tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403664027711142292024-03-15T19:05:03.851-05:00Truth is...Finally...whatever is true...think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.comBlogger625125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-3759227138944414532024-03-14T05:07:00.027-05:002024-03-14T05:07:00.133-05:00Just When You Start Thinking You're Sooooo Important<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Serving as an excellent bad example yet again, Bill Waterson's Calvin seems to think he has complete control over a small group of flowers.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu2-P_ToXuzus7Aj88_CJRZO2gxWzgTvFIpUqyJFiff1EhGKdK4AUhDv-ReXDERhWca8RX7OMYXswMUCe7wsk-ylMf6ttigM1Z5cWWqSl8MmEePHUgjP9Ynh5qJW0Q6d5GbV6aijjV3_W80OC3FcXvwzR4bK8V_YPTSPRkXHCo3EH3sc6bt6AjAdSlxaT/s450/C&H%20I%20Am%20God%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="450" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu2-P_ToXuzus7Aj88_CJRZO2gxWzgTvFIpUqyJFiff1EhGKdK4AUhDv-ReXDERhWca8RX7OMYXswMUCe7wsk-ylMf6ttigM1Z5cWWqSl8MmEePHUgjP9Ynh5qJW0Q6d5GbV6aijjV3_W80OC3FcXvwzR4bK8V_YPTSPRkXHCo3EH3sc6bt6AjAdSlxaT/w400-h254/C&H%20I%20Am%20God%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Then, just as he really gets wound up with his self-importance, God steps in.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NzbAcKRPwwD8JVNdFmW8ldRTmCKbxqkhkJMuiQYEI_-4jYgHWr8yCXxcC9eFrbTzIW_3OaB1i4hnAVrBtHhAmCS3foJ75QdxgqKiK7yWgd0W4q2IA6jY6lI8Dsf3qnKYwSFJg0Nnh-7vL_Kb0Um6kKzFczBeiT-HIQOA2FNHDDFNB0XtgyQy-YXjQLxK/s450/C&H%20I%20Am%20God%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="450" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NzbAcKRPwwD8JVNdFmW8ldRTmCKbxqkhkJMuiQYEI_-4jYgHWr8yCXxcC9eFrbTzIW_3OaB1i4hnAVrBtHhAmCS3foJ75QdxgqKiK7yWgd0W4q2IA6jY6lI8Dsf3qnKYwSFJg0Nnh-7vL_Kb0Um6kKzFczBeiT-HIQOA2FNHDDFNB0XtgyQy-YXjQLxK/w400-h255/C&H%20I%20Am%20God%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...By the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. (Romans 12:3 CSV)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-81029690512284903432024-03-07T05:07:00.132-06:002024-03-07T05:07:00.131-06:00I Need a Good Lawyer<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.</span></i></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I John 2:1</i></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEyCnvy5E19la8rb3kMUhoM4LL2i4qBgwDk3aGlPVW-ro-8VpA9StD4K8JOaaey1JM6kFuLI2LOQh3dqsPqKE8MKGJ9CSb8YVp2Vw97ujQ3TCsmC2TC1p9GWG7gfNZ7vGERj1EwL9FwaMV82MgQ4zmrd0YXeyizYIUxFe36ZNlyhfEnGkK4XIqFAneeWe/s1024/0307.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="1024" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEyCnvy5E19la8rb3kMUhoM4LL2i4qBgwDk3aGlPVW-ro-8VpA9StD4K8JOaaey1JM6kFuLI2LOQh3dqsPqKE8MKGJ9CSb8YVp2Vw97ujQ3TCsmC2TC1p9GWG7gfNZ7vGERj1EwL9FwaMV82MgQ4zmrd0YXeyizYIUxFe36ZNlyhfEnGkK4XIqFAneeWe/w400-h221/0307.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Here's the picture John draws: It's the courtroom at the end of all time; the final judgment. Lucifer serves as the prosecuting attorney. His table is piled high with affidavits and depositions and enough physical evidence to fill a storage unit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">On the opposite side is the space reserved for the defendant. That would be me...or you, if you're inclined to put yourself in the scenario. The counsel for the defense is Yeshua Barjoseph; commonly called Jesus Christ. The table where we sit is empty. No notes. No file folders. Not even a briefcase.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Behind the judge's bench, gavel in hand, is the lord of all creation, El Shaddai, Yahweh, the Almighty.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Even with this foreboding setup, I'm pretty sure it will be the shortest trial in the history of litigation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">LUCIFER: Your honor, you must find him guilty!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">JESUS: Ah, but Father, look at the defendant. He is clothed in my righteousness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">YAHWEH: Not guilty! Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master's happiness.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Truth is...Maybe there actually will be a guilty verdict, but it will be found that the sentence for my crimes has already been served. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.</span><span style="font-family: courier;">" II Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-23474253884672385952024-02-29T05:07:00.083-06:002024-02-29T05:07:00.134-06:00Listening for Yahweh's Voice<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">I recently read <a href="https://deweyroth.blogspot.com/2023/12/books-i-read-in-2023-vol-xvi.html" target="_blank"><i>Why I Am Still Surprised by the Voice of God</i> by Jack Deere</a>. Because I was raised in a church tradition that operated under the assumption that all direct communication from God ceased once the original apostles died off, I couldn't help but be a little wary of the book's testimonies of "how God speaks today through prophecies, dreams, and visions."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And yet, the humility with which Deere wrote and the Scriptures he pointed out and the personal testimony of my own son have all worked together to leave me open to the possibility of hearing and being led by God's "still, small voice."</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1ZkdKRvgYSKTMrHIq2DhXaY8MI83cA-wovHLll29icIKeWtyaXK6newgl4R965DY1FMMERsnFy2JTrDlItFvceTb_hcEmSnsXaQ3Q80MGmJ52VReoH_4mwAeXDWC2Tqn2-T5FpGprHYUJBQXwCcHA0X3zjI_mz-IwfstC0yesbWIcIhfu6HvdHEnDqFW/s862/0229.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="862" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1ZkdKRvgYSKTMrHIq2DhXaY8MI83cA-wovHLll29icIKeWtyaXK6newgl4R965DY1FMMERsnFy2JTrDlItFvceTb_hcEmSnsXaQ3Q80MGmJ52VReoH_4mwAeXDWC2Tqn2-T5FpGprHYUJBQXwCcHA0X3zjI_mz-IwfstC0yesbWIcIhfu6HvdHEnDqFW/w400-h381/0229.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><span>And then, in today's reading from </span><i>THE IMITATION OF CHRIST: Classic Devotions in Today's Language</i><span>, by Thomas à Kempis (Compiled and Edited by James N. Watkins), I was directed to consider the words of Jesus in John 16:13-14...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard...He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;">...and also the words of </span><span style="font-family: courier;">Thomas à Kempis...</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Truly blessed are the ears that listen -- not to the sounds surrounding them -- but to the voice of Truth inside. Blessed are the eyes that are closed to outward things, but are focused on things within. Blessed are they who search inward things and study to prepare themselves by daily exercises for the receiving of heavenly mysteries. Blessed are they who long to have time for God and free themselves from every time-waster in the world. Think on these things, O my soul. Shut the doors of your selfish and sinful desires so you may hear what the Lord God will say within you.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...I am practically a slave to time-wasters and cultural noise, but I believe the lord of the universe is able to deliver me from evil and bring his kingdom to life within me here and now...on earth as it is in heaven.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-84460784495860029532024-02-22T05:07:00.059-06:002024-02-22T05:07:00.132-06:00Parable of the Rotten Timbers<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The following quote about the mighty warships of the 1700s (from <i>The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder</i> by David Grann) set my mind to thinking.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_PBYhQldZEBvIoPcRUoIWtzH-mNyks3FPKi6Fu0wAaOwzByo0pWVKGQS1DimSzCm2vpPgzTGg2EAbIcIEHcc8iVYR-h0xLOxBGHE3Frf7_ncbFwaYQpdyA-6adJ_X0eLXB7CmsPgbimADplp_7Xsx1gf906QUF-w4845f9UZiAz3cZdx2kiar43kbX8e/s1575/0222.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1575" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_PBYhQldZEBvIoPcRUoIWtzH-mNyks3FPKi6Fu0wAaOwzByo0pWVKGQS1DimSzCm2vpPgzTGg2EAbIcIEHcc8iVYR-h0xLOxBGHE3Frf7_ncbFwaYQpdyA-6adJ_X0eLXB7CmsPgbimADplp_7Xsx1gf906QUF-w4845f9UZiAz3cZdx2kiar43kbX8e/w400-h260/0222.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>“Most of the wood was hard oak, but it was still susceptible to the pulverizing elements of storm and sea. </i>Teredo navalis<i>--a reddish shipworm, which can grow longer than a foot--ate through hulls. (Columbus lost two ships to these creatures during his fourth voyage to the West Indies.) Termites also bored through decks and masts and cabin doors, as did deathwatch beetles. A species of fungus further devoured the ship's wooden core. In 1684, Samuel Pepys, a secretary to the Admiralty, was stunned to discover that many new warships under construction were already so rotten they were ‘in danger of sinking at their very moorings.’</i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>“The average man-of-war was estimated by a leading shipwright to last only fourteen years. And to survive that long, a ship had to be virtually remade after each extensive voyage, with new masts and sheathing and rigging. Otherwise, it risked disaster. In 1782, while the 180-foot Royal George--for a time the largest warship in the world--was anchored near Portsmouth, with a full crew onboard, water began flooding its hull. It sank. The cause has been disputed, but an investigation blamed the ‘general state of decay of her timbers.’ An estimated nine hundred people drowned.”</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...I am reminded of the words of Jesus about building our houses on sand or rock (Matthew 7:24-27) and Paul's words about reaping what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Whatever a person entrusts their physical or spiritual well-being to had better be trustworthy. And guard yourself against what you think are just little things...but could eat away at your integrity until you're sunk.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-25492287904272884842024-02-15T05:07:00.101-06:002024-02-15T05:07:00.148-06:00Land of My Sojourn<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i> ends the way it began...with Rich Mullins contemplating his earthly existence, God's sovereignty over it, and mankind's need for redemption.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AZn3Oa4_prVH0XKJ2R_25PFgI1K-GWppNnraVb0H9l-A7YR6U5rGAQR93V8UbNLaa6xVIqNjQTQXt0XzW5V23d5r3yVs7F0cMgS3eRTr6TKTwvmU-7RoUscVBMDwCAzL1P1AU2bCrmpSTsBQZa_-pcFo4yFbxo2x2EhX6sxLKnaQlTwfJRQdp8xFiqrr/s1920/LandOfMySojourn.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="Land of My Sojourn" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AZn3Oa4_prVH0XKJ2R_25PFgI1K-GWppNnraVb0H9l-A7YR6U5rGAQR93V8UbNLaa6xVIqNjQTQXt0XzW5V23d5r3yVs7F0cMgS3eRTr6TKTwvmU-7RoUscVBMDwCAzL1P1AU2bCrmpSTsBQZa_-pcFo4yFbxo2x2EhX6sxLKnaQlTwfJRQdp8xFiqrr/w400-h225/LandOfMySojourn.