Is there increased patrol for something? I’ve seen 5 people pulled over in Duluth and Superior today and just an overall increased presence. Anyone else notice this?

Hello.
I (33f)have the CPTSD Ive known about it since a 2012 and have struggled since then to get treatment other than ssris. I recently had a mental health flare up and have finally found a therapist that I like. I lot of this have been coming up in therapy where my therapist thinks I should be kinder to myself or stand up for myself. I’m not sure because I’ve been trying to do so but it’s not seeming to work.
My husband works for himself/ works from home/ teaching himself to run a business for the past year. We live in hcol I work full time and pay for our health benefits, (he has an office in the apartment and we still split rent 50/50 (when he has the money to) and pay for all household goods and groceries (unless he is working and he will pay for half) I do most of the large purchases, car, insurance vacations, electricity and water and cell phones and he has the internet. He had liked to live month to month while trying to work as little as possible. I enjoy being with him when he has time for his own pursuits and he doesn’t like 9-5 life so I’m very happy with him not working as much as I do.
The thing is, is that he has been telling me that I don’t do enough, or that he doesn’t ask anything of me, or that I don’t spend enough quality time with him. He doesn’t like that I spend time after work reading or listening to audio books, scrolling Reddit or watching Tv. He says that he wants to see me being productive. He talks about how I need to have more productive hobbies. Like instead of reading, writing, or if I’m reading, blogging or reviewing it. He wants me to go on walks. He says I’d be less depressed if I did more things. He calls the time I spend in the evening mindlessly scrolling and said today that all the time I spend on my phone I could be spending with him. My screen time average is 2.5 hours/day. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m just wasting my whole life away, it makes me think that he thinks very low of me.
This past year he wanted to start having dinner together at the dinning room table every night. (Like we are “supposed to” It’s been hard for me to rally for them. We would fight because I have a hard time eating without relaxing first and I would be so keyd up after a long shift he would get upset that I wasn’t appreciative. It took a lot of conversation to get him to understand that I need that wind down time before I can face dinner and conversation and real life again. I hurt my back and was unable to sit at the table so he has been understanding about sitting at the couch. After dinner and watching a show together he gets upset if I get on my phone when he goes in his office to work. He wants me to spend the time more productively. On my phone I read and listen to audiobooks. I read 5-6 books a month usually. Sometimes more if they are short stories. Idk how to explain to him that I like reading and it helps me relax. I suggested we read the 5 love languages book and he bought it which made me so happy, after he read it he said he excelled in all the love languages and that it was me who didn’t know how to speak his love language. What am I supposed to say to that?
He does most of the daily household chores ie dishes and laundry. I’ve told him in the past that if he paid for part of the electricity and the health insurance I could afford to get a cleaner. When I was in school and working part time I kept a better house but it’s a lot harder now because my job is stressful and mentally exhausting. I thought the cleaner would solve the issue. He doesn’t think we need one but gets upset that I can’t keep up with half of the duties. Dispite the fact he is home 24/7 and I’m only home in the evenings. Sometimes I work up to 14 hour days. Also, some days I need to be in bed. I give a lot to my job and I thought to was worth it to keep our lifestyle going weather he is actively working or not but now I’m hearing that the only thing I contribute is money and that it doesn’t count because he is going to pay me back.
It’s still hard for me though because I always have to make sure I have the money because I never know if he will be able to contribute or not. I don’t really want to work a bunch either. I am also just a work enough to survive kinda person.
The biggest issue I have is that I don’t think he respects me. Because how could you have such a low opinion of someone you respect? Why does he keep saying that I don’t do anything or that he doesn’t ask anything of me. How can he love someone who doesn’t do anything? He says that he is just trying to better me but I’m okay with myself. I’m not perfect but I’m not bad.
It’s true, I’m depressed and love to get cozy in the couch for hours at a time while listening to an audiobook and scrolling Reddit . I do clean on weekends that I don’t also work. I do the dishes twice a week and vacuum and clean the toilet every weekend. I do the litter box every other month. (It’s the crystal that get changed monthly) I buy the cat food and we split feeding them unless I’m working. I don’t do the dishes daily though(I get depressed with the endless daily tasks) I offered to buy a dishwasher because I had no problem doing that daily but he didn’t want me to spend money on it. I prefer to do larger weekly tasks because it’s hard for me to have the energy daily. I don’t like to cook after work so I’ll order us dinner or pick groceries that are quick meals. This is not what he considers healthy though and prefers to cook us healthy meals.
To me this relationship is me finding compromises and him finding reasons why I’m not doing things right. I am trying my best but I just feel like it’s never enough.
Am I crazy for being hurt by his attitude towards me despite him saying it’s to better me? Is my depression and laziness after work making me a bad partner or is my partner not being understanding of my needs?

The visa application for my wife got rejected this morning. Needless to say I'm devasted since I was hoping she would be able to go with me to spend time with my grandfather who is terminally ill with cancer. I keep re-reading the rejection reasons but I cannot make heads or tails of them.

"In support of your application you have submitted a Metrobank statement. Whilst I do acknowledge that this account shows regular deposits being made throughout, it is not demonstrated that these deposits are from family members as you have declared this is your source of income. I am therefore not satisfied your financial circumstances are as declared."

As her sponsor these deposits are made by me. I presume the complaint is that on her bank statement the transactions are shortened so you can't actually see my full name. However I also submitted my own bank statement that shows the outgoing transfers being made to her account so I don't get why they can't be cross referenced.

"Furthermore, you have submitted an affidavit signed by your spouse, however this document is a self-declaration which has been obtained for the purpose of your application. I am not satisfied your financial circumstances are as stated."

I'm confused by this because the application required a letter of support to written by the sponsor aka me so I don't get how this would be done without a 'self-declaration obtained for the purpose of the application'. The officer also once again doesn't seem to like the "financial circumstances" despite showing over £200k in available funds.

"In addition, in consideration of your family ties I note the statements made by you in your visa application and supporting information which indicate that your relatives will remain in your home country. Whilst I accept that this is a positive indicator of the family ties you hold to your home country, given my significant concerns regarding your economic ties listed above, I am not satisfied that the presence of your relatives in your home country acts to sufficiently tip the balance of probabilities to satisfy me that you intend to depart the UK at the end of the period stated by you, nor that you seek entry for a purpose that is permitted under the visitor rules."

We submitted evidence showing that we've been on about eight holidays in the past 1.5 years, including one that required a visa and that they were all kind of lavish. I just don't understand how in his mind he is thinking that my wife is trying to surreptiously gain entry into the UK to work some minimum wage job illegally.
Any advice would be appreciated.

