the man Abram's family. Abram and his wife Sarai were not able to conceive children, so Sari sent her slave Hagar to lie with Abram. Hagar conceived and Ishmael was born. When Ishmael turned 13, the male members of Abram's family made their formal covenant with God through circumcision. God, then promised Abram, whom he would now call Abraham, that Sarai, whose name became Sarah after the covenant was made, that though she was long past her childbearing years, Sarah would bear a child. She does and she calls him Isaac, which in Hebrew means, "laughter."
Immediately, Sarah insists that Abraham drive Ishmael and Hagar from their community. Abraham is reluctant because Ishmael is his son. But God promises Abraham that Isaac, the son of Sarah, will be the seed of the Hebrew nation that God is creating in Abraham's family. He further promises Abraham that Ishmael, too, will become father to a great, if different, nation.
This is the back story to today's reading. Abraham is to be the father of a great nation. But he and his wife are old and barren. Abraham has a son whom he loves with his wife's slave, with his wife's permission. There is a son, therefore the promised nation can begin. Ooops. Wrong son. God promises Abraham another son, this time, a 'legitimate' son. Abraham rejects Ishmael, his first born. He doesn't want to, but God assures him it will be ok. I always wonder if this is the first time that Abraham raised an eyebrow and said to God, "Seriously?" I'm 90. Isaac's an infant. I've a perfectly fine son in Ishmael. Haven't you ever heard of having a back-up plan? God, however, is God and doesn't need a backup plan.
But if God doesn't need a back-up plan, why does he need to "test" Abraham. I think it may have something to do with his Covenant. There is no back-up plan. God has bet the future of the Hebrew nation of the faith of a single man. If Abraham is not faithful, if he will not commit completely to God, well then it's possible that the whole Hebrew project could be in danger. God must test Abraham because God has granted Abraham and each of us free will. It would have been fairly foolish of Abraham to reject his Covenant with God when things got tough. But free will means that Abraham and each of us gets to make foolish mistakes. So God tests Abraham by demanding that he sacrifice Isaac. Take your son, your only son, the one you love, he directs. Again, I imagine a quirked eyebrow on Abraham's part here – "My only son? Thanks to whom, big guy?" In fact, Jewish commentators imagine the conversation went something like this: God said, "Take your son." And Abraham said, "I have two sons." He answered him, "Your only son." He said to him, "Each is the only son of his mother." God said, "The one whom you love." Abraham replied, "Is there any limit to a father's love?" God answered, "Isaac." Abraham, like all the Patriarchs, argued with God. He argued until God explicitly stated what he wanted. Abraham wanted to be sure what God was asking of him and to be sure that God was sure as well.
I imagine Abraham muttering as he follows God's directions. But there is no back up plan. Ishmael is now gone. He is no longer in Abraham's family and he will not be a part of the Hebrew nation that God will make of Abraham's family.
To me the most interesting contrast in this story is Abraham's almost obstinate faith and God's anxiety about Abraham's faith. Whenever God calls, Abraham steps up and answers, "Here I am Lord." He holds himself in constant readiness to follow God's commands. Whatever God asks of him, Abraham will do. Abraham, as each of us, could have chosen differently, but instead acts as though once the covenant was made, it was inconceivable that he would break it. To Abraham, therefore, it was inconceivable that God would break the Covenant: "God will provide." Abraham has more faith in God than God has in him. Abraham does not seem disturbed by the fact.
The next most interesting thing in this story is the shadow of Ishmael. He must be excluded both from his family and from his people. God loves him and promises him a nation of his own. But for there to be any nation at all, Hebrew or Muslim, acts of exclusion are required. Is the decision to exile Ishmael fair? From the perspective of Sarah, perhaps not. She resents the way Hagar acted after Ishmael was born, while Sarah was still barren. The mother of the only heir, Hagar, clearly lorded it over Sarah. Punishing Ishmael for his mother's sins seems unfair. But Sarah is also worried about young Isaac's claim on the family's fortune. She must have wondered whether she could protect Isaac's rights against what she perceived to be Hagar's arrogance, and Ishmael's age if anything ever happened to Abraham. To preserve the family, and the nation, Sarah thinks that Abraham must exclude Ishmael. That exclusion is complete and permanent. 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love," God commands. What about Ishmael? There is no denying that Abraham loves Isaac, but why most this love be won by cutting Ishmael out of his heart. In the Muslim tradition, Abraham visits Ishmael and gives him unasked for and unvarnished opinions about Ishmael's wife. But in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the exclusion is complete.
Scholars, theologians and propagandists have made much of Ishmael's exclusion. Ishmael the Arab, the Muslim. Perhaps the nation of Israel and the nation of Islam must ever be in opposition to each other, some argue - it is foreordained in the Bible. Or perhaps, there is something insufficient in the human imagination that we can only define nations by identifying the people the nation excludes? Who, for example, is a real American? Native Americans, the descendants of immigrants, or the descendants of slaves? Are we defined as a nation by the people we exclude or the peoples we embrace? Today we live in a moment of mass migration, caused by wars in distant lands. Many of these wars were initiated or exacerbated in my name and yours. Personally, I find the insistence some make on rigid exclusion odd. It does not seem to be the response of someone who believes, "God will provide." I also think it would be churlish of me to insist upon standards of inclusion that my own ancestors did not face. There were no restrictions on immigration from Europe in the late 19th century when my father and mother's parents came to the United States. I worry that we lack the faith of Abraham, that we can no longer say, "God will provide."
When Jesus sent the disciples out on the first preaching mission, in the passage from Matthew that we heard this morning, he was counting on those that heard the Good News opening the hearts and homes to the first missionaries. But even here there was exclusion. Jesus told his disciples not to go to the Samaritans or to the Gentiles. The first community of Christians appears to have been as exclusionary as the first community of Hebrews. In fact, the early Church struggled with the question of inclusion and exclusion mightily. Many among the First Christians argued that only individuals in covenant with the Hebrew God could become Christian. For St. Paul, in contrast, the hallmark of Jesus' new covenant was its inclusivity. In Christ, there is no East or West. St. Paul won the argument. Under the new covenant, the reward Jesus promises to those who recognize his disciples as messengers of Christ and of God, will be granted to anyone, whether Greek or Jew, man or woman, free or slave.
The story in Matthew announces two burdens put upon the shoulders of those who follow Jesus. We must, each of us, be messengers of the Good News. We must reach out to those who are different from us and embody the hospitality Christ and God will offer them. But we must also open and hearts to those who come to us. If we see Christ in the face of a stranger, we must welcome that stranger, feed and clothe them. For each of these persons is Christ in our midst. This is a heavy burden. What if you're not a good cook, or your place is a mess or you have a home that lends itself to hospitality?
If we want the reward Jesus promises, it doesn't matter. We must open ourselves to them, because in doing so, we are opening ourselves to God. How do we know the stranger is Christ? What if he is Ishmael? I think perhaps the New Covenant that God made with us, using Jesus as the sacrifice, challenges this distinction. There is a famous, heartbreaking picture of a refugee child, red shirt, blue shorts, sneakers and socks. He couldn't be more than three years old. He lies face down and dead on a beach. Is he Ishmael or Jesus? I think he's Jesus. In fact, I think, under the New Covenant, Ishmael is Jesus. And I think many, many people, myself among them, failed to welcome Jesus when they refused to welcome this child. Jesus said: "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." A cup of water would have sufficed. There are hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to move from war torn lands in Africa and the Middle East. It is often overwhelming to think of the effort required to see Christ in each of them. The thought of reaching out to offer all of them our hospitality is terrifying.
There are pundits and politicians, in every corner of the world, who seek to motivate us to important decisions through our fears. What Abraham would say to them? I think he'd raise an eyebrow and say, "Seriously? You only have to offer a cup of cold water? Talk to me when you asked to offer your only son whom you love as a burnt offering." I think Abraham would assure us that we do not need to live in our fear of strangers or the limitations of our own hospitality. God will provide.
