Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary grace.
From James 4:5-6: “Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that He has made to dwell in us’? But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says.”
Morning’s warmth arrives
Night’s darkness evaporates—
Brilliant sunrise greets
Spring’s mixed-up signals
Heavy snow covers landscape—
Misguided showers
Nature’s precious gifts
Infinite diversity—
Unified as one
When a human being is born, the first thing he does is crying. The rest of his life he’ll spend discovering why.
You can only find the right way after you lost it.
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The other day, grandpa had a conversation with his very confident (and all knowing) six-year old grandson. Let’s drop in on the conversation for a moment or two.
Grandpa states, “Does your television wake up each morning at 6:00 with a color bar display on the screen?”
His grandson replies, “Nope. Remember Grandpa, I am not as old as you. Besides, didn’t you only watch shows on black and white TVs?”
Grandpa proudly recalls the American space program and tells his young protégé, “I was there in 1969 watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.”
His eager grandson answers back, “I really don’t think you were on the moon with Neil Armstrong because Buzz Aldrin was there instead. You know, landing on the moon isn’t such a big deal. I plan to visit Mars.”
Grandpa pauses for a moment, thinking to himself . . . This young fella has an answer for everything!
Grandpa wanders over to his desk and pulls out a miniature plastic card. He holds up the 3.5-inch floppy disk and tells his grandson, “We used to save our computer data on disks such as this. Pretty amazing, don’t you think?”
His grandson eagerly says, “Wow Grandpa! Now we store information on a cloud.”
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His grandson pipes up and asks, “Grandpa, do you have anything else you want to share with me before I go?”
“Why sure!” Grandpa says with a grin. “I remember when the Ford Mustang came out in 1964. It was the hottest and fastest ride.”
“Sounds amazing, but I am looking forward to owning and driving a Corvette when I am a whole lot older. It leaves the Mustang in the dust.” His smiling grandson adds with a cute, little smile (with two missing front teeth).
Grandpa scratches his head, and then he laments with a heavy heart, “I’ve been a Cleveland Browns football fan for all of my life. You should have seen them play back in the 60s.”
His football prognosticator grandson quickly answers back, “Yup, and you’re still waiting for them to play in their first Super Bowl. Go Steelers!”
“I have an old bicycle sitting in the garage. Perhaps we can go for a bike ride this weekend.” Grandpa sighs (he is nearly exhausted).
“Why sure Grandpa. But, do you think your old three-speed bike can keep up with my brand new 15-speed?” The first-grader replies, with a wink.
Later in the day, Grandpa is sitting in his reliable, comfortable rocking chair in the living room. He ponders a thought . . . I don’t know what I am going to do when my grandson becomes a fifth grader. I’ll never be as smart as a fifth grader!
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One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.
Don’t gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver and gold.
Bob Marley (1945-1981) was a Jamaican-born singer, songwriter, and musician. His unique and pioneering musical talents shared many inspiring songs.
Conquering darkness
Empty tomb declares
Risen Savior lives
Grace pours out, God cares
Mourning no longer
Calvary’s cross bends
Righteous Savior lives
Love pays dividends
Looking to heavens
Evil crawls away
Faithful Savior lives
God’s Word, final say
Walking in His light
God’s design sustains
Steadfast Savior lives
Never changing lanes
Singing hymns of praise
God’s glory beyond
Blessed Savior lives
Mercy’s lasting bond
Listen carefully! Jesus Christ opens the gate, gently looks at you, and says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are over burdened, and I will cause you to rest.” Just come. His provision is profound, attainable, and right.
From Psalm 32:7: “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.”
Galaxy of words
Waiting to be tapped
Crafting from stardust
Pleasantly gift-wrapped
Visionary words
Stirring with brilliance
Enchanting journey
Story’s resilience
Wizardry of words
Taking center stage
Spellbinding verses
Poetry’s new age
Writer’s gifted words
Singing with passion
Finding fresh magic
Vocal compassion
Endless cache of words
Weaving life’s heartbeat
Drafting each new page
Adventure’s front seat
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. We can all appreciate some of the lesser known facts from around the world.
The famous two-toned French manicure isn’t really French at all. Hollywood makeup artist Jeff Pink got the idea from Parisian runway models, who simply rubbed a white pencil beneath their unpolished fingernail tips to give them a clean, natural look.
Parcheesi can be traced back to sixteenth-century India, when bored factory workers realized that a piece of cloth with a unique pattern could be turned into a game that would help pass time.
These facts have been discovered in I NEVER KNEW THAT by David Hoffman (2009).
A just society is a society that if you knew everything about it, you’d be willing to enter it in a random place.
Religious faith is an important aspect of American culture and a fact of American political life.
John Rawls (1921-2002) is an American political philosopher. Some of his writings emphasize the concept of “justice as fairness.”
Big Sky Buckeye 