What is love?

ok now I really believe I need to explain something here. something many people are constantly asking themselves. Am I "In Love" and what does that mean? Is it right or wrong to have a strong emotional bond with someone and is that all there is to love? Is love just a feeling? Is love not a feeling for that matter, does true love really need time to develop or can someone truly believe in "Love at first sight"?? We have lots of instruction about this both from the bible and from many of our leaders and teachers. The bible develops very well what love means. First off biblical love is commonly referred to as agape. There are other types of love as well. Eros and Philia are these other two kinds of love. Many people in our culture have mistaken Eros for true love and have a really cruddy relationships because of it. Eros is best defined in the word it sounds like "Erotic" (as Eros is the root for Erotic) it is simply the emotions that run through your head and body when you are "falling in love" with somebody. As it was said before "Eros" love fades with time through biological means and therefore the bond that there was before quickly dies. Sadly I believe this is one of the key factors in divorces today. A couple gets together thinking they are "In love" and then after a few years the feeling wears off. They aren't getting the feeling they once had when they first met and now they are longing for the romantic feel again. Second there is Philia which is brotherly love. We see brotherly love all around us in the friends we make and how we treat those friends. Now one problem I commonly see is a person having a great relationship with someone of the opposite sex and then realizing that they have a strong feeling of love for them. Now this is a form of true love but it is not the love to be found within a marriage. The bible commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves and this will lead to a true love with that person. What I was saying is that sometimes I see a person loving someone else and then the relationship becomes highly confused. Someone mistakes the others Philia love for "True love" and then they take the relationship from there and go off and get married. They truly love each other so that shouldn't be a problem right? Wrong! they have the wrong type of love for a marriage relationship. Philia in my mind is one step higher than Eros but it still isnt quite there to Agape yet. Now to ease up some confusion somebody might have at this point I am not saying Eros or Philia are wrong, in fact they are quite great! They are both forms of love that we express to each other. A marriage will have a very tough time getting going if there is no Eros within it and will definitely fail if there is no Philia! But here I get to the crux of it all, Agape love. The purest form of love we know of. Agape love is best defined by the bible in 1 Corinthians 13 when it describes the different features of love. I will now go into a bit of detail about each of these aspects of love.
Love is patient: Love is long suffering, it will endure all hardships without any felling we may have because of it. We love without being filled with anger, resentment, indignation, or revenge. So yes, a very good way to see whether your relationship will last is through going through tough times but I would argue that this need not be tested to know that you have this aspect of Agape love. All you need to do is to ask yourself a very simple question. What would I do if she (or he) did “_____” And you fill in the blank with some really horrible things. If you can honestly answer that you would feel no resentment or want revenge then you have this form of love. You need not wait around and question if you have this form of love until something comes around to test it.
Love is kind: your love should be gentle, courteous, and obliging. You will seek out to do favors for your beloved, not because you will gain something from it but because you just feel inclined to do so. In fact you may find yourself purposefully straying away from any behavior in which you could stand to gain from your good deeds. This is an aspect of humility as well.
Love does not envy: you do not become jealous when somebody else gets something you don’t in fact you are very glad for that person. You do not wish to tear the other down to your level or are displeased in their happiness. You share that joy with your loved one and rejoice with them instead!
Love does not brag: You do not seek to gain your beloved’s approval and admiration. You do not need their applause. You are to be humble and to do things, as I said before, selflessly. True love will raise your opinion of you loved one and in so doing lower your opinion of yourself. You then will find it hard to become conceited or arrogant. You do not seek to raise tumults and disturbances but seek to calm these angry passions.
Love is not arrogant: We must accept that we cannot be mind readers or somehow know everything there is to know about the other. We must be modest and expect the loved one to change over time and love the person they develop into. We will be, again, humble in our thoughts about each other.
Love does not act unbecomingly: Your love should stay securely within the bounds of decency. You will do nothing ill-mannered or rude. You refuse to do things that could be seen as base or vile, and you will do things as there is a time and place. We will act with reverence and respect for our beloved and keep the distinctions our society has set for us to keep. You will not do anything that could be seen as irresponsible or inappropriate.
Love does not seek its own: Love is unselfish. It is not self serving. We will, in our love continually express service to our beloved. We are naturally “takers” and must learn in our love to become “givers”. Love is “What can I do to serve you” instead of “what is in it for me”
Love is not provoked: If you love this person you will never be irritated with them. You will not be annoyed with things they do whether simple or deep. In so doing you cannot then bring up such annoyances in arguments as insult. If you love this person you will not find the annoying thing annoying anymore. If you find yourself doing this however now is the time to correct this behavior. It is highly destructive and serves only for pain of both parties. You are first annoyed with something they do then in the future you bring it up in an argument only to hurt them. Do not let yourself be quick to anger either. Let love soothe your mind and do not hold on to such passions.
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered: Love thinks no evil. You must not think to get even with someone and pay them back somehow. You must also not suspect evil of someone. You must give them, as it is said, the benefit of the doubt. Do not indulge your suspicions and do not give into an ill opinion of your beloved. You must be slow and reluctant to believe wrongly anything about them. Instead of seeking out to uncover a lie it seeks to cover. It covers all sins with love and patience and longsuffering.
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness: love, simply, wishes no ill to anyone. It does not take into matter the sins of the other with delight or rejoicing. It does not rejoice in its own sins. You must respond to the failings of others with compassion and extend a helping hand in restoration. You must not have sport in seeing another’s sins uncovered.
Love rejoices with the truth: love will have great joy every time the expression of truth takes place. It is overjoyed at the righteous application of the knowledge of God’s word, a life being changed, and the growth of faith of the beloved. It seeks justice and blessing.
Love bears all things: love will cover, keep silent, and keep confidential all wrongdoings of the beloved. It will endure and put up with any shortcomings. We must become aware of the nature of the object of our love, and how it is yet only human. We must allow the loved one to expose their faults before us. To “lay here broken and naked” for us to “clothe you in crimson roses” we must seek to protect our loved one from the public rather than to publish their faults for the world to see.
Love believes all things: this is much more directly aimed at giving your beloved the benefit of the doubt. You will believe them until all evidence becomes too overwhelming and then you will confront them but in love and understanding believing them and their reasons the whole way. You will see only the best in your beloved whenever possible.
Love hopes all things: love hopes for the best in the object of the love. You constantly look for the best and encourage and exhort them for all their accomplishments. You must acknowledge the presence of sin however but still look to see the good and the hope in all things.
Love endures all things: Love stands its ground and never gives up. The word here is a military term meaning to hold on regardless of whatever assaults and attacks may come our way. Love should hold on with all its got and never let go. That is where the wedding vows come in. We are commited to what we are doing here in this relationship. I’m gonna be here till I die!
So now that you know what agape love really means I would like to say that a marriage without agape love is not a true marriage at all. It is the purest form of love. Now the next big argument I would like to make is that we in our various natures will feel that love most in certain ways. I would like to suggest reading about the five love languages yourself, but here I will also describe what they are and what they mean in a newly developing relationship. They are Words of affirmation, Quality time, Acts of service, Physical touch, and Gifts. Don’t ever let anybody tell you that one or more of these expressions of love are insignificant or possibly not needed. These aspects of the expression of love must be very prevalent in any relationship whether pre or post marriage. Every individual develops differently psychologically, so his or her individual love language can vary widely. Frequently that person will best express his love for another in his own language just as we English speakers speak English best. However, in a relationship with a person of the opposite sex you may find that the person opposite may have a totally different love language. This is frequently where the confusion arises between partners. They must learn to speak each other’s language and to speak it fluently. Now first I would like to address the problem some of you might have with somebody having the love language of physical touch. You might argue that it isn’t one or that it is somehow wrong or whatever. But I am here to tell you that my own dominant love language is most likely physical touch. This entails anything really. Holding hands while walking, hugging, backrubs, and most obviously kissing. Now this is most definitely a Godly aspect of love. I would challenge any person who thinks otherwise to give Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) a good read through. God has created the intimacy of physical touch with great purpose.
At this point I would also like to argue against the point of love being just a biological thing. If we reduce “being in love” to just a biological impulse than what have we become?! Of course we have a biological impulse that drives us in this fashion but do not reduce a relationship to that! If you feel like you are in love with somebody than you probably are, but instead of blaming that on hormones and pheromones I would like to point you to what true love is. Have an agape love with your girlfriend/boyfriend and you will not believe where it will take you! Yes you, being newly in love, can have true Agape love. Nothing and nobody can stop you from doing that! So yes, I believe in love at first sight, at least in the regard that it is highly possible to have agape love for someone immediately after seeing them. The reason behind this is that Love is a choice. You all know this very well from reading Ted Dekker’s stuff. What are the things El Elyon loves us by? He Chooses, He Pursues, He Rescues, He Woos, He Protects, He Lavishes! What is the first step? Choosing. It is possible for you to choose to love someone with agape love as soon as you see them. So there! Do not judge a relationship purely on how long it has been going, or on anything else. Judge it on whether you see true agape love or not. Time is a really crappy recommendation for this situation. What is needed is to analyze whether this “love” is currently only biological or whether it is Agape. If it is agape then I would advise moving ahead in the relationship in whatever form that may be. If it isn’t then it doesn’t mean you have to stop the relationship it just means that you need to focus on developing the agape love. Now, this does not mean that whoever you are in love with will respond with reciprocity and so don’t take this as “advice on how to get a girl/guy” but instead take this as advice on how to make sure your love is real and genuine. I am very happy to say that my love for my girlfriend of 3 months is very real and genuine and yes I do intend to eventually marry her. That is another thing to think about there. If you do not dwell on the possibility of marrying the person you love, then what are you doing? You are wasting your own time and theirs. So at this point I think I have answered all the questions I initially asked but I may end up writing a lot more eventually. Thanks for reading all of this and I hope my insight can help here!

