Earn Money BD
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Love is… - Part 2 // Bayless Conley - Duration: 28:31.There are many questions you are faced with every day.
We are all searching for answers that will make a real difference in our lives.
It's hard to imagine that these answers might be right in front of us.
Get ready to discover answers in the Bible with Bayless Conley.
Well, welcome to the broadcast today.
And we're actually getting in on a message that we started last week.
We just couldn't finish it.
But if you didn't join us last time, hey, no worries.
This is going to be pretty complete in and of itself.
And as we enter into today's message we are talking about some of the guiding limitations
of love.
Yes, wisdom is to be a guiding limitation for love.
Discernment, the Word of God, it tells us that there are boundaries for wisely expressing
our love.
So we are going to get into that right now.
I trust that it will be helpful to you.
Here's Bayless Conley with part two of his continuing message from last week.
So our love needs to abound, but within…
Paul again prayed for the Philippians, Philippians 1:19… within the guiding limitations of
knowledge and discernment.
Discernment is the leading of the Holy Spirit.
You know, we should help people, but you can't help everyone.
We have a steady stream, an endless stream of requests that come into the church and
that come to me from around the globe, people want money from Cottonwood Church.
They want us to build their buildings for them, they want to use our name, you know,
they want to identify us, "Let us call our church Cottonwood Church."
And, look, it is endless, endless!
For years and years and years.
Well, we earnestly pray about things.
Now that's where discernment comes in because you can't help everyone.
You can't do it all.
No one can do it all; no one can be it all.
No one church can do it all or be it all.
You need to stay within the parameters of your calling, within the sphere, you know,
that God has called you to live and to walk in.
And so those that we have a leading, we're all in; but if we don't, we just say, "Sorry.
We've prayed about it, and we don't feel led to be involved in this."
But having said that, I don't think it's possible to come into the presence of Jesus
and not have it impact you with a desire to be generous.
I just don't think it's possible.
I don't think you can separate the two, though we certainly need to walk in wisdom.
Think about Zacchaeus.
Jesus is walking along the road, Zacchaeus, the tax collector, is up in the tree.
Everybody hates him.
Jesus points and says, "Zacchaeus, I'm going to dine at your house today."
He jumps down, invites Jesus into his home, and he is so impacted through that encounter
with Jesus, he said, "I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I've taken anything
by false accusation, I restore fourfold."
I think that's a natural expression of a person that's come into contact with the
real Jesus.
You just want to give, you just want to help people.
Friend, if you're walking with God, you don't become more tight-fisted.
You become more open-handed.
And we learn to walk in wisdom, for the Holy Spirit to guide us.
We learn to grow in knowledge, you know, so that we can be wise about how we express that
love.
But it's just… it's part of the DNA of every believer to be generous.
I have a friend.
He was the sound engineer for many years of one of the world's most famous rock 'n'
roll bands.
And I guarantee you if I mention the band, 98 percent of you in here would know them
and know their songs.
And he actually got saved on the tour bus reading a book on the end times.
He said, "Bayless, there was a mountain of cocaine on the table, there's a bunch
of naked girls on the bus, and I'm sitting there on the bus, I bowed my head, and I accepted
Christ."
He said, "I stayed with the band a few more months, but then I…" he said, "I left."
He actually became a pastor.
And we became good friends.
And he had the world on his heart.
And this would have been back in the early 1980's, he went into Romania.
He smuggled some Bibles into Romania.
And if any of you know your history during that time, Ceausescu was the dictator, the
leader of Romania.
It was considered the most closed country in the world.
In fact, when he was executed, he and his wife, one of the charges against them was
they caused genocide through starvation.
They starved their own people.
And the church was highly persecuted, people were starving, they had no food, and he went
into Romania and made contact with the underground church, and they thought he was part of the
secret police at first and they wouldn't have anything to do with him.
But somehow they were convinced that he was legitimate, they invited him into their circle,
he said, "Bayless, we had wonderful fellowship.
I shared with them, you know, some of the Scriptures about suffering and God's promises.
We spent several days together.
I gave out the Bibles that I had."
He said, "In our final night together," he said… and I remember he told me, he said,
"You need to realize all they had to eat was cabbage.
That was their food every day.
They had water and cabbage.
It was soup.
That was it.
There was nothing else."
He said, "But all of the people in the underground church put all their resources together and
they bought a piece of pork.
It was all they could afford.
And there was only enough for my bowl."
He said, "It was an extravagant gift."
He said, "We sat around the table at our good-bye dinner," he said, "and I had
cabbage and pork and they just had water and cabbage."
He said, "They said, 'Eat, brother.'"
And they stood around him and they began to sing, "We love you with the love of the
Lord".
He said, "Bayless, I began to sob."
He said, "I never could eat that food.
I realized it had cost them so much!"
