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
DAILY DEVOTIONAL, January 31, 2022
Good Morning Dan!
Thank you for this posting.
IMO, spurgeon sure knows how to cut the mustard!
A beautiful exercise for all! ❤️
Infinity thumbs up.
Morning, Frank. 💓
How true. Thank you, Dan!
Morning, GrandpaM! I hope your lad is feeling better🙏. Children are such quick healers.💓
Oh, and one for your wife (and you).
Our youngest, the mother of triplets and a spare posted this on her FB.
“Being a parent is like jumping out of a plane with a bunch of people who don’t know how to open their chutes.
So you fly around doing it for them…
Then you hit the ground, but you don’t die…
You get up and cook dinner.”💓
Mornin’ again, Betsy! That’s true. LOL! I think the little guy will be ok. May have to get a tetanus shot today, depending when his last one was. At the ER they didn’t have that info so they decided not to overdo it and left it to his pediatrician today. So he is skipping school and I imagine he is happy about it.
For him there is no dark cloud that doesn’t have a silver lining. 😊
😁
👍 😂
Describes it perfectly!!😉
.
.
.
It is just beginning here in NE Indiana Wednesday.
And in Texas also. Stay warm.
Good morning Bet NM! So far it hasn’t arrived, yet. Probably the cold will get here sometimes tonight. But we’ve been getting a much needed rain for the past few hours. Praise the Lord!
Should have scrolled further. You’ve had two good mornings from me . An embarrassment of riches😉
Oh brilliant! We’re due our drops from heaven on Wednesday. And yes!! Praise the Lord! We’ve been without for so long.
PS…left something else for you up top.
Got it and replied. 😂 Reminded me that it was not much different at work. Jumping out with another gaggle of children that pretended to know how to open their parachutes but in reality…
Truth! What happened to education? Don’t answer…I know. But they are only at the beginning of the greatest educational experience…life. A hard, brutal institution. Sometimes you just have to leave them to figure out for themselves how that parachute opens.
I linked to another devotional from Pastor Chuck below in the post to FC. 🙏🏻
Wonderful…scrolling. Thank you, G!!
“
🙏 Amen
Good Morning WP ❤️
Good morning, FC! ❤️
https://www.insight.org/resources/daily-devotional/individual/from-the-depths-to-the-heights1
one more devotional by Pastor Chuck on Psalm 116
Good Morning Grandpa ❤️
Much to contemplate and reflect on this insightful devotional. 😉
Thanks!
Hope your grand heals quickly from his traumatic experience 🙏
Thank you, Cat. I think he will be fine. He’s been around dogs and cats all of his life. He was playing with the neighbors little boy in their yard when the dog came out and bit him. So the neighbors will be finding another home for the dog after the quarantine just can’t be around any kids. Once they do stuff like that you can’t trust them anymore. Not worth taking the risk. That’s where I draw the line anyway.
I still “love his face”, G. It’s in his eyes, isn’t it?
And I appreciate his humility in his interpretations of psalms and Scripture. It really is like conversing with a dear friend. Thank you for that comforting and yes, joyous post.💓🙏
His church is in Frisco, Texas. Wish I was closer, we’d go and see him sometimes. OTOH, God’s got me right where he wants me to be. I couldn’t be happier with our pastor.
‘Just that I’ve listened to Chuck for so long he is like family.
Is it??? Nearer to us than you. How fortunate for you. You’ve got Texas covered. Our Rector when I was growing up was also a family friend. A Naval Academy grad with a deep voice but never in the pulpit. He never preached. He conversed. I do miss him.
I guess I should have written Chuck feels like family. Never met him in person. Probably will have to plan a weekend in Dallas when we can get away and go attend his service.
How lovely! 😍
Amen.
Why should I believe in the end of the ages account, if I don’t believe the creation account in Scripture?
II Timothy 3:16 ESV
II Peter 1:20,21. ESV
Howdy Frank, I imagine you are already out and about until the cold arrives.
I checked to see if all these played. They did with my generic Win10 and Earthlink ‘net connection. Hope your’s works too.
All the links worked and the music was sublime, so it was a win-win. Great music and something in life worked!!!
Thanks Garson, great music!
Blessed autocorrect, I wrote Garrison. I guess the iPad decided to switch to French.🤣
Sorry Garrison.
They all worked fine. Great way to start the morning. Thank you.
Beautiful song.
Morning, Mungrel. Blessings sent to you from this side of our upside down world.💓
🙃❤️
Fabulous!😊
Betsy, practice handstands. It makes everything right again, if only for a few minutes!
At my age and with a wrist with a plate in it? I’ll pass, Sarah, but not because I don’t want to😉
Yeah, I’m right there with ya’. Try this. Show this video to your cat(s) and encourage them to imitate what the cat does around the 4 min mark. Then, once they become proficient, you have a resource to do a handstand and then report back to you what they see. I think the report will be very much to your liking!
Good morning M.
Wow, that’s from, as Garrison might say, the way back machine! I loved that song when it first came out and it was great to hear it now.
Garrison, your choices never fail to paint rainbows in my mind! ❤️
Again, 😊 thank you ☺️
Nana, by Manuel De Falla, sung by Victoria del Los Angeles. 1 minute and 57 seconds of captivating magic.
