Hope

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

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• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  When in 1.33 the psalmist speaks of the 'judgment of my afflictions' (mishpe[e negi'e), he seems to be referring to the afflictions executed by others against him, in the face of which God strengthened him (1.32; the context, however, is partially destroyed). It is possible, to be sure, that he saw God as both send- ing the chastisements and strengthening him to bear them. This seems to be what is meant in 9.10-13. The psalmist says that he chooses (God's) judg- ment upon himself and that he accepts afflictions willingly, since he hopes for God's loving-kindness. His hope is not disappointed, for God has upheld his spirit in the face of affliction (nega', 9.12; cf. 1.32). He continues by speak- ing of God's comforting him in his distress and consoling him for his former transgression. Certainly the emphasis here is on God's comfort and grace in affliction rather than on affliction as punishment for sin. Yet it does seem that the latter is implied in mentioning God's judgment and his own trans- gression. God sends affliction for the transgression, but the affliction is not too severe (the psalmist's life is not threatened, 9. 11 ), and God not only strengthens his servant to bear the punishment but pardons and consoles him. It is worth remarking that, while the punishments of the righteous for their transgressions which are specified in CD and IQS are inflicted by the com- munity, the afflictions mentioned in IQH are sent directly by God, perhaps employing the psalmist's enemies. In both cases, however, punishment is seen as being just 143 and, if accepted willingly, as having a good result. The sectarian who transgresses and is penalized will eventually be restored to full fellowship, while God's rebuke to the psalmist is seen as turning to joy and healing (9.23f.) or forgiveness and consolation (9. 13). 144 Reward, the requirement of perfection and man's nothingness Since the theme of the punishment of transgressions has a prominent place in the Scrolls, we might also expect to find emphasized the related theme of the reward of the righteous. In fact there are only a few clear statements to the effect that God rewards the righteous for their good deeds. 145 To understand why this is, we must first consider one of the principal problems in understanding the religion of the sect: the apparent conflict between urging the members to walk perfectly, on the one hand, and saying, on the 143 So Carmignac,'Souffrance', p. 379: the psalmist'sees in his sufferings the just chastisements of his transgressions'. Even when the chastisements come from the wicked, they are the execution of the will of God and are still punishment for transgressions (pp. 378f. ). 144 Carmignac (ibid., p. 383) notes the absence of the theme of the redemptive value of suffering; see further Appendix 3 below. Even if suffering is not directly described as redemptive, it still has a good result. See pp. 304f. below. 145 Cf. Braun, Radikalismus 1, p.

• From Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment (2003)

  Don’t let guilt from past mistakes keep you from seeking this truly satisfying first-love relationship with Him. God does not despise you for the way you’ve tried to fill the void in your heart. He says, “Come now, let us reason together…. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). He is eager to cleanse your heart and teach you how to guard it from future pain and loneliness. FALLING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION We do not accidentally fall in love or into sexual immorality. We either dive in that direction (either passively or aggressively), or we intentionally choose to turn the other way, refusing to cross the line between that which is fruitful and that which is forbidden. Although our emotions are very powerful, we do not have to allow them to drive our thoughts and actions into compromising situations. Instead, we can fall back on God’s power to guard our hearts, driving our emotions into appropriate situations and relationships. I encourage you to memorize the green-, yellow-, and red-light levels of emotional connection discussed in this chapter. Understanding exactly where the line is between emotional integrity and emotional compromise is one of the three keys to guarding your heart. The second key is being honest with yourself and learning to recognize any hidden motives, as this will tell you exactly where you stand in relationship to that line between integrity and compromise. The third key to guarding your heart (and the most important) is pursuing a first-love relationship with Jesus Christ (which we’ll talk even more about in chapter 11). Once you experience a love so pure and so passionate, your heart will be strengthened in a way that you never imagined possible. [image file=image_rsrc247.jpg] I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. —Ephesians 3: 16-19 [image file=image_rsrc24E.jpg] locking loose lips If anyone considers [herself ] religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on [her] tongue, [she] deceives [herself ] and [her] religion is worthless. JAMES 1:26 What is a four-letter word for a woman’s favorite foreplay activity? T-A-L-K! Think about it. What affair has ever taken place without intimate words exchanged? Women often tell me, “I’ve not been unfaithful to my husband. All this man and I have done is talk.” But what is the nature of the words exchanged? Maybe he says things like: • “I was hoping to see your beautiful face today.”

• From City of Night (1963)