I thought that it was working, because I lost the habit of pacing back and forth in my room, but I still have trouble remembering things and I spend a lot of time online scrolling mindlessly rather than doing tasks. I even seem to still have the "mind fog" I had for years before medication, basically my mind feels numb and noisy.
I know it's suppose to "suppress" ADHD habits and not get rid of it entirely, I had moments where when I was on medication I could focus for a bit, but also had days where I couldn't focus at all.
I read posts where people say they immediately felt a change and that it should work as soon as you swallow it. But I haven't so I don't know. And every single advice I have gotten has been barely helpful.
I couldn't exactly test it as I was taking classes. I have to find out now since my doctor will retire in a few months

As title says, I am an intern in Thailand, and I have a lot of free time in my office space. I have asked work, but there's no work. So I am looking for online side hustles where talking is not required and which works in Thailand.
Also I don't have Paypal, because foreigners can't create paypal in thailand, so I need something that directly deposits into Bank or card.
Thank You.

Super long story short, he took my keys and my phone after a conversation about me leaving him. I went to the police. He lied and said that I hit him, that I smashed my phone and threw it out (spoiler: he smashed my phone and threw it out). He brought up my past (I used to cut myself when I was younger and still have scars). I told one female police officer that he was a narcissist.
The female officer immediately understood and later told me she dealt with the same thing with a baby my daughter's age. The police ended up siding with me and told me to grab our 9 month old and whatever I could. We're in a safe house now, far away. I'm numb but a little at peace. My baby is happy and sleeping. I'm able to turn on lights or fans or put my clothes on the floor without being snapped at about it.
It's going to be a long process but I'm out, have a new phone with a new number that the domestic abuse helpers literally bought me, and I'm not going back. Never. I miss our dogs and miss the good that sometimes came out of him. I'm lonely. All of my clothes are with him (he wouldn't cooperate with the officers after we left). I hated seeing him get yelled at by a sheriff when he got caught up in his lies. BUT I'm still not going back. Love you guys. I hope everyone here finds peace.

The Collect
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 97; 99; 100 Reading I Samuel 16:1–13a
Gospel: Matthew 8:18–27
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest
20 And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26 And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Commentary:
Our study for today encompasses a collection of seemingly unrelated passages, but when viewed as a whole we find a great lesson in the cost of discipleship; not only for those who made up the first century church but for us today as well.
Although the verses recommended for this day begin with verse 18, by looking back at the rest of the chapter we find information which establishes the scene and gives us context for our understanding. Rather than to take a single verse at its face value, we must always look at the preceding verses as well as those that follow so as to thoroughly understand.
Assuming Matthews recollections of the events of chapter 8 are reflective of works of Christ that hapopened on the same day—and not events from throughout his ministry and lumped together here as Matthew wrote this Gospel years after the fact—we could conclude that our Lord had a busy day.
The chapter begins as Jesus is coming down off of the mountain where he preached the Sermon on the Mount, a great multitude of people following his every step, and a leper comes to worship him, he heals the man and tells him, “See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” Then after entering Capernium a Roman Centurion comes to him asking Jesus to heal his servant. Impressed by the faith of a man who was not a Jew, but a Roman Gentile, Jesus healed the man’s slave by the authority of his word without even going to the slave’s bedside.
Matthew tells us that Jesus continued to heal many that day, beginning with Peter’s mother-in-law, then many others who were sick or possess by demons.
Our Lord had no qualms about healing the sick, but throughout the Gospels we can detect a note of concern on his part in that many were coming to him, apparently for the sole purpose of the healing of physical ailments, and not for the healing of spiritual illness. We find in more than one place, Jesus making the decision to cross over the Sea of Galilee, presumably so that he could teach away from the crowds that seemed to only want physical cures.
“Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (vs. 18-20)
In a time when most were illiterate and few could even write, Scribes held an important position. Scribes had knowledge of the law and could draft legal documents (contracts for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, mortgages, the sale of land, and the like). Every village had at least one scribe, and we can surmise that scribes enjoyed a certain degree of wealth due to the need of their services.
Jesus lived a very simple life, traveling about teaching the people of his plan for salvation, a life that was not glamorous and one without financial compensation. Jesus didn’t tell the man “No, you can’t follow Me.” But He told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him. This is the opposite of techniques used by many evangelists today, but Jesus wanted the man to know what it would really be like.
“And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (vs. 21-22)
“Actually, this man did not ask for permission to dig a grave for his deceased father. He wanted to remain in his father’s house and care for him until the father died. This was obviously an indefinite period, which could drag on and on. This man was another of His disciples; yet he did not follow Jesus as he should have, nor as the 12 disciples did. This shows us that the term disciples has a somewhat broad meaning in the Gospel of Matthew, and must be understood in its context. The man wanted to follow Jesus, but not just yet. He knew it was good and that he should do it, but he felt there was a good reason why he could not do it now.” (Guzik)
“The excuse that this disciple made, to defer an immediate attendance on Christ (v. 21); "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Before I come to be a close and constant follower of thee, let me be allowed to perform this last office of respect to my father; and in the mean time, let it suffice to be a hearer of thee now and then, when I can spare time." His father (some think) was now sick, or dying, or dead; others think, he was only aged, and not likely in a course of nature, to continue long; and he desired leave to attend upon him in his sickness, at his death, and to his grave, and then he would be at Christ's service. This seemed a reasonable request, and yet it was not right. He had not the zeal he should have had for the work, and therefore pleaded this, because it seemed a plausible plea.” (Henry)
“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (vs. 23-27)
“He does not chide them for disturbing him with their prayers, but for disturbing themselves with their fears.” (Henry)
Here we have three great lessons in discipleship. The scribe would have been accustomed to receiving remuneration for his services, a disciple of Christ in those days as well as today must be prepared for hardship. Scribes such as this man enjoyed a certain degree of celebrity, an important man in the community who provided a service that was often needed. Disciples seldom gain celebrity, and the ones that do, frequently experience a downfall. Jesus said; “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt. 6:24) Jesus knew that this man would find it difficult to leave that which he was used to and to take up the cross and follow him.
The second lesson involves a disciple—a follower but not of the 12—who would have Jesus wait on him, until the man’s father had died and his affairs settled. Jesus knew his time on Earth was short, his appointment with destiny was just months away, but this man expected Jesus to wait for him.
We have to remember that at this point in his ministry, even the 12 seemed to think that when he established the Kingdom of God, they would enjoy high ranking positions in his administration. So many failed to realize that Jesus was speaking of a spiritual kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, and not a worldly political subdivision. Although Matthew does not make this point clear, we might surmise that this man wanted to be part of what he erroneously perceived to be a glorious worldly kingdom that rivaled that of King David’s era. Whatever the case may be in this man’s situation, when we consider the rebuke Jesus gave him “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” We can learn of another great cost in discipleship, the need to serve Jesus versus the need to serve our own agenda.
Finally we come to the third lesson. “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” We, as disciples of Christ, must always have faith, even in the face of danger.
Matthew Henry wrote: “His disciples followed him; the twelve kept close to him, when others staid behind upon the terra firma, where there was sure footing. Note, They, and they only, will be found the true disciples of Christ, that are willing to go to sea with him, to follow him into dangers and difficulties. Many would be content to go the land-way to heaven, that will rather stand still, or go back, than venture upon a dangerous sea; but those that would rest with Christ hereafter must follow him now wherever he leads them, into a ship or into a prison, as well as into a palace.”
Benediction
Almighty and most merciful God, grant that by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we may be enlightened and strengthened for your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Thought for the Day:
The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.
Benjamin Franklin