Our Sermon for June 25, 2017: Hearing You Where You Are, Genesis 21:8-21
The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.So she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.' The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, 'Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.' So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, 'Do not let me look on the death of the child.' And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, 'What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.' Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.
God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Meeting You Where You Are- Genesis 21:8-21
She is the only person to name God in the whole Bible. Everyone else learns God's name by hearing it from the Divine. This woman gives God a name based on her experiences with God. The name came to her... well, God came to her during the first time that she was living in the wilderness. The wilderness is not the place that you'd expect a pregnant woman to be trying to live all on her own. She had run to the wilderness when she felt that her home, well, the home of the people who enslaved her, was no longer safe. You see, this woman, Hagar, was a slave and she found herself in conflict with the woman who enslaved her. Mind you, the event that incited the conflict was not an event that she had much control over. The woman who enslaved her, a woman who was called Sarai at that point in her life, had grown impatient waiting to have a child of her own. She gave Hagar to her husband, Abram, in hopes that Hagar might be able to become pregnant, ensuring the fruitful future that Abram had assured her God had promised him. Genesis does not record how Hagar felt about this new arrangement, probably because her feelings on the matter didn't really count. As a slave, she had little control of what happened to her own body.
Hagar did end up becoming pregnant, which was what Sarai had initially hoped for. Scripture records that this pregnancy did not make life easier for Hagar. Genesis states that Hagar looked upon Sarai with contempt, which, quite frankly, is understandable. Sarai grew frustrated with Hagar and instructed Abram to do something about Hagar's attitude. Rather than protecting Hagar as a second wife, Abram washed his hands of the situation, telling Sarai that Hagar is her property and her problem to deal with as she saw fit. So Sarai did. We don't know what all she did, but we do know that it was harsh, harsh enough that Hagar would run away into the wilderness to escape her.
Genesis tells us that this is where an angel of God found Hagar, residing by herself by a stream of water. A scholar I read this week, Delores Williams, notes that when these ancient stories say that an angel of God has visited a person, an angel isn't an entity separate from God. Instead, we should understand an angel's presence as the very presence of God, wrapped up and squeezed into a form that humans can comprehend. When we read this story, we can interpret it most fruitfully by understanding that God is present at the spring with Hagar, wondering what she is doing all by herself out in the woods. Hagar responded to God, explaining that she had to run from Sarai's harsh treatment. She seemed to be trying to return to Egypt, the country of her birth, because the place where God found her was right on the border.
God's response to her might be surprising to those of us who remember later biblical stories, like that of Exodus, where God frees slaves from their torment. In this story, God told her to go back to Sarai. Williams, whom I quoted just a moment ago, suggested that we read God's primary motive has finding the strongest way for Hagar to survive. In this case, her survival was mostly likely assured if she returned to Sarai. She could give birth with others to support her. There was even a chance that her child, if a son, would be granted the authority that came with being a first-born son, even though she herself was a slave. God promised her she would have son and that her children and grandchildren would not be enslaved as she had been. Instead, they would become numerous and as free as the stars, though her son's life would likely be marked by strife. Still, if she returned, she would survive, and her child would survive to be a free warrior.
With this promise in mind, Hagar returned to Sarai, but not before doing one more thing, the thing she will do that no one else in the Bible will do. She said to God, "You are El-roi," that is, the God of Seeing, or the God who Sees. The legacy of her encounter with God would be so powerful that the well that would be built at the spring where she talked with God would continue to bear her name for God long after she was gone. Generations would call the well "Beer-lahai-roi," the Well of the Living One Who See Me. God saw Hagar in distress and made a covenant with her, promising that she and her son would survive and making a way for them to survive. This would not be the last time Hagar would encounter God in the wilderness. God would see her and her son again. God would offer them survival again, too.
Our second reading from today is the recounting of the Hagar's second encounter with the God who sees. Between the first wilderness story in chapter 16 and this second wilderness story here in chapter 21, much has happened. Most important for our reading about Hagar and Ishmael are the following: Sarai and Abram are now known as Sarah and Abraham; They have also hosted God at their camp (like Hagar encountered God at hers); and Sarah has born her own promised son, Isaac. Also, God has had to save Sarah from a scheme involving Abraham trying to save his own skin by pretending she was his sister. Along the way, Isaac and Ishmael grow together as brothers, both beloved by their father. This family still lives in a system that prized first born sons over all other children. Ishmael is the first born. Sarah wanted her son Isaac to have that status and protection. To protect her own comfort and privilege, she did something unconscionable. She sent Hagar and Ishmael back out into the wilderness.
Abraham might have been able to stop her. The story says that God told Abraham not to, though. Isaac needed to be the first born son. But, God assured Abraham that Ishmael would be saved. Hagar probably could have done with the same reminder, because she seems terrified in this story. Abraham sent her off with minimal food and water. After running out of water, she becomes bereft and can no longer even look at her son, because she knows she cannot provide for him. In what I think is one of the saddest parts of the whole Bible, she lays her child down and steps away from him, unable to bear seeing his final moments in life. Her God who sees is also the God who hears. God hears her weeping and hears the pain of the child and God responds: "What troubles you, Hagar?" Then, God reminds her that her care for her son will not be squandered. "Go and hold him in your arms. Remember, I said I'd make sure he survives." As soon has she has her son in hand, she sees a well that will save them. She is able to give her son a drink.
God stays with them and helps them to create a new life in the wilderness. Hagar is able to raise her son into a strong man who can then provide for them both. Hagar eventually finds her son a wife, an Egyptian woman like her, and their family grows. They don't seem to repeat the harmful patterns of the family that pushed them away. They are confident in the God who sees, and who shows them how to survive in the midst of turmoil and conflict. The wilderness would become a place of growth and new life, a place where they could count on God's presence and providence away from a system that deprived them of safety, agency, and love. They may have found themselves outside of the privileged family narrative of Abraham and Sarah, but, they never find themselves outside of the reach of God's love. God saw them where they were and was with them.
I think we have a great gift in Hagar's story, even though it's a story that complicates any heroic portrayals of Abraham and Sarah, and maybe even complicates our ideas about a freedom-loving God. Many people have experienced something like Hagar did. They can hear their own stories of exclusion, grief, and abandonment in hers, and know that they, too, have a place in God's family. I bet they can also hear some of their story in her creativity and strength in creating a new life, with God and her son, in the wilderness. I mean, isn't good that we are reminded that wild places are often places of rebirth and renewal? And, isn't it powerful to read of this God who sees everyone, especially the outcast, and provides for them... This God who meets you wherever you are, but especially in the midst of the most dire of straits, and can show you a new way to sustain yourself and the people you love. Are you listening for this Wild God in your wilderness places? Are you ready to be seen like she was?
Kathryn M. Schifferdecker: https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3259
Delores Williams, Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk, (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2013).