  As sections from the growing book continued to appear in Evergreen Review, I began getting encouraging letters from readers, agents, and other writers, including Norman Mailer and James Baldwin. When several editors—at Dial, Random House, others—expressed interest in the book, and there were two offers of an advance, I telephoned Don; I could not conceive of this book’s appearing other than through Grove Press. Not only was Barney Rosset, its president, publishing the best of the modern authors—and battling literary censorship—but Evergreen Review had created the interest in my writing that others were responding to. As my now-editor, Don came to Los Angeles with a contract and an advance for the book I had begun to call “Storm Heaven and Protest.” But I still didn’t write it. I plunged back into my “streetworld.” Hitchhiking I met a man who would become instrumental in my finishing this book. I saw him regularly, but I kept my “literary” identity secret; I had learned early—but not entirely correctly—that being smart on the streets included pretending not to be. Not knowing that I had graduated from college and had already published sections from a novel I had a contract for—but concerned that I might be trapped in one of the many possible deadends of the streets—he offered (we were having breakfast in Malibu, the ocean was azure) to send me to school. I was touched by his unique concern, and when he drove me back to my rented room on Hope Street, I asked him to wait. I went inside and autographed a copy of “The Fabulous Wedding of Miss Destiny” and gave it to him. He looked at it, and then at me, a stranger. Then I needed to flee the closeness increased, perhaps, by the fusion of my two “identities.” Consistent with another pattern, a letter arrived from a man who had read my writing: he would be happy to have me visit him on an island near Chicago. A plane ticket followed. Painfully trying to explain to my good friend who had picked me up hitchhiking that I had to leave Los Angeles, I left and spent the summer on a private island. When summer was ending, I migrated to Chicago, quickly finding its own Times Square. But I was pulled back to Los Angeles. Extending the understanding that makes him, always, deeply cherished and special in my life, my friend who had wanted to put me through school—and whose “voice” is heard in part in the character of Jeremy in this book—now offered to help me out while I went to El Paso to finish—where it had begun—the book I again longed to write. I returned to my mother’s small house and wrote every day on a rented Underwood typewriter. My mother kept the house quiet while I worked. After dinner, I would translate into Spanish and read to her (she never learned English) certain passages I considered appropriate. “You’re writing a beautiful book, my son.” she told me.

• From The Case for God (2009)

  20 Christian missionaries preached the “gospel” or “good news” in such marginal regions of Palestine as Samaria and Gaza, and established congregations in the Diaspora to ensure that all Jews, even “sinners,” were prepared for the Kingdom. 21 They also took the highly unusual step of admitting non-Jews into their community. Some of the prophets had predicted that in the Last Days the foreign nations would share Israel’s triumph and would voluntarily throw away their idols. 22 When the Christians discovered that they were attracting gentile converts, many of them already sympathetic to Judaism, this confirmed them in their belief that the old order was indeed passing away. 23 One of the most forceful champions of this view was Paul, a Greek-speaking Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, who joined the Christian movement some three years after Jesus’s death. Paul’s letters to his converts, written during the 50s and 60s, are the earliest extant Christian writings and show that the Christians had already started to engage in a radically inventive exegesis of the Torah and the Prophets to demonstrate that Jesus was the culmination of Jewish history. Paul was convinced that his mixed congregations of Jews and gentiles were the first fruits of the new Israel. These were astonishing claims. There was nothing in the scriptures to suggest that a future redeemer would be crucified and rise from the dead, and many found the idea utterly scandalous. 24 After the disaster of 70, Christians saw the destruction of the temple as an apokalypsis , a “revelation” of a terrifying truth. The old Israel was dead. The catastrophe had been predicted by Daniel, 25 and the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah had criticized the cult and insisted that God wanted the temple to be a house of prayer for all peoples. 26 Now in the new Israel Jews must encounter the Shekhinah, the divine presence formerly enshrined in the Holy of Holies, in the person of Jesus, the christos. 27 The twenty-seven books of the New Testament, completed by the middle of the second century, represented a heroic effort to rebuild a shattered tradition. Like the rabbis, the Christians used midrashic techniques to enable Jews to move forward. 28 The authors of the four gospels later attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were Jewish Christians who wrote in Greek, read the Bible in its Greek translation, and lived in the Hellenistic cities of the Near East.

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  147-52). As Moore (Judaism II, p. 388 n. 4) comments, 'The rabbis are very liberal with homilctical damnation ' Tannaitic Literature [I debate between R. Eliezer and R. Joshua about whether or not Israel must repent in order to be redeemed, R. Eliezer taking the position that repentance is necessary and R. Joshua the position that God will in any case redeem his people. 15 The discussion apparently has to do with the physical redemption of Israel, not with the salvation of Israelites in the world to come, 16 but the general point is pertinent: Israel as such will be redeemed. Secondly, we may cite a discussion in which R. Ishmael drew a conclusion about the redemption of Israel in the world to come: 1 7 There are sacrifices that can be redeemed and there are sacrifices that cannot be redeemed, there are things forbidden to be eaten which can be redeemed, and there are things forbidden to be eaten which cannot be redeemed .... So also in the future world there will be some for whom there will be redemption and there will be some for whom there will be no redemption. For the heathen nations there will be no redemption, as it is said: 'No man can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him -for too costly is the redemption of their soul' (Ps. 49.8-9). Beloved are the Israelites, for the Holy One, blessed be He, has given the heathen nations of the world as ransom for their souls, as it is said: 'I have given Egypt as thy ransom.' Why? 'Since thou art precious in My sight and honourable and I have loved thee; therefore will I give men for thee, and peoples for thy life' (Isa. 43.3-4). Although here the attitude toward the Gentiles is not so generous as that expressed by R. Joshua, due allowance must be made for the homiletical use oflsaiah. In any case, however, it is clear that the Israelites will be redeemed. The commentator could have said that those who have one more transgres- sion than fulfilment are not redeemed and that those who have a majority of good deeds are, but he did not say so: all Israelites are redeemed. 18 The point that all Israelites except unregenerate sinners have a share in the world to come, however, is best proved in two ways: by the absence of any statements to the contrary and by considering the Rabbinic view of repentance and atonement. We may best proceed by considering further those who are or who have been said to be excluded. The Sadducees As we saw, the most natural reading of the statement that those who deny 15 See Neusner, Eliezer II, p. 418, referring to TanJ:iuma (ed. Buber) BeJ:iuqqotai 5 (vol. II, p. 111); p. Taanith 63d ( 1. 1); Sanhedrin 97b-98a. The traditional text of the Tanl:iuma (BeJ:iuqqotai 3) attributes the debate to R.

