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Through the Living Hope

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  1. Through the Living Hope

    Entry One

    By Through the Living Hope,


    Hope
    Things video games have taught me and others
    If you are facing new challenges, obstacles, or enemies, you’re going the right way
    No one blames you if you have to check the map
    Always come prepared 
    Everyone is worth talking to 
    Even if you don’t get money for something, you always get experience
    Don't hold on to too much crap, you’ll fill up your inventory 
    Don’t be deterred if a challenge was too much for you. Go back, level up, increase your skill, and try again 
    ~~~
    Other random quotes 
    You say amateur as if it is a dirty word. It comes from the Latin Amare, which means to love. To do things for the love of it. 
    People speak of hope as if it is this delicate, ephemeral thing made of whispers and spider webs. It’s not. Hope has dirt on her face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the cobblestones in her hair, and just spat out a tooth as she rises for another go. 
    Amateurs built the ark. Pros built the Titanic. 
    Aut inveniam viam aut faciam. I shall either find a way or make one. 
    Did you ever realize how much your body loves you? It’s always trying to keep you alive. It’s making sure you breathe when you sleep, stopping cuts from bleeding, fixing broken bones, finding ways to beat the illnesses that might get you. 
    Just because the past is painful doesn’t mean the future will be. 
    The only person you should be worried about being better than is the person you were yesterday 
    You can be the sweetest peach, but there will be people who don’t like peaches
    One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching. 
    If there is ever a tomorrow where we’re not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. 
    Nothing ever ends poetically. It ends and we turn it into poetry. All that blood was never once beautiful. It was always just red. 
    Yes, you will rise from the ashes. But the burning comes first. For this part, darling, you must be brave. 
    “For old times sake” is beautiful. There used to be love there; that’s enough reason to do it. 
    The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come. 
    Even if things get really hard, I’m still me, and I am going to be okay. 
    You are under no obligation to make sense to anyone else. 
    Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive. 
    Everything works out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end. 
    Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience, worst days give you lessons, best days give you memories. 
    The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. 
    And those who were seen dancing were thought insane by those who couldn’t hear the music. 
    Life is more than just being alive. 
    Everybody is a genius. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. 
    Die with memories, not dreams. 
    Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?
    How wonderful is it that we laugh because our bodies cannot contain the joy
    I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not
    Nothing is missing. It’s just missing in the places you expected it to be, and you forgot you could go look somewhere else. 
    Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. 
    Raise your words, not your voice. Rain grows flowers, not thunder. 
    I don’t know if music can change the world overnight but I know that music can help someone make it through a difficult night. 
    Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. 
    Hope is like the sun. If you only believed in it when you could see it, you’d never make it through the night. 
     
  2. Through the Living Hope

    Part 3 (15 Character Profiles)