This Perth based multi-disciplined Civil Engineering Contractor are highly regarded within the civil industry and are renowned for providing excellent service on a range of civil projects throughout WA. Established over many years this company pride themselves on making a mark on the industry and are growing from strength to strength. Due to a project award's they are now looking for a DIDO/FIFO Civil supervisor.
As a Supervisor, you will be responsible for directing the site team with the leadership and assistance of the Site and Project Manager. You will be responsible for OH&S, QA, toolbox talks, coordinating trades and ensuring the project is running to programme, within budget and on time.
To be successful in this role you will be an experienced Supervisor with excellent local networks and knowledge of the local market. Previous experience delivering large pipeline, civil projects would be advantageous. Excellent leadership skills are required along with a proven track record in delivering successful civil projects.
You will be offered a full time position along with a great salary package.


A pain point refers to any factors that slow down a customer's outreach to a business or vice versa. They usually deter customers from enjoying the consumable benefits that a brand can provide them. Any process pertaining to a bank that makes life hard for its customers is as much a pain point to the bank. Solved or unsolved, they ultimately affect the revenue and reputation of banks. At the same time, every pain point identified is an opportunity to provide better customer solutions and profit-building measures. Pain points present a chance to be foresighted about customer-facing issues.
How to reduce customer pain points in banks?
Being reactive to pain points, and then solving customer-centric problems doesn't paint a good picture of the organization. Banks need to be proactively strategic to see off issues before they actually happen. Serving customers with much-needed interventions that add value to their relationship with the bank, is the basis of realizing customer profitability while minimizing the pain points of customers.
Identifying customers' issues must happen well before they reach out to their bank about a pain point, or even before they know what factors have been affecting their perception of "value" from the bank. For this to reflect on your performance in the long run, a cloud platform that maximizes customer value would come in very handy, or would perhaps become quintessential in this evolving age of consumer expectations and professional rivalry. Customer value works in tandem with customer pain points, as one is directly dependant on the other. High customer value means a low magnitude of pain points.
What is the role of process automation (marketing) tool?
The role of a customer value maximization (CVM) tool is to engage the customers of a bank with marketing conversations that are deeply relevant to them. With data mining and deep learning of customer data and their online behavior, select and well-curated products/services are offered to targeted customers, who are potentially looking forward to converting. For instance, a customer looking for a credit card which has an upsized credit limit would not get an insurance offer from the bank if she/he hasn't shown such aspirations in their behavioral data.
AI-based marketing automation tools avoid bombarding unwanted offers to random customers. The USP is that this system captures customers' true intent to offer them timely and much-needed marketing interventions – even if customers remain reluctant or haven't made a move to communicate their needs and willingness. So, it triggers the intent that's already there in customers to help them make smart choices, which are in keeping with their financial requirements and organic needs.
Where exactly does an AI-enabled marketing tool work its wonders?
Banks get so caught up in the customer acquisition race that they end up unknowingly neglecting their existing customer base. The thing about the existing customer base is that they already have a well-established relationship with their back. So, ignoring them constitutes most of the pain points. As far as reports go, existing customers are the ones who constitute a majority proportion of key performance metrics in banks, or any other organization and business verticals, in that case!
· Ease of Use & Accessibility. Mobile banking applications need to provide an unparalleled customer experience. Customers should be given the power all the vital bank-related touchpoints from a single place. This would include the accessibility of multiple accounts from a single banking app. Any customer a bank's mobile banking app can manage multiple accounts, credit card and debit card processes, transfer balance, and a lot more from the banking application itself! By providing a seamless omnichannel interface, customers have considerably reduced pain points to deal with.
· Personalized Banking Experience. Banks face issues in revenue generation as they lack a robust system that could help them understand the evolving range of customer expectations. These are expectations that are financial in nature. So, when an existing customer engages with the bank's digital avenues like the app or even online channels. The transactional data of customers, their online behavior, demographics put together contribute heavily to understanding the customer at a personal level. All these data enable to trace every customer's financial aspirations with the help of data mining, Big Data, deep learning, and other accompanying data-backed mechanisms. This also includes market segmentation based on common/divisive interests of customers – makes it all the more easy to approach them with what they want.
This ensures that customers receive marketing messages financial services and bank products that they have indicated to be interested in, or even need them very dearly to solve various financial situations. But banks, having learnt about what they want through the clues left behind in various sales channels, now know how to treat their customers better and surprise them with something like a Personal Loan that is much-need to them. Serving customers in a personalized capacity without them asking, not only addresses pain points but also sells customer satisfaction more than the financial product itself! know their customers better and curate products in keeping with their interests. Feedbacks and interactions with customers through mobile banking are also safe-kept by banks to enhance overall customer experience.
If this piece made you self-introspect from the perspective of your bank, be sure to implement customer value management mechanisms to counter customer pain points rather than reacting with evasive counter-measures. Addressing customer pain points starts at the grassroots level of building a relationship with customers; not through interim decisions that try to temporarily sort out pain points and the eventual customer attrition.