The rain falls tall

I would like to post a poem I wrote for my beloved:

The rain falls tall:

the lightning colors her face
shadows fade as the sun sets
flowers bloom in the pale snow
--------she breathes
all sound has been vanquished
my heart remains not
though I know the place
------she trod
softening my soul as
it melts for her,---she breathes
what.---(the touch?)
---passion ripples in
---the shaded night
------------touching
---------touching
------touching
delighting in the culmination of
---h
---e---c
---r---o
-------u
-------n
-------t
-------e-------singing silently
-------n
-------a
-------n------(in beautiful pain)
-------c
-------e
she breathes
completion is
-----------------her eyes wide shut
--------------------flickering
omens~
-------------there is the ocean
------i fall up
---------------neverending sky
caressing my face------[my scars]
---------------------------the Bells??
---running;
------------------the taste
------------sounds like(
-----------------------wet lilies
---on dry snow)---------she breathes
It
---------------------------Ends
what fury! what insanity!
must i continue to accept what is
not mine? farewell i say! good
tidings i give to all that await
me. I go to the one who can
save me from myself
---------------------she---Breathes
i hAve losT mYself ; ?
my plans were not of this burning
what! am I becoming ...........?
she
----touches
-------------my
----------------face
-----I---------------Die
i am in the womb
------------now, contemplating
----------------my death
--my birth
-----------what birth becomes?
I know there is naught else
i have chosen, my will is set
my love festers it
------------breeds and with it my
heart BLEEDS
-------------------------------becomes me
-----------------my love---consumes me
------------------------------decimates me
---our mouths
inexorably embrace

this is her deliverance:
I Breathe

The Puppetmaster is back!

And now to start the show, a sing along.....

Not really, even though that would be dope. I really just want to start my blog up again as a more frequent thing. I really enjoyed doing it before and now I feel would be an excellent time to start up again. I don't know how many people may read it but I don't care. It is just nice to get my thoughts out there.

The first thing I would like to talk about is our future president Barack Obama. I know this is a touchy subject for many people but I would like to say that we all need to support him now regardless of our beliefs. If we do not stand together as one nation then divided we fall. Economic troubles are an example of that. If we do not stand together and work at this problem nothing can be done about it and America as we know it is over. But if we only work together as a nation of free peoples we will come through it and stronger than before. If we do not support Obama than we may fail. Now to those who are dissenting at this point I have this point. Supporting Obama does not have to look like agreeing with everything the liberals say and just following along like a lost puppy. NO! Supporting Obama simply looks like giving respect to the position of authority given to him and to showing that respect to those that voted for him and his ideals. Remember that God is the one who raised up Obama to be president at this time not some evil power. God has a plan for our nation. I do not know if it is a plan I might agree with, but it is best for us. Another thing is how everybody is talking about how he "Is gonna get shot" It annoys me how everybody takes this as a statement of fact. It is a sad world when we talk about how our president is gonna get shot just because of the color of his skin. Sadly I believe there is way too much truth to these statements and I fear for Obama's life and those of his family. I believe the best thing we can do for any president especially this one to show the respect we have for him as president is to pray for him. Thus I urge you all to pray frequently for our future president.

On a sadly related note, about this "THE END OF THE WORLD IS NOW" crap:

Do you guys ever read your bible? We will never know when he comes, it says he will come like a thief in the night. It will be when we least expect it. Another great point comes from a college class I am taking right now called "Perspectives on the world christian movement" It is soooo dope! Anybody that hasn't taken the class needs to! It is a class primarily about the great commission and how Jesus called us to witness to all nations tribes and tongues, somthin we arn't doin too well as christians. Sure christianity is growing in many parts of the world now, but did you know that only 0.5% of our money that we give in offering goes to spreading the gospel? The rest is spent on ourselves. If we are not spending this money correctly that accounts for many of the people who have never heard of christ. We simply are just sitting back and waiting for them to die and go to hell. I know that sounds harsh but isn't it what us "Christians" are doing? I don't think this accuratly displays the love of christ to the world. No wonder the majority of the world that has heard of us thinks we are all stuck up rich people who don't really care. They end up suprised when a true christian shows them true love. The crazy thing is the much of the world has never heard of us at all! Never once seen the love of Christ. Now back on topic....... Oh yeah "the end of the world" Ok, first the end of the world comes when we least expect it as we already established. Second, it comes when we have spread the word of God to every tribe and tongue. (you would be amazed how many languages don't have a bible translated) Third, why are you worrying about yourself? We won't even be here for the bad parts! Who you need to worry about are those that you could be telling about Christ but you have never done so! Sacrifice your popularity, your money, your time, your shirt off your back for those that need to hear! Read your bible if you want to know more about the end. Don't listen to the quacks. Listen to the WORD

This ends my newest edition of RANT LIKE CRAZY!

In Closing

The rest of the game was largely uneventful, and concluded in the same way, on a thurday. All of the last info is listed below.

05-08-2008

5/8/2008: Urgent, from the Overseer
TO: THE CIRCLE

FROM: THE OVERSEER

SUBJECT: 5.8.2008

5/8/2008: Urgent, from the Overseer

I have several updates for you this morning in the search for the lost Book of History.

Last week, members of the Circle de-ciphered a cryptic photograph that was found on Jack Stroud's hard drive. Embedded in the photo was a puzzle that, when solved, yielded the numbers "787683". The numbers turned out to be the remaining digits of an IP address our intelligence technicians gleaned from Stroud's hard drive.

We accessed the website this morning using the word "Paradise", which the Circle recently discovered had been hidden in a book titled "Chaos". We found what appears to be an incomplete set of 27 GPS coordinates stretching from a desert location in Nevada to a castle in the south of France. I have sent operatives to 14 of the sites, but the Book has yet to be found. We are working right now to piece the rest together, but we are missing some parts to the puzzle.

But, things seem to be turning a corner...

*UPDATE ON THE SEARCH FOR KARA*

This morning at approximately 2:30 a.m., an Alabama state trooper was patrolling a stretch of I-65. Barely visible through the rain, he saw a figure standing in the middle of the road. He swerved and barely missed the person, whom he thought was a desperate hitchhiker caught in the storm. When he got out of his cruiser he noticed it was a woman, swaying on the brink of unconsciousness. When he stepped closer and saw her bruises and the skin on her wrists rubbed raw and bleeding, he knew that she had survived something more sinister than a bad night in the rain.

She reached out to steady herself and collapsed. The officer caught her, radioed for medical help, and held her until the ambulance arrived. Before she passed out, the officer asked about her name. "Kara," she said. When he asked why she was clutching a small wooden elephant, she just smiled and said, "They never forget what they're told."

Kara was transported to a Birmingham hospital, where she is being treated for hypothermia and some mild injuries. I spoke with her briefly a little over two hours ago. She is battered, but in good spirits. She remembers very little about her ordeal, except her initial attack and abduction, then later when she awoke in a dark room tied to a chair.