But you know what?
Love is inseparable from generosity.
The people of God are generous by nature.
And then, finally, number four: Love is a compelling force.
Love is a compelling force.
It compels us and persuades us to live our lives for Him by serving others.
It's a compelling force that persuades us to live our lives for Him by serving others.
Second Corinthians, chapter 5.
Look there with me, if you would.
Second Corinthians 5, and we'll begin in verse 14.
2 Corinthians 5:14,
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then
all died; and He died for all, that those who live should
live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
The love of Christ compels us not to live for ourselves, but to live for Him.
You know, we used to sing an old song.
It went like this: "The love of God compels me.
It's growing oh so strong.
The love of God compels me to sing out redemption's song; giving out the bread of life to dying
men.
There's power in the Word of God.
It's not just ink and pen."
Paul said the love of Christ compels me.
That literally means in the Greek language to grip tightly.
In Luke 8:45 it's used of crowds hemming Christ in.
In Luke 9:43 it's used of an army surrounding Jerusalem.
In Luke 22:63 it's used of the soldiers arresting Jesus and holding Him fast.
It speaks of being constrained, being held in a tight grip that prevents escape.
But, friend, there is no escape from the persuasive power of His love.
It is relentless.
And as we draw close to Him, it persuades us not to live for personal gain or to fulfill
our personal agendas, but it persuades us to rather accomplish His will for our lives.
The Apostle Paul said in First Corinthians 9:16, "Woe unto me if I do not preach the
gospel."
That's because he was called to be a preacher!
It might be "woe unto me" if I don't succeed in business and support the gospel.
It may have to do with education, building, inventing, or whatever your call is.
Do it for His glory; not for yourself, but for Him.
You know, Harrison, last weekend preached a brilliant message about the love of God
in Peter's life.
Peter, twice during Christ's earthly ministry, abandoned the call, and Harrison talked about
that last week.
Jesus said, "Let us go," and it was the second time Peter stayed behind.
Jesus went in a circuit preaching in different synagogues, and then He comes back in Luke,
chapter 5, goes to Peter's boat.
Peter and the guys are washing the nets.
He says, "Launch out a little," and He preaches.
And then He tells them, "Look, launch out in the deep for a catch of fish."
And Peter says, "Master, we toiled all night."
He knew who Jesus was.
He had already failed Christ twice.
"Launch out into the deep for a catch of fish."
"Master, we toiled all night.
We didn't catch anything.
Nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the nets."
He let them down, they filled his boat, they filled the other boat; Peter falls on his
knees and says, "Depart from me, Jesus.
I'm a sinful man!
You don't want somebody like me on Your team."
Peter was well aware with his own shortcomings and his own failings: "Jesus, please, leave
me alone.
I'm not your guy."
Jesus said, "Don't be afraid.
From now on you will catch men."
And, you know, Peter was faithful for the rest of Christ's earthly ministry.
But then after the crucifixion and the resurrection, Jesus had said that I'm going before you
into Galilee.
The angels had announced He's going before you into Galilee.
The disciples are excited.
Man, they were not from Jerusalem.
They were Galilean boys.
And so they're going back thinking they are going to resume the days of former fellowship.
This is post-resurrection!
And they get there and they look for Jesus, and they don't find Him anywhere.
Day rolls into day rolls into day and Christ is not there.
He was there, but He had hidden Himself because the Scripture said He went before them into
Galilee.
And, frankly, I hate it when He hides Himself.
But sometimes He does.
There are seasons you don't have a sense of God's presence at all.
And if you'll do what's right during those seasons, that's when you'll do the most
growing, my friend.
Their laughter turned into sorrow, and Peter looks at the boys… and you can read the
whole story, by the way, in John 21.
He said, "I'm going fishing."
Now it sounds, you know… we casually read it in our English Bibles, and Peter said,
"Oh, I'm going to go catch some fish for dinner."
That's not what he said.
In the Greek language it's in the infinitive verb form.
Peter said, "I'm going fishing, and I'm going to continue fishing.
I'm going back to fishing."
He abandoned the call even after the resurrection.
And, of course, they toiled all night, and what did they catch?
Nothing.
In the morning Jesus is standing on the shore, "Children, you catch anything?"
"No."
"Throw the net on the right side of the boat," and the thing fills up with huge
fish.
Peter jumps in, swims to shore; they haul this net in with 153 large fish in it.
And here we are, Jesus has lit a fire.
He's cooking fish on the fire.
That in itself is amazing to me.
The risen victorious Son of God who defeated hell, death, and the grave has started a fire
for His friends and is cooking for them, and He served them.
And you know the story.
Peter is sitting there next to Jesus.
Jesus said, "Peter, do you love Me more than these?"
Now He didn't point to the other disciples.
He pointed to 153 fish flopping on the shore.