• From The Confessions of Saint Augustine (354)

  The Word itself calleth thee to return: and there is the place of rest imperturbable, where love is not forsaken, if itself forsaketh not. Behold, these things pass away, that others may replace them, and so this lower universe be completed by all his parts. But do I depart any whither? saith the Word of God. There fix thy dwelling, trust there whatsoever thou hast thence, O my soul, at least now thou art tired out with vanities. Entrust Truth, whatsoever thou hast from the Truth, and thou shalt lose nothing; and thy decay shall bloom again, and all thy diseases be healed, and thy mortal parts be reformed and renewed, and bound around thee: nor shall they lay thee whither themselves descend; but they shall stand fast with thee, and abide for ever before God, Who abideth and standeth fast for ever. Why then be perverted and follow thy flesh? Be it converted and follow thee. Whatever by her thou hast sense of, is in part; and the whole, whereof these are parts, thou knowest not; and yet they delight thee. But had the sense of thy flesh a capacity for comprehending the whole, and not itself also, for thy punishment, been justly restricted to a part of the whole, thou wouldest, that whatsoever existeth at this present, should pass away, that so the whole might better please thee. For what we speak also, by the same sense of the flesh thou hearest; yet wouldest not thou have the syllables stay, but fly away, that others may come, and thou hear the whole. And so ever, when any one thing is made up of many, all of which do not exist together, all collectively would please more than they do severally, could all be perceived collectively. But far better than these is He who made all; and He is our God, nor doth He pass away, for neither doth aught succeed Him.

• From Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty (1999)

  Cultivating beauty costs money, takes up time, and can drain emotional resources, and we need to figure out for ourselves how much time and effort we want to give to it. Women are heavily rewarded for their looks in a way that they are not always rewarded for their other assets, and it is only natural that they put some of their resources into its cultivation. The idea that women would achieve more if they only didn’t have to waste time on beauty is nonsense. Women will achieve more when they garner equal legal and social rights and privileges, not when they give up beauty. Women need more sources of power and pleasure. All women will enjoy beauty more when they can see it as one of many equally rewarded assets. Will we ever stop worshiping youthful looks? Let’s face it, it’s human to want to be sexually desirable, and human not to want to look like (or be) a sexual has-been. Women of all ages are trying to “pass” as teenagers. Women were doing this in Ovid’s time, we just do it better now. But in the centuries since Ovid we have changed the sexual landscape with contraception, assisted reproduction, births by postmenopausal women, gay marriage, and voluntary childlessness. None will make the appeal of young, fertile bodies any less compelling, but they should help us broaden our criteria of what beauty looks like and at least consciously update our definition of mate value. We want to see youthful beauty and we want to see it ornamented and adorned to the hilt! But we can also educate our eyes to see beauty in forms that do not automatically push the ancient genereplicator buttons. Probably the most radical thing a fashion designer could do today would be to rethink who should be modeling their clothes. But we will continue to revel in the obvious spender of youthful beauty. We will only make our world a drabber place by not enjoying it, as long as we are not limited to it. Being beautiful and being prized for it is not a social evil. If we are more forgiving to beauties, well, we are more forgiving to everyone who gives us pleasure whether they sing a beautiful song, give us an interesting idea, or cook a brilliant meal. As Bertrand Russell asked, what would happen if peacocks envied each other’s tails and began to feel that beauty was wicked? “A really splendid tail will become only a dim memory of the past.” Rather than denigrate one source of women’s power, it would seem far more useful for feminists to attempt to elevate all sources of women’s power.

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  For under- standing the self-consciousness and theology of the sect, it is important to underline this fundamental disagreement. We have touched on the point before, but should now spell it out more clearly: the sectarian conception of the election is that it is an election of individuals rather than of the nation of Israel. 82 Those outside the sect are universally considered sinners doomed to destruction. Further, it seems that one could not be born into the sect. 83 The covenant is not a birthright, but rather entrance requires a free act of will on the part of an adult. As in Rabbinism, the covenant is the basic soterio- logical category. Unlike the Rabbis, who dealt primarily with how Israelites should behave within the covenant and thus remain in it (and only occasion- ally with how Gentiles might enter), the sectarians insisted that individuals, even though already Israelites, must consciously join their covenant. The act of will which is required is twofold: repentance and commitment to the covenant. Thus the group was called, among other things, 'those who turned from (repented of) iniquity', 84 and the covenant was a 'covenant of repentance' (CD 19.16). 85 As the psalmist puts it, 'there is hope for those who tum from transgression and for those who abandon sin' (IQH 6.6). A man must give up the 'stiffness of neck' (IQS 5.5) -walking after his own will rather than God's - which characterizes those outside the covenant. 86 The entrant must commit himself with a binding oath to follow the law of Moses as revealed to the community (IQS 5.8-10), and those who enter with mental reservations are most severely condemned (IQS 2.11-18). 4. The commandments In accord with the general understanding of the covenant in Judaism, the sectarians considered it to contain specific commandments which should be obeyed. Thus one notes the 'ordinances of the covenant': the sectarians and their predecessors have sinned by walking contrary to the ordinances of the covenant (CD 20.29); when, in the last days, all Israel joins the sectarians before the final war against the Gentiles, they shall all be required to hear the 82 This has been decisively pointed out by Kapelrud ('Der Bund in den Qumran-Schriften', pp. 142-9); Burrows (Dead Sea Scrolls, p. 263); Milik (Ten Years, p. 114). Niitscher ('Schicksalglaube', pp. 36f.) argued that in Q!imran the biblical view of Israel is not given up, but that the members thought also of the election of the individual. In some senses this is true, but the theme of the election of Israel in contrast to the Gentiles comes into play only when dealing with Israel's past or with the eschatological future. 83 Entrants must take an oath, IQS 5.8f.; cf. the age requirements in IQSa 1.61f. See Kapelrud, 'Der Bund', pp. 142f. 84 Above, p. 245. 85 The phrase is missing in the parallel in CD 8+ See Rabin, Zadokitt Documents, p. 32.