Loosely inspired by this prompt a few days ago

Chunky

Cyrus strained to remember Botaski body language. Hairtendrils poofed straight out matched... human eyes bugging out? Disbelief? "Gerrota, fess up - something about the Fleet Nine Task Order Roster is bothering you?"
"Yes, Ser-geant Cy-rus. Much I do and do not understand."
"It's okay to drop the rank with other noncoms, Ger - your navy's Corbindermander is about where I am on the food chain. But other than soul-crushing boredom, what's wrong with our Roster? I have to memorize the stupid thing - you exchange staff only need familiarization."
"Cy-rus, why is the number of vessel types the same as the number of ships?"
"Hmm. Well, technically they ARE all different. Look at column TG instead - the type-groups may make more sense."
"There are still forty-two groups, out of 311 ships. Why?"
"Your home fleet has what, four ship classes?"
"Yes, Cy-rus. Would not standardization benefit your war efforts?"
"They ARE standardized, just not at the ship level."
"Tell me more. Three-hundred-eleven unique ships... hurts my brains."
"Okay, let me tell you a story. You know this fleet links by chitter-fling methods?"
"Stutter-blink drives?"
"No, that's different. Still takes intermittent FTL field activation though, just moving through third underspace, not fourth overspace. Anyway - what's your acclimatization intro package say our next link is?"
"Gotorry-Beta - 148.45 light years in your units?"
"Ages ago we patrolled through here using chitter-fling, and this one link had us in and out of FTL maybe five thousand times in ninety minutes."
"Your quartermaster issued me a mouth guard for this reason?"
"Right. It's like riding a jackhammer as a pogo stick."

"Sorry. Cultural reference: it bangs us around. Did then and still does. But then, as separate ships, transit varied from 4500 chitters to 5200 or so, and inevitably we scattered over a tenth of the target star system. So back sixty years ago that 'normal' transit trashed three destroyers and nineteen of the Gotorry navigation buoys. Chitter-fling is WAY faster than... do your fleets use Torpal Compression Drive?"
"Yes."
"Well, fleets need maintenance all the time. No biggie, normal attrition, who cares - right?"
"Not right, Cy-rus. Our fleets never experience such casual damage."
"Hmm - right - just a tenth the speed..."
"Hu-mans take crazy risks. This I knew when I signed up for exchange duty."
"Risk, shmisk. Stuff breaks. But that fleet carried an entire Quartet of Imperial Auditors; senior ones. Their ship arrived not on top of a nav beacon, but just downstream of the destruction of one. Imagine a shrapnel shower while you're still transit-groggy..."
"I will agree that is a horror. Please let me forget the image before sleep cycle!"
"Whatever. Anyway, the Auditors got shook up, and they in turn shook down our Admiralty Engineering Division with a 'Fix Or Else' order. They did, and now you see the approach of the rest of the fleet on the screen?"
"Why are they crowding us, Cy-rus? How can your navigators fly in formation so tight?!"
"Heh. Not formation, buddy - contact. Big human fleets now do chitter-fling together. Look, you were wondering earlier why our frigate looks so - *blocky* did you say?"
"Or *chunky*, Cy-rus."
"No lie, our vessel morphology is nothing like your Navy's. You folks what, *grow* those streamlined shapes?"
"Yes. A Bo-taski ship-plant is not a *factory* plant, but an *organic* plant. Your language is odd."
"I hear you. But how often do you guys *need* aerodynamic smoothness - what, maybe every year or three you dip in-atmosphere? Anyway - the Auditors also dinged the fleet for excessive customization, so the solution wound up standardizing - I think 95% of our construction?"
"That failed obviously. What Kind Of Standard Is 311 Ship Classes?! "
"Wise guy. The chunky look explains that. Our standardization is at the functional module level. The machines and weapons and structure of this frigate could make four mostly-functional sloops. You could glom two of us together and get a nasty destroyer. Likewise if we salvaged a wrecked human cruiser, most of its bits would make spares, replacements, or enhancements for anything between a patrol ketch and an Uber Battlewagon. Maybe not a Lyft Battlewagon - those lean toward carrier duties so you'd fix one with pieces from slingshot brigs, transport barks, maybe escort cutters. The Lyfts can shatter into an overpowered keel and hundreds of fighter craft."
"Shatter... from battle damage?"
"Noooo - intentionally shatter: split or scatter. You noticed the blobs abeam our aft turret? Those are parasite missile cutters - they deploy the same way. We're classed F2/Gamma/Toroid-Blue/N40/Dry. An F2/Gamma/Toroid-Blue/N36/Wet like the Henderson there has more fuel stowage and one less missile cutter. Maybe they're a Toroid-Teal - I don't remember.
"See, the engineering division that was told to fix the problem was - still is - in Billund, Denmark. I know that doesn't mean anything to you - old city on our homeworld. The facility there, the Logistics & Engineering General Office, has been doing work on interconnectability for centuries. Supposedly since before humans went to space.
"Put your... ear frills I guess? up against the wall. Hear some clicks and thumps? We're now snapped onto the starboard stern of the flagship, Juggernaut Prime, and other vessels are still attaching. Once done, we will be one big vessel that will chitter-fling *without scattering*.
"You'll still need the mouthguard though. Let me 'splain 'jackhammer'. "

My poor late boyfriend's evil older sister, "Queenie" (as she likes to be called🤮). I've posted about her here before.
She would get on some raging jag and send him texts, FB messages, call his cell phone and his house phone, berating him, or telling him how terrible her life is, or going off on how she's glad their other sister died or his wife died or... (Have you seen Baby Reindeer? Like that.)
I told him to block her. He couldn't. He needed to know what she was saying, and what she was saying about him on social media. She said some awful, mean-spirited things.
He felt he always had to keep track of her. She fed him lies and drugs. When she had an up day, she'd write some beautiful letter praising him for being the best brother ever, and giving him suboxones or whatever other drugs she had on hand.
Their sister (who took her own life in 2016) used to put flyers up all over town about how horrible of a person he was.
He truly wasn't a bad person. He had so much goodness and love that he just couldn't see, due to all the trauma...
At some point in the past few years, he stopped using social media as much, but still wanted to know what Queenie was up to. I made an extra account and have been tracking her and other unsavory family members for him. For several years.
I have screenshots that would make anyone go blind with rage.
My boyfriend, the absolute love of my life, my favorite, died at the beginning of February. Alcohol and drugs. Both things that Queenie introduced him to at an early early age.
When he died, she posted a happy video of herself and her family laughing it up at karaoke. Days after the funeral, she posted about how sad she is that she's the only one left alive in her family, and how she had to walk away because he didn't want to be loved and saved.
She made no effort to love him, ever. She made no effort to save him. She took out a restraining order against him and took him to court multiple times in the last couple years.
When he was at his lowest, drinking and having seizures in his house, she sent police to do wellness checks on him constantly.
This is not love. This is abuse.
And now. I can't stop tracking her.
Her house is up for tax sale at the end of the month because she didn't pay property taxes or her utility bills for the last two YEARS.
Today, she posts that the Universe gave her some "fun money" and she was going to have a blowout anniversary.
The taxes, Queenie.
But then says that her plumbing is fucked and she has to pay Roto-Rooter to come out.....
I... I need to get away from this. I don't know how. I don't even live there anymore.
But I have a righteous anger against her. I am writing what I want about her here and on tumblr, and even mentioning on my tiktok how her actions his entire life ended up killing my boyfriend.
I wish Karma would just SMITE her.
How do I get away? I know I could just ignore and forget, but I am still protective of my boyfriend's adult children too.... I don't want her to somehow ruin their lives....

