31st
Proverbs 16:9
Matthew 2:1 -12
A reflection
The Magi were looking out for the the things of God.
They could not be dissuaded from their task.
Every day
Look through the lense of faith expecting God to be at work.
Be prepared to see Him work in unexpected ways.
We should be living our lives as if Jesus is King.
vs 2
They followed the star because a King had been born.
Isaiah 9:6, 7
Zechariah 9:9
Revelation 17:14
There is no greater power. He has complete and unchallengeable control!
85. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Two plumbers in Brooklyn are drawn into an
adventure. Mario, and Luigi. After a job goes wrong, they find themselves
catapulted into an adventure via mysterious warp pipes. Mario finds himself in
the Mushroom Kingdom, whereas Luigi finds himself captured by Bowser. The
Mushroom Kingdom is realized quite well, with many call backs to the games as
Toad leads Mario to the Castle. Mario and Princess Peach bonding was done quite
well also. Luigi’s experience is quite different. As Bowser tries to find out
what Mario is doing in the Mushroom Kingdom.
The less said about Bowser’s tendencies towards
Peach the better. The scenes with Donkey Kong and the Rainbow Road were rather
good. The climatic scenes in Brooklyn were quite well realized. Overall it was
a rather good film, it was quite worth seeing. 9.53/10.
Merry Christmas
Luke 2:1 - 7
John 1:1 - 5
What can we do because God sent Jesus to Earth?
Meaning Jesus is
- The Word made flesh
- The light shining in the darkness
- Prince of Peace
Peace
What can we do beacuse God sent Jesus to Earth?
There is always, always hope with Jesus!
Jesus is all things to all people at all times.
24th
Matthew 2:1 - 12
How do you respond to the Boss visiting?
How did people respond to Jesus when He arrived in our world?
vs 1, 2
Some people recognised Him.
- The Magi
- Following the star
vs 3 - 8
Some where troubled.
- the religious leaders
-Herod
Heading to Bethlehem
Red Flags - What were Herod's intentions? Why meet the Magi secretly?
e.g. older siblings being jelous of newly born younger siblings.
Many people are still troubled today.
Exposes us for who we really are
- Self seeking
- Jelous
- Sinful
The incredible extent to which God went to save us.
- Sending His Son to die for us so that we would be cleansed of sin.
vs 9 - 12
Some people joyfully worshiped Him.
The Magi rejoiced at the sight of the star. More so when they met the baby Jesus
Part 4
Jane paddled out to the wave and started to surf.
However, there was trouble. Tori had entered straight after her and was dropping
in on her. “Hey! We’ll both wipe out!”
“Tough, Jane!”
Daria looked on in disbelief as Tori leapt from her board
towards Jane. ‘What?’
“Crazy!” Spatula Man cried out.
Tori crashed into Jane, knocking her off the board.
Jane crawled out of the pool and then turned to face
Tori, who had followed her out. “What’s wrong with you?!”
“I’d ask that of you,” Tori retorted.
“I’m not the one who leapt off a surfboard at another
surfer in a wave pool! I’m sure Brittany saw you!”
“I’m sure she did.”
In fact, Brittany was already aware. “Oooh!”
“She had stirred up trouble all summer,” Donna said.
“I’m going to give her a piece of my mind!” Brittany
exclaimed.
“Wait!” Donna called out.
“Huh?”
“Probably not a good idea,” Angie said.
“Why not?” Brittany asked.
“Because she will fight you,” Donna said.
‘Of course,’ Brittany thought. “So…”
“Ban her from future parties,” Donna suggested.
“I shall!” Brittany declared.
Jane came over. “Can I go again?” she asked Brittany.
“Of course. Tori had no right to do what she did!”
“After that interruption, Jane Lane is going again,”
Spatula Man announced.
Jane’s second attempt went off without any interruptions.
“Jane gets an 8, a 9 and another 8!”
Daria was impressed.
“You did well!” Daria said.
“I did, didn’t I,” Jane said. She looked around. “Now
where did that Tori go?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Daria
objected.
“You can make sure it doesn’t go beyond words,” Jane
added.
“Sure,” Daria said although she wasn’t sure.
Jane and Daria approached where Tori was resting. “Tori!”
the former called out.
“Jane!” Tori said.
“What you did, you could have hurt me quite badly!”
“That was the point!”
“I could have died!” Jane exclaimed.
“I don’t think so,” Tori said. “Now go, before I leap at
you again.”
Jane seethed, but realised that was what Tori wanted.
It seemed that Daria was thinking similarly. “It’s not
worth it!” She said quietly.
Jane nodded and turned away from the provocatory teen.
Daria followed her.
Meanwhile, Kevin joined the limbo competition. “Are you
sure, Kevin?” the cheerleader, Donna, asked.
“Brit suggested it,” Kevin said.
“Of course,” Donna sighed. “Line up.”
Kevin nodded.
The Limbo competition had already started. Kevin didn’t
do well at all. It seemed that he was too top heavy. He didn’t get past
halfway. “Oh man!”
Daria and Jane were then approached by a couple of boys.
“Hi, girls,” one said.
“Those guys are looking at us,” Jane said.
“Don't they know we're from two different worlds? Regular
and popular?” Daria asked.
“The one in the green shirt is cute... in a
head-too-big-for-his-body kind of way.”
“I saw you on the board earlier,” one said. “Tori was
wrong.”
