Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †
Posted in Uncategorized
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They look pretty angry!
“Where’s the food?” I think I heard one say.
Definitely related!
The Law And The Wrath Of God
By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
Romans 4:15 clearly states that “the law worketh wrath,” but so many people, it seems, do not wish to see this. Even some clergymen tell us that God gave the Law to help us to be good, when God Himself says the very opposite; that it was given to show us that we are bad and need a Savior.
“The law worketh wrath.” Every criminal knows this and every sinner should know it, for the Bible has much to say on the subject. Rom. 3:19,20 declares that the Law was given “that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may be brought in guilty before God,” and this passage goes on to say:
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
II Cor. 3:7,9 calls the Law “the ministration of condemnation” and “the ministration of death.” Gal. 3:10 says that those who are “of the works of the law,” i.e., who seek to make themselves acceptable to God by keeping the Law, “are under a curse,” because the Law can only condemn them.
Those who approach God, expecting eternal life in return for “good works” are offering Him their terms — which He will never accept. God will not sell justification to those already under condemnation for sin. But He does offer sinners complete justification by grace because:
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written; cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13).
Thank God, those who trust in Christ, “having redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7), “being justified, freely by His [God’s] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).
https://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/the-law-and-the-wrath-of-god/
Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Romans 3:19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
2Corinthians 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
That Rick dude keeps Rollin 😛
I’m a simple guy. I see Rick Astley, I hit the thumbs up.
🙂
On Friday, I had Governor Cuomo served with a Federal complaint accusing him–as well as the governors NJ, PA, MI, and CA–of mass murder.
Seeing how the comment section to “Prayer Requests” is closed, I’ll just leave this prayer for help here.
https://www.houseofstone76.com/
We’re trying to fix that now, Bob – hopefully the comment section will be functional again shortly.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday. Know that Our Lord is always with us. All you have to do is ask Him for his help, his guidance, his forgiveness and your in. This is a deal between you and Him. All you have to do is ask.
Thank you
🙂
Happy – Pharrell Williams
OneRepublic – Counting Stars
Tonight, I was thinking about friendship. Somewhere I read that a huge portion of Americans (40 percent, I think) don’t think that they have close friends. When I was teaching, I liked to ask my students whether or not thay had a soulmate. Most were kinda puzzled at the question but, on reflection, we usually had a pretty good discussion. What I was getting at was the meaning of friendship. I would then ask how many best friends they had, how many best friends they might have in a lifetime? This usually set them to thinking. What is a best friend? What defines a soulmate? And how many soulmates might one have in a lifetime? After we talked about this, the class usually agreed that we were lucky if we had a few best friends and, possibly, one soulmate in our lifetime.
Good friendships, best friends—and in very rare circumstances soulmates—require time to develop. And, once developed, our best friends, those people we feel closest to0, form bonds that last forever. About a year ago, for instance, an old friend passed through town. He no longer lives in this country and I hadn’t seem him in years. All it took was a phone call and a lunch appointment and we simply picked up exactly were we’d left off so many years ago. There was no sense of estrangement at all. Once you have a friend like that, you’ll have a friend for life. The result was a 6 hour long, quite intense conversation as we reviewed our lives apart and celebrated our time together.
We are all lucky if we have best friends or a soulmate in our lives. But if your commute takes up 3 hours on top of your 12 hour work day when do you have time to cultivate close friendships? The quick, short answer is: you don’t. Modern life is brutal in this respect. And the emotional and psychological impact can be devastating. I have to admit that it’s hard for me to imagine that many Americans don’t have close friends.
Yes, there are some that can be counted as friends. After not seeing or communicating for 60 years, a childhood friend calls me on the phone and we pick up right where we left off. I know when she is feeling down and try to lift her up, and just at the right time I need someone to talk to she’s there. 🙂
My best friend was my brother. He died this past June after a long illness. Replacing a departed best friend is hard, I miss him every day. We were best friends for almost 48 years. I hope I live long enough to find another.
I lost my best friend after 56 years about 5 years ago. Life just isn’t the same without her to talk to. I miss her every day.
I don’t think people have come to realize yet how isolating modern life is, and all of the repercussions it will have on society. Children and adolescents need to learn to form bonds of friendship, and young adults used to go into the world developing connections that would help them navigate that world.
Humans need bonds. For emotional reasons, for practical reasons. Society as a whole benefits.