Under direct supervision of the Director of Pharmacy and Clinical Coordinator, this Specialty Pharmacy Financial Access Coordinator interacts with hospital employees on multiple levels, including pharmacists, medical/clinical staff, fiscal personnel, department managers, access services staff, coding staff and billing assistants. External contacts include third party payers, prescription benefit management companies, governmental peer review organizations, and referring physicians. This individual is primarily responsible for receiving prescriptions, addressing and rectifying rejected claims, conducting and completing necessary third party (insurance) prior authorization requests (when applicable), and verifies prescriptions to other non-institution entities in instances where the prescription is not filled by Mount Sinai's Outpatient Pharmacy, including routing to MSHS entities. S/he is primarily responsible for providing assistance to a subset of patients by completing Patient Assistance Program (PAP) applications and co-pay assistance funds applications. Through PAP, pharmaceutical companies provide medications to patients with limited income and resources.
Receives prescriptions, with appropriate follow up on rejected claims.
Completes third party prior authorization requests and verifies prescriptions.
Provides a high level of customer service by the completion of applications, including those for the Patient Assistance Program (PAP) and co-pay assistance.


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Bemidji High School Students Celebrated For Earning College Credit At Northwest Technical College
Bemidji High School Students are one step ahead of their career by being involved in their school career academies program, which provides them real-world experience in the desired career field.
"So we have a lot of students who are in our construction classes who are in our trades academy, that could be construction, auto, mechatronics, manufacturing those kinds of things, and those particular students have been building a house through our advanced construction class and once a week they've been coming over to [Northwest Technical College] to work on their first college credit articulated through NTC for HVAC and plumbing," said Jenny Fraley, Bemidji Career Academies School Counselor.
Students who were enrolled in the program went through a basic course that teaches them the safety and history about the plumbing and HVAC industry.
"Also the important things is showing them the health requirements, maintaining and monitoring, how we handle human waste and byproducts and things like that and that we do it in a safe manner and to build and to understand the process of plumbing, we think those are just integral," said Jeff Brower, Plumbing HVAC Instructor. "And when [we] actually got together and started discussing what course would really fit, we felt that this foundational course would really be imperative and we found I think throughout the semester through our assessment that I think the students had interest and maintained focused most importantly."
Students who continue in the plumbing and HVAC program will eventually have to learn and work in real-life scenarios. That's including making a working thermostat, creating heat with different machines and cooling.
"For high school we got a credit for coming to the college here, but for college it'll be just one less class I'll have to take when I come in the fall. It'll be kind of accomplishment in life to be able to say I've done something and move on further, get out of high school and do something else," said Bemidji High School student Devlyn Louks.
"We're just super grateful for the community members for sponsoring and making sure that this could happen for our students and being involved, we love the partnership between schools and the businesses and the students and we just think it's really beneficial for everyone," added Fraley.
The celebration ended with a tour of the facility, and the students who were recognized received awards for their accomplishment.
BSU President Sends Letter To Faculty, Staff and Students Due To Recent Refugee Resettlement Vote
BSU President Praises Walz's Higher Education Proposal
Area CEOs Talk Careers at Bemidji High School's 4th Annual "CEO in the Classroom"
American Indian Resource Center At BSU Names New Executive Director

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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But insurers are quick to point out that every business is paying claims on men and women in their 20s who will be on disability until their policies finish, generally at 65.Bear in mind that a travel insurance program is developed to reimburse you for nonrefundable trip fees. So, if a hotel or airline gives only a partial refund, a travel insurance coverage program will pay the remaining portion of your expense, as extended as you purchased insurance coverage for the full nonrefundable expense of your trip," Mr. Tysdal stated.There can be any number of motives for this taking place your provider's criteria could have changed the insurer could have removed a new customer discount maybe you have made a claim or had a motoring offence in the final year possibly you have moved to a greater-threat address or added a motorist with a poor driving record onto your policy.Your youngster has been referred to the Division of Speech-Language Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Health-related Center for an evaluation and possibly for therapy. This is a good time to appear to the old-fashioned, pre-on-line comparison route - insurance brokers. 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Gustav Waldau (27 February 1871 – 25 May 1958) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1955.

