OM El Salvador sets out to redeem a rough neighbourhood.

In this episode of Bleeding Daylight, I interview Eric Stephens, a pastor, life coach, and founder of Redwood Christian Ministries. Eric shares his powerful journey from a difficult childhood marked by the absence of his biological father and struggles with addiction and depression, to a transformative encounter with the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ. […]

Fr. Thomas often receives email asking him about the Orthodox view of redemption including the topics of God's wrath, the payment of a ransom, punishment, guilt, and salvation. Listen to this episode but also refer to his Names of Jesus series where many of these themes are addressed.

Fr. John shares his homily on Psalm 110.

"If you're suffering today, know this: you are on the right path. If you're not suffering, that's when you should be worried. If you are suffering in this life, God is with you. If you don't find life easy and comfortable, you're doing it right." On the Sunday of the Cross, Fr. Apostolos shares about the redemption of our own suffering through the suffering of Christ.

The beauty of Orthodoxy is richly expressed in her magnificent iconography adorning the walls and ceilings of our churches. As the parish of St Nicholas continues the iconographic renewal of their temple, Fr Thomas encourages parishioners to look up and see the Kingdom to come.

As the celebration of Theophany continues, Fr. Tom shows us that all of Christ's redemptive work is set forth to build the Church and bring us to perfection.

“If you cross the Jordan, you will find glorious rest.” (Life of Saint Mary of Egypt) Jesus tells us that He came to shed His blood and "give His life as a ransom for many.” But what exactly does that mean? What does the Orthodox Church teach about atonement? We're going to learn about the redemption and atonement that Jesus offers us. And this redemption isn't simply *from* something, but also *for* something. And Saint Mary of Egypt (who we celebrate on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent) is a perfect example of what that looks like. Christ saves us *from* sin and death so we can be *free* to live as Christians, loving and serving both God and neighbor. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee173

Oils and fats manufacturers continue to develop ingredients that help bakers and snack producers create healthier versions of the products consumers love.

"The Gravel Road"

By Douglas Render

FaZe did not have a good season. #esports #blastpremierworldfinal #counterstriker

Reg Smythe's Andy Capp was the greatest British newspaper strip of the 20th Century, but few people realise how much of his own troubled childhood Smythe poured into Andy and Flo's lives. Andy was essentially a portrait of Smythe's wastrel father, Flo a version of his formidable mother, and their neighbourhood a portrait of the pre-war Hartlepool where Smythe grew up. My new book traces Smythe's own biography, explores its parallels in Andy's world, and tackles the strip's early wife-beating jokes. There's also a look at how the balance of power has shifted between Andy and Flo down the years and my own analysis of just what made Smythe such an accomplished and stylish cartoonist.

Down The Tubes has already reviewed the book, calling it "a terrific re-examination of Andy Capp, smashing myths about the strip". Paul Gravett, the UK's leading comics critic, describes it as "a rich, revelatory study". MeFites discussed an earlier version of the book's Andy Capp material here.

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Gaza Mon Amor [Palestine/France, Tarzan & Arab Nasser, 3] Middle-aged fisherman discovers a Greek statue and courts a wary dress shop clerk. Deliberately paced dramedy of life under oppression.

The Way I See It [US, Dawn Porter, 3.5] Documentary profile of Obama-era Official White House photographer traces his arc from work for the Reagan administration to anti-Trump social media gunslinger. Whether American viewers consider this slickly fashioned film heartfelt or sentimental will depend on party registration. It’s certainly explicitly framed to fire up Democrats to get out there to de-elect the current president.

Under the Open Sky [Japan, Miwa Nishikawa, 4] Out of prison after a long sentence, an aging yakuza (Koji Yakusho) struggles with his volcanic temper as he attempts to go straight. Bittersweet drama anchored by a lead performance from Yakusho, a mainstay of contemporary Japanese cinema.

Penguin Bloom [Australia, Glendyn Ivin, 3] A former surfer left paralyzed from the chest down by a freak accident reluctantly bonds with a magpie chick named Penguin, which one of her young sons has rescued. Sun-dappled animal-related family drama about the depression and anger that can accompany a life-changing injury.

In a regular year I would definitely have programmed Under the Open Sky, and would possibly have picked Gaza Mon Amor, depending on its position on the schedule grid.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Welcome to A Late Look, a series of articles where I take a belated look at games from yesteryear that I missed out on the first time around. Not quite review and not quite rant, it’s more a casual assessment of what I – the gamer of the future – consider to be each game’s strengths and weaknesses in retrospect.

This time we’re saddling up for a look at Red Dead Redemption II, one of the biggest critical and commercial successes of the last ten years. It conveniently went completely under my radar, allowing me to look at it now. I was ten years late to the first game, this time it’s only six, so at this rate I’ll definitely be playing Red Dead Redemption IV on launch day. I'm looking forward to that, but for now let’s see how the second game fares in 2024.

Strength: The Van der Linde Gang

Travel back to a time before former-outlaw John Marston got pulled from his farmer life in the first title, to when he was… well, an outlaw. While you might play as Arthur Morgan, in this game you become part of John’s old gang – the Van der Linde gang – together with Marston himself and other familiar and unfamiliar characters. While RDR2 also boasts a few other strong characters, this gang is at the heart of the game and, luckily, is also its strongest element, with plenty of faces and personalities that (almost) all get their time to shine. What adds all the more to the connection and believability of these characters is the living nature of the camp itself; it's your home base outside of missions, where the gang will go about their daily tasks and have conversations & arguments that you can occasionally join in on – there are even celebrations and songs around the campfire. Even if it’s mostly just flavor, the strength of this particular feature and what it adds in terms of immersion shouldn’t be understated.

Weakness: Red Dead Redemption II: Usability Nightmare

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