"Oh, yes please! It's delicious!
"Now, as I see it, but I'm no businessman, it might come to a choice between two valuable things in your life. Each has it's consequence. One is your life's work, probably already so for generations. The other is your new found knowledge of the real God. In the end, you will have to choose. In the mean time, I might hold my services or meetings outside the ranch in an open field perhaps?"
"I think you've underestimated the size of the Kucher ranch; you'd have to ride several miles to reach the border, unless you want to have it in the jungle. And it comes to the same problem: do we allow the practice of two different religions on the property and yet forbid some others? It's a concept I have trouble grasping myself; I've no idea how I justify it to the others."
--M. J. Young
"The thing is, I think", I say after some careful chewing, "That the job requirements aren't religion bound, right? So it doesn't make a difference for the job. But for their souls it makes a difference. Christ is very clear as He says 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father then through Me."
And with this I have to leave this enjoyable game again. Big stuff are happening in my life at the moment, and they need my full attention.
The game probably will still await when you return. Meanwhile, I'll post so you have something to which to respond whenever that happens.
Mr. Kucher shrugs. "Well, you're not understanding the problem; but then, it's not really your problem, so I guess there's no reason you should have a solution. If you'll excuse me, work awaits; enjoy your meal."
He departs.
Kathrine enters a moment later, evidently nervous and excited.
"So? What did he say?"
--M. J. Young
If you're ready, I'd like to proceed. If your workload is to big, you can leave me, lower the posting rate or ship me off to another GM. No problems there.
BTW, Master Kruger seems to be the C.S. Lewis of this world in some of his reasoning!
I thank Master Kruger for this talk and the meal as he leaves. "I'll pray about this and help you in this dilemma as I can."
As Katherine walks in, I smile. "He said you could be baptized as soon as possible! God used you to start changing his heart. For him there is one obstruction still. And it is a challenging one. It's the tendency of religion to become politics." I frown. I empty my coffee.
"Bredd can be baptized as well. If his parents allow it. We'll need to do some praying. Do you know the name of the priest of Gaia who ministers her believers. Is it Master Robert's father? If God would reveal Himself to them, I think some things could really start solving problems at the ranch. But politics will always be against us. Once we start to use politics ourselves, the message gets compromised. The history of my world tells of this."
I blink. "Bredd! He needed a good talk, he looked like that anyway. I'll need to see him soon. If you could come over to the shop after my work is done, I could explain everything more clearly and we could pray together for this entire situation. Or is that inappropriate for you? I don't really know another way for Bredd to be included."
I put my cutlery (if there is any) on the plate and rise. I thank the cook for the fine meal and after finishing making an appointment with Katherine I leave to the barracks, change and see what work I can still do at the shop with Master Robert. "Alright Master Robert, I'm back. Is there something left for me to do?"
I give a wink and smile to Bredd. "I've got fairly good news Bredd, I'll tell you more about it after work."
"There isn't really one, not on the ranch. Master Robert's father was here years ago, when I was a girl, but he's died since then. We get visiting priests several times a year, but mostly we've held our own services, my parents and everyone else, although we usually have a couple services a day so that someone can tend the animals and other chores while everyone else is at worship and not have to miss worship. I've always had to go to services, because my father said it would look to the employees as if we thought we were better than they were if we didn't come. I'm sure that's still in his mind with all the changes, too.
"But of course, there are priests of Gaia who make a ministry of traveling to all the ranches and leading services once or twice a year. So there are probably five or six different priests who have been here in recent years, each of them several times.
"That's wonderful about Bredd. I know his mother was supporting his decision; I think he and I can probably be baptized together soon. We'll let him go first, and that will help others see that I'm not more important than he is."
The cook would be in the kitchen, which is off the main dining room. This smaller dining room is used by family when they want to have a private meal with someone, and is a few rooms away. Were you going to stop in the kitchen on the way out, or were you just thinking that the cook was there?"
Master Robert points you back to your dyes and other work. Bredd is waiting.
--M. J. Young
I'll tell the serving girl orc to give my compliments to the cook then.
Talk with Katherine
"Ah, that complicates it a little. Who usually leads the service then?
Good ideas about the baptism and the order."
Bredd
"Hey Bredd", I say while I start working, "I talked to Master Kucher today. He will let you get baptized if your parents agree.", I say with a smile. I couldn't wait to spill it. "Good news, right?"
"Well, whoever's there, really. Master Robert sometimes, my father sometimes, once in a while my mother, but my parents try not to lead service too often--Father says that there's already a great sense that we're more important than everyone else, and that shouldn't be so at service, so he always defers to anyone else who wants to lead. Maddie, one of the girls in the kitchen, leads sometimes; she's very good, really."
