Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thanksgiving

Almighty Father,
Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever!
Thank you for the Life in Christ!
I'm thankful for everything You provide for our good: sunshine and food and water and jobs and vehicles, family and friends and those-who-aren't-yet-friends; for Rudolf and Charlie Brown and George Baily and Tiny Tim Cratchit; for football games and a warm fire and a warm bed.
Amen! Amen! 

Friday, November 22, 2013

Clive Staples Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia have been a tremendous blessing to me throughout my years as a believer. Moreover, Lewis' style is not unlike that of my favorite author - John Ronald Reuel Tolkien - who was the only fiction author I ever read...

The following excerpt is from the final chapter of the final book of the Chronicles: The Last Battle. The children are with many who have chosen to follow Aslan, and have passed into a beautiful country...

"Further up and further in!" roared the Unicorn, and no one held back...And soon they found themselves all walking together - and a great, bright procession it was - up towards mountains higher than you could see in this world even if they were there to be seen. But there was no snow on those mountains: there were forests and green slopes and sweet orchards and flashing waterfalls, one above the other, going up for ever. And the land they were walking on grew narrower all the time, with a deep valley on each side: and across that valley the land which was the real England grew nearer and nearer.
The light ahead was growing stronger. Lucy saw that a great series of many-coloured cliffs led up in front of them like a giant's staircase. And then she forgot everything else, because Aslan himself was coming, leaping down from cliff to cliff like a living cataract of power and beauty...
Aslan turned to them and said: 'You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.' Lucy said, 'We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often.' 'No fear of that,' said Aslan. 'Have you not guessed?' Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them. 'There was real railway accident,' said Aslan softly. 'Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.'
And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: witch goes on forever: in which ever chapter is better than the one before.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Beautiful

Merry Christmas-Canon With Lyrics






Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
(The joy that he brings)
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
(The joy that he brings)
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
(The joy that he brings)
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
(The joy that he brings)
Merry Christmas
This night, we pray
Our lives, will show
This dream, he had
Each child, still knows
This night, we pray
Our lives, will show
This dream, he had
Each child, still knows
(He had)
This night, we pray
(Our lives)
Our lives, will show
(He had)
This dream, he had
(Our lives)
Each child, still knows
(He had)
This night, we pray
(Our lives)
Our lives, will show
(He had)
This dream, he had
(Our lives)
Each child, still knows
(He had)
This night
(On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night)
We pray
(On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night)
(Our lives)
Our lives
(On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night)
Will show
(He had)
This dream
(On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night)
He had
(On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night)
(Our lives)
Each child
(On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night)
Still knows

Glory to God!

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Wednesday musings...

A mix of (very little) Sacred and (the overwhelming majority) Secular Christmas music has already been playing on 100.3 in Detroit round the clock for a couple weeks, I think.

Some I could listen to any time of the year:

Do You Hear What I Hear
The Little Drummer Boy
Merry Christmas - Canon
Exerts from the Hallelujah chorus
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Anything sung by Bing Crosby (with or without Bowie!) or Burl Ives
Santa Baby
Anything from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer reminds me of the nieces and nephews at Christmas ("like Monopoly!")
The Chipmunk Song ("ALVIN?!??!?!?!?!") 
So This is Christmas I have only recently come to love, due to my nephew, Carlos
Anything by Mannheim Steamroller or the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Bare Naked Ladies feat. Sarah McLachlan: God Rest Ye Merry/We Three Kings

Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song

 are all cool.

But there are some songs that are not so cool:

Blue Christmas makes me want to vomit violently
The moon is right, the spirits up makes me want to break things
Little Saint Nick is barely tolerable, until the 'Christmas comes this time each year' repeats ad nauseum (To a disgusting or ridiculous degree; to the point of nausea) at the end






Saturday, November 16, 2013

Recipe #29 - Sausage and Chicken Gumbo in the Crock Pot

Got this idea from Best Recipes Ever on PBS Create and Channel 9 from Canada.