Selected filmography

 The Gentleman Without a Residence (1915)
 In Thrall to the Claw (1921)
 The Wrong Husband (1931)
 A Man with Heart (1932)
 A Mad Idea (1932)
 Season in Cairo (1933)
 Little Dorrit (1934)
 Just Once a Great Lady (1934)
 So Ended a Great Love (1934)
 Farewell Waltz (1934)
 Winter Night's Dream (1935)
 A Night on the Danube (1935)
 She and the Three (1935)
 The Three Around Christine (1936)
 Victoria in Dover (1936)
 Such Great Foolishness (1937)
The Chief Witness (1937)
 The Voice of the Heart (1937)
 The Great and the Little Love (1938)
 Frau Sixta (1938)
 Three Wonderful Days (1939)
 A Hopeless Case (1939)
 Gold in New Frisco (1939)
 The Girl from Barnhelm (1940)
 Falstaff in Vienna (1940)
 A Man Astray (1940)
 The Vulture Wally (1940)
 Our Miss Doctor (1940)
 Operetta (1940)
 Geheimakte W.B.1 (1942)
 The Little Residence (1942)
 Between Heaven and Earth (1942)
 Beloved World (1942)
 The Second Shot (1943)
 The Endless Road (1943)
 Late Love (1943)
 Come Back to Me (1944)
 Fregola (1948)
 The Angel with the Trumpet (1948)
 The Other Life (1948)
 Eroica (1949)
 Eine große Liebe (1949)
 Dear Friend (1949)
 Don't Dream, Annette (1949)
 Two Times Lotte (1950)
 Who Is This That I Love? (1950)
 Regimental Music (1950)
 King for One Night (1950)
 Dr. Holl (1951)
 Immortal Light (1951)
 Monks, Girls and Hungarian Soldiers (1952)
 Two People (1952)
 The Night Without Morals (1953)
 Your Heart Is My Homeland (1953)
 Marriage Strike (1953)
 The Silent Angel (1954)
 Hubertus Castle (1954)

References

External links

1871 births
1958 deaths
20th-century German male actors
German male film actors
German male silent film actors
People from Landshut (district)
Male actors from Bavaria

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Correction of existing problems is also an important component for the long-term viability of the Paint Branch watershed. In places where development occurred before present-day storm water regulations, the runoff from these areas typically drains directly into nearby streams. Uncontrolled runoff can result in significant damage to aquatic life, as well as erode stream banks and can significantly alter the characteristics of sensitive streams. While streams are dynamic systems, the runoff from rooftops, roads, and parking lots greatly accelerates the rate at which streams are impacted.
The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is working to stabilize stream banks, restore damaged areas, and retrofit storm water management facilities to control harmful runoff throughout the Paint Branch watershed. DEP has also teamed with the Army Corps of Engineers on some joint projects. The Gum Springs Parallel Pipe Project took storm water that drained directly into the sensitive lower Gum Springs tributary and piped it underground to cool it and discharge it further downstream into the larger Main Stem. A major stream bank stabilization and aquatic habitat restoration project was completed in the fall of 2001 between Fairland Road and the Route 29 crossing. Future DEP plans include storm water management retrofits in Good Hope and Gum Springs, and in-stream restoration in the Gum Springs tributary. DEP also conducts an extensive stream monitoring program that is essential for identifying problem areas and trends.


The nonprofit environmental group Blue Water Baltimore welcomes a new executive director this week.
Jenn Aiosa has worked for more than 20 years in Maryland's environmental community, and she calls the new role "her dream job."
Aiosa was most recently the Vice President and Director of Programs for the Chesapeake Conservancy. She also spent 12 years as a senior scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Blue Water Baltimore consists of more than 30 engineers, educators, scientists, community greening experts, and advocates, all working to restore the streams that feed into the Baltimore harbor.
The grassroots group was formed in 2010, when the waterkeepers for the Jones Falls, Gwynns Falls, Herring Run and the Baltimore Harbor joined forces to address water quality issues in Baltimore.
Aiosa has served as a member of Blue Water Baltimore's board, most recently as Vice Chair and Chair of the Governance Committee and the Policy & Advocacy Committee.
"The challenges to clean water and the health and well-being of our communities are as great as they have ever been, but so are the opportunities for impact. I'm honored to be able to help lead that fight with such a talented and dedicated team."


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Today we welcome Amber Polo and her Holiday ebook Novella!
A magic Santa brings Caribbean Christmas Joy in this Christmas romance novella to warm your season.
Marti Bell is facing the prospect of a very unmerry Christmas. Reluctantly, leaving her married lover she travels toward ice, snow, and judgmental family until a magic Santa sends her to a surprise destination in the warm waters of the Caribbean.
Wherever Island would be a winter paradise except the only place to stay is the beachside cottage of romantic globetrotting photographer Cliff Holmes. Cliff wants to unwind and treat Marti to a little romantic Caribbean Christmas fun but she's determined to stay in the warm ocean and out of hot water.
From cold and teary, her body temperature rose until she was hot and furious. She would not take the blame, again. This holiday was going to be different.
She read the agent's nametag, Sam Nichols, on his red airline blazer and looked into a smiling black face fringed with white beard.
"That won't be hard, ma'am." He gazed into her eyes and winked.
His sparkling green eyes dazzled her. She took a breath. Everything was going to be fine.
"Where's that?" Now his eyes sparkled brighter.
"You're serious?" His face lit up.
Thanks Angela for sharing my Christmas novella. Enjoy!


Located in the famous and noted district of Vomero, at the foot of the central Medaglie D'Oro Square and at immediate proximity of Santobono pedriatic medical facility, the B&B "La Bibliotechina" is in an ideal strategic place regarding connections to the whole city of Naples, few steps from: the Metro Line 1 subway station (wich connects the historic centre in 8 minutes); the stationing of public transports, located in the same square and nearby Immacolata Square; the stationing of Taxis; the three stations of funicular. In this way, it will not be a problem to reach even places such as Mostra d'Oltremare, Ercolano, Pompei, Amalfi Coast and the harbor, from which is possible to visit the islands of the Gulf of Naples.
If you want to stay nearby, all around is full of clothes shops, cinemas, theatres, dining options and "Neapolitan nightlife", everything enriched by unmissed walks to historic monuments as Castle of Sant'Elmo, Certosa of San Martino and Floridiana park.
In a completely renovated apartment respecting standards of safety, hygiene and habitability in accordance with the laws , the B&B La Bibliotechina offers to its guests three big bright and colorful rooms linked by the common theme of art.
Room "Theatre", room "Cinema" and room "Music" are cheerfully furnished in modern style, with a light touch of classic, equipped with every comfort and ready to give you well-being, according to the characteristic you like the most. In the great common living room dominates the "Bibliotechina", an ancient library that will offer you a good book in moments of relax or, if you like, during the breakfast to taste even on the own private balcony, perhaps in one of the beautiful sunny days that Naples can offer.
Room "Theatre", room "Cinema" and room "Music" are cheerfully furnished in modern style, with a light touch of classic, equipped with every comfort and ready to give you well-being, according to the characteristic you like the most. In the great common living room dominates the "Bibliotechina", an ancient library that will offer you a good book in moments of relax or, if you like, during the breakfast, served without time limits, to taste even on the own private balcony, perhaps in one of the beautiful sunny days that Naples can offer.