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  61 God's covenant is the basis of salvation, and the elect remain in the covenant unless they sin in such a way as to be removed. There is some lack of clarity about who is and who is not in the covenant. Definitely excluded are the rulers, the Hasmoneans, their immediate supporters, and those who betrayed Jerusalem to Pompey. I see no definite evidence to indicate that all those who were not members of a certain party were excluded, and certainly none to indicate that the Sadducees as such were excluded. The latter would have been excluded to the degree that they were among the aristocracy which supported the Hasmoneans. The 'pious' of the Psalms can, on the one hand, identify themselves with Israel, which would seem to limit Israel to the members of the 'pious' party. On the other hand, the mention of the gathering of the tribes and the general description of the coming king who would rule over a purified Israel as a great king over a great nation seem to indicate that the vision of who would ultimately be counted in 'Israel' went beyond the members of a certain sect and included all who were not branded as 'sinners' and traitors. The pious, in other words, think that they are the true Israel in the sense that they live as Israelites should (note that they consider that they commit only inadvertent sins, 3.8f. [7f.]; 13.5 [7]). On the other hand, they hope that all Israel will one day be 'pious', which indicates that the rest have not been definitely excluded from the 61 Jaubert, La notion d'al/iance, p. 256. 5] IV Ezra covenant. In political terms, the pious of the Psalms of Solomon are still within the framework of the greater society and are struggling to have their view prevail. They have not given up hope on the rest of Israel, except the worst sinners, nor have they concluded that they have the exclusive right to be called the covenant people. 5. IV Ezra 1 IV Ezra in recent scholarship: the problem posed by the book The treatment of IV Ezra will be somewhat different from the treatment of the preceding works, and we shall not analyse one by one the various themes traditional in a covenantal type of religion; for there is only one question to be determined: whether or not the covenant maintains its traditional efficacy in the view of the author of IV Ezra. To anticipate the conclusion: the view argued for here is that it does not, that in IV Ezra one sees how Judaism works when it actually does become a religion of individual self-righteous- ness. In IV Ezra, in short, we see an instance in which covenantal nomism has collapsed. All that is left is legalistic perfectionism. It must immediately be noted that this view is contrary to the generally prevailing view. We may conveniently set out the issues by considering the views of three recent interpreters.

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  Thus we have seen that one Rabbi argued that even if 999 angels argued for a man's guilt and one for his innocence, God would consider him innocent. 73 Similarly, if a man is evil all his life and repents at the end, he is saved. 74 The 'wholly wicked' can only be those who have no intention to obey God. It should be emphasized that not only the 'completely righteous' are saved. As the above controversy shows, all but the 'wholly wicked' are saved. One need not be 'completely righteous' to he judged righteous by God. As we shall see, the righteous are not the sinless, but those who confirm the covenant. 75 In any case, it appears that the controversy between the Shammaites and the Hillelites on the 'three classes' lends no support to the theory that the Rab- binic doctrine of salvation was one of weighing merits. It is true that there are some sayings which do indicate that God judges strictly according to the majority of a man's deeds. But, as we have seen, this can by no means be taken as Rabbinic doctrine. The saying of R. Akiba in p. Kiddushin 61d and the controversy between the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel, as well as the other sayings to the effect that fulfilling one commandment merits salvation, are simply too well attested, too wide- spread, too numerous and too strong to permit such a view to stand. 76 This means that the view that God balances merits and demerits against each other, so that a merit can serve to annul or compensate for a sin, must also be given up. We have seen above that Bultmann, relying on traditional Christian scholarship, attributed such a view to the Rabbis. 77 It has recently been repeated by Thyen, relying on Sjoberg. 78 This is an instance in which a view in agreement with the Weberian theory of weighing has been read into Rabbinic literature by a fairly gross misreading and mistranslating of passages, and since the view seems to be widespread, we shall examine some of the putative evidence for it. Thyen states that God 'gives Israel the commandment to eat the paschal lamb as an opportunity to earn merit which outweighs their sins'. 79 The passage which he cites from Sjoberg is this : 80 R. Jose the Galilean says: Until the last one of them finished his paschal sacrifice, the 'enemies of lsrael' 81 were liable to be destroyed in Egypt, as it is said: 'That ye shall say: It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover,' etc. 73 The passage cited above, n. 25. 74 T. Kiddushin 1.15f.