Here’s another you might like. “Fado” is the traditional music or Portugal. This song is almost, but not quite, a national anthem . . . Amalia Rodriguez is a real treasure.
Muito bom! Obrigada! 🙂
translated from Portuguese: Very good! Thank you! 🙂
Thanks for sharing that. I love being exposed to new artists, new music, new arrangements, etc. After listening to that I am now wide awake!
Great music, Sarah. Thanks for posting. 🙂
Hauntingly beautiful …
Glad you liked it. Haunting is a great word. It’s almost hypnotic, mysterious, and almost other-worldly. I first heard the song on a CD of Marilyn Horne singing children’s lullabies from around the world and I was spell-bound. That lullaby got into my head today so I decided to listen to various mezzo sopranos singing it and I thought this was one of the most beautiful interpretations.
Marilyn Horne is my favourite mezzo. She and Joan Sutherland, La Stupenda, as she was rightly known, were judges at the Cardiff Singer of
the World for years. That competition launched many a stellar operatic career. Both gave master classes. Can you imagine having the privilege of attending one?
An interesting fact on Marilyn Horne…she was part of a group (her sisters, I think) who sang popular music. At that time she sang as a true soprano. When she decided to try her hand with opera, her teacher told her her natural register was a mezzo, which of course is where she sang so beautifully. Her duets with Joan Sutherland were unsurpassed.
I absolutely adore her and her distinctive voice.
I love Marilyn Horne, as well, and often watch master classes on YouTube of various mezzo sopranos giving master classes. It’s a joy to watch these brilliant singers and intriguing people passing along their gift to the next generation. And it’s very interesting to see them in that context, off stage, interacting with students and seeing how they guide them. Here’s one I was watching last night.
She’s a kind teacher. She really does give of herself.
Translation:
Sleep, little one, sleep,
sleep, my darling,
sleep, my little
morning star.
Lullay, lullay,
sleep, my little
morning star.
❤️
Thanks and good morning 🙋♀️
Good morning, Cat!😊 Rise and shine!!💓
Morning, Sarah. She really had a most remarkable voice.
Good Morning Betsy ☀️
Sarah’s postings are a sure smile maker. 🤗
Little pups wants to make sure his tail goes to bed with him!
An adorable cat that wants to come in, learns how to tell the difference between an open door and a closed door.
Anyone bothered by static from cold, dry winter air? Yeah, well probably not to this level!
😂
Dave isn’t sure about that cat, but he’s got some bro’s to give him encouragement and it all works out in the end!
Hmmm.. 😂
This is the final scene from the 3rd Man which in my opinion is the finest spy film ever made. I watched it a couple of months ago on Amazon and it still may be available. I haden’t watched the 3rd Man in all honestly it is even better now—set against the backdrop of contemporary events is even more engaging than when I saw it so many years ago. More than being a great spy film, this may be one of the greatest films ever made. This final scene conveys an entire subtext that has played throughout the entire film. When he tosses the match away, you know, for better or for worse, that it’s all over. What an ending!
Oh, well. In case you’re interested here’s another good 3rd Man video . . .
You have got to fill us in a bit about what the film is about.
It’s based in post-WWII Vienna, Austria. An unemployed American novelist (played by Joseph Cotton) goes there because of a job offer from an old friend (played by Orson Wells) But when the writer arrives, he finds out the old friend has just recently died in a strange accident, and the novelist soon discovers that the circumstance and stories around the accident are suspicious so he begins to investigate… That’s when things get really dark… Its set against the backdrop of a very shady time when Austria has been divided up by the allies and everything is very chaotic under the surface.. It was made in 1949. The main female character “Anna ” who is seen in that ending scene is played by Alida Valli, an Italian actress who was active in films up to 2001.
Thank you for taking the time to type that out. The entire premise sounds wildly intriguing. I went to see if the entire film was up at YouTube, but it’s not. Only a few random clips. Plus, I’m not sure I have it in me to watch something dark right now. However, that plot line and the caliber of the film really piqued my interest. Meanwhile, when checking out YouTube, I found this of all things!
The Beatles must have covered more songs than any pop band ever did!
BTW – I checked and the movie is available to rent on Amazon Prime video for $3.99.
It’s also available to rent for about the same price on Google Play, Apple TV, and iTunes…
Enjoy!
Thank you, sir. That was really sweet of you. Unfortunately, I try really hard not to use Amazon, Google, etc, and have limited tech and/or tech skills. I live a very simple life. Maybe I should become a Luddite!
Me too but I was really intrigued so I “caved” and watched it tonight on Prime.
Wonderul screenplay, excellent motion photography.
As the climax was building, I realized I’ve seen this movie decades ago. Unfortunately I quickly remembered the ending, which kind of spoiled the building suspense. Oh well..
🤨
That final scene is pure genius! I never heard of the film and know nothing of the story, and for all of that, I could not stop watching – it was just that engaging. It felt like I was hanging on the simplest of expressions, gestures, movements. And the music was incredible, what with that strange low note that was off kilter, odd, and a bit foreboding. If you have the time and inclination, please share a bit about the film. I’m thoroughly intrigued now.