Bredd says yes, that is good; he wishes it had not been so complicated, and thinks that his mother is going to be less willing to let him do this now that Mr. Kucher has spoken against it--she doesn't want trouble with the Kuchers. But he'll talk to her about it again.
--M. J. Young
Katherine
"Right, thanks. I need to go now, to talk to Bredd. It was nice, um, being here again. Thank you." I almost said that it was nice to see her again. Got to keep my mind toghether.
Bredd
"Mister Kucher has no problem with it anymore. I can guarantee it. As long as your parents agree it will be okay.", I tell him.
I keep working until it is time to quit and when it's time to eat I'll tell the good news to the new Christians there and ask them to pray for Bredd and his parents, that Bredd would be allowed the baptism, and maybe that his parents would get to know God as well.
In the evening I'll pray especially for Bredd, that he would be allowed to get baptized. It will be a prayer with about five minutes thanksgiving to start, five minutes supplication for Bredd and his parents to close it off. My eyes will be closed and my hands folded or lifted to the sky. (one of both or both alternating during that period of time)
I pray a prayer of Third party revelation for Bredd's parents and I do one for Master Robert and for Maggie from the Kitchen. I ask God to reveal Himself to Bredd's parents to show that He is real and to be trusted and that they can also follow Him if they want.
With master Robert and Maggie I pray that the revelation would open their eyes to God, who He is and how Gaia is in relation to Him.
I try to get some bible translation in before I go to sleep.
You estimated that translating Galatians would take about 2 weeks if I recall correctly, but I lost count on how far I should be. If you have kept track, how far would I be, if not I can take the time to calculate it for myself.
You remember more than I, apparently. I concur that you could translate Galatians within about two weeks, but don't recall when you began. Let me suggest that it would take you twice that long to translate either of the Corinthian letters, almost three times as long to do Romans or Hebrews, and less time than that to translate any other epistle. The Gospels and Acts are different, and I'll have to think about them, because they're longer but their narrative style is less meticulously detailed structurally. (There's a big difference between "And Jesus went down to Jerusalem, and he had to pass through Samaria" versus "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die gain.") I also think that Revelation would take longest of all, even though it's not the longest book, because it combines the meticulous structural detail of the epistles with the length of the gospels. And if you're thinking of translating the Old Testament, we'll have to discuss that separately.
I note three variants on prayers for third-party revelation. They are a bit distinct in what they reveal and how, and I'm assuming that the first is the one you have in mind, unless you are creating a new one:
--M. J. Young
Apparently it was a few weeks, and not two. My bad. Here's the post: http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/nikolaj-rising/page/6#post-13860
I only remembered because I was re-reading to get back up to speed.
It will be the first one of the listed prayers, yes
The heavens feel like brass tonight. You spend two hours walking and praying for these people, but have no assurance of any answer.
After breakfast, though, you see a forty-something woman wearing an apron and a hat and wiping sweat off her brow. She scans the room as people are leaving, and fixes her eyes on you. She walks toward you, and as she gets closer she says, "Hey. Leather boy. Can we talk?"
--M. J. Young
Thanks for the heads up. No rush. See you then.
--M. J. Young
After the walking and praying I get some sleep if my tired feet will let me and think about how hard it was to get connected today. I nod of like that and wake up the next morning. I habitually thank God for this new day and start breakfast, remembering my struggles in prayer without a breakthrough. I try to have faith that God heard it no matter how it felt to me. He has his ways.
Then the woman interrupts me. She asks me if we can talk.
"Uhm, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Sorry, I was lost in thought. Please take a seat. Do you want some coffee?" I pour her some coffee if she wants some. "Now, how can I help you miss... Oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't get your name."
"I'm Maggie; I work in the kitchen. I've been hearing that you're talking about a new god, someone called Kriess, or something like that, who is supposed to be greater than Gaia, who created the world. But they say you're not really saying anything bad about Gaia. So I asked myself, how can you say that Gaia, creator of our Earth and all that is on it, is not the greatest god, and not be saying something bad about her? Don't take me wrong--I'm not saying that you are saying something bad about Gaia. I just find it very confusing that everyone says you're not when what they say you're saying sounds pretty bad to me. So I'm here to find out what it is you're really saying."