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And the coal trucks come a-runnin'</i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">With their bellies full of coal</span></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And their big wheels a-hummin'</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Down this road that lies open like the soul of a woman</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Who hid the spies who were lookin'</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">For the land of the milk and the honey</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And this road she is a woman</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">She was made from a rib</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Cut from the sides of these mountains</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Oh these great sleeping Adams</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Who are lonely even here in paradise</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Lonely for somebody to kiss them</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">and I'll sing my song, and I'll sing my song</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In the land of my sojourn</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And the lady in the harbor</i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">She still holds her torch out</span></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">To those huddled masses who are</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Yearning for a freedom that still eludes them</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">The immigrant's children see their brightest dreams shattered</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Here on the New Jersey shoreline in the</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Greed and the glitter of those high-tech casinos</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">But some mendicants wander off into a cathedral</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And they stoop in the silence</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And there their prayers are still whispered</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I'll sing their song, and I'll sing their song</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In the land of my sojourn</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Nobody tells you when you get born here</i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">How much you'll come to love it</span></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And how you'll never belong here</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">So I call you my country</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I'll be lonely for my home</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I wish that I could take you there with me</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And down the brown brick spine of some dirty blind alley</i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">All those drain pipes are drippin' out the last Sons Of Thunder</span></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">While off in the distance the smoke stacks</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Were belching back this city's best answer</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And the countryside was pocked</i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;">With all of those Mail Pouch</span><sup style="font-family: courier;">©</sup><span style="font-family: courier;"> posters</span></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Thrown up on the rotting sideboards of</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">These rundown stables like the one that Christ was born in</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">When the old world started dying</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the new world started coming on</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I'll sing His song, and I'll sing His song</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In the land of my sojourn</div></span></i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.<br />1993 - Kid Brothers of St. Frank Publishing</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is..."I call you my country and I'll be lonely for my home and I wish that I could take you there with me" applies not just to living in America but to occupying Planet Earth. As Paul says in the New Living Translation of Romans 8:22 and 23, "We know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-83852818169597253472024-02-08T05:07:00.079-06:002024-02-08T05:07:00.128-06:00How to Grow Up Big and Strong<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The penultimate song on <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i> is the hardest bit of rocking that Rich Mullins ever did...and it probably packs the hardest punch in terms of grief over how humans have steered so far away from God's ideal for them...all in the name of self-actualization.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_WyycnD3x_WNoXV4fGQMCvZL-AKn5SFv_hpQZlSZGOB_qfxo1Z9tv-NXIF1iUFZa7JFM-1ObKfQAfhazYrS5bipnFvmwTPJuHgY6s1vVwn2zKNEljy3Iinzd7wSG_S6HY8_VhOk01YK7AUQC0S58h4YEbfcXwtj5tdPxfY6kB6zlXBuTclfGAbcK9OJa/s1184/GrowUpBigAndStrong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Grow Up Big & Strong" border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1184" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_WyycnD3x_WNoXV4fGQMCvZL-AKn5SFv_hpQZlSZGOB_qfxo1Z9tv-NXIF1iUFZa7JFM-1ObKfQAfhazYrS5bipnFvmwTPJuHgY6s1vVwn2zKNEljy3Iinzd7wSG_S6HY8_VhOk01YK7AUQC0S58h4YEbfcXwtj5tdPxfY6kB6zlXBuTclfGAbcK9OJa/w400-h290/GrowUpBigAndStrong.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>Strong man strangle universe</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He drown the stars</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Blinded by the mission of a thousand wars</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He fit and dominant</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Not wonder why</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He heed the battle cry</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>Strong man is survivor</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He live to pound</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Little wooden crosses in the bloody ground</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He fit and dominant</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He stand a chance</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He not bound to circumstance</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>And the world keep on turning</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the sun keep on burning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the children keep learning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">How to grow up big and strong</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">How to grow up big and strong</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>Strong man take no prisoner</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Favor no plea</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He leave no gold in teeth of enemy</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He fit and dominant</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He rise above</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He not have the word that mean love</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>And the world keep on turning</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the sun keep on burning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the children keep learning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">How to grow up big and strong</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">How to grow up big and strong</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>Strong man beat the plowshare</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He forges sword</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He take the flower and he curse the thorn</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He crush the serpent</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">He bite the fruit</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">His hand is absolute</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>And the world keep on turning</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the sun keep on burning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the children keep learning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">How to grow up big and strong</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">How to grow up big and strong</div></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1987 - Ideola Music</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;">Truth is...This song was written by another CCM artist, Mark Heard, but it brings to mind a quote by Rich: "</span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">If your life is motivated by your ambition to leave a legacy, what you'll probably leave as a legacy is ambition.</span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;">"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3h12RvQZpo" width="320" youtube-src-id="T3h12RvQZpo"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-80029338461861436182024-02-01T05:07:00.076-06:002024-02-01T05:07:00.137-06:00You Gotta Get Up (Christmas Song)<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">With the 10th song on <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i>, Rich Mullins has perfectly captured the anticipation and excitement that filled our hearts as children who just could NOT sleep in on December 25th.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDG5BxQjvqSeyxkeoOTJqAFNZjoWJC53IW1aHekyBhBohh47hpqJTc0bUJuDkemoYHxPSguJx1oDDqlgKuUCiuiKPb_iCrsgzsv-_jXWfNgF4TT-FCxuqMuHVFFtqIBpyCKFyj55teaKdPMPWcYOH9LlsGzhAAmOVRakeFBwtkbHqA7RKN8XtzpSRwtF1/s1908/GottaGetUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gotta Get Up" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1908" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDG5BxQjvqSeyxkeoOTJqAFNZjoWJC53IW1aHekyBhBohh47hpqJTc0bUJuDkemoYHxPSguJx1oDDqlgKuUCiuiKPb_iCrsgzsv-_jXWfNgF4TT-FCxuqMuHVFFtqIBpyCKFyj55teaKdPMPWcYOH9LlsGzhAAmOVRakeFBwtkbHqA7RKN8XtzpSRwtF1/w400-h226/GottaGetUp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>I thought Christmas Day would never come</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">But it's here at last, so mom and dad,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the waiting's finally done</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And you gotta get up, you gotta get up,</div><div style="text-align: center;">you gotta get up</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">It's Christmas morning</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>Last night I heard reindeers on my roof</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Well you may think I'm exaggerating</div><div style="text-align: center;">but I swear I'm tellin' you the truth</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And you gotta get up, you gotta get up,</div><div style="text-align: center;">you gotta get up</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">It's Christmas morning</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>Did my sister get a baby doll?