GB’s summary of the movie was excellent so there’s not a lot that I can add. A little while ago I watched the ending scene again, this time stopping the action a various points. An important element in film-making is editing. Good editing can make the combination of location, camera angle, movements, sound and music all flow together so that the whole thing seems natural—when, in fact it isn’t “natural” at all. Behind that park scene was an entire film crew!
As the “Anna” character walks down the park’s center path you can feel the tension build. The Joseph Cotton character is obviously waiting to—what?—apologize, say goodbye, invite Anna to come to America? After all that’s why he got out of the jeep in the first place. But Anna wants nothing to do with him now and so not even glancing his way she keeps walking past and away. Her rejection could not be more final even though she says nothing.
The last seconds of the scene and the last seconds of the film says it all. There was something that was, might have been possible but the weight of international politics, the spy business, the gritty practical realities of the immediate post war times, has washed it all away.
So, as Anna walks away without even looking at him his simple act of lighting a cigarette and then tossing the match takes the place of a hopeless shrug and signals the end of the narrative and the end of the movie. There is no dialogue that could have better communicated the poignancy of that moment. It is subtleties like this—the kinds of things you only see when you go back and pay better attention—that makes great movies.
Thanks for taking the time to share all of that. And, yes indeed, editing can make or break a film. As you say, when it’s done well, everything flows such that it seems natural and one is not even aware of it.
I found that final scene so utterly intriguing, especially the way Anna’s character emerges almost from nowhere and all the tension that builds as she slowly and deliberately approaches, only to keep on walking as the if man is invisible because he means nothing to her. It was brilliant and such a reminder of how so many old black-and-white films were genius. Not like all the hyper active editing of today and the lack of any real dialogue or character development. Ach! Sometimes when I talk like that I feel my age because, I suppose, every generation thinks the music, movies, etc, from their hey day were the pinnacle of excellence and how it’s all gone down hill from there.
Ah!
“Der Dritte Mann”
Truly a superb film on all levels.
Yes, one of the old original films that had depth in meaningful manner.
. . . but deliver us from the Evil One.
The Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
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.
The Trisagion Hymn
and the
50th Psalm (Septuagint)
Psalm 51 (Masoretic)
In my world satans presence is as plain as day.
Waking people up to the satanic evil though does present it problems.
Nice pic.
For me, as well, Mungrel. His collecting of souls proceeds apace.
We need the full armor, daily.
Grandpa, yes, the full armor of God is a necessary daily adornment. I’m sure grateful daily for duchess’s assistance in suiting up ❤️
Amen Cat, I copied it to my iPad.
Granny’s Solace, Epilogue.
I was devastated.
Young mungrel I have to say to this day never seen so mad, consoling a child in grief when you are grieving yourself is spiritually the hardest task I have ever done.
Granny had a sitting room, a small cluttered room at the back of the house where she would lye down and have a bit and watch the 11pm political news, this was after she had come home from work, fed all the animals and watered the garden, an 18 hour day.
She died on that couch, choked on a small sandwich watching political news.
The medical examiner told me other than that she would of lived to 110 !
Mungrel without young mungrel hit town.
Granny had a huge picture of Jesus that hung over the mantelpeice , I cleaned the death stains mainly with tears, I must admit that I cursed the portrait.
I then sat in Granny’s garden drinking Jesus’s favourite Beveridge .
Dawn and the bird song woke me, this was Granny’s Solace but not mine.
The Funeral :
I had written a eulogy for young mungrel to read as I would not enter that or any other church. ( some here know why) despite what you mob might think Mungrel is very literate excepting grammar.
I sat in the pallbeares hurse drinking whiskey.
At the oldest Cathedral in Melbourne the device ended.
The crowd walked out wiping tears.
All stood around waiting, but for what I thought ?
Young mungrel came running over, I greeted and the crowd followed.
They all wanted to meet Mungrel, hand shaking, hugs, the whole shabang,
Seems Granny did have friends, but not ordinary freind, these were the most powerfull people in the land.
Young mungrel reading the eulogy had bought the house down in grief.
They not only knew that I wrote it they all knew about every aspect of my life yet the only one I had ever met was the burns specialist, in other words they knew more about me than me, if that makes sense !
I was offered everything from a publishing contract to ring this number if you are in trouble ! Amazing, this mob even knew the trouble I had previously been in and Granny told them to “step down” or else, citing stuff like ” he handles his own business”.
Proud or what !
Just when I thought it was over a man approached me asking for a private chat,I obliged, he introduced himself and said he had something to say, ok says me thinking what’s this blokes story !
” I was your Grandmother’s boyfriend”
Wwwwhhhhaaaatttt !!!
After I promised not to bash him, we settled into conversation, the relationship was platonic, they met at church, he was finally glad to meet me after all these years, 12 to be exact.
Well Granny certainly knew how to keep a secret!
Her only instructions were to tell me alone upon her death, to this day only I know this mans identity.
The burial :
I had no money for a fancy arse plot, so I searched old cemeteries, not being ghoulish at all but I went to many.
I managed to find an old cemetery hidden away in lush rainforest, nice and green with plenty of wildlife.
I built a very large timber cross.