To add to this line of thinking, we’ve seen a lot of young people turn to violence and rage when they are unable to make connections and friendships with their peer groups. We know that bullying has awful effects on kids and adolescents.
But I think previous generations, for the most part, were better at struggling to fit it, at learning to go out and make connections with people even if they weren’t the high school football star or cheerleader. It seems to me that it is now easier for kids to lose themselves online, in video games, online fantasy worlds, and never emerge socially.
I also believe this isolationist attitude is one of the reasons churches have declining attendance.
GH and Menagerie. Thanks for weighing in on this topic. My 12 year old daughter struggles with making and having friends at school. A girl last week called her pig face. We see a radical difference between our daughter and our son. He has confidence and quite a few friends. I say this because girls/women seem to be struggling with this more than guys. Girls just seem to be getting meaner and so much of that anger can be traced to insecurity. My daughter faces cousins that are the same age relentlessly showing off their horses that my daughter can only dream to have. Instead of allowing the horses to be a cause for mutual time together the horses have been weaponized into attack vehicles for what I have and you don’t.
If you look at these girls’ mother you will see identical patterns. Insecurity and constant effort to belittle what you have or who you are. I see it all the time. Mothers have become partners in these popularity contests.
I’m praying that my daughter can build character through these times. She is demonstrating the same actions that have been used against her and I caution her not to fall into repaying evil for evil.
We need to be in prayer for our kids hourly. Evil is lurking and want to trip them up. None of the insanity of the world around us is an accident. They want us lonely and defeated. CTH is a source of ‘friendship’ for so many. Here you rub shoulders with people who get it.
Have a great Sunday to everyone. Jesus Loves me this I know…for the Bible tells me so.
DD
You call me PIG FACE?
Quit looking in the mirror, girlfriend !!!
I’ll pray for your daughter also. Agreed, we must stay vigilant in prayer for our young ones.
It happens to boys too. My 12 yr old grandson was mercilessly bullied and called foul names when he was in Middle school. I couldn’t believe how cruel one boy was, waiting at his locker to pick on him. All the while my daughter in law was dying (his mother) and he was having to deal with this. We went (when we found out this was happening) to the principal but he was feckless. The next year his father enrolled him in a better school. Counseling helped him. To this day he still has scars from it. It hurts when I think about it.
When I was serving as a principal I had one fundamental axiom: Not. In. My. School. If you’re a principal it’s up to you to confront badness. I found that discovering my inner red-neck was a true source of strength when I was headed for a confrontation. Sadly, especially in the public schools, the principal’s job is so politicized that most people are incapable of making those kinds of essential decisions that allow the school to function. That’s a sad commentary on American schools.
Hi, Dan. Speaking from the standpoint of a teacher and (for a time) a school principal I understand how tough it is for young girls like your daughter. Once at my school one of our students, a beautiful 12 year old girl with cerebral palsy was being bullied by an older boy. She didn’t walk well and this kid was following her, kicking her lame foot to make her fall. When I spoke to her about what happened I was struck by her composure. She wouldn’t let this stupid kid get the best of her. This was one emotionally strong young lady! Obviously she’d had similar things happen (it’s more common than you might think with kids with disabilities . . .). I think what gave her that kind of emotional strength was her solid relationship with her parents, especially her dad.
There’s something about the love and strength of a father-daughter relationship that empowers young women and armors them against mean-girl insults. What works—and I’ve seen this happen time and again—is love bombing your daughter. She’ll gain strength and self confidence when she does stuff with you. Bullies always look for people to hurt who they think are emotionally vulnerable. They tend to not bully people with strong self-images. Kids just sometimes need a jump-start to get to that place.
One of my college students wrote a class essay where she described what it meant to her as a child to go fishing with her dad. Sometimes little things are big things. A final thought: If the bullying becomes persistent and/or physical schedule a meeting with the school guidance counselor or school psychologist to just giver him/her a heads up about what’s happening. School should not let this sort of thing get out of hand. Oh, yeah. That older kid ended up being hospitalized.
I’m curious about the older kid being hospitalized. Want to share details? Karma, or more specific retaliation from the victims?
By the time that happened he’d moved on to another school. He was a poor fit with us and his parents agreed. I think he was psychotic and, as I heard second hand, his intentional violence was escalating. He was gone a few weeks later. Never saw him again. The little blond girl who was his victim got on with her life and did predictably well with us.
Thanks!
