"I urge then first of all that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. It is made for kings and all those in authority so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1st Timothy 2:1-2.
"Why is it that every verse we find to match these ingredients we need, is always a verse about God telling His people to repent or else? Time is short so should we not just use easy to read verses where little danger is required?"
"Zeke, you are getting too wrapped up in this. Now I found two verses that we could use for wool fabrics but they are a bit long. The first up is Leviticus 13:47 where the Bible talks about wool fabrics and if some are found with stains in them then that means the priest would have to purify them and wash them clean before giving them back to the Israelites. If a piece of fabric was found in someone's house that had a stain of reddish brownish color then the priest would have to examine it and keep that fabric for seven days. On the seventh day if the mold has not spread then the priest can wash it; keep it another seven days and then be able to give the piece of fabric back to the owners but will have to cut off the bad moldy spots on the fabric before returning. If he finds a mold and then after seven days the mold only grows then he is to burn the article of fabric outside of the city in the desired unclean area. That was just another one of the many rules the Israelites had to follow which meant if you got a dress or a shirt for Christmas and then two months later a mold appeared...well then..I'm sorry but it would most likely get burned and your parents would have to buy you a new one."
"That sounds too risky. If I would have to guess then you most likely want us to find a piece of fabric that is all moldy and about to be thrown in the fire to which we would have to pull it out. I'm out. We are still recovering from one crazy adventure with a sorcerer so I'm not looking to get burned again. I'll die with my pride intact. Thank you very much."
" Zeke, you didn't even do anything. It was...I'll explain. Joshua 24:15. 'But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve; whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Proverbs 16, "To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord and He will establish your plans. The Lord works out everything to its proper end; even the wicked for a day of disaster. The Lord detests all the proud of heart so be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for. Through the fear of Lord evil is avoided. When the Lord takes pleasure in anyones way He causes their enemies to make peace with them. Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. The lips of a king speak as an oracle and his mouth does not betray justice. Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord. All the weights are in the bag of His making. Kings detest wrongdoing; for a throne is not established through righteousness. Kings take pleasure in honest lips, They value the one who speaks what is right. A king's wrath is a messenger of death but the wise will appease it. When a king's face brightens, it means life. His favor is like a rain cloud in spring. How much better to get wisdom than gold. To get instant rather than silver!! The highway of the upright avoids evil and those who guard their ways preserve their lives. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Whoever gives heed to instructions prospers and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. The wise in heart are called discerning and gracious words promote instruction. Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to the fool. The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent and their lips promote instructions. Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. The appetite of laborers work for them and their hunger drives them on. A scoundrel plots evil and on their lips it is like a scorching fire. A perverse person stirs up conflict and gossip separates close friends. A violent person entices their neighbor and leads them down a path that is not good. Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity and whoever pursues their lips is bent on evil. Gray hair is a crown of splendor and it is attained in the way of righteousness. Better a patient person then a warrior; one with self-control rather than one who takes a city. The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord."
"Little boy blue, all grown up!! You think I don't know any of this, brother."
"Don't touch me again. My whole entire life you have been controlling me, telling me what to do and telling me what to say. It wasn't until Shadow and Hopper scolded me that I realized I need to be my own person. No longer can I have someone over my ear telling me what to do every second of every day."
"I don't do that!!"
" I've seen who you are. Your true colors have been revealed and I really don't care for them. When you had that Bible verse; it's not that you didn't want to share it but the real reason is you keep making up excuses to avoid saying it because truth be known….you don't even know what it says. What about back there when Hopper came back to life and you messed up your taunt when trying to taunt Shadow. You are all talk, talk, talk, but when it comes down to it; you don't even know anything. You finish one journey and say please wait while I recover from it. That's not how this Christian walk works. Jesus is our rest and peace and a very present help in times of need. When we need a break from life then we can go to Him, but nowhere does it say to just stop, take a break from life, take a break from accepting new people who need healing, and just…..sleep!!"
