God bless our Airman

To-day must be the most beautiful Saturday we have had in a long while. Temps in the 60's with sun and a nice breeze; the birds are singing and the bees are buzzing, and AC/DC is wailing from several blocks over. The rectangle with its early lush greenery is thriving, and our planter boxes are all blooming with carefully placed begonias, marigolds, and geraniums. My herbs (all except one :-() are thriving now one week into their transplanted lives, and the mary jane is getting bigger every day. Boomer is laying at my feet as I type; my little brother will be wed to-day, down in the beautiful State of Illinois, to his new friend Mary Mary, of Jackson County, and a U-M fan. Ah well, such is the life of an elf.

Liam is a first grader :-)

I made an early trip to Kroger to use up my coupons expiring at the end of the month, and then a later trip to Tractor Supply for some good soil. The sign on the door demanded that I submit to the fearmongering and wear a mask - they even had several sitting there for me to take in the lobby - but I resisted. I met a young man outside though peddling Jesus t-shirts and wristbands with a pretty cool story of addiction and recovery. I will remember to pray for him, although I am sorry I didn't get his name or the name of the ministry he is representing.

Boomer is deaf, but I always ask him how he's doing. He just wags his tail, which tells me he is more than good.

We took a nice plant out to the cemetery this past Monday - Memorial Day - and said hi to Jason.

Two of my favorite 'but's

There are many common phrases that remind me of certain passages of Scripture.

When I hear 'hear I am', it reminds me of an Old Testament answer to a call from someOne - particularly YHWH - by Moses, Abraham, or Samuel.
When I hear 'same old, same old', 'same stuff, different day', or one of its many variations, I am reminded of the poetry of Ecclesiastes informing us that  'there is nothing new under the sun.'

Recently I was reading the 2nd chapter of St Mark's Gospel. Jesus was at home in Capernaum healing and preaching, and there was a great crowd at the house. There came to that house a paralytic, carried by four friends, who wanted to be healed. They saw that the crowd was too great to get near Jesus, so they took the man on his mat up on the roof, opened a hole in the roof, and let down the man close to Jesus.
When He saw their faith, He told the man on the mat, 'Child, your sins are forgiven.' Might not been what he wanted to hear, but it was necessary for the 'but' to come.

The scribes heard Jesus' words and began wringing their gnarly hands together plotting and questioning among themselves;  'Say, who does He think He is?!?'

Jesus knew their hearts and asked them why they were thinking such things, and then also asked them which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven' or to say, 'Rise, take your mat, and walk'?

Then He continued: 'But that you man know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth' - and turning to the paralytic He said, 'I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.'

The man did, and all were amazed. And all glorified God. I love that story, and I love the but in there.

My second favoriet but always brings a tear to my eye. The kingdom of Israel had been sacked, and its people and goods carted away to live in bondage in Babylon. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar the Naughty, had a huge golden statue made in his own likeness. He directed his governors and judges to have musical instruments played at certain time each day, prompting everyone to fall down and worship the statue. The penalty for not falling down and worshiping would be instant casting into the white-hot furnace.

There were three young Judeans, named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who would not fall down and worship this 90 foot tall idol.

A few Chaldean narcs made sure the king found out, which sent him into a rage. He summoned the young men and asked for verification of their lack of cooperation in this matter. Their reply is epic - to coin an abused phrase: 'There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from  your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if He will not, you should know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.'

To me, that kind of faith and trust is absolutely beautiful. And if they would have died a martyr's death this story would still be one of great encouragement to believers of all time. But you know how this story ends...

Nebuchadnezzar becomes furious, orders the white-hot furnace to be heated seven times hotter than normal. He commands strong men to bind Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and throw them into the furnace. Scripture tells us the fire was so hot the strong me were devoured by the flames as they did this.
The young men in the furnace then arose. walked around in the flames singing to God and blessing the Lord. The flames rose forty nine cubits above the furnace and burned many nearby Chaldeans! But an angel of the Lord was there with the three, and made the inside of the furnace like a spring morning with a wonderful breeze. They sang more praise to God, and the king looking in saw four men instead of three. He called them out of the furnace, had a conversion of sorts, and then promoted Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

God is good and His mercy endures forever!. Here I have copied a part of the blessing sung by the three while in the furnace, from the third chapter of Daniel.