The Collect
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 97; 99; 100 Reading I Samuel 16:1–13a
Gospel: Matthew 8:18–27
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest
20 And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26 And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Commentary:
Our study for today encompasses a collection of seemingly unrelated passages, but when viewed as a whole we find a great lesson in the cost of discipleship; not only for those who made up the first century church but for us today as well.
Although the verses recommended for this day begin with verse 18, by looking back at the rest of the chapter we find information which establishes the scene and gives us context for our understanding. Rather than to take a single verse at its face value, we must always look at the preceding verses as well as those that follow so as to thoroughly understand.
Assuming Matthews recollections of the events of chapter 8 are reflective of works of Christ that hapopened on the same day—and not events from throughout his ministry and lumped together here as Matthew wrote this Gospel years after the fact—we could conclude that our Lord had a busy day.
The chapter begins as Jesus is coming down off of the mountain where he preached the Sermon on the Mount, a great multitude of people following his every step, and a leper comes to worship him, he heals the man and tells him, “See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” Then after entering Capernium a Roman Centurion comes to him asking Jesus to heal his servant. Impressed by the faith of a man who was not a Jew, but a Roman Gentile, Jesus healed the man’s slave by the authority of his word without even going to the slave’s bedside.
Matthew tells us that Jesus continued to heal many that day, beginning with Peter’s mother-in-law, then many others who were sick or possess by demons.
Our Lord had no qualms about healing the sick, but throughout the Gospels we can detect a note of concern on his part in that many were coming to him, apparently for the sole purpose of the healing of physical ailments, and not for the healing of spiritual illness. We find in more than one place, Jesus making the decision to cross over the Sea of Galilee, presumably so that he could teach away from the crowds that seemed to only want physical cures.
“Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (vs. 18-20)
In a time when most were illiterate and few could even write, Scribes held an important position. Scribes had knowledge of the law and could draft legal documents (contracts for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, mortgages, the sale of land, and the like). Every village had at least one scribe, and we can surmise that scribes enjoyed a certain degree of wealth due to the need of their services.
Jesus lived a very simple life, traveling about teaching the people of his plan for salvation, a life that was not glamorous and one without financial compensation. Jesus didn’t tell the man “No, you can’t follow Me.” But He told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him. This is the opposite of techniques used by many evangelists today, but Jesus wanted the man to know what it would really be like.
“And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (vs. 21-22)
“Actually, this man did not ask for permission to dig a grave for his deceased father. He wanted to remain in his father’s house and care for him until the father died. This was obviously an indefinite period, which could drag on and on. This man was another of His disciples; yet he did not follow Jesus as he should have, nor as the 12 disciples did. This shows us that the term disciples has a somewhat broad meaning in the Gospel of Matthew, and must be understood in its context. The man wanted to follow Jesus, but not just yet. He knew it was good and that he should do it, but he felt there was a good reason why he could not do it now.” (Guzik)
“The excuse that this disciple made, to defer an immediate attendance on Christ (v. 21); "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Before I come to be a close and constant follower of thee, let me be allowed to perform this last office of respect to my father; and in the mean time, let it suffice to be a hearer of thee now and then, when I can spare time." His father (some think) was now sick, or dying, or dead; others think, he was only aged, and not likely in a course of nature, to continue long; and he desired leave to attend upon him in his sickness, at his death, and to his grave, and then he would be at Christ's service. This seemed a reasonable request, and yet it was not right. He had not the zeal he should have had for the work, and therefore pleaded this, because it seemed a plausible plea.” (Henry)
“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (vs. 23-27)
“He does not chide them for disturbing him with their prayers, but for disturbing themselves with their fears.” (Henry)
Here we have three great lessons in discipleship. The scribe would have been accustomed to receiving remuneration for his services, a disciple of Christ in those days as well as today must be prepared for hardship. Scribes such as this man enjoyed a certain degree of celebrity, an important man in the community who provided a service that was often needed. Disciples seldom gain celebrity, and the ones that do, frequently experience a downfall. Jesus said; “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt. 6:24) Jesus knew that this man would find it difficult to leave that which he was used to and to take up the cross and follow him.
The second lesson involves a disciple—a follower but not of the 12—who would have Jesus wait on him, until the man’s father had died and his affairs settled. Jesus knew his time on Earth was short, his appointment with destiny was just months away, but this man expected Jesus to wait for him.
We have to remember that at this point in his ministry, even the 12 seemed to think that when he established the Kingdom of God, they would enjoy high ranking positions in his administration. So many failed to realize that Jesus was speaking of a spiritual kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, and not a worldly political subdivision. Although Matthew does not make this point clear, we might surmise that this man wanted to be part of what he erroneously perceived to be a glorious worldly kingdom that rivaled that of King David’s era. Whatever the case may be in this man’s situation, when we consider the rebuke Jesus gave him “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” We can learn of another great cost in discipleship, the need to serve Jesus versus the need to serve our own agenda.
Finally we come to the third lesson. “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” We, as disciples of Christ, must always have faith, even in the face of danger.
Matthew Henry wrote: “His disciples followed him; the twelve kept close to him, when others staid behind upon the terra firma, where there was sure footing. Note, They, and they only, will be found the true disciples of Christ, that are willing to go to sea with him, to follow him into dangers and difficulties. Many would be content to go the land-way to heaven, that will rather stand still, or go back, than venture upon a dangerous sea; but those that would rest with Christ hereafter must follow him now wherever he leads them, into a ship or into a prison, as well as into a palace.”
Benediction
Almighty and most merciful God, grant that by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we may be enlightened and strengthened for your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Thought for the Day:
The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.
Benjamin Franklin

