Today is Saturday, the fourteenth of August, 2021.
Shalom Aleichem!
Day 23,165
Only five more days until S’s birthday!
Today appears to be Social Security Day. I’m still waiting on mine to be approved.
The word for today is fustian. There are several meanings, but the one highlighted for today is the adjective form, meaning, “pompous or bombastic, as language.”
Today’s quote, by Sydney J. Harris, is, “Happiness is a direction, not a place.”
And now for the birthdays, always obtained from On This Day
1479 Princess Catherine of York, 9th child and sixth daughter of King Edward IV by his wife Elizabeth Woodville, born in Eltham Palace, Greenwich, England (d. 1527) 1586 William Hutchinson, Rhode Island colonist, born in Alford, Lincolnshire, England (d. 1642) 1642 Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, monarch of Florence (1670-1723), born in Pitti Palace, Florence, Tuscany (d. 1723) 1742 Pius VII [Luigi Barnaba Gregorio Chiaramonti], Italian bishop of Imola and Pope (1800-23), born in Cesena, Italy (d. 1823) 1851 John "Doc" Holliday, American dentist, gambler, and gunfighter (Gunfight at the O.K. Corral), born in Griffin, Georgia (d. 1887) 1863 Ernest Thayer, American poet who wrote the famous baseball poem "Casey", born in Lawrence, Massachusetts (d. 1940) 1903 John Ringling North, American circus director (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1937-43), born in Baraboo, Wisconsin (d. 1985) 1923 Alice Ghostley, American singer and actress (Bewitched, Designing Women), born in Eve, Vernon County, Missouri (d. 2007) 1930 Earl Weaver, American hall of fame MLB manager (Baltimore Orioles 1968-82, 1985-86), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 2013) 1940 Darrell George "Dash" Crofts, American singer (Seals & Crofts - "Summer Breeze"), born in Cisco, Texas 1941 David Crosby, rocker (Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Guinnevere"), born in Los Angeles, California 1945 Steve Martin, American comedian, banjo player, author and actor (Parenthood; The Jerk; Roxanne), born in Waco, Texas 1946 Antonio Fargas, American actor (Huggy Bear-Starsky & Hutch), born in The Bronx, New York 1946 Larry Graham Jr., American bass guitar player (Graham Central Station, Sly and the Family Stone), born in Beaumont, Texas 1946 Susan Saint James, American actress (Kate & Allie), born in Los Angeles, California 1947 Danielle Steel, American author (Rememberance, Zoya, Star, Daddy), born in New York City, New York (according to Wikipedia, she is the bestselling author alive) 1947 Maddy Prior, English folk singer (Steeleye Span, Silly Sisters, Carnival Band), born in Blackpool, United Kingdom 1950 Gary Larson, American cartoonist (Far Side), born in Tacoma, Washington 1951 Carl Lumbly, American actor (Cagney & Lacey, Alias), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota 1953 James Horner, American film composer (Titanic; Apollo 13; Avatar), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2015) 1954 Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers) nicknamed "The Bird", born in Worcester, Massachusetts (d. 2009) 1959 Earvin "Magic" Johnson, American Basketball Hall of Fame point guard, executive (5-time NBA champion, 3-time NBA Finals MVP, Olympic gold 1992), born in Lansing, Michigan 1959 Marcia Gay Harden, American actress, born in La Jolla, California 1960 Sarah Brightman, English actress and singer (Phantom of the Opera), born in Berkhamsted, United Kingdom 1961 Susan Olson, American actress (Cindy-Brady Bunch), born in Santa Monica, California 1966 Halle Berry, American actress (X-Men: The Last Stand: Monsters Ball), born in Cleveland, Ohio 1983 Mila Kunis, Ukrainian-American actress (Friends with Benefits), born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine 1984 Clay Buchholz, American baseball player, born in Nederland, Texas
That’s a lot of birthdays.
Last night, I had the best night of sleep I’ve had all week, which was nice. I actually slept until almost 8:00 this morning, which is very rare. The sleep study equipment was dropped off at a pack and mail store, yesterday morning, so I will be looking to hear from the doctor’s office, hopefully by the end of next week.
