Cliché Month: Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
That’s the classic advice we celebrate for National Book Lovers Day on August 9th of each year since 1995. Note: The link goes to a page for 2023, but it’s the only one that gave a history. It also has some great quotes about reading like…
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin
Appearances can be deceiving, though, and the true value of any story lies within the content of its pages. I agree… especially if that book happens to be a recipe book.
That makes my mind immediately jump to that classic Twilight Zone episode, “To Serve Man.” The Earth welcomed nine-foot-tall alien visitors called the Kanamits with open arms, largely because of a book they left behind with that noble-sounding title. Humanity judged the book entirely by its cover! Spoiler alert: If anyone had taken the time to actually peruse the pages inside—and decode a bit of the Kanamit language first—they would have realized long before it was too late that it wasn’t a manual for goodwill… it was a cookbook, and humans were the main course. 🙃 Here’s a quick clip from the episode:
The Proof in the Pudding
Thankfully, the recipe books in my home don’t require a government cryptographer to decipher, and their intentions are far more wholesome!
Whether it’s a cookbook, an instruction book, or a novel, every bookworm knows that the proof isn’t just in the reading—it’s in the application. What do you do with the words you read? A quote I’ve always liked says…
If all else fails, read the instructions — attributed to Agnes Allen.
When I first saw that quote over 40 years ago, it was appended by the followup instruction: And if that doesn’t work, follow them. That’s great advice since all the pretty recipe pictures and yummy ingredients won’t mean nearly as much if they’re never matched with a bowl and a mixing spoon. The Bible puts it this way:
James 1:22 BSB
[22] Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jas.1.22.BSB
Once you make a cozy bowl from a trusted set of instructions, the true value of that book is undeniably in the taste. As another idiom says, The proof is in the pudding. (Which is wonderfully convenient, since August 9th is also National Rice Pudding Day!)
Turning the Page with Comfort Food
This is actually a perfect mashup of holidays—nourishment for the soul and nourishment for the body. One of the many “Today is special because…” sites I visited mentioned that most bibliophiles have more unread books than read books. I resemble that remark. 😁 And that even includes recipe books. That’s partly because I’m more apt to play in the kitchen and try to create something than I am to follow a detailed recipe.
For example, I’ve never made rice pudding, but one of my favorite experiments while looking for ways to sweeten food without sugar resulted in making fried apples with banana. Here’s a picture:
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
By caramelizing the bananas and butter directly into apples already sizzling with butter and cinnamon, you get the absolute perfect sweetness without needing added sugar. (Just a tiny touch from the vanilla bean paste!)
Tasty Fried Apples with Banana
- Apples ( I Prefer Honeycrisp Plus One Fuji or Gala; Peeled and Sliced)
- Banana (Mashed)
- Butter (Generous Amount Based on How Many Apples)
- Ground Cinnamon (To Taste; I Recommend Ceylon over Cassia)
- Vanilla Bean Paste (To Taste/About ¼ TSP)
- Optional Misc Spices Like Nutmeg and Allspice (To Taste)
- Optional Topping (Toasted Oats, Flax, Toasted Pecans, etc.)
Instructions: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced apples, cinnamon, and a touch of vanilla bean paste, and a little water for steam. Cover and simmer until the apples begin to soften and caramelize. In another skillet, add the bananas and mash them with butter until they create a puree. Mix the puree with the caramelized apples and allow the whole mix to brown and caramelize a little more.
Serving Suggestion: Spoon into oven-safe bowls and sprinkle with your chosen topping. Put in a warm oven until time to serve. In my picture, you’ll notice I decorated the bowls with some thin slices of banana before adding the topping. But it was fine without the banana slices or crunchy topping. I think I was just trying to get a fancier picture like my efforts using 2 cutting boards. Whatever your method, please come back and add a comment to let me know you’ve tried them and what you think. Hubby used to like them better than most of those served in restaurants, but he cannot have any banana anymore. (Potassium is a no-no without kidneys.)
And with that, I bid you good reading and good eating. 📚🍮
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Cliché Month: Raining Cats and Dogs
Raining Cats and Dogs: The Truth Behind the Downpour
I’ve always been a cat person, but I’ve had some special dogs in my life as well. The first one I remember was Kute Kitty Kolleen of Keswick. She was a very red Irish Setter, and I was told she put up with me teething on her nose. (Yuck!?) I do not recall my teething days, but I sure loved that dog and her puppy Kollette. They both lived with my grandparents. I’ll save the other dog memories for National Dog Day on the 26th of this month.
With August 8th marking International Cat Day and the entire month of August celebrated as National Dog Month. (Wait, cats only get one day and dogs get a whole month? Not fair!) Both of our favorite four-legged companions are sharing the spotlight for this blog. That makes it feel like the perfect moment to dive into one of the most famous pet-centric sayings in the English language: “raining cats and dogs.”
The Slippery Roof Myth
At some point, I heard the story behind the cliché. The legend states that back in the 1500s, homes had thick thatched roofs made of straw and reeds. Cats, dogs, and other small animals would climb up to sleep in the thatch for warmth. Then, during torrential downpours, the wet thatch would get slippery or cave in—literally raining pets through the ceiling and into the living room!
It’s an amusing visual, and one I thought of immediately upon deciding to use this cliché, but it turns out that linguistic historians have largely debunked it. A properly constructed thatched roof was a foot or more thick and tightly packed, so even an abundance of rain wouldn’t send sleeping critters tumbling through the ceiling.
So, where did the phrase actually come from? While its official origin remains mysterious, historians point to two far more likely roots:
- Norse Mythology: In ancient Norse lore, dogs were symbols of the wind (associated with Odin, the storm god), while cats represented heavy rain and atmospheric turbulence (tied to Freyja, whose chariot was pulled by cats). A fierce storm of howling wind and driving rain was figuratively called “dogs for the wind, cats for the rain.”
- 17th-Century City Streets: In 1600s London, poor drainage meant that sudden, severe rainstorms created heavy street flooding. The rushing runoff would sweep up debris and, tragically, stray animals that hadn’t survived the storm, making it look to people passing by as though they had literally fallen from the sky.
Raining Dogs and… Polecats?
Early variations of the phrase in the 1650s actually described severe downpours as “raining dogs and polecats” before settling into the catchy pairing we use today.
Fun Fact: Wait, isn’t a polecat a skunk?
If you grew up in North America hearing “polecat” used to describe a skunk, you’re not alone! But when 17th-century English writers wrote about “polecats,” they were referring to the European polecat (Mustela putorius)—a wild, agile cousin of the ferret. When European settlers arrived in the Americas and encountered skunks, they saw a similarly sized, dark-furred animal with a potent scent gland and borrowed the name “polecat” as slang.
Rain Chaos and Muddy Footprints 🐾
It’s funny all the directions a mind can run from one little thought!
About pets and weather, isn’t it amusing how these idioms stack up? You’d think if it were literally raining cats and dogs, they’d be fighting like cats and dogs just to scramble for cover and get out of the deluge!
Unlike the disciplined ants in the old children’s rhyme (another thought direction altogether,) who politely march one by one, hurrah, hurrah to get out of the rain, a sudden downpour usually brings pure chaos when pets are involved.
So if it rains for you this month, I don’t think you’ll find any cats or dogs falling from the sky, but you may get wet neighborhood cats showing up on your porch for food. Here’s a collage with 4 of our rainbow bridge kitties who were indoor-only cats (2013) plus 4 of the outdoor cats who used to show up at feeding time (2022). We still have 3 of them showing up in 2026.
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
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🎵Drumming on the Mountain; Thoughts on Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day
Yes, July 31st is really a day for becoming aware of non-traditional instruments. While searching for examples, I sure found a lot of weird ones, including a bass guitar made from balloons. That one didn’t work very well, but the video at the end with the marbles is amazing.
I asked Gemini to create an image of people playing some uncommon instruments, and gave it a few ideas. What can be seen in the immediate music circle from left to right is: a hurdy gurdy, a didgeridoo, a theremin (think Star Trek), a glass harmonica, and a hammered dulcimer. And since I’ve included links, you can become aware of all of those when you get the chance to check the links. They’re all relatively short videos on YouTube, and the theremin is a beautiful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
So, I titled this Drumming on the Mountain because of one of the quiz questions I often get in my “Drops” language lessons app. It asks, “What can be drummed on?” And my multiple choice answers often include libro (book) and mesa (table)—and montaña (mountain). I mean, I know I cannot drum on la niebla (the fog) or la tormenta (the storm), so I started out guessing “mountain” just because that’s all that made sense in the multiple choices. But really, does anyone drum on a mountain? 🥁 🏔️
I hope you enjoy this brief nontraditional instrument introduction. My favorite is the hammered dulcimer since I found one with Greensleeves (aka the Christmas song What Child is This?). It’s a YouTube short, so I was able to keep it on a loop all the time I was typing this. 🎶😊
And now, a super cool instrument that sounds in some moments like a music box, but it actually has lots of sounds created by the percussion of falling metal marbles. It’s absolutely worth checking out.
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One More Patriotic Colored Collage 🇺🇸
I spent too much time searching for an old post to make sure there would not be a duplicate, so I’ll work on that one tomorrow. For today, since the month of July is almost over, here’s a collage from the unused patriotic candle images from the 4th.
Even with the same prompts, different AI tools and different filters in each tool can make such a vast array of creations that my extra storage in Google Photos comes in really handy. In case you want to try the prompt in your favorite AI creation tool, (and now you can put prompts right into many search engines,) here’s exactly what I used…
2 patriotic Candles with red and white stripes plus white stars on blue like the USA flag. They are in ornate golden candlesticks burning with a soft glow that illuminates the air around them with sparkling fireworks. The candlesticks should be sitting on a beautifully polished high quality marble table and some silky patriotic flowers of red white and blue should be sitting on the table near the candles. The walls in the room should be gray granite stonework and festive patriotic decorations. The candle flames are peaceful and beautiful.
And I’ll close with one more image just because I really like the knitted pictures Wombo makes. (Even if yarn is not the best material to make candles from, lol 🤣.) Also, I didn’t ask for the eyes, but their training model for the knitted filter must include something about being cute. 😁
Some Bible Verses About Freedom
Galatians 5:1 BSB
[1] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/gal.5.1.BSB
1 Peter 2:16 BSB
[16] Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1pe.2.16.BSB
Galatians 5:13 BSB
[13] For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/gal.5.13.BSB
Psalm 119:45 BSB
[45] And I will walk in freedom, for I have sought Your precepts.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.119.45.BSB
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🎵Time and Time Again
I thought I’d share my thoughts about Daylight Saving Time(DST).
First, just so you know, there is no “s” on SAVING even if the predicted next word shows it with SAVINGS because so many people use it that way. Lol 🤣. It was literally for the purpose of saving daylight when it was first begun in 1916.
Since the original activation of DST, there have been lots of changes to the process. Most recently, the Sunshine Protection Act passed the US House of Representatives with bipartisan approval on July 14th to make DST permanent. But the idea has gone round and round since 2025 because of the multiple effects it can have based on the time of year.
The biggest concern is the extreme amount of morning darkness when children are waiting for school buses in the winter. Darkness carries more cold and presents more safety fears. On the other side of that argument, the later light could mean students with long bus rides home wouldn’t have to get off the bus in the dark. The bill now heads to the Senate where its future is still uncertain.
My thoughts are based on wanting a later day of sunshine in the summer, but as I get older, I’m not as attracted to that. So while I really wanted the change at one point, I’m less certain of that now.