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The emblematic teléferico (funicular) situated in the city harbor was built for the 1929 World Exhibition celebration. Created by the architect Carles Buïgas, it is, even nowadays, the connection between the mountain and the sea: Montjuïc and the San Sebastián Tower – placed at the very end of the harbor. With a 1,3 km tour and two cabins, tourists can enjoy the beautiful views of the city at over 70 meters high.
It is the touristic attraction that offers the most impressive views of the city.
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Cyclist Kim Ashton lifts Jersey Island Games award
Last updated on 13 July 201113 July 2011 .From the section Sport
Ashton has won gold medals in cycling and badminton at the Island Games
Cyclist Kim Ashton has won the Jersey Island Games Association's Bill Custard award.
The accolade is given to an athlete who has shown, determination, sportsmanship or courage, during the games.
"It's great that they've recognised how much work that I've gone through," she told BBC Radio Jersey.
Ashton bounced back from breaking her wrist in April to win a slew of cycling medals to add to her badminton awards from previous games.
She won gold in the team and individual road race events, as well as a silver in the team time trial and two bronze medals in the team and individual town criterium.
Ashton was knocked off her bike by a car during a race in England just three months before the games.
Table tennis player Kay Le Febvre was also recognised for winning medals in the last six Island Games, as was Jersey's squash team who won five out of a six possible gold medals.
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Abdullah Mirza (SF20) has been supplementing his studies with archery.
For Abdullah Mirza (SF20), the road to sporting excellence started in his backyard.
There he trained with a compound bow, considered a noble skill for Muslim boys to acquire. Then, as he was researching colleges, he found that St. John's in Santa Fe, apart from the great books Program that interested him so deeply, boasted a full-fledged archery club led by a Level 3 instructor—one who was qualified to teach individual athletes.
At the first activity fair his freshman year, he signed up for the archery club without hesitation. Since then, he has been supplementing his studies with constant practice. Now, as he nears the end of his sophomore year, he competes in state and national competitions, and even had the chance to meet Olympian Brady Ellison.
Since arriving at St. John's, Mirza learned to shoot the Olympic-style recurve bow, which he now uses in competition.
Mirza sees his striving for excellence in intramural archery as a natural extension of his work in the St. John's Program.
Aristotle maintained that excellence is a habit, and the virtues of an archer, Mirza says, proceed along similar lines.
Three-time Olympic medalist Brady Ellison, left, Mirza, and Pan Li (SF21) pose together at the 2018 U.S. National Indoor Championships.
To reach a competitive level, patience and humility are essential, he says.
"So far, I'm well on my way to achieving that goal," Mirza says.


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Real Madrid rallies past Villarreal in Copa; Barcelona beats Ceuta
By Anindita Das On Jan 20, 2023
Real Madrid appeared on the verge of elimination from the Copa del Rey, facing another demoralizing blow just days after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to rival Barcelona in Saudi Arabia.
But with three goals in less than 30 minutes on Thursday, Madrid rallied to overcome a two-goal deficit in the first half and defeated Villarreal 3-2 to advance to the Copa quarterfinals for the second straight season.
Barcelona earlier Thursday advanced with a 5-0 rout of third-division club Ceuta, with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice.
Dani Ceballos scored Madrid`s go-ahead goal with a shot from the edge of the penalty area in the 86th minute to give his team victory in Villarreal. He had set up Vinícius Júnior`s goal in the 57th to start the comeback, and Éder Militão got the equalizer in the 70th.
"Things changed in the second half after a poor start, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "I told the players they had to wake up. We lost too many duels."
Villarreal, trying to return to the last eight after a round-of-32 exit last season, had taken a comfortable lead with goals by Étienne Capoue in the fourth minute and Samuel Chukwueze in the 42nd.
Madrid, which was eliminated by Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinals last season, had lost 2-1 at Villarreal in its last Spanish league match, dropping three points behind leader Barcelona.
"I think we played better than they did again," Villarreal coach Quique Setién said. "You always have to be careful with Real Madrid."
Ancelotti said he was annoyed at Rodrygo for apparently being upset at his substitution.
Also read: Real Madrid begin Super Cup title defence in Saudi Arabia
Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna have also advanced to the Copa quarterfinals.
The draw for the last-eight matchups will be on Friday.
Defending champion Real Betis was eliminated by Osasuna in a penalty shootout on Wednesday.
Transfer news LIVE: Man Utd eye Chelsea hijack, Tottenham…
BARCELONA CRUISES
Barcelona kept momentum from its Spanish Super Cup triumph by comfortably defeating Ceuta. The 3-1 win over Madrid in Saudi Arabia gave the Catalan club its first title since Lionel Messi left in 2021.
Raphinha opened the scoring on Thursday with a low left-footed shot from outside the penalty area in the 41st minute before Lewandowski added to the lead from inside the box after a pass by Franck Kessié in the 50th. Ansu Fati netted the third in a breakaway in the 70th, Kessié scored the fourth with a header in the 77th and Lewandowski found the net again with a low strike in the 90th.
"These matches can be difficult if you don`t play at 100&#37, so we had to take it very seriously," Barcelona`s Sergi Roberto said.
"After the second goal things got a bit easier. We are happy to be through to the next round."
Barcelona didn`t make it past the round of 16 of the Copa last season, being eliminated by Athletic Bilbao. It had won five Copa trophies in seven seasons before that.
Ceuta had advanced past first-division club Elche in the round of 32.
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I am Anindita friends call me Ani, love to write, work is life.
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Ilya Kovalchuk is clearly the high point of the Devils' forwards, but even his game hasn't been all the way up to snuff through the first half of the season.
Being that the Devils are at the half-way point of the season (OK, a couple games past it but cut us some slack), we decided to do some "grades" for this team. Originally, this was supposed to be one full post, but after compiling them, it seems better to break them up into different pieces today. First up, the forwards.
Isn't that pretty much the biggest indictment of this unit thus far? It starts with Ilya Kovalchuk, who has a shot unlike 97 percent of the NHL, yet prefers to play the "puppet master" role with the Devils, sitting back, controlling the play and looking to set up his teammates. That's all well and good, but at some point, the Devils need him to shoot more. I know Kovy is in the top 10 in shots on goal, but how often do you finish a game and go, "Man, I think Kovy really took advantage of all the opportunities he had tonight." I don't say this to bash the man, but rather to point out a larger problem in this forward unit – they're far too unselfish. Yes, there are playmakers on this team, namely Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique, but guys like David Clarkson and specifically Travis Zajac need to put the puck on net more. Clarkson was all about it the first few weeks of the season, but has gone away from it since then. Zajac, on the other hand, is either gripping his stick too tight or simply has forgotten how to shoot. I have no worries about them figuring it out – they're both talented players and good goal scorers. They will figure it out eventually, but this is a review process and through the first half of the season, their absentee goal scoring is a big reason why the Devils have struggled for the past three weeks.
Pat: I remember listening to Sherry Ross on WFAN's Devils telecast back in February, and she said that Zubrus would be a terrible loss— not statistically but intangibly.
The Devils are 4-7-2 without Zubrus in the lineup and are averaging 2.15 goals-per game without him.
David Clarkson's hot start— he scored 10 goals in 14 games— was welcome early on, Ilya Kovalchuk's been hot and cold. Patrik Elias apparently doesn't age— his 25 points are tops on the team.
Obviously, the Devils were better offensively early on. The Adam Henrique-Elias-Clarkson line was on fire early on— now that trio doesn't even play together. Such is the fickle nature of hockey. New Jersey's 65 goals are second-fewest of any East playoff team— and only 10th-best in the entire conference— and Clarkson's not scored in 11 games.