"You've left the ministry three times now and gone back to your fishing business.
Peter, fishing is okay, but I have a higher calling for you.
I have something else for you to do with your life.
Peter, do you love Me?"
He said, "Lord, You know I love You."
"Then feed My lambs."
Jesus looks at him again, and says, "Peter, do you love Me?"
"Lord, You know I love You."
"Feed My sheep."
Third time: "Peter, do you love Me?"
You see, it's that relentless, compelling love of God, just there, manifesting through
Jesus.
Jesus didn't knock him over the head, said, "You idiot.
I'm through with you!
Man, one, two, three strikes you're out, baby!
I'm going to find somebody that's more faithful than you."
No, there's the love of God compelling him and persuading him, "Come on, Peter.
Come on, Peter!"
And then the story finishes up with a call being issued again: "Follow Me."
And you may be here tonight and you have failed to yield your life.
You have run from a total dedication of your life and your future into His hands; and His
Spirit is here now, once again, reaffirming His grip on you.
And I know some will honestly say, "Well, I feel like if I fully gave in to God, really
sold out lock, stock, and barrel, I feel like there would be not much fun and little reward."
Well, sometimes the rewards are not immediate; but, friend, they are always sure.
God rewards in this life, but the lion's share comes in the next life.
And, quite honestly, sometimes when you obey the pull of love to serve others, they may
not reciprocate that love at all… at least not initially.
Look in the same book, Second Corinthians.
Look in chapter 12 with me, verses 14 and 15.
First Corinthians 12:14 and 15,
Now for the third time I am ready to come to you.
And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you.
For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly
I love you, the less I am loved.
I read the story about a Bible translator working in the Brazilian rainforest among
an indigenous Indian tribe.
They treated him with contempt and total disdain.
They called him the white man.
And to them, that was a term of utter contempt.
The only dealings they had had with white people prior to that, they were exploited
and they were cheated, and they hated him.
And his friends back home says, "Why do you stay?
They don't love you; they don't want you.
Why don't you come home?"
And I remember what he said.
He said, "I will stay because Christ died for them and because I love them."
And he stayed and continued to serve them and try and lead them to Christ and put down
the written language for them for the first time.
And pretty soon they began calling him the respectable white man.
And he stayed and he stayed.
And then eventually they started calling him the white Indian.
And then one day some of the tribes people observed him cleaning a young boy's foot.
The boy had lacerated his foot.
It was caked with mud and dried blood, and he was washing the boy's foot off.
And they said, "What white man would do something like this?"
And from that day forward, they called him the man sent from God.
And he brought the gospel to that tribe.
Well, you know what?
You can be a man, you can be a woman sent from God… sent into the school that you
attend or that you work at, sent into the construction site, sent into the world of
sports, sent into your neighborhood, sent into the world of finance… wherever your
gifting and calling takes you.
And if you'll stay with it and yield to the compelling power of God's love as you
continue to serve others in His name, friend, you will see results.
Now as I close, again, love is a fruit that grows.
Thank God we are not where we're going to be; and, hopefully, we're not where we used
to be.
But in order to have healthy maturing fruit, you need to have a healthy root system.
Healthy fruit, you've got to have a healthy root.
Isaiah 37:31 speaks of a remnant of God's people taking root downward and bearing fruit
upward.
Root downward, fruit upward; the root first.
Proverbs 12:12 says the root of the righteous yields fruit.
And if we are going to bear the fruit of God's love in our lives, our roots need to go deeply
down into two things… everybody say, "two things."
If you want to bear the fruit of love in your life, your roots have to go down into these
two things.
Number one is a relationship with Jesus.
Listen to these verses: Colossians 2, verses 6 and 7: "As you therefore
have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established
in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."
Two things, is you have received Him; so be rooted in Him.
It's one thing to receive Christ; it's something else to become rooted in Him.
Receiving Him, salvation; being rooted in Him speaks of relationship and friendship.
Getting to know Him.
It's more than being rescued from sin and its eternal consequences.
It certainly is that, but it is so much more.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins to bring us into a relationship with God.
It's about walking with Him and talking with Him.
That's how we become rooted in Him.
I saw a tree once that had been blown over by the wind.
In fact, I've seen a few in the last couple of days.
One was in my backyard.
But I remember one day I saw this tree, and there was an enormous rock that came up with
it when the roots were exposed, and the roots were intertwined around the rock.
They went through the rock, and they were almost inseparable.
Now, friend, that's the way we need to be with the Rock of Ages.
We need to have a relationship with Him.
Won't you bow your heads and close your eyes just for a moment, if you would.
I want to ask you to pray with me.
If you've come here by yourself, with family members, with friends, you may know that God's
been working on you for a long time.
Maybe you've just had an epiphany that, "Whoa!
Jesus is like real!"