https://globalnews.ca/pages/audioondemand/ 11:11AM audio time on Shaye Ganam this morning.
Shaye: ...How would you assess what happened on university campuses in Alberta this week?
Eric: Well, I think a number of things are true. Number 1 is, of course - that is protected speech and of course, that was/did appear to be, by all accounts, a peaceful assembly. So there's no question that because the charter applies, the individuals on those campuses at U of A and U of C, had protected charter rights. Now, the next question. Is/does a no-camping rule - is that a reasonable limit for universities to enforce? And I think there's good arguments to suggest that it is.
I mean, for example, if it's true for this protest, it's got to be true for all protests. So, does it mean that anybody protesting anything can simply move into a university campus and set up camp, and live there, perhaps indefinitely until their quote/unquote demands are met? If the university has to have a neutral approach to all these incidents of speech... so if there's a policy that says, - well, I guess camp is expression so I guess you can camp here - then they have to take that same position with the next protest, and the next protest, and somebody that wants to set up a anti-vaccine tent-city on the campus too. You can't pick your winners and losers.
So, does the university have a reasonable position to say - our campuses aren't equipped for camping? There are not bathroom facilities, there are not cooking facilities. There's a danger to individuals when they are here in the dark without campus security. We wouldn't be able to manage the situation if a counter-protest showed up in the middle of the night. If a fire tears through one of these tent cities and a bunch of 20-year-olds perish wouldn't we be liable? We are not equipped to be a campsite for expression. That seems to be, to me, not a crazy position for the university to take.
The question is, how does it execute that policy and I think that's where, you know, you're going to get a lot of yelling on both sides. But from my perspective, if you've got a responsible policy that says no camping, then what is the way to engage the protesters with that message. How do you communicate that to them? What timeline do you give them to exercise their free-speech rights and have a dignified exit? Or is your first move, on the first night at dawn to send in baton wielding police officers? I think there's some criticism here that that's a disproportionate response to a peaceful protest.
Smart dude. Good interview.

The Collect
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 97; 99; 100 Reading I Samuel 16:1–13a
Gospel: Matthew 8:18–27
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest
20 And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26 And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Commentary:
Our study for today encompasses a collection of seemingly unrelated passages, but when viewed as a whole we find a great lesson in the cost of discipleship; not only for those who made up the first century church but for us today as well.
Although the verses recommended for this day begin with verse 18, by looking back at the rest of the chapter we find information which establishes the scene and gives us context for our understanding. Rather than to take a single verse at its face value, we must always look at the preceding verses as well as those that follow so as to thoroughly understand.
Assuming Matthews recollections of the events of chapter 8 are reflective of works of Christ that hapopened on the same day—and not events from throughout his ministry and lumped together here as Matthew wrote this Gospel years after the fact—we could conclude that our Lord had a busy day.
The chapter begins as Jesus is coming down off of the mountain where he preached the Sermon on the Mount, a great multitude of people following his every step, and a leper comes to worship him, he heals the man and tells him, “See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” Then after entering Capernium a Roman Centurion comes to him asking Jesus to heal his servant. Impressed by the faith of a man who was not a Jew, but a Roman Gentile, Jesus healed the man’s slave by the authority of his word without even going to the slave’s bedside.
Matthew tells us that Jesus continued to heal many that day, beginning with Peter’s mother-in-law, then many others who were sick or possess by demons.
Our Lord had no qualms about healing the sick, but throughout the Gospels we can detect a note of concern on his part in that many were coming to him, apparently for the sole purpose of the healing of physical ailments, and not for the healing of spiritual illness. We find in more than one place, Jesus making the decision to cross over the Sea of Galilee, presumably so that he could teach away from the crowds that seemed to only want physical cures.
“Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (vs. 18-20)
In a time when most were illiterate and few could even write, Scribes held an important position. Scribes had knowledge of the law and could draft legal documents (contracts for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, mortgages, the sale of land, and the like). Every village had at least one scribe, and we can surmise that scribes enjoyed a certain degree of wealth due to the need of their services.
Jesus lived a very simple life, traveling about teaching the people of his plan for salvation, a life that was not glamorous and one without financial compensation. Jesus didn’t tell the man “No, you can’t follow Me.” But He told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him. This is the opposite of techniques used by many evangelists today, but Jesus wanted the man to know what it would really be like.
“And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (vs. 21-22)
“Actually, this man did not ask for permission to dig a grave for his deceased father. He wanted to remain in his father’s house and care for him until the father died. This was obviously an indefinite period, which could drag on and on. This man was another of His disciples; yet he did not follow Jesus as he should have, nor as the 12 disciples did. This shows us that the term disciples has a somewhat broad meaning in the Gospel of Matthew, and must be understood in its context. The man wanted to follow Jesus, but not just yet. He knew it was good and that he should do it, but he felt there was a good reason why he could not do it now.” (Guzik)
“The excuse that this disciple made, to defer an immediate attendance on Christ (v. 21); "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Before I come to be a close and constant follower of thee, let me be allowed to perform this last office of respect to my father; and in the mean time, let it suffice to be a hearer of thee now and then, when I can spare time." His father (some think) was now sick, or dying, or dead; others think, he was only aged, and not likely in a course of nature, to continue long; and he desired leave to attend upon him in his sickness, at his death, and to his grave, and then he would be at Christ's service. This seemed a reasonable request, and yet it was not right. He had not the zeal he should have had for the work, and therefore pleaded this, because it seemed a plausible plea.” (Henry)
“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (vs. 23-27)
“He does not chide them for disturbing him with their prayers, but for disturbing themselves with their fears.” (Henry)
Here we have three great lessons in discipleship. The scribe would have been accustomed to receiving remuneration for his services, a disciple of Christ in those days as well as today must be prepared for hardship. Scribes such as this man enjoyed a certain degree of celebrity, an important man in the community who provided a service that was often needed. Disciples seldom gain celebrity, and the ones that do, frequently experience a downfall. Jesus said; “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt. 6:24) Jesus knew that this man would find it difficult to leave that which he was used to and to take up the cross and follow him.
The second lesson involves a disciple—a follower but not of the 12—who would have Jesus wait on him, until the man’s father had died and his affairs settled. Jesus knew his time on Earth was short, his appointment with destiny was just months away, but this man expected Jesus to wait for him.
We have to remember that at this point in his ministry, even the 12 seemed to think that when he established the Kingdom of God, they would enjoy high ranking positions in his administration. So many failed to realize that Jesus was speaking of a spiritual kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, and not a worldly political subdivision. Although Matthew does not make this point clear, we might surmise that this man wanted to be part of what he erroneously perceived to be a glorious worldly kingdom that rivaled that of King David’s era. Whatever the case may be in this man’s situation, when we consider the rebuke Jesus gave him “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” We can learn of another great cost in discipleship, the need to serve Jesus versus the need to serve our own agenda.
Finally we come to the third lesson. “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” We, as disciples of Christ, must always have faith, even in the face of danger.
Matthew Henry wrote: “His disciples followed him; the twelve kept close to him, when others staid behind upon the terra firma, where there was sure footing. Note, They, and they only, will be found the true disciples of Christ, that are willing to go to sea with him, to follow him into dangers and difficulties. Many would be content to go the land-way to heaven, that will rather stand still, or go back, than venture upon a dangerous sea; but those that would rest with Christ hereafter must follow him now wherever he leads them, into a ship or into a prison, as well as into a palace.”
Benediction
Almighty and most merciful God, grant that by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we may be enlightened and strengthened for your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Thought for the Day:
The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.
Benjamin Franklin