• From Paul and Palestinian Judaism (40th Anniversary Edition) (2017)

  Since I thought that comparative studies should not be undertaken too early, nor under the time pressure of a doctoral program, my thesis was not a comparative study, although I did con- tinue course work on aspects of Judaism. In 1966 I set myself to consider Goodenough’s theory of Judaism—a small island of Rabbinic Judaism set in a vast sea of mys- tical, strongly Hellenized Judaism. I worked on Goode- nough’s materials for two years and then, during a year’s leave, returned to the Hebrew language sources. During this period I not only came to the obvious conclusion that Judaism must be studied in its own right, but, as I became increasingly immersed in the study of Rabbinic religion, I also began to focus on a somewhat different project from the one first outlined: a comparative study limited to Palestinian Judaism and the most obvious New xxix Testament writer, Paul. The present work is the result of that study. The more I studied Jewish sources, the more it became apparent that it would be wrong and futile to try to write as if I were not primarily a student of the New Testament. New Testament scholars who have written on Judaism have sometimes pretended to an indifferent ‘history of religions’ viewpoint and educational background which they have not had, and I have tried not to make that mistake. On the other hand, I have tried to avoid the opposite pitfall of limiting the description of Judaism to individual motifs which are directly parallel to a motif in Paul or which are seen as directly relevant to his ‘back- ground’. I have attempted to compare Judaism, under- stood on its own terms, with Paul, understood on his own terms. I hope that this effort will prove to make a contribution not only to the understanding of Paul and his relationship to Judaism, but to the study of Judaism itself. If I cannot teach a Talmudist anything about Rab- binic religion, I hope at least that the argument about the structure and functioning of that religion and the way in which it is compared to other forms of Judaism will prove useful. The present study may present the reader with the problem of the forest and the trees, and a word about that problem should be said in advance. The ‘forest’ in this case is really two forests, each one of which is, drop- ping the metaphor, a comparison. In the first part of the book there is a comparison of the various forms of Judaism, and a hypothesis as to the nature of Palestin- ian Judaism is argued. In the second there is a compari- son between Paul and Palestinian Judaism, and a further hypothesis is presented. Along the way there are quite sizeable accounts of religion as reflected in the different bodies of literature considered.

• From Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment (2003)

  As you have read through these stages and levels of emotional connection, you may have wondered if women always progress through these stages in the same order. Of course the answer is no. Any stage can be skipped over altogether. For example, a woman can engage in a private emotional affair with a man in her own mind yet never express one ounce of affection toward him. Stages can also be approached in varying order. For example, a woman may marry (attach herself to) a man for reasons other than attraction but find over time that she finds him very attractive. These exceptions are not intended to confuse you, but rather to illustrate that, while emotional connection is progressive, it doesn’t always progress in the same order. Therefore, to fully guard your heart you can’t assume that just because you haven’t entered one stage you aren’t in danger of engaging in another, more dangerous stage. Always, always check your heart for any impure motives—no matter the stage of emotional connection. As you use caution and strive to refrain from red-light stages of emotional connection, you will regain the self-control, dignity, and self-respect you may have lost if you have compromised your sexual integrity. You can also expect a renewed sense of connection and intimacy with your husband and purity in your friendships or work relationships with other men. But best of all, when God looks on your pure heart and sees you are guarding it against unhealthy relationships, He will reward you with an even greater revelation of Himself. He says, I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a [woman] according to [her] conduct, according to what [her] deeds deserve. (Jeremiah 17:10) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8) Do you want a greater revelation of who God is? Do you want to experience the rewards of godly living? Do you want to experience a deeper level of satisfaction than any man can offer? Then read on as we discover the secret. FINDING THE LOVE YOU WANT While avoiding unhealthy emotional connections and relationships is important, it’s not enough to guarantee success in keeping our hearts guarded against compromise. The secret to ultimate emotional satisfaction is to pursue a mad, passionate love relationship with the One who made our hearts, the One who purifies our hearts, and the One who strengthens our hearts against worldly temptations. The secret is to focus your heart on your First Love.

• From Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment (2003)

  I used to say, “I’m too weak to resist sexual temptation,” and guess what? I was. But when God began dealing with me and sanctifying my mouth, I changed my tune. I started out by asking God, “Is it possible that sexual temptation could have no hold on me?” He gave me a glimmer of hope. Then I began claiming the statement, “Sexual temptation has no hold on me.” After a while, I actually began believing it wholeheartedly. Now I can honestly declare with conviction, “Sexual temptation has no hold on me!” If we tell ourselves that we can’t resist sexual or emotional temptation, we will likely fall into temptation. But if we tell ourselves that we will not give in to sexual and emotional temptation, then we will be far more likely to back up our words with corresponding actions. That is how you become a woman of integrity—a person whose lip lines up with her life and vice versa. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good [woman] brings good things out of the good stored up in [her], and the evil [woman] brings evil things out of the evil stored up in [her]. But I tell you that [women] will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:34-37) In this chapter we will look at guarding our mouths as further protection against sexual compromise. First, we’ll examine what kind of communication to guard against— • flirting and complimenting • complaining and confessing • inappropriate counseling and praying —and then we’ll look at what we can do to ensure that we guard our mouths when communicating with the opposite sex. FLIRTING WITH DANGER Webster’s dictionary defines the word flirt as “to behave amorously without serious intent.” Many women have asked me, “Is it okay to flirt if I’m single?” Usually the person asking this question doesn’t understand what flirting really means. While it may be okay to act amorously (as if desiring romance) toward someone you are interested in developing a mutually beneficial relationship with, flirting is a different matter. Flirting could also be called “teasing,” as the person doing the flirting has no serious intent. Regardless of her marital status, should a woman stir up a man (emotionally or physically) when she has no intention of pursuing a relationship with him? Is it loving to tease someone with your attentions and affections if you have no desire to fulfill any hopes you may arouse? In my opinion, showing a sincere love and respect for others allows no room for flirting or teasing.