Enscribed with ” My Granny lies here” .
Underneath ” Trust is eternal”
A Celtic cross above.
Granny Solace is not about anything else than the wisdom passed from old to young.
Granny passed her wisdom to me and I pass the same to young mungrel.
Some might not agree and I fully understand that, I have been in many scraps but if your heart is full of solace you win one way or another.
Granny’s solace is now mine.
The beginning.
Mungrel, your epilogue… no words would adequately describe my feelings when I read it. 💗 it’s beautiful!
And granny’s final resting spot is the most fitting place for such a wonderful lady. A class A spot for a class A lady.
Personally, I bet a lot here would have cherished the opportunity to be in her good company. I know I would have.
While I’m in a nice kennel and relaxed and you ain’t painting your claws again, I’ll tell you this , young mungrel found the rat 14 yrs later,he was ruff but we ate him anyway !
25 years later an old mate made contact, Granny had given his wife cuttings out of here garden (rare native shrubs) they grow now in her garden and have the longevity for another 50-70 years.
If I could I would give away cuttings,but I have a war to fight.
I’ll make you a deal….whatta you say if you take a flea bath, I won’t paint my claws? 😝
Curious, do you remember the name of this elusive native plant granny had?
Waratah( my spelling) arcasia,hmmmm spelling!
Some rare cacti.
No coca or Mescaline ok ! Haha 😊
No fleabath, I wouldn’t risk my natural immunity 😁
They’re beautiful 😻 bet they give off a beautiful fragrance too!
In my forest I have these growing. https://www.pixelatedtales.com/2019/12/queen_of_the_night_flower.html/
My most favorite. Kinda like Granny’s except no one wants a clipping. They think it’s ugly. I named it spike 😉
Looked, can you roll in them! They look eatable, I would put one in my hair if I went to San Francisco if it ment meeting a nice Feral as yourself, what if I promised I wouldn’t eat you, would you come out of your forest ?
I wouldn’t recommend eating. Threw some trimmings on the ground, came back to a squirrel acting all goofy. Figured I stumbled onto a wonderful “tea” I could serve my wonderful friends up here 😉
FYI I occasionally stroll into town perhaps you might see me one day 😉
I’m the one that looks like “Spike” but I gotta bum 😜
I’m so glad you wrote this. So glad. This is your heart and soul on a page, Mungrel. How blessed were you to have her guiding you in life, through life, and I’m sure even now watches from her eternal home What honour you gave her in choosing for her a place she would have chosen for herself. I’m sure you poured your love into making her cross.
While I was reading about her friends, known and unknown, I couldn’t help remembering the film “Big Fish”. If you’d not seen it, it really is a marvellous father-son-life movie. Joyous and bittersweet. But the ending mirrored what you wrote about with the mourners at your Granny’s funeral. In fact, you could have written it yourself. It is just one of those small movies that I suspect resonates with many. The great Albert Finney, Jessica Lang, and Ewan MacGregor all deliver poignant performances.
Thank you for this epilogue, which is perhaps the most wonderful post of yours I’ve read. You’ve ” done good”💓B
thank you, Mungrel. Memory eternal for your grandmother.
Good gracious morning, LS. 💓
Mornin’ Betsy
Will you please teach me Welsh?
Yes, please Betsy..perhaps a refresher on our code word around the beginning of the year? And something else timely in welsh? 😎
Oh if I could, Lonestar! It is possibly one of the hardest languages to learn, and I regret to say there are only a few phrases I picked up. Welsh is spoken by fewer and fewer Welsh people. There are some small villages and towns in North Wales where it is the primary language spoken. South Wales also.
I had a friend born in Wales who didn’t speak it and started classes but soon threw in the towel. It’s that difficult. There are some speakers who refuse to speak English unless they must, even though they are perfectly able.
When I was working in a little shop in Llangollen in North Wales, I would often get customers who would ask in Welsh if I spoke it, almost (in many cases) in a condescending way. And I’d always smile and say, “No, but I do speak very good English, if that is of any use to you.” Sometimes I thought that these interlocutors may have thought I wouldn’t understand their question.
Some phrases and words I did pick up…
Bore da(bora da)…..good morning
Nos da…good evening
Cariad… a term of affection for a friend or a loved one
Cymru (pronounced “kum-ree”)… Wales
Penblwdd Hapus (pen-blu-with/ hap-us)…Happy Birthday
Diolch (dee-olk)…thank you
Nadolig Llawen (na-dol-ig/ ll-ow-in)… Merry Christmas
Blwyddyn Neweth Dda (blue-with-in/ new-with/ tha)…Happy New Year!!
The two Ls together are pronounced from the back of the throat. Hard at first but once one gets the hang of it, a piece of cake.
There are no Vs; 2 Fs together are pronounced as F but one F is pronounced as a V; 2Ds together are pronounced as “th”. Now it gets trickier.
The W is pronounced as either the way we would in English or as a short i. There is no rule for U. Very similar to the different pronunciations for our “ou” ( through, rough, though, ought, etc).
So after this mini explanation, you can no doubt see the challenges of learning a very challenging language.