The apothecary spent the first few months tending to wounded Space Marines, starting their garden aboard the ship, and learning as much as they could in order to stay in the good graces of the Lady who took them in. They had learned that she was Mortarion, Primarch and daughter of the God Emperor of Mankind. They knew little of the Emperor of Mankind, and he focused on more practical medical research than learning more about their commander’s father.
Mortarion had kept a watchful eye on the apothecary she had brought on board. She half expected her sons to rip the psyker to shreds, or for the young apothecary to be overwhelmed by the number of wounded and dying. However, they had thrown himself at his work, spending time working on caring for her sons and learning. Most surprising was that the apothecary had created a garden inside the apothecary chamber, and Mortarion was starting to think the chamber smelled .... good? Pleasant? She could not be sure, but she was sure that she had made a good decision. Her sons seemed to have even accepted the psyker into their ranks, at least enough that they wouldn't immediately kill them. Typhus however did not seem quite as accepting of the apothecary, and Mortarion couldn’t quite blame him.
The apothecary kept working and working. They could feel that their psyker powers were getting stronger, and their control over them growing. They could heal the massive sons of his master quickly, knowing now how to best heal them but also how to best control their healing psyker powers. As they improved his apothecary skills and their psyker powers, they worked diligently on their garden, adding new plants and keeping the garden beautiful. Typhus watched on from a distance, sometimes while he was checking on his brothers, sometimes just to keep an eye on the psyker. He did not trust the apothecary, no matter how much his mother said that their skills were of great use, and they were badly needed at all times.
Mortarion started spending more and more time in the apothecary chamber. She said it was to look after her sons, but Mortarion knew part of her just wanted to enjoy the smell of the flowers. She wanted to smell something else, something other than the gas and the haze. Of course she never took her mask off, but what bit of pleasant aroma she got, she would take. Typhus could see this. He could see what he considered to be the slow corruption of his mother by someone by a psyker, even if they were from his home planet. It didn’t matter. He would have to confront his mother, or take action on his own. As he plotted, far distant bile filled laughter could be heard, the father was watching and waiting.
They could see their master spending more time in the apothecary chamber. One day they walked up to their master, “Do you have any wounds that need tending M’lady?” They held a series of flowers and herbs in their hands that they had been working with before they went to check on Mortarion.
Mortarion wasn’t sure what to say but thought it would be best to say something. “I am alright apothecary thank you…” Mortarion didn’t know what came over her, but she hoped that no one heard what she said.
They couldn’t quite hear the last parts, but they were at least comforted that their master was unhurt. They returned to their apothecary work, creating substances, tending to their plants, and the Space Marines.
Typhus looked on ever longer in disgust. Upon Mortarion’s exit from the apothecary, he approached her with the intent to confront her. “Mother, is it truly necessary to keep the psyker on the ship, I care not if he is skilled, he will surely cause the corru….”
“Typus, I will not tolerate such thoughts. The apothecary is within the rights and is well supervised. They will bring no harm to your brothers, I assure you. Now, if there is nothing else, I have other matters to attend to.” Mortarion walked off to take on other duties, leaving Typhus in a building fury. He would not tolerate the desecration of their mother; he would have to get rid of the plants. That would surely drive a wedge between Mortarion and the apothecary.
The apothecary had the nightmare again, the four voices laughing, and the smell of bile.They can also see their garden withered and dying, the smell of decay in their nostrils. They wake up in a shock, hurrying to check on their garden. They found that their vision had come true, and that they were too late. Mortarion came in shortly after, seeing the apothecary on their knees trying to find something in the field of decay. Mortarion called out to them, “Apothecary, what has happened?” Mortarion moved to their side, laying a hand on their shoulder. “Apothecary, what has happened” she said again, but quieter, calmer; maybe even caring.
The apothecary turns to Mortarion, eyes wet with tears, hands and knees covered in dirt, grime and withered plant parts. “My plants. They're gone. They’re all gone….”
Mortarion did not know how to comfort the apothecary, they had no knowledge of care or concern. However, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a lily, growing alone in the field of decay. She was going to grab it, but seeing the grim on her hands, she avoided touching the little flower that was left. “It seems a lily still remains. I know of a safer place if you wish to take it elsewhere.”
The apothecary looked up, gently cupping the lily in their hands. “Thank you, M’Lady.” They dug the lily carefully out of the ground, placing it into a pot near their workstation. “I am ready to transport it, M'Lady. Please, lead the way.” The apothecary said, dried tears caking their face.
Mortarion led the apothecary to her personal quarters, gesturing to an empty space on the far side of the room. “You can use this as your garden. No one will hurt your plants here.”
The apothecary was both shocked and appreciative at the opportunity. They gently laid the pot into space, taking care to keep it safe. Mortarion thought perhaps she would do her best to ease the pains of the apothecary, her lily. “I’ll leave you to your work.” She said, calmly, not her usual aggressive or brooding manner. She exited her room, leaving her lily alone to care for her flower.
As soon as she was out of line of sight, her face twisted in hatred as she went searching for Typhus. Once she found him, she picked him up, holding him by his neck. “What did you do to the apothecary’s garden!? Tell me Typhus!”
Typhus laughed maniacally in Mortarion’s face; his face twisted with an evil she had not seen from her sons. “You care too much for that psyker. Have you forgotten what those sorcerers did, did you forget mother? Have you forgotten you are?”
Mortarion squeezed his neck tighter, her hatred burning in her chest. “You know better than to talk to me like that.” She could see the mark of Chaos upon her son, and she took her scythe in free hand. “You are no longer a son of mine; your corruption will end with you. Goodbye traitor.” She cut off his head with her scythe, carrying his body to the airlock, where she jettisoned the body of what was once her son.
Mortarion went to join her lily in her room, joining her apothecary in the making of their garden. She hoped it would calm her down, she hoped that she could smell that sweet smell again, she hoped that she could show her traitor son that he was wrong. She would show him that he was wrong, even if she had no idea how to garden.