• From Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike (2016)

  He was waiting for me to bend, to up my offer, but for once in my life I had leverage, because I had nothing left to give. “Take it or leave it” is like four of a kind. Hard to beat. Finally Owen turned to his son. I think we both knew from the start that Johnson would be the one to settle this, and I saw in Johnson’s face that two contrary desires were fighting for his heart. He didn’t want to accept my offer. But he didn’t want to quit. He loved Blue Ribbon. He needed Blue Ribbon. He saw Blue Ribbon as the one place in the world where he fit, an alternative to the corporate quicksand that had swallowed most of our schoolmates and friends, most of our generation. He’d complained a million times about my lack of communication, but in fact my laissez-faire management style had fostered him, unleashed him. He wasn’t likely to find that kind of autonomy anywhere else. After several seconds he reached out his hand. “Deal,” he said. “Deal,” I said, shaking it. We sealed our new agreement with a six-mile run. As I remember, I won. WITH JOHNSON ON the East Coast, and Bork taking over his store, I was awash in employees. And then I got a call from Bowerman asking me to add yet another . One of his former track guys—Geoff Hollister. I took Hollister out for a hamburger, and we got along fine, but he cinched the deal by not even flinching when I reached into my pocket and found I didn’t have any money to pay for lunch. So I hired him to go around the state selling Tigers, thereby making him Full-time Employee Number Three. Soon Bowerman phoned again. He wanted me to hire another person. Quadrupling my staff in the span of a few months? Did my old coach think I was General Motors? I might have balked, but then Bowerman said the job candidate’s name. Bob Woodell. I knew the name, of course. Everyone in Oregon knew the name. Woodell had been a standout on Bowerman’s 1965 team. Not quite a star, but a gritty and inspiring competitor. With Oregon defending its second national championship in three years, Woodell had come out of nowhere and won the long jump against vaunted UCLA. I’d been there, I’d watched him do it, and I’d gone away mighty impressed. The next day there had been a bulletin on TV. An accident at Oregon’s Mother’s Day Celebrations. Woodell and twenty of his frat brothers were hoisting a float down to the Millrace, a stream that wound through campus. They were trying to flip it over and someone lost their footing. Then someone lost their hold. Someone else let go. Someone screamed, everyone ran. The float collapsed, trapping Woodell underneath, crushing his first lumbar vertebra. There seemed little hope of his walking again.

• From Another Country (1962)

  Vivaldo took his turn, while the others watched him. It was a kind of community endeavor, as though he were a baby just learning to use the potty or just learning how to walk. They all but applauded when he passed it on to Lorenzo, who took his turn and passed it on to Belle. “Ooh,” said Lorenzo, “I’m flying,” and leaned back with his head in Belle’s lap. Vivaldo turned over on his back, head resting on his arms, knees pointing to the sky. He felt like singing. “My chick’s a singer,” he announced. The sky looked, now, like a vast and friendly ocean, in which drowning was forbidden, and the stars seemed stationed there, like beacons. To what country did this ocean lead? for oceans always led to some great good place: hence, sailors, missionaries, saints, and Americans. “Where’s she singing?” asked Lorenzo. His voice seemed to drop gently from the air: Vivaldo was watching heaven. “She’s not, right now. But she will be soon. And she’s going to be great.” “I’ve seen her,” Belle said, “she’s beautiful.” He turned his head in the direction of the voice. “You’ve seen her? Where?” “In the restaurant where she works. I went there with somebody—not with Lorenzo,” and he heard her giggle, “and the cat I was with told me she was your girl.” There was a silence. Then, “She’s very tough.” “Why do you say that?” “Oh, I don’t know. She just seemed—very tough, that’s all. I don’t mean she wasn’t nice. But she was very sure of herself, you could tell she wasn’t going to take any shit.” He laughed. “Sounds like my girl, all right.” “I wish I looked like her,” Belle said. “My!” “I like you just the way you are,” said Lorenzo. Out of the corner of his eye, and from far away, Vivaldo watched his arms go up and saw Belle’s dark hair fall. Just above my head. That was a song that Ida sometimes sang, puttering inefficiently about the kitchen, which always seemed sandy with coffee grinds and vaguely immoral with dead cigarettes on the burnt, blistered paint of the shelves. Perhaps the answer was in the songs. Just above my head, I hear music in the air. And I really do believe There’s a God somewhere. But was it music in the air, or trouble in the air? He began whistling another song: Trouble in mind, I’m blue, But I won’t be blue always, ’Cause the sun’s going to shine In my back door someday. Why back door? And the sky now seemed to descend, no longer phosphorescent with possibilities, but rigid with the mineral of choices, heavy as the weight of the finite earth, onto his chest. He was being pressed: I’m pressing on, Ida sometimes sang, the upward way!