Yes, He is.
Or maybe you're that one that's straddled the fence, lived with one foot in the rowboat
and the other foot on the dock, and you've never fully committed your life to Him.
You've never gone all in, putting your life and your entire future in His hands.
That's what God wants.
And His love will follow you and keep a grip on you, deal with you, and I believe He is
here tonight doing just that.
So, I want to ask if you've never embraced Jesus as Lord and Savior or if tonight you
are dangerously far away from Him, I want to lead you in a prayer.
And all I can do is give you the words to that prayer.
But God, if you're sincere, if you put an honest heart behind the words, God will meet
you.
I'm just going to ask if you wouldn't mind lifting your hand right now… just lift
it all over the auditorium if you want to get in on the prayer.
Nobody's looking but me.
Just put it up.
Let me see.
Come on.
Just like you're not ashamed.
It's awesome.
Well done, well done.
I saw hands in every section.
All right, you can put your hands down.
Everybody put a hand on your heart and just pray after me.
Say,
O God, thank you for Your amazing love.
Thank you for not sparing Your own Son.
Thank you for sending Him to die that I might live.
Jesus, thank you for taking my place.
Thank you for bearing the penalty for all my sins.
I believe You were raised from the dead after having paid the price in full.
And tonight I make a choice.
I give my whole life to You.
I want to live for You, Jesus.
Direct my way.
I'm Yours.
Amen.
Stay tuned at the end of the program today for a special inspirational thought from Bayless.
Thank you once again for joining us.
And, you know as I gave that invitation in the church I hope that you prayed along with
the people.
If you did and if you meant business, if you spoke the words to God with a sincere heart
I want to tell you that He heard you.
Now if you watch us regularly I thank God that the broadcast has been a blessing to
you.
I hope that you've grown from it.
And if you have we would love to hear from you.
Write us a letter.
Send us an email.
Give us a little testimony of something that's maybe happened in your life as a result of
the broadcast.
And I would ask you to sincerely pray about sending a love gift as well to help us continue
to carry this gospel around the world.
Because what we do, the air time we buy in your town it's not free.
It's because of the faithful giving of people just like you.
Well until next time I pray God's richest and best be yours always.
And now here's Bayless with an inspirational thought you can apply today.
One of our viewers asked: How can I stay strong in faith when I'm in pain and when things
are going wrong and it seems like my faith is failing?
You know, we've all experienced that.
We are human, we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
And even some of the great men and women of God that we hear their great stories of victory,
all of them go through dark hours as well.
It's part of the human experience.
The thing is, it's about having a little bit of faith in a great big God.
And we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and keep our trust always in Him.
Because it's not about just faith in a principle, it's about faith in a person.
And if I can imagine that Christ, the risen Son of God, is making intercession for me,
you know what: That strengthens my faith.
And then something as well that might be helpful: Here in Romans one and verse twelve, Paul
said: That is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and
me.
He talked about a mutual faith.
He said: When I get together with you, I'm going to be encouraged by your faith and you're
going to be encouraged by my faith.
Sometimes, when we may be struggling, it's good to go and to be around people of faith,
because, friend, faith is contagious.
And sometimes you get around someone when you're a weak moment they'll build you up
and strengthen you.
The book of Ecclesiastes says: Two are better than one.
It says: Because when one falls then the other's there to lift him up.
So be around other people of faith.
And then of course: It always comes back to getting into the Word of God: Romans 10:17:
So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
And the truth is, if you will read God's Word and meditate in it, reflect on it, roll it
over and over in you, faith will come to you unconsciously.
Faith comes from the Word just like wet comes from water.
If you jump into the water you get wet.
If you jump into the Word of God you get faith.
If we're not careful, unforgiveness and strife can cling to our hearts like dirt.
"It may be a terrible thing that happened to you; but for your own good, breathe out
forgiveness.
Get yourself under the place of God's blessing, forgiveness, and goodness."
"You can't breathe in God's goodness and His blessing and His forgiveness if you
don't breathe out forgiveness.
It's just the way we're made."
In his CD/DVD series "Healthy Relationships 101," Bayless Conley shows you how to let
go of the tension that keeps you from living a joyful, unburdened life.
Learn to resolve conflicts the right way; order this powerful series today.
Just use the information on the screen now.
Healthy Relationships 101.
For more information and inspiration visit AnswersBC.org.
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Is Scotland's Great Grey Man Real? - Duration: 6:51.-------------------------------------------
Goldberg: Miserable Pelosi is the GOP's ace in the hole - Duration: 4:18.-------------------------------------------
Is This John Schneider Song The Ultimate Revenge Song On Your Ex? (2018) - Duration: 0:52.-------------------------------------------
I don't know what this video is, Honestly. - Duration: 1:32.-------------------------------------------
How The New Primetime Is In The Palm Of Your Hand - Duration: 1:54.- Google came out with a survey about eight months ago,
that said, Millennials and Gen Z-ers are spending
more than 3 1/2 hours a day
on their mobile device, watching video.
So, it speaks volumes.
That's the new prime time, really, when you think about it.
(upbeat contemporary music)
Conde Nast Entertainment was really
developed as a next generation studio
and distribution network.
And when we say, "next generation," we mean
we make content for every platform,
specifically for that platform,
be it film or television, or digital video,
for YouTube, Snapchat, syndication.
I think the way that social media
has really influenced story telling is that
it allows people to feel totally satisfied
watching something,
even if they have three minutes,
or five minutes, or ten minutes.
And it doesn't matter how long it is.
It matters how good it is.
It's, what's the idea?
How are you going to tell it in a way
that's really unexpected, and keep people really engaged?
And then, how are you going to tell the story
in a way that's not limiting?
It's not limiting to how long it is,
or the format, and I think that's what
social media has done on a creative level.
It's allowed us to really explode creatively.
From a monetization standpoint, you know,
it has a long way to go,
but there are ways for us to monetize,
and there are ways for us to bring in
an audience that's very significant.
You know, we released a video, for example,
last week, on YouTube, right?
And on YouTube only,
it did 13 million views in five days.
And so the question becomes, how do we reach those viewers,
and not only make the content better and better for them,
but also figure out ways in which we're going to be
able to turn this into, not only a viable business,
but a thriving business.
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Is This 360 Camera the New GoPro? | Useful/Useless - Duration: 1:58.- Don't get too close.
- I know it's really close to my face
and it's making me really
self conscious. - Is this 360?
- Yeah it's 360.
This is the Rylo, it's a 360 degree camera.
It has image stabilization and it
records the whole world around you
and I'm curious to try it out
and see if it lives up to the hype.
So there's lenses on both sides
which kinda looks wild for a camera.
We're so used to just one side
and then having a screen on the other
so you can see the photo.
So I downloaded the app, I think this is how you
do all the editing and the choosing of the frame.
(beeps)
Oh, it beeped.
So it seems like it doesn't have
Bluetooth or wifi so if I disconnect this
I can't see what I'm shooting on the phone,
like with GoPro's you usually can look
and see exactly what you're shooting
in real-time on your phone.
Walking around.
People do not look happy to be filmed right now.
Okay, so we just sat back down
and now it is downloading
and I can imagine this would look beautiful
if you were outside with the sun and nice light.
Let's try and save a 360 video.
So you can select what part of the video you want
and save it to your camera roll.
I mean I think part of the reason
that you can cut-down the videos to make them smaller
is cause they would take up so much space on your phone
and it's already told me I can't
download this full 4.5 minute video.
So the playback of the video we took around the office
looked really nice, the interface itself
it's fun to kind of move the video around,
you can just do it with your finger.
That being said, while the video itself looks nice,
some of the logistical problems with the camera,
it would make me much more hesitant
to use it on a regular basis.
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WWE News - Jason Jordan's Injury Is Worse Than Anticipated - Duration: 3:24.WWE News - Jason Jordan's Injury Is Worse Than Anticipated
Jason Jordan has received a controversial push since debuting on the WWE's main roster last year.
The storyline son of Raw general manager Kurt Angle replaced Dean Ambrose in The Shield, and had a brief run as a Tag Team Champion with Seth Rollins.
Though Jordan hasn't fully gotten over with the crowd, the creative team seems fully confident in his ability to grow as a rising young star.
Unfortunately, Jordan's progress and momentum has been halted, as Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that he's dealing with a serious neck injury.
Similar to the case of Cesaro protecting Sheamus (who's also nursing a bad neck injury), the WWE is strictly limiting Jordan's in-ring action and maneuvers.
He's apparently struggling with gripping opponents, so there's not all that much he can do as a wrestler.
Meltzer also reported that original plans called for Jordan to appear at the six-man Elimination Chamber on Feb. 25, but the neck injury will keep him out.
It's expected that he and Rollins will disband and face off at WrestleMania 34, though that could depend entirely on Jordan's health.
Neck injuries are obviously extremely severe, and Paige's in-ring career appears to be over after suffering a stinger on her surgically repaired neck.
Similar injuries to her's caused Hall of Famers Edge and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin to hang up the wrestling boots in the midst of their respective primes.
WWE has to hope that Jordan will be cleared in time to compete at WrestleMania 34.
Ambrose's torn triceps injury will keep him out for most of 2018, while Samoa Joe and Big Cass are also recovering from foots and knee injuries, respectively.
Jordan's received a major push to be one of the next top stars of the company, and that could all come crashing down if this neck injury keeps him out long-term.
We'll see how this progresses, and we will update you on any further information.
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What is in my pencil case |我的筆袋有D咩🤗|好多都係Muji🙄 |Rapunzel land 🐨 - Duration: 6:06.-------------------------------------------
Inside George and Amal Clooney's World: Now This Is Fate Working Its Magic - Duration: 13:29.Inside George and Amal Clooney's World: Now This Is Fate Working Its Magic
Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria and was selected for a three-person U.N. commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza Strip.
So tonight, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award. So Tina Fey perfectly nailed the funny world we live in at the 2015 Golden Globes, when George Clooneyreceived the Cecil B.
DeMille Award and his wife, renowned human rights attorney Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin), was applauded for bringing opera gloves back to the red carpet and then memed for posterity as George was singing her praises during her speech.
But though the Internet at large may be more aware of Amal through the lens of her husband, a Hollywood heartthrob since the 1990s who over the years has become the sage celebrity voice of an industry (and Nescafé), George at least seems to be aware of how lucky he got.
And thats what matters. Its a humbling thing when you find someone to love, George memorably said toward the end of his acceptance speech. Even better if youve been waiting your whole life.
And when your whole life is 53 years.cue Amy, start the jokes.
[A self-deprecating reference to the zinger of all Globe zingers from 2014, about how, in Gravity, Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.] Amal, whatever alchemy it is that brought us together, I couldnt be more proud to be your husband. Proving that no matter who you are, it does sometimes feel as though a certain level of happiness wouldnt have been possible if fate hadnt lent its mystical hand to the situation.
In George and Amals case, it turns out that the alchemist was Clooneys agent.
Georges father, Nick Clooney, had previously intimated that his son met his future bride at a dinner, they hit it off and poof, so went the fantasies of millions of women everywhere.
But now we have a fuller picture of how that all came to pass. There was dinner involved, but that came later.
Rather, in true George Clooney-post-ER fashion, the Oscar-winning actor and producer was just relaxing at his home in Lake Como in July 2013 when fate knocked on his door.
I didnt leave the house, he recalls in the upcoming second episode of My Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman. No, its the wildest thing. A mutual friend of ours said, Im stopping by and can I bring my friend?.
And I was like, Of course. I got a call from my agent who called me and said, I met this woman whos coming to your house who youre gonna marry. Enter Amal Alamuddin, an attorney who was internationally renowned in her own right for her tireless work defending the rule of law in cases where the government was more apt to throw due process out the window.
(Were guessing Georges agent thought, Well, Clooneys pretty smart and, considering his work raising awareness about human rights violations in Sudan and his involvement with Not On Our Watch.
maybe these two kids will hit it off!) Born in Beirut and raised in England to a travel agent father and journalist mother who affectionately call her Amoula, Amal couldnt be more impressive on paper.
She has degrees from Oxford University and New York University School of Law. Shes a member of both the New York and London Bars. She speaks English, French and Arabic. She joined Londons estimable law firm Doughty Street Chambers.
She just may be on a first-name basis at The Hague. She served as advisor to Kofi Annan (as Tina noted).
She was appointed to a panel investigating the act of rape as a war crime. Shes represented victims of ISIS. She fights for prisoners to ensure their rights are being respected behind bars.
But as an exacting proponent of the law, Amal didnt just take on the easier cases where it was an easy question of good vs. bad. She was on a team representing controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his extradition case against Sweden.
She served as a legal advisor to the king of Bahrain, whose been widely accused of presiding over systemic repression and torture. In 2014, after she got engaged to George Clooney and became internationally famous twice-over, she appeared on behalf of Abdullah al Senussi, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafis former henchman who was universally recognized as a terrible man—but whom was entitled to have his rights recognized by the International Criminal Court in its quest for global justice, if Libya refused to do so, his lawyer insisted.
The whole point of the ICC is to be there when national systems cant do the job, Amal told Londons Observer at the time. Instead, it is giving a flawed, dangerous process the stamp of approval. In 2015, her co-counsel was stabbed while they were both in the Maldives representing the island nations president, who had been jailed on terrorism charges.
And she told the U.K.s Channel 4 in September 2016 about Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, If there is a prosecution of President Assad I would be delighted to work on it..
Well leave the more poetic odes to her intelligence and bravery to George, but its fairly obvious that were talking about an exceptionally dedicated lawyer and human rights advocate.
Considering her line of work, she had to be charming (in that magnetic, she-commands-respect kind of way), poised, whip-smart and, ultimately, very put together. So it makes sense that she ended up being a killer conversationalist.
And, not to mention, she walked out of the pages of the legal journals and onto the pages of glossy magazines looking primed to make every Best-Dressed List from day one.
The first time they met, they ended up talking all night, George recalls. His parents were there, hence the fond remembrances from Nick Clooney.
The funniest thing was my mom and dad were visiting so my parents were there, he told Letterman. And we just talked, we stayed up all night talking..