The Collect
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 97; 99; 100 Reading I Samuel 16:1–13a
Gospel: Matthew 8:18–27
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest
20 And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26 And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Commentary:
Our study for today encompasses a collection of seemingly unrelated passages, but when viewed as a whole we find a great lesson in the cost of discipleship; not only for those who made up the first century church but for us today as well.
Although the verses recommended for this day begin with verse 18, by looking back at the rest of the chapter we find information which establishes the scene and gives us context for our understanding. Rather than to take a single verse at its face value, we must always look at the preceding verses as well as those that follow so as to thoroughly understand.
Assuming Matthews recollections of the events of chapter 8 are reflective of works of Christ that hapopened on the same day—and not events from throughout his ministry and lumped together here as Matthew wrote this Gospel years after the fact—we could conclude that our Lord had a busy day.
The chapter begins as Jesus is coming down off of the mountain where he preached the Sermon on the Mount, a great multitude of people following his every step, and a leper comes to worship him, he heals the man and tells him, “See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” Then after entering Capernium a Roman Centurion comes to him asking Jesus to heal his servant. Impressed by the faith of a man who was not a Jew, but a Roman Gentile, Jesus healed the man’s slave by the authority of his word without even going to the slave’s bedside.
Matthew tells us that Jesus continued to heal many that day, beginning with Peter’s mother-in-law, then many others who were sick or possess by demons.
Our Lord had no qualms about healing the sick, but throughout the Gospels we can detect a note of concern on his part in that many were coming to him, apparently for the sole purpose of the healing of physical ailments, and not for the healing of spiritual illness. We find in more than one place, Jesus making the decision to cross over the Sea of Galilee, presumably so that he could teach away from the crowds that seemed to only want physical cures.
“Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest And Jesus saith unto him,The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (vs. 18-20)
In a time when most were illiterate and few could even write, Scribes held an important position. Scribes had knowledge of the law and could draft legal documents (contracts for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, mortgages, the sale of land, and the like). Every village had at least one scribe, and we can surmise that scribes enjoyed a certain degree of wealth due to the need of their services.
Jesus lived a very simple life, traveling about teaching the people of his plan for salvation, a life that was not glamorous and one without financial compensation. Jesus didn’t tell the man “No, you can’t follow Me.” But He told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him. This is the opposite of techniques used by many evangelists today, but Jesus wanted the man to know what it would really be like.
“And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (vs. 21-22)
“Actually, this man did not ask for permission to dig a grave for his deceased father. He wanted to remain in his father’s house and care for him until the father died. This was obviously an indefinite period, which could drag on and on. This man was another of His disciples; yet he did not follow Jesus as he should have, nor as the 12 disciples did. This shows us that the term disciples has a somewhat broad meaning in the Gospel of Matthew, and must be understood in its context. The man wanted to follow Jesus, but not just yet. He knew it was good and that he should do it, but he felt there was a good reason why he could not do it now.” (Guzik)
“The excuse that this disciple made, to defer an immediate attendance on Christ (v. 21); "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Before I come to be a close and constant follower of thee, let me be allowed to perform this last office of respect to my father; and in the mean time, let it suffice to be a hearer of thee now and then, when I can spare time." His father (some think) was now sick, or dying, or dead; others think, he was only aged, and not likely in a course of nature, to continue long; and he desired leave to attend upon him in his sickness, at his death, and to his grave, and then he would be at Christ's service. This seemed a reasonable request, and yet it was not right. He had not the zeal he should have had for the work, and therefore pleaded this, because it seemed a plausible plea.” (Henry)
“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them,Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (vs. 23-27)
“He does not chide them for disturbing him with their prayers, but for disturbing themselves with their fears.” (Henry)
Here we have three great lessons in discipleship. The scribe would have been accustomed to receiving remuneration for his services, a disciple of Christ in those days as well as today must be prepared for hardship. Scribes such as this man enjoyed a certain degree of celebrity, an important man in the community who provided a service that was often needed. Disciples seldom gain celebrity, and the ones that do, frequently experience a downfall. Jesus said; “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt. 6:24) Jesus knew that this man would find it difficult to leave that which he was used to and to take up the cross and follow him.
The second lesson involves a disciple—a follower but not of the 12—who would have Jesus wait on him, until the man’s father had died and his affairs settled. Jesus knew his time on Earth was short, his appointment with destiny was just months away, but this man expected Jesus to wait for him.
We have to remember that at this point in his ministry, even the 12 seemed to think that when he established the Kingdom of God, they would enjoy high ranking positions in his administration. So many failed to realize that Jesus was speaking of a spiritual kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, and not a worldly political subdivision. Although Matthew does not make this point clear, we might surmise that this man wanted to be part of what he erroneously perceived to be a glorious worldly kingdom that rivaled that of King David’s era. Whatever the case may be in this man’s situation, when we consider the rebuke Jesus gave him “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” We can learn of another great cost in discipleship, the need to serve Jesus versus the need to serve our own agenda.
Finally we come to the third lesson. “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” We, as disciples of Christ, must always have faith, even in the face of danger.
Matthew Henry wrote: “His disciples followed him; the twelve kept close to him, when others staid behind upon the terra firma, where there was sure footing. Note, They, and they only, will be found the true disciples of Christ, that are willing to go to sea with him, to follow him into dangers and difficulties. Many would be content to go the land-way to heaven, that will rather stand still, or go back, than venture upon a dangerous sea; but those that would rest with Christ hereafter must follow him now wherever he leads them, into a ship or into a prison, as well as into a palace.”
Benediction
Almighty and most merciful God, grant that by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we may be enlightened and strengthened for your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Thought for the Day:
The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.
Benjamin Franklin

A friend of mine recently retired and did a BDD claim. She recently said that after she filed her claim, she began having appointments through Optum. She did her "Gen Med", where they review the SHA and most of the non-mental health claims.
What I thought was interesting is that the very next day following her Gen Med appt, her VSO emailed her saying the examiner had uploaded the results of her appointment, and based on those results they were able to estimate that her percentage would be around 80% once she retired and officially received her percentage. She ultimately ended up a bit higher than that.
How is that? Do the VSOs have access to the same system the C&P examiners upload to? Or was this a different system for BDD claims? Regardless - I'd definitely use a VSO if they could do that for me! That would probably relieve a lot of anxiety that everyone gets about their claims.
Has anyone else experienced this with their VSO?