Garrison. Amazing to get perspective from teacher/principal view. Kinda jealous that you aren’t teaching at my kids’ school.?
I am sure that you have seen everything. Raising children in this world is no easy task…teaching them I am sure is just as hard. James Dobson has been a source of help for us as we navigate parenting. Insights from CTH readers always a blessing.
God bless.
DD
Dan Dale-Your daughter is in my prayers. That is very wise advice you are passing on to her.
Agree. But the young have no idea how to connect because most of them do not want to go to church with parents or by themselves. They have lost that part. They feel they do not need anyone. We need someone to cry to or yell at when we are down. But they do not seem to need that.
When you forget God there is really nothing left in this world. money can not buy happiness forever.
We have cheapened friendship by expanding the definition to to people we do not even know. Blame social media for that. It has always been my contention that a person can only have about 5 friends max at any one time. The amount of time and energy required to maintain a true friendship is just not available for more than this.
I discovered this when I lost my job. I knew maybe 100 people from work, but after a couple of weeks the number with which I was still in contact was 4. These were the friends. Every one else was simply acquaintances.
I have used this experience to know that I need to work really hard to maintain the few true friends and let the acquaintances ebb and flow with the times.
To have those friends, and be that friend. Cannot imagine life without this layer.
Nor the soul relationship with pets.
Equal, but different, the transcendent relationship with my garden & Nature.
And relationships that do not stop with death. My grandmother, my mother-in-law……more. Loving them, knowing their love for me has not died.
With age, loving Jesus in new ways daily.
Music, above, adore Laphroaig, on a Vat 69 budget.
Godspeed Garrison, in all. Your gifts appreciated.
Garden & Be Well, T
+1000 on Laphroaig! 🙂
There’s a section in the book, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, which dealt with that, the fact that some friends can pick up after years apart.
The author talks about a “favor bank”, and when one friend dips into it more that the other, it can cause a rift, and long distance friends aren’t faced with the issue as much.
Just an interesting addition to an interesting topic.
Quite a few years ago, when there started to be dating sites on the internet, some of my co-workers thought that there should be sites to match people up with friends.
I know parents who school their children at home who make a point of having their kids get together with other children outside of the family, to avoid isolation, and I think of the dreadful effects of having school age kids deprived of opportunities to see friends, make friends, and to have girlfriends and boyfriends, by the miserable excuse of a virus.
The boys next door don’t appear to have any girlfriends since this thing started, where would they meet girls?
+1000 on home school get togethers!
We take our spouses for granted. They can be best friends. Mine is. I can tell him anything. He worries about if I have any aches. We live in texas but i travel to AZ for work atleast two weeks at a time.
But I do have couple of friends one for 35 years and one for 20 years. Both I can tell anything. They are on the same wavelength. we do not expect anything from each other.
In anger or happiness we tolerate each other. They are more than my own sisters. What would you call them? Friends or soul mates. Both may be right.
From the old cartoon Ren and Stimpy. Of Ren calling Stimpy an idiot.
Anyone else feel this way when talking to a liberal or never-trumper relative?
So far (cross my fingers behind my back 😛 ), I haven’t had the experience 🙂
Better Days
Basing Expectations on Truth-Mark 9:30-32
We all jump to conclusions and make assumptions—even the disciples missed important truth in this way. Jesus told them repeatedly that He was going to be crucified and raised to life after three days. Their ears heard His words, but their minds and hearts didn’t.
The disciples knew Jesus was the Messiah, but their assumptions about how and when His kingdom would come kept them from hearing how the Lord actually said it would happen. They were looking for a Savior who would overthrow Rome and then rule with the disciples by His side. However, Jesus’ words of death and resurrection were the exact opposite of that. They hadn’t understood the promise of the resurrection, so when Jesus died, their dreams died too, which left them feeling hopeless (Luke 23:46; Luke 23:48).
We might wonder, How could they be so dense? But before we judge them too harshly, let’s remember that we, too, often have ideas about how the Lord should work in our life and in the world.
God’s ways won’t always match ours, because He works from an eternal perspective and we don’t. So we must remember that His ways are best. Let’s drop our expectations and trust Him.
https://www.intouch.org
Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.
Hafiz14th Century Persian Poet
Verse of the Day for Sunday, March 21, 2021
✟
“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalms 89:1 (KJV)
Thank You, Jesus, for blessings received and prayers answered!!!