She hopes to give us a full account of her story later today, as well as some information she says Black stole from Stroud. Information that she now has and hopes will lead us to the Book. I am scheduled to talk with her again this afternoon and will pass everything I learn on to you as I have it.

The Overseer

05-08-2008

From Kara (5.8.08)

Members of the Circle,

As the Overseer mentioned earlier, it's been a harrowing couple of weeks for me.� Some of it I remember clearly.� Some of it not at all. Most of it is fuzzy like an old picture that was shot just out of focus.

It all started when I flew to Nevada at the Overseer's request to witness Stroud's arrest.� After EMT's took Stroud to the hospital, I returned to my hotel to gather my things and fly back to meet the Overseer.� When I stepped into my room I was hit from behind.� I held onto consciousness only long enough to get a worms eye view of the carpet and my attacker's silver-tipped cowboy boots.

The next few hours come and go from my memory.� I remember being in a trunk with a red pillowcase over my head.� At first I thought it had been a different color at one time and was stained with my own blood, but it wasn't.� I remember the hum of tires like we were on an expressway, then pavement surrendering to gravel.� Once or twice we stopped and the trunk popped open.� Someone tugged at the zip-ties binding my hands and feet then would slam the lid.

Then darkness and the stink of exhaust.

The next time I gained consciousness I was sitting in a chair, hands tied behind me and a blanket covering me.� Then I heard his voice as if he was recording a message.� Black.� When he was done he kicked my chair over and my head slammed into the concrete floor.� When I awoke, the zip-ties and pillowcase were gone and my hands were handcuffed around a greenish copper pipe that disappeared into the ceiling above me.� A slow trickle of water ran down the pole and into the hole in the floor.

I didn't know how long I had been there until today.� Each one blended and faded with the next.� I heard nothing but the drip of water and the occasional gust of wind.� No voices.� No footsteps.� Nothing.

The first couple of days were spent trying to find a way to escape.� I shimmied up the pipe, hoping I could slip my chains over the top somehow.� Each time I slid down. I pulled at the pole.� I screamed.� A lot. I tugged at the handcuffs until my hands bled.� Nothing.� Pulled some more until my hands throbbed and felt like they had been shoved into a bonfire.I did this every day.� For hours I did it.� I would work and struggle, then slurp some of the water from the pipe.� It tasted like old pennies, but there was nothing else I could do.�� Work.� Sip water.� Sleep.� Work. Sip water.� Sleep.� It seemed this basement, or whatever it was, would turn into a tomb within a matter of days.

They say that people who survive extraordinary situations come to a place where they become detached from themselves, look at the situation from above it, and decide to do whatever it takes to survive.� I had one of those moments and knew that no one was coming.� No one knew where I was.� I realized what I had to do.

I had once seen a special on an escape artist.� The story went that he would slip out of his cuffs by dislocating his thumb, which caused the hand to collapse in on itself so he could tug it through the cuff.� I thought it was worth a try, so I slid my hands down the pipe toward the hole in the floor.� The hole was small enough and the cuff just loose enough that I could jam my hand between the pipe and side of the hole and lever my thumb with my full body weight.� I still get queasy thinking about it, but suffice it to say that the soft "pop" of my bone brought with it a whole galaxy of stars that lit up my head.

When I awoke, I was drenched in sweat and staring at the ceiling.� But, my hand was free of the handcuff.

I left the house, which was nothing more than a shack in the middle of the woods.� But, on my way out I came across a pile of clothes and papers in what was the front room.� I assume they were Stroud's belongings, which Black had taken.� I went through them, but found nothing worth a second glance other than a small wooden elephant.� For whatever reason I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket.

Two days later I stumbled onto a freeway, where a state trooper found me.

I am on the mend, but there is one thing you should know:� that elephant wasn't just a trinket.� I was looking at it this morning and noticed a fine seam that ran along its back, from head to tail.� I slid a fingernail into it and the carving split into two halves.� Inside it was some sort of memory drive.� I remember thinking, how secretive can one man be?� I sent the drive to the Overseer for analysis. I think the elephant is symbolic and my hope is that it is the final piece to the puzzle.

As far as Black, I don't know where he is or what he found in Stroud's bag.� But, I think he had the key in his hand and tossed it aside as a worthless toy.� We're about to find out.

Talk with you all soon. Dive deep.

Kara

05-15-2008

The Books of History

Members of the Circle,

At 6:23 this morning, thanks to the hard work and insight you have all provided, our intelligence team was able to fully access Stroud's list and learn the three locations we've all been searching for.� We believe that Stroud hid three books, and one of them is the Lost Book of History.� According to information we received before he died, we know that, of the three, one is authentic and two are replicas.� Attached are actual reference photos we found in Stroud's file.� He apparently took them before hiding the books.� Thanks to you, the Circle will have all three in its possession within the next few days.

After we have confirmed the coordinates and which cities the books appear to be hidden, we will select three members of the Circle to go to the specified locations and retrieve the Books.� So that we can keep this information as confidential as possible (we know that Marsuvees Black frequents this site), we will hand select the operatives and contact them directly.� Once they have been notified and are en route to the secure the Books we will update the rest of the Circle.

This has been a long and trying time for us all, and even now we are not yet finished. But, the end is finally upon us.� On behalf of the Overseer I want to thank all of you for what you have done.� Only Elyon knows what would have happened if you had decided to stand on the sidelines and let history be written by our enemies.� Instead, you rose to the challenge and decided it was not enough to simply stand by. � You made a difference.� You made history.� Only when we return the book to Kara will we know how the story ends...if such stories end at all.

The Overseer had hoped to send this message, but he is out of the country on urgent business and will return just in time to celebrate at the Gathering.�� He said to simply tell you to dive deep, never break the circle, and always be mindful of what lies beneath the skin of this life.� For three of you, the adventure with this one book has one more step to it.� But, for all of us, the story has just really begun.� I will be in touch with you shortly once those whom Elyon has decided will retrieve the books have been chosen.

Until then, dive deeply friends,

Paradise Sage

BTW, for those who have been wondering, Professor Abraham is well and sends his greetings.� For reasons I still cannot tell you, he has stayed among the shadows until another time.� But, do not worry friends, he is well.

05-22-2008

The Chosen Members of the Circle,Over the past week I have sent operatives to eleven locations that we gleaned from Stroud's files in the hope that the Book of History is hidden at one of them.

The good news: we found books at each of the locations, all of which were stolen and all of which we were able to return to their rightful owners. The bad news: none of them were the one Book we are looking for. But...

Three locations remain, and three members of the Circle have been chosen to go to those locations. One of them will find the Book. I cannot yet tell you who the three are or the specifics of where they are going just yet. They have been instructed to go "dark" until they have recovered the Books.

All I can tell you is the 3 books are at locations in GA, SC, and NC. This we have CONFIRMED. Know that I am communicating with the Chosen Ones directly and they will be en route shortly. They have been instructed to recover the books and document their findings, which we will share with the rest of you.

Many of you would have given your lives to recover the Book of History. For that I am endlessly thankful. But while many were called, only three could be chosen. We will know soon which of them holds the true Book. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to those who have searched tirelessly, and given their time and commitment to the search. To the finding the truth. I owe you a debt of gratitude, which I cannot repay in this lifetime. Someday I will thank you each face to face.

Dive deep, friends. I will contact you all again one last time after we have the Book in hand. Our search is hurtling to a close and will undoubtedly end in the next 48 hours when the Book is back in the Circle's possession. And then...then, the story really begins.

Desperate for Elyon,

The Overseer

05-31-2008

The End. For now...

**The Lost Book of History Has Been Recovered**

This morning, the Chosen three members of the Circle retrieved the hidden Books of History that Stroud hid.� We have confirmed that, as expected, two of them were replicas and one of them was authentic.� So, friends, the Book has been recovered!

Julie P. of Castle Hayne, NC, located the authentic Book and retrieved it before Marsuvees Black reached it. � As a thank you to Julie, she will be receiving a 2008 Chevy Cobalt.

Robert S. of Cayce, SC, retrieved the second Book and will be receiving a home entertainment system.

Diane P. of Douglasville, GA, retrieved the third Book.� She will be receiving an Apple MacBook and an iPod.

Thank you to everyone who gave their all in the search for the Lost Book.� But, now that we have the Book, the adventure has just begun.� The stakes have never been higher, and the fate of the world depends on what we do today...tomorrow...the next day.� Let us rise to the challenge, lovers of Elyon.� May we dive deeper than ever before, and find our place in this, the greatest Story ever told.� The Story of Elyon.� Paradise's story.� Our Story.