    By Through the Living Hope,


    What even are these characters
    1. Lina Robinson, 14, terrible teenager
    Lina is a terrible teenager who is addicted to glistening. People often compare her to a supermodel. Her biggest fear is getting bitten by a shark. She is striving to redeem herself after pushing a rhino into a volcano.
    2. Natalie Edwards, 76, irritable musician
    A 76-year-old musician is angry about her favourite TV show getting cancelled. People often compare her to an irritable giraffe. She comes from a happy family. She is striving to redeem herself after stealing a car at gunpoint.
    3. Annelie Scott, 37, mean merman
    A 37-year-old merman is traumatised by the loss of her husband when she was six. She always wears woolly clothes. She comes from a rich family. She is particularly interested in escaping from from a burning building.
    4. Wallace Moore, 18, brash father
    A brash father from Australia is obsessed with chocolate. He always wears woolly clothes. His top quality is that he is particularly adventurous. He has been wrongly accused of stealing a loaf of bread whilst abroad on holiday.
    5. Michele Davis, 37, wild werewolf
    Michele Davis is a wild woman from Sweden who can only eat at night. People often compare her to a wild hippo. Her biggest fear is turning to the dark side. On Tuesdays, she likes to protest injustice.
    6. Antonios Owen, 19, passionate superhero
    Antonios is a passionate superhero who finds it hard to tell the truth. Physically, he is built like a plank. He comes from a strict family. On Mondays, he likes to kill bad guys.
    7. Avery Hamilton, 18, silly psychology student
    Avery is a silly psychology student who finds it hard to trust people. Physically, she is built like a collection of sticks. She strongly dislikes sheep. On Tuesdays, she likes to count her money.
    8. Muhammad Byrne, 21, lucky father
    Muhammad Byrne is a lucky man from France who can only drive whilst balancing a canary on his head. He usually wears a shoulder-parrot. He comes from a broken family. He has to save the world from an alien invasion.
    9. Mary Chen, 17, naughty teenager
    Mary is a naughty teenager who is addicted to Denmark. Physically, she is built like a truck. She always carries a magic bean. She has to save the world from an alien invasion.
    10. Philippa Patterson, 17, old teenager
    An old teenager from Birmingham is obsessed with zombies. Physically, she is built like a brick. She always carries an orange umbrella. She has to save the world from global warming.
    11. Camilla Russell, 14, boring teenager
    A boring teenager from London is obsessed with piano keys. Physically, she is built like a space hopper. She comes from a troubled family. Her purpose in life is to protect others.
    12. Floyd Alexander, 14, stable teenager
    Floyd Alexander is a stable man from Denmark who can only sleep the sun is in Venus. People often compare him to a stable statue. He always carries a calculator. He is particularly interested in escaping from bankruptcy.
    13. Rinelle Henderson, 41, dishonest lawyer
    A dishonest lawyer from Seattle is obsessed with sheep. She has eyes like gemstones. Her top quality is that she is particularly colourful. She is particularly interested in escaping from oppression.
    14. Bret Williams, 57, modest geography student
    A modest geography student from Perth is obsessed with anteaters. He looks surprisingly calm. He always carries an orange cape. He has to save the world from killer a postal worker.
    15. Shanley Chavez, 37, greedy professor
    Shanley is a greedy professor who is addicted to chocolate. She looks young for her age. Her biggest fear is losing her sight. She has to save the world from an alien invasion.
  3. Through the Living Hope