52“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestors,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;

And blessed is your holy and glorious name,

praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.

53Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,

praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.

54Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

55Blessed are you who look into the depths

from your throne upon the cherubim,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

56Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,

praiseworthy and glorious forever.

57Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,

praise and exalt him above all forever.

58Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,

praise and exalt him above all forever.

59You heavens, bless the Lord,

praise and exalt him above all forever.^a

60All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,

praise and exalt him above all forever.

61All you powers, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

62Sun and moon, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

63Stars of heaven, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

64Every shower and dew, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

65All you winds, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

66Fire and heat, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

67Cold and chill, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

68Dew and rain, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

69Frost and chill, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

70Hoarfrost and snow, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

71Nights and days, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

72Light and darkness, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

73Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

74Let the earth bless the Lord,

praise and exalt him above all forever.

75Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

76Everything growing on earth, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

77You springs, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

78Seas and rivers, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

79You sea monsters and all water creatures, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

80All you birds of the air, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

81All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

82All you mortals, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

83O Israel, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

84Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

85Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

86Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

87Holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

88Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord;

praise and exalt him above all forever.

For he has delivered us from Sheol,

and saved us from the power of death;

He has freed us from the raging flame

and delivered us from the fire.

89Give thanks to the Lord, who is good,

whose mercy endures forever.

90Bless the God of gods, all you who fear the Lord;

praise and give thanks,

for his mercy endures forever.”

 

How The Diocese of Lansing has bought into the fearmongering propagated by the loser left

It would be funny if it wasn't so serious. We will describe this time to our grandkids, and they won't believe us.

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

Oh in '95, we were Jesus freaks to be sure

love story

From the 27th of St Matthew:

Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. saying, 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.'
They said, 'What is that to us? Look to it yourself.'
Flinging the money into the temple, he darted and went off and hanged himself.

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

The chief priests gathered up the money, but said, 'It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury, for it is the price of blood.' After consultation, they used it to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet, 'And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of a man with a price on is head, a price set by some of the Israelites, and they paid it out for the potter's field just as the Lord had commanded me.'

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' Jesus said, 'You say so.'
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer.
Then Pilate said to him, 'Do you not hear now many things they are testifying against you?'
But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. At that time they had a notorious prisoner called (Jesus) Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, 'Which one do you want me to release to you, (Jesus) Barabbas, or Jesus called Messiah?' For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over.
While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, 'Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.'
The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus.
The governor said to them in reply, 'Which of the two do you want me to release to you?'
They answered, 'Barabbas!'

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

Pilate said to them, 'Then what shall I do with Jesus called Messiah?' They all said, 'Let  him be crucified!'
But he said, 'Why? What evil has he done?' They only shouted the louder, 'Let him be crucified!'

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood. Look to it yourselves.'
And the whole people said in reply, 'His blood be upon us and upon our children.'

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

Then released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!'.

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

They spat upon him

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

and took the reed and kept striking him in the head.

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this many they pressed into service to carry his cross.
And when they came to the place called Golgotha, (which means Place of the Skull), they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
After they had crucified him

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

the divided his garments by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over  him there. And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left.

Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, 'You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, (and) come down from the cross!'

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.

Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, "I am the Son of God."'

The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way.

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'

Some of the bystanders who heard it said, 'This one is calling for Elijah.' Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, 'Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.'

For the sake of Christ's sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

Way before Anna did it...

for Carlos

Just a little shout out across the many miles
Hope you're doing well and sharing lots of smiles
Please keep safe of covid; stay socially away
And have yourself a very very blessed birthday!

crushed it

I don't know why this photo amuses me so...