Trivia’s Facts and More (9/10)

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This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

Suppose a bird is standing in a closed box that is resting on a scale.  When the bird flies in the box, does the scale read the same, more, or less than when the bird is resting?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

As one of the smaller states in the American Union, Maryland’s geography features contrast between the eastern Chesapeake and Atlantic shores and the western Appalachian Mountains.

Here are some quick facts about the Old Line State:

  • Capital City:  Annapolis (home of the United States Naval Academy)
  • Bird:  Baltimore oriole (nickname of Baltimore’s major league baseball team)
  • Motto:  Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine (Strong Deeds, Gentle Words)

The State House, which is located in Annapolis, was occupied in 1799.  It is the oldest such building in the United States.  One note of history is that the building served briefly as the nation’s capitol from November 26, 1783 to August 23, 1784.

Maryland’s State House. (courtesy of Pinterest.)

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

When the bird flies, it pushes down on the air, which pushes down on the scale.  The scale reads the same.

Christina Baldwin Quotes

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How we remember, what we remember, and why we remember form the most personal map of our individuality.

The purpose of life is not to maintain personal comfort; it’s to grow the soul.

Christina Baldwin (born 1946) is an American writer, teacher, and lecturer.  

Serving with Devotion (Elfchen Series #117)

Blessed

Disciples

Following Christ

Hands and feet

Commissioned in His name

Serving

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Committed

Disciples

Gospel messengers

Christ’s saving grace

Sowing seeds of faith

Serving

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Dedicated

Disciples

Transforming witnesses

Walking with Jesus

Breathing with Good News

Serving

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This series of poems (written in the German-inspired style of Elfchen or Elevenie) shares a total of eleven words in each poem, with a sequence by line of one, two, three, four, and one words.

Matthew Henry Quote

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The more reverence we have for the Word of God, the more joy we shall find in it.

From Isaiah 40:8:  “The grass withers; the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Voyage Home

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Sailing planet’s seven seas

Searching for home, life be free

 

Scouting horizon’s distance

Globetrotting with persistence

 

Navigating stormy seas

Crossing without gentle breeze

 

Tasting bitterness each day

Observing clouds, gloomy gray

 

Spending endless hours at sea

Scouting for home’s hidden key

 

Fleeing long-forgotten goals

Looking out one more porthole

 

Haunting, longest nights at sea

Racing in sailing’s grand prix

 

Losing track of endless time

Enduring life’s wintertime

 

Dreaming of home, never free

Waking up, always at sea

 

Knowing this quest just might end

Finding home, let’s not pretend

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Howard Thurman Quotes

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Keep alive the dream; for as long as a man has a dream in his heart, he cannot lose the significance of living.

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that.

Howard Thurman (1899-1981) was a American author, theologian, and civil rights leader.  His writings mentored many leaders in the civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Salvation’s Grace

From 1 Peter 1:3:  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

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Suffering endless trials

Resulting from earthly sin

Why does God permit such pain?

Allowing His glory to win

 

Testing character by fire

Sharing His perfect design

Dependence grows upon God

Sending redemption’s lifeline

 

Fostering genuine trust

Sowing faithful repentance

Salvation’s grace rises up

Freeing from hell-fired sentence

 

Kneeling at Calvary’s cross

Witnessing death’s empty tomb

Now accepting God’s mercy

Saving sinners, new hope blooms

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From 1 Peter 1:8-9:  “Although you have not seen Him, you love Him, and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Charles Spurgeon Quote

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Prayer can never be in excess.

From Psalm 32:6-7:  “Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.  You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.”

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) was an influential English preacher.  Even in modern times, his writings and many sermons have remained a constant source of encouragement to Christians around the world.  He has often be referred to as the “Prince of Preachers.”

Enduring Qualities (Haiku Series #194)

Civility

Permanent header

Each social media page—

“Please respect others!”

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Character

Stacking up higher

One lie follows another—

Is anyone counting?

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Valor

 Stepping with courage

Into challenges light, but—

Shard of darkness breathes

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Pearl S. Buck Quotes

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Love cannot be forced, love cannot be coaxed and teased.  It comes out of heaven, unasked and unsought.

To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind.

American writer and novelist, Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), spent much of her early life in China as a missionary.  She was widely heralded for her book, THE GOOD EARTH, which was published in 1931.  She garnered the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and later the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938.