The truth is, though, no time change will ever be perfect because the actual amount of sunshine and darkness changes throughout the year with the tilt of Earth’s axis. The only real solution would be having multiple time changes that coincide with the actual amount of darkness you’re trying to avoid and shorter work/school days to go with that. Of course, with mid-winter freezes, I’m sure many kids (and even adults) would be all for days that don’t start until the sun comes up. 🌞
But the best Daylight Saving Time will happen in the future—in eternity. In that part of our lives, if we have had our sins washed under the Blood of The Lamb, that same Lamb will light the city in which we will spend our eternity, and there will be no more night at all.
Revelation 21:23 BSB
[23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rev.21.23.BSB
Revelation 22:5 WEBUS
[5] There will be no night, and they need no lamp light or sun light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
https://bible.com/bible/206/rev.22.5.WEBUS
So, whether the US Senate passes the bill that just made it through the US House on July 14th, or they let it languish for another year, we can have the peace of knowing that all time is in The Creator’s hands anyway.
Psalm 31:14-15a BSB
[14] But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” [15] My times are in Your hands;
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.31.14-15.BSB
Here’s a musical reminder that time is in the hands of Our Great God:
And as for eternity, here’s a wonderful older song that describes the beautiful City of Gold:
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America, Bless God!
First, Happy Semiquincentennial (250 years) Birthday, America! 🎂🗽🇺🇸 I’m grateful for this nation that so many flock to because they know there is hope here they may not find in their home countries. It’s up to us to teach them the skills to work for those freedoms, starting with lawfully abiding by the plans we’ve put in place to bring in immigrants and keep out our enemies. We sure don’t want to bring thieves into our own homes and businesses to make it easier for them to case the joint, right?
By the way, that cross in front of the 250 on the cake was unintentional, but I left it there because it seemed right for this post. In the image prompt, I was trying to get 250 candles and sparklers, so I put a “+” sign in front of the 250 to show importance. Wombo turned it into a cross. How cool is that, right?
The Freedom to Bless God
So, what exactly is freedom? Is it getting to make all our own decisions, not answering to anyone above us, and never having any responsibilities? Is it always having everything go our way? Is it a land with no laws that cause someone to feel less than welcome no matter what evil intentions they may be hiding in their hearts?
Or is it a place where we have the freedom to do the right things, and we get to harvest the results of our hard work without someone who thinks of themselves as better than us taking it away just because they can? Even if it’s done under the guise of charity, if we can’t keep what we’ve worked for and choose where to share our abundance, we are missing the true American dream—the dream where we work hard and gain an abundance that we want to share with others.
An Entertaining Example
Even though it’s a Christmas movie (though Christmas in July is a thing now), one of my top movies is “The Ultimate Gift.” It stars James Garner, Drew Fuller (before his 6 seasons on “Army Wives”), and Abigail Breslin in roles that perfectly demonstrate the blessings of hard work and heartfelt obedience out of love. I highly recommend it, and if you’ve got Amazon Prime, it’s there for free. Also, I found it on YouTube with ads. But in case you want to see a preview before you decide, here’s one that’s less than 3 minutes:
Where is the Blessing?
Most of us have likely heard the adage it’s more blessed to give than to receive. That spirit has driven some of the finest moments in the US as a nation. The moments when someone sacrifices for the benefit of someone else even with the risk it may cost them everything. It’s the drive that makes a soldier keep fighting, a woman in labor keep pushing, and a tired parent keep striving to bring a better life to their family. It’s a mix of hope and resilience with a finish line calling out, “Don’t give up!” These people give even before they have a promise of payback much like the biblical patriarchs in Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:13, 16, 38-39 BSB
[13] All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
[16] Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
[38] The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.
[39] These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.11.13-39.BSB
The whole faith chapter:
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.11.1-40.BSB
But there is a promise out there. The soldier often survives and makes it back home to a loving welcome and a family. The mother gets to hold her new baby in her arms. The striving parent is able to get a home for their family, or at least a nightly meal on the table. And usually, someone says thanks to them, and it makes all the sacrifices worth it.
Don’t Give Up!
We have a loving Father and Creator who has built a world for us. It’s a place where the law of the harvest allows us to plant exactly what we want to grow. If we care for the plant according to its needs, we will reap a harvest if we’re patient. And all He wants is a thank you and to not be forgotten when things are going well.
Galatians 6:9 BSB
[9] Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/gal.6.9.BSB
An Attitude of Gratitude
In the USA, we have freedoms and blessings now that were just hopes and dreams of our founding fathers. They knew back then that true abundance came by the provision of our Lord and Creator. And beyond the harvests in this life, we have the same great and precious promises our biblical forefathers had. Some happen here, and some come with eternity. All are gifts from God that are worthy of our thankfulness to Him.
People have a choice to be grateful even when things don’t go their way. They can endure the hard things and keep pressing toward the goals they desire, and they can be both satisfied and hopeful at the same time. They can ask God to bless America and still thank Him for the abilities to do the hard work to bring in an abundant harvest. Even more, we can thank Him for the ultimate blessing of His presence through all the moments of this life—good and bad.
Or, people also have a choice to become petulant and ungrateful with a perpetual demand for entitlement—throwing tantrums and filing lawsuits for every minor offense or discomfort. They can demand that God bless them (and maybe America), and all the pet projects they deem worthy of His blessings.
Which do you think will bring people the most genuine happiness? The demand for a blessing? Or the grateful heart that blesses God first and gives more than it receives. I vote for the latter, so I say,…
“America, bless God!”
Note: I’m grateful for a bit of collaboration with Gemini catching a couple issues where the flow went a different direction.
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Blog Break ⛓️💥 Patriotic Butterfly
I created a similar design years ago for Zedge wallpapers, but I can’t share them due to their terms of service, so I just started over from scratch with Wombo Dream AI. Then I used the Photo Studio Pro app for Android to add some glitter and a frame from their recently added patriotic set.
The Jetpack app seems to be broken on my tablet, so I’m using the backup WordPress app. I’m so glad I had both installed. But the timing has me running late for a busy day, so I’m just sharing the image with the note that I hope to do patriotic colors and things all month. I’ve got some wonderful fireworks shots to share when I pull them off my camera memory cards.
Blessings during this whole year of USA 250! 🇺🇸🗽🎂🕊️
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🎵 Route 66—Part 2; My Personal Memoir of The Mother Road
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
This time, instead of pictures, I’ll tell you a little story about my first introduction to The Mother Road. (Warning: I think this post shows my ADHD mind a little, but it’s got some fun stuff in it. 😁)
I was 15 and was still living with my grandparents who decided to move from the island in California to the desert in Arizona. The trip included a stop at a restaurant called Pea Soup Andersen’s where I had some of the most amazing split pea soup I can ever recall tasting. I know the two truck stops we gassed up at were in Buttonwillow and Barstow, CA. Looking back at the map, Santa Nella (where the restaurant is located) is about two hours north of Buttonwillow and over four hours from Barstow, so it must have been quite the driving stretch to make that stop.
Hey, I was a teen who didn’t drive (and didn’t want to back then), and I was mostly paying attention to my kitty who was not very happy with traveling for the first time. But I remember the soup like it was yesterday, especially how they put croutons on top.
Anyway, we got to Kingman, Arizona late at night, and it was so dark! It was actually eerie, so I guess it wasn’t one of those nights where the moon lights up the desert like it’s midday.
But it was in adulthood that I learned about the road that served as the main drive through that town. My Uncle Bob (rip) was enamored with the history of it—and the song. (If you click the history link, it’s got a short but interesting post about Route 66 and its decertification followed by some comments that add even more history.) Anyway, it turns out that when Uncle Bob was a firefighter in California, he went to the jazz nightclub where Bobby Troup performed. He even had Bobby write a song for his wife at the time.
So Uncle Bob became one of the biggest fans of my singing and, because of that connection, sent a tape to Bobby Troup who listened and said it was good, but added that nothing compared to his Julie. (Bobby was married to Julie London who played Nurse Dixie McCall on Emergency! where he played Dr. Joe Early.) He sent signed pictures for my sister and me showing him and Julie. Sadly, over the years, those pictures seem to have disappeared—along with a picture of us as little girls with Kevin Tighe. (Kevin played firefighter-paramedic Roy DeSoto on Emergency! We actually stumbled across an episode being filmed once in Sun Valley, so we stopped to watch. He was super friendly with all the fans; and when my stepdad asked if he could take a picture of us with him, he asked a kid near him to hold his coffee and said, “Sure!” with a big smile on his face.)
But I digress. Here is the Bobby Troup version of Get Your Kicks on Route 66 (which was also the theme song of the show by the same name.) If you listen closely, you’ll hear him sing the name of Kingman right after Flagstaff and Winona, and just before Barstow.
If you live along Route 66 in Arizona, you’ll eventually come across the Route 66 Fun Run. It brings out some of the most amazing classic cars to show off as they traverse the scenic stretch from Seligman (yesterday’s post) to Topock, Arizona. Between witnessing that firsthand and sharing in Uncle Bob’s excitement, it was natural to become a bit of a fan myself.
There’s way more I could share—from my numerous stops at Lou Mitchell’s in Chicago to the giant McDonald’s that arches right over the highway on The Will Rogers Turnpike, to the Route 66 museum in Oklahoma City. I’ve included plenty of links, so bookmark this post to come back when you’ve got time for some virtual touring. I’ll try to follow this up on November 11th when Route 66 celebrates its centennial anniversary, though I think that party has already begun in some places!
I have to say, the resilience of the travelers and fans that keep the history alive with memories and celebrations is amazing. It brings to mind the Scripture about remembering the old paths.
Jeremiah 6:16ab BSB
[16] This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jer.6.16.BSB
I will close with the factoid that the song above has been officially recorded well over 500 times. The original was in 1946 by the Nat King Cole Trio. The most recent was by John Mayer in 2006 for the movie Cars, and somewhere in-between, there was even a dark synth-pop electronic version by Depeche Mode. My Aunt Shirley (Uncle Bob’s wife) really liked that version.
Here are those three videos for your comparative listening pleasure.
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🎵 Daddy Can Never Forget Me
Yes, that’s my name. No, that’s not my dad. Lol 🤣 I looked everywhere for the old photo I had of my dad with a small group of soldiers in Vietnam, but I couldn’t find it. So, I decided to have Wombo recreate it for me. My dad did have my name tattooed on his arm since I was his firstborn, and years later, that ink inspired a song.
While I can’t find the exact words for the song right now—I have a feeling it’s only on paper in one of my many notebooks— I still remember the heart of it. It’s about how no matter how far away my dad went, even getting married and having other children, that tattoo meant he could never totally forget me. Even if he’d had the tattoo removed, the remaining scar would always remind him of the name that used to be there.
There’s a beautiful Scripture about God’s hands where the exact same rule applies. I’ve used bold and italics to highlight the part of the verse I’m referring to.
Isaiah 49:15-16 BSB
[15] “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!
[16] Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.49.15-16.BSB
As my song continues, I mention how God also has a tattoo right in the palm of His hand, and that, just like my daddy, Jesus can never forget me. Years ago, when my dad read those lyrics when he was running from The Lord, he told me it brought him to tears.
Dear reader, maybe you are like so many this Father’s Day (including me) where your human father has left this Earth. This year, I’m without my birth father and my stepfather, and others (like a grandfather) who were fatherly toward me.
But that is because this life is temporary. It will always lack the things that would make life “perfect,” but it will never lack The most Perfect Savior and Friend we could ever have. That Perfect Savior let nails pierce right through where our names are written, shedding His perfect blood for us. And because of those scars, He can never forget us.
Here is a beautiful chain of promises from the Scriptures reminding us of that truth—from The Torah, through the Psalms, to the words of YahShua, and into the epistles:
Deuteronomy 31:6 BSB
[6] Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.31.6.BSB
Psalm 37:25 BSB
[25] I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.37.25.BSB
Matthew 28:20 BSB
[20] and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.28.20.BSB
Hebrews 13:5 BSB
[5] Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.13.5.BSB
I’ll wrap this up with two beautiful songs I found. The first is directly inspired by Isaiah 49:16, titled “Engraved on Your Hands.” It features gorgeous video scenes, rich lyrics, and beautiful moments sung in Hebrew (with both Hebrew and English subtitles).