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Anti-Trans Bill Resurrected; Sent To Governor's Desk
John McDonald
Florida sports anti-transgender
Determined to cancel transgender athletes, Republicans in Florida pushed forward new restrictions on school sports.
Tacked on to a bill involving charter schools, the trans youth sports ban was passed by the House and Senate on Wednesday. SB 1028 is now en route to the governor's mansion for Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature.
"The Senate passes the Trans Youth Sports Ban," tweeted Equality Florida Senior Political Director Joe Saunders. "For the first time in 23 years this FL Legislature has sent an anti-LGBTQ bill that categorically discriminates to the governor's desk."
Passing on mostly party lines, the bill was resurrected by Representative Kaylee Tuck (R-Lake Placid) who declared she was "proud to run this important legislation on behalf of all women and girls who deserve to compete on a level playing field."
As a compromise, Tuck said birth certificates would be used to determine gender in place of previously proposed medical examinations. Trans females are left to play either co-ed sports or sign-up with male teams. The bill applies to public school-sponsored prep and college sports, intramural and club teams.
Representative Carlos G. Smith (D-Orlando) pushed back all session long against attacks on trans youth. On Wednesday, an exasperated Smith tweeted, "I wish they'd spent half as much time trying to fix unemployment as they did obsessing over and humiliating vulnerable children."
Emotions got raw on the Senate floor as Sen. Victor Torres (D-Kissimmee), who has a trans granddaughter, asked his colleagues to "kill" the bill. "We don't need this," Torres said. "We thought it was dead, obviously some don't care."
Republicans constructed their narrative without any tangible examples of unfair advantages. Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) got the ball rolling early in the session with SB 2012. When that bill got locked away in the Rules committee, Stargel pounced on the amended SB 1028, stating the intention is for women to be able to participate, compete and receive scholarships with other "women of like strength capabilities."
"I thought it was common knowledge that men are stronger than women," Stargel said. "We're just trying to protect them."
While she convinced a majority of her Senate colleagues of preconceived dangers with allowing trans athletes to compete, Stargel couldn't get her entire family on board. Laura Stargel, the senator's daughter, noted Florida stands to lose 40 regional or national NCAA championship events if the bill is signed into law.
"Not only is it transphobic and harmful to sports for all in Florida, it's economically damaging," Laura Stargel tweeted.
And if they leave, Senator Shevrin Jones doesn't blame them.
"Cancel culture my ass!" Jones tweeted. "I hope every large corporation take their money elsewhere. Don't come to Florida until they learn how to treat people!"
And then there were those who took glee in Wednesday's outcome. Orlando attorney and longtime anti-LGBT activist John Stemberger tweeted, "BREAKING NEWS: The @FLSenate just voted to pass out a bill to ban men from playing in women's sports."
This year five states — Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Dakota and Tennessee — have prohibited trans girls and women from playing sports or receiving medical attention. The tactic has not gone unnoticed at the White House. During his joint address to Congress on Wednesday night, President Joe Biden urged the Senate to pass the Equality Act.
"To all the transgender Americans watching at home — especially the young people who are so brave — I want you to know that your President has your back."
Anti-Trans Sports Bill Stalled in Florida Senate
Florida House Passes Anti-trans Athlete Bill
Anti-Trans Bills Advancing In Florida Senate, House
GOP Uses Trans Girls in Sports as Their New Wedge Issue