</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Did my brother get his bike?</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Did I get that red wagon, the kind that makes you fly?</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, I hope there'll be peace on earth</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">I know there's good will toward men</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">On account of that Baby born in Bethlehem</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>Mom and Daddy stayed up too late last night</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, I guess they got carried away in the Christmas candlelight</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">And you gotta get up, you gotta get up,</div><div style="text-align: center;">you gotta get up</div></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">It's Christmas morning</div></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><i>And you gotta get up, you gotta get up,</i></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>you gotta get up</i></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...Even as commercial and secularized as the celebration of Christmas has become, there will always be the reminder of that baby born in Bethlehem. Sure, Jesus probably wasn't <i>actually</i> born on December 25th, but that's not the point. The miracle of the Incarnation, God taking on human flesh to carry out his mission of sacrificial love, is worth celebrating 365 days a year.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EexMUr2pkTQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="EexMUr2pkTQ"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-39688687154787381642024-01-25T05:07:00.069-06:002024-01-25T05:07:00.135-06:00I'll Carry On<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">On Rich Mullins' album, <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i>, a fitting follow-up for the admission that being like Jesus is hard is this next song that expresses a determination to keep on keeping on.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1zcTx8XfPGJwfVNXxwGcaXWI5Op_F93VTmdwh8P6oz-h48pblIzwKw9LbkynUaKlujHgh1rIEwQ-vMcdY8RelyF_PnveZGICZ09ogBWT6AobUq3BM-lmJFowlKEGHgYRRODCWHeh2VyyUMRXmCL_dW1JSaTV8lsPl8R37XdkYetQlQIgX_IUa6BmOqLt/s1100/IllCarryOn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Eliminate the Negative" border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1100" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1zcTx8XfPGJwfVNXxwGcaXWI5Op_F93VTmdwh8P6oz-h48pblIzwKw9LbkynUaKlujHgh1rIEwQ-vMcdY8RelyF_PnveZGICZ09ogBWT6AobUq3BM-lmJFowlKEGHgYRRODCWHeh2VyyUMRXmCL_dW1JSaTV8lsPl8R37XdkYetQlQIgX_IUa6BmOqLt/w400-h276/IllCarryOn.jpg" title="Eliminate the Negative" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Momma, I've got two strong hands.</i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And they're fine as far as hands go</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I can shoulder the future, I can face the wind</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">For the dream that I must follow</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">It's a dream that can kill with its beauty</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">It's a hurt that can heal with its pain</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And with all of these miles that lie before me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I may never get home again</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>But I'll carry the songs I learned when we were kids</i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll carry the scars of generations gone by</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll pray for you always, and I promise you this</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll carry on, I'll carry on</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>I kissed the earth on my daddy's grave</i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Said goodbye to my brave young companions</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">But when they hoist that sail I know my heart will break</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">As bright and as fine as the morning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I don't know where this road will take me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">But they say there's a place there for a man</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I'm only afraid that my dreams may betray me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I'll never get home again</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>But I'll carry the songs I learned when we were kids</i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I'll carry the scars of generations gone by</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll pray for you always, and I promise you this</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll carry on, I'll carry on</div></span></i></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>And oh, I can shoulder the future, I can brave the wind</i></span></span></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Oh, we go on, we go on, but we never get home again</i></span></div></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>So I'll carry the songs I learned when we were kids</i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll carry the scars of generations gone by</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll pray for you always, and I promise you this</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I'll carry on, I'll carry on</div></span></i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.<br />1993 - Kid Brothers of St. Frank Publishing</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is..."Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1dx6odMpX_s" width="320" youtube-src-id="1dx6odMpX_s"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-58544618205580648672024-01-18T05:07:00.133-06:002024-01-18T05:07:00.143-06:00Hard<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">After the instrumental piece, "78 Eatonwood Green," the "legacy" half of <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i> kicks off with a semi-peppy prayer of introspection and truthful confession.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrK-uYOJ2OsWalU1tJyIT0cc5Bwy0yz7Bs9-fFLX9sqHEUAY2Of0nfkL4qnjqUyAWHuVvDEd0dFwAZVx39T6Y5p11GJfDCBVgO2XBiS9R5H0swqF3_gntZ9O9HkvDaTeSwOItwyZx-E3IXUEsuDfs6lvd9izri2NQAzIxJBtZaiO6ArVfFp2-YfL3Ma08l/s700/Hard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img alt="Following Jesus to the Cross" border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrK-uYOJ2OsWalU1tJyIT0cc5Bwy0yz7Bs9-fFLX9sqHEUAY2Of0nfkL4qnjqUyAWHuVvDEd0dFwAZVx39T6Y5p11GJfDCBVgO2XBiS9R5H0swqF3_gntZ9O9HkvDaTeSwOItwyZx-E3IXUEsuDfs6lvd9izri2NQAzIxJBtZaiO6ArVfFp2-YfL3Ma08l/w400-h266/Hard.jpg" title="Following Jesus to the Cross" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Well, I am a good Midwestern boy</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I give an honest day's work if I can get it</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I don't cheat on my taxes, I don't cheat on my girl</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I've got values that would make the White House jealous</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Well, I do get a little much over-impressed</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>'Til I think of Peter and Paul and the apostles</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I don't stack up too well against them I guess</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>But by the standards 'round here I ain't doing that awful</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Lord, it's hard to turn the other cheek</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Hard to bless when others curse you</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Oh Lord, it's hard to be a man of peace</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Lord, it's hard, oh it's hard,</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>You know it's hard to be like Jesus</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Don't you know it's hard, oh it's hard,</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Oh Lord, it's hard to be like Jesus</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And it's hard to step out on them waves</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Hard to walk beyond your vision</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Oh Lord, it's hard to be a man of faith</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Lord, it's hard, Lord, it's hard,</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Oh Lord, it's hard to be like Jesus</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Don't you know it's hard, oh it's hard,</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Oh Lord, it's hard to be like Jesus</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Well, His eye is on the sparrow</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And the lilies of the field I've heard</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And He will watch over you and He will watch over me</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>So we can dress like flowers and eat like birds</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And it's hard when your soul has been stripped bare</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Hard to lift your eyes toward Heaven</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Oh Lord, it's hard to be a man of prayer</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Lord, it's hard, oh it's hard,</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>You know it's hard to be like Jesus</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Lord, it's hard to be a man of peace</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>But it's hard, ain't it hard,</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>You know it's hard to be like Jesus</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Don't you know it's hard, and it's hard</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>To be a man of peace</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>But it's hard to be like Jesus</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Well, I am a good Midwestern boy</span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I give an honest day's work if I can get it</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I don't cheat on my taxes, I don't cheat on my girl</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I've got values that would make the White House jealous</i></span></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...As much as I like to talk about following Jesus and how that's a purposeful life to live, it's not all that easy. It IS hard to bless when others curse you. After all, in Luke 9:23, Jesus said that following him was going to be like carrying your own cross to Calvary every day.