This second one has amazingly moving lyrics paired with beautiful beach imagery. (It may be AI generated, as I couldn’t locate specific vocalist info, but the message is timeless):
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Great Smoky Mountain Journeys
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
While growing up in the western half of the United States, I had no idea what I was missing a couple thousand miles away. Oh, that first time you see the mist begin to settle over the layers of the Appalachian mountains—it’s a view to remember.
This particular view was during the trip when I got to meet my brother Shayne and sister-in-law Heather for the first time. Sharing the beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park seemed the perfect location for our introductions after months of phone and digital communications. It was May of 2019, and this scenic overlook presented itself with perfect springtime majesty.
On June 15th, 2026, the park celebrates its 92nd birthday. Some highlights from the website state that it’s the most visited national park in the United States, it’s loaded with wildlife and places to explore. And it’s also free because of an agreement made when “Newfound Gap Road” was built. (While daily parking passes are now required to stop, enjoying the scenery out the car window does not require an entrance fee or toll.)
One of the best destinations you can drive to on your visit is Cades Cove Loop. There’s an excellent chance of seeing wildlife, so be sure to bring your zoom lens so you can keep your distance while you get the shot (and keep your health). And remember that no matter how cute they seem, they are wild—so no feeding them, no matter what Yogi or Ben may have said on TV! 😁🐻 Any effort to interact with them can result in enough domestication that the animal no longer fears humans and could need to be put down. In the case of the image you see below, I was a long way off and could see the mama bear in the field across the road. All the cars were stopped and many people were taking pictures while the babies made their way across.
Some of the prettiest scenery within the towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville is that along the Little Pigeon River. That’s where most of the lodging and restaurants are built, meaning you have great views even when you stop for a rest or a meal. Here’s a collage of images from around the area. It includes an image of The Old Mill Restaurant, where you’ll usually wait at least an hour to get in for some of the best food in the area (or anywhere else, for that matter). And can you believe the color in that November sunset?
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
I’ll close with a slightly manipulated image from late spring of 2020 when the flowers were in full bloom. On the bridge near The Old Mill, they used to have openings filled with flowers, but that has changed now for some reason. It makes me even more glad I got this image way back when trying to be creative and look through the flowers to see the waterfall. And I hope you’ve enjoyed this little visit to The Smokies.
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🎵 You’re a Grand Old Flag Day
“America Bless God”
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
If you could have seen me on June 14th in my younger years, you would have thought, “Oh my, she’s wearing red, white, and blue from head to toe!” It’s still my personal Flag Day rule whenever I leave the house on this special day to wear at least some red, white, and blue clothing and jewelry. And, yes, when I went out to meet some family and a new friend today, I put on very patriotic colors to celebrate the day.
You see, my family raised me to think about the intrinsic value of our homeland—to carry a deep-seated and passionate patriotism that holds respect for flag and country above thoughts and opinions on what’s happening within its borders. It was foundational to my upbringing as a grateful American-born citizen. And I’ve been privileged to witness that same level of patriotism in some not born here but nevertheless grateful to become part of the American experience. It will be exciting to shower my Canadian sister-in-law with red, white, and blue goodies when they move to the states later this year. 🦅
When it was time to prepare for this post, a quick trip through my huge collection of flag photos brought me back to some forgotten snapshots that perfectly capture the spirit of the day. During a visit to the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum (tucked right below Arnie’s Barn at Top of the Rock) in Branson, Missouri, I found these historic flags from our nation’s history.
What makes these two designs so special is the amazing artistry within their threads. Early congressional resolutions simply mandated thirteen stars, but they did not specify a strict layout. That gave early flag makers complete artistic freedom to represent their personal patriotism within these pieces of folk art.
The flag on the left is famously known as the Cowpens Flag Pattern, named after the 1781 “Battle of Cowpens.” On the right, you see the creative variant often called the Wreath-with-Corners layout. Keeping a star in the middle was a popular choice for 19th-century folks celebrating the 1876 Centennial. For personal citizens, it was a break from the rigid structure used for military flags, allowing their artistry a proud form of display.
These unique pieces of American history are a powerful reminder of the intrinsic value of patriotism. They spark the flint from the very first Flag Day on June 14th, 1777, as declared by the Second Continental Congress during the height of the Revolutionary War.
Though they passed the “Flag Resolution” that included the 13 alternating red and white stripes (colors that represent courage/valor and purity), the blue field (representing justice), and the 13 white stars (for the 13 innocent colonies), the date was not represented yet. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the date, but it wasn’t until August 3, 1949, that National Flag Day was officially established by an act of Congress and signed into permanent law by President Harry S. Truman.
These colors and their history inspired songwriter George M. Cohan while on a street corner back in 1906 where he crossed paths with a Civil War veteran. The old soldier cradled a torn and battle-worn American flag. He whispered to Cohan, “She’s a grand old rag,” and that moved Cohen to pen a song in her honor. Public pushback convinced him to change “rag” to “flag,” but the heart of the song remained the same. Here’s a rendition of it with verses and lyrics.
In case you don’t know, this entire week is actually National Flag Week, so as you fly your American colors, join me this week by choosing your own red, white, and blue outfit or jewelry to celebrate and salute our national emblem. It represents a deep, unshakable allegiance to this place we call home.
As a fun side note for my readers who are history buffs: Betsy Ross may get all the fame surrounding our flag, but she was actually only the seamstress. In fact, it was a signer of “The Declaration of Independence” named Francis Hopkinson who was the true creative mind behind the layout and original design.
And I’ll close with one final image I found from back when the YouVersion Bible app had a companion app called Bible Lens for matching pictures on your device with Bible verses. I love the one it found from Galatians 5:13 to go with one of my flag pictures. Photo Studio Pro allowed me to add some sparkles and a vintage frame. I’ll share the verse and then the image with the verse.
Galatians 5:13 NLT
[13] For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.5.13.NLT
Note: Some of the words for the historical information were assisted by Google Gemini, but I’ve edited and personalized all of it before publishing.
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🎵The Upside-down Mountain of Blessings
Do you think that when they declared June 6th to be National Trails Day in 1993 they were thinking about the rabbit trails in the minds of those of us with ADHD? Lol 😂.
So, I’ve got a great Bible study I’m working on to share with readers, and it’s got so much in it that I’ve separated it into 3 parts. The problem is, I ended up studying so much that I tired myself out too much to get part 1 up right now. The image above is a clue, though, and if you want to read about these mountains, check Deuteronomy 11, 27, and 28 plus Joshua 8:30-35. Here are a few brief parts of those Scriptures…
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 BSB
[26] See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse — [27] a blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, [28] but a curse if you disobey the commandments of the Lord your God and turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.11.26-28.BSB
Deuteronomy 27:9-13 BSB
[9] Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be silent, O Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. [10] You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God and follow His commandments and statutes I am giving you today.” [11] On that day Moses commanded the people: [12] “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. [13] And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.27.9-13.BSB
Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 8 BSB
[1] “Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. [2] And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the Lord your God:
[8] The Lord will decree a blessing on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.28.1-8.BSB
Joshua 8:30, 32, 34 BSB
[30] At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel,
[32] And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.
[34] Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law— the blessings and the curses— according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jos.8.30-34.BSB
You can see from just these few verses that there’s lots to unpack here, and it gets infinitely more detailed when we tackle how YahShua (Jesus) turned these mountains of blessing and curse upside down. Be prepared for hiking some fantastic trails through Scripture. In the meantime, since we’re talking about mountains, enjoy this congregational singing of As the Mountains are Around Jerusalem with lyrics on their song board.
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🎵Rejoice in This
It is The Lamb who will sit in the midst of the throne for eternity, and it is The Lamb who is worthy of all our praise (and pride) this month and always. His is the book, written in His own blood, that will determine the destination for each of us in eternity. We can have perfect works, but a prideful and haughty spirit to go with them can still bring destruction. So, after the disciples came back victorious in a battle with the enemy, they were instructed in the right attitude to keep them humble and blessed.
Luke 10:20 BSB
[20] Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.10.20.BSB
Paul reminded the Philippians that he had places he could take pride and have confidence if he chose, but he reframed his own experience, power, and ability in comparison to Christ. That gave him all he needed to reject pride and stay humble.
Philippians 3:7-8a BSB
[7] But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. [8] More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/php.3.7-8.BSB
When he talked to the Romans, he reminded them that grace is the main reason to look at ourselves through God’s eyes of grace. That is enough to keep us on solid ground rather than being puffed up by pride.
Romans 12:3 BSB
[3] For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rom.12.3.BSB
And the book of James echoes the idea that grace belongs to the humble.
James 4:6 BSB
[6] But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jas.4.6.BSB
Though many others are writing on the subject of pride this month, it still bears worth to remind ourselves what happens at the end of pride and haughtiness.
Proverbs 16:18 BSB
[18] Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/pro.16.18.BSB
Circling back to the first verse I shared, let me encourage you to recall where you were headed before the mercy and grace of The Lord made a better way for you. But for the grace of God, go I as well. We serve a God who pursues us even while we are sinners because it is His idea & desire to spend eternity with us. Even our own desires to serve Him were put in our hearts by Him, so He still gets all the praise. We are so not worthy of the wonderful love of YahShua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ), and yet He has poured it out on us in abundance. Now THAT is a good reason to celebrate with pride humility!
And this seems like the perfect place to share a beautiful song recently shared with me by a beautiful friend and sister in The Lord. It’s called “The Author.”
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🎵Rededicate 250 — Thoughts
I’m not one of those who follows every event dubbed as “Christian” or a follower of everyone who says they are Christian, but some moments are worth supporting in my own prayer life. I do not have to like or agree with every person invited to speak or pray at the May 17th event to be supportive of the goal for the event: Rededicate the United States of America back to the godly roots of prayer from our establishment.
You can do a search for “Rededicate 250” to learn more about it. The link I’ve provided is a Copilot search with a list of speakers and links to other info about the day. There’s a lot of stuff out there, and a lot of complaints about evangelicals getting involved in DC, but from the perspective of one who values my current freedom to worship God, I’m not interested in kowtowing to those who only serve themselves instead of The Lord. I am, however, interested in setting the right example to those unbelievers, so their complaints can only be with God and His Word and not how I represent Him or His Word.
So I had AI make an image of people praying at The White House to make sure there was no highlight on specific or favored individuals if I grabbed images from online. To truly rededicate ourselves means that our only source is Yahveh Almighty Himself, and our only purpose is being the most obedient to His Word and Spirit we can be no matter what anyone else is doing or saying. It’s not about our opinions or thoughts about God’s direction in our lives, but rather it’s about having a heart that says He is worthy of our total trust even when we may not understand.
The longer I’ve lived, the more I’ve experienced things I did not get the “whys” of, and things I couldn’t figure out how God took care of. They both taught me that God is totally sovereign and trustworthy, and He walks with us through those places where things aren’t going according to our perfect plans. But He walks there when He is invited. Sometimes, His overflowing mercy and grace puts Him places before being invited, but He still waits for that true desire of whosoever will to fully move in a life.
And that’s what rededication is really all about; making sure The Lord is invited into our country and our hearts to pour out His love in and on both. If you’ve never invited Him, please consider it. Even if you only want to test the waters, don’t test them by taking a 4-wheel-drive over smooth residential streets. Give Him your whole heart, mind, body, and soul. Trust Him with everything you’ve got. Act as if you plan to serve Him for eternity even if you are still wondering a little. When I got saved, I told Him I would try my best but couldn’t promise what I’d do if “church people” hurt me again. Fortunately, He moved in so fully that when I did encounter hurts, I didn’t reject Him for it anymore. It’s truly worth giving it all completely to His will and ways. And if you have tried serving Him but never did much beyond “the sinner’s prayer” or baptism, take these days with so much prayer in the air to totally surrender and rededicate yourself more completely than ever before. Invite Him today!