But in the end I found that no matter if I did or didn’t speak Welsh, the common language of a smile overcame most of the difficulties. It is, after all, an international language in and of itself. 😊💓
thank you for that primer!
will look forward to next lesson
i’ll start practicing now:
Diolch
Croeso, Cariad.😊 (You’re welcome)
Correction on Happy New Year…Newydd!!!! I put the phonetic spelling for the actual Welsh word. This is what happens when one is cross talking in two languages.🙄
Bet, I scared the people around me at the health club trying to pronounce the double L. Will have to hear it first.
I’ve mastered the Hebrew H, though. My Israeli friend once told me you pronounce it like trying to hack up a lugie. 😂
😂😂😂😂😂!!!! It’s a job to master it without drooling I’ll tell you…A fine art. The double LL is the same as the amended H I’m afraid. You’d probably master it in a heartbeat.
Thank you for writing this, son! I am speechless!
This: Granny passed her wisdom to me and I pass the same to young mungrel.
And then you passed her wisdom to us….
Dare I say God Bless You? And thank you
Well said. Exactly 👍 ms Idaho! ❤️
He has fathered quite a litter hasn’t he? 😉
I never thought of myself as a cat – more in common with a butterfly
but, yeah, we do feel like his progeny … offspring? ….. spawn?….
followers hanging on his words
Ms Idaho, sorry, guess my vocabulary is wanting. Progeny is much better description. After all he says he’s got 27 pedigrees. So anything goes, right sni🤭
You are the most beautiful butterfly! What type are you? never saw one before with a cottontail before. 😉
Cat
Don’t be sorry. Many of us incorporate words into our vocabulary that are much more fun than boring words from the English language – and a lot of them are descriptions of others in the ‘animal kingdom’.
I knew exactly what you meant – ‘litter’ evokes the image of lots of us following his words closely – but does not include those ‘not of our litter’. They either do not understand or do not care.
Someday maybe one of us will be able to articulate why Mungrel touches our hearts. All I know by reading here and including my own feelings, he does.
(His barker eggs he leaves to protect us and keep us safe, perhaps) 🙃😉
re butterflies and bunny tails – the image is that I flit about – or hop around a lot. Never long in one place.
The longest I ever lived in one place was the first 5 years of my life. We spent 18 years in a 40 foot motor home – but it did not stay in one place long.
I once counted – I had moved once for each year of my life – and I was no longer young then. You know that means some years I moved more than once. With each move I thought ‘this is it!’ Here I stay. Nope – gotta move
And I never moved back. In the motor home we revisited places we loved – dunno if that counts? My mom said I had sand in my shoes.
What fabulous experiences you have enjoyed! Thinking you were equipped with the sand Sundance speaks of well before any of us. IMO, we are better for your life experiences sharings ❤️
And I thank you for all of them. 🤗
Ms Idaho, every time I see your screen name, I wonder if you were a participant in a beauty contest. Just saying. May be getting ahead of you, not meaning too. Possibly another chapter is in the works?
No reply necessary 😉
lots of doors in my life – but not that one. tho when I was 16 i thought maybe a job modeling? Didn’t happen but I have some interesting photos.
ps – no where near the same category as Melania 🙂
Mungrel asked for more chapters too. Darn! Instead of sleeping last night I was composing a possible next writing.
I try to keep things upbeat and fun to read. Some ‘chapters’ are easier to do that than others. Hint: once we identified the enemy (formaldehyde) the next 30 or so years were very Cinderella = like…. prince charming and fancy coach – no tiara tho.
You should ask Queen Elizabeth😉…I understand she is awash with them.
Mungrel,
Your stories indicate that you are a deeply spiritual person. It reminds me somewhat of the ascetic monks who have spent a lot of time alone in the wilderness. Perhaps one day you will stumble upon the monastery in W.A. and have a chat with one of them:
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Monastery_of_St._John_of_the_Mountain_(Forrestfield,_Western_Australia)
Please forgive me if I have misread your story.
Blessings
Idk Lonestar… you might be unto something there 🤔
I think he is, LS. I often think of John when I read his posts about where he’s lived, where he’s travelled…almost nomadic. Never in one place for long. And the richer for it.
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.
BE MY VOICE
BABY LIVES MATTER
Verse of the Day for Monday, January 31, 2022
✟
“The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”
Psalms 34:15 (KJV)
Philips Healthcare a Dutch company with over 20,000 American employees will terminate most unvaccinated employees on February 4th. They are saying the employees are voluntary quitting. Philips is a direct competitor of American company General Electric, GE terminated their their vaccine mandate after the Supreme Court ruling. Philips will be firing hundreds if not thousands of Americans!
No surprise. The Dutch corporations and government walk arm and arm with the globalists. I’m hoping GE is hiring.🙏
Mornin’ infidels.
Outstanding!
During times of national trouble, I always return, as the Italians do, to Verdi’s “Va, Pensiero,” “Go, thoughts, on golden wings.”
The opera has the great line, “Oh my country, so beautiful and so lost!” (Verdi wrote the opera during the Austrian occupation of Italy.)
The opera is “Nabucco,” and is set in Jerusalem and Babylon in 583 B.C. The Israelites are in exile.
Every Italian seems to be able to sing the chorus, and entire civic gatherings may break into singing the song. When my wife was in Sienna, one evening she heard a large chorus singing the song far across the valley.