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oKnm1StIrXE" width="320" youtube-src-id="oKnm1StIrXE"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-86978249541131729472024-01-11T05:07:00.109-06:002024-01-11T05:07:00.134-06:00Peace (A Communion Blessing From St. Joseph's Square)<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The sixth song on Rich Mullins' 1993 album, <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i>, helps to emphasize one of the many facets of the Lord's Supper or Eucharist: the sharing of the ritual of remembrance with one's church family.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Though it's true the Lord's Supper can be a time of personal reflection and repentance, Paul calls us to be aware of our spiritual brothers and sisters as well. Consider First Corinthians 11:20-22, 27-29: "When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! ... So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ7nt1yXgTzUtNSCfSi2AlBt0RqFkHT8UpzdewxJIeuZN0tGWEugs7ZBC6XHYzg_A8ZWPwXk9oZ3JOutpv9wqsaUfYUFXrVUpeu5WsAfxdzFNF-iVqRsqeHO0_Zc20_E4-qIvjBuN___nBwAjnQrcf-BNx_DLfRhDxNHZqqJV7vyxmjZeFOsqOTDkL8pM/s1899/Peace.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1899" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ7nt1yXgTzUtNSCfSi2AlBt0RqFkHT8UpzdewxJIeuZN0tGWEugs7ZBC6XHYzg_A8ZWPwXk9oZ3JOutpv9wqsaUfYUFXrVUpeu5WsAfxdzFNF-iVqRsqeHO0_Zc20_E4-qIvjBuN___nBwAjnQrcf-BNx_DLfRhDxNHZqqJV7vyxmjZeFOsqOTDkL8pM/w400-h148/Peace.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Though we're strangers, still I love you</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I love you more than your mask</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And you know you have to trust this to be true</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I know that's much to ask</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">But lay down your fears, come and join this feast</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">He has called us here, you and me</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And may peace rain down from Heaven</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Like little pieces of the sky</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Little keepers of the promise</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Falling on these souls</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">This drought has dried</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In His Blood and in His Body</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In this Bread and in this Wine</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace to you</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace of Christ to you</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And though I love you, still we're strangers</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Prisoners in these lonely hearts</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And though our blindness separates us</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Still His light shines in the dark</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And His outstretched arms are still strong enough to reach</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Behind these prison bars to set us free</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>So may peace rain down from Heaven</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Like little pieces of the sky</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Little keepers of the promise</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Falling on these souls the drought has dried</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In His Blood and in His Body</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In this Bread and in this Wine</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace to you</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace of Christ to you</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And may peace rain down from Heaven</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Like little pieces of the sky</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Like those little keepers of the promise</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Falling on these souls the drought has dried</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In His Blood and in His Body</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In this Bread and in this Wine</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace to you</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace of Christ to you</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace to you</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Peace of Christ to you</div></span></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...I love the interplay between the first phrases of the two verses: "Though we're strangers, still I love you" and "Though I love you, still we're strangers." It is an appropriate reflection on being part of a church body that is by no means perfect but by all means striving to follow the Lord's lead.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BkjKOgTvFx0" width="320" youtube-src-id="BkjKOgTvFx0"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-19398425730336013652024-01-04T05:07:00.106-06:002024-01-04T05:07:00.141-06:00Creed<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Neither Rich Mullins nor I grew up in a church tradition that placed any emphasis on the Nicene Creed or the Apostles' Creed...or Apollo Creed, for that matter.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeoFO2JfOgmmJayB612-kNywm11ptgqFd8W0ntyzNTy1afaFaf7V_huRwtpMVuTsGHQE-FizOUXy28AC0na3zU-3GHkfUTl6TyzPkWtcMJ5ARR8OHL1c7QNWtSzxrx_pwKrlvlOIUdGH75_omFer88xUPp_0RfLD7uUxTZI5gb7QU3NZfslLCE09ejyvm/s756/AC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="756" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeoFO2JfOgmmJayB612-kNywm11ptgqFd8W0ntyzNTy1afaFaf7V_huRwtpMVuTsGHQE-FizOUXy28AC0na3zU-3GHkfUTl6TyzPkWtcMJ5ARR8OHL1c7QNWtSzxrx_pwKrlvlOIUdGH75_omFer88xUPp_0RfLD7uUxTZI5gb7QU3NZfslLCE09ejyvm/w400-h369/AC.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">We did, however, grow up in churches that place plenty of emphasis on the Bible and on living as united as possible on "the essentials of the faith." And really, what better condensation of truth is there to uphold than one that has Scriptural foundations (see <a href="https://deweytruth.blogspot.com/search/label/Nicene%20Creed" target="_blank">the series I posted on the Nicene Creed and its Scripture references</a>) and has been revered since 325 AD?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpFuOoV82vOfbfA1VOCr-GkjoJ94BXdRQz4ENF5mU_-yNHlbfTVYXhyP-6-qJS1PaPbNzs1hBkfQd7SAb5KVzSI2l13IWQIhjRasGHDG_HOUecmE9X75L7TlHSECscsVWVxhNpGa968bDi-wzsMvxsArGLbM0gOzEXLxdIosfji8q4iFJ8yDfd4g5XiNR/s986/NiceneCreed.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="986" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpFuOoV82vOfbfA1VOCr-GkjoJ94BXdRQz4ENF5mU_-yNHlbfTVYXhyP-6-qJS1PaPbNzs1hBkfQd7SAb5KVzSI2l13IWQIhjRasGHDG_HOUecmE9X75L7TlHSECscsVWVxhNpGa968bDi-wzsMvxsArGLbM0gOzEXLxdIosfji8q4iFJ8yDfd4g5XiNR/w400-h239/NiceneCreed.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I believe in God the Father</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">He was conceived by the Holy Spirit</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Born of the virgin Mary</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Suffered under Pontius Pilate</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">He was crucified and dead and buried</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And I believe what I believe</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">is what makes me what I am</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I did not make it, no it is making me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">It is the very truth of God</div><div style="text-align: center;">and not the invention of any man</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I believe that He who suffered</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">was crucified, buried, and dead</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">He descended into hell and on the third day, rose again</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">He ascended into Heaven</div><div style="text-align: center;">where He sits at God's mighty right hand</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I believe that He's returning</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">To judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And I believe what I believe</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">is what makes me what I am</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I did not make it, no it is making me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man</div></span></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I believe it, I believe it</i></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I believe in God the Father</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I believe in the Holy Spirit</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">One Holy Church</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">The communion of Saints</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">The forgiveness of sin</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I believe in the resurrection</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I believe in a life that never ends</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And I believe what I believe</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">is what makes me what I am</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I did not make it, no it is making me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I did not make it, no it is making me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I said I did not make it, no it is making me</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man</div></span></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>I believe it, I believe it</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.