Isaiah 1:18 BSB
[18] “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.1.18.BSB
James 4:7-8 BSB
[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jas.4.7-8.BSB
Be washed in your heart and mind and then wash the outside in baptism to proclaim it.
And if you’ve been washed but feel like you need a new cleansing, this song about rededication is a perfect anthem.
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🎵 Buttermilk Biscuit Dance?
Did you know we have a national march for our country? No? Me either! Yes? You should blog about it and teach the rest of us. 😁 I think you’ll recognize the tune when you hear it, though. I’ll tell you later about the biscuit dance, but for now, I’m taking you back to 1897 when a man later dubbed The March King, John Philip Sousa officially debuted the song he’d written the previous year. It’s called “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and it became our national march tune by an act of Congress in 1987. It was even used to close out each show of Sing Along with Mitch.
I actually have a whole Sousa CD because I really like that marching beat. I guess it’s time to get it out to use as some walking beat inspiration. In the meantime, guess what people did with the powerful march at song in the 1930s and 1940s. They made a parody. And if you didn’t know the tune from the march, you likely recognize it from the parody. Though I heard it as Be Kind to Your Fine Feathered Friends, all the videos I could find think it’s Be Kind to Your Web-Footed Friends. So here’s one video (no lyrics, though) by Peter and Mary in 1954, and it actually has verses…
Now, about those biscuits falling out of their mouths while they try to dance like chickens… May 14th is actually Dance Like a Chicken Day AND also Buttermilk Biscuit Day, so I asked Gemini to create a picture for me with people doing the Chicken Dance while eating buttermilk biscuits. I say definitely don’t try this at home because the mess would be huge, but I also say not to try this at all because you could choke. But it’s fun to look at in a picture.
And now I have to ask, do you know how to Chicken Dance? (Which was originally called The Duck Dance by the way.) If not, here’s a great video celebrating Wurstfest (since apparently the song by Werner Thomas is of German origins)…
While seeking help from Gemini to find all these sources, it asked me if I was going to write a poem or haiku to go with the subjects. I tried to cover it all in 2 stanzas…
It's a duck, mother,
Feathered sister or brother,
So be kind to it.
Also remember,
The stars and stripes wave freely,
Even o'er the swamp.
And while you’re eating or dancing or playing a tune, follow the encouragement from the Psalms to praise The Lord on many types of instruments:
Psalm 150:3-6 BSB
[3] Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre. [4] Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute. [5] Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. [6] Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.150.3-6.BSB
Finally, I have one more video I just have to include because of the duck dance reference and because these baby ducks are adorable while flitting around to the Chicken/Duck/Hamster Dance music… 🦆🎶
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🎵No Fear Invited
Well, this one is turning out to be a much bigger presentation and study than I planned, so I’m not going to do the whole thing just yet. But let the Scripture above (placed on a real Indiana sunset) be an encouragement for you.
1 John 2:24, 27 BSB
[24] As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father.
[27] And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1jn.2.24-27.BSB
Remember what you have been taught from God’s Word. Search your heart for those truths God Himself has hidden there by His Spirit. Do not be misled, either in knowledge or emotion, by fearful words being shared in the name of Christ. Ask for, and practice, discernment. Paul reminds us that practicing discernment makes us better at it.
Hebrews 5:14 BSB
[14] But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.5.14.BSB
If you’ve begun to hear the fearful whispers about UFO/UAP “secrets” being revealed that will challenge your beliefs in God, plan now to not be overwhelmed by the news. Do not invite the fear to dwell in your heart. Know that God is The Creator of the WHOLE universe, so that includes any and all entities that may be outside our visual realm here on Earth. Trust The Lord and do not doubt that He has everything in His hands and in His control. He has already been to the future and nothing takes Him by surprise. No matter how anointed someone says they are or seems to be, they do not have more knowledge (gnosticism) than God or His Word, so keep your heart in The Lord, and send fear on down the road.
There is much more to say on this subject, but I want my presentations to be accurate and truthful, so I will add to this when I have spent more time in prayer and Bible study. But I wanted to get the introduction to you as I’ve been seeing more and more talk of these things, and Christians need to be prepared to carry the banner of God’s Word in comfort and strength to those who do not yet follow our Savior and may be overcome with fear. Keep yourselves in The Word and Spirit, so you will have truthful answers for any who might ask your thoughts on these teachings when they are dispensed to the masses.
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Playing Telephone on a Bridge
Why a bridge? Because George Washington Bridge opened on this day in 1931 connecting New Jersey and New York City. And I wonder… Did they choose this day (April 30th) because on the same day in 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first US president? It’s an interesting coincidence either way.
So, do you remember playing the game of Telephone? The one where you whisper a phrase in someone’s ear, who then whispers what they heard in the next person’s ear, who repeats the action until the secret gets to the final person in the circle? Yeah, that game where coming up with a set of words likely to be misheard is as much fun as finding out how messed up the message got by the end. Read more at Grokipedia. (Even though it’s AI, I’d rather share that than the other after so much had been found to be manipulated there.)
So, I’ve been trying to learn a bit from, and about, AI. And I’m realizing that AI is like playing a giant game of Telephone. All of the AI models are “trained” with large amounts of data, most of which were initially created with intention. But in addition to their initial datasets, they are also out there gathering data from what people, and possibly other AI, put out. That’s why so many people are putting up virtual walls to demand that their intellectual property cannot be scraped up and used. But that’s a different subject for a different day.
Hubby sent me an article about a guy who “hacked” an AI by providing false data for it to consume. The BBC journalist created a blog post about a non-existent hot dog eating contest and his record-breaking success at said contest. With some good marketing tricks, the contest and his win became “verified” information in response to the right search query. It’s a fascinating article I recommend reading in full if you get the chance. The journalist created the hack when he found out how companies are doing that very thing to raise their ranks on search results. And he says in the article: “I reviewed dozens of examples where AI tools are being coerced into promoting businesses and spreading misinformation. Data suggests it’s happening on a massive scale.”
The idea that info passed along can get misinterpreted is dangerous, and it’s why I’m so concerned about seeking truth and accurate information about what’s out there—especially concerning health and biblical things. I’ve said before that I am like that little girl asking her mom and grandma why they cut the ends off the ham. When the truth came out about the great-grandmother having a small pan, generations had been using the cutting preparation as if it were some learned secret that made the meal better. I’ve gotten in trouble more than once for asking questions instead of just taking things as people say them. But I’m okay with that because truth is taking a hit these days, and that concerns me.
As I do my own Bible study, I find lots of truths that never get mentioned from the pulpit. But this is getting long, so I’ll continue the message with the spiritual aspects of this tomorrow.
John 8:12, 30, 32 BSB
[12] Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
[30] As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him.
[32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jhn.8.12-32.BSB
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I Love 🥰 Emojis
What are your favorite emojis?
Ask anyone who gets messages from me. I love emojis! 💝 There’s something about being able to say a lot with a tiny form. A picture speaks a thousand words, right? And when I downloaded Google’s Gboard keyboard and got access to their “emoji kitchen” to create my own, that was the whipped cream and cherry on top.
I’m not sure why “Day One” chose this for their 1921st prompt, because so many emojis only show up as little boxes here on WordPress, but I still love the idea, so I’m experimenting. I’ve downloaded a lot of the mixed ones I created to share in a collage, and they’ll show fine since they’re pictures. Like this set of train emojis from messages I sent to my sister while she was on the train last year.
I really love the train that’s slipping on a banana peel. That was from combining a train emoji with a banana emoji. You should be able to tell what was combined to get each image. I highly recommend the Gboard app for the personal dictionary and the Glide Typing abilities as well. I don’t know if it’s available anywhere but the Google Play Store, but if you can get it, I’m relatively certain you’ll have fun with it. Go to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin
And here are some new ones I just made tonight. As you can tell, I like combining the cactus with different things. Oh, and sparkles. I love adding sparkles to other emojis.
Most of these should be obvious, but the wooden globe may not give away that it’s a combo of the earth and a wooden stump. The frying pan is the combo of a dinner plate and an egg. But I cannot do a train and a cactus, so here’s what you get when you choose to do the two types of cactus 🌵 and 🏜️ (I hope these show) inline with a text…
So, yes, I think you can clearly see that I really like using emojis as a communications tool. I hope this inspires someone to have some fun with these great compact emotions.
Now, since April 27th is also “National Tell A Story Day,” I have one more treat for you. It’s a very old story, some sites say a song, that I learned when I was a teenager. I never sang it until I taught it to my nephews and had them sing it like a military marching cadence for their uncle. As I searched, it seemed all the sites had slightly different words, so I’m using the ones I recall from my years of repeating this tongue tangler of backward, inside-out, and upside-down words..
I started with the introduction of...
Ladies and gentlemen, hobos and tramps,
Cross-eyed mosquitos and bowlegged ants.
I stand before you, not behind you,
To address you, not undress you.
Admission is free, pay at the door.
Pull up a chair and sit on the floor.
I come to this end, not to this out,
To tell you a story--I know nothing about.
~~~~~~~~and then the story~~~~~~~~
One bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other
Pulled out their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came to kill the two dead boys.
If you don't believe my story is true,
Ask the blind man... He saw it too!
One day, I’ll tell you the story of Petey the Snake. But it’s best to hear it, so I’ll need to get over myself and be willing to record it. But wait, there’s more. I just had to make my juggling emojis with the knit filter. Too cute!
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Ideas from Heaven
Where do ideas come from? And just because they formed in our minds, does that mean they belong to us? Well, yes and no. I mean, without being made in the image of our Creator, we would not likely have creative minds that generate ideas. That’s why the image is showing ideas from the heavens finding their way to the minds of men.
April 26th is National Intellectual Property Day, and it commemorates the pursuit of each person maintaining ownership rights for intangible ideas and creations. Thoughts and ideas often lead to tangible creations and/or processes that have huge effects on people’s lives—sometimes even life changing. For example, a sound therapy that can stop a seizure would be a life-changing invention. And it’s not only the sound creators or device constructors that make it possible, because it wouldn’t be possible without an idea that was followed, researched, tested, etc. (I don’t even know if that sort of thing exists, but there are lots of sound therapies, and a seizure seemed like the most visual idea I could point to.)
If you create anything, you have made use of intellectual property. The site linked above (National Day Today) gave a good description, so I’ll cite some of their intellectual property to share with you…
What Is Intellectual Property and Why Does It Matter?
Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, including inventions, literary and artistic works, symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. The primary categories of IP include:
Patents – Protection for inventions and technological innovations
Copyrights – Rights for literary, artistic, and musical works
Trademarks – Protection for brand names, logos, and slogans
Industrial Designs – Safeguarding the visual design of objects
And, yes, this topic seems a little boring, but I couldn’t remember my idea for tonight’s blog post, so I looked up the day, and decided that this was the one celebration I could “write what you know” about. Though it is also “Jason Day” and “Gabriel Day.” I have a brother named Jason, but I don’t know that he wants me to blog about him. And the only Gabriel I know is not someone I know but is a pretty funny comedian also known as Fluffy.
Back to the idea thing, though, I used to have business cards that listed me as a “Writer and Creative Mind.” I may have mentioned that before because of my desire to have a gathering of creative Christians sharing ideas and creating together. I believe it is being made in God’s image that enabled our creative abilities. Because of the sin when the enemy bit the heel of mankind and inserted his darkness into human DNA, some folks misuse their creativity to produce terrible ideas and products. But the idea of being creative is still rooted in our Creator, and I think that’s something to celebrate and lean into. Please share some of your creative thoughts and ideas in the comments.