• From Push (1996)

  "Now as I was saying my name is Blue Rain. I was born in California. My favorite color is purple. What do I do good? Urnmm, I sing purty good. And I'm here because my girlfriend used to teach here and she was out one day and asked me to substitute for her, then when she quit, they asked me did I want the job. I said yeah and I been here ever since." I look around the circle, it's six people, not counting me. A big redbone girl, loud bug-out girl who find my notebook at chicken place, Spanish girl with light skin, then this brown-skin Spanish girl, and a girl my color in boy suit, look like some kinda butch. Big Red talking now, "My name Rhonda Patrice Johnson." Rhonda big, taller than me, light skin but it don't do nuffin' for her. She ugly, got big lips, pig nose, she fat fat and her hair rusty color but short short. "I was born in Kingston, Jamaica." Ain' that something! She don't talk funny at all like how coconut head peoples do. "My favorite color is blue, I cook good." "What?" somebody say. "Name it!" Rhonda shoot back. "Peas 'n rice!" "Yeah yeah," like why even mention somethin' so basic. "Curry goat!" "Yeah, you name it," Rhonda say. "My mother usta have a restaurant on Seventh Ave before she got sick, she taught me everything. I'm here," she say serious, "to bring my reading up so I could get my G.E.D." The skinny light-skin Spanish girl speak, "My name is Rita Romero. I was born right here in Harlem. I'm here because I was an addict and dropped out of school and never got my reading and writing together. My favorite color is black." She smile messed up teef. "I guess you could tell that." We could looking at her clothes 'n shoes, all black. "What you do good?" Rhonda ax. "Hmm," she say, then in shaky voice real slow, "I'm a good mother, a very good mother." Brown girl talk. We about the same color but I think thas all we got the same. I is all girl. Don't know here. "My name is Jermaine." Uh oh! Some kinda freak. "My favorite color—" "Tell us where you born first," Rhonda again. Jermaine give Rhonda a piss on you look. Rhonda cut her eyes at Jermaine like jump bad if you want to. Jermaine say she was born in the Bronx, still live there. Red her favorite color. She a good dancer. She come here 'cause she want to get away from negative influence of the Bronx. Spanish girl Rita say, "You come to Harlem to get away from bad influence?" Jermaine, which I don't have to tell you is a boy's name, say, "It's who you know and I know too many people in the Bronx baby." "How did you find out about the program?"

• From Who Wrote the Bible? Searching for Its Origins and Authors (2025)

  15. The Stories and Visions of Daniel Apocalypses tend to be concerned with the end of times. The noun scholars often use for the end times is eschaton, and the corresponding adjective eschatological means “relating to the end times.” Daniel 11 and 12 provides a description of the eschaton, which is imagined to conclude with the demise of Antiochus. These chapters also have the first conception in the Hebrew Bible of the eschatological resurrection of the dead. This idea has its natural home in apocalyptic, a literary genre that emerges from the experience of significant oppression. Death in the present is made acceptable by the hope and expectation of resurrection in a better future. Apocalyptic as a genre doesn’t appear in Jewish literature until right around the time of Daniel. However, this book isn’t an outlier. Early Jewish writings from the late Greek and Roman periods—when Jews were most overtly being oppressed for being Jewish—are full of apocalyptic material. Two Halves and Two Languages Placing the book of Daniel appropriately in the early 2nd century BCE, in the reign of Antiochus IV, explains much about its content and style. However, the big structural issue remains: Of the 12 chapters in the book of Daniel, the first 6 are the stories of Daniel and his friends in the Babylonian court; the second 6 chapters are the apocalyptic visions, presented mostly in the first person. In the first half, Daniel is the one interpreting the dreams of others, but in the second half, divine beings such as Gabriel are interpreting Daniel’s own visions. The first part of the book looks most like the stories of Joseph or Esther— tales of Israelites or Jews forced to accommodate themselves to life in a foreign royal court. However, the second part looks more like the noncanonical apocalyptic texts of early Judaism or the book of Revelation. In theory, scholars could simply say that they’re looking at two distinct versions of the Daniel character and material: short stories and apocalyptic visions. But the stories in the first half of the book were probably also originally independent tales, as there is barely any continuity between them. Daniel doesn’t even show up in the third chapter, with the fiery furnace—that story is about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Chapter 4 is in the first person, not the third, but the first-person voice is that of Nebuchadnezzar. 90 15. The Stories and Visions of Daniel 91

• From Becoming Myself: A Psychiatrist's Memoir (2017)