<br />1993 - Kid Brothers of St. Frank Publishing</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...First Corinthians 15:1-6 says it well. "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time."</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9LR2hFP1yb4" width="320" youtube-src-id="9LR2hFP1yb4"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-2374981345573745662023-12-28T05:07:00.047-06:002023-12-28T05:07:00.244-06:00Hold Me, Jesus...Again<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Having been a huge fan of Rich Mullins for decades and having already referred to him and his songs many times while producing the <i>Truth Is...</i> blog for over 11 years (at this point), it was inevitable that this moment would arrive.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The moment to which I refer is that, in the course of reviewing and revering Rich's album, <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i>, I find that I have <i style="font-weight: bold;">already</i> written about the next song, "Hold Me, Jesus."</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwnEEm6VkTATgyJnuhiVX4tOsxd07tGJcNvyRtWm3EFtqc9pji-wuEWm2RO3gZuM5OO3HwYVi2pFWbYkV7z-zBCneHp67y6D2jFEM_yyHkWGzKi3x_4h57PbJOMApfgCE968ImKX_USxVR3ml0Uh28l2_eOlczlvVBxlFZe1_4GHCD1-cZvO0SDxDdQaU/s530/HoldMeJesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="417" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwnEEm6VkTATgyJnuhiVX4tOsxd07tGJcNvyRtWm3EFtqc9pji-wuEWm2RO3gZuM5OO3HwYVi2pFWbYkV7z-zBCneHp67y6D2jFEM_yyHkWGzKi3x_4h57PbJOMApfgCE968ImKX_USxVR3ml0Uh28l2_eOlczlvVBxlFZe1_4GHCD1-cZvO0SDxDdQaU/w315-h400/HoldMeJesus.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...I can't do the song any more justice than to ask you to read the original post from March 2016: <a href="https://deweytruth.blogspot.com/2016/03/hold-me-jesus.html">https://deweytruth.blogspot.com/2016/03/hold-me-jesus.html</a></span></p><p><br /></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-56205864522885683012023-12-21T05:07:00.077-06:002023-12-21T05:07:00.133-06:00The Color Green<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The third song in the liturgy section of Rich Mullins' <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i> is a song of praise filled with allusions to the glories of nature.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlBF9bffTCOan1sRyOkN4_85A4w0s3YY5F4EXvnmSKeZG1_ICWqEvo5kwmikQ2_j0qOuTWnmE5nyv4op1iOBDE95AGmWV3ESAZzCFWNoxzRAPNw_D_pMfzFrzs7p0OSDK38QG9vra08_GRLg5wh_VWCBg1t3tgchab4F1QZPawrk62hbc0F2IAedO5lE-/s1920/Sliver%20of%20Silver.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1920" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlBF9bffTCOan1sRyOkN4_85A4w0s3YY5F4EXvnmSKeZG1_ICWqEvo5kwmikQ2_j0qOuTWnmE5nyv4op1iOBDE95AGmWV3ESAZzCFWNoxzRAPNw_D_pMfzFrzs7p0OSDK38QG9vra08_GRLg5wh_VWCBg1t3tgchab4F1QZPawrk62hbc0F2IAedO5lE-/w400-h188/Sliver%20of%20Silver.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And the moon is a sliver of silver</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And every house must have it's builder</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I awoke in the house of God</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Where the windows are mornings and evenings</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Stretched from the sun</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Across the sky north to south</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And on my way to early meeting</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I heard the rocks crying out</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">I heard the rocks crying out</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Be praised for all Your tenderness</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">by these works of Your hands</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless</div><div style="text-align: center;">and bring to life Your land</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Look down upon this winter wheat</div><div style="text-align: center;">and be glad that You have made</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Blue for the sky and the color green</div><div style="text-align: center;">that fills these fields with praise</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>And the wrens have returned and they're nesting</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And the streams are all swollen with winter</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Winter unfrozen and free to run away now</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And I'm amazed when I remember</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Who it was that built this house</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And with the rocks I cry out</div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Be praised for all Your tenderness</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">by these works of Your hands</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless</div><div style="text-align: center;">and bring to life Your land</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Look down upon this winter wheat</div><div style="text-align: center;">and be glad that You have made</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">Blue for the sky and the color green</div><div style="text-align: center;">that fills these fields with praise</div></span></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1993 - Edward Grant, Inc.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Truth is..."And the moon was a sliver of silver" is one of my favorite lines in all of music. and then "</span><span style="font-family: courier;">Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop / </span><span style="font-family: courier;">And every house must have its builder / </span><span style="font-family: courier;">And I awoke in the house of God" immediately draws our attention to the Creator rather than the Creation.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Brilliant.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rhGOosxTLrY" width="320" youtube-src-id="rhGOosxTLrY"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><br /></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-89205247791173563922023-12-14T05:07:00.065-06:002023-12-14T05:07:00.133-06:0052:10<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Titled simply "52:10", the second song on Rich Mullins' <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i> serves as a call to worship for the "liturgy" section of the project.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMMa3CqhfNl0xe9d8MzkP1LAdtOF-Hlz5eqT_9YgKg8q1ql_L3rk7WMdkYCCRzsAwcQlH9euOdyKfR9VMCSXZYxVMfzDKIyVqNI6G5tONtOgXKwayHmT71bIzj76ocCI0XrnREOwbBs4qUEUEAnT99yoo6d0nSS9gh_7cwofzQC8ho5ChbQ8SBZ6vP5BH/s960/52.10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMMa3CqhfNl0xe9d8MzkP1LAdtOF-Hlz5eqT_9YgKg8q1ql_L3rk7WMdkYCCRzsAwcQlH9euOdyKfR9VMCSXZYxVMfzDKIyVqNI6G5tONtOgXKwayHmT71bIzj76ocCI0XrnREOwbBs4qUEUEAnT99yoo6d0nSS9gh_7cwofzQC8ho5ChbQ8SBZ6vP5BH/w400-h400/52.10.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">It is Isaiah 52:10 set to a haunting and compelling melody and it calls our attention to Yahweh's awesomeness in a more organic way than the earlier, more well-known song, "Awesome God".</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>The Lord has bared His Holy arm</i></span></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Lord has bared His Holy arm</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">In the sight of all the nations</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">And all the ends of the earth shall see</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Lord's salvation</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Lord has bared His Holy arm</div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;">His Holy arm</div></span></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1992 - BMG Songs, Inc.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Truth is...There is comfort in the thought of Yahweh rolling up his sleeves. Psalm 77:15 praises him when it says "</span><span style="font-family: courier;">With your mighty arm you redeemed your people.</span><span style="font-family: courier;">"</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pDu-6h5hH4E" width="320" youtube-src-id="pDu-6h5hH4E"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-13350895113721734542023-12-07T05:07:00.136-06:002023-12-07T05:07:00.137-06:00"Hear" in America<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The words and music of Rich Mullins are no strangers to readers of <i>Truth Is...</i>. Don't believe me? Just click <a href="https://deweytruth.blogspot.com/search/label/Rich%20Mullins" target="_blank">THIS LINK</a> and be taken to all the posts that reference this Indiana boy who became an international singer of songs about Jesus and the experience of following him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">For many, Rich's 7th solo album, <i>A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band</i>, was the pinnacle of his career. With October 26, 2023 having been the 30th anniversary of its release, it is high time for a song-by-song meditation.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63sMxQQ3hrBbvZ2lZNunmxfSZh5SfRslqg8nBauvLVwEDb9kvDZrSTdcoknHaR9qF481Ze_CEe8zC0hOniQ-D6mo-T4i47IAfdzK6r0wubYOXaXDP3oPx0LyG__iICReCX5xZQwpd0R76OWKjdapsyEEC4wb7UL-wv9RkbV-6GDTim5QjboPTg-EqqjS_/s368/LLRB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63sMxQQ3hrBbvZ2lZNunmxfSZh5SfRslqg8nBauvLVwEDb9kvDZrSTdcoknHaR9qF481Ze_CEe8zC0hOniQ-D6mo-T4i47IAfdzK6r0wubYOXaXDP3oPx0LyG__iICReCX5xZQwpd0R76OWKjdapsyEEC4wb7UL-wv9RkbV-6GDTim5QjboPTg-EqqjS_/w396-h400/LLRB.jpg" width="396" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The album opens with introductory remarks and remembrances anchored in nature and nurture as "Here in America" reminds Rich...and us...that the Father's love is majestic and powerful and life-giving.