There are so many great performances of the chorus. But here’s an Italian flash mob performance, which has a lot of the street singing spirit:
I’m not sure that Americans have a song of national lament, protest, and hope like this that we turn to in times of trouble?
“Va, Pensiero” Go, thoughts, on golden wings;
Go, settle upon the slopes and hills,
where warm and soft and fragrant are
the breezes of our sweet native land!
Greet the banks of the Jordan,
the towers of Zion …
Oh my country so beautiful and lost!
Or so dear yet unhappy!
Or harp of the prophetic seers,
why do you hang silent from the willows?
Rekindle the memories within our hearts,
tell us about the time that have gone by
Or similar to the fate of Solomon,
give a sound of lament;
or let the Lord inspire a concert
That may give to endure our suffering.
I’ve always ALWAYS appreciated and marvelled at the poetry that manifests itself in operatic lyrics. The librettists who, with a few notable exceptions, seem to take a backseat to the composers disappear into the woodwork. A terrible shame when it is their beautiful work which inspires composers such as Verdi. While Tosca is my favourite, Nabucco is a close second (with the redoubtable, splendid Leo Nucci).
Thank you for posting this, Macro.
Betsy,
My favorite librettist story is that of Lorenzo da Ponte, Mozart’s librettist.
“Da Ponte was born Emanuele Conegliano in a Jewish ghetto near Venice in 1749. His widowed father converted to Catholicism to remarry, and Emanuele, as was the custom, took the name of the converting bishop. To further his education, he became a priest, and after writing polemical poems against the ruling class — and fathering two children with his mistress — he was banished from Venice. Through the connections of a poet friend, Da Ponte, the witty, scholarly sensualist, became the librettist for the Italian theater company in Vienna. There he worked with Mozart as well as with Mozart’s archrival, Antonio Salieri. After Mozart died in 1791, Da Ponte’s chronic mishaps in amore and finance would send him fleeing across the sea.
“In 1825, long after his European triumphs and travails, and after years of tutoring, Da Ponte, at seventy-six, became the first professor of Italian at Columbia. He was not salaried: students paid him directly, and registration fluctuated. It was another perceived slight for a man forever bemoaning the perfidies of an ungrateful world. But he never stopped promoting Italian culture, and he produced Don Giovanni in New York in 1826. “Lorenzo’s students were the only ones able to understand the Italian libretto,” says Faedda.”
What a story! He also started a grocery in Pennsylvania, and failed.
https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/how-mozarts-librettist-became-father-italian-studies-columbia
There is also a film based loosely on his life. Not suitable for family viewing!
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi103070233?playlistId=tt0458515&ref_=tt_ov_vi
Da Ponte is the one name I am familiar with. His and Mozart’s go hand in hand. I very much appreciate your brief bio of him. Utterly fascinating. I had no idea he came to America. He is one of those people of such immense artistic talent, now long gone, who I wish could see that his work is so revered and loved lo these more than two hundred years later. The same could be said of those greats who would have had no idea how influential and still popular their lives’ works would be well after their deaths.
One such composer and artist in his own right was Moritz Moszkowski, pianist of immense wealth who died in New York in extreme poverty. His biography is an amazing read. I became aware of him when I heard his joyous, intricate, unimaginably difficult Piano Concerto #1 in E major, an absolute revelation, played by Piers Lane.
My linking skills are nonexistent on my Kindle, Macro, but if you don’t know this one, make yourself comfortable and revel in the absolute beauty of it. It still thrills me every time I’m fortunate enough to hear it.😊
Thanks for the Moszkowski recommendation! Brilliant!
It is quite beautiful. Americans have not traditionally spent much time lamenting our national losses because, well, we haven’t had too many from which we didn’t very quickly figure out how to recover.
That seems to have changed, but I wouldn’t yet count us down for the count…..
Mornin’ Treepers
Glory to God
Good Morning Lonestar and all who read here ❤️
May your day be filled with the blessings of the Lord 🙏
Bless you, Cat. (smile)
Forever and ever. Amen.
Good morning LS!
Afternoon, GrandpaM!
According to The Gateway Pundit:
“University of Nebraska Changes Their Mascot Because Loony Liberals Convinced People the ‘Okay’ Sign Means White Power”
So… They replaced it. NOW their mascot points one finger up, WHICH RESEMBLES HOW MUSLIMS POINT TO THE SKY.
NOW I’m offended.
No… Really…
Saw it…here’s a literary eye roll to add to the many I’ve already done.🙄
I was thinking it was the jersey way of saying hello. Wrong again 😞😎
Haha!
Say it Loud
Say it PROUD
?w=800&h=405
Justine is no match for Elon.
Justine has been harrassing the public for two years now.
Grandpa and Betsy,
I think you are both somewhat close to the Hill Country of Texas. I was wondering if you had ever been to the Bamberger Ranch near Johnson City. Fascinating story about Mr. Bamberger and his project. He calls the ranch Selah, which is a word found in the Psalms. The meaning of the word he intends is ” pause”. As in pause, take a breath, and look at the world around you.