Ingredients:
1 package Jenny-O turkey sausage sliced
4 chicken leg quarters
Extra virgin olive oil
2 onions chopped divided
2 potatoes chopped small
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 small can tomato sauce
3 tbs tomato paste or ketchup
2 ribs celery chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
4 bay leaves divided
2 tsp fresh thyme divided
tsp ground black pepper
tsp paprika
2 tbs Franks hot sauce

Parboil chicken for 20 minutes with 1 onion, 2 bay leaves, and 1 tsp thyme.
Meanwhile, add some EVOO to your favourite fry pan and brown the sausage. Add to slow cooker.
In the same pan, add a bit more oil and cook vegetables, sauce, ketchup, and spices til celery is soft; about 8 minutes. Add to slow cooker.

After 20 minutes, take chicken out of water and remove meat, dice, and add to slow cooker. Strain remaining water and boil another hour. Add two cups of stock to the slow cooker and save the rest for soup or whatever else you may want.

Add the hot sauce and mixed vegetables and cook on high for four hours. It will make your home smell good.

Before serving, remove bay leaves and any thyme sprigs that may still be present.



Litany of Humility

I try to pray this every day - I was reminded to-day to pray it regularly until I really mean it!

Attributed to Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865 - 1930), Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,

Deliver me, Jesus.

 
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...


That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.


That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I may become as holy as I should…


Friday, November 15, 2013

Morning Prayer

Christ Jesus, let me never forget that any day, any time could be the time of Your returning. Let me never stop being vigilant, being ready, being mindful of You.
Finely tune my heart this day, that I might love, and then still love, and then again love more. Remind me frequently of my calling, and let me not miss opportunities You provide.
Jesus, in Your Spirit, I serve You - the King of kings and Lord of lords - to the glory of God the Father, amen.



Thursday, November 14, 2013

Sermon to Self

♪♪
Whatsoever you do
to the least of my people,
that you do unto me. (by Willard Jabusch)

1. When I was hungry, you gave me to eat;
When I was thirsty, you gave me to drink.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

2. When I was homeless, you opened your door;
When I was naked, you gave me your coat.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

3. When I was weary, you helped me find rest;
When I was anxious, you calmed all my fears.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

4. When in a prison, you came to my cell;
When on a sickbed, you cared for my needs.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

5. When I was laughed at, you stood by my side;
When I was happy, you shared in my joy.
Now enter into the home of my Father.

Dearest LORD,
This is my prayer to-day: for the courage to be who You would have me be.
The opportunities are always there, and please forgive my choosing to ignore so many of Your people in need of You. Fill me with Your wisdom, guide me by Your Spirit so that the love of Jesus cannot be contained by even my hardened, cynical heart. Flow from me to-day, Lord of Love, I offer myself as a channel, a funnel, an instrument. Let me not grow weary at the end of the day when my flesh tends to take over; strengthen me moment by moment throughout this day.
In Jesus' name I pray; Amen!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Wednesday Things

My address in Detroit growing up 17327 Prevost, Detroit, Michigan 48235; phone number 273-0266 (we didn't need ten digits back then, and we had one phone for five people for 25 years... one bathroom too!)



I attended daily Greenfield Peace Lutheran School at 7000 West Outer Drive for 13 years.


And then attended daily Detroit Lutheran High School West at 8181 Greenfield for four more.


And then attended frequently Western Michigan University for six years while spending much time doing much math and geology at Rood Hall...



While living in Eicher Hall,


French Hall,



In a duplex off-campus on Vine Street, near Westnedge,



In the Knollwood Apartments,


In an apartment on Nichols Road with a fireplace and balcony off the kitchen (which I could not find a picture of - doesn't look like it still exists...),

and then in some apartments on Greenwood.




Briefly with my folks in Westland,


then rented in Brighton


then got married and lived in Lakeland, MI!


We bought a home in Canadian Lakes.


Then moved to Allen Park and finally to beautiful Whitmore Lake, Michigan!











Friday, November 1, 2013

Family


Joslin Mia (Minnie) with her little brother Liam Jason (Monster) on Halloween evening, Francis E Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, WY