“Thanks.”
“So, you want to come to the Laundry Room?”
“Really?” Jane asked.
“We’re hardly interested,” Daria retorted. She turned
away, but quickly found that Jane wasn’t following. “Huh?”
“Go on ahead!” Jane said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Daria walked off and saw that Kevin was getting
frustrated with the limbo. “Of course,” she commented.
Jane exited the laundry room. The experience hadn’t
really been satisfying, compared to the rush of surfing.
She quickly found Daria.
“What was it like?” Daria asked.
“I wasn’t really interested,” Jane said.
“Really?” Daria asked dubiously.
“Fine! He thought my head was a lollipop!”
“Right.”
As Amy and Daria talked, Helen talked to her mother.
“Do you know what happened?” Theresa Barksdale
asked.
“Just that there was an attempted carjacking.”
“It seems Lawndale is not as safe as you thought it
was.”
“Oh no! It was more likely to happen in Highland, than
here. It can happen in any town. Our moving to Lawndale is not responsible,”
Helen answered.
“According to the latest news, the crime rate is
increasing.”
“Where are you getting that information?”
“I have been getting the Sun Herald delivered,”
Theresa answered.
“I see.”
“Anyway, I can tell you that it does get easier, with
time…”
And so, the day continued, with each survivor of the
Lawndale Morgendorffers unloading in a healthy or not so healthy way.
Helen continued taking and making calls, reflecting on
how Jake helped her not feel lonely in College and later on, in the Commune.
“…That sounds right,” Willow Yeager considered. “You
two completed each other, and now you’re bereft. But you don’t have to be
alone. You can always call Coyote and I.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Helen responded.
Daria and Jane hung out together, much as they usually
did. Daria told Jane of the good times, she and her father had when she was
younger, although she considered them to be few and far between.
“I don’t think they were,” Jane said as she looked at the
afternoon shadows in the backyard. “But then, my experience is atypical.”
Daria nodded. “Still, knowing that is all that there will
be, does make me sad.”
Jane nodded. “Still, I’ll need to be going. Ms. Li
allowed me to skip school today, but I don’t know about tomorrow.”
“True.”
However, Quinn was still taking it quite hard, no matter
what Stacy and Sandi were saying, or not saying. As they got ready to go, they
knew that Quinn was going to continue taking it hard.
The next day, Daria was back at school, but Quinn wasn’t.
“…And that’s why Quinn isn’t in today,” Helen
said.
“I see, Mrs. Morgendorffer. However, I expect her to be
back as soon as possible.”
“She’ll be back when I think she’s ready.”
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Thursday November 12, 1999
Obituaries
Jacob Elias Morgendorffer
June 23, 1952 – November 8, 1999
Husband of Helen, Father of Daria and Quinn, Daughter of
Ruth.
The Funeral was held on a snowy Tuesday.
The Morgendorffers weren’t religious in any way, although
they were New Age during their Commune days. However, there was tradition.
Jake’s mother, Ruth was still a regular Episcopalian parishioner. Therefore,
the funeral was held at the local Episcopalian parish, St. Andrews.
Helen, Daria and Quinn arrived at the church and met Ruth
and Jake’s sister Deborah. Theresa, Amy, Rita and Rita’s daughter Erin arrived
shortly afterwards. There were a few others who had known Jake in Lawndale and
elsewhere, but that was it.
After a hymn it was time for the Eulogies.
Helen was first.
“Jake was my partner. He was the father of my daughters.
He was there for me no matter how hard it got during Law School…”
Then it was Ruth, followed by Daria.
But it was Quinn’s Eulogy that was the most hard hitting,
as she poured out her raw emotion.
“…I will not forget the last words he said. For With
Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.”
After the funeral, Quinn knew that she had to do
something. But she wasn’t sure. Her mother and Daria were going on with their
lives, but she wasn’t sure. She opened her closet and laid her eyes on the
SpiderGirl costume she had used that night. “With great power comes great
responsibility,” she repeated to herself. She then produced some webbing and
drew it out of the closet. “I know what I have to do!”
The next day, Helen brought breakfast to Quinn. “Are you
going to school today?” she asked.
“Not today,” Quinn answered. “But maybe on Friday.”
“I see,” Helen said.
With her mother gone, Quinn re-opened her sketchbook and
continued redesigning the suit. She came up with a skin-tight version, with
polarised lenses. She had many old sunglasses she could use for that last item.
She spent the morning making it.
However, there was a problem, her hair came out the
bottom of it, even when tied back in two low buns. The rest of the suit worked
well. Nothing showed that she didn’t want to show. She took the mask off. ‘Maybe
the hair could come out as a ponytail, pigtails, or a bun?’ she wondered. She
spent a while making another mask, to allow the hair to come through as either
a ponytail or pigtails.
Another problem. She was sure that there weren’t too many
redheads in Lawndale. “So, what is the average hair color and length at
Lawndale High?” she asked after taking the mask off again. She grabbed her
yearbook and started going through it.
“A light brown,” Quinn considered, in the mid afternoon,
after her mother had brought her lunch. She wrote that in her sketchbook. “And
shorter. I can live with that.” If she didn’t like it, she could re-grow it,
and use a temporary dye. She quickly sketched a picture of herself with light
brown hair, slightly shorter than Daria’s.
“Right. I’ll see if I can get an appointment at a salon
tomorrow.”