There’s a great Bible study on the Bible app by YouVersion called “Created to be Creative” by Marian Parsons. It’s only 5 days long, and each day has creative exercises at the end. Find the study at http://bible.com/r/12I and let me know what you think when you finish. She begins the study from the verse in Psalm 19:1,so I think that’s a great place to end this post…
Psalm 19:1 BSB
[1] For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.19.1.BSB
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Jelly Bean Sisters
I think this knitted filter in Wombo is one of the coolest—or at least the most fun—filter I’ve used. With a few trials of different filters, one image was the winner until I looked more closely and noticed the wacky steering wheel in the car. I tried covering it up with the frame, and maybe you wouldn’t even notice unless it’s pointed out, but it was an excuse to put up the adorable knitted girls. But here, you can see for yourselves…
But, hey, why am I using this picture at all? You’ve got to be wondering at least a little, right? Simple: April 22nd is National Jelly Bean Day. While everyone else is busy talking about the earth, I was enjoying a memory of a day with my little sister; a fun day before stress manipulation words like “global warming” were even in our vocabulary. We were grown-up women, but we still knew how to be silly and make each other laugh.
I don’t even remember why we were in the car in the grocery store parking lot that day. Were we waiting for someone? Waiting for an appointment? Or just sampling some of the gourmet jelly beans we had just purchased? (Yes, those gourmet jelly beans! Yay for Jelly Belly®.) Whatever the reason for our being there, we were using our time to read the recipe card that comes with the jelly beans. Some of the tastes are wonderful, but some… Yikes! Let’s just say that if one of us made a face or a spitting sound from something we didn’t like, the other one started laughing about it.
And that’s where it starts. Something makes one of us laugh. 😂 Then, the sound of that laugh makes the other one of us laugh. 😂 And that sound affects the other one until we’re both totally doubled over with laughter until we’re crying. It’s an out-of-control moment that relieves stress and cements sisterly bonds. 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Living miles apart means we don’t get those days as often anymore, but I’ve smiled through almost every word of this blog post because it’s such a wonderful memory for me. And, no, buttered popcorn jelly beans are not bad, but it is a weird sensation to taste butter and salt but be chewing something gooey at the same time. If you can eat sugar, go get yourself a mixed set with a recipe card and go crazy with experimenting. I wish I could still do that, but since I can’t, at least I have an excuse not to try those new game flavors like vomit and dirty socks. 🤢
Just a couple reminders from God’s Holy Word…
Psalm 126:2 BSB
[2] Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.126.2.BSB
Genesis 21:6 BSB
[6] Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/gen.21.6.BSB
Ecclesiastes 9:7 BSB
[7] Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine* with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
https://bible.com/bible/3034/ecc.9.7.BSB
*Note: Jelly Belly® even made some wine/champagne flavors, but I'm not sure what is available now. Here is a list of (possibly) all their flavors, including retired ones, at the Fandom website: https://jellybelly.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Flavors
And now that you know joy and laughter are found in Scripture, here’s two more about pleasant taste…
Psalm 34:8 BSB
[8] Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.34.8.BSB
Psalm 119:103 BSB
[103] How sweet are Your words to my taste— sweeter than honey in my mouth!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.119.103.BSB
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🎵 Savage Grace Release Day!
(All Rights Reserved)
I’ve listened to the song multiple times now, and it’s got great lyrics, vocals, and music. Super proud of my brother!
As I promised from his story in yesterday’s post, I’m bringing my readers the video release and some links where you can get a copy for yourself. If you are a radio listener, you’re welcome to ask your local Christian station to give it some airplay as well. Help me help him make this a great release week with lots of interest.
So first, here’s the link from YouTube…
Next, here’s his website info where you can find his Facebook and Instagram pages, check out some of his merch, and sign up for his newsletter… https://www.shaynesavage.com/ And while you’re there, I recommend a scroll to his Liner Notes (blog) for some perspective posts. The latest post is all about the difference in faith and trust. Go directly to that one by visiting the next link…
I’d love some comments here, or if you stop by his Facebook page, please tell him you found out about him from his big sister. 😁 Enjoy the music, and thanks for letting me have a little time to promote this talented musician and singer.
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Grace by DNA Story–About Shayne
It all started one Valentine’s Day in 2018. A life-changing blessing with a journey that still continues.
Back in the early 2000s, hubby found a company that did DNA to look for genealogical connections. I was happy when he found a few cousins and wanted the same experience. But they didn’t do women’s DNA. Fast forward to Ancestry DNA, and they did. So my gift was the test kit, though I was really hesitant to spit in that tube. That hesitancy pushed me to the middle of the year, but I think the timing was perfect.
Shortly after my results came in, hubby was viewing the site since we had it in his name, and he told me, “You’ve got a message on Ancestry that I think you’re gonna want to see.” And there was this beautiful message from someone Ancestry said could be a very close cousin or grandchild. What? I’m thinking, wait I’ve already seen how the numbers look for my first cousins, and these numbers are way higher. I did some quick research to see how the stats work on DNA, and ours were more likely to be half-siblings. I’d met my other half-siblings, so this new connection was both confusing and exciting.
I wrote back right away and told this new relative that I thought he was likely my brother, and I’d be so excited to get to know him better. Then I called my half-sister in Texas and told her I thought we had another brother. There’d been a bit of distance between my dad and I for a few years (that’s a whole ‘nother story), so she called him to ask if we had another brother. At first, he said we didn’t, so I checked with his brother, my uncle, and he said he wasn’t even in Arizona during that year. Now this called for prayer. In the meantime, we spoke on the phone, and I learned that he’d been adopted as an infant and had never met anyone to whom he was blood related.
Fast forward to May of 2019, and Shayne, with his wife Heather, were on their way from Canada to the US for our first meeting. That’s the first image above, but the airport background wasn’t pretty, so I replaced it. Hubby made them the welcome sign they’re holding and has been a huge support as God has expanded this territory in my life. It would take too many words to tell you all we discovered about each other, but it was so neat every time Heather would notice similarities and state, “Oh, you guys are definitely brother and sister!” Though he’s a bit bolder as you can see by his fishtank antics. 😁
We met again in October of 2019 in Nashville, and shortly after that, I was able to fix things with my dad enough to get a phone call from him and then plan a visit to see him and his wife. During those calls and visits, I was able to tell him all he was missing by not acknowledging this son of his, and I quoted him a Bible verse to dissuade some of the guilt he may have been fighting about not having been there all his life. Of course, he was excused because of not knowing about Shayne, but I still wanted him to feel like God showed favor to him because of children he had fathered–not necessarily children he had always raised. That verse is…
Psalm 127:4-5 BSB
[4] Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. [5] Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.127.4-5.BSB
Now forward to November when Hubby and I were able to get a stay in Branson, Missouri, for ourselves and my sister and brother-in-law. She’s the one with whom I share both parents, and we were raised together for most of our growing up time. We all went together to the small Missouri town where our dad lived with his bride of 10 years, Cheryl. We had a wonderful visit with both of them, and we left with encouragement for our dad to contact Shayne. On Christmas Day of 2019, my brother heard his father’s voice for the very first time. (happy tears)
All the wheels were put in motion for Shayne to meet his (our) father after the winter weather let go in Canada, but that was 2020, so you know what happened there. Borders couldn’t have been shut any tighter. And again, we all went to prayer. In the meantime, I lost a very dear aunt in Arizona who was like a mom to me and my sister. That was just before the lockdown, and it filled the year with chaos and stress. Meanwhile, a good friend was watching her mom struggle with Alzheimer’s, and I was trying to be supportive of her. A crazy year but God’s presence sustained all of us.
Sometime in the late summer of 2020, my brother was able to find a way to get him and his wife Heather across the Canadian border. And they drove down to meet Dad. I was getting the play-by-play and so excited for both of them. Almost a week later, I got a call from the friend whose mom was struggling offering to take me to Missouri to see my brother and my dad. I will never be able to pay that gift back, and I’m forever grateful for the moments she gave our family before Dad left this world. And the miracle of timing for my brother to meet his father and our father to meet his son. (melt)
Again, there’s so much more to tell (which is why I want to write the Grace by DNA book), including the fact that I got another sister out of the deal because Heather and I also shared a lot of similarities–especially about spiritual things. So I’ll close this here by telling you why I chose to share all of this today. It’s because tomorrow’s blog will be all about a big event for my brother, and I’m super proud of him. He is releasing his first single from what will be his first album. I’ll share his website and teaser for tonight, and all the release stuff, including why he chose his particular performer name, tomorrow.
This YouTube page has links to Shayne’s website (where you can sign up for his newsletter), Facebook, Spotify, and Instagram…
https://youtube.com/@shaynesavagemusic?si=j2u8FhzTK-7x8PjG
And here’s the teaser from his Insta post…
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🎵Behold the Lamb!
(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Scripture tells us that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. I think that’s because perspective is created by individual experiences mixed with the wisdom we’ve been taught. We share our perspectives with others (hence the proliferation of blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.), and when that is mixed with someone’s experience, they get new perspectives with which to counsel others.
I love to read, but not so much book-length manuscripts. I’ve read a few novels that kept me enthralled, but it’s just a handful of authors that have that effect on me. So, I read lots of articles and blog posts, and other quick content. I love the Bible app by YouVersion because of the abundance of Bible studies there. And I can study alone or with others. Their plans are best on the app, but this page should work even if you don’t have the app yet… https://www.bible.com/reading-plans and you can search plans by topic, length, author, etc.
My latest study is called “A Gospel View of Christ, the Lamb of God” by Returning to the Gospel. The link should take you right to it.
In reading this study, which is happening during Passover week (and Easter week) because I didn’t start it right when I planned, I’ve read of an amazing “coincidence” (we know it’s more likely a “God-incidence”) about the examination of the Passover lambs. All of Exodus Chapter 12 is about the Passover, and you can read it at Bible Hub, but here are the 2 verses that gave me a new perspective…
Exodus 12:3, 6 BSB
[3] Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.
[6] You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/exo.12.3-6.BSB
I added bold emphasis to point out the 10th and 14th days. They chose a lamb but did not slaughter it until it had been thoroughly examined, and then all the people slaughtered their lambs at the same time. The study pointed out that on the 10th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, the sheep were being brought through the “Sheep Gate” to be examined for the Passover. It is known as “Shabbat HaGadol” and is a significant Sabbath for the feast. On that same day, Messiah YahShua was entering another gate riding on a donkey. He would have dinner with His disciples, and then they would go pray in Gethsemane. From there, the betrayal would mean His arrest and then a whole lot of examination. And they found no spot or blemish, so He was ready to be sacrificed.
I don’t believe Abba Yahveh Almighty lets any of that just happen. It’s a full plan to redeem us and to remove any excuses from those who know the details but refuse to believe. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out one day that each thing that happened back then was on a clock that matched the original Passover to the minute–or even to the second. An article at “Hebrew for Christians” has even more amazing details. My favorite is the connection between the Passover lamb and the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet: Aleph (pronounced ah-lef) and Tav (pronounced tahv). In Hebrew, these are written as א and ת.”