--M. J. Young
I hear her and keep eye-contact. (you know, the regular active listening gig. I usually do that automatically, unless I'm tired and lose concentration)
I smile a little in recognition of the problem. "Yes, I know the problem. It is something new to me as well. But a lot of things have been new to me recently." I tell her, in thought referring to waking up on strange worlds or in strange places, my stuff being with me and having a lot of new experiences. Seeing Orcs, among one thing, finding my stuff without trouble as another. But that's all thought (and moves rather quick I'm told, 4 times the speed of talking or something?), and takes little attention away from the discussion.
"When I first heard about Gaia I thought she was evil," I tell her, "being an impostor of the real and only God I know for a fact to exist, since His Spirit lives in me.* But as I asked Him what that was all about, you know, praying, He revealed some of it in a dream to me the night that followed. He showed me that she is His servant, somehow here becoming a goddess.
"She was a bit upset about me preaching about Him, but He told her that it was needed. She accepted and said that she had to become less and He should be greater. As far as I know she is a servant of my God. He is her boss. She has a great amount of Power and Authority, but none compared to Him. He set her Power and Authority, as those of others, who have abandoned Him. They are most definitely Evil. I think that Sarne, One of the gods of the orcs, is one of them.
"I worhip the Christ. And in Him we can live, with a new and reformed life, His Spirit in us through a great grace. Do you want to hear about that grace?"
* "His Spirit testifies with my own that I am a child of God" (paraphrased from the top of my mind)
I usually talk in such a way when explaining, that I can be interrupted. So that might happen. If she wants to know more I will invite her to come, if she is able after dinner, where I will take time to explain it to her and refresh it to the others through the wordles(s) book. Maybe one of them can explain it to her. I might ask Katherine, but she probably will eat privately in her house.
She thanks you for explaining, in a way that suggests she is more confused than she was before she asked but doesn't really want to pursue the question further.
"Anyway," she says, "It seems that Miss Kucher is supporting you, so we'll have to accept you around here."
She rises. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's cleaning up to do in the kitchen."
--M. J. Young
I thank her for her recognition of me as someone to accept, even though it is not because of me that I'm accepted. (It bothers me a little though, I like to be accepted for who I am, not because someone in power/authority roots for me).
I wish her a good day, quickly finish breakfast and head out to the workshop. I'm curious as to what Bredd's parents said to him.
It may be that you are taking the word "accept" too strongly. It would be better to take it as that she is going to tolerate you because she doesn't want trouble with the boss's daughter.
Bredd says that his parents will allow him to be baptized, but want assurances that Master Kucher won't sell him away from them if he becomes a Christian, as he did with other Christian orcs previously.
--M. J. Young
I smile at Bredd, then look serious. "I understand your problem. Somewhat. Master Kucher told me why he sold the last batch of slaves. He thought it was an orcs-only religion. His view has changed. I can't guarantee you anything, but I would say that chances are very small." I smile again.
"He's a busy man, so I cannot interrupt him for everything, but I will write him a letter this evening if I do not see him somewhere today when he's available. Is that good?"
Bredd indicates that he is satisfied with that.
And as you are preparing to clean up for lunch, Mr. Kucher comes into the leather shop to talk with Master Robert about leather product, and on his way out casually asks you whether everything is in order.
--M. J. Young
Awesome, I guess that means a good GE roll :). Yes!
I stop at cleaning up and face master Kucher. "Most is fine sir, thank you. There is one thing if you have a small moment."
If he has, I explain Bredd's fear to him and that he would appreciate some assurance if he could give some to him.
If he doesn't I'll tell him that I will write him a note that will be delivered to him this evening or in the morning.
I spend the rest of the day working. Suggesting to master Robert that I would be up for another project if it is possible and not too much trouble.
Mr. Kucher will make a moment to hear the problem.
"Right," he says. "This is more complicated than I thought, and I'm afraid it's my fault. I'm going to have to say something to everyone, and I'm not exactly certain what to say. But I will make the rounds at dinner tonight."
--M. J. Young
There is no word of any special meeting, and of course you eat with the men and women and Bredd eats with the orcs in a separate area, so you are separated shortly after work.
Mr. Kucher arrives while you are eating, and asks to have everyone's attention, including the cooks and wait staff. Once everyone is reasonably quiet, he speaks in a calm well-projected voice.
"Gentlemen and ladies, most of you have by now become aware that a new religion is being discussed on the ranch, one which asserts that Gaia is the servant and creation of a greater God, sometimes named Christ. I thought this one of the many orc religions that can be so dangerous and unpredictable, but I have since discovered that it is a human faith, brought to us by Nikolaj, from Bel Jinn. It is arguable that it rejects the Gaian faith of our fathers completely, but I can see that it might as easily be argued that it completes that faith and makes it what it was always intended to be. For this reason, we are allowing the followers of the new faith to worship and practice on the ranch unhindered. We are not by this interfering with the practice of the Gaian faith, nor insisting that anyone here adhere to one of these over the other. Gaian worship will continue as always, and Christian worship will also be allowed, and no one will be penalized in any way for embracing either faith.