"Jesus slept on the seventh day so why can't we? Also, I don't always choose the easiest of routes. Hit me with the next verse and then I'll be able to decide."
"If you say so. Our next verse is Amos 3:12 and let me tell you right now; it's a long one. But..But..But don't worry. We can get through this."
"I believe you that we can get through this, but can we get through that? Look!!"
"Where are you...ohh. Here are Hopper and Shadow coming to greet us. I'm so relieved."
"Leo, I don't think that's who you think they are. What are they saying? I can barely hear!!"
"TURN BACK!!! TURN BACK!!!"
"Turn back? There is nothing behind us. Why would he want us to turn back?"
"GET OUT OF HERE!! GO!! RUN!!!!!"
"Oh no!! Is that…...Dragon flying overhead and a whole entire town running after us."
"Zeke, while you stay here and answer your questions I'll be doing the practical thing of running."
"YOU KILLED MY ADALYN IN COLD BLOOD AND FOR THAT YOU WILL ALL PAY!! SHE WILL NEVER WAKE UP AGAIN…..AND NEITHER WILL YOU!! BURN!!!!!"
"Get down!! Hide in the tall thickets over here."
"His fire is too much. It'll just burn the thickets."
"HEAR THIS WORD, PEOPLE OF ISRAEL; THE WORD THE LORD HAS SPOKEN AGAINST YOU. HE HAS SPOKEN AGAINST THE WHOLE FAMILY I BROUGHT UP OUT OF EGYPT. YOU ONLY HAVE I CHOSEN OF ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH. THEREFORE I WILL PUNISH YOU FOR ALL YOUR SINS!! DO TWO WALK TOGETHER UNLESS THEY HAVE AGREED TO DO SO? DOES A LION ROAR IN THE THICKET WHEN IT HAS NO PREY? DOES IT GROWL IN ITS DEN WHEN IT HAS CAUGHT NOTHING? DOES A BIRD SWOOP DOWN TO A TRAP ON THE GROUND WHEN NO BAIT IS THERE? DOES A TRAP SPRING UP FROM THE GROUND IF IT HAS CAUGHT NOTHING? WHEN A TRUMPET SOUNDS IN A CITY, DO NOT THE PEOPLE TREMBLE? WHEN DISASTER COMES TO A CITY, HAS NOT THE LORD CAUSED IT? SURELY THE SOVERIGN LORD DOES NOTHING WITHOUT REVEALING HIS PLAN TO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS. THE LION HAS ROARED. WHO WILL NOT FEAR? THE SOVEREIGN LORD HAS SPOKEN. WHO CAN BUT PROPHESY? PROCLAIM TO THE FORTRESS OF ASHDOD AND TO THE FORTRESS OF EGYPT, 'ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES ON THE MOUNTAINS OF SAMARIA. SEE THE GREAT UNREST WITHIN HER AND THE OPPRESION AMONG HER PEOPLE.' THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO RIGHT DECLARES THE LORD. WHO STORE UP IN THERE FORTRESSES WHAT THEY HAVE PLUNDERED AND LOOTED? THEREFORE THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS: AN ENEMY WILL OVERRUN YOUR LAND, PULL DOWN YOUR STRONGHOLDS, AND PLUNDER YOUR FORTRESSES!! THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SAYS, 'AS A SHEPHERD RESCUES FROM THE LION'S MOUTH ONLY TWO LEG BONES OR A PIECE OF AN EAR, SO WILL THE ISRAELITES LIVING IN SAMARIA BE SCARRED WITH ONLY THE HEAD OF A BED AND A PIECE OF FABRIC FROM A COUCH.
'HEAR THIS AND TESTIFY AGAINST THE DESCENDANTS OF JACOB,' DECLARES THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. ON THE DAY I PUISH ISRAEL FOR HER SINS I WILL DESTROY THE ALTARS OF BETHEL; THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR WILL BE CUT OFF AND FALL TO THE GROUND. I WILL TEAR DOWN THE WINTER HOUSE ALONG WITH THE SUMMER HOUSE. THE HOUSES ADORNED WITH IVORY WILL BE DESTROYED AND THE MANSIONS WILL BE DEMOLISHED DECALERES THE LORD!!!"