Until we meet face to face...Dive Deep.

There was also a bit more coversation with david abraham and marsuvees black and so it is here:

Hello friends.

Let's talk. What kinds of questions do you have for me? I'll answer what I can.

Robert Stenton's ranch.(answering the question of where he was hiding)

There are a number of sensitive issues--both politic and spiritual--that I have had to attend to. If you would like, I will tell you what happened the night I disappeared.

Bear with me. Everyone on here posts so fast. I can only type with two fingers. I suppose I'm a techno dinosaur that way.

I have an office that only a few people know about. I go there to write, to pray, to work when I need to be close but "away".

I had been working non-stop for three days. I was going on about four hours of sleep. Both Kara and I had tracked down some leads on the Book of History. We were close, but as you know, someone had ...

It was the middle of the night. I was already jittery from what had happened earlier. The Overseer was worried about me and said that if Black found my house, he could find my office. He said it wasn't safe. But, after all, what is "safe" anymore? Life itself is amazing dangerous...and adventurous.

So, I decided to stay. It proved to be the wrong choice and the right one all at the same time. I knew that Black was coming. I had seen him earlier that night. The only way I could keep him from the Book was to stay one step ahead of him no matter the consequence. I went to my office, compiled the data and leads that I could and sent them to Kara. I was certain of my own death that night.

My suspicions were true. Midway through my transmission I heard a car pull into the garage below my office. For once I was thankful for the thin walls and floors of the building. Being 3 a.m. give or take, I knew it meant one thing: Black had found me. At best, I knew I had 2, maybe 3, minutes.

By the time I hit "SEND" on my message to Kara, I heard the front door to my office open. Within seconds he was inside my office...but it wasn't Black. The man standing in my office was hooded and had a softer face. Who it was, I don't know. But, it wasn't Black. He said nothing. Then he smashed my security camera and came after me. Then,

The hooded man said nothing. He just came over and hit me once with a tire iron. As I was going down I heard a loud explosion that I later learned was the back door of my office. When I came to, I was in an ambulance with two armed men sitting next to me.

One of the men, his name was Kevin, said that the Overseer had sent him and a couple others to keep an eye on me. They entered the building through the back, blew the door off and rushed in just as the hooded man was dragging me out. The hooded man dropped me and bolted from the office. Kevin took care of me, while the other man gave chase.

To answer the question about my office...my office is just a rented suite in a much larger space with multiple entrances.

The hooded man escaped, but the man who pursued him (Jonas, I believe his name was) said that he was no ordinary man. Jonas chased the hooded man across the highway and through a car dealership on the other side of the street. He said the man turned, lifted his hands in the air. When he did so, two cars lifted off the ground and spun in the air. Then the man "threw" them toward Jonas. Luckily, he got out of the way, but it bought the hooded man just enough time to escape.

Kevin and Jonas took me to the Stenton ranch that night, something the Overseer had arranged because he knew that my attacker would not miss the second time around. So, that is where I stayed. I communicated only with the Overseer. I needed Black to believe that, if i wasn't dead, I was at least "out of the game" so to speak.

I was secretly working behind the scenes. It was safer for Kara that way, I hope you understand. Now, here we stand within reach of the Books. My hope is that we reach them before Black does. But, I'm confident we'll get there first.

Well, my friends, I must be going. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the soon coming Gathering. Though I suspect there are others in the "inner circle" who will walk among you there. The Overseer always has a Guard watching his back. And sometimes they are the most unlikely of people. Dive deep, dear friends. I hope that we will meet face to face some day. And to Kevin and Jonas, if you're reading this, thank you. David Abraham 5/15/08

and then there was black, but he said nothing of significance.

sudoku and tengwar

The other day we recieved our newest update:

May 1, 2008: One Step Closer

Members of the Circle, our situation is desperate. The one person who knows where the Book is, Jack Stroud, is dead. Marsuvees Black has fallen off the grid, a fact that could mean far worse than I want to imagine. And Kara is still missing.

Our efforts to examine Stroud's hard drive have yielded little that seems helpful: A list of books that appears to be an inventory of the titles he's brokering and , uncovered just this morning, a locked file, a partial IP address and a photo. We have been working on the locked file all morning, but with no success. Since Stroud appeared to be enamored with cryptography, I believe the photo may hold the key to either the locked file or the website that awaits at the IP address. Hopefully, the book's location will be revealed in one of those two places.

Examine the photo and email Paradise.Sage@yahoo.com with your findings. Remember, we are probably looking for a series of numbers or what may appear to be a password.

Let us not give up hope. We are close. We have to be.

Godspeed,

The Overseer

Click HERE for Photo

the photo gave us a sudoku and a word in another font which we could not translate at first. We eventually soved this also. When soved the sudoku shows the numbers corresponding to the word "stroud" as on a cell phone. This is similar to the 335537 which is also dekker on a phone. The font in the image was found to be tengwar, an elvish font. Here are the letters:

http://www.fontriver.com/i/maps/tengwar_gandalf_map.png

the word translates to:

"where is the key?" The previous clue led us to the message saying "paradise is the key" so where is paradise? that is the question we must answer soon.

stroud is dead w/clue

we recieved an update the other day which said this:

TO: THE CIRCLE

FROM: THE OVERSEER

SUBJECT: STROUD IS DEAD

Members of the Circle,

Last week, federal officials apprehended Jack Stroud at the Hoover Dam in Nevada. He had arranged to meet with the Circle so that we could secure the Book of History in his possession. However, by the time a joint Circle/FBI team moved in, someone else had gotten to Stroud.

Marsuvees Black.

When the team found Stroud, he was unconscious and convulsing. He was unresponsive to on-scene medical treatment and was rushed by Medevac to a nearby hospital. En route, he went into cardiac arrest. He was, however, successfully resuscitated and moved to the ICU, where he remained under guard until he could be stabilized and moved to an FBI facility.

He regained consciousness on Monday and doctors cleared him for questioning, though only for short periods of time. Tuesday morning, Stroud was taken to an interrogation room where he met with an agent. You can hear the brief exchange here. By all observations, Stroud was coherent and seemed to be recovering well. However, six minutes into the interrogation, he collapsed. Doctors could not revive him and five minutes later he was declared deceased.

An hour ago, we received the results from Stroud's autopsy, which was performed yesterday. Most notable in the report are two observations:

(1) the case of death is unknown, though cardiac arrest is suspected. However, Meningococcal bacteria was found in fluid samples taken from his body; a finding that still puzzles us and the medical examiner.

(2) Upon examining Stroud's dental remains, it was discovered that one of his molars is fake and is actually some sort of electronic storage device, like an external hard drive. We are awaiting analysis of its contents, and will distribute that to you later today as soon as we have it.

Our search at the Dam for Black and the Book revealed nothing. Apparently, as a matter of personal protection, Stroud did not have the Book with him. A precaution that undoubtedly kept the Book out of Black's hands, but cost Stroud his life. We can only speculate how many lives were saved by him not having the Book. Sometimes heroes can be the most unlikely people.

Kara still remains missing. We recently investigated her apartment and found the place turned upside down. We are following up on some leads that we hope will be fruitful.

Watch for an update from me later today. Hopefully, we'll learn some answers to the secrets that died with Stroud.

The Overseer

The transcript to the audio is here(it's very long):

Agent: Mr. Stroud, I’m Special Agent Harmon, I understand you have waived your right to legal counsel, is that correct?

Stroud: That’s correct.

Agent: And, um, you’ve been made aware of your rights, is that correct?

Stroud: That’s correct.

Agent: Okay. And, uh, for the record, will you please state your full name, date of birth?

Stroud: [slight pause] My name is Jackson Stroud… I was born on 14 June 1963.

Agent: And you are a specialist book collector, book dealer, is that correct?

Stroud: Uh, yeah. Something like that. I, uh, I locate antiques for, umm, for collectors.

Agent: And, uh, it seems that this has got you into some trouble—we’ve been, we’ve been following you for a while; you’re a difficult man to find.

Stroud: It’s part of the job, Agent Harmon.

Agent: Mr. Stroud, would you mind telling me what you were doing on the Hoover Dam last night?

Stroud: Umm… [pause] I went to the Hoover Dam to meet up with a, uh, potential buyer.

Agent: Will you please tell me the name of this buyer, please?