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX INPATIENT GROUPS AND PARIS I n 1979, I was asked to serve, on a temporary basis, as medical director of the Stanford psychiatric inpatient unit. At that time psychiatric hospitalization nationwide was in turmoil: insurance companies had cut coverage for psychiatric hospitalization, insisting patients be transferred as quickly as possible to less expensive board and care facilities. With the majority of patients remaining in the hospital only a week or less, the composition of each group was rarely the same for two consecutive sessions, and the meetings became chaotic and ineffective. Largely because of this turmoil, staff morale was at an all-time low. I hadn’t planned to undertake another group therapy project, but I was restless and looking for a challenge. My desk was clear, my existential therapy book was finished, and I was ready for a new project. Given my deep belief in the efficacy of the group approach and the enticing challenge of creating a new way to lead inpatient groups, I agreed to take the position for two years. I recruited a psychiatrist who had graduated from the Stanford program to handle medications on the ward (psychopharmacology was never one of my strengths or interests), then concentrated primarily on designing a new group therapy approach for the changing inpatient wards. I began by visiting group meetings on inpatient wards at leading psychiatric hospitals around the country. I found confusion everywhere: not even the best-known academic hospitals had an effective inpatient group program. With such rapid turnover, group leaders felt compelled to introduce the one or two new members at the start of each session and invite them to describe why they were in the hospital. Almost invariably these accounts—followed by therapists coaxing responses from other group members—filled the entire meeting. No one seemed to be getting much benefit from these groups, and attrition was high. An entirely different strategy was needed. The Stanford acute unit had twenty patients, and I separated them into a higher-and a lower-functioning group, each with six to eight members (the remaining patients, mostly the acute new admissions, were too disorganized to attend any group in their first couple of days). After some experimentation I developed a workable format. Because of the rapid turnover, I entirely gave up on the idea of continuity from one meeting to the next and developed a new paradigm: the life of each group would be a single session , and the leader’s task would be to make that single meeting as efficient and effective as possible. I developed a schema for higher-functioning patients that would have four stages: 1. Each patient in turn would formulate an agenda of some interpersonal issue to work on in that meeting. (This task consumed at least a third of the meeting.) 2. The rest of the group meeting was spent filling the agenda of each patient. 3.

• From Push (1996)

  Miz Rain ax. "A friend." Miz Rain don't say nothin' else. Girl foun' my notebook next. "Jo Ann is my name, rap is my game. My color is beige. My ambition is to have my own record layer." Miz Rain look at her. I wonder myself what is a record layer. "Where was you born and why you at this school," Rhonda ax. OK, I see Rhonda like to run things. "I was born in King's County Hospital. My mother moved us to Harlem when I was nine years old. I'm here to get my G.E.D., then, well I'm already into the music industry. I just need to take care of the education thing so I can move on up." Next girl speaks. "My name is Consuelo Montenegro." Ooohhh she pretty Spanish girl, coffee-cream color wit long oP good hair. Red blouse. "Why I'm here, favorite color—what's-alla dat shit?" She look Ms Rain in face, mad. Miz Rain calm. Rain, nice name for her. Ack like she don't mind cursing, say, "It's just a way of breaking the ice, a way of getting to know each other better, by asking nonthreatening questions that allow you to share yourself with a group without having to reveal more of yourself than might be comfortable." She pause. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to." "I don't want to," beautiful girl say. Everybody looking at me now. In circle I see everybody, everybody see me. I wish for back of the class again for a second, then I think never that again, I kill myself first 'fore I let that happen. "My name Precious Jones. I was born in Harlem. My baby gonna be borned in Harlem. I like what color— yellow, thas fresh. 'NI had a problem at my ol' school so I come here." "Something you do good," Rhonda say. "Nuffin'," I say. "Everybody do something good," Ms Rain say in soft voice. I shake my head, can't think of nuffin'. I'm staring at my shoes. "One thing," Ms Rain. "I can cook," I say. I keep my eyes on shoes. I never talk in class before 'cept to cuss teacher or kids if they fuckwif me. Miz Rain talking about the class. "Periodically we'll be getting into a circle to talk and work but let's put our chairs back in rows for now and move on with our business. Well, first thing, this is a basic reading and writing class, a pre-G.E.D. adult literacy class, a class for beginning readers and writers. This is not a G.E.D. class—" "This not G.E.D.?" Jermaine ax. "No, it's not. This class is set up to teach students how to read and write," Miz Rain say. "Shit I know how to read and write, I want to get my G.E.D.,"JoAnnsay.

• From Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment (2003)

  • If a man that you have a previous history with or are extremely attracted to sends you an e-mail that requires a response, be very careful not to say anything that may be interpreted as being an open door or an innuendo. If this relationship causes more temptation than you can handle, you might even consider copying a third person such as your husband, secretary, or a friend for an added measure of accountability. • Avoid private, personal e-mail accounts that no one knows about or has access to. We have a personal e-mail account and a ministry e-mail account. My husband and assistant have free access to either of these accounts anytime, providing built-in accountability. • If a man invades your space using Instant Messenger and you sense that his intentions are less than honorable, you are under no obligation to respond at all. That’s what the Do Not Accept button is for. But if you choose to respond, keep your responses brief and to the point, taking care not to veer off into a conversation that you wouldn’t want someone else to be aware of. EMOTIONAL INTIMACY WITH AN INTIMATE GOD In our quest for relational intimacy, remember there is Someone we can whisper our heart’s desires to and get our boosts from who isn’t going to jeopardize our integrity but will strengthen it. If you are thinking, No way will talking to God ever excite me like talking to a man, then you haven’t allowed yourself to be courted by our Creator. The same God whose words possessed the power to form the entire universe longs to whisper into your hungry heart words that have the power to thrill you, heal you, and draw you into a deeper love relationship than you ever imagined possible. A guy may say that you look fine, but God’s Word says, “The king is enthralled by your beauty” (Psalm 45:11). A man may tell you, “Of course I love you,” but God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3). Even your husband may tell you, “I’m committed to you until death,” but God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Make time to retreat to a quiet place with the Lover of your soul. Speak whatever is on your heart, and then listen as God speaks straight from His heart directly to yours. [image file=image_rsrc247.jpg] May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. —Psalm 19:14 [image file=image_rsrc24F.jpg] building better boundaries Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20