In the Hebrew Scriptures, these two letters often appear together. While they act as a grammatical pointer, they also represent the ‘First and the Last.’ Remember that YahShua said He was the Alpha and Omega, which is the Greek equivalent of Aleph and Tav, or A and Z, or First and Last. I used the parallel Bible at Bible Hub to view the Hebrew letters, and it’s as they say. Read the whole article for more at… https://hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Shabbat_HaGadol/shabbat_hagadol.html
And with all that information, now I want to turn to the reason for seeking these things. We need to behold The Lamb so we can fully understand what He did for us and share that good news (or God news) with others. Close your eyes and imagine that pure and spotless lamb, silent and waiting, not even knowing the power that would flow from it’s perfect body to cover the door posts of Israel and protect them from the Death Angel when it entered Egypt. And then, envision another Lamb, this One knowing the power in His precious blood. Pray with me…
Abba Yahveh, our Father, we thank You for not just teaching us, but for loving us. Before we knew what we were missing, You were creating and perfecting a plan to remove every barrier that separates us from you by covering sin in perfect blood. Before we knew You (while we were yet sinners), You already loved and wanted us for Your own. You literally moved Heaven and Earth to make it happen! As You reach out and pursue us, even into the depths of the bondage of sin, may we look up and reach out to You and allow You to deliver us and set us free. It is not Your will for any of us to perish without You. Thank you for that and for ALL of Your wonderful mercy and grace. May Your Holy Presence dwell with each person who brings this prayer to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
And now, a beautiful song written by Dottie Rambo called “Behold The Lamb.”
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For Pete’s Sake, What is a Minced Oath?
(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Hi, my name is Saint Peter. Welcome to Heaven! It looks like I've found your name here in The Lamb's Book of Life, so you'll be spending eternity with us. But there is a concerning note here that says you have a tendency to use a lot of minced oaths. Is that a habit you can break?”
“Oh, for Pete's sake, I thought that was better than using the words they stand in for. Besides, shouldn't I get a pass since Feb 26th is actually For Pete's Sake Day?”
“It's what? My name is on a special day of the year?”
“Well they don't know for sure, but since the phrase is likely a euphemism to replace something like 'For Christ's sake' and because you knew Him, it's a good bet that it is a reference to you.”
“Wow, that's pretty interesting. But you know, you might not want to be talking about bets in here either--good or bad,” Peter adds with a grin.
My little scenario above is not a probable one at all since we’re all more than likely going to be devoting our words to worship The Lord and not even thinking about euphemisms and minced oaths, but I thought it was a fun way to introduce this annual day. And doesn’t the heart have a great smile as he finds the latest person’s name to welcome them in?
So, you have probably used minced oaths (or euphemisms) yourself at some point in your life. And you may have developed some that you use so regularly, you don’t even know what they were originally replacing. Things like shoot or dagnabbit or fiddlesticks or sugar take the place of words that often begin with the same letters, but the replacements sound a bit more respectful.
For example, I once heard a small story about a little boy who was riding his bike home from the grocery store when he hit a puddle and went into the dirty water food and all. Frustrated, he shouted, “Jesus Christ, God Almighty!” A preacher was walking nearby and asked him what he just said. He quickly changed his words and said as if posing a question, “Cheese and crackers got all muddy?”
If you want to read more about the history of this day, just visit the National Day Today page at https://nationaltoday.com/for-petes-sake-day/. As for me, I just might end up in that scenario because I tend to use a lot of what we used to call by words. I’m certain they are better than using “colorful language” (a euphemism for cussing or swearing), and they can help release some steam of frustration. But I try not to use the ones I was trained against like gosh, darn, or geez. And I really don’t like OMG (since it’s effectively calling out to God but not waiting for Him to answer), but I often say, “Oh my goodness,” and hubby jumps in with the Scripture about our righteousness (goodness) being like filthy rags. It’s one of those joking things that is actually true. But the truest part is that even though our sins make our souls dark, the Blood of Christ will wash us and cleanse us to make us whiter than snow.
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A Heart for Rescue
I tried to get the AI to make a heart rescuing a heart because the risk and care taken by real-life rescuers really takes a lot of heart. It got close, anyway. This is for the 85th birthday of the Coast Guard on Feb 19th.
And, I cannot think of anything Coast Guard without thinking of my uncle who went to Vietnam on a CG cutter called the Minnetonka. Here’s a shot of the day he got home and the big welcome banner my dad painted for him…
I was little, but I think he’s holding my little sister. I love seeing all the family there to “rescue” him from his long term at sea. There were many families waiting for returns that day, and what a celebration it is to bring a soldier or sailor back home.
While we humans celebrate safe returns of those we love, imagine our Creator who doesn’t want ANYONE to perish waiting with open arms to bring us into our forever home with Him. His Word is filled with glimpses and promises to show just how important that reunion will be. We get just a tiny taste of it each time we share God’s joy by lifting Him up and seeing Him draw a new soul to His kingdom life. The truth is, He could go out and just rescue souls by Himself, but He invites us to participate with Him because He wants to share that intense joy with us. If you’ve ever reached out to a lost soul and then got to be there in that joyous moment when they decide to turn their life around, you know what a privilege it is to be part of that big rescue.
God’s Holy Scriptures give us a number of invitations to be that giant heart performing rescues from the choppy waves of sin that threaten to drown many souls. Here are a few of them…
Psalms 82:4 WEBUS
[4] Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
https://bible.com/bible/206/psa.82.4.WEBUS
Proverbs 24:11 WEBUS
[11] Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!
https://bible.com/bible/206/pro.24.11.WEBUS
Psalms 37:40 WEBUS
[40] Yahweh helps them and rescues them. He rescues them from the wicked and saves them, because they have taken refuge in him.
https://bible.com/bible/206/psa.37.40.WEBUS
And then the praise of the Psalmist who knew from what God rescued him…
Psalms 40:2 WEBUS
[2] He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand.
https://bible.com/bible/206/psa.40.2.WEBUS
I remember my rescue, and sometimes, when life gets hard, that memory helps keep me going. Join me in worship for your own rescue as you listen to this lyric video of “He Brought me Out”…
So Happy 85th Birthday to the sailors and rescuers of the US Coast Guard, and happy seeking to rescue the perishing and care for the dying to all believers who know we have a gift worth sharing with those who are still lost and without Christ. May God lead you to know when to sow and when to reap, and may He give you abundant joy as you watch Him give the increase of rescued souls.
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My Love for Weird History
It was an “udderly” successful flight that changed history. A cow named Nellie Jay (who was later renamed Elm Farm Ollie), made remarkable strides in flight on February 18th, 1930. No, she did not have red hearts instead of regular cow spots, but she was the first cow to be flown in an airplane and milked while in flight. The day is now known as “Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day” and is celebrated every February 18th.
You can read all about the cow and its history at https://www.holidaycalendar.io/holiday/cow-milked-while-flying-in-an-airplane-day and https://nationaltoday.com/cow-milked-while-flying-in-an-airplane-day/ which each have unique focus on telling what happened. I like that the Holiday Calendar site (first link) gives ideas for celebrating the day, and the National Today site tells what day of the week these special days and celebrations fall on.
If you’re not interested in flying cows, you can look up the history of how the (dwarf) planet Pluto was discovered on the same day. The day has a few other designations, but since I like the quirky ones, I’m pretty glad for “Thumb Appreciation Day.” 1,2,3,4, I declare thumb war. 👍👍🤜🤛
I’m not sure why I’m attracted to news of the weird, funny, unusual, or odd stuff in this world, but it’s a bit of comic stress relief even if it doesn’t create rolling laughter like animal videos. 😁 But, if we have a sense of humor, it’s pretty likely that God does too, and we get ours from Him. I mean, think about Elisha helping someone retrieve a lost axe head by making it swim to him. Or how about Jonah? The reluctant prophet not only got swallowed up by a whale, he got thrown up by it as well. And then God grew a giant bush over his head and later sent a worm to devour it, just so Jonah could face the silliness of his temper tantrums. And of course, there is also the story of the talking donkey. I wrote about that one back in 2014 on a post called “Donkey Talk Blues” that includes 2 fun videos; one by ApologetiX and one by Don Francisco. If you want to see them, visit https://crystal-writes.com/2014/06/23/donkey-talk-blues/.
Sure, all those stories have the element of being teachable moments from The Lord, but that doesn’t mean God didn’t find a little humor in things as He made them happen for whatever purposes He planned. He had Sarah and Abraham name their son Isaac to remember that she laughed at the possibility of having a son in her in old age–which is its own funny story when you picture a pregnant 99-year-old woman. He added joy as a fruit of The Spirit. And YahShua (Jesus) even told the disciples that He taught them commandments to make sure their joy would be made full. So, whether it be joy, laughter, or just a really big smile, join me in looking for all the gifts of “happy” shown to us by our Lord and Abba Father.
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A Patriotic Heart–Daily Prompt 1850
Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?
The definition of patriot from Merriam-Webster says, “one who loves and supports their country” and includes synonyms of loyalist and nationalist. The “Did You Know” section at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriot has some interesting history of the word. And, of course, if you’re gonna call yourself patriotic, which means to be a patriot, you should know the meaning of the word.
I wasn’t planning on responding to the prompt today, but it seemed to match the picture I’d already created, so I figured I would try. And in looking at some other responses, maybe it’s necessary. I grew up with a strong respect for our country, our flag, and our leadership–including local law enforcement. I’ve never thought it was okay for someone to flout the law of the land just because they didn’t like it. That doesn’t mean that I’ve been perfect, but it does mean I respect the law and know when I’ve done wrong and deserve consequences (with sequence, or what follows).
As a follower of YahShua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) and His holy written Scripture, I cannot use “love of country” to excuse attitudes, words, or behaviors that don’t obey God’s word. But, I also cannot use my love of God as an excuse to ignore the law of the land. I stop at red lights, and I pay my taxes. And, if I violate the law, I pay the fine or go to traffic school.
To me, patriotism doesn’t mean I love EVERY thing my country does or every decision it makes. But it does mean I stay supportive of the country as my homeland and stay grateful for the decisions I do agree with. If I disagree with something, I can vote for change. If the subject is not on the ballot, I can enlist the help of others to put it on the ballot where my vote can be counted. Violating the laws of the land, like blocking public roads, is neither patriotic nor a good use of freedom. And if consequences follow that don’t feel good, well, that’s what happens. I mean, I absolutely hate the taking of innocent lives via abortion, but I would never bomb one of the clinics that performs them. Why? Because another thing I learned as a child was that two wrongs don’t make a right.
So, yes, I am patriotic, and I’m still grateful to be an American. Years ago, I shocked some people when I went to hear Bill Clinton speak even though he was not my chosen candidate. But I wasn’t going to hear the man, I was going to hear “The President of The United States.” I respect the office and the authority regardless of who occupies the position. Sadly, it wasn’t long after that when I attended some school events for nephews and nieces and saw teachers refuse to place their hands over their hearts in respect for the flag, or our nation’s National Anthem. It was only a matter of time before students stopped learning how to respect the authority of any position from the highest position in the land to the lowest.
That change in respect was shortly before the first major school shooting incident that seemed to set up a pattern of many others. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that disrespect of law and authority, and a lack of value for human life, created that subset of attitudes. I would caution parents and teachers about repeating negative media tropes about The President or our law enforcement to children who can sponge it up and turn it into a bigger monster than anyone wants to deal with. Maybe the little parody my mom used to sing to the tune of the Pepsodent toothpaste jingle isn’t sung anymore, but those words (“You’ll wonder where your father went if he talks against The President”) were a lesson in respect that I think we could all use again.
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A Valentine’s Day Haiku
Happy St. Valentine’s Day! Oh, you didn’t know this day was named for a real guy who existed in 3rd-century Rome. Read more at the Británica website to find out about this patron saint of lovers, people with epilepsy, and beekeepers.
Our local Christian writers group meets monthly to equip and encourage our members to keep writing for The Lord. This month, our meeting fell right on Valentine’s Day, so we decided to celebrate with yummy treats and a fun writing exercise. We taped our homemade conversation hearts to the white board and challenged members to use as many of the words as possible. We had a nice variety of stories, poetry, and even a wonderful devotion. I love what people can do with the gift of creativity God has given us. Me, I chose haiku, so here’s my use of the 18 given words…
What's the greatest love?