Stroud: [slight pause] Not exactly sure who the buyer was supposed to be…

Agent: [interrupts] Come on, Mr. Stroud.

Stroud: There’s a woman, her name is Kara. She runs—

Agent: [interrupts again] What’s her last name?

Stroud: I don’t know. [slight pause] She’s part of this organization called “The Circle” or “The Order of the Circle,” umm, don’t really know what it is, but I do know that they want this book and that there’s another, uh, that there’s another party, his name is Black, who wants this book as well. I was supposed to meet Kara’s representative, but by the time I showed up at the Dam, Black was waiting for me.

Agent: Tell me a little bit more about this, uh, about this Mr. Black, because uh, obviously something went down. Umm [mumbles]

Stroud: Well, originally he contacted me through my, uh, my handler at the X Group, and said he had a book that was worth quite a bit of money to him, and that he needed my expertise in finding it. But when I found out that this “Circle” group wanted the book as well, and they were willing to do as much if not more than Black, I thought… you know…

Agent: You played them off against each other.

Stroud: Yeah. [lower] Basically. [louder] Come on, it’s all for money, right?

Agent: So tell me, what, what went down last night? What went wrong, what happened.

Stroud: So I show up at the Dam a little bit early. I’m supposed to meet the Circle at 6 o’clock, I show up at about 5:15, at the area where the statues are, the sculptures on the uh, on the Nevada side of the Dam. And uh, Black was there waiting for me.

Agent: Umm, you say you know his name, his full name?

Stroud: Marsuvees Black is his name.

Agent: Can you describe him to me please, Mr. Stroud?

Stroud: Umm… [long pause] I don’t know…. About 6 foot 5, maybe, uh, he wore a black fedora, black trenchcoat, he had black hair that went to his shoulders, and… Let me ask you a question, Agent Harmon. Do you believe in the Devil? I don’t mean the idea of it, I mean a guy, or an it, or whatever, who is bent on chewing you up and spitting you out?

Agent: [long pause] I’ve seen a lot of pretty terrible things in my career, Mr. Stroud, but I can’t say I believe in the Devil… I mean I believe in the—

Stroud: [interrupts] Well you probably should, ‘cause I saw him, on that dam. This guy Black? Okay, so he’s there waiting for me, I’ve never met him in my entire life. He knows my name, he knows what I look like, he walks up to me, puts down a suitcase, says, “Here’s 20 million, give me the book.” I tell him I don’t have the book. I NEVER have the book with me. I mean, that’s what, that’s what keeps me alive, is not having the book with me. They usually just deposit the money, I give them the location of 3 books, one real, 2 decoys, and then they go get all three and then authenticate the right one. So…

Agent: [interrupts] You’re a careful man, Mr. Stroud.

Stroud: Well you have to be. So he sets down this suitcase, asks me for the book, tell him I didn’t have it.

Agent: Then what happened?

Stroud: [long pause] [sighs] I’m really not sure. He, uh…

Agent: [agitated] Come on, Mr. Stroud, how can you not be sure?

Stroud: [agitated as well] He took off his glove, okay? And there was no skin on his hand, and he, he [pause] put it on my chest, and looked me in the eye and it was just like ink black, and my heart started racing and I started feeling really hot, I mean like lightning had hit me. And then I heard myself screaming, and then that’s all I remember.

Agent: [interrupting] You expect me—

Stroud: [interrupting] Next thing I know I wake up.

Agent: You expect me to believe that, Mr. Stroud?

Stroud: [upset] Well you should, yeah. That’s what happened. You asked me what happened. I told you. [pause] I mean, I still don’t know, I mean, it was… I don’t know, I got really hot and then I started… [blows air]

Agent: You take any medication, Mr. Stroud?

Stroud: No.

Agent: Any kind of drugs?

Stroud: No.

Agent: Mr. Stroud, are you okay?

Stroud: Nah, it’s like really hot in here…

Agent: You’d like me to turn down the air conditioner?

Stroud: [sounding disoriented] Uh, no, uh… ah! [sound of someone collapsing]

Agent: Mr. Stroud? [audio ends]

then we recieved the first file from the tooth which is here along with its content written out for those who may be unable to read it:

Das Evangeliar Heinrichs des Lowen.

Client: August A.

STATUS: TRANSACTED

42 11' 49"/2 23' 29.25"

***

PROJ BLACKROCK/

DELIVERED. CAYMAN CONFIRMED.

1. Cosmographia. Ptol.

2. Une saison en enfer.

3. Codex Leicester. LDv.

4. First Folio. WS.

***

Client: Bob S.

STATUS: HOLDING

5/2/08 Kokopelli TrHead

1. Birds of America. JA.

2. DC Action #1. Super.

3. Amaz Fantasy #15. Spider.

***

Atgrph. WS.

1. 1894-S Barber Dime. LH.

2. Caspary Stamp. 1855/86. Backman.

***

PROJ SHOWDOWN

STAUS: 4th QUARTER

1. Story of Hist. Anon. (MB, DA, Circle)

2. Iranian volumes p/w: 180752138-256

If you look on page 256 of Chaos, which the last number is for, you see the message: "Paradise is the key" This is all we have a lead on thus far though.

adam

4-17 Back with Black

The full content of the overseers post is below:


URGENT: From the Overseer [4/17/08]
TO: THE CIRCLE
FROM: THE OVERSEER
SUBJECT: KARA, STROUD AND BLACK
Members of the Circle,

I wish I was contacting you under better circumstances, with word that Stroud is conscious (he isn't as of this morning), or that we've located the Book (we haven't). Instead, I have to inform you that the situation has taken a turn for the worse.

As you already know, Jack Stroud was apprehended yesterday at the Hoover Dam. What you may not know is that Kara was also at the scene, at my request, to coordinate with the FBI. She was scheduled to return from Nevada last night and then brief me this morning on Stroud's status.

I lost contact with her yesterday afternoon, and when she didn't call in for the scheduled briefing, my first assumption was something had gone wrong.

My suspicion was confirmed this morning when I received the following message.

While his voice and face are obscured, I believe the man in the video is Marsuvees Black. I also believe the person tied to the chair in the video may be Kara. The contents of the video lead me to believe that Black does not have the Book. If he did, he wouldn't waste his time with this side trail.

I can only guess, but I don't think Stroud had the Book with him in Nevada. Men like Stroud never make face to face hand-off's if they wish to stay alive. My guess is Stroud was surprised to find Black at the dam, Black made a move, but was thwarted and fled when the FBI moved in. We may not know what really happened until Stroud wakes. If he wakes.

Where do we stand then? The Book is still out there and the only man who knows its location is in a coma. We don't know what information, if any, Black squeezed out of him. What we do know is Black may have Kara, and is giving us 72 hours to solve a riddle. This may be a diversion so Black can buy time, but we can't leave Kara in his hands.

Watch the video for its full contents, but here is the riddle:
"The stones markedBeneath the wheelTell secrets and revealThe names.A nomad, a friar,Everyman, a liar,But the looking glassReveals the true identity."
Black wants us to tell him who he's talking about. He said the answer should be posted to the BOH.com boards, so he obviously has been watching us this whole time. Is watching us. So be watchful. As I type this I am en route to the holding facility where Stroud is. Work on finding Kara. The moment I have an update on Stroud I will pass it along.Elyon be with you, friends.
The Overseer

this info was followed by the actual video, which the transcript for is here:

"Bravo, friends. Did you really think that getting the book back would be that easy? ‘Course you did; you’re the Circle. Hopeless idealists, like Hunter himself. You should know that the book and I are like Black and White, baby. Love and Hate. Sin and Grace. We belong together. I am the puppet master and you are simple players in a game, my game. Stroud tried to play me, but he just wasn’t smart enough. Let’s play, shall we? But this time, let’s play for a prize. [Riddle] If you know, tell me, what’s the true identity? Surely you know I hold Kara’s life in the palms of my hands. You have 72 hours to post an answer on your message boards, or things will end badly for her. I’ll be watching, like always."