Anyway, if you ever get the chance to visit, well worth the effort IMHO. They only open to public once or twice a year and you have to sign up in advance.
https://www.bambergerranch.org/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/794389.Water_from_Stone
Blessings
LS, Johnson City is right in my neck of the woods. I think Betsy is way North of me. Haven’t heard about this ranch but will check it out. Thank you!
You might also find a visit to the monastery near you interesting:
https://holyarchangels.com/
They make wine there and sell it to help support themselves.
How lovely that is, LS! Unfortunately, I am waaaay further north. I did graduate from UT Austin, for my sins, but was unaware of that ranch. My goodness! Only once or twice a year. And booked in a hurry it seems. It must be very special. I’m glad to know of it, thank you. I’ll look at our links. As we’d say in Blighty, I’m dead curious.
Hm. You must be closer to me. I’m in North Texas Horse Country. But I drove to Bamberger Ranch anyway. Well worth it.
Near Fort Worth
Of course my wife and our oldest son new all about it. I’ve been too busy running a business in San Antonio all these years. Wifey was right in there running it with me but she pays a lot more attention than I do.
if that is the Russian orthodox monastery I am familiar with it.
when Mr. Bamberger sold his franchise and decided to work solely on his ranch he cut all the cedars. Wanted the place to be like Texas once was. With the cedars gone all of a sudden all kind of springs popped up and year round. Those cedars consume a lot of water.
‘That may be a good project if I got bored.
It is Greek Orthodox
I’ll check it out.
Yes, his is an amazing story.
Early last December, I woke with a simple thought. As much as the current regime is declaring “mandates”, why am I, a believer in Yeshua, not countering the world with the declarations / mandates of the Son? Since that time, I’ve been led to pray and declare this:
Let there be Truth.
The Son is Truth.
Let the mouths of men be filled with the Word of His testimony.
Let liars and decievers speak no more.
If any agree, would you join in prayerful declaration of the same?
Blessings! Jack
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/01/democrat_contempt_for_black_americans_.html
A few days ago I posted that ‘I was supposed to fail’. Today I shared this AmericanThinker article with hubby / retired MD. When he was in medical school they were beginning to ‘place’ blacks and women. He was justifiably angry that all his hard word in school was (in effect) for naught because the ‘minorities’ he saw were not qualified to be there.
We got to talking about my flying and FAA experiences and for the first time he realized – we were supposed to fail. The success I had, the success of the other women I interacted, people like Ben Carson and Clarence Thompson – we were supposed to fail. Not only that, we were supposed to be properly grateful for benefiting from their magnifigance.
He never thought of that before.
Betsy,
when you lived in Wales, did you ever participate in English Country Dance or Scottish Dance?
No I didn’t. Up thread Macro posted a flash mob performance in Italy of a familiar choral section from Nabucco. It was quite good. But I was looking at all the flash mob posts on the far right side and I ran across one at Luton Airport in Britain of some Irish dancers. Oh MY!!! I am partial to Irish dancing. It fascinates me. The energy!!
These youngsters were just excellent. And there was one extremely young girl who was just perfect. If you’ve ever seen Riverdance perform you’ll know what I mean.
Betsy!!! You reminded me something I’d not thought of for many years. My kids were 5,6,7 when Riverdance hit the scene! We were lucky to have been able to see them live in Pittsburgh and Charlotte., with Flatley! (Sp?) We had the video, which the kids watched daily. One day, I came up into the rec room where the kids were watching Riverdance.
You know those little, wooden alphabet blocks? My kids had put the blocks down into their sweat pants and were dancing around to make the “clickety-clack” noise!!!!!!!
Yes!!!!! Michael Flatley. American, as was his red haired partner Jean. I always found that odd. But they danced as well as any Irish dancer. I was blown away.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I can actually see your children, because that’s exactly what my grands at that age would have done! Oh my gosh!!😂😂😂 I’m dying here!!! That has given me the biggest laugh I’ve had in a long time. Thank you, Leenie! And I mean that. 🤗 A big fat DIOLCH! Welsh for thank you btw
I’m sharing your story with my daughter near me. She’ll be howling!!
Me, too! I had forgotten all about that!!! (However, I wasn’t sure what they were going for when they stuffed those three inch, hollow plastic balls down their sweat pants and just went waddling around, laughing hysterically!!!)
Hahahaha!!! I give them full marks for ingenuity! You can just see the little wheels turning😂
…then there was the time I walked into the kitchen and the 4 monkeys had gotten a quart of milk out of the fridge, dumped it all over the kitchen floor and were swimming around in it…. I did what any good mother would do, while gasping for breath from laughing, I grabbed the camera!!!
TMI!!!!!!
Good night and sweet dreams!!!!
Yes, I went to see them once in Fort Worth at the Bass Performance Hall.
For more coverage on Canada, look at the Vlad Tepes Blog, too. (It has referred to the CTH positively in 2021, too.)
http://www.vladtepesblog.com
Thank you, Sepp. I’ve bookmarked his site.
Quip O’Day
It is better to wear out than to rust out. ~ Richard Cumberland
Oh yea! Get ready!