What example does it set?
Where do we find it?
Love could be candy.
Wrapped in a chocolate hug,
With a rose on top.
I got one of those.
From my sweetheart; my husband,
But it was cookies.
Instead of a rose,
It was a red carnation.
It brought me such joy.
His love touched my heart,
Even without poetry,
He showed affection.
And I adore him.
My admiration of him,
Will last forever.
That and three more days,
Because his love is a gift,
Always mine to keep.
Our first time to speak,
Was a February call,
From a long distance.
Only recently,
Did he show his devotion,
With some jewelry.
A red garnet ring,
That I love to wear daily.
And show to others,
But I don't need it,
Or even some fancy doves,
To know he loves me.
Now it’s your turn. If you are a writer, I challenge you to create your own creative piece using the 18 given words in the above image. And, if you put them on your own blog or social media page, please leave a comment and let me know where to go read it. In the meantime, maybe I’ll work on the blog I set up years ago for the group and try to get some of their pieces shared on it. I’ll update this post with a link when I get some new content there.
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13 Hearts at the Supper Table
A busy day zoomed right past without me remembering that it was Friday the 13th. I remembered yesterday when I was making plans for the day, and I remembered when the day was almost done, but nothing in between. And the day was normal with regular highs and lows and ups and downs, a little stress with trying to organize messes I’ve been making for years, etc. But, there’s nothing I can tell you about that I could blame specifically on the calendar.
What I can tell you is that how Friday the 13th affects most people likely has to do with which person at “The Last Supper” (aka Passover) gets the most mental attention. If we focus on the guy who was willing to sell out the salvation of all humanity for 30 pieces of silver, we may view the ugly 13th heart, and its darkness can overwhelm us. But if we focus on the 13th heart at the head of the table, The One who was a true friend soon to lay down His own life for the rest of us, we see the most beautiful heart ever to exist. “Looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2a KJV), we can look at the number 13 (and maybe the day when it comes around) as much brighter.
Of course, any superstition is just another word for fear, so it’s best to see any Friday the 13th as just a Friday that happens to fall on the 13th day of the month, or vice versa. And the same goes for Monday the 13th (unless you’re Garfield the cat being attacked by a lasagna 😁).
I’ve said it before, but it is worth repeating:
FEAR stands for….
“False Evidence Appearing Real”
but FAITH says….
“Forsaking All I Trust Him.”
And just because we’re on the subject of 13, I have to add the fact that 1 Corinthians 13:13 says,
“But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.” (WEBUS)
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What is Your Treasure?
In this heart health month, it’s also a great time to check up on the health of your spiritual heart since it spills over into your physical heart and life. “Doctor Jesus” gives us the perfect prescription for great heart health.
Matthew 6:19-21 WEBUS
[19] “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; [21] for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
https://bible.com/bible/206/mat.6.19-21.WEBUS
And since it is also National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo), here’s a set of haiku verses I put together for this occasion.
Treasure Hunter
Where your treasure is...
Your heart will oversee it,
And protect it well.
Because your heart knows...
The value of your treasures,
Though no one else sees.
It will keep your dreams,
And remind you of them...
Just when you need hope.
So be careful then,
To treasure things with value,
Fill your heart with God.
And that’s it for this one. I’d love to see some haiku from readers in the comment box.
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Ice Cream for Breakfast?
I used to faithfully visit those sites with lists of everything a day had to offer from international days to world days to local celebrations. I still like to quench my curiosity with these things now and again, and I chose today to do some research. The first thing that came up was “National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.” Apparently, it’s always the first Saturday in February, and it started in the 1960s to cheer up kids with winter blahs. I’ve never tried “snow cream” but I imagine kids might like that even better since it would include some play time. Maybe the parents who started it also knew it was “Fettuccini Alfredo” day, so the kids would have a warm, not-so-sweet dinner later. 🍨🍜
In other February 7th events, 1990 brought a dissolution of the Soviet Union when the “Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party” agreed to give up its monopoly on power. And I had to share that one because of the word Monopoly. This day in 1935 was the early release date of the Parker Brothers Monopoly game. Though I always believed the story about the out-of-work engineer creating the game for his family during the great depression, I’ve learned tonight that it was actually invented a lot earlier by a woman. It was called The Landlord’s Game and it was based in “Georgism” which was apparently the opposite of what the current game came to represent.
If you read from the older events to the newer ones, you can see how much mankind has learned as time has moved forward. When the New Madrid earthquake hit in 1812 and made the Mississippi River run backward, many probably thought it was the end of the world. Fast forward beyond the Beatles beginning the “British Invasion” in 1964, and the first untethered space walk in 1984 to scientists in 2014 announcing that the Happisburgh Footprints in Norfolk, England are 800,000 years old and we’re in an era where that backward river flow now has a name. It’s called a “fluvial tsunami.” There, now you’ve learned something new for your day.
But, now I have to ask, can we really declare something to be 800,000 years old? Or millions or billions of years old? Isn’t all of that just supposition based on limited knowledge and dating techniques used by people who were never there? Even recorded history may be “his story” or “her story” and not totally factual, so how much more suspect is that which has never been written down from eyewitness testimony? The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:7 that men are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
God tells Daniel in chapter 12 and verse 4 that the truths he is hiding away are meant for a time when people will run all over (to and fro) looking for knowledge. The big question here is whether they are seeking knowledge to find ways to connect with God or to try and disprove Him. But, if they are trying to connect with Him, he’s made it far simpler (though not always easier) to just seek Him directly. He promises wisdom (much more important than simple knowledge) to anyone who asks Him for it without doubting.
James 1:5-8 WEBUS
[5] But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. [6] But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. [7] For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord. [8] He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
https://bible.com/bible/206/jas.1.5-8.WEBUS
So whether you have fettuccini Alfredo for dinner or ice cream for breakfast, never forget that the most important day in history is the one where the precious blood of YahShua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) was shed so you could spend eternity in the Presence of The Holy Father, Yahveh Almighty. That is the best of all knowledge and wisdom combined.
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God’s Presence Changes Everything!
Fullness of Joy by Adam Ranck at Flickr…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aranck/12436534373
CC License Attribution, Non-commercial
Stress! Anxiety! Who will win the election? Who are my friends and loved ones voting for? Who should a Christian support? Surely, every candidate supports something with which God Himself will find fault, so what’s a Christian to do?
If your answer is PRAY, you are absolutely right, but that is only the beginning. Then, we must question what to pray for. Do we pray for a specific outcome? Do we ask God who to vote for and then hope we hear His answer correctly? Of course, we can pray those things, but there’s still anxiety in them, and God’s word tells us to be anxious for nothing. So, what can we pray that will remove our anxieties when there is so much of our future at stake?
Pray for the presence of God!
I’ll say it again…PRAY FOR THE PRESENCE OF GOD!
Remember the promises that come with praying for God’s presence, and you will see that a prayer for His presence is enough for EVERY situation–including every political outcome. If His presence is in the voting booth, it can guide voters to the best decision. If His presence is in the high places (like the White House and campaign headquarters), it can drive out the spiritual wickedness that dwells in high places. If His presence shows up where there has been deceit, it can spur the revelations that will cause hidden sins to be found out. We need God’s presence to bring balance and truth throughout this nation.
Some of God’s presence promises include…
- In His presence, there is love.
- In His presence, we have Life.
- In His presence, there is fullness of joy.
- In His presence, we have light.
- In His presence, we have comfort.
- In His presence, there is grace and truth.
- In His presence, there is rest.
- In His presence, we have peace.
- In His presence, we have refuge and a shelter.
- In His presence, we have salvation.
- In His presence, we have a home (now and for eternity).
So, like a little light can drive out darkness, even a little of God’s presence can drive out those things which cause us anxiety, including the turmoil about this election and all that is involved with it. The more of us who pray for God’s presence, the more of His presence will be there–and we then have a great amount of Light to change the atmosphere.
Please, join me not only on election day but always to pray for God’s presence. For elections, pray for God to be in every voting booth, at every polling place, in every government seat and building, in every campaign gathering and headquarters, with every voter, and with every candidate. After elections, and as all the candidates swear their allegiance to our Constitution and the nation, states, and cities they will represent, may the presence of God go with each and every one of them to lead them in their duties and in their personal lives as well.
God’s presence will bring light where there is darkness, truth where there are lies, justice where there is imbalance, and peace where there is strife. There can be no greater prayer for today or for our future than to pray for Him and His presence to be poured out and to fill every aspect of our nation, our world, and our lives.
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In Memory of My Mother
Mom in a stardust frame. May she be even more beautiful now in the presence of her Lord and Savior.
It’s hard to believe it’s already January 25th, and this is my first post for 2015. When I said I’d be traveling to care for my mom, I don’t think I realized how much her diagnosis would change my world. Her loss on January 13th turned it upside-down.
I have some news to share related to her last days, but I will share that at a later date, probably when I’m back home and ready to start updating again more frequently. For today, I want to share the information I put together for her memorial service. I found the above picture in her belongings, and I believe it’s from her late teens.
A few things from the memorial brochure I made for her…
Page 1, with the picture: “Tell the people, I am happy. Be happy for me too.”
Page 2:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT)
(Paraphrased)
7. As for Catherine, she has fought
the good fight, she has finished the
race, and she has remained faithful.
8. And now the prize awaits her—the
crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give
her on the day of His return. And the
prize is not just for her but for all
who eagerly look forward to His
appearing.
Page 3:
In Loving Memory of
Catherine Anne Jensen
Went peacefully to her eternity with
her Savior, Jesus, on
January 13th, 2015
Memorial at her home church,
First Assembly of God, Benson, AZ
Sunday, January 18th, 2015 @ 1pm
Potluck reception to follow service.
Page 4:
Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)
8. And now, dear brothers and sisters,
one final thing. Fix your thoughts on
what is true, and honorable, and right,
and pure, and lovely, and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent
and worthy of praise.
9. Keep putting into practice all you
learned and received from me—
everything you heard from me and saw
me doing. Then the God of peace will
be with you.
Many blessings to all my readers for your caring and concern as I walk through this unexpected valley of change in my family. Before she left us. the advent of technology allowed some wonderful last moments for Mom with her older sister, Shirley, and her younger brother, Dale, as we gathered on a Google hangout from three different homes. She was able to say good-bye to siblings, daughters, sons-in-law, a nephew, and friends on the Thursday evening before she began sleeping through her last days. On Saturday and Sunday, she awoke for brief moments for good-byes with her church friends in Benson. A little after 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, January 13th, Mom took her last breaths while looking up and appearing to say “yes” to someone above her. We believe it was an answer to the question, “Are you ready to go?.” She left peacefully and without enduring the extreme pain normally associated with pancreatic and liver cancer. The grace of God has sustained us and will continue to sustain us in the coming days.
May God sustain all of you today and always,
~Crystal
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2014 in review
2014 is almost over, and I’ve slowed down a bit as the year winds down. I guess we all need to take a bit of a break now and then, and mine came in with some physical issues that wore me out for a few weeks. Now, I wonder if my body was preparing for the emotional hit I received just two days ago when I found out my mother has inoperable late-stage pancreatic cancer. Prayer gives me amazing comfort, and I can’t imagine walking through a time like this without the grace of God and the strength of praying friends. When we’re out of control, there’s so much comfort in knowing that God is on His throne and that He cares.
With planning and upcoming travel, I don’t know how often I’ll be posting, but I promise I won’t forget about the blog or about my precious and valued readers. Thank you for every day, and every lesson, you have walked (and will walk) with me in this wisp of life here on earth. Now, here’s a 2014 review prepared for me by WordPress…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,900 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 32 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
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Old Man Winter Meets Baby New Year
It is now officially winter, so whether we call him Old Man Winter or Jack Frost, he’s here to stay with us for the next three months. Because he always comes to visit less than two weeks before the end of the year, we can be sure the old and new will cross paths with one another.
