Background:
I
bought a Buttonbush at a native plant sale this spring. Didn't know
where to plant it, so I potted it beside the porch steps. The blooms
aren't especially showy, but they have attracted several really cool,
very small, critters for me to take pictures of. Thus, I've learned to
check it out every time I ascend or descend the steps. A fading bloom
of this bush provides the setting for this Tale.
I did the school drop and checked the bush when I got home.
Getting ready to leave again, I checked on the moth.
I went down to ground level to investigate.
The Mother of All "Oh.My.Goodness" Spiders
So. I had an hour to kill while the car dealer did his thing. I'd seen a couple of yellow butterflies fluttering above the overgrown area just beyond the parking lot, so I headed that way, camera in hand.
Time for closer inspection.
A passing dragonfly (perhaps a damsel, I don't know.) caught my attention, and I turned to fire off a few shots at it.
When I turned back, she was GONE!
I took my sandal-shod feet to a spot about a yard away to continue my photo shoot.
I never did get to shoot the butterflies. They reappeared as I was getting in my car to leave. And I saw one at 3 traffic lights on the way home. :~p
And the Mama Arachnid? Wolf Spider. She doesn't look quite like the one that's most prevalent in this area, but she's a wolf spider for sure. In the grass. IN my hometown!
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
As sang by Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion
The first plane hit the other tower, right after I came in.
It left a firey, gaping hole where offices had been.
We stood and watched in horror, as we saw the first ones fall,
Then someone yelled "Get out, get out! They're trying to
kill us all!"
I grabbed the pictures from my desk and joined the flight for
life.
With every step I called the names of my children and my wife,
And then we heard them coming up, from several floors below,
A crowd of firefighters with their heavy gear in tow
Now every time I try to sleep, I'm haunted by the sound
Of firemen pounding up the stairs, while we were running down.
And when we met them on the stairs, they said we were too slow.
"Get out, get out!" they yelled at us, "The whole
thing's gonna go!"
They didn't have to tell us twice, we'd seen the world on fire.
We kept on running down the stairs, while they kept climbing higher.
Now every time I try to sleep, I'm haunted by the sound
Of firemen pounding up the stairs, while we were running down.
Thank God we made it to the street; we ran through ash and
smoke.
I did not know which way to run; I thought that I would choke.
A fireman took me by the arm and pointed me uptown,
Then "Christ!" I heard him whisper, as the tower came
crashing down.
So now I go to funerals for men I never knew;
The pipers play "Amazing Grace", as the coffins come
in view.
They must have seen it coming as they turned to face the fire.
They sent us down to safety, then they kept on climbing higher.
Now every time I try to sleep, I'm haunted by the sound
Of firemen pounding up the stairs, while we were running down.
Of firemen pounding up the stairs, while we were running down.
Mp3 available from Amazon.
The Defeat of Satan
Satan stood there glowering,
His eyes aflame with hate,
As he watched the humans crucify the Christ
And seal their fate.
His lip curled up in mockery
As he saw them kill the Son,
And he raised his fist in victory,
For his reign had now begun.
But as the sky turned dark he saw a flash
Of lightning from the clouds,
As an angel out of heaven came,
And Jesus cried aloud,
“It is finished!” as the angel nailed a scroll
Upon the cross.
And Satan’s brow grew furrowed
As he wondered what it was.
The angel turned to Satan,
And raised a finger of fire,
“You’ve had it now, you dirty snake,
You murderer, you liar!”
“Upon that scroll is written all the sins
Of God’s elect,
In helping kill the Son of God,
You helped pay off their debt!”
At first the Devil chuckled
And his smirk remained undimmed,
The Christ was dead, and that was that,
He was sure that he would win.
But as night turned to dawn,
The Devil’s eyes were worried,
And he set himself to watch,
At the place the Christ was buried.
The third day dawned, and Satan thought,
“I’ve called that angel’s bluff.
I’m leaving now. There’s nothing here,
I’ve wasted time enough.”
When suddenly, from in the tomb,
He heard a mighty shout,
The stone rolled back, a light streamed forth,
The Son of God burst out!
Satan groveled on his knees
Before the risen Lord,
Christ’s face shone brighter than the sun,
His eyes pierced like a sword.
“Listen, Satan,” Jesus said,
“You’ve served your purpose well,
And you’ll keep serving it until
You make your bed in Hell!”
“Did you think God, the Sovereign Lord,
Didn’t know what was going on?
You’re no worthy opponent,
You’re just a pathetic pawn.”
“And now my resurrection
Is the sign of God’s approval.
I’ve conquered you, you dragon,
The time is short till your removal.”
And so the Devil wanders
To and fro upon the earth,
He tries to thwart God’s sovereign plan,
He fights for all he’s worth.
But in the end, he knows
He has already been defeated,
And how? Well, that’s the story
That you’ve just heard repeated.
Philip Bramblet
http://bramblet.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/the-defeat-of-satan/
Here I am Lord and I’m drowning
In Your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don’t want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind
Keeps me awake tonight
I know You’ve cast my sin as far
As the East is from the West
And I stand before You now
As though I’ve never sinned
But today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way
Jesus, can You show me just how far the East is from the West?
Cause I can’t bear to see the man I’ve been
Rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
You know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other
I start the day, the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
And time and time again
Your truth is drowned out by the storm I’m in
Today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way
Jesus, can You show me just how far the East is from the West?
Cause I can’t bear to see the man I’ve been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
Cause You know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other
I know You’ve washed me white
Turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through
To get me through this night
I can’t live by what I feel
About the truth Your word reveals
And I’m not holding onto You
But You’re holding onto me
You’re holding onto me
Jesus, You know just how far the East is from the West
I don't have to see the man I’ve been
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest (mercy I find rest)
You know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other
(Just how far, the East is from the West, Just how far)
From one scarred hand to the other
(You know just how far, the East is from the West, Just how far)
From one scarred hand to the other
Jonny Diaz - More Beautiful You
Song Title : More Beautiful You | Artist/Band : Jonny Diaz
Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight
Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are
There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead
Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And he'll treat you like the jewel you are
So turn around you're not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It's not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who's strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl
What do you think?
"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...
As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....
No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
This is a quotation from John Donne (1572-1631). It appears in Devotions upon emergent occasions and seuerall steps in my sicknes - Meditation XVII, 1624:
copied from and thanks to http://www.phrases.org.uk/
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/no-man-is-an-island.html
- God does not need to create suffering, there is enough to go around.
- The suffering in this world is allowed because God gave us free will.
- This suffering and pain make this world the best possible world to discover the joy of fellowship with God, now and forever.
- "My soul thirst for God, the living God?.
- Suffering shows how other satisfactions are empty and short lived.
- The empty tomb becomes our assurance that no suffering can have the final word.
Source unknown but I found in my notes filed in 2000 paperwork. Anyone recognize it?