And so, she left her room and went down to the kitchen to
look in the telephone directory, as she wanted to use a different salon than
the one she had used since she arrived in Lawndale.
“Quinn?” Helen
asked when her younger daughter got off the phone.
“I want to try something new,” Quinn answered.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I just don’t want you acting rash at a difficult time.”
“I know.”
The next day, Quinn was nervous, but she also wanted it
over with.
“So, you want like that?” the hairdresser asked, showing
a magazine article.
“Yes. That shade of brown is cute, and not too similar to
either of my friends’ shades,” Quinn answered. She didn’t want to be too similar
to either Sandi or Stacy, given that the former would be even more of a rival
and the latter would be even more panicky.”
“And you’re sure you want to go that short?”
“Yes!”
An hour later, Quinn walked out of the salon slightly
refreshed. She knew the shorter hair would take some getting used to, but she
had liked what she saw in the mirror. She headed straight home.
Daria was back from school by the time Quinn got home.
Quinn entered and Daria thought for a brief moment that she was looking at a
popular version of herself. Only the lack of glasses and their clothes really distinguished
them from each other. “Oh!” she said.
“Is that all you can say?” Quinn asked.
“Not really. Just that you look more like me,” Daria said
quietly.
“Not really, your hair is auburn,” Quinn responded. She
ran her hand through her hair. “This is light brown.”
“There’s not much difference,” Daria shot back. She then
went up the stairs with her afternoon snacks.
Quinn sighed. With her father gone, she wanted to at
least get on better with Daria. She wasn’t sure when she first came to that
realisation. She then headed up to her room.
Having put her suit on again, she put her hair up in
pigtails. ‘Not too similar to Brittany,’ she thought. That was one reason why
she didn’t go blonde, she supposed. She then put the mask on. ‘Perfect,’ she
thought as she looked in the mirrors. The black and red of the suit, along with
the barely shoulder length light brown pigtails looked very stylish. She looked
outside. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set. ‘Time to start,’
she thought. She opened the side window and then swung up on to the roof.
She looked out over Lawndale towards downtown and then
set out to fight crime. She gave a yell as she jumped off the house from above
her mother’s bedroom and swung away.
Officer Xanthe Peterson came to the scene, where a
suspect was stuck in some kind of web. That was something she was unfamiliar
with. She also saw a piece of paper attached. On it, in stylised writing was
written; Courtesy of your Friendly Neighborhood SpiderGirl.
There was a sound above as of a thwip! She looked
up and saw an obviously feminine figure wearing a concealing suit swinging away
into the distance.
26th
Luke 8:42 - 48
Cured and Healed
Context - Jarius was leading Jesus to his dying daughter amidst a time when Jesus was healing a lot of other people/
vs 45
Crowd
Unclean woman.
The woman had no access to the Temple and was cut off from society.
Why did Israel have such rigid purity laws?
Leviticus 15:25 - 33
vs 44
She needed the cover of the crowd. She would not have got any where near Jesus otherwise.
One moment mattered.
It matters
- Denied
- Dismissed.
Exposed
- Risky
- Deliberate
- Necessary
(Otherwise, what proof would there be of her healing? Or she would have thought it a coincidence.)
vs 47, 48
Confession
- She was sick
- She reached out and touched Jesus
- She was healed by faith
- She was then at peace
Similarly
- We are to reach out to Jesus and confess our sins.
- Accept His forgiveness and remember that we are forgiven and thank Him for it.
24th
Excerpt
from: Beginning of Something New
“Now, enter the classroom and sit down,” she said. “In
the order of the line, with those at the front sitting at the front of the
class.”
“Really, Miss?”
“Yes!” she answered with exasperation. The students then
filed in without much complaint.
Clarissa Violet wrote her name on the board. Miss
Findlay.
“Now, roll call. Kane, Marissa.”
“Here!”
Words:
58
Excerpt
from: Friday the 13th
“That’s a good idea,” Johanna said. “It’s most likely at
the hospital, if the person who appears to be Daniel’s brother is there.”
“But it might have helped him escape,” Helga responded.
“Probably,” Bronwyn said.
“We could go there now and have lunch later,” Jess
suggested.
“A good idea,” Helga said.
So, they left the College and went to Johanna’s car…
They narrowly missed, Daniel, Carina and Flora arriving
at the College.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” Daniel asked
Carina.
“Quite sure,” Carina responded.
Words:
88
Excerpt
from: Downtime
But the
ship was on a long warp and she was certain that her daughter was occupied with
her friends. She exited her ready room. “Everything is peaceful, Captain,”
Commander Jack Ransom said.
“Good!”
She said as she headed to the turbolift.
“Deck
6.”
Deck 6
was the largest deck on a California class starship. Therefore there
were a large number of facilities on the deck, including the security section.
The Captain’s destination was near the security section and shared the
different look to its corridors.
Words:
86
Excerpt
from: In the House of Tom Bombadil
“Heed no
nightly noise! Fear no grey willow!” He then blew out the candle and left the
room.
“They’re
in bed?” Goldberry asked.
“Young
Hobbits are sleeping. Nothing will disturb their rest. You can go about your
cleaning day with no fear of disturbing them,” Tom replied.
Goldberry
smiled. That was good news. It was rare that she, the river daughter, and Tom,
the Eldest had visitors. For a long while, only Farmer Maggot (and his
ancestors) had visited from the Shire.