BE MY VOICE
That’s right.
Killing off our own and replacing them with illegal aliens is just another way to ruin the USA.
PRAYING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD
Father God, I now follow your command to put on the full armor of God, because my battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the unseen world.
I first pray on the Belt of Truth that it may be buckled around my waist, may I be centered and encircled by your truth dear Lord. Hem me inside all that is true and right, and may I be protected and held up by the truth of your living word, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray on the Breastplate of righteousness, please protect my vital organs and my inner man, cover my integrity, my spirit, and my soul. Guard my heart for it is the wellspring of life, please strengthen and guard the most vulnerable places in my life with that which is right, good, and noble that I might not receive a fatal blow from the enemy, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray on the Gospel Shoes of Peace. I choose to stand in the shoes of your good news, and on the firm foundation of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the solid eternal rock. All other ground is sinking sand, I pray that I will not slip or fall, but that my feet would be firmly fitted on your lordship, my Lord Jesus. I choose to stand on you, so that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus, the eternal Rock of Ages. I receive your holy peace now my Lord, from the sole of my feet to the crown of my head, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray the Shield of Faith into my hand now. As I take up the shield of faith, I ask that you might extinguish every dart and arrow, that is launched from the enemy to take me down spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and every attempt of the enemy to destroy my joy. I ask that my faith in you would make it flame out. Extinguish every flaming arrow that would come against me, my life, my family, my home, or my ministry. May my faith always be out in front of me like a shield. Give me the courage to “faith my fears” by choosing to walk by faith and not by sight, in my Lord Jesus name.
I pray on the Helmet of Salvation, that you might protect my mind from the thoughts that can lead me astray. I choose to take every thought captive, and arrest all intentioned ideas and motives that would harm others, or distract me from your holy will for me. I submit every captured thought to the Lordship of my Lord Jesus Christ, and ask that you would imprison those thoughts that are not of you my Lord. Transform my mind and renew my thinking that I may think God thoughts, and have a sober mind that is focused on your glory. Please protect me from being double minded that I may allow my mind, I reject to live an earthly life, because I choose to live a holy one, governed by you My Lord Jesus, the prince of peace, please have my mind to be saturated with the holy mind of Christ, in my Lord Jesus name.
Finally, I take up the Sword of the Spirit which is the holy word of God, I pray this powerful offensive weapon into my hand, and ask that your holy word would be fitting for every encounter I face. As the enemy gets close to me, please give me the insight, wisdom, and skill to wield the word of God to drive away the enemy, in my Lord Jesus name.
May the enemy and his team flee from me, upon hearing the word of God spoken by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Give me the sword of the spirit to cut through the wiles of the devil, so that I may discern the schemes of the enemy when he is near.
With all kinds of prayers, supplication, and intercession I pray to you my Lord God as the one who fights my battles. Now that I’m in your holy powerful armor, I walk away covered and ready to face my day as you go before me, and please protect me in the midst of the spiritual warfare in this unseen world, in my Lord Jesus name.
Thank you my Lord, for the spiritual weapons of armor and prayer that you have given me. It is written no weapon formed against me shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses me.
Thank you Father God, my Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that I am more than a conqueror in my Lord Jesus. I pray all of this in the mighty name of my Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.
. . . but deliver us from the Evil One.
Amen ?
Prayer of Saint Ioannikios the Great of Bithynia (+ 846)
My hope is the Father, my refuge the Son, my protection the Holy Spirit. O Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.
Today is the First Sunday of the Fast, of Great Lent. On this day we commemorate the restoration of the Icons. Saint Ioannikios the Great received a Divine visitation and, accompanied by others, went to Constantinople to tell the right-believing authorities to set the restoration in motion.
The Sands of Iwo Jima. It seems that for the most part, only those that fought there and the relatively few that have visited there understand just how bad the natural environment of that stinking volcanic island is. The black volcanic sands are something nobody that was there for long forgot. It got in everything. It was far worse to move through than the usual sand one finds on a beach. BTW, notice the name of the photographer. Seem familiar?
A U.S. Marine driving an ambulance jeep struggles in the sandy beach at Iwo Jima during American advance on the strategic Japanese Volcano Island stronghold on Feb. 26, 1945 in World War II. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal)
That is where my uncle served. He wrote a book about his experience.
It is always impressive to see the body armor that the armed forces members wore during those times……/s
Yup, olive drab fatigue shirt and t-shirt along with that steel pot on top.