</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Saints and children we have gathered here<br />to hear the sacred story</span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;">And I'm glad to bring it to you<br />with my best rhyming and rhythm</span></i></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>'Cause I know the thirsty listen<br />and down to the waters come</i></div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America</i></div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And if you listen to my songs<br />I hope you hear the water falling</span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;">I hope you feel the oceans crashing<br />on the coast of north New England</span></i></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I wish I could be there just to see them,<br />two summers past I was</i></div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America</i></div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And if I were a painter<br />I do not know which I'd paint</span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;">The calling of the ancient stars<br />or assembling of the saints</span></i></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And there's so much beauty around us<br />for just two eyes to see</i></div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But everywhere I go I'm looking</i></div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And once I went to Appalachia<br />for my father he was born there</span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;">And I saw the mountains waking<br />with the innocence of children</span></i></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And my soul is still there with them<br />wrapped in the songs they brought</i></div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America</i></div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And I've seen by the highways<br />on a million exit ramps</span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;">Those two-legged memorials<br />to the laws of happenstance</span></i></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Waiting for four-wheeled messiahs<br />to take them home again</i></div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But I am home anywhere if You are where I am</i></div></span></span></i><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And if you listen to my songs<br />I hope you hear the water falling</span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: courier;">I hope you feel the oceans crashing<br />on the coast of north New England</span></i></div><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I wish I could be there just to see them,<br />two summers past I was</i></div></span><span style="font-family: courier;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America</i></div></span></span></i><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-small;">1992 - BMG Songs, Inc.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...If you read my blogs, I hope you hear the Spirit calling. I hope you feel God's love come crashing through your walls of deep resistance. I wish I could be there just to see it like in years of youth ministry past. And the Holy King of Israel loves us here in America...and around the world.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c5RWve3yD1o" width="320" youtube-src-id="c5RWve3yD1o"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-66035606828433838462023-11-30T05:07:00.062-06:002023-11-30T05:07:00.143-06:00Calvin & Hobbes: What's Good for the Goose...<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Bill Waterson's beloved comic, <i>Calvin & Hobbes</i>, had a Sunday strip that pointed out the flaw in some people's definition of right and wrong.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">It begins with Calvin making a declaration and following it up with a string of cliches to support his worldview.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGnQDSlFnRzNnse299jzcFYZr7PvUpu6FmaVnoE-DiUX7netYrcR2vIX3asnx_RiLZt7OsmS18V-vJDUVYBOFmQqBjsboDMUvZ9IIh8IuJfbPW91TUPjWiNM_1oBTpL1vR2HDJqMRF6SBOd1d0ccQtIwoR2vBB7tAtCFstitDScH5E_kUndnSuB8zA7qV/s712/Ethics%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="712" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGnQDSlFnRzNnse299jzcFYZr7PvUpu6FmaVnoE-DiUX7netYrcR2vIX3asnx_RiLZt7OsmS18V-vJDUVYBOFmQqBjsboDMUvZ9IIh8IuJfbPW91TUPjWiNM_1oBTpL1vR2HDJqMRF6SBOd1d0ccQtIwoR2vBB7tAtCFstitDScH5E_kUndnSuB8zA7qV/w400-h181/Ethics%201.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDxFugSgZlyFp6Dl-fZOeFo5ap-PA8Wg1C69L8F8UK3MElLHC0CC1uJzIymeoZ2gM7g4_hzYPzc0Gu95SNUid8huKOD2aVkofCMukF-Jb1ilHDqvL7jxEyYx97aHpA8c2RqQH2kiSlOPYYNMX0-MuGS5RucqN4LE0OBS-G5LzHYGUVIVYaGuBiWmYSXyL/s713/Ethics%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="713" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDxFugSgZlyFp6Dl-fZOeFo5ap-PA8Wg1C69L8F8UK3MElLHC0CC1uJzIymeoZ2gM7g4_hzYPzc0Gu95SNUid8huKOD2aVkofCMukF-Jb1ilHDqvL7jxEyYx97aHpA8c2RqQH2kiSlOPYYNMX0-MuGS5RucqN4LE0OBS-G5LzHYGUVIVYaGuBiWmYSXyL/w400-h181/Ethics%202.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Hobbes then puts Calvin's beliefs into practice.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy09L8lNksEiSb-PSbZORu5Bl2ak8455WSkixhW1QBRysXREGrrfjw0pipGxEfCHUYo5Ph9QviS4QqRvJj_I6VW5BMYiI-0W5BcOhQoMrBCbO3yo3WPKb9u4DJPmXdckhoYE-lTX-XRZ6HUxX1JbvGu_2Z5jGU_3uRdVbpDa_8iEz7wPbQMtcaDG9qsmN1/s771/Ethics%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="771" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy09L8lNksEiSb-PSbZORu5Bl2ak8455WSkixhW1QBRysXREGrrfjw0pipGxEfCHUYo5Ph9QviS4QqRvJj_I6VW5BMYiI-0W5BcOhQoMrBCbO3yo3WPKb9u4DJPmXdckhoYE-lTX-XRZ6HUxX1JbvGu_2Z5jGU_3uRdVbpDa_8iEz7wPbQMtcaDG9qsmN1/w400-h168/Ethics%203.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Which leads to Calvin spilling the beans on the particular self-centeredness of his philosophy.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWw_d-KZ8MFQxuFYpslp1RtJ5NAibSG8XxczNTB3lS9HtunAduWstSD1Mz2neTwz31StvcI_KwSu26QcMg-KkPDSLrwlRWVfQ_r1oHamqtf6p4UNF1dCuX4A6r6CGuYwYAlxzCjFHthoeZ3QPxpX_y1KlwVcnZZIHp_rzCUa7f_LcOGNhD-OnENrpJAnL6/s646/Ethics%204.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="646" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWw_d-KZ8MFQxuFYpslp1RtJ5NAibSG8XxczNTB3lS9HtunAduWstSD1Mz2neTwz31StvcI_KwSu26QcMg-KkPDSLrwlRWVfQ_r1oHamqtf6p4UNF1dCuX4A6r6CGuYwYAlxzCjFHthoeZ3QPxpX_y1KlwVcnZZIHp_rzCUa7f_LcOGNhD-OnENrpJAnL6/w400-h200/Ethics%204.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...The way the world is, it's amazing we aren't ALL covered with mud.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-70751889160469647742023-11-23T05:07:00.000-06:002023-11-23T08:02:37.123-06:00How Do You Spell "Thanks"?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqRYXwwBqucH7ROVt2BRzWqWrTJYJQogQoUH8c7YmzrilTlviyXIVIT_2XMLLlwLFnBQwtu4T4Oj5l6zMgYrq62dTheE0bBQMndQlcNvqEbUCXpZxaByb1MtbcYEK-X_TJ10dYl4i0QC5Crdxyxa-oFejzqGl72pdG-kK0mD5Qn8tGTBPR4Ryom-EQzOY/s5499/thanks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2790" data-original-width="5499" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqRYXwwBqucH7ROVt2BRzWqWrTJYJQogQoUH8c7YmzrilTlviyXIVIT_2XMLLlwLFnBQwtu4T4Oj5l6zMgYrq62dTheE0bBQMndQlcNvqEbUCXpZxaByb1MtbcYEK-X_TJ10dYl4i0QC5Crdxyxa-oFejzqGl72pdG-kK0mD5Qn8tGTBPR4Ryom-EQzOY/w400-h203/thanks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-large;"><b>T</b></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">ime is a gift that only Yahweh can give. It bears witness to his patience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-large;"><b>H</b></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">ope is the life force of a heart that is currently broken, but optimistic about the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-large;"><b>A</b></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">pplication of God's promises to the circumstances of my life wipes out all fear.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-large;"><b>N</b></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">azareth was a backwater village that folks didn't ascribe much potential to, but it nurtured the world's savior. I may not hold a lot of promise in the eyes of some...and neither may you...but God can use even us to accomplish his will.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-large;"><b>K</b></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">nowledge of the love of God is an experiential thing, not an intellectual exercise. And it's something I can grow in!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: x-large;"><b>S</b></span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">ongs speak to the human soul in ways the spoken word cannot. I praise Yahweh FOR and WITH music.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. (Psalm 28:7)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-87668489793773992322023-11-16T05:07:00.103-06:002023-11-16T05:07:00.147-06:00For When You Think It's Too Late For You<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">As I slowly make my way through <i>The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows</i>, most of John Koenig's made-up words are accompanied by a short definition and etymology. For example:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><b>alazia</b> <i>n.</i> the fear that you're no longer able to change [Greek <i>allazo</i>, to change + <i>dysplasia</i>, abnormal development of tissue. Pronounced "uh-<i>ley</i>-zhuh or "ah-<i>ley</i>-zee-uh."]</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">But every so often, Koenig includes a short essay to further comment on the observations that led to him creating the word. In the case of <i>alazia</i>, that essay is packed with truth and needs to be pondered.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Therefore...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLwmcuXBo2wiP59dWLqF9F6e_TFHGkg7OfFUf3apO2PlheUgAtDvPR8IK914XLxRcWz18lIRQDAfK8vMmvGnJwQ2tRSz_GNep7xI__C8cVWjokc84gpJe4L94NlmjcszB9dlQcDhAam1t18Y4MRTLLiiBhQ_P7FjeRzA19Dkf-4ISlun3eOkhLrIJLTbI/s1280/aaa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLwmcuXBo2wiP59dWLqF9F6e_TFHGkg7OfFUf3apO2PlheUgAtDvPR8IK914XLxRcWz18lIRQDAfK8vMmvGnJwQ2tRSz_GNep7xI__C8cVWjokc84gpJe4L94NlmjcszB9dlQcDhAam1t18Y4MRTLLiiBhQ_P7FjeRzA19Dkf-4ISlun3eOkhLrIJLTbI/w400-h225/aaa.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">"When you were born, you could have been anybody. So quick and malleable, your parents could look at your face and see a future president. They tried to mold you as you grew, but they could only work with what they had. And when their tools stopped working, they gradually handed them off to you, asking, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?'</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> "There's a certain art to becoming who you are. There's no standard kit you can use to assemble yourself, swapping out parts as needed. Instead, it feels more like a kind of stretching, a teasing out at the edges, like a glassblower standing at the furnace.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> "A teenage personality is a delicate medium, its emotions almost too heavy to handle. You had to figure out a way to keep yourself together and tease out the good parts without falling out of balance or stretching yourself too thin. You couldn't stop everything to try to fix your flaws, but you couldn't just ignore them either. Luckily, you were nothing if not flexible, softened by the heat of youth, which kept you warm on a dingy couch or a night in the wilderness. You knew that you weren't just you, you were also the person you would one day become. So even when you failed, you could still be whatever you wanted to be. As long as you kept moving.