"Now, if you will excuse me, I must make this same announcement to the orcs before they are quartered, and to the household evening staff as well.
"Thank you for your attention."
He looks around, and then heads for the exit.
--M. J. Young
As he leaves I stand up as well.
"Thank you very much! This leads me to the announcement that we can start preparing for a new baptism service somewhere soon. There are at least two participants as of now, if more people have come to know Christ and want to be baptized, please come talk to me this evening. If there are people who are curious about this Christ and want to know who He is, please contact me or any of the other believers. We will explain it at the baptism service as well."
I sit down and try to eat some before people with questions will come (if there are those that come).
You eat your dinner in peace, for better or worse.
That's not quite true. One of those from the previous baptism asks whether it's true that Miss Kucher has permission to be baptized.
--M. J. Young
"Well, there are a couple fellows in my herding crew who've asked some questions, and I've given them answers as I could. I don't know whether they're interested or just curious, but they've asked questions a couple times."
--M. J. Young
"Good, that's good. And if there are questions you don't know an answer to, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll try to help you. Eventually you will all know enough so that the next generation can come ask questions with you and the others from now."
I smile. That reminds me that I probably need to go look for a place to hold services.
Dinner ends. Did you have plans before bed?
--M. J. Young
I think I usually translate a bit of Galatians every night before bed. Also, I think I recall that we could use whatever they used for Gaian services in the afternoon for our Christian services. So I don't need to worry about that.
I write a note to Katherine to tell her the baptism will be possible and that Bredd will be baptized as well. "We need to set a date for that. What about next [insert name 8th day of the week]?", I ask. "There's a service planned anyway, and most people have a day off."
I believe the Gaian services are held in the dining area, which is more a tarp covered pavilion than a building but has the virtue of being large and having benches (although it also has tables).
Katherine agrees that it would be good to hold the baptism on that day; she prefers not to delay it any more than necessary, but sees that having it on a day when more people can attend would be the best idea.
--M. J. Young
Good, that settled, I fell into the translation and praying to close the day.
I'm slowly skimming this entire topic to freshen up my memory and find back my routine. I'm also listing my contacts etc. I'm still only with click there now, before he's sold to the other owner. Also, the beginning of the topic says there is a little worship building, but ever since then it has been said that worship is held in the dining area. It makes sense that it would be in the dining area here on a ranch and not in a worship place, but I thought I'd mention so you could see whether or not it is consistent.
Thanks for picking that up. I'll conclude that the "little worship building" is more of a prayer chapel some use for times of personal crisis, large enough perhaps for the family but not for the whole camp.
You have a few days to prepare for the baptism. We'll move through them more quickly unless you have particular tasks you wish to accomplish in that time. You conducted a baptismal service previously, and I presume that your character will use the same rough program.
--M. J. Young
If you're going to have the baptism, you probably need to hold it out at the watering hole?
--M. J. Young
Ah, yes, make me do the work of looking up how it was done last time....
As I recall, the plan was for you to introduce the ceremony and then let each of the candidates (for lack of a better word) say a few words and be baptized. Katherine had suggested that Bredd should go first, and she should follow, as a reminder that in Christ the daughter of the master of the house is not more important than an orc slave child.
You reach the ceremony and are about to begin when one of the wives of one of the cowhands wants to speak to you. She wants to know what she has to do to become a Christian and be baptized.
--M. J. Young
Oh, sorry, that was not my intention. Sorry!
Yes. It's an open ceremony. Family and friends are welcomed. The gospel will be explained using the wordless book (but with peaces of cloth that are prepared). Those who will be baptized give their testimony. Then the baptism itself starts. After that it is a little party.
You reach the ceremony and are about to begin when one of the wives of one of the cowhands wants to speak to you. She wants to know what she has to do to become a Christian and be baptized.
I tell her that she should accept Christ in her life as the one who died for her sins and rose again to give her new life. She should repent her sins and follow Him.
"If you are willing to do that, you can be baptized with the others today."
If she wants that I take her to Katherine (or call Katherine over).
"Katherine, This lady wants to accept Christ as Her Lord and savior and repent of her sins. Could you pray with her while I start things up here? Bredd will start the testimonies, as you suggested excellently. Before that, the story of Christ will be told again, using the colors. So you've got the time to work through it all. Do you want to help me with that?"