Bomber crews had flack vests available. The ball turret gunners however did not have the room to use one. Those that used them at stations where they were sitting wore or sat on flak vests. It was a toss up as to how those that used them decided how to use them if they were sitting. Protect the family jewels or the torso?
In the 80’s we were issued body armor and didn’t use it. However when in Lebanon we were issued a civilian model of a “bullet proof” vest good for stopping pistol rounds and shrapnel and we did use those because it was thin enough to fit under the BDU blouse.
Soldiers today are also issued knee protectors and “eye armor”. We at 10th Group pioneered the use of “eye armor” and various other equipment issued today. Back then the Group HQ and 2nd and 3rd Battalions were located at Ft. Devens, MA and Natick Labs, where a lot of personal equipment was developed was not far away in Natick, MA. So we were the first to be issued Gargoyle glasses for field testing that supposedly would deflect the equivalent of a .22 cal short round. The K-pot came into use while I was in and it was a vast improvement over the steel pot helmet which was exactly the same issued to troops in WW II.
When I first got to 10th Group the standard issue cold weather package was the same as issued during the Korean war. We field tested the new extreme cold weather package through several winters, changes being made according to surveys we filled out. The final version is still standard issue for the Army and USMC.
Back in my time our primary night vision device was the AN/PVS 5 night vision goggles. They cost over $5,000 each and had a rather short battery life if one used the IR feature. The night vision rifle scope was still the Vietnam era AN/PVS 2 “Star Light” scope. It was heavy and big and sat high enough that a right handed shooter had to sight with his left eye. Whole different ball game now. And I don’t begrudge the troops having any development that has come along that improves their chances of survival and increases their effectiveness.
I’m a detail guy. Where’s the tire tracks for the front tires? Is that a potato masher in his left belt? “Helmet For My Pillow”. One of the best first person accounts of fighting the Japanese.
Looks to me that he is right at the shore where the waves could still be breaking over the sand. No foot prints leading right to the drivers side of the jeep either. What is on his side, I don’t know, but it certainly isn’t a potato masher grenade. Appears to be some kind of tool, but not an E-tool.
Jeep probably got stuck on landing and had been sitting there awhile….. no tracks.
The beaches at Iwo had deep water running up very close to the shore. This made the wave action at the shore much greater. But conversely it helped a great deal with shore bombardment because Cruisers and Battleships could close to within 2,000 feet of the beaches.
I quote: The first obstacle came not from the Japanese but the beach and the parallel terraces. Iwo Jima was an emerging volcano; its steep beaches dropped off sharply, producing a narrow but violent surf zone. The soft black sand immobilized all wheeled vehicles and caused some of the tracked amphibians to belly down. The boat waves that closely followed the LVTs had more trouble. Ramps would drop, a truck or jeep would attempt to drive out, only to get stuck. In short order a succession of plunging waves hit the stalled craft before they could completely unload, filling their sterns with water and sand, broaching them broadside. The beach quickly resembled a salvage yard.
The infantry, heavily laden, found its own “foot-mobility” severely restricted. In the words of Corporal Edward Hartman, a rifleman with the 4th Marine Division: “the sand was so soft it was like trying to run in loose coffee grounds.” From the 28th Marines came this early, laconic report: “Resistance moderate, terrain awful.”
Closing In: Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima (D-Day) (nps.gov)
Almost looks like a wench on that front bumper too. Hard to say.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
The 50th Psalm Septuagint (Psalm 51 KJV)
INTEREST OR IDENTIFICATION
“I have been crucified with Christ.” Gal. ii. 20
The imperative need spiritually is to sign the death warrant of the disposition of sin, to turn all emotional impressions and intellectual beliefs into a moral verdict against the disposition of sin, viz., my claim to my right to myself. Paul says – “I have been crucified with Christ”; he does not say – “I have determined to imitate Jesus Christ,” or, “I will endeavour to follow Him” – but – “I have been IDENTIFIED with Him in His death.” When I come to such a moral decision and act upon it, then all that Christ wrought FOR me on the Cross is wrought IN me. The free committal of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the chance to impart to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.
“…nevertheless I live…” The individuality remains, but the mainspring, the ruling disposition, is radically altered. The same human body remains, but the old satanic right to myself is destroyed.