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> "Inevitably you got hit, and you got hurt. You prided yourself on how well you absorbed the blow, bouncing back as if nothing had happened. But the pain changed you, in little chips and cracks that might take you years to notice. Over time you learned how to position yourself in very specific ways, protecting the most vulnerable parts of your psyche, even as you knew they were still a crucial part of the real you. Gradually you became more and more reluctant to move from that position. Growing a little harder, a little more brittle.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> "And now here you are. Sometimes you find yourself wondering if you can change, even if you wanted to. If you still have enough fire in the belly to surprise yourself, or if you're already set in your ways, too tough and cynical to stretch without shattering. Maybe you spent so long wondering who you were going to be one day, you forgot that that question actually has an answer, and that 'one day' would soon arrive.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> "Maybe it's too late for you to change who you are. Or maybe you're just entering a new phase, undergoing a change so profound that even your understanding of <i>change</i> is becoming unrecognizable. Maybe now is the time to stress-test your own assumptions about yourself, stripping away all the flourishes and ornaments that you don't really need, honing yourself down to the core of who you are. And even if it's true that you're no longer flexible enough to be anybody, you might be getting strong enough to finally be yourself."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...There's no need to fear. Jesus Christ is here. He has been called the Lord of Second Chances for good reason.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Isaiah 43:19 - "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Revelation 21:5 - "He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new'.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-79073378484552191942023-11-09T05:07:00.000-06:002023-11-09T05:07:00.128-06:00Does God's Voice Sound Like Morgan Freeman?<p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">It's not every day that Hollywood makes a deeply truthful theological observation, so I thought I'd better not let this one disappear into movie history unnoticed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The movie was <i>Evan Almighty</i> - the 2007 sequel to Jim Carrey's film, <i>Bruce Almighty</i>. In <i>Evan</i>, God (played by Morgan Freeman) contacts Congressman Evan Baxter (played by Steve Carell) and tells him to build an ark in preparation for a great flood.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">As might be expected, Evan's wife (Lauren Graham) has a hard time wrapping her head around this major change in her husband.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">It's at this point the following conversation takes place:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/953pSxnhoZc" width="320" youtube-src-id="953pSxnhoZc"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Just to make sure you didn't miss it, here's the main point:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If they prayed for courage does God give them courage or does he give them opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for their family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...Sometimes we are the answer to our own prayer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Bonus truth...Now you know why I never ask God to give me patience. (wink)</span></p><div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-90601394619808430292023-11-02T05:07:00.001-05:002023-11-02T05:07:00.143-05:00Hello Darkness My Old Friend<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">When Paul Simon started the song <i>Sound of Silence</i> with the words "Hello, darkness, my old friend," I'm fairly certain he had no idea he was paraphrasing Scripture.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And when the Sons of Korah ended the song that came to be known as Psalm 88 with the words "Darkness is my closest friend," they probably had no idea it would get put into Israel's hymnal.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpX_oHf95JfC1Pk0unyk-BQVev0p20VpMRUWKNXA914u6eMF7udomJHXIQlT_WcpNCRqU8kB9B-lpK9cvS-oEGufpkyojzYE6F1cvNbhdITWRyOWCu5hOPVhPc5vOiVshlp-6JaFYF7EfREhMGfIdUspVb-gJQJXOPxM3pg1Erlc52__aowHc_ynmPKWQ4/s2100/bbb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sad guy in a dark place" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2100" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpX_oHf95JfC1Pk0unyk-BQVev0p20VpMRUWKNXA914u6eMF7udomJHXIQlT_WcpNCRqU8kB9B-lpK9cvS-oEGufpkyojzYE6F1cvNbhdITWRyOWCu5hOPVhPc5vOiVshlp-6JaFYF7EfREhMGfIdUspVb-gJQJXOPxM3pg1Erlc52__aowHc_ynmPKWQ4/w400-h286/bbb.jpg" title="Hello Darkness My Old Friend" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And if you take the time to read all of Psalm 88, you may rightly wonder why it did.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Here are some highlights:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">v3 - I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">v5 - I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">v8 - You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">v13 - But I cry to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me?</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">If you're like me, as you read this you keep waiting for a sharp right turn.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">At the beginning of verse 13, you perk up and think, "Okay, here's where this is going to come around," but nope. Verse 18 ends the song in the same depressive mood it began in: "You have taken from me friend and neighbor — darkness is my closest friend."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Why is this in the Bible?!!?</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...Even though I don't know why this sad song is part of Scripture, I'm glad it is. It teaches me that it's okay to be completely honest when I'm praying. There is no need to sugarcoat my pain, confusion, anger, or grief. God's not going to be shocked by my honest emotion and doubt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And that right there is a reason to praise him, even in the midst of my pain, confusion, anger, or grief.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-47019713119257366932023-10-26T05:07:00.065-05:002023-10-26T05:07:00.141-05:00Apostles' Algorithms Are Absolutely Applicable<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: courier;">In order to get a springboard in creating a response to a friend's Facebook post, I went to ChatGPT and typed "Apply Acts 4:1-22 to living in current North American society</span><span style="font-family: courier;">."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">What follows are the exact words this piece of artificial intelligence spewed out in a matter of seconds...and I'm speechless.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2jDbMWTvvCjWEFqGSCZeUDRBJoe6ozEIWz8hz417d25wsV8uldX7A3UD6qF47HCpiRSiG1G1hxWVgvy1JfxKQze0jTxslrrwcVCWbNxGs84GLbSZnxN545vRDu4bfQG0XIjCfdR4bKuDAhoG9YzUEkAs6O47ZcwSVbqX-XcAAp2NWScgPKAxiFSqjIZc/s1024/Peter%20and%20John%20and%20Robot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image generated by LimeWire" border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2jDbMWTvvCjWEFqGSCZeUDRBJoe6ozEIWz8hz417d25wsV8uldX7A3UD6qF47HCpiRSiG1G1hxWVgvy1JfxKQze0jTxslrrwcVCWbNxGs84GLbSZnxN545vRDu4bfQG0XIjCfdR4bKuDAhoG9YzUEkAs6O47ZcwSVbqX-XcAAp2NWScgPKAxiFSqjIZc/w400-h400/Peter%20and%20John%20and%20Robot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Acts 4:1-22 in the Bible tells the story of Peter and John being brought before the religious authorities in Jerusalem after healing a man and preaching about Jesus. The authorities questioned their actions and teachings, and Peter and John boldly proclaimed their faith in Jesus Christ. Here are some ways you can apply the principles from this passage to living in current North American society:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Boldly Share Your Faith</b>: In Acts 4, Peter and John didn't back down from sharing their faith in Jesus, even when faced with opposition. Similarly, in North American society, it's important to be bold in sharing your faith with others, while respecting the rights and beliefs of those who may not share your faith. Be willing to have open and respectful conversations about your beliefs.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Stand Firm in Your Convictions</b>: Peter and John refused to be silenced or compromise their beliefs. In a diverse society like North America, it's important to stand firm in your convictions while also being willing to listen to and engage with different perspectives. This doesn't mean you have to abandon your faith, but it does require a willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Trust in God's Power</b>: The healing performed by Peter and John in Acts 4 was attributed to the power of God. In North American society, trust in God's power can provide a source of hope and strength. It can also inspire you to engage in acts of compassion and service to others, just as Peter and John did through the healing.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Seek Unity</b>: While Peter and John stood firm in their faith, they also sought unity among believers. In North American society, where there is a wide range of religious beliefs and backgrounds, it's important to find common ground and work towards unity in the broader community. This can be done through interfaith dialogue and cooperation on social and ethical issues.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Be Prepared for Opposition</b>: Peter and John faced opposition from religious authorities, but they were prepared to give an account of their beliefs. In North America, there may be times when your faith is challenged or opposed. Being prepared to articulate your beliefs and values in a respectful and thoughtful manner is essential.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Embrace the Opportunity to Witness</b>: Acts 4 shows that opposition can provide an opportunity to bear witness to your faith. When faced with challenges or questions about your faith in North American society, see it as a chance to share the hope and love that comes from your beliefs in a way that can inspire others.</i></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Pray for Boldness</b>: In Acts 4:29, the early Christians prayed for boldness in their witness. In North America, you can also pray for the courage and wisdom to live out your faith effectively and to be a positive influence in your community.