Words: 82
Excerpt
from: Spider Quinn
‘I guess that would do,’ Daria thought. “Right. But we
are going to investigate, regardless.”
“Good.”
“Here they are!” Helen said.
“They have grown,” Linda said.
“Daria’s 17 and Quinn, 15.”
“I see.”
“Now,” Helen said. “What happened. You say that you faked
your death?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Helen asked. “What happened.”
“First, how long ago did Jake pass away?” Linda asked.
“Nearly a month ago,” Quinn answered quietly.
“Oh. It’s raw.”
“Of course, it’s raw!” Quinn said bitterly. “I saw
him die!”
There was shock on Linda’s face. “I didn’t now, sorry.”
There was an awkward moment of silence.
Daria looked to Linda. She still wasn’t sure what to make
of her. “So, you faked your death?” she asked, one eye on the still crying
Quinn.
“Yes,” Linda answered, and she started telling her story.
It was ten years ago.
Linda pulled up to the Morgendorffers house in Highland.
She knew it would be a long time, if at all, before she would be able to see
Jake and Helen again. She looked around the street as she went up the door.
Most of the houses looked dilapidated.
She rang the doorbell.
Words: 192
Total:
526
20th
Excerpt
from: Quinn and the Café
It was
an ordinary night in Lawndale. Then an alarm sounded as thieves made off with
equipment from a ransacked cybercafe.
The next
morning, Quinn Morgendorffer looked at the paper as she grabbed milk from the
fridge.
Words:
37
Excerpt
from: Fear in the Future
“The only way to find out would be to actually go
forwards and find out,” Daniel said.
“I suppose.”
“So, 400 years?”
“300 to start,” Jess decided.
“Sure.”
“It’s best to do it slowly.”
“Of course.”
After dinner, Jess went to Daniel’s room.
“Are you sure you want to do it tonight?” Daniel asked.
“You’ve had a long day?”
Words:
59
Excerpt
from: Middleton and Bonnie Rockwaller’s Genie
“What a dream!” She did not remember many details. She did however
remember the emerald and picked it up as she climbed out of bed. The emerald
looked dirtier in the early morning light than it had the previous afternoon.
“I need to get the dirt off,” she said. She began rubbing it.
What happened next was entirely
unexpected. It
frightened her much more than the nightmare did.
The
Emerald lit up! Bonnie dropped it in shock and collapsed back onto her bed.
Words:
83
Excerpt
from: Spider Quinn
“Oh. Well then, never mind. All right!” Kevin then said.
Brittany was about to say something in addition but
apparently thought better of it.
“Good morning. As you know, we're here to clear up some misunderstandings
and suspicions so we can all feel better about each other and ourselves. So
without further ado, I present to you a work in progress, a solo performance I
call ‘Nothing to Lose But His Chains: The Life of Karl Marx.’ The year
is 1848.” O’Neill pressed play on a tape recorder and an exercise tape began
playing. “Oh, dear, that's my exercise tape!”
Mr. DeMartino then appeared.
“Anthony! You weren't kidnapped!” O’Neill said in
surprise.
“All right! I finally convinced those
glorified dogcatchers from Immigration that I am not
an illegal alien. But now I have a question. Who told them I was?”
Daria saw Ms. Barch murmur something under her breath.
“Maybe it was the mind control babes from space, Mr. D.,
trying to create a distraction,” Charles said.
“Who?” DeMartino asked.
“Them!” Charles said pointing at Daria and Jane.
“Um, I hate to wreck a perfectly good lynching, but you're
the ones acting weird,” Daria responded.
“Us?” Kevin asked. “Mr. O'Neill said you're out to
destroy football.”
“No! I was telling them about how communists and Martians
are the same.”
“That'll clear things up.”
“So there's no communist unfiltration?” Kevin asked.
“And there's no alien takeover?” Charles asked.
“Oh, I don't know. How do you explain that?” Jane
asked, as she pointed to where Quinn was joined by Stacy and Tiffany in
dressing in all black.”
“We're dressed this way for solidarity,” Tiffany asked.
“To help support Quinn in her grief,” Stacy added.
“That makes sense,” Daria murmured as the crowded added a
murmur of support.
“Does it?” Jane asked.
“Yes,” Daria said.
“I liked it better when they were under alien control,”
Jane groused.
“It was more believable,” Daria said with her usual
sarcasm.
“So you see, everyone? Mr. DeMartino's disappearance, all
these communist and alien worries... simple misunderstandings, all of them.
What do you say we cement our newfound unity by joining hands and singing ‘Man
in the Mirror’?”
The teens booed and hissed and left.
Later, Ms. Li called Mr. O’Neill into her office.
“It has come to my attention that you organised a rally
this morning.”
“Yes.”
“It was unauthorised! You should have come to me if you
wanted to clear up the various misunderstandings surrounding Mr. DeMartino’s
arrest.”
“I’m sorry. It was off the cuff.”
“It won’t happen again. Do I make myself clear.”
“No it won’t. I’ll call you first.”
“Good. Dismissed.”
She watched the Language Arts teacher leave. She then
went back to the reports that SpiderGirl had been sighted on campus.
That night, SpiderGirl thought about the past two days as
she patrolled Lawndale’s downtown, swinging from rooftop to rooftop. Conspiracy
theories spreading through the school wasn’t a good thing. But at least none of
them involved her.