I got an email from the City of Hurst, yesterday, with forms to print and fill out. My orientation will be at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, so I will have the forms filled out prior to that. The forms consist of a W-4 for tax purposes, a direct deposit authorization, and an I-9, to prove I’m legally eligible to work in the U.S.
The grocery order was placed last night, and is scheduled to be picked up between 12:00 and 1:00 this afternoon, and the supplementary order from Albertson’s is scheduled for delivery between 1:00 and 2:00 PM.
I made Pecan-Crusted Buttermilk Chicken last night for dinner, and it was very delicious. It was the first time I did the entire process, from prep to cooking. C usually does the prep on it.
C and S are going to the blood center to give platelets, this afternoon. And that’s pretty much it for today.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
“When we have found our own uniqueness in the love of God and have been able to affirm that indeed we are lovable since it is God’s love that dwells in us, then we can reach out to others in whom we discover a new and unique manifestation of the same love and enter into an intimate communion with them.” ~ Henri Nouwen
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
(Psalms 46:1-3 NLT)
Today I am grateful:
1. for the affirmation of Your love for us; 2. that You are our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble; 3. that we do not win battles by our own strength, but by Your strength, and by the light of Your face; 4. that everything we do, even the utensils that we use, can be consecrated as holy to You; 5. for the ability to listen, to hear with my ears, to what You have done in our lives.
Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year
ORDINARY TIME – WEEK TWELVE – DAY SEVEN
INVITATION
Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name!
(Psalms 103:1 WEB)
I pause, briefly, during this quiet moment, reading over the quote by Henri Nouwen again, thinking of the great love that the Father has lavished upon all of us, His children. I consider the truth that this great love, and the realization of it, enables us to reach to others, and display love to all people, without fear of risk.
BIBLE SONG
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.
With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish.
It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.
Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.
I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.
(Psalms 44:1-8 NIV)
BIBLE READING
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ” . . . Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. . . . Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. . . . This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
(Exodus 12:1, 3, 6-7, 11-13 NIV)
DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION
As I make myself aware of the presence of the Lord, while attempting to distance myself from available distractions, I read these passages again, looking for specific words or phrases or thoughts that speak to me, today.
The importance of story is emphasized, I believe, in the passage from Psalms. Although the word, itself, is not in the psalm, “story” is an important aspect of our lives. It’s one of the reasons that I love to hear my mother speak of her days growing up in east Texas, with her family. We need to hear from our ancestors, concerning the times before ours.
Sadly, it is often too late before we realize the value of this.
The psalmist, in this case the Sons of Korah, recognized this, in writing, “We have heard it with our ears . . . our ancestors told us.” And note the medium of transmission. We have heard it, they said. Not read, but heard.
Listening is a lost art in Western culture. We have forgotten how to listen. The political climate of the day proves this. No one listens to facts any more; no one listens to truth. One man proclaims something and millions of people just believe it to be true, and no amount of fact-checking can change their minds.
Unbeknownst to them, this is the definition of what makes up a cult.
But never mind that. That’s not what this is about. This is about the value of listening, of hearing. And it is one of the reasons that I enjoy listening to God’s Word being read on the You Version Bible app on my phone (or tablet). Hearing God’s Word is different than reading it. Many portions of it were intended to be read, out loud.
Take Paul’s letters, for example. Those were delivered to a “church” in a specific city, and then circulated around, to different homes and read out loud to the people in each house that made up the “church” in that particular city.
In his book, Reversed Thunder, Eugene Peterson has a whole section on the value of hearing God’s Word, as opposed to reading words on a page. It’s quite fascinating, actually.
What was it that the psalmist heard? It was the deeds of God Almighty, “in days long ago.” It was the fact that the people of God did not win battles with their swords, or by the strength of their arms. It was the “right hand” of God, His arm, “and the light of [His] face” that won the battles for them.
It was His love that drove it all. Now, go back up there and read that quote from Henri Nouwen again. When we see that we are lovable (and we truly are, according to God), we can, