Rambling Rogues and Rangers

With nothing better coming to mind about what to blog about, i thought i would bore you all with some descriptions of the characters that just won't leave me alone. ;-)  The one thing you might need to know is that all of my stories are based in the Games-Workshop setting known as Necromunda.  Mostly because i just don't have that kind of creativity.  Necromunda is referred to as a "Hive World".  Basically humans have industrialized the planet to such a degree that most people dwell within massive cities, miles across at there base, and extending miles into the sky.  Whenever they need to expand they continue to add on "domes" or "spires" one upon the other.  All of the planet's natural resources have been depleted to such an extent that everything must be imported from off-world so that the industries can continue to churn out their wares that they produce.  The waste materials, solid/liquid/gases, are indiscriminately discarded out into what are known as the wastes. 

Within the "Hives" billions of people can inhabit a single city, and there are hundreds of cities around the globe.  Only the wealthiest live in the ever reaching spires of the hives.  These reach above the toxic clouds the cover their world.  To posses a single window is a sign of extravagant wealth.  Below them, and behind "The Wall" is "Hive City".  This is where over 95% of the population lives.  It is teeming with factories, hab-domes, commercial hubs, and people.  Below Hive City is the "Under Hive"  This region is occupied by the discarded remnants of society and industry above.  Abandoned factories and Habs, large swaths of toxic wastelands.  All slowly being crushed by the miles of construction above. Those who live here eek out a living by scavenging up what was left behind to resell or reuse for their own devices.  Many who cannot stand the cramped conditions of Hive City work their way here to get out from under the thumb of their oppressors.  There is yet one more layer known simply as "The Sump".  All of the runoff from the effluent above winds up here.  The dregs of society that could not hack it, or are simply not wanted , even in the Under Hive , dwell here.  Untold things, abominations, that have evolved after milennia upon milennia of exposure to the toxins of the factories above.  When mothers want to scare their children into submission they talk of the things of the Sump.  And yet, these are not the least hospitable places on Necromunda.

Beyond the walls of the hives are "The Wastes".  For untold years the industrial wastes from the factories of Necromunda have been discarded here.  Where once lavish forests and oceans teamed with life, now there are only shifting dunes of resins and dust.  The very air is hard to breath and the clouds, six miles above, rain down acid that form sludge runoffs and seas that disappear almost as quickly as they arrived.  Often leaving behind fragile crust shells that swallow up the unwary.

That is but a brief description of the background "character" known as Necromunda.  It plays an important backdrop, as would any 'world' or environment a story occupies.

My oldest recurring character is Ian.  As with most of the characters i write about i began his story when he was "wet behind the ears".  Ian was a spoiled middle class citizen of Hive City, his parents were managers in one of the rare "high tech" labs within a sub-group known as Van Saar.  When the dull routine of working in the lab day in and day out he bolted for the Under Hive.  He eventually joined up with a gang known as the "Steel Spiders" where he has been earning his keep and the 'tinkerer' and medic for the group.  His story line i have used to explore the "behind the scenes" aspect of the table top wargame, or what might be considered the pre and post "battle" sequence of events of the game itself.  While i also use the games i play from time to time to form a flowing "battle report" in story form, i have enjoyed just letting my imagination flow on how the people of the under hive eek out a living.  I have over twenty five chapters for this one character alone.  Each chapter is anywhere from 1,000 to over 3,000 words in length.  He is also the only character (so far) to have a "relationship" of any kind.

My next oldest continuing character is Logan.  He was the bastard child of a union between members of rival factions.  This union caused his mother to be an outcast from her House, and he an unwanted addition to his father's House.  When his mother is killed defending he is mostly disgarded dispite his father's best efforts.  Eventually Ian and his father are forced from there homes and take up to scrounging out a living in the tunnels in a long forgotten dome.  I have a lot of notes on where his "path" is going to go from here and it will continue to be unsettled to put it nicely.

The next guy comes from a story line that i've been working on for about eighteen months now.  I have about 4,500 words done along a parralel path with Ian above where Ian rescues this guy.  Eventually Jakob will have his own stand alone story line.  Jakob comes from a similar background as Ian, perhaps slightly higher up the food chain than Ian.  Instead of seeking to escape from the doldrums of day to day life in Hive City Jakob is in search of... something.  He has come believe that the distant Emporer is not the savior of mankind he is made out to be, and that the Machine Spirit is also a hoax.  But, there is something out there... and he is following the promptings of something calling itself "Ijam".  However, his adventures thus far have been nothing but misfortune having fallen into the hands of House Cawdor and having to be rescued (by the Steel Spiders).  While he was in captivity he had experienced a prolonged exposure to some highly toxic and active chemicals and has begun a transformation of sorts.  I already have a lengthy outline of where he is going from here, and his personal fortunes will not get better for some time.  But in the end he will find what he is looking for.

So far all of the characters have had some overlap.  Even Ian and Logan had a (very) brief exchange way back when.  The next character does not have any interaction with the others whatsoever.  Well, at least not that i have worked out in my notes... and it will most likely not change.  Harley is a brand new gang leader who has visions of deadly dancers based losely on a hazy pict seen on a grainy picture tube of the Eldar Harlequins.  Of all my characters she is the least developed thus far.  She was "born" out of my desire to break away from my usual mode of play when playing Necromunda.  Out of my own personal history my style of play tends to be more of the ranged, fire teams of mutual fire support based off of my days in the Infantry.  With Haley i break my own mold and will be pushing forward to get into the mix with hand to hand and close quarters battle, and since i like to write why not start up yet another story line. 8)

Last, but by far not the least, is Elrain Luinon Râdîr.  This character was originally based on an even older character than Ian.  A Nomad who made his living out in the wastes of Necromunda.  But when i saw a picture of an Eldar Ranger out on the web for a different Games Workshop game called Inquisitor, that all changed.  With my affinity for all things Elvish i had longed for a way to weave such a story line such as an Eldar Ranger team patrolling the wastes or hives of Necromunda.  With this motivation i promptly rewrote about two thirds of the outline i had already worked out, almost starting over, just so that i could interweave this new character.  Because the Eldar are so foreign to the world of Necromunda and the relevant "fluff", something i am already very familiar with, i have spent the most amount of time "researching" all things Eldarish for Warhammer 40,000.  Specifially the second edition of the rules since that is what the game Necromunda is based on.  His story line actuallu has not started yet, but i already have notes equally as long as Jakob's.  Râdîr and Jakob ultimately have paralleled paths.

I have a pretty descent mental picture of all of these characters, their personalities, their preferred clothing and weapon styles, and how they interact with the world around them.  I realized as i was "dressing" this blog that i've not fully collected images to help me... this will be the next step to help me keep them consistant.  For me the writing process is the most enjoyable aspect of the game.  Recently a cousin, who i had assumed would not enjoy such a genre, expressed an appreciation for my stories and i was surprised.  She explained that some people reflect a creative aspect of the Creator, and others an appreciation for the creations.  I pray that somehow God is glorified and approves of my scribbles, then it is my desire to write well enough for others to enjoy too.

(Note:  I am still learning how to link pictures back to their source, or to the owner of particular images... the image of a Hive belongs to Games Workshop.   The image i used for Ian i am unsure of who owns it, but i searched for a "Cyber Punk guy" and found several sources for this one.  The harlequin image was a "fan pic" that i found at "Deviant Art DOT net".)

They are feeding my addiction

Yesterday the "Flair" application on Facebook announced that they have added new "boards" to display your flair on AND you can now display more than one board! That means i can arrange everyone of my 550 pieces of flair - 53 pieces per board! \o/ So, i will need a minimum of eleven backgrounds to display them all... but knowing me there will be more than that so i can organize them by subject. LOL

My writing has been moving along, albeit slowly. I have gotten to a point where i need to work out a complicated scene before i can move on. Some writers skip around in their work... and i am not sure i can do that... but maybe in a way i am. I have an on-going story line that i've tied in to my "novel", and there is a part that is a background piece for the novel and i've been working on that is almost finished... but to jump ahead in the "novel" outline... that part i am not so sure about. Which sort of reminds me... i have a personal goal of 3,000 words a month of writing. Doesn't matter what piece i work on (and i currently have four in various stages), i just have to write 3,000 words. I am way off pace for December... i'd better get to work soon. My friend from High School, Ram, has been itching to get together to do some tabletop wargamming. The guys has been a really good sport about my style of hang back and shoot. He continually attempts to storm the gates. I can't help it. It is my natural instinct based off of my Infantry training. Anyway, i made a promise to him that i would deliberately take a force that makes me get out of my comfort zone. This time i will play a force styled after the Eldar Harlequins using the Escher rule set. I've always had a fascination with Mime's, and dancing troupes of old. There is just something fascinating about mesmerizing forms of twirling dancers arrayed in colorful costumes and masks. We shall see how this works out. I am not one to venture far from my comfort zone all too often. LOL Of late i have been really trying to work over in my head the verses from Matthew 7:21-23...

"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (ESV)

I believe God is really working on my heart in this area. Especially in regard to the part where the people are saying, "...did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do mighty works in your name?" I feel that many American "Christians" are like this. (Especially in light of what i have been seeing in the churches i have attended lately.) We get busy with various programs, we get caught up in how many people are showing up to events, or how many people are "brought into the kingdom", but we never actually teach them what it takes to have a personal RELATIONSHIP with Christ. I need to confess something here... i was saved into a church that did do that, but i never made the hard changes in my life where i disciplined myself to pursue daily devotions. I think this is what God is trying to show me now. I believe He is telling me, "take the log out of your own eye", especially before i get to work doing things in His name. Unless there is the foundation of a relationship - it is all in vain... He is not in the work. And nothing that is void of God will last or have any real meaning. Confession is one thing... especially on a blog that very few read... but i need to put words and faith into action... "Lord Jesus, please help seal this on my heart. Please help me to make the hard changes. Not because my efforts to spend time with You contribute in anyway, but because of what You have done. Lord Jesus thank You for your tender mercies that are indeed new every day. I confess that i have been lazy in my relationship with you. I've done a lot of talking and very little listening. Lord, please help me to break this bad habit and to make a change. Lord i desperately want to know you more... and more importantly... to be known by you. You have told us that if we turn from our sins and humble ourselves you will hear our prayers. Lord God you have also said that if we ask for anything in Your name the Father will give it. Heavenly Father... i ask for this in the name of my Lord Jesus' name, and for His glory. Amen. "

The writing process and other random ramblings

Have you ever heard a song, seen a landscape or picture and been inspired by it? Have you ever just been moved in a moment by something outside of yourself? Some of you may know that one of my hobbies is that i enjoy writing science fiction short stories ~ but more specifically, stories based in Games Workshop's Necromunda setting. Well, i've been working on what i call my 'novel'. It's really just an overly ambitious short story idea. Well, about two or three weeks ago i was researching for a part of the story when i stumbled across the picture to the left. I had in mind four 'major' characters ~ you know, with other minor ones coming into play in the background, etc. ~ but as soon as i saw this picture i completely rewrote one of them. In addition to having an affinity for the samurai of feudal Japan i have had a love of Elves since i was aware of their 'existence' within literature and fantasy settings. I am not referring to the little Sprite like elves, but those of the Tolkien ilk. So much so that while i was growing up, whenever i played a game with my friends - no matter what that game was - if it was possible to play an elf character 95 times out of 100 that was the character type i was going to play. My gaming nickname was "elf buddy" because of this... and my seemingly incredible ability (i.e. luck) to roll exactly what i needed no matter how long the odds where. Well, this guy here is what is known as an Eldar Ranger. He is the long range scouts for his kind, and conveniently he fit the bill of the archetype Nomad/Scout of one of the main characters. This picture, along with "Tulip's" encouragement of setting reasonable daily goals and my beloved's encouragement to "just do it", has sort of re-ignited my writing of late. Which i am very, very happy about. I do have one concern though. This guy is not the 'hero' of the tale... LOL Last week my favorite team in the whole world, the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, got their rear ends handed to them by the Philadelphia Eagles. It was reminiscent of the drubbing at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals in last years playoffs. Both of those games opened up with a really good drive, grinding it out on the ground culminating with a Touchdown, only for it all to get flushed down the toilet by turnovers. A lot of the blame has been put on the back of Jake Delhomme, and to a point deservedly so. BUT, this is a team sport and i was listening to this past weekend's game... some things i'd like to point out... 13 attempts to Mr. Steve Smith... 3 catches (some of those were bad throws... but these two have been such a tandem in the past...), on one interception the ball was tipped... on the fumble it was a screen pass and the defensive lineman had a clear shot to the QB and popped it lose... which was then returned for a touchdown. Those in the media are already calling for the firing of #17 with severe implications for Coach Fox. Both Coach Fox and Jake Delhomme have been the best in Panthers history... by a pretty wide margin. Now, past performance does not necessarily guarantee future results... but i think it is crazy that people are unhappy unless a team makes it to the championship game every year. I am still dreaming of a 9-7 season for my Panthers. Geaux Panthers! Yesterday i came across Josh Harris' blog and i saw that he blogged about Gollum and man's slavery to sin. I keep a statue of Smeagol on my desk at work. Not because i find it particularly attractive, or because i particularly like the character. I keep it on my desk because i see Gollum as the example of man's depravity... of our addiction to sin. But when i read Pastor Josh's blog on the subject i felt that he put it so much better than i ever did. I was going to quote him in full here... but i am out of time and space for today... i encourage those who stumble across this blog to think about this.

Not Exactly 'Revelation' type stuff but...

Over the weekend, while I was out enjoying time with my family at an unusually slow pace, I found out that a sequel to a game that I really liked was coming out. Despite my real lack of time to get too deep in any one game I went ahead and put a deposit for both the game and the strategy guide. Before I make the "big reveal" I wanted to ponder the similarities in interests I seem to have. Fair reader, perhaps you can help me figure out why? If not, maybe you will enjoy similar things... Way back in High School I had a tradition of spending New Years Eve with a friend of mine nicknamed 'Tynie". We were both social misfits in our school so we enjoyed each other's company. One year we watched "Damnation Alley" as one of many movies we watched. I remember this movie in particular because while we were watching it my foot brushed an orange peel on the floor while we were watching the "Salt Lake City" scene, and I vaulted over the ottoman I was leaning against and landed on the coach behind it. LOL But these were the years when I was really getting into movies. Other movies I really got into where "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior". What I did not realize was that it was becoming a defining moments, and a trend in my likes and dislikes of genres. But the movie I 'loved' the most was "The Terminator". I remember my friends and I walking over six miles each way, in the summer heat to go and watch this movie. I was captivated by the future scenes of John Connor running through the post apocalyptic wastes of some city in the future. Dodging evil robots, and trying to defend what was left of human civilization. Even back then I remember wanting a 'Terminator' movie set in the future, and it looks like my hope of such a thing will finally come to be realized next May. "Terminator: Salvation", starring Christian Bale, will finally hit the theaters next year. I doubt it will be as good as I want it to be, but I will watch it nonetheless. Both the 'teaser' and the first promotional trailer can be found at IMDB. Of the three movies that have been released so far, "Rise of the Machines" (3) is my favorite. Last year's Fox's "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was an awesome (IMO) series and I am really looking forward to the upcoming season. So far I've not established a pattern so much as just an affinity for certain style of movie so I shall move on. Starting in my High School years I also got into a table top war game called "Warhammer 40,000". By this time in my life I was getting bored with Dungeons & Dragons and I had recently joined the Army National Guard. Having been exposed to several other Bookshelf games (i.e. Tactics II, Napoleon, Air War, and Squad Leader), I liked the idea of having a three dimensional representation with the pieces. But what really caught my eye was when a 'rule set' for a game called 'Confrontation' came out circa 1990. This game eventually became 'Necromunda'. This game is a 'squad level' skirmish game set in a future world where cities have grown into the skies and are now called 'hives'. Where the game takes place is in the 'lawless zones' of the 'underhive' where things are not kept up and decay is the rule in regards to resources. When a supplemental rule article came out for the "Ash Wastes" it immediately caught my eye. The "Wastes" in this 'world' are a place where millennium upon millennium of industrial waste has ruined and made toxic the entire planet surface not covered by the massive hive-cities. Yet there are those who carve out a living outside the walls. These are the backdrops of my short stories (both inside, and out of the cities). I was interested enough to help proof read, and write some specific stories, for a rewrite of the 'Ash Wastes' rules supplement about a year or so back. My interests in this area is not limited to movies and board/tabletop games. On my recent vacation I had run out of reading material so I was perusing one of the overpriced bookstores in the Dallas airport and came across a book in a series by William Johnstone (the title escapes me right now). But there are about a dozen or so books - all based on a post-apocalyptic America. I have read only three chapters and I have put it down because I want to start the series from the beginning! I'm not sure how much I will really like, but it's caught my attention. So, finally back to my original comment about this game I want to get - even though I do not have all that much time to actually play it... The game is called Fallout 3 (the video above is the promotional deal from the company). I got hooked on the first one in the series back when I was on active duty. It was already an old game then, but I ate it up anyway. I also picked up the second in the series, but I never finished it. Now I hear that there is yet another Fallout game that is a turn based tactical game as well. I will probably go ahead and get the game, even though it will probably take me years to finish it. What prompted this blog entry today is I realized yesterday this 'theme', if you will, of my interest in movies, books, games, etc. I wonder if there is an underlying reason. I mean, I was even drawn to the part in "Mere Christianity" where the 'hero' is seeing a writers vision of what hell might be like. I don't have delusions of grandeur that I would somehow survive such events, let alone be some kind of hero in such a setting. Quite the opposite. I'm pretty sure I'd be killed off pretty quick. Why is it that I am drawn to such a genre. I am not repulsed by my interests... just interested in my interest. If that makes sense. Other movies that I like, "The Postman", and "Blast From the Past". There was a lot more that came to mind while I was typing this up, but I couldn't keep it all straight. Besides, I think I've gotten across what I was thinking. Verse for today: Revelation 6 : 12-17, ESV When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave [5] and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

I spaced out yesterday

Totally ;)

Anyway... between trying to adjust to playing a single parent this week, getting back into the routine at work, and trying to crunch out a short story for an upcoming rules article for Necromunda, I completely missed the opportunity to blog yesterday. But that's ok because I have kind of been in a funk lately.

I kind of go through cycles, almost monthly (no smart alack remarks ;-) ). I don't do well with change, and life is full of things that change. My beloved is out of town for a few days at a conference that is addressing special needs within children's ministry this week. I submitted my letter to finally make my retirement from the National Guard official. And the ever changing nature of IT in the work environment. None of these things really help me feel 'safe' or 'peaceful'. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe in the providential hand of God. I know that He is in perfect control of all. It's just that my mind (aka my flesh) does not respond well to change. Like I have to process it all before I can get back to 'level'. I don't even necessarily need to understand it all. I just have to be able to somehow process it.

Funny story - back when I was commuting almost 90 minutes each way to work I would call my beloved just before I would walk out the door to head home (before we had cell phones) and go over what we were doing that night. By the time I would get home my beloved would make changes and it would throw me through a loop. Unfortunately this has led her to believe that I can't handle change at all (and maybe she's right). I know she's nervous that the kids are going to end up in school without their shoes on, or I will leave the house wide open so strangers can "help themselves". And none of this helps my own "self esteem".