Words:
495
Total: 674
Jane knocked on Daria’s door.
“Come in,” Daria said.
Jane entered and saw that her friend was still in her PJs
and reading a book on her bed. “Daria?”
Daria got up and went and hugged Jane, Jane was
surprised, and then hugged back.
They then both sat on the bed. “I don’t know what to
say,” Jane said.
“That you’re here is enough,” Daria said. “It was so
sudden. Like, he wasn’t the best father in the world, but he was my
father. If only I had spent more time with him. I’m going to miss his
cluelessness. The time spent reading the paper together and just him being
there. What I’m not going to miss is his rants about his own father.”
Jane shrugged. “At least he was here. Not like mine, who
only comes to Lawndale very infrequently.”
“True,” Daria said. She paused and breathed deeply, “I’m
more concerned about Quinn, than myself or my mother.”
“How so?” Jane asked.
“She blames herself. Dad had gone to pick her up from a
date.”
“I see.”
Daria was then silent for a while.
“Stacy!” Stacy’s mother said as she came into the room.
“Mom?” Stacy asked after seeing the serious look on her
mother’s face.
“Something terrible has happened. Quinn’s father was the
victim of last nights shooting.”
“Oh no!” Stacy said, her eyes full of tears.
“That was her mother on the phone. Quinn is blaming
herself. She needs her friends.”
“Of course,” Stacy said. “I’ll go there now!”
While Stacy headed to the Morgendorffer’s, a similar
conversation was happening at the Griffin’s.
“I’ll go now,” Sandi said.
“Very good, Sandi. Help Quinn.”
As she left the room, Linda realised that she didn’t know
what she would do if she lost Tom.
Stacy rang the doorbell, and Helen answered the door.
“Oh, thank you, Stacy. I’m quite beside myself about her. As if losing Jakey
wasn’t enough.”
“I’ll go right up.”
Quinn heard the knocking on the door. “Go away!” she
said, barely lifting her head from the sheets.
“Quinn! It’s Stacy!” her friend’s concerned voice said.
Quinn rushed to the door.
“Oh sorry, Stacy. I thought it was Mom or Daria!”
“It was your Mom who called me,” Stacy said as she sat on
a chair and closed the door.
“But it was my fault, Stacy!” Quinn said. “If I had
talked to him more after that spider bite, he wouldn’t have wanted to drive me
last night!”
“Quinn, you’re not at fault. It was that guy who is at
fault!” Stacy said.
“That’s what Daria said,” Quinn said quietly.
“I’m here now. You can talk to me. I’ll try to keep it
together, for you.’
“Thanks, Stacy,” Quinn said, as she started crying again.
There was another knock at the door.
“Who’s that?” Quinn asked.
“Sandi,” came the answer.
“Let her in,” Quinn said.
“Are you sure?” Stacy whispered.
Quinn nodded.
Stacy opened the door. She saw that Sandi didn’t have her
usual haughty look about her.
“I’m here for Quinn,” Sandi said sincerely.
“Come in,” Stacy said. “I think she needs both of us.”
“I’m sorry to hear about what happened,” Sandi said as
she entered.
“Thanks,” Quinn said.
They were quiet for a while. Tiffany didn’t come, because
Helen had forgotten her in her own grief.
After Sandi had gone up to Quinn’s room, Helen called her
older sister, Rita.
Rita was shocked to hear that Jake had died. “I’ll get to
Lawndale as soon as possible,” she said.
“Just let me tell Mother,” Helen said.
“Of course,” Rita said.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
After calling Rita, Helen called her other sister, Amy.
“I’m afraid that I can’t get to Lawndale until later
this week,” Amy said. “Otherwise I would have been there today.”
“That’s alright,” Helen said.
“It will take that long to organise replacements for
my lectures.”
“At least Eric was understanding.”
“How so?” Amy asked.
“He offered bereavement leave right away.”
“He probably knows that you wouldn’t be at your best
right now.”
“True,” Helen considered.
Jane was watching Daria write something on her computer
when Helen entered and held out the cordless phone. “Aunt Amy would like to
talk to you,” she said.
“Sure,” Daria said as she took the phone.
“How are you holding up?” Amy asked her favorite niece.
“I’m still shocked.”
“Understandable. It took until the funeral to
accept it when my father passed.”
“But I’m sure that you were well into adulthood,”
Daria said.
“That’s true, but I don’t think one’s age matters, a
sudden death still hits hard.”
19th
Excerpt
from: A Fellowship of 10
“There is food in the wild,” Strider answered. “Berry,
root and herb; and I have some skill as a hunter at need. You need to be afraid
of starving before winter comes. But gathering and hunting food is long and
weary work and we need haste. So tighten your belts and think with hope of the
tables of Elrond’s house!”
It got colder as the night deepened. Peering out from the
edge of the dell, they couldn’t see anything other than but a grey land
disappearing into shadow. Hanna and her companions huddled around the fire,
wrapped in every garment and blanket they had; but it seemed that Strider was
content with a simple cloak.
As the night continued he told them tales of long ago, of
Elves and Men in the Elder days, of Gil-galad and then Tinuviel. He had
finished telling of them of Beren and Luthien and their connection to the Kings
of Numenor when Merry noticed something.
Words: 161
Excerpt
from: Convergence on Lawndale
“I believe that we established that,” Kaelyn answered in
a snide tone.