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...I can't improve on these points nor on this summary: <i>Overall, Acts 4:1-22 encourages Christians to be bold, stand firm in their faith, seek unity, and engage with the diverse society of North America in a way that reflects their beliefs while respecting others. It's a call to be both faithful and respectful ambassadors of Christ in a pluralistic society.</i></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-88010163518148715832023-10-19T05:07:00.124-05:002023-10-19T05:07:00.152-05:00Is This the End?<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The Saturday morning of the most recent outbreak of violence against Israel, a co-worker asked, "Are you ready for World War III?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">My response was a little more dismissive than it should have been, but I stand by its basic premise:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">"You will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come." -Matthew 24:6-8</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgBDaXgdwoAdEJJdTRXym_7DBW0qwV3lb-lmzcbirzrigPL1zOw0jVshaA3DZT8t_44VnotrW0NNRDzfsHjH_iI1euHYFJ19zNk4HhBjZjga1TP-I6jy8HNPXLIvuVzRHQ-tV4ydVI2fOszis_6nkl8DFivWpJLk6uwvkkzZah0NUtAjfkbArWPMK5msD/s1400/aaa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Global War" border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1400" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgBDaXgdwoAdEJJdTRXym_7DBW0qwV3lb-lmzcbirzrigPL1zOw0jVshaA3DZT8t_44VnotrW0NNRDzfsHjH_iI1euHYFJ19zNk4HhBjZjga1TP-I6jy8HNPXLIvuVzRHQ-tV4ydVI2fOszis_6nkl8DFivWpJLk6uwvkkzZah0NUtAjfkbArWPMK5msD/w400-h186/aaa.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Since my spiritual awakening in the 1970s, every time something drastic happened in the Middle East, a new load of books would be released talking about how the end was near and how such-and-such ruler or such-and-such military campaign was the fulfillment of certain verses in Daniel or Revelation. And then things would die down and people stopped buying the books until their new editions were released a few years down the road at the next outbreak of violence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><b>It didn't take long for me to stop getting anxious about "wars and threats of war" in the Middle East.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Adding to my lack of anxiety was a book I read as part of my college class on eschatology. It was titled <i>The Meaning of the Millenium</i> and was authored by four people who held four different convictions about how the world is going to end. They each wrote a short paper supporting their view with Scripture references and charts, and then the other three would write rebuttals "proving" the view false.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">There they were, four guys who were way smarter than me, each dedicated to the Bible as the inspired word of God, and each coming to a conclusion directly opposed to the other three. It taught me the depth of the truth of Jesus' words in Matthew 24:36 - "No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...None of this is meant to say that this latest conflict couldn't possibly be the beginning of the end. It certainly could be. But you know what? I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to boldly join the Apostle John, praying with his words from Revelation 22:20, "Even so, come Lord Jesus!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-36347232569950352342023-10-12T05:07:00.071-05:002023-10-12T05:07:00.138-05:00A Partial Poem for Pastors<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">On Monday, February 12, 1990, I began writing a poem that was a whining sigh into the dark night sky. It was a start at pouring out my fatigue and lack of inspiration with the youth ministry I was involved with at the time.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcpA87pVKH6Zak2zScUuCVFRf5ZsJYZQgOh2Zxm_k6DVEOhgyN-7T1-oeiBG-coLoBMdj7_plfJ4WPtYoQTO8piS-GpDAhLnjfhyp3VniCQnH3AbksRnbQoSpXM5IRmw-1Hl7RVVnpsvjNd8GGwj_n1Q41x8F6mQmG8WmSAPRn2wrJi0p3fs-lnCoKio1/s1920/aaa.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img alt="The Bard Begins" border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1920" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcpA87pVKH6Zak2zScUuCVFRf5ZsJYZQgOh2Zxm_k6DVEOhgyN-7T1-oeiBG-coLoBMdj7_plfJ4WPtYoQTO8piS-GpDAhLnjfhyp3VniCQnH3AbksRnbQoSpXM5IRmw-1Hl7RVVnpsvjNd8GGwj_n1Q41x8F6mQmG8WmSAPRn2wrJi0p3fs-lnCoKio1/w400-h211/aaa.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">And now, in the midst of Pastor Appreciation Month 2023, may it serve to tell all the pastors in our lives that they are not alone, there are people who understand, and it's okay to step back and rest every once in a while.</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>Can anyone keep just pouring it on?</i></span></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;">Creating magic and doing no wrong?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Moving the masses, inspiring men</div><div style="text-align: center;">Surprising, impressing, again and again?</div><div style="text-align: center;">What works for awhile won't work all the time</div><div style="text-align: center;">The clock loses meter, the poet, his rhyme</div></i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...This poem needs to be completed with some couplets of compassion and encouragement, just as your pastor needs your words and gestures of affirmation and love.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-25332442679934068822023-10-05T05:07:00.052-05:002023-10-05T05:07:00.159-05:00Working Hard or Hardly Working<p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">I'm still quoting from James Martin's book, <i>Between Heaven and Mirth</i>, but this time, HE'S quoting a book from Anthony de Mello titled <i>The Song of the Bird</i>:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilewb2wpULJk8pgGKr1r_YB6b-4zyCdwo7kOgu9b4vAABwww2CY0Nr-JxcA0bBFafZpNlXkRgBlCAxurAbNjhiy312DshmUjVnoX6moMI7oGysoyBY6L3acNfSvOq5R1f5PjpPnb0TGAIpHahf7hr_s-JTI_KontuzKmSo1vIZR2o1hK6kDUMsOOkhYw6W/s770/BBB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><img alt="Lazy Man in Hammock" border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="770" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilewb2wpULJk8pgGKr1r_YB6b-4zyCdwo7kOgu9b4vAABwww2CY0Nr-JxcA0bBFafZpNlXkRgBlCAxurAbNjhiy312DshmUjVnoX6moMI7oGysoyBY6L3acNfSvOq5R1f5PjpPnb0TGAIpHahf7hr_s-JTI_KontuzKmSo1vIZR2o1hK6kDUMsOOkhYw6W/w400-h348/BBB.png" title="Relaxing in a hammock" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><i><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">The rich industrialist from the North was horrified to find the Southern fisherman lying lazily beside his boat, smoking a pipe.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"Why aren't you out fishing?" said the industrialist.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"Because I have caught enough fish for the day," said the fisherman.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"Why don't you catch some more?"</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"What would I do with them?"</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"You could earn more money," was the industrialist's reply. "With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat...and catch more fish. Then you would make enough to buy nylon nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to buy two boats...maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"What would I do then?" asked the fisherman.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"Then you could really enjoy life."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>"What do you think I am doing right now?"</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...Paul said it in Philippians 4:12-13. "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840366402771114229.post-749190035828637622023-09-28T05:07:00.045-05:002023-09-28T05:07:00.139-05:00He Should Have Asked, "Should I Be Doing This?"<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">I'm probably stretching things a bit to come up with a meaningful point from the following story quoted from <i>Between Heaven and Mirth</i> by James Martin. If that requires an apology, then I apologize.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">But here's hoping you just appreciate the laugh.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggp-T6Nv3CTzJv4FdIyHeOpFQdprvce_SoEQ4jQZ9cdA5ND-xzWpTQZSQcmJ2k2g4q_559Udy-LLR5A316d5k2amOzoq_Yh1-4HTIjk6TUZyYmh3BwIii2cKXK5N9Lx7_k62GVRjlMVBaqN0M7HD_WWObt3nkBiukABxaGLz8olH8O6evdtHIDOiiEtHpQ/s1280/AAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="What's so funny?" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggp-T6Nv3CTzJv4FdIyHeOpFQdprvce_SoEQ4jQZ9cdA5ND-xzWpTQZSQcmJ2k2g4q_559Udy-LLR5A316d5k2amOzoq_Yh1-4HTIjk6TUZyYmh3BwIii2cKXK5N9Lx7_k62GVRjlMVBaqN0M7HD_WWObt3nkBiukABxaGLz8olH8O6evdtHIDOiiEtHpQ/w400-h225/AAA.jpg" title="What's so funny?" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>One priest friend recounted the story of his first wedding, which he performed shortly after his ordination. My friend had borrowed the marriage rites book, the guide containing the script of the marriage ceremony, from an elderly Jesuit. The old Jesuit had written little notations in pencil, because the rites book includes all of the words needed for the wedding Mass, but not what you might call the "Stage directions." So alongside the script for the marriage vows the old priest had scribbled helpful directions like, "Turn to the bride," "Turn to the groom," "Go back to the presider's chair," "Take the rings from the best man." He also wrote directions for the congregation that aren't included in the book, like saying, "Please stand" or "Please kneel."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>All was going smoothly until my newly ordained friend reached the end of the vows. There was a little notation that added something that most priests say, but is not included in the official Catholic rites.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>The penciled-in note said, "You may now kiss the bride."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>My friend found that baffling. But who was he to argue with the elderly priest, who had done more weddings than he had? So my friend stopped, closed his book, leaned down, and kissed the bride.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><i>She stood there dumbstruck, and everybody burst out laughing. Finally, he said to the groom, "Uh, I think YOU were supposed to do that!"</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">* * * * * * *</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;">Truth is...Sometimes, unquestioning obedience might be questionable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Deweyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761261956221178118noreply@blogger.com0