Somewhat nervously, Katherine says, "I think I can do that. You go ahead."
You finish the introductions, and young Bredd comes forward when you call him.
"I'm just an orc," he begins. "In fact, I'm probably less than that--I'm an orc slave and an orc child, not a free orc and not a grown up orc. But Nikolaj showed me that Jesus loves orcs as much as He loves people, that He loves slaves as much as masters, and he loves children as much as grown ups. He wants us all to love each other and treat each other as part of one family. That doesn't make me not an orc, or not a child, or not a slave; but it means that even as an orc, a slave, and a child, I can be one of God's chosen people, one of those He loves and takes as His own. I am here, because I love God and I love Jesus and I have learned to love all of you, orcs and men alike, because God loves us all the same and calls us into His one family together."
He looks to you for some indication that he's said enough, and then sits down.
Katherine comes forward.
"Wow. Praise God. It's wonderful to see new people join the family--and as Bredd said, it is a family, a gathering of all of us to love God and each other, thanks to what Jesus did. He did it for me. He let me see that being the daughter of the master of the house did not guarantee me some special place in life or in death, but that I was no better than the orc slaves who looked at me sometimes with fear, sometimes with respect, sometimes with hatred. God had to show me, too, that we are all part of His family--or at least, we are all invited to be part of His family, through Jesus.
"Some of you will wonder why I wasn't the first to speak. After all, by all the standards that govern things here on the ranch, I'm one of the most important people here. But the point is that I'm not more important than anyone else here. Jesus is the important one. The rest of us make each other important, but putting each other first. Bredd is every bit as important to God as I am. He's my brother now. God has torn down the barriers and brought us together."
She, too, looks to you for a cue.
You have one more person awaiting baptism. Thoughts before we continue?
--M. J. Young
I smile as I hear the testimonies. They are wonderful! I nod at them, signifying that it's well said.
I step up to the stage/speaking area (probably not a stage) and tell them that just now a new person has accepted Christ as her savior. I invite her forward and to tell us how she came to know Him and how she came to take this step.
After all the testimonies, we start the baptism.
ooc:
Well done, Nikolaj--using his adjunct characters to do what he doesn't have time to do himself. Katherine is a good choice. I'll move through the testimonies of the two that were expected, and give him a chance to decide how things should go from here.
Thanks. Though that was only part of why I did it. I think this would be the best place to say this (for reference etc) since it's crucial to my handling things. Where I go to church there is this 'safety-rule' of men only counseling men and women only counseling women. Mostly to save marriages etc. since when you have deep talks you bond. Since I did not know whether or not this new woman is married, I saw it best fit to let another woman handle it. The only one I knew of the top of my head to be christian was Katherine. I've also personally explained everything to her so I know she can do it. She's used to having authority, so she can lead. It all adds up. :)
I'm familiar with that safety rule and understand it. There was a similar quirk at the crisis pregnancy center with which I was involved--they trained perhaps thirty counselors and then decided that the men who had trained would not be allowed to counsel anyone. I did use the training subsequently to train other (women) counselors, but it irked me a bit that I was not going to be "in the trenches" as it were.
I agree that it is a good rule generally. I also am cautious about rules, because they so easily become law and prevent people from doing what God requires. That, though, is not important in this thread, I expect.
The woman comes forward.
"I, um--I didn't expect this." She seems very nervous, but clears her throat and pulls together her composure, and continues.
"You all know my brother, and you all know my husband. My brother was baptized, at the last service. He has since been telling me that I need to turn to Jesus and be baptized, because the God above Gaia has come to our world and is calling people to him. My husband doesn't believe that. He thinks that this is a dangerous heresy, and that Gaia is going to be angry at those who abandon her for this other god. I don't know what to tell him; but what Pete says makes sense, and I see the change in him and in his friends, and I know that they have found something that I never saw in Joe or any of the others. And I see it in Miss Kucher, too, who is so very much kinder to all the household and garden workers. I think, it must be real. They say that even Gaia is on their side, and the people who are rejecting Jesus in the name of Gaia don't understand who Gaia always was, like she's been the caretaker waiting for the owner to come home, and now he's home and she's still here helping run the house, but she's not in charge anymore.
"Anyway, I can't say I know what's true about Gaia, but I can say that these Christians are different, and I want to be one of them--and now I guess I am, and Lord willing I'll start to be different, too.
"I just hope that things work out all right with Joe."
She looks to you, as if wondering if she's said enough.
--M. J. Young
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