Soon afterward we were contacted via the message boards by black himself with the username "wanna trip?" His posts in full are:

My, isn't this fun? Watch the marionettes dance, dance, dance in circles. Never realizing that tug is the puppetmaster's string jerking them around.
*Tug* Tug* You feel me? Sure you do. *Tug* Tug*
Anyone wanna trip? I know I do. Stroud wanted to, he just didn't know how. Of course, he threw a monkey into the works yesterday. Too bad for Kara. It just delays the inevitable. I can smell the musty, old leather of the book already. Here bookie, bookie, bookie. Come to daddy... So, here we are. More precisely, here you are. I've been here all along. You've just caught up. Make you a deal: I'll let the puppets ask one question. Only one. Talk among yourselves and PM me your one question...and I don't mean one per puppet. One. Don't waste it. Why would I do that? Because I like a good showdown...and I want you to look back on Kara's demise and wonder, "What if we asked the wrong question?" Because you probably will...
One question. You have one hour.
Marsuvees Black
52 minutes.
45 minutes. Dance, puppets, dance.
*Yawn* 35 minutes. Tick tock, tick tock.
Is it cold in here, or is it just you? (talking about the previos guesses at the origional clue)
7 minutes by my watch.
4 minutes
yes, guys...an answer please. or a question. whatever.
time to trip. 30 secs.
door closes in 10...9...
and the buzzer sounds. how did we do? let's see.
Hello puppets. The question on the table is: "What is the significance of the stones of David?"
The stones of David have nothing to do with my riddle.
But, alas, you played so hard. I can't leave you with nothing, so how about I toss you a bone?
David Abraham's journal. The tattered page speaks. Thanks for playing.
236
and then he commented on one user's signature.


It is obvious what we must do now. We must use all this info to figure out the clue and fast! Feel free to post your ideas here if you wish.

clue solved

There was a vid posted today and this is the content of that video:

I was in the warehouse... But, no one noticed No one asked
Earth Axis (Pic)
Library (Pic)
One more chance
Tornado (Pic)
Dessert (Pic)
Skin Virtual Chamber/Lab (Pic)
It's a destination, not a journey
Where the justice of the peace was born
Library (Pic)
Skin Virtual Chamber/Lab (Pic)
Or is it both?
MITTWOCH
Hear 1 Clock Chime
in the middle of the road where power flows
Hear 5 more Clock Chimes

There were comments made today by a man we know as Gerard Lafontaine about the circle and how close we are to the actual clue. He made some interesting comments, here they are with added comments by me:

Nice place you have here. Quaint. Cozy. T-minus 2 days and you're not much closer to the book. Could it be that I've stumped the collective intelligence of the Circle? Have I planted doubts that make you second guess yourselves? It's like water, you know. Doubt. A drop of it is harmless, but a river of it unleashed could swallow a city. Most powerful thing on earth.(the hoover dam was suggested before as a possible location, the middle of the road where the power flows)

and:
faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is...anyone? anyone? not faith. Sorry LostWarrior.(a circle member commenting on the previous post) And, yes, I am Jack Stroud, Gerard LaFontaine, MacElroy, and a hundred other people. I am who I need to be, when I need to be. It's something most people can relate to, I'm sure...being someone else. I'm sure you can. At night, when no one is around, you too wonder what it would like to be anyone other than you. To live a life other than your own. Don't you? For all you know, you and I could be one and the same. ARE the same--with raw power in your hands, but not sure if the stories are true. Hoping that they are, but afraid to find out the story is hollow. But equally terrified to pop the strings, open the book and really find out that the story is true.(referring to the book) All you have to do is open it. Just. Open. It. Right? we're the same, you and me. both nomads. both with one foot in two worlds, longing for both but belonging to neither. Been in one so long that the other is a shadow on the back of your eyelids after the flashbulb has gone off. A ghost memory. But, you know how it goes, right? Of course you do.

and:
Mr. Mead would've been pleased with your efforts. So, here's to you Woody! Cheers!(elwood mead oversaw construction on the dam)

and:
Not M.R. Mead. Mister Mead. As in "Hello, Mister Mead. Pleasure to meet you. How are things at Reclamation these days?"(water reclamation) So close...oh, so close. No more hand holding.

and:
Not so, KylerMartyn.(another person who mentioned Stroud not showing his face thus far) The skydeck...the airport...I was at both. But, you wouldn't know that since you weren't at either. "Look, the wind blew through the trees just now! No, wait. I didn't see it, so it must not have been the wind. Never mind."

Mr. Darcy(another boarder) wrote:
Tis true. Some say that seeing is believing. Is that why you want to open the book, Gerald?
and he replied:
I've already opened it.

this got a responce from girlwith a song asking what he found which was, as he says:
a blank slate.

people were also talking about how the hoover dam fit with the clue, where the justice of the peace was born, gaining this response:
It fits. That you can't see it is your problem, not mine, friend.


Obviously we must meet him in the middle of the road where the power flows on the hoover dam. The rest of the clues just solve themselves.

Finally!

the clue came in a post from kara:
TO: THE CIRCLE

FROM: KARA

SUBJECT: STROUD/CHICAGO

Members of the Circle,

Last week we were led to believe that Jack Stroud, the man we now believe has the Book of History, would be at the skydeck of the Sears Tower in Chicago. A member of the Circle showed up at the Sears Tower at the appointed time, however Stroud was not there. Instead, they found a business card taped to one of the windows. It was a card for Josef McElroy, President of Skydeck Holdings. It wasn't long before we learned that we weren't meant to meet him on the top floor of the Sears Tower; we were supposed to meet at Skydeck's office several floors below.

The operative went to the office and found the door unlocked. The office was empty except for a small table set in the center of the front area. On top of the table was a deteriorating book. Moby Dick. The operative noticed that there seemed to be a message embedded in the cover. She carefully unbound the book and discovered the attached (see image).

Examine the book cover and determine what its purpose is. If you figure it out, email your findings to Paradise.Sage@yahoo.com. Our best guess is that Stroud is telling us where he will be next. A word of caution: I am concerned that Stroud is using our website and forums not just to communicate with us. It could be that he is communicating with Marsuvees Black right under our noses.

Good luck,

Kara

and contained this file:
http://booksofhistory.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/book.jpg
that file when looked at reveals the text:
Skydeck holdings Joseph J McElroy Pres. 233 Wacker Dr. Ste. 9570 Chicago IL 60606
thursday @ the h(o^2)use of dekketti
meet (the word meet doesn't seem to fit where it is placed)
the place of eve's genesis

The o^2 isn't in parenthesis but when you look at the white letters you see an M,the o^2 and an F which, when you play with the letters gives you FOOM (o^2=OO) the name of the studio that is making the graphic novels for ted.

There are also the numbers 978159554072 which is the isbn for ADAM, ted's newest and best (in my opinion) book.

the references in the text all refer to the books Adam and House in one way or another. Dekketti means Dekker/Perretti who worked together in house. The place of eve's genesis is a reference to adam. When we looked again at the foom studios websit we sayw that their blog:
http://foomstudios.wordpress.com/
was updated with this info:

Just a quick invite…
April 3, 2008, 8:59 am
Filed under: Uncategorized
A reminder…I will be hosting a private screening of HOUSE tonight in Conway, AR. If you are in the neighborhood stop by. We only have room for 50 people, though, so come early. Also, before the movie starts we will be showing an exclusive interview with Ted Dekker about his latest book, ADAM.

WHAT: Private screening of “HOUSE” the movie

WHERE: 1210 Hogan Rd., Warehouse #600, Conway, AR

WHEN: 7:30 p.m.

the address, when lookded up on any map site, turns out to be a fake and even addresses similar just turn up to be fake. This confirms the clue's part in the search, but I don't know why cause of course this all must be real. ;^)

Several people then emailed paradisesage with the info. We are, yet again, waiting on another clue

today again

This is a little la, but I have been busier during my spring break than I ever was during school!

The video has pics that reference to lima, which is a code which says "carved into the infidels back" If you use the code in infidel you get "233 S WACKER DR" "60606" "SKYDECK TWO PM""FRIDAY" It says "where am I? tell me if you can" and shows the book and then says "I'll give you" "two more chances""to get the book""before he does" it says to email him at his myspace. The location of the meeting is the skydeck of the sears tower.

OK, I can finally update anyone who missed the last couple days on what has happened. I had decided to wait for the solving of the clues till I would post again.