    Part 2 (15 Character Profiles

    By Through the Living Hope,


    What even are these characters
    1. Tracey Ellis, 41, modest woman
    A 41-year-old woman is angry about pretty much everything. She usually wears dark glasses. Her biggest fear is being killed by a shark. She must use her talent for surgery to heal the people around her before she can work on her own problems.
    2. Phoenix Martin, 28, sceptical singer
    Phoenix is a sceptical singer who finds it hard to put himself in other people's shoes. Physically, he is built like an hourglass. He strongly dislikes unicorn. He is striving to redeem himself after pushing an old lady into a volcano.
    3. Clarence Holmes, 56, colourful media studies student
    Clarence Holmes is a colourful man from Sweden who can only fly wearing a mask. He has hair like a nasty nylon wig. His top quality is that he is particularly brave. On Wednesdays, he likes to protest injustice.
    4. Faye Sanders, 78, desperate werewolf
    A 78-year-old werewolf is traumatised by the loss of her left hand when she was fourteen. She always wears dark glasses. She comes from a happy family. She is hiding a terrible secret concerning his brother.
    5. Arthur Gutierrez, 14, homophobic teenager
    A fourteen-year-old teenager is traumatised by the loss of his colleague when he was nine. He has hair like a bird's nest. He comes from a broken family. He has been wrongly accused of stealing a car at gunpoint.
    6. Kacey Baker, 16, pessimistic teenager
    A sixteen-year-old teenager is traumatised by the loss of his partner when he was nine. He usually wears woolly clothes. His biggest fear is growing old alone. He is hiding a terrible secret concerning his wife.
    7. Talia Green, 90, conventional mother
    A conventional mother from Leeds is obsessed with rap music. She looks relatively fit. She comes from a poor family. Her purpose in life is to sample the finer things.
    8. Leona Mitchell, 23, lazy professor
    Leona Mitchell is a lazy woman from San Francisco who can only read when she is upside down. She usually wears woolly clothes. Her top quality is that she is particularly law-abiding. She is hiding a terrible secret concerning something buried under her shed.
    9. Geoff Chavez, 79, fascinating father
    A fascinating father from Toronto is obsessed with rap music. He has eyes like fish bowls. He strongly dislikes his father. He is striving to redeem himself after saying a rude word on social media.
    10. Lyla Rose, 23, young anthropologist
    Lyla Rose is a young woman from San Francisco who can only fly after she has eaten toast. She has beautiful, blue eyes. She strongly dislikes hippos. She is hiding a terrible secret concerning something she has hidden in her suitcase.
    11. Stephie Anderson, 45, good media studies student
    Stephie is a good media studies student who finds it hard to get out of bed in the mornings. He always wears body armour. He always carries a pink umbrella. On Fridays, he likes to find mysteries to solve.
    12. Hunter Watson, 27, outspoken father
    Hunter Watson is an outspoken man from New Zealand who can only laugh when his pet rat is in his pocket. He usually wears woolly clothes. He strongly dislikes kangaroos. He is striving to redeem himself after pushing a fox into a volcano.
    13. Marianne Byrne, 83, careless nurse
    Marianne is a careless nurse who finds it hard to stay out of jail. She always wears woolly clothes. She comes from a broken family. She must use her talent for writing code to heal the people around her before she can work on her own problems.
    14. Grant Myers, 22, well-loved father
    Grant is a well-loved father who finds it hard to get out of bed in the mornings. He always wears a brown shirt. He comes from a broken family. His purpose in life is to pursue happiness.
    15. Georgia Henderson, 29, wild singer
    A 29-year-old singer is angry about noisy neighbours. She usually wears a purple shirt. Her biggest fear is her friends discovering that she can't walk. On Tuesdays, she likes to look for somewhere better to live.
  4. Through the Living Hope

    Part 1 (15 Character Profiles)