“And the life which I now live in the flesh…,” not the life which I long to live and pray to live, but the life I now live in my mortal flesh, the life which men can see, “I live by the faith of the Son of God.” This faith is not Paul’s faith in Jesus Christ, but the faith that the Son of God has imparted to him – “THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD.” It is no longer faith in faith, but faith which has overleapt all conscious bounds, the identical faith of the Son of God.
Oswald Chambers
March 21st Devotional
Scenes Beyond the Grave – Marietta Davis
Chapter XXII – The Forlorn and Doomed Being
22:2
As the new scene opened, the light and glory that illumined the dome gradually withdrew, until a twilight like that which follows the setting sun in an autumnal evening, alone relieved and marked the outlines of the great city.
All was silence, and every being motionless, and naught relieved the stillness of the moment save the sweet whispering of a soft and gentle breeze, which, like some celestial zephyr, glided over and through the vast plain.
After this great change in the appearance of all around, and a brief pause, there appeared in view a portion of earth resembling a moon-light landscape, in which was represented, as if in some background, and beneath overhanging clouds burdened with gloom, a subterraneous aperture where lay a human being wounded in many parts, and apparently expiring. Upon this object, who was struggling as if seeking relief from his suffering, every spirit fixed its ardent attention.
His efforts were fitful and convulsive, but in no wise adapted to his necessities, and his inability to extricate himself was clearly manifest from his demeanor. He strove to heal his wounds by administering what he thought to be antidotes; but which, when tested, proved inadequate, and, by contrary effects, enhanced his suffering, and if possible, added to his peril. He used various instruments by which he hoped to discern the pathway leading from his gloomy abode, and to build a passage across the abyss which encircled him. But all failed, and he fell back in utter despair. Then he sought to be reconciled to his fate.
While he lay languishing and helpless, I saw a group, composed of an elderly female, youths, and children, gather around him. They appeared to grieve on his account, and endeavored to afford him some relief. They tried to bind up his wounds, to raise his drooping head, and to revive vitality throughout; but all to no purpose. He still groaned and languished. I now saw that he lay more directly upon the brink of the abyss, and that he drew nearer each moment, as if moved by an invisible and irresistible power. Oh! the intensity of that moment. The elderly female drew near, and clasping her arms around his neck, sought to remove him from his fearful condition. The youths united in the effort, but all in vain. Still he drew nearer the abyss. I also saw that his body manifested the increasing effects of the malady, until every part was one diseased mass.
Finally yielding to the destroyer, he lay senseless; then to my surprise arose therefrom a being like unto the former, and yet I knew it was not the physical man, but his spirit. The spirit, as it stood above the prostrate form, seemed connected, and was still more deformed and dire. Spiritual and moral disease was inwrought throughout, and controlled each part with unyielding power. I perceived also that the body and spirit were not separated, that they still depended upon each other; and that wherein the body had failed to give manifestation of grief, the spirit, as a separate entity, was capable of making full display, and irresistibly gave full expression of the suffering of the being. As the body had yielded to the power of disease and pain, so the spirit also finally languished under the malady which was working within and throughout. While thus suffering, the spirit looked up, as if to petition aid from above, but a cloud of thick darkness overshadowed it. Then it looked wildly around, evidently seeking some place of refuge or source of relief. This resulting as before, the spirit sank away, as if yielding in absolute despair, to the power of ceaseless wretchedness. As hope declined, the eye of the spirit vacantly fell, and in the downward look, discovered an abyss yawning beneath. Then it was again convulsed, and sought to escape, but in vain. The scene was horrible. The agonizing, fruitless efforts, and the manifestation of final despair, combined to present a scene of wretchedness beyond human description. Suddenly the spirit disappeared, and the man gave signs of returning life and sense; but he only recovered to know again, in the outer man, excessive misery, and to more fully feel his forlorn state.
To be continued…
The Holy Apostle Hermas of the Seventy (+ 1st c.) was a disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul. (He is not the same as Saint Hermes of the Seventy.) The brief Lives of the Seventy Holy Apostles are given in the link below for the day of their Synaxis.
http://www.cpress.orthodoxws.com/lives_4_january
Saint Felix of Burgundy, Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia (+ 648). He labored for 17 years in his See. Six ancient English churches are dedicated to him.
Saint Hermas and Saint Felix are among the several Saints who are commemorated today, March 8th on the traditional Calendar of the Orthodox Christian Church and March 21st on the civil or commercial calendar.