First we recieved an update from paradisesage that someone had gone to the airport for us and posted a video and an audio clip to youtube, which were eventually uploaded to the site. The videos are here and on booksofhistory.com:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=W93pdrOQ6YA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ETsKDfOP3XE

In the first video we find out that our person went to the airport and recieved a folder marked MB, an index card with the number 615-750-9255 which he apparently called and it was answered by stroud. He also recieved a cd with the second file on it and these letters around the edge starting from the 12 o-clock position "qtd5r0b000"
Here is the transcription of the audio file for those that cannot see it:

"Members of the Circle I thought I would stop by and say hello personally. You know me already of course, LaFontaine, Stroud, MacElroy; I go by many names, one can never be too careful these days, what with identity bandits and all. I suppose I should apologize first, you were probably expecting a message from someone else, a key to discover what’s behind door #3 maybe, or an envelope that had a, uh, a book. You figured out by now that this Marsuvees fellow was not at the Nashville Airport, you can consider it our little secret. It was necessary of course, I need to show you that I’m controlling things here, not Kara, especially not Kara, and not that megalomaniac in black, but hey, you know, anyone willing to drop a cool fortune to buy a blank book has to have some bats in the belfry, right? You’re a resourceful bunch, I’ll give you that much. Believe me when I say—when I say that you’re in over your heads this time. But you have a certain spunk about you, I like that! I like that! You know, I’m a capitalist at heart and I believe in free markets, competition, all that, so… I’ll encourage you to keep trying. Giving Black a run for his money can only put more into my pocket. If you think I work for him, no, you should probably think again; I’m really just a free agent. Consider me the Randy Moss of book hunting. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time, folks. So… let’s take it up a notch, shall we, and write a story that’s REALLY worth telling? So listen closely here. Under the earth I go, on the oak leaf I stand, I ride on the filly that was never foaled, and I carry the dead in my hand. I have a book in mind that goes by another name. If you can tell me what it is, I might give you a sporting chance to get this book, the one that Black wants. If you can best him, it’s yours. But you don’t have a whole lot of time. I’ll wait for your response in my little space of the internet; I think you know what I’m talking about and where to find me. Catch me if you can!"

Later, after waiting for an answer from stroud on his myspace page found here:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=268152455
he posted another blog with another clue:

Under the earth I go...

Round and round we go, but which book I mean nobody seems to know...yet.
A hint for you: a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And, no, it’s not Shakespeare I’m looking for. Sometimes authors write a book with one title in mind and end up with another. Even Teddy knows that.

and after it was answered he blogged:

None of us is as smart as all of us.

So my friends, it looks as though you’ve been working together and have solved my little puzzle. You’ve figured me out. Caught...for now. It’s about time, really.
"Under the earth I go..." is an ancient bard’s prelude known as the "Storyteller’s Introduction". And "Storytellers", if you’ll dig a bit, turns out to be the original title of the book now known as "Showdown". A rose by another name.
Bravo, friends. Bravo. I guess you are serious about playing for keeps. I’ll be in contact with you soon. Looks like we have a game...or shall I say a showdown.
Stroud

The answer was guessed after many many attempts when sombody happened to see that in the signature edition of showdown it mentions the other name. Obviously, we are now waiting for him to contact us.

bna

This image is of the baggage claims at Nashville national airport. You ask why? The answer is yet another clue for the day. It begins with an email received by our Stroud. This email was received from a site called karkritic a link to the important page is here:

http://karkritic.net/cobaltcoupe.html
it lists one Gerard L. which is the same name as the email. Then, if you look on the page it mentions finding him on myspace and provided a link to the search page. you then had to search until you found this page:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=268152455
if you read his blog you see these numbers:

3,8,21,31,2,3,31.
19,1:19,39.23,2,27,31,21,4,27.11,2,29.17,2,39,8,33,4,27.2,31."1,21,2".7,27,6,5,2,39.23,2,3,15,2,9,4.7,8,27.39,8,10.1030.11,27,29.1,2,9,9,2,9,4.3,17,2,6,19.21,6,21,4. (10 min window)
you can use these numbers by translating them with the files found before to come up with:

contact
Mb my partner has layover at bna Friday package for you 1030 hrs
baggage claim nine

We have also found that there will be sombody at that baggage claim with a sign so we know who to find. We are sending several people, if possible, to go. The pic is for them.

Renegade chapters

The admin has said we will be allowed to share the bonus chapters via email to the members within the circle, but cannot post the pages themselves online. Therefore if you post your email in this form: yournameyourdomaincom I will try to get those chapters to you as soon as possible. Again please don't put the actual adress as bots on the web will pick it up and just fill your email with a ton of junk mail which nobody wants. Also, after you recieve the email it is probably a good idea to go ahead and remove the post for added security. I am always happy to help.

PM

new files

This is the first file found today and when decrypted with the kilo method,

http://booksofhistory.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/intel-exhibit-001.pdf

yields this message:

between subtle shading and the absence of light lies the nuance of iqlusion.

the answer is the invitation.

mb

the message is a quotation from the famous Kryptos and was part of it's deciphered text. Go to the second page here:

http://booksofhistory.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/intel-9580.pdf

I quickly took the word Kryptos and put it into the second document's pasword box to reveal this message:

To the illustrious Stroud.

Your reputation proceeds you.

I knew a man of your caliber would have no problemfinding the “hidden” key to open this invitation.

Being a former Langley “spook”, I knew you would immediately recognize the passage. After all, you probably walked past KRYTPOS a couple times a day,yes?

You may find my methods to be…eccentric. However,I must know that those I employ are resourceful.

I have recently learned of your expertise oflocating and recovering books of particular value.

I’m in need of finding the rarest book of all. One that will have no date or location. No title or author. A book that will mystify you as much as ithas me.

I was notified via email upon the opening of thisfile. I suggest we talk. Don’t worry about finding me. I’ve already found you. SW corner of Hyde Park.

1:30p tomorrow. I’ll be waiting on the green bench.

Cheers,Your New Client

This is where the trail runs cold for now, but we may pick up more soon. I will try to keep you updated as much as possible.

new clues and an Ipod

Today we had a grand time with the countdown and the clue came early. The first thing we saw was a vid of kara, and here is the transcription, it was also the content of an email some people recieved:

Members of the Circle. This is Kara. As you may already know, I contacted Professor Abraham several months ago about one of the original Books of History.
At one time I possessed one of the original Books of History, but it disappeared. I met David through my research on Project Showdown, and I convinced him to help me find it.
Some believe the books are merely a childish myth dreamed up by Thomas Hunter. But I can tell you, they come from another time, but they are very real. I've seen their power firsthand and can assure you life and death dwells within them.
Last week, David scanned and uploaded half of his research to the WIKI section of booksofhistory.com. Before he disappeared, he tracked down a lead: an antique book dealer in Las Vegas, Francesco "Frank" Miller.
I spoke with Mr. Miller earlier this week. Unfortunately, someone beat us to him. Someone that I believe is linked to the X Group-a man named Jack Stroud. Go to booksofhistory.com to hear a voicemail from Frank Miller and to see some information he mailed me.
This website will act as your center of operations. We're one step closer, but be careful. Stroud is a very dangerous man.
Good luck.


"Yeah, Kara, hey this is Frank Miller. Sorry we’re playing phone tag… uh, you know, about that book that I had for sale… been getting a lot of interest on this thing, and, uh, actually yesterday I had a guy come by and—and buy it for cash. Uh… you know, mean looking guy, said somebody would be coming around asking about it and, uh, you know, that I shouldn’t-- shouldn’t talk to anybody. So you know, this is all kinda weird, I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t really wanna know, frankly… y’know, if this has to do with the bookstore in Vegas, I had nothing to do with that, so if you’re FBI, or you know, whatever, contact my attorney; I’ll email you his contact info, but I had nothing to do with that, okay? So, umm, anyway, this guy, this friend of yours, left behind his iPod… I’m sure he’s going to be missing it, but I don’t plan on being around when he comes back for it… so, uh, you know, I’ve got your address here, I’m going to ship it off to ya, and, uh, let you deal with him, okay? So, uh, right! So, any questions, uh, gimme a call. Cheers."

The first Ipod data was uploaded and here are links to the files:
http://booksofhistory.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/intel400-217-200-2.pdf
http://booksofhistory.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/intel-exhibit-001.pdf

The first is Jackson L. Stroud's top secret file with his aliases (possible search route) and other data. The second is a series of codes. The titles to these codes spell out BLACK and the one titled Lima when spelled backwards reads:
carved into the infidel's back

There has been much discussion on this topic, but my current theory is that this message pertains to the actual book in question. The rest of the "codes" arn't really codes at all but means of decoding future files.

Also the wiki code was recently unveiled on the site and is 335537 for those of you who were looking for that info.

Game on already!