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作者:Christopher M McStay, MD. Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Bellevue Hospital Center.
2. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2014 Aug;28(8):1061-8. doi: 10.1111/jdv.12284. Epub 2013 Oct 17. UV-induced alterations of the skin evaluated over time by reflectance confocal microscopy. Koller S, Inzinger M, Rothmund M, Ahlgrimm-Siess V, Massone C, Arzberger E, Wolf P, Hofmann-Wellenhof R.
3. J Invest Dermatol. 1995 Jun;104(6):922-7. Ultraviolet-B-induced apoptosis of keratinocytes: evidence for partial involvement of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the formation of sunburn cells. Schwarz A, Bhardwaj R, Aragane Y, Mahnke K, Riemann H, Metze D, Luger TA, Schwarz T.
4. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2005 Aug;37(8):1547-53. Epub 2005 Mar 8. The sunburn cell: regulation of death and survival of the keratinocyte. Van Laethem A, Claerhout S, Garmyn M, Agostinis P.
5. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014 Jul 16;106(7). pii: dju219. doi: 10.1093/jnci/dju219. Print 2014 Jul. Exposure to indoor tanning without burning and melanoma risk by sunburn history. Vogel RI, Ahmed RL, Nelson HH, Berwick M, Weinstock MA, Lazovich D.
6. Pigment Cell Res. 2004 Feb;17(1):2-9. Tanning devices--fast track to skin cancer? Young AR.
7. Arch Dermatol. 2008 May;144(5):620-4. doi: 10.1001/archderm.144.5.620. Topical corticosteroids in the treatment of acute sunburn: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Faurschou A, Wulf HC.
8. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2004;5(1):39-47. Management of acute sunburn. Han A, Maibach HI.
9. 邱品齊、王修含、蔡逸姍編譯,藥妝品學(Cosmeceuticals), 2010年, Elsevier Taiwan LLC.
11. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Oct;55(4):577-83. Epub 2006 Jul 17. The epidemiology of sunburn in the US population in 2003. Brown TT1, Quain RD, Troxel AB, Gelfand JM.
12. Pediatrics. 2006 Sep;118(3):853-64. Trends in sunburns, sun protection practices, and attitudes toward sun exposure protection and tanning among US adolescents, 1998-2004. Cokkinides V1, Weinstock M, Glanz K, Albano J, Ward E, Thun M.


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Facts about the Arctic
1. Butterflies in cold environments? believe it or not, there are about 44 species of butterflies living in the Arctic, so these beautiful insects should not only relate to the spring or sunny landscapes.
2. The Arctic Circle is the imaginary line around the Arctic.
3. Antarctica is colder than the Arctic region. While in the North Pole the record temperature was -68 °C in the south pole it has been of -93.2 °C.
4. The most iconic Arctic species are polar bears and walruses, but there are hundreds of species of mammals.
5. Mosses and lichens are the type of vegetation that can be found in the Arctic.
6. In the Arctic there are NO penguins.
7. Whales represent larger wildlife.
8. There are nights that last more than one day (polar night) and days they also last longer than 24 hours (polar day).
9. The Arctic is the "fridge" of our planet, as it prevents the earth from overheating.
10. Exxon Valdez was one of the worst environmental disasters caused by humans, since it killed hundreds of thousands of birds and other mammals.
11. The famous and amazing Arctic aurora borealis phenomena are produced by the collision of solar gases in the earth's magnetic field. In south of the earth these are known as aurora australis.
12. The Indigenous cultures of Inuit and Yupik are one of the most representative of the Arctic regions, although other ethnic groups are also part of that territory.
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Classic takeout flavors without the guilt! This homemade Skillet Honey Sesame Chicken is lightened up with no deep frying and the sesame chicken sauce uses honey for a more natural sweetness!
Just driving by one of those small takeout restaurants starts the craving. And, don't even get me started on the smell.
Well, ok. It might have something to do with all the deep-fried, sugar-coated, goodness that finds its way into those little over-stuffed white boxes.
Don't even get me started on fortune cookies.
The great thing about making Chinese takeout dishes at home is that you can make them WAY healthier than they come from the restaurant. And, today, we're excited to share a little trick that we found super helpful for making the crispy fried chicken that is the base of so many Chinese takeout dishes a bit lighter.
We had seen the method of pan-frying chicken coated in an egg-white and cornstarch batter as an alternative to deep-frying. But, I'll admit, we were very skeptical.
We tentatively gave it a try. And, wow, s light and crisp 'battered and fried chicken' was what we got.
And, the method used quite a bit less fat!
You could simply saute the cubed chicken and skip the battering all together. That's up to you.
But, if you're going for as close to takeout flavor and texture as possible, I would think the batter is pretty key.
Once you have the chicken down, the sauce for this honey sesame chicken is fairly simple. It's a basic, cornstarch thickened, sauce.
You could serve this chicken over rice, like classic takeout fare.
But it's summer, and summer is the time for bright salads.
So, we decided to keep the 'lightening up' swing going and swapped the rice for a nice bed of cabbage, shredded carrots, and red onions.
The sauce from the chicken is just enough to coat the cabbage too, infusing the whole dish with that honey sesame chicken flavor.
Classic takeout flavors without the guilt! Our homemade Honey Sesame Chicken skips the deep fryer and the sesame chicken sauce uses honey!
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites and 2 Tbsp cornstarch until dissolved.
Heat oil in a medium, non-stick frying pan with high sides over medium-high heat.
Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and place in frying pan. Cook, turning once until chicken is white and firm (6-8 minutes per side).
Remove chicken from frying pan to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Reduce heat to low and pour chicken stock into the just emptied frying pan. Scrape the edges to loosen any stuck pieces of egg or chicken. Add honey, soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, ginger and red pepper flakes.
Increase the heat to medium and heat the mixture until it begins to simmer, stirring occasionally (8-10 min).
In a small bowl, mix together vinegar and 2 tsp cornstarch until dissolved.
Increase the heat to medium high and pour cornstarch mixture into the frying pan. Simmer until sauce has thickened (3-5 min).
Add chicken and cook to heat through (3-5 min).
Prepare your salad bed of cabbage, carrots, and red onions. Top with warm chicken and sauce.
I love this combination! Looks so good too.
yum… wish i had some for dinner!


ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU has urged Norwegians to forgive mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, the worst criminal in the nation's recent history.
Tutu, a key figure in South Africa's post-apartheid reconciliation, described Breivik's crimes as "the worst possible thing that you could imagine", but added that hatred and bitterness are "corrosive".
"That is our position and … I think this would be God's position too," Tutu said when questioned about the appropriateness of forgiving Breivik, who is serving an extendable 21-year prison sentence for killing 77 people in 2011.
"God hates no one. We are all God's children and there are those of us who become bad children but we're still children, we still belong to the family," he added.
The retired Anglican archbishop made the comments during a press conference at the Oslo Nobel Peace Centre, 30 years after receiving the prestigious award.
"We have here a mass murderer who doesn't show any remorse and will not change his personality," Blattmann told public broadcaster NRK.
Quite the opposite, he says that he would have liked to take more lives and that he would gladly do it again.
Tutu, an anti-apartheid activist who later became the president of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is expected to meet Breivik's main lawyer, Geir Lippestad, in Oslo on Tuesday evening for a debate on reconciliation.
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