“I mean. Are you known to the government as a human or
what?” Ron asked.
“Ah,” Kaelyn said, quietly. “Apparently, I was named
after a daughter they lost. But they haven’t said much about her.”
“I see,” Kim said. It didn’t surprise her that much.
“Far from the first time I encountered such,” the Doctor
commented.
“Both of them are engineers who work for Landon
Engineering.”
“Haven’t heard of it,” Ron said.
Words: 84
Excerpt
from: Spider Quinn
Stacy was quiet for a while, before they started talking
about other things.
Daria soon returned home. “Are you OK?” Helen asked when
she came in.
“I’m fine. I mean, I miss Dad, but that’s not why had
gone out.”
Helen nodded. “Still, I am worried for both of you.”
“I think it’s Quinn you need to look out for more,” Daria
said as she headed up the stairs.
“I know.”
Shortly after Daria got back, Stacy saw her mother pull
up outside. “I’ll be going,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Wait, Stacy,” Quinn said.
“Yes?” Stacy asked.
“You’re interested in Superheroes right?”
“What brought this on?” Stacy asked. “Is it SpiderGirl?”
“In a way,” Quinn answered enigmatically. “I have seen
some of your books.”
“Oh right,” Stacy remembered. “When I was younger, I
collected comics and bought books. But that changed after I met Sandi in middle
school.” She looked outside again and saw that her mother was coming up to the
front door. “But that can wait.”
“Of course,” Quinn said.
“Wait, Stacy,” Tiffany said.
“What now?” Stacy asked, slightly annoyed.
“Could you take me home?” Tiffany asked.
“Sure!” Stacy said.
Helen opened the door. “Hello, Elisabeth. Stacy will be
down shortly.”
Elisabeth Rowe entered. “How are you holding up?” she
asked.
“I’m fine. Keeping busy, mostly. My sisters are helping,
funnily enough.”
“You’re lonely, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Helen admitted.
“You aren’t alone,” Elisabeth said taking one of Helen’s
hands.
“Thanks, but I don’t know you much,” Helen said.
Stacy and Tiffany then came down the stairs. “Mom,
Tiffany would like a lift home,” the former said.
“Sure,” Elisabeth said to her daughter. She turned to
Helen. “Would you like to come to a café tomorrow evening?”
“I’ll see if I can swing it with work,” Helen answered.
‘It would be a good idea,’ she thought.
“I’ll hold you to it.”
“How’s Quinn?” Elisabeth asked her daughter as she pulled
away from the Morgendorffers.
“She’s still grieving, but she’s coping in her own way,”
Stacy answered.
“That’s good.”
“You’re concerned for Mrs. Morgendorffer, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Wednesday, December 2, 1999
Teacher Arrested
Anthony DeMartino, a History teacher at Lawndale High
was mysteriously arrested on school grounds yesterday by Federal agents.
When Daria and Jane arrived at school, Mr. O’Neill’s
rally was already underway.
“So that's why I say commies aren't team players, so keep
them out of team sports. All right!” Kevin said.
“Yay, no commie team!” Brittany added.
“Um, thank you, Kevin. But actually, the communist is
your ultimate team player. The team is all; the individual, nothing,” O’Neill
said.
Words: 438
Total:
582
18th
Excerpt
from: Mega Mall Mega Problems
“Good,” Daria said under her breath.
They soon returned to the bus. Daria hoped that the
journey back would be less nausea inducing.
Quinn and the others left the Mall soon afterwards.
“Maybe we’ll be back sometime,” Sam said.
“Maybe, but too soon,” Quinn said. “I have found what I
wanted to find.”
“Are you sure?” Xavier asked.
Quinn nodded.
“Now, where’s the car again?”
“We’ll find it,” Quinn said encouragingly.
“It will just take a while,” Sam said.
Words:
79
Excerpt
from: Mystery in Polonia
It
didn’t take long. “Here,” the Doctor said.
Tegan
looked. “This is later,” she said.
“That it
is,” the Doctor said.
“Another
incident like the other one?” Turlough asked.
“Yes,”
the Doctor answered.
Words:
33
Excerpt from:
Spider Quinn
“Not a thing,” Daria said.
There was an awkward pause.
“That's some song you're working on. It's different,”
Daria added.
“Nothing different about it. Nothing at all,” Trent
denied “I gotta go and, uh, practice my same music that uh... isn't any
different from the other stuff I play.” He then left.
“What was that?” Daria asked.
“You're starting to get weirded out, aren't you?” Jane
asked.
“No, absolutely not.” She jumped a little as the doorbell
rang.
Jane opened the door.
“Pizza!” the guy there said.
Artie Walker was a little worried. He was sure that he
saw SpiderGirl carrying a cheerleader when had dropped the last Pizza. He was
certain that she was one of Them. At least the Lanes were good customers. “Could
you hurry up? I got other pizzas to deliver, and if I don't get them there on
time, they're free. I really gotta go.”
“On your way over here, you didn't see any, um, lights in
the sky or anything?” the bespectacled friend asked.
“Just ‘SpiderGirl’ and she was carrying a cheerleader
away!”
“You think she’s an alien?” Jane asked.
“Don’t you? No human can do what she does!”
Meanwhile, back at the Morgendorffers, Helen brought
desert up to Quinn’s room. Except she didn’t see Quinn there, just Stacy
looking at something on Quinn’s laptop and Tiffany looking through a magazine.