    By Through the Living Hope,


    What even are these characters
    1. Traci Williams, 36, academic history student
    Traci is an academic history student who is addicted to public speaking. People often compare her to a wild animal. Her biggest fear is getting bitten by a crocodile. She has to save the world from global warming.
    2. Tiffany O'Reilly, 24, posh woman
    Tiffany O'Reilly is a posh woman from Chicago who can only swim at night. She has a nose like a beak. She always carries a pistol. She is hiding a terrible secret concerning his parentage.
    3. Reece Robertson, 56, racist teacher
    A 56-year-old teacher is angry about clothes he has paid full price for turning up in the sale. He usually wears many layers of clothes. His top quality is that he is particularly kind. He must use his talent for running to heal the people around him before he can work on his own problems.
    4. Hattie O'Sullivan, 16, gullible teenager
    Hattie is a gullible teenager who finds it hard to tell the truth. People often compare her to a gullible doll. She comes from a heavily religious family. She is particularly interested in solving crosswords.
    5. Dominik Davis, 28, chatty French student
    A 28-year-old French student is traumatised by the loss of his boyfriend when he was five. He looks as though he has seen better days. He always carries a walking stick. He has to save the world from killer a zombie.
    6. Darren Brooks, 18, calculating father
    An eighteen-year-old father is traumatised by the loss of his brother when he was eleven. He usually wears false teeth. He always carries a newspaper. He is particularly interested in listening to pop music.
    7. Rick Wilkinson, 51, sarcastic history student
    A 51-year-old history student is angry about being kept away from his neighbour. Physically, he is built like a collection of sticks. He always carries a grey cape. He has been wrongly accused of robbing a bank.
    8. Minette White, 15, interesting teenager
    A fifteen-year-old teenager is angry about being kept away from her son. She has crazy, pink hair. She always carries a yellow umbrella. She must use her talent for playing video games to heal the people around her before she can work on her own problems.
    9. Jimmy O'Gallagher, 14, cute teenager
    Jimmy O'Gallagher is a cute man from Dan Diego who can only sleep when the weather is blowy. He always wears false eyebrows. He strongly dislikes aardvarks. He is particularly interested in finding love.
    10. Myrtle Stewart, 66, brave accountant
    A brave accountant from Eastern Europe is obsessed with ghosts. She has lips like pink cushions. She always carries a walking stick. On Sundays, she likes to count her money.
    11. Jodi O'Quinn, 16, brash teenager
    Jodi is a brash teenager who is addicted to French. People often compare her to a supermodel. She comes from a poor family. She is particularly interested in escaping from a sinking ship.
    12. Leroy Cooper, 16, kind teenager
    Leroy Cooper is a kind man from Mars who can only be seen whilst balancing a rat on his head. He usually wears skimpy clothes. His biggest fear is getting bitten by a spider. On Tuesdays, he likes to catalogue his successes.
    13. Chris Patel, 29, mystical musician
    Chris is a mystical musician who is addicted to skipping. He has lips like pink cushions. He strongly dislikes rhinoceroses. He has been wrongly accused of stealing a cow in the dead of night.
    14. Alessandro Reynolds, 95, sweet man
    A 95-year-old man is traumatised by the loss of his partner when he was twelve. He looks trustworthy. He comes from a middle class family. On Fridays, he likes to cut his toenails.
    15. Genevieve Evans, 29, careless woman
    Genevieve is a careless woman who finds it hard to stay out of trouble. Physically, she is built like a beanstalk. Her biggest fear is getting bitten by a tiger. She is striving to redeem herself after insulting the president on national television.
  5. Through the Living Hope
    1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
    2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
    3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lady and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."
    6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
    8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. 9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
    11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."
    12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
    ~~~
    17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
    ~~~
    Abraham had his son, Isaac, when he was 100 years old. His wife was barren, so his birth was truly a miracle and a gift from God. Isaac was testament of God's promise to Abraham, that he would be a father to many nations.
    To test Abraham's faith, God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to him (which, as you read, Abraham was perfectly willing to do). Lots of artistic iterations of this show Abraham weeping as he is bringing his son up to the mountain. However, Abraham told his servants that both he and Isaac would be returning from the mountain. He told Isaac that God would provide a lamb for the sacrifice (the ram), and even if He didn't, he was fully assured that God would raise Isaac from the dead because of His promise to Abraham. This is a beautiful narrative and fully shows why we refer to Abraham as the father of our faith.
  6. Through the Living Hope

    John 3:1-21 NKJV

    By Through the Living Hope,


    John Study
    Nicodemus
    1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.
    3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
    4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
    5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
    9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
    10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
    18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
    ~~~
    Nicodemus was a man who sought God. He came to Jesus at night because the other Pharisees (famously) thought Him to be blasphemous. Here, he asked Jesus questions of faith, which Jesus answered. He told Nicodemus that God did not want to condemn humanity, but to save them through His Son. Anyone who believed (which, in the Greek word used here, meant "cling to, adhere to, rely on, and trust in) in His Son would be saved and forgiven of their sin against Him. All you have to do to be saved is to love Jesus, people, and to repent of their uncleanness and sin.
  7. Through the Living Hope

    John 1:1-13 NKJV

    By Through the Living Hope,


    John Study
    The Eternal Word
    1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
    John's Witness: The True Light
    6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the World was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13: who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
    ~~~
    God has been around since the dawn of creation. From the Garden of Eden, He knew everything humanity would do. The fall of humanity and the birth of sin separated humanity from Him. Wanting to be in fellowship and communion with us, He made a plan to adopt us as His own children, so that we might be with him for eternity.
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