Then, as we had heard before, he got her email address (we hear it was Amal@Awesome.Org) and proceeded to keep her attention.
Which seems like a no-brainer, but who knows—Amal had talked to a lot of fascinating, brilliant people in her life before meeting George Clooney. Adorably, he wasnt ignorant of that fact.
So we started writing, he said. I didnt know if she wanted to go out with me—I just thought we were buddies..
George told The Hollywood Reporter last year, I thought she was beautiful, and I thought she was funny and obviously smart But he didnt know right away what she thought. She probably thought I was old, he quipped.
Then she sent some pictures from when she was here, and we were writing each other, emailing, talking, mostly about what was going on in each others lives, and over a period of time it became clear we were more than just friends. He went to London that October to do post-production work on his film The Monuments Men and invited her to visit him at Abbey Road Studios, after which they went to dinner—resulting in a slew of George Clooney on a date with mystery woman headlines once the paparazzi caught sight of them.
Clooney stayed in town for six weeks, he recalled, which ended up being plenty of time to get serious. He and Amal spent Christmas together in Cabo San Lucas and then want on safari in Kenya. .
By February 2014, barely seven months after they had met, George was getting ready to propose. Married once before but divorced since 1993, he had famously mused in interviews that he doubted hed get hitched again.
But those are also always famous last words. It took awhile to get the 7-carat diamond ring, worth as much as $750,000 according to one high-end jewelers estimate, sorted out.
But once it was, it was full speed ahead. Clooney cooked a pasta dinner for Amal at his L.A. home on April 28, 2014, and, over champagne afterwards, he popped the question.
And I did all the stuff, got down on my knee and did all the things youre supposed to do, he told THR. I had a playlist with my [late aunt Rosemary Clooneys] songs on it, and I was waiting for this song, Why Shouldnt I? Why shouldnt I take a chance when romance passes by? / Why shouldnt I know of love? Its a really good song about why cant I be in love? And it played, and shes like, Holy s--t! No wonder she was surprised.
Clooney revealed later that the two had never even discussed marriage yet.
And she just kept staring at the ring, going, Oh, my God. It was 20 minutes of me on my knee, waiting for her to say yes, because she was so shocked.
She only said yes when Goody, Goody came on, which isnt very romantic— its kind of mean: So you met someone who set you back on your heels, goody, goody. Still fairly apropos.
When something screams too good to be true! at you, that could set anyone on edge until its proven otherwise. But the leap of faith was worth it.
George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin at Ca Farsetti palace in Venice, Italy, in front of family and dear friends, both famous and otherwise, on Sept. 27, 2014, in a nondenominational ceremony.
The bride wore Oscar de la Renta, photos from her VIP fitting with her mother, Baria, sister Tala and the late, great couturier himself making a splash in Vogue.
George and I wanted a wedding that was romantic and elegant, and I cant imagine anyone more able than Oscar to capture this mood in a dress, Amal told the magazine in a rare interview not centered on one of her legal cases.
Meeting him made the design process all the more magical, as he is so warm and such a gentleman. The groom wore Armani, who called it a privilege and pleasure to dress his longtime friend and client for the occasion.
George and Amal radiated love all night, Baria Alamuddin told People after the long wedding weekend full of boat rides, food, wine, dancing and star-gazing was over. The wedding was so unbelievably special, it was legendary.
These three days—the friends, the families, the atmosphere, everything—will stay with me all the rest of my life. Being married feels pretty damn great, Clooney added, noting that he and his new wife were, simply, looking forward to everything. After legally marrying in a civil ceremony on Sept.
29, a Monday, they reportedly honeymooned in the Seychelles and then were enjoying an extended staycation at their new London home when Clooney was summoned for duty.
First, I had to explain that to my wife which didnt play well, he joked on The Graham Norton Show about the order of business, which was a command appearance at New York Comic-Con to promote Tomorrowland.
And then, the whole idea of spending part of your honeymoon with people dressed up like Captain Kirk and Star War scharacters somehow wasnt easy to explain to my new bride…But, I showed up and it was actually fun..
Amal herself went back to work barely a week later, jetting to Greece as part of the team advising the Greek government on their hoped-for return of the contested Parthenon Marbles (aka the Elgin Marbles) from the U.K.
So, their vowed intention to not spend more than a week apart was put into play sooner than they expected. But they seem to be doing just fine.
Since then, everything weve heard coming from Mr and Mrs. Clooney World has sounded just as life-affirming as it appeared in the beginning.
In February 2017, almost exactly a year ago, Julie Chenwho along with husband Les Moonves is a longtime friend of Georges—confirmed on The Talk in the most casual of Internet-rocking announcements that the Clooneys were expecting twins.