The search is on
We had fun today with the countdown(s)!
(we kept doing it until it opened)
Last night the pics were getting changed over and over again and these are where they are on teddekker.com if you want to see them:
Blue Smurf, Asoza's avvie; Monty Python dude, Random's avvie; Ask the mask, nobody; Please stand By, strople's avvie.6. Closed sign, masteroftherink9's avvie
These, however, were irrelivant and prepared us for the pics we would piece together to form this:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkOaaowugk1DFR9zgf9TzBjeE34ZCqcOEAMOcM-H7OFJt2VonHgMwTlH1b7ElyYu_T30V2RR9LpRAxeo7izzfossafjzwWpzi8IESU-l8wkRE2FHAmCXuwsQHlu_ym6XZsrCFKqDWjTM8/s1600-h/puzzle2.jpg
inside is the first pieced together pic and it has the numbers on it which you can use to open the wiki page on the site.
Ther was the alternate side of the origional vid posted too.
Here is the content of that wiki:

David Abraham
Professor David Abraham is an American historian, psychologist and former head of world history studies at Harvard University. He is now a spiritual advisor to President of the United States, Robert Stenton.
Books of History
The Books of History are leather-bound volumes that are believed to have come from a reality known as "Other Earth". They reportedly possess the power to create and destroy simply by writing in it.
According to historian Ted Dekker, the Books were first discovered in this world by David Abraham in a shipment of relics he had purchased from an Iranian merchant. One book in the shipment captured his interest. It was titled simply The Stories of History, and was blank except for a single entry.
One day, David's five-year-old son Christopher wrote in the book, revealing its power. David determined that only a person with childlike faith could use the book, and that its power was nearly unlimited. He immediately ordered the remaining volumes from the merchant. There were one thousand, four hundred and forty-three books in total.
However, he soon discovered that the books could be used for evil. Deciding that he would rid the world of the books, David had Christopher write in one, "The books of histories are hiding deep in a Colorado canyon, in a home consistent with their nature, where they will remain until the day they are meant to be found by those destined to bring love into the world."
The books vanished. Years later, after an exhaustive search, David found the books in a monastery carved deep into a canyon on the outskirts of Paradise, Colorado. He discovered 666 books in a dungeon, which he locked up, and 777 in an upstairs room.
Project Showdown
Project Showdown was a study in human nature and the power of faith funded by Professor David Abraham. The purpose of the study was to determine if 37 children living in an environment with no outside influence could develop a faith that could literally move mountains.
Twelve monks were installed as teachers, and the children were brought up with a vigorous curriculum that focused on writing. By age ten they were able to think abstractly, and at the age of twelve they were some of the most brilliant writers in the world. They were capable of adult thinking and reasoning, but were untainted by the world's influence.
Then David Abraham accepted a monk, Marsuvees Black, who had a doubtful past. Once a Vegas entertainer, after nine months Black began to lecture onsubjects such as relativity and free will. He disappeared without warning soon after David tried to reign him in. He had retreated into the forbidden dungeons, to which place he soon lured one of the students, Billy. The boy began writing a story about a town called Paradise.
What transpired afterward is the subject of debate. Some say it was supernatural, others that the real story never came out. The entire story of Project Showdown was chronicled by author/historian Ted Dekker.
Ted Dekker
Ted Dekker is an Indonesian-born American author of numerous fiction and one non-fiction books.
His fictional works number over twenty titles, including the hugely popular Black, Red, White, Thr3e, Blink, Showdown, Saint, Skin, Heaven's Wager, Obsessed, When Heaven Weeps, Thunder of Heaven, A Martyr's Song and the co-author of Blessed Child, A Man Called Blessed, and House. Dekker also wrote The Slumber of Christianity, a non-fiction work about misplaced values in the post-modern church.
The proliferation of Dekker's work is in large part due to the volume of writing he produces. It is not uncommon for Dekker's publisher to release three of his books in a single year. Dekker's work often crosses genres, ranging from fantasy to horror. Like the works of Stephen King, many of Dekker's novels are loosely connected to each other and are set in the same universe.
Official Website
The Circle Trilogy Graphic Novels
The Lost Books Graphic Novels
Sin City Research
David Abraham Journal Extract
The X Group
The X Group is a paramilitary organization that provides assassination for hire, espionage and covert terrorism services to rogue states and corporations. The CIA has labeled the Group a "free agent in the death for hire underground."
Though the Group's recruiting practices cannot be confirmed, it is believed that it draws from a talent pool that includes U.S. and foreign special operations entities and former intelligence field operatives.
It is rumored that the Group utilizes psychologically invasive techniques in operative "training" such as Phase 3 memory wipes, torture, and sensory manipulation. Operatives' identities are replaced with new ones and their minds are conditioned to respond reflexively to Group directives.
In its last briefing to the Circle, the NSA was only able to identify four active operatives--Dale Crompton (aka "Englishman"), Jenine (aka "The Ukrainian"), and Carl Strople (aka "Saint"), and Jack Stroud, an accomplished art thief with ties to some of the most well know art thefts of the 21st century. It is believed the Group is financed, at least in part, by its black market relic activities.
The X Group has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General, the Commission of the European Communities of the European Union, the United States Department of State, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Kingdom Home Office, and the Swiss Government.
For a detailed investigation of the X Group, see Saint, by author and historian Ted Dekker.

Out of all of this one major clue is definitly in place:
Stroud's first name is Jack, a name I had seen hiding in the pages of Black the graphic novel. The location of this is accrost the street from the alley on the wall. It is only visible in one frame and even then is partially covered. I would also like to mention the java shop sign on the wall in case it comes up later.
There is also a new Journal by DA that reveals much about his work. The link was above in the text but here it is again:
http://www.booksofhistory.com/thelostbooks/DavidAbrahamJournal.pdf
the text is quite extensive, but most importantly has an index card with the following on it:
For Vegas trip..follow up
The Rune 238, W. Sahara
Tattered Page, on Tropicana---James Turner
West End Antique, Joanna Mercer
Whitney Murphey, private collector...555-234-8043
Sin City Books N Suchh---Tuck Landrock, S. Eastern Ave
Boulder City Bookshelf, Winslow ???
Miles Huntley, books a plenty

It then includes a portion of Kara's number on a sticky note, which is 615-555-????
Today people were called by a 615 area code number, and this was it:
1-615-261-9460
We might think of calling the whitney murphey number with a 615 at the beginning but don't know whether we should.
After all this was a burned page of chosen, page 236, which talks about the riddle again.
If you think I have missed somthing please post below and I will ammend this article however needed.

Thanks to the teddekker.com admin

I was recently mentioned in the news section of the web site, and I thank them for recognizing me, but I would like to recognize kaylanah, who has also put together a very useful blog. Please see it if you have questions I have not answered here as kaylanah will try to help you in that regard. I will also put a link on the side.

Maybe not abraham in vid

SPOILERS CONTAINED IN MY COMMENTS WITHIN

(so don't read the comments if you don't want to know)

Letter from abraham

A couple days back there was a page found by the circle.
http://flickr.com/search/?q=booksofhistory
If you look at the pictures and particularly the ones numbered they are interesting. The numbered pics have numbers in them. If you put them in order you get the passcode to a site mentioned in DA's newest blog.

The blog says:

**FAILSAFE INITIATED**
The next step is at http://paradisesage.wordpress.com/

use the numbered pics to get the letter from DA. I will not post it here for security reasons, but the page is easy enough to go to. I will repost it later if my suspicions are confirmed and someone needs the info. Please post here if you do.

My suspicions of the last couple days were confirmed when I read that Kara10.36 is Karas and also I believe the man in the vid to again be what we all believed initially. That is DA himself. I will post this part of the page here:

"as for me, I am working in a facility that, for now, is safe: an office that a friend is lending me for the next couple of days. Its location is unknown to everyone except to certain members of the circle providing me with security."

the office, it seems is the location of DA and we have all witnessed his attack. Most likely he is dead, but there are still possibilities that the attacker did not harm the man DA. He could very well be our inside man Billy, or Billy may be working with Black. The most interesting thing is the office could very well be Billy's! He said a friend was lending it to him, and billy was definitly a friend! This would explain the lack of worry from the attacker in the vid. I will list the links to the pages on the side for quick future reference.
Oh, and if you change your system time to the time of the contest beginning the vid is replaced by a message reading Game On!


SPOILERS!!






Put the numbers within pics numbers 001,002,and 003 in order.