"Zeke, I don't know if you can hear me above all the fire and smoke but you wanted to know what Amos three said, right? Well Dragon just used Amos three in its most proper situation. Still want to stick to the easier one?"
" Leo, did you hear about the part where he talked of the bed and couch fabrics of wool? Maybe we can use that? I still have some wool furniture back at my place?"
"Leo, how are we going to get back? Dragon is chasing us outside of the city?"
"You boys want to get back into the city? We're trying to get out of the city?"
"We need to get back in because there is stuff there that is crucial in our journey. Sir, there is someone out there that is more powerful than that Dragon and we've already dealt with her before."
"Dad, what if he...shhh. What type of being is this girl?"
"She's small...only thirteen and has red hair."
"Does her name start with an A?"
"That would be the one. How did you know?"
"Her name is Adalyn and we've dealt with her ourselves. She is the reason Dragon flies over our heads right now. She summoned him but in the process she used all her energy and needs time to recover. Dragon though thinks that my daughter is the one who caused Adalyn to sleep and since she is not waking then he is taking his anger out on all of us. By the way, who are you two boys? You look familiar?"
" Adalyn is our little sister. We found her one day wandering the woods alone so we took her in and raised her. It is because of us that she is now who she is and pretty soon she will become a sorcerer so we have to stop her as fast as we can by making a witches' bottle."
"You boys are the ones who raised my girl?"
"Your girl?"
"Yes, Adalyn is our sweet little angel. My name is Maurice, her father and this is Dandellion, her sister. We are all protectors and as such we all carry the gene of magic through each and every one of us. I myself am a wizard and Dandellion is a witch. We reconciled all three of us for a brief moment but that was cut short. We thought we were making progress and getting our girl back, but once she called upon the witch...it was too late. She turned and we all had to fight her in order to get away. Now her pet Dragon is coming after us."
"Why have you openly shared this information with us? Don't you know our intentions?"
"Yes, I know your intentions very well. You aim to kill her before she can reach her ultimate but I am here to tell you that you will fail. All of my girls are tough and no one has ever succeeded in harming us."
"What about your wife, Maurice?"
"Leo, don't bring...ohhh, that's perfectly okay."
"Linda was the most powerful out of all of us and Dragon knew it so that is why he used her as his vessel. Once Linda started fully turning then I knew she had to be stopped. War broke out between us two and thankfully Adalyn escaped because she couldn't put up with it anymore. Once Dragon came out of Linda's body so that he could show his true form then he left and Linda collapsed because her heart did not know how to beat on its own. Dragon and I fought but he successfully drove me from the house and since Linda now was frail and weak; he burned the house down with her inside so that anything left of her soul would pass on to help the others."
"Others? What do you mean others? Why did he burn her?"
"You ask too many questions, young one. A few years later I founded a small quiet town and set some ground rules. There would be no magic and anybody found would be sentenced to death even ones found helping. There I met another girl, Rachel, and we had Dandellion. Rachel died suddenly a short time after that and it has been Dandellion and me ever since."
"Did you never search for Adalyn?"
"I searched for a while but I knew that she could take care of herself so that's why I stopped. She does have her mom's genes after all and if Linda could become the most powerful then I know Adalyn will make her just as proud."
"Maurice, does it not vex you that the very creature that killed your wife is now controlled by your daughter who ran away? Do you not at least want some blood of hers spilled?"
"No? I've seen too many deaths in my day and too many people that I love, perish in battle. But if Adalyn truly will one day turn out like Linda then we may not have a choice but to kill her before she fully turns and no will be able to."
"So you will help us."
"I will help you recover the items but as far as fighting her; I will not. The patch back to the city is this way so come on. Hurry in here quick before you get singed."
" What about the others?"
"Leave them. More will die if we do not deal with Adalyn first. "