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/01/31/more-snow-hits-the-fan-this-week-climate-change-alarmists-still-want-it-both-ways/
Ouch!!! And shoot. Wish they’d shown the western extension into Texas. We’re looking at Thursday for snow at 100%. But that’s on my phone which is as reliable as an ashtray on motorcycle. Almost a year to the day of our Big Freeze last year.
That model shows some freezing rain followed by 21” of snow in my area.
We lived in Colorado for years, and now in Eastern Idaho for years. It may snow a lot or a little, but within days it has melted some or all.
There was a time we lived in the Upper Peninsula of MI. Going into winter we were not quite sure what to expect. Locals said ‘It doesn’t ever snow a lot at one time. Its’ just that it never melts.’
Sure enough, by spring the snow was deep, the lake was frozen and covered in snow. Took until April or May to melt as I recall.
Did you see my post re: the snow thermometer for the Keweenaw Peninsula? Now they get SNOW!
Babylon Bee Weak-ly News Update 1/31/2022
ms idaho,
A late reply, you have 20 on me, everybody’s life is different and most realise this, but what is not mentioned is why, every single person has not one but several gifts, recognizing and developing the good gifts and throwing out the bad I have always found relatively easy, in my experience most find difficult what I find simple, this in itself is a gift !
Like I have said here before, I have been in this fight all my life, I would hate to think how much literature of I read on multiple topics. The NWO scumbags I have studied for 30 yrs, I’m not being egotistical in saying this but when I read MP here if I exclude the personal and current history posts most are playing “catchup” to me.
It doesn’t matter age or status, it’s what you do that counts, one person can do so much, an example.
One of the most down and out periods of my life, I was honestly thinking about chucking it all in.
Walking along a dirty street in a dirty town a complete stranger, a scruffy looking bloke I’d say about 60sh stepped in front of me , halting my passage, looked straight through me and said these words ” Show Mercy not Pity” !! I never said a word, he walked away.
I had to really think what he ment, he was right.
That one sentence led me into an entirely different direction.
I know you will understand my point.
Granny above explains the rest.
I would love to hear more about Lucky if you are willing.
Cheers.
Perhaps that was an angel in disguise, Mungrel.
Well, up until the last 3 years we were living a life most would envy (maybe even you). After you said you wanted to hear more about Lucky I planned a post on recent events. Spent time last night mentally writing not sleeping. Today I wrote it out and decided to put it somewhere deep.
I may someday tell that part. For the moment all I will say is losing your sight has a way of stopping forward motion. With treatment I can ‘see’ again, sort of … Time for a new direction.
You and me, we like to DO things. We cannot sit idle and let the world roll on by. Believe me, determination and grit are not always enough.
For now I’ll go back to the more fun and entertaining chapters. Did you catch my post above about how much I have ‘moved’ in my life? We treepers suspect you have the same kind of background.
I’ll do some writing this evening – maybe post tonight or tomorrow. That will cheer us both up.
Lucky says – forget the next few years. They were spent feeling sorry for herself and hunting for ‘what comes next’. What can I do? What should she do?
The wonderful doctor who tested her for toxic chemicals (and helped identify what really happened in DC), eventually became Prince Charming. And to this day they do live ‘happily ever after’.
They decided to get married (on April 2, 1988). They ‘eloped’ from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas and tied the knot at Circus Circus – they were afraid to do it on April 1 (April Fools Day).
Working at selling nutritional supplements and working beside and with her new ‘dearly beloved’, Lucky did indeed develop an entire new career. That lasted until about 3 years ago. The doctor had a great ‘alternative medicine practice’ full of patients who were otherwise unable to get help dealing with allergies.
Wouldn’t you know it? Colorado became #1 in the nation in about 10 ‘not so good’ areas. Job losses, bank failures, home foreclosures – hard to remember them all. Patients came to say – I got a job (or hubby got a job) in “….”. We are leaving. Do you know anyone there who practices like you do? Lucky and hubby looked at each other and said ‘do you think the lawyers will be looking this way as they lose business.? He was operating under the radar as far as the Medical Board was concerned. PS – yes, there were problems for doctors who wanted to really help people as long ago as then. Most of them were Lucky’s customers for good quality nutritional supplements.
Doc brushed up his skills doing Emergency Medicine and by mid 1989 had a new position lined up to practice his specialty, ENT, in Iola Ks. Got house sold, stuff in storage and temporarily moved into an apartment. Now comes the really fun part.
They were sitting quietly the night before the packers were to arrive for the move. Doc gets a phone call from the head doctor at the destination hospital. We find that we need this and this and this (all packed and in storage). Hospital administrator didn’t need it? Well, he’s not here – we do need it. You guessed it – that was the end of that. Now what?
You may not know, but there are placement firms for all kinds of medical jobs. The company he was working with provided ‘traveling’ Emergency Department docs. They found him a position in Concordia KS – and away we went.
Lets see. Lucky started living with her folks in Loveland, CO. then moved to Denver when she left the FAA. By the time Lucky and hubby left Colorado for KS that was 6 moves. Ha Ha Ha Ha.
The next chapter is even more fun.
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. And prayers up for political prisoners everywhere.
Amen.
To all, to each, a fair good-night, and pleasing dreams, and slumbers light. …
❤️
Nice. Enjoyed that, thank you