“Where’s Quinn?” she asked.
“Um, in the bathroom!” Stacy said.
“That’s OK,” Helen said, noting her daughter’s friend’s
usual slight panic. “I’ll leave her desert with you.”
“Sure.”
“I know Sandi left. Are they OK?”
“I don’t think so,” Stacy answered. “It’s like they’re
drifting apart.”
“I see.”
Helen then went back downstairs, thinking about what
Stacy had said.
SpiderGirl and Brittany arrived at the Crewe Neck
gatehouse.
“Thanks for the trip. It was wonderful,” Brittany said.
“You’re welcome,” SpiderGirl said. “I’ll get back to you
about what you asked.”
“Sure,” Brittany said.
SpiderGirl waited until Brittany had entered the gated
estate, then started heading back to Glen Oaks Lane.
The Pizza guy was still talking, as they ate their pizza.
“... and anyone who tells you aliens are taking over their body is nuts. All
they want is our skin 'cause your skin remembers what it feels.”
“Hmm. Hey, you ever written any lyrics?” Trent wondered.
The guy’s pager then beeped. “Fired again? Man, this
happens all the time. Ever since my encounter with those darn aliens!”
“Oops,” Daria murmured.
SpiderGirl arrived back at the red brick house on Glen
Oaks Lane and quickly changed back to being the usual Quinn.
“I’m back,” she said to Stacy as she entered her room.
Stacy handed her the desert. “Your mom brought this up
for us. I’ve already had mine,” she said.
“Thanks,” Quinn said.
“So, what was Daria doing?” Stacy asked.
“She just went to her friend’s place.”
“OK.”
“I might have run into someone else from school, though,”
Quinn said.
“Who?”
“Someone who asked me something about Daddy,” Quinn
answered quietly. “I don’t need to tell you who they were.”
“Oh.”
Words: 509
Total:
621
19th
Communion
Salvation is by faith alone.
Psalm 21
Sermon
Luke 8:40 - 56
What can we really trust
Jairus was desperate. Jesus was the only one who could help his dying daughter.
Jesus is the true source of comfort and help.
Pray every day.
1. Jairus' faith was in Jesus alone.
vs 42 - 48
The two stories are connected. Jairus' daughter was 12 years old. The woman had suffered for 12 years. Both were desparate. Jesus called the woman 'daughter'. All Jairus need to do was trust Jesus. The woman had faith that just touching Jesus' garment would be enough for healing to take place, and it was so. Jesus encouraged both of them in their faith.
He is the One who sustains our faith. He provides encouragement for our faith.
What can we learn from Jairus' faith?
2. His faith needed encouragement.
vs 51 - 56
Jairus found out that trusting Jesus as worthwhile.
Jesus doesn't lie. He will fulfill his word.
What are we trusting Jesus for?
3. His faith was worthwhile.
Jesus is worthy of all our trust!
17th
Excerpt
from: Strider
It was dark, for there was no light, and the fire had
burned low. Even so, they saw that Merry wasn’t there. They threw on a couple
of logs and found that Strider had come with them and was sitting in a chair by
the door.
“Hallo. Who are you and what do you want?” Pippin asked.
“I am called Strider, and though he may have forgotten
it, your friend promised to have a quiet talk with me.”
“You said I might hear something to my advantage I
believe. What have you to say?” Frodo said.
“Several things,” Strider answered. “But of course I have
my price.”
“What do you mean?” Frodo asked in a sharp tone.
“Don’t be alarmed! I mean just this: I will tell you what
I know, and give you some good advice – but I shall want a reward.”
Words:
143
Excerpt
from: Spider Quinn
“I work alone,” SpiderGirl answered. She then saw the
dejected look on Brittany’s face. “For now.”
“Oh,” Brittany said.
“I’ll think about it,” SpiderGirl said.
Brittany smiled. “Cool.”
“Are you heading home now?” SpiderGirl asked.
“Yes, in Crewe Neck,” Brittany answered.
“I can get you to the gatehouse. I need to get somewhere,
as I left a friend in a tight spot with another friend to investigate what you
were up to.”
“Sure.”
SpiderGirl came to the ground and stood up. “You can hold
onto me, but it may be more difficult for me to swing if it’s the other way
around.”
“The former,”
Brittany said as she threw her hands around the superhero girl.
“Not too tight,” SpiderGirl said.
“Sorry.”
“Let’s go.”
What followed wasn’t scary for Brittany, rather
exhilarating, as they headed in a southeasterly direction from Howard Drive
towards Crewe Neck over rooftops and through trees.
While Brittany was talking to SpiderGirl, Daria and Jane
were having their own conversation.
“Is that song getting happier or am I just getting more
miserable?” Jane asked Daria regarding Trent’s music.
“It's verging on bouncy, all right. But please, continue
with your delightful presentation.”
“You've got these government types at school telling us
to watch out for weird behavior. Then the alien nut on TV says the same thing.
Meanwhile, your mother is weird, your sister is weird, and all the kids at
school look at us funny.”
“That's not new,” Daria said before Jane could say more.
“Yeah, but now there's respect. And that song? Maybe it's
the alien signal and Trent's beckoning to the U.F.O.”
“Ah, but the U.F.O. went away.”
“Well, maybe aliens don't like sucky music and he's
actually trying to save humanity,” Jane explained.