Meadow below the fruit trees? Workhorse of the ORCHARD, and God.
How? Pollinators.
What? Increase fruit tree, and crop, yields up to 80%.
Do the math on that increase in $$$/production !
Easier, more profitable, Gardening with Providence. Better health, stronger gut microbiome, which also affects our serotonin which originates in our digestive tract.
No chemicals. Did you know common fertilizer, N-P-K, is toxic to groundwater, kills earthworms ?
Vincent’s painting, a visual from the Bible. Humbled daily, what God has done for us in His Garden.
Heart on my sleeve, seeing God’s gardening. Goo goo eyed with Vincent’s work, above.
Garden & Be Well, T
“Serotonin is found mostly in the digestive system, although it’s also in blood platelets and throughout the central nervous system. Serotonin is made from the essential amino acid tryptophan. This amino acid must enter your body through your diet and is commonly found in foods such as nuts, cheese, and red meat.
Serotonin: Functions, Normal Range, Side Effects, and Morehttp://www.healthline.com › health › mental-health › serotonin “
Mornin’ infidels!
How the Battle of the Bulge was won. Countless and unaccountable acts of heroism. Men outnumbered and surrounded holding key terrain and road intersections until the last. Many ran, but enough stayed and paid the price to slow the German advance so effectively that by day 3 Field Marshal Rundstedt already knew that Hitler’s great gamble would fail.
These men were part of the chips that commanders put all in to slow the Germans enough that more effective defenses could be organized. Doesn’t matter, clerk, band, cook, when the chips are down, a soldier has to fight. Per US Army tradition the roll of a Band member in combat is litter bearer. But these Band members kept the enemy litter bearers busy instead.
These American soldiers from the 28th Division Band and Quartermaster Company, stayed and fought Germans in Wiltz, Belgium, until their ammunition was exhausted. Shown at Bastogne, Belgium. 12/20/44.
During the Battle of the Bulge, the Band was placed on the line to defend the Division Headquarters at Wiltz, Luxembourg. In this action, for which the Band was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation, all but thirteen of sixty member were killed or captured. Of the thirteen, eleven were wounded. Sergeant Raab avoided capture and helped re-form a new band after the Ardennes campaign.
Another uncle was here. In a post above about Iwo Jima I mentioned an uncle that served there. His brother was here after being in the third wave to hit the beaches on D-Day.
So many stories of sacrifice to defend our freedoms and our Constitution.
I had three uncles who served in WWII. One in the Navy in the Pacific, one in the Army with General Mark Clark and one who was KIA serving as a gunner on a bomber in the Army/AirCorp in Europe.
God rest their souls.
The 28th Division commander during the Hurtgen and Bulge battles until the end of the war when the Division was deactivated was Major General Norman Cota. Cota was the Assistant Division commander of the 29th Division on D-day Normandy on Omaha beach. He is depicted in the movie The Longest Day by Robert Mitchum.
I find it interesting the today’s military considers the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers bad folks to be shunned, but has no problem with BLM and ANTIFA burning our cities for months on end. Just a sign of our times, but still a dangerous one.
Didnt the Navy try to change its oath to ” I am a United Nations fighting person ” or similar some time back ?
Our soldiers have the RIGHT as well as the duty to ignore bad orders.
Hoping to see many walk off the line from Green Zone DC , that so many are questioning the total lack of interest into BLM – Antifa actual domestic violence is a good sign.
“today’s military” ……….
There have always been treasonous general officers …….. Benedict Arnold being one of the earliest and most notorious ……
Don’t use the rolcon’s trick of taking an example of a few rotten apples and applying it to the whole military.
IMO The anarchists work for Buraq, Soros, and Xi.
John 3:16
America The Beautiful. https://americaheartandsoul.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/american-the-beautiful/
—Katharine Lee Bates.
O BEAUTIFUL for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees, beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
May Gods Grace cover America still.
Good morning, God Bless America.
🙂
Massive anti-lockdown protests all over the world:
FREEDOM!
First Sunday of Great Lent
The heresy of Iconoclasm raged for over one hundred years against the Church and often with the aid of apostate civil authorities and Bishops.
The heresy of Iconoclasm, along with others, was beaten. Today is also known as the Sunday of Orthodoxy and is a day of processions of the Faithful with Icons.