I have many things to say but let me start here... I don't hate you because of "Mommy issues" or because you are "Chosen and a mirror", I absolutely despise you because you are a lying, lazy, scamming, con artist. You are 40 years old without a single thing to show for those 40 years on this earth. You spend 23 hours a day, horizontal, pouting and fake crying at your phone screen to play on people's emotions to manipulate them out of their hard earned money under the guise of diamond art. You have made hundreds of thousands of dollars off of the backs of others but have not improved a single thing in YEARS. You act like a cheap whore on the internet, on a platform that supposedly, the children that you have already severely tarnished, to see you less than half dressed, gyrating your body all over for strangers all over the internet. You've traveled to and from for men off of the internet as well but haven't given it a second thought to get to your children. In fact, there's a clip of you responding to someone asking where you would love to go besides Gstrings and you literally said NOWHERE. You only wanted to go to him. Not your children. A man off the internet who made you out to be a fool for weeks. This whole "Chosen" thing is sickening. You couldn't be farther from a true representation of a Christian woman, living for God. Your visions amd prophecies are a complete joke and another manipulation tactic. You try to weaponize religion and what you are truly doing is dancing with the devil. I assure you that God hasn't asked you to lay in the bed and he will deliver life to you on a silver platter. Be for real. Faith without works is dead. You are NOT autistic. You are mental but some school counselor maybe mentioning ASD in a hallway conversation one day is not a diagnosis. It's SICK that you use this fake diagnosis and use all of the "disadvantages" for lack of better word of the disorder to spin your narrative but somehow you didn't get the many, amazing "advantages" of ASD like resilience, brilliance, determination, drive, etc.. those things don't allow you to be a lazy internet panhandler. Nor can you seemingly forget that you have it, and it disappear for days or weeks until you need it again or someone reminds you. Nobody believes that people "gift" you all the things you claim. Clothes, makeup, champagne, meals, etc... we know that is you blowing the money you manipulated off of others. You need to slow it down on the door dash. Not only is it a slap in the face to the people out here busting their ass to make ends meet while you are living a life of luxury while not moving a muscle but it's very unhealthy and sticking with you. Lastly, I want you to picture yourself in 10, 15, 20 years from now. You have ZERO true life relationships, absolutely nothing to your name. You won't be able to still panhandle, your years of horrible self care and wild lifestyle dragging you down physically, how will you survive? You've put nothing in to any type of retirement, one day you truly won't be able to work, nobody to care for you, just an elderly person with NOTHING. What will you do?? You have burned all bridges. Your family is amazing and you have completely shit on them. Still claiming a little boy who was a quarter of your size physically abused you and everyone in your family harmed you in some way which is such a stretch and in my mind, unforgivable. You will be lonely, broke, and absolutely no legacy to leave behind. Who will be able to stand up and speak about your life and memories or experiences or impacts you've made and left behind?? Nobody. Time is running out. You need to make DRASTIC changes immediately or it's only down hill from here. I know this was insanely long but I had to get it off of my chest after her entire morning of lies and garbage. I truly hope you have read this Tabitha and it helps you understand why you are so disliked by the Majority. Look around. If not for sleepy Amy Lou, you would literally have ZERO support any longer.

This happened in Georgia. Pulled over for making an improper turn explained to the officer what was going on with my DACA and how i’m waiting for my new card to come but have been approved. He gave me citation for the improper turn and for suspended license and let me drive home. I’m sure for the improper turn I can pay that off like a speeding ticket i’ve gotten before but for the suspended license I have to appear in court ? Google saying mandatory 2 days in jail but if i have my renewed license when appearing in court I should be good shouldn’t i ? Court is until august 5th

Does anyone have experience using an N-Ear brand headset?
I know a lot of our officers rave about the earpiece for their radio and I saw they sold headsets so I was thinking about giving them a chance. Anyone have anything to say about them?
Thanks!

My husband and I just got married after 3 years and together we make base salaries of 50k each plus bonuses at his job and commission at mine. We live in South Florida so this means all our bills are paid and we have all the necessities but there’s very little ability for leisure. And we want to have a kid which is another expense.
By my calculations, we would need to make at least $50k more to raise our child, vacation 1 or twice a year and be a bit flexible in our ability to work. By flexible I mean he and I could take alternating sabbaticals off of work to be with the kid or just bc sometimes it’s nice not to work full time and also not worry abt money.
Eventually I’d like to be financially independent and travel more in 15-20 years.
The solution? I’m trying to go back to school to finish an engineering degree and I want my partner and I to start creating passive streams of income on the side. He is incredibly intelligent, quite the problem solver. The owner of the company he works for is always going on and on abt how much better he makes them when im at the office. I’ve helped my family’s business grow into a success up until last year so im not just talking abt things i don’t understand. We are an amazing team.
The problem? He thinks he’s a bad luck charm. On three occasions in life he was supposed to move up in a company to make good money or loved his job and made reallyyyyy good money, and they went out of business. Three times! And the most recent was during the pandemic. Couple that with a few bad money decisions when he was in his twenties and he doesn’t think he can bring something profitable to fruition.
Life has not been kind to my husband and he wants to focus on being happy with me and our future baby but I grew up very poor and I have anxieties about money. Idk if I can chill abt this. Our family and life is down here so neither of us want to move.
Side note: I’m not leaving my husband. Our therapist had great things to say abt us during premarital counseling so I have it on good authority we are a solid couple, though we haven’t felt the need to go to counseling since. Focus on the situation and try not to project your fears onto me. We met virtually during our training class at a job we worked briefly in the pandemic so neither of us knew the other one’s age until we were already interested in each other. No he did not groom me.

Had a couple periodontal procedures done, one 4/2 the other 4/3. Before the procedure I called my insurance, and called the dentist, both said my portion would be 141.80 for both procedures. Fine, paid the first day the full amount, and I think everything is fine.
Fast forward to today, and I get an email from my dentist, and they say I owe another $112. I pulled up the detailed bill and also the EOB, and basically it breaks down like this: Day one: Section 1 periodontal Section 2 periodontal First X-ray Additional x-ray Additional X-ray (These are all showing on the day one EOB) Additional X-ray Additional X-ray Additional X-ray (These three were not listed on EOB)
Day 2: Section 3 periodontal Section 4 periodontal (These show on EOB) First X-ray Additional X-ray Additional X-Ray (These are not showing on EOB)
-called insurance and they said the second day not showing X-rays is normal as they are required to do X-rays so it won’t show them a second time -the dental office said second day I still owed $40, which is fine because I saw they credited the larger portion of the payment to day 2. -insurance said if the office fights it, they will get involved and if they still fight “higher ups” will be involved.
My question, does the dentist have to follow the contracted amount through the insurance? They are in network, and I’m not seeing it in the math, but I’m wondering if they are still calculating the missing X-rays on the EOB as what I owe on their end? Not sure if I have to pay this additional $112? Feel like there might just be an error on billing?
Thanks in advance. I just really don’t have the money to come up with this additional amount.

I wanted to make a post to sort of follow up on the trading posts from earlier that were really interesting. I noticed a few people saying they don't trade for fear of being scammed/they have been scammed with trades.
I am a returning player, I have not played consistently since about 2017, and before that since the start of Webkinz. So I am not sure about the value of all items now. Back in the day I used to love trading and the trading room. But recently have had some bad experiences in the trading room that ruined it for me.
I noticed that a lot of people are trying to do an unfair trade. Like they would try to trade a normal item for something that is exclusive/rare/e store. And if you try to offer them an equal trade they just leave without saying anything.
I also had an experience today in the trading room where someone lied to me about their items, saying they were retired e store items. I ended up trading for a couple of e store items I had. I found out later they had lied to me the value of their items (they were not e store). Obviously that is my fault for believing them but its just very sad to see.
This is not the experience with a lot of people on here and thank you to everyone who has traded with me and done fair trades :) I just want to warn any returning or new people to consider avoiding the trade rooms.
Also side note - I hate the mystery boxes and feel they are a huge scam to get more money. I would usually avoid them but my favourite theme is only in the mystery boxes :(

A retiring police officer says goodbye

Bad Cop, No Donut!

Chunky