We are really happy and really excited. Its going to be an adventure, Clooney said on the French program Rencontres de Cinema a couple weeks later. Since getting the news weve sort of embraced it all…with arms wide open..
Once again, like marriage, having children together wasnt something that the couple had over-discussed. It had never been part of my DNA, Clooney admitted to THR last September after he was a dad.
We didnt plan on it. We never talked about it until after we were married, which is funny.
There was an assumption that we didnt want them. And then, after the wedding, Amal and I were talking and we just felt wed gotten very lucky, both of us, and we should share whatever good luck weve got.
It would seem self-centered to just have that belong to us. When George talked about not seeing kids in his future, I would listen to him patiently and then finally step in and say, George, some astounding woman is going to know your socks off, end of story, eternal optimist Nick Clooney told People last summer.
And thats exactly what happened..
Daughter Ella and son Alexander Clooney were born on June 6, about a month early—either, depending on who you ask, the Lindo Wing at St.
Marys Hospital, where Kate Middleton has had all of her children, or in the equally exclusive-sounding Kensington Wing at Londons Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
All went accordingly and, as Georges rep said at the time, Amal and the babies were healthy, happy and doing fine, while Clooney was sedated and should recover in a few days. Alexander and Ella Clooney of Los Angeles, London and Lake Como have pretty much been living the high life ever since.
(And will continue to do so, thanks in no small part to the $1 billion sale Clooney and his partners in Casamigos brokered for their high-end tequila brand last June, right around when the babies arrived.) Not putting on any airs about how much work caring for newborn twins would be, George and Amal hired super nanny Connie Simpson to help out early on, perhaps getting the recommendation from former satisfied clients Matt and Lucy Damon.
All went so well that the Clooneys wholeheartedly endorsed Simpsons upcoming book The Nanny Connie Way: Secrets to Mastering the First Four Months of Parenting, which is due out in April.
If I were a baby, I would want Connie to be my Nanny, George and Amal said in a statement. I want her to wrap me in a blanket and rock me to sleep.
We loved having her as part of our family..
Aside from the usual gotcha shots that have been taken of the couple with their babies when theyve ventured out and about, the Clooneys have opted to keep Ella and Alexander entirely to themselves.
The angling for photos of the twins was pretty egregious right off the bat, though.
When a French tabloid published what George said were illegally taken pictures of the kids last July, he vowed to go after everyone involved in the taking, selling and publishing to the fullest extent of the law.
The safety of our children demands it, he told E! News. Every single day theres some crazy sort of infringement, Clooney told THR in September. And you go, OK, well eat it.
Thats what we have to do. But when someone breaks the law, thats beyond what we bargained for, beyond the pact I made: that when youre famous, youre going to be followed.
I dont know anyone who wouldnt be furious. Clooney admits that the level of attention paid to him, a level that both rose and fell when Amal entered his life as the scrutiny shifted in her direction, was something his partner had to get used to.
Its a little like being in a parade, and its not easy—particularly for her—because, in general, we live a very private life, he said.
And so its continued for George and Amal, whose new normal includes work, play and parenting.
Generally by each others side, they went to the Venice Film Festival last September and enjoyed the Casamigos Halloween party in October with longtime friends Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford.
Georges playful, pragmatic personality has stayed intact, such as when they handed out headphones to fellow travelers on a flight to help cancel out the baby noise.
Earlier this month, the couple sent flowers and thank you notes to the cast of a production of My Fair Lady they enjoyed on date night in Reading, England.
As for expanding the family even further, Amal has indicated that she thinks two kids is it for them, telling THR that, at 39, I already had them quite late. So a devoted foursome they will be.
Clooneys latest directorial effort, the dark satire Suburbicon starring pal Matt Damon, wasnt received particularly well by critics, but hes already on to the next thing—it was just announced that hell direct and star in a six-part adaptation of Joseph Hellers Catch-22 for Hulu, his first leading role on a small screen since ER.
Coincidentally, Amals been on the big screen in the documentary On Her Shoulders—which just screened at the Sundance Film Festival—about activist Nadia Murads appeal to bring global attention to the plight of the Yazidis, a Kurdish religious sect who were besieged and terrorized by ISIS in Iraq.
Amal took up Murads case to get an audience with the UN General Assembly. You know, business as usual. Meanwhile, were guessing George Clooney has something special in store for his missus 40th birthday, which is Saturday.
A surprise party? A surprise trip? Dedicating the entire month of spring to her? Though whatever they do, be it local or global, with a crowd or just themselves, the most important thing is that theyll be together.
Every single day of my life, I just feel lucky, Clooney rhapsodized to THR last year. Lucky in my career.
Lucky enough to have found the perfect partner. Sometimes in life it doesnt happen on your schedule, but you find the person that you were always supposed to be with. Thats how I feel, and I know thats how Amal feels..
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