“When do we get to the crop circles?” Daria asked, before
Trent’s music stopped.
“Uh-oh. The music stopped,” Jane said and hid her drawing
under the bed.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Trent asked as he entered.
“Nothing,” Daria answered.
“Nada,” Jane added.
Words:
331
Total: 474
16th
Excerpt
from: Return to Alamos Town
“Yes!”
Ash said.
“So,
Dialga and Palkia were really there?”
“That’s
right.”
“Are the
Space-Time Towers really that impressive up close?” Goh asked.
“Of
course! In fact, I’d like to show you.”
Words:
32
Excerpt
from: A twisted Invitation
“Brittany!”
Quinn said. “You’re here for Daria’s party?”
“Yes,”
Brittany answered. “I’m hope I’m not too late.
“Oh, not
at all,” Quinn said as she let Brittany in.
There
were a large number of people in the living room already. Brittany saw that
Jodie and Mack were already there. ‘Of course they are,’ she mused.
“Hi, Brittany!”
Daria said.
Words:
59
Excerpt
from: Spider Quinn
“But, Kevvy.” He continued to be amorous “Kevvy!”
“Huh?” Kevin asked.
“Didn't you say we were going to follow her and save the
world and stuff?” she asked. She liked making him think some things were his
idea.
“Oh, yeah. But I don't think we have to save the world
right this second,’ he responded.
“Great!” she said. A few more moments of making out
wouldn’t go awry, she considered.
Suddenly there was a purr above them. ” Que
passionato!”
‘Oh great!’ Brittany thought. ‘Upchuck!’
“Hey! We're trying to save the world here!” Kevin said as
he shone his flashlight at Charles.
“And I'm trying to find the space maidens' ship so they
can take me back and make me their love slave,” Charles responded.
“Oh cool,” Kevin said.
Two more flashlights turned on. “Well, you were right.
Everyone has gone crazy,” Jodie Landon said.
“I knew you'd try something, Kevin. I figured I owed it
to the team to keep you from humiliating yourself,” Mack said.
Bushes rustled and Mr. O’Neill emerged.
“Mr. O'Neill? Don't tell me you're hunting communists,
too?” Mack asked incredulously.
O’Neill laughed nervously. “I wouldn't call it hunting. I
heard a rumor about secret police kidnapping educators and spiriting them off
to the gulag. But me? No. I frequently go for walks with a, um, flashlight in
case the streetlights go out.”
There was another rustle above and SpiderGirl emerged
upside down, lowering herself halfway down by a thread. “What’s going on here?
Paranormal?”
“Not very,” Jodie said, looking around.
‘Probably meant paranoia,’ Brittany thought.
“These reds come red-hot from the red planet itself.
We're talking Mars,” Charles said.
“Really?” SpiderGirl asked, her voice showing
incredulity.
“Charles, I think you mean Marx,” O’Neill said as he
dropped his flashlight.
Jane answered the door. “You made it. Cool. I was
starting to... whoa!”
Daria also looked at the flashing lights in the nearby
woods.
O’Neill found his flashlight. “Found it.”
“But why are you all, like, sneaking around with
flashlights?” SpiderGirl asked.
“Good question,” Jodie said.
The others all switched off their flashlights.
“Did we just see a U.F.O.?” Jane asked.
“You're getting paranoid. It's probably just an informal
get-together of local stalkers. You know, hang out, swap stories, try out each
other's skeleton keys,” Daria responded.
“But only an idiot would go stalking with a flashlight,
especially with that SpiderGirl about.”
“Come on. This is Lawndale,” Daria said as she went
inside.
“Your’re right, SpiderGirl, we’ve all been acting very
foolish.”
“Hey, man, speak for yourself,” Kevin objected.
“Oh! Sorry, Kevin, “ O’Neill said. “But I wonder if maybe
a rally might be in order. You know, something before classes to promote
understanding, remove the fear, and increase the peace.”
“Are you sure?” SpiderGirl asked, before Kevin could get
a word in.
“Quite sure. It won’t get out of control,” O’Neill said.
“But, practice is before classes. He's trying to destroy
football. He's one of them!”
“No he isn’t,” SpiderGirl said, trying to keep calm.
“Who?” Brittany asked.
“I thought you knew.”
‘Time to go, Kevin,” Mack said.
“I’ll stay and talk to SpiderGirl for a bit,” Brittany
said.
“Sure,” Jodie said. She turned to Upchuck. “Come along,
Charles, we’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
“Yes, I better go too,” O’Neill said.
SpiderGirl wasn’t sure why Brittany wanted to talk to
her. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Um, What is it like being a hero, fighting crime?”
Brittany asked, whilst twirling a pigtail.
“Difficult. But the thanks I get from the people rescued
from muggers make it more than worth it.”
“What made you start?”
“Someone died,” SpiderGirl answered, trying not to give
anything away.
But it seemed that Brittany made some connections. “Like
that carjacking, when one of my friends’ father died two weeks ago.”
“Yes,” SpiderGirl said carefully. “That was the last
straw. That was when I knew Lawndale is declining into a crime filled…” she
paused, seeing that Brittany got what she was saying.
Brittany nodded. “But you have powers, right?”
“Yes, but why are you asking all this?” SpiderGirl asked.
“Like, after that death, I’ve been thinking about what’s
been happening. And maybe I could help in some way.”
Words: 698
Total: 789