“On the same day, the First Sunday of the Fast, we commemorate the restoration of the Holy and Precious Icons, wich was brought about about by the ever-memorable Emperors of Constantinople, Michael and his mother Theodora, during the Patriarchate of the Holy Confessor Methodios.”
Sunday of Orthodoxy
Dismissal Hymn
“We venerate Thine immaculate icon, O Good One, asking the forgiveness of our failings, O Christ our God; for of Thine own will Thou wast well-pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh, that Thou mightest deliver from slavery to the enemy those whom Thou hadst fashioned. Wherefore, we cry to Thee thankfully: Thou didst fill all things with joy, O our Saviour, when Thou camest to save the world.”
Sunday of Orthodoxy
Kontakion.
“The indepictable Word of the Father became depictable when He took flesh of Thee, O Theotokos; and when He had restored the defiled image to its ancient state, He suffused it with divine beauty. As for us, confessing our salvation, we record it in deed and word.”
Sepp, I enjoy and appreciate your posts. Always there for those interested, offered without insult to those who choose a different path. Thank you.
Glory be to the Triune God.
Thank you kindly, Ma’am.
“Didn’t want to live”
https://thefederalist.com/2021/03/19/when-transgenderism-discards-my-daughter-i-will-still-be-here-for-her/
“Mom, we must part ways for me to travel to hell. Once my dearest stepping stone now a stumbling block.”
All in the manual.
Jesus, is that stone and some fall on it and experience great hurt.
Some turn and head
towards heaven.
We experience so little of this pain, we are not God. imagine how our Lord sees all?
What a sad writing. Poor mother. ‘But know that in the end times God shall cause them to believe a strong delusion’.
Comparison of size. The huge B-36 Peace maker beside a B-29. The B-36 is so large that when the Air Force added it’s main hall and entry center to it’s museum at Wright Patterson AFB, in Dayton Ohio, the building was actually built around the B-36. The Jet age ended the relatively shot service life of this massive bomber. The initial design for the B-36 was actually drawn up before the US entered WW II because a perceived need for a bomber that could be based in the US to bomb Europe if Britain fell. Actual production had to await the development of engines powerful enough for the huge bomber.
It was so large that the Air Force actually experimented with a specially designed small jet fighter called the Goblin that the B-36 would carry and release when it needed fighter protection.
Here is a link to a portion of the the movie Strategic Air Command staring Jimmy Stewart who of course needed no training to be in the movie. Six Turning Four Burning – Convair B-36 “Peacemaker” (HD) – YouTube
Another good’un, rah. An old friend, now passed, was a B-17 crew-chief in WWII, work on B-36’s, and ended up with B-47’s. He often talked abut how he absolutely hated the B-36, didn’t like anything about it. 🙂
My pastor at Grace woodlands church message was. Our nation is crying for God’s interference. And our Hope is our battle cry.
Spoke about Daniel chapter 3. Three brave hebrews stood against Nebucathnezar and said we worship on our God not your gods. They were thrown in to the fire and How many did Nebu saw? Four. One was God.
Be Hopeful and brave and stand up to the cancel culture and planned parenthood.
God is watching our nation. we just keep hoping.
Only in America 😛 😛 😛
Georgia on both sides of the globe. Remembering Papa Data…..you thought you had problems. Barbed wire and a house in the ‘dmz’ https://jam-news.net/georgia-mourns-papa-data-the-story-of-a-man-whose-home-got-swept-up-in-the-georgian-ossetian-conflict/
Shorts are on but no one is at home https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/north-korean-diplomats-leaving-malaysia-after-ties-are-severed-14457234
lilbirdee12’s prayer:
Our Heavenly Father, Your children come to you tonight to ask for healing and peace throughout our country so that we may return to being One Nation Under God. Guide us to be leaders in Your Kingdom, spreading Your Love and Salvation to all. Forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil.
Lord, we ask for a blanket of protection over all our troops and law enforcement who serve to defend and protect us. Bless our representatives with the strength and wisdom they need to achieve the path You have chosen for us.
Please place Your Guardian Angels of Protection around Donald Trump and his family as they seek to lead America back to You. Also, we pray for Angels to protect and support our Sundance as he works for justice and peace.
Grant us patience, Lord, as the evil ones try to anger us and cause us to fall.
Spread blessings over Israel and Netanyahu.
We humbly ask that You please comfort those who are grieving and in pain.
Thank you Father, for Your Love and the gift of Life.
In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Amen
Amen.
Amen…
Amen.
Amen.