I enjoy writing, and I enjoy my job, but I still feel like a failure at both. At work I struggle to keep up with the constant changes, and not just to the technology. When I went to college I took the placement exams and scored high enough to be invited to join the 'honors society', but I still placed low enough that I had to take English 010 (no, that is not a mis-type). Not only did I have to take the pre-college English course, but I had to take it four times before I passed it! (I currently do not have a degree of any kind.)

So, during these "low cycles" it is hard to keep up. All I can see is all of the tasks around the house not getting done, all of the opportunities missed with the kids, the mistakes I make with my beloved. I ache for heaven, especially during these times. I know that I do a lot of things well. I am able to support my family on my single income (a miracle in today's economic situation), I have been picked above my peers to fill in for the First Sergeant at my unit while he has been away (this has been a reoccurring thing through out my military career), I have been blessed with a mind that can grasp things like IP routing and filtering, I have been blessed with children whom I am often given compliments for, and I have a woman in my life who really does look past my faults and loves me deeply.

But it is hard to look to the horizon, when all you can see are hillsides. I guess that is why I take such deep pleasure in Psalm 23, and the book of Job. My Savior is not hemmed in by my doubts or failures. His staff does comfort me. He does light my paths. He does lead me by still waters and anoints my head with oil. The same God who tells the ocean that it may go only so far, and places the stars at just the right place, is the one who reaches down and speaks to my mind and my heart. He holds me and gives me comfort. Even when I am trying to process change.
Verse for today:
Isaiah 12, ESV
You [1] will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God [2] is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

With joy you [3] will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known [4] in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your [5] midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Misc Ramblings

Ok, it is now Wednesday afternoon... and I have no idea what to write about today.

I am just under 3 months away from my CCNA expiring, and I am beginning to freak out. I don't know what it is... but when I read those huge Cisco Press books my head starts spinning. I can't seem to keep all of the information straight. Once I learn it though, my mind is able to almost visualize a virtual world of how the bits flow through the buffers and access-lists. My employer also has some great training aids through an on-line internal server. But I run into the same problem. But, I need to take advantage of these resources to try and get as much into the cranium as possible.

Only 24 more days in uniform until the season of my National Guard commitment comes to an end. I know I've talked a lot about this recently, but it has encompassed over half of my life and it will soon be coming to an end. Not an unwanted end, but still, an end. I am pretty glad that it is coming to an end on my terms so to speak. I am really shaping things up the way I want to end it, and I am still being a contributing member right up until the end.

I am feeling a tad lonely of late. My beloved as taken a part time job at a local college, and she works evenings. The result is I see her for about 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon (if I'm lucky and I don't have to work over any), and then I stay awake until she gets home around 2300 (11pm for you civilians) - we then are so tired we sort of watch a show together and fall asleep. There is not much time left... for now this will only last until May... but I am concerned that I will not be able to provide sufficiently for her to return to being a SAHM like should has told me she wants to be. I've expounded upon this before, so I am not going to do so more here.

My brother is returning home from Iraq this weekend, and we are looking forward to going to see him. He was a part of the group that my unit got assigned to for the deployment so a handful of them will be home also. The rest will be filtering in soon. It will be good to have them home again.

On a totally off of my usual topic, I have been itching to make some models for Necromunda. Every once in a while I get the urge to build these kinds of things, buildings or miniatures (my "little army men" as my beloved refers to them), or sometimes even vehicles. My problem is I make my buildings too symmetrical. The Necro "world" is very much a decrepit, recycled type of atmosphere. I used to spend a lot of time with my lifelong friend from High School, doing these kinds of things. We would sit around, listening to very loud music, sipping highly caffeinated drinks, doing very delicate painting and assembling. I can still visualize a mini that I did that included a fake tree, and a great camouflage pattern. I've long since lost it, but I really liked it. Hmm... I just need to get a small desk/hutch for the corner of my bedroom. Then I'll have a place to play with the models.

That's all I have for random thoughts for today... God bless.
Verse for today:
Psalm 25:1-5, ESV
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.