Our lives are filled with times of crossing old and new, and like the crossing of winter and the new year, the meeting does not always mean the old disappears right away. It is said that it takes 30 days to develop a new habit, so in that 30 days, the old habits slowly die away. Winter takes a little longer. For the old to go away any faster, it takes a miraculous change, and there are many stories of such miraculous changes because of one newborn baby some 2000 years ago. That miracle-bringing newborn is our Savior, Christ the King.
One of my all-time favorite Christmas songs is the one written in 1865 to the English tune of Greensleeves; the carol What Child is This?
The video above uses the entire set of lyrics, some of which are often left out in popular recordings but have so much power that I searched through a number of videos to find one that had them. Here are verse and chorus one…
What Child is this who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
This next verse is sometimes left out, but even when it is included, people often sing the above chorus instead of chorus number two. When you read the words for the second chorus, you’ll understand the beauty and power in words that speak of the price our Savior paid for our eternal souls. I have trouble not crying when I sing this entire verse and chorus.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
See what I mean? I’m the “me” in that 2nd line, and you’re the “you.” He was born, and His cross was borne, for me and you to receive forgiveness of all our sins, so we can live with Him for eternity. Once we receive that blessed salvation, we can lift praise for His mercy and grace. Here’s verse and chorus three…
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
I love the second-to-last line–Joy, joy, for Christ is born! Because He was born, we have a promise that our old lives and sins can be washed away, and we can be cleansed and made whiter than snow. Because of the blood of Yeshua, we are made both whole and new. As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)…
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
When Old Man Winter meets Baby New Year, may their introduction be an invitation to you to surrender your old life and let Christ make you new. You don’t even have to wait until then because we have the call in Scripture that Now is the day of salvation. Merry Christmas, and may this season bring you the newness and joy of life with our Savior, Christ the King! Amen.
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Heaven on Earth
We all want a perfect life. We don’t want troubles and trials, sickness and loss, or any of that stuff that brings us grief and heartache. If we could have it, we would gladly take Heaven on Earth. This desire is likely as old as creation’s move from a perfect garden to a world overrun by thorns and thistles. I believe we have this desire to keep our hope alive for a future eternity, and the story of The Savior’s birth that we celebrate during the Christmas season renews it.
Another of my favorite Christmas songs is Oh Holy Night. Since the first time I heard it, I cried at the imaginings of a world filled with darkness and having no hope; not hearing from The Lord through prophets or otherwise for around 400 years.
The first verse tells us the condition of the world on that holy night…
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
That third line, Long lay the world in sin and error pining, says so much. Imagine being in a world where even the church is infiltrated by the government. Our world….if we give in to mayors who demand copies of sermons and laws that demand we live up to government expectations instead of biblical ones. We wait now for a promised Messiah to deliver us from the certain end we are facing if things continue as they are. Servants of God then also waited for deliverance according to promises they had read in the books of the prophets.
The last line, Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth, gives us that first glimmer of hope for the deliverance the Messiah would bring. The end of the first verse continues that hope and can be sung with a more lively beat.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Can you hear it? The beat that would go behind that thrill of hope? That lively beat then leads to the acknowledgment of such powerful mercy and grace that it can bring us to our knees in praise. The song’s author must have felt this as he penned these words…
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born.
The rest of the lyrics from the video are on the YouTube page, and there are even more verses and versions in the history of both the song and the poem. Visit Wikipedia to learn more. Another beautiful story behind the song is available at Beliefnet.
He brought life into a dark world, and He brought hope into a world of hopeless emptiness. His word tells us that He came to break the chains of bondage and set the captive free. Even though we have wars and troubles in this life, we have a hope for our future eternity if we continue to run our race with patience and perseverance. All of this is because of that one Holy night. I’ll close with a final verse and chorus.
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall cease.Fall on your knees! O hear the angels’ voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night divine, O night, O – Ho-ly – Night.
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God Does Not Need an Alarm Clock
For another post on my favorite Christmas songs, I’m including the lyric video from the Burl Ives’ version of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. This version has a slightly different tune than what we find in many songbooks and by many singers, but it’s the one most familiar to me. I grew up playing the Burl Ives vinyl album called Holly Jolly Christmas for years. If you want to hear other tunes, including a newer one by the Christian group “Casting Crowns,” click the title to view the Wikipedia article.
In reading the history of this song, I’ve found that this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was written after a number of life tragedies. History has it written in either 1867, or in 1863 in the midst of the American Civil War. Whether during or after the war, this poem was likely written when, in addition to personal tragedy that included a war-injured son and recently deceased wife, the writer’s heart was close to breaking.
Put yourself into the life of Mr. Longfellow. Imagine getting up in the morning, struggling to find any hope in your day or in your life. Your home and family no longer feel like the safe places of comfort they once were. Then, just when it seems nothing else can go wrong, war in your own homeland takes away your last place of security and stability. You stand on your front porch wondering what it’s all about when the church bells start ringing just as they did when life was safe and war was not raging. Here’s verse 1…
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet, the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The poet laments how the song goes on when it seems life should not. The Christmas season and its accompanying song are unbroken, the exact opposite of the author’s heart. He writes about this in verse 2…
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
It was more than the author could take. His pain brought him to one of his lowest points in life. He writes of this low point in verse 3…
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
The air is thick with his hopelessness. Can you feel it? Have you been there in your own life? He sees no possibility of peace on earth or any good will to men as things stand now. Whatever else he was thinking and doing here, I imagine he was also praying. It is only in heartfelt prayer that a man could hear a voice of hope reminding him that God is still on the throne. Here’s my favorite verse, verse 4…
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
God is not dead! He is not even nodding off for a nap, and He doesn’t need an alarm clock of war or tragedy to wake Him. He is and always has been (and always will be) on His throne. His desire is peace on earth and good will to all men. For that desire to come to pass, God knew there had to be a covering for the sins man commits while misusing his free will.
The best use of our free will is to choose God, and that’s God’s hope for all mankind. Unfortunately, we lean too often on our own understanding instead of on His will, His ways, and His everlasting arms, so we need the blood of Yeshua to rescue and deliver us. That salvation through Christ is the best reason of all to celebrate His miraculous birth. God is still on His throne, wide awake and preparing a hopeful future for those who love Him. The wrong shall fail! The right shall prevail! And, one day, we will have true peace on earth and good will to men.
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Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel
I’ve decided to do some posts on Christmas songs that really touch my heart. I don’t yet know how many I will do. I’ll start with songs from my top-ten list in no particular order. The first song I’ll use is Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel.
The video is a performance of the song by Selah (one of my favorite groups), and it’s a wonderful rendition with the tune from Hatikvah (The Hope) played between the verses. The lyrics are on the video, and I’ll put some of them here as well so I can add commentary. I’m pulling these from the carols.org site, and you can click there to read all five verses.
Verse 1
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
We read of this name, Emmanuel, in Matthew 1:23. Here it is from the King James’ Version…
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
I once heard a story about a man and his wife who opened their door on a snowy evening to see some little white kittens romping in the snow. The wife was on her way to a Christmas Eve service while her husband chose to stay home because he couldn’t understand the importance of Christmas. As she walked farther away, the man tried to call the kittens to the door to come in from the snow. He even poured some warm milk into a bowl, but they still refused to come to him.
Eventually, the frustrated man hollered at the cats, “Don’t you cats know that if you stay out there you’ll freeze to death? How come I can’t make you understand? I guess I’d have to become a cat myself and talk in your language before you’d believe me.”
Just then, the church bells rang in the distance, and the man fell to his knees with understanding.
God knew we would die in our sins without His intervention. He needed to look like us and speak like us for us to believe that He only has our best interest in His mind and heart. He prophesied these things, and then He spoke to Joseph in a dream using the name, Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Think on these things as you ponder the reason for this season.
Even without believing this to be the exact time of year for His birth, we can celebrate His birth every day, and that includes the days now upon us. What a blessing to have a time of year when God’s love, brotherly love, giving to others, and receiving from others, are all wrapped up in bows and lights and beauty. What a privilege to rejoice in His gifts from all time and for all time. HalleluYah! Now, here are the lyrics from the last two verses of the song.
Verses 4-5
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times did’st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
When I think of God’s promises to us, His deliverance from hopelessness, and all He has done to draw us close to Him and give us the right to call Him “Abba, Father,” it moves me beyond words. I am nothing in and of myself, and yet He decided I am worth the amount of love it takes to robe Himself in flesh to set an example for my life, and the greater love to lay down His life for me.
If you don’t know Him, or you don’t know Him with this kind of intimacy, seek Him with all your heart and soul and you will find Him. That’s His promise. I pray for your understanding and desire to receive the gift of salvation paid for by sacrifice and blood. He does love you, and He desires to ransom you out of your sin, so you will no longer have to live in bondage to it. Rejoice with me and be free to go and sin no more. Amen.
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The Ferguson Golden Rule
Agape by Flickr User Marcelino Rapayla Jr., Creative Commons License = Attribution
Click image to open a new tab/window to view the original image and to access the user’s full photo stream at Flickr.
I’m not sure when it became en vogue to pay people back as we feel they deserve, but it is a horrible twisting of God’s real “golden rule.” Injustice should not breed injustice, especially when the first act has not been proven. What has been proven is that people are excusing bad behaviors as balancing justice. Individuals are burning businesses of people who have done them no wrong, and journalists are publishing private information of the innocent family of a perceived wrong-doer.
And what if we all, including the police, did what rioters are doing in the name of justice? What if, every time an African-American gang member shot a white police officer, the rest of the white police officers burnt down the houses of all the gang members and their families? Without any color or race in play, what if police routinely attacked innocent civilians coast to coast as a method of payback for the deaths of their brothers in blue? Would any consider that to be justice?
What does Scripture tell us that God considers justice or right behavior? Here are a few verses from the New Living Testament…
Matthew 22:39b–Love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 5:44-45a—But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.
Ephesians 4:31-32—Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Two wrongs have never made a right. I believe Yeshua told people to forget the old “eye for an eye” instructions for more than just His mercy. I believe it was because people misused and abused God’s instruction, and they used payback for personal reasons instead of under God’s direction.
If we try hard enough, any one of us could find a reason to hate, or at least dislike, any other of us. I have known people who wished evil on others just because of what state they were born in or what team they favored. This idea that we should hate someone because of the job they do, the race they were born into, their financial status, or whatever, is senseless. Those who incite the hatred in others are just as guilty as those who start the fires because they ignite the matches that ignite the matches.
Here’s what I want to know: Where are those who are using this situation to teach their children why they should never put themselves in bad positions by getting involved in criminal activities? Foolishness is born into the heart of a child, and only the rod of correction will drive it from them. Children aren’t necessarily innocent just because they’re children, and by the time they’re teens, they are old enough to take responsibility for their own behaviors. There’s no personal responsibility for them or their “defenders” in trying to refocus the attention on how the police dealt with the criminal instead of reminding youth that crime doesn’t pay.
This new “Golden Rule” as promoted by events like the Ferguson riots, and older versions of the same, is neither golden nor a good rule to live by. It’s all about division even if it disguises itself as unifying people because it’s only unifying for the purpose of being set against others.
The spirit of division began in the garden when Adam blamed God for the woman who helped him sin, and Eve blamed the serpent for offering the sin. In truth, Eve was responsible for listening to the temptation, and Adam was responsible for choosing to obey a voice other than that of his Creator. It continues to this day in dividing race, gender, status, etc. It won’t stop as long as sin reigns in us, but that doesn’t mean any of us has to live by its rule. Will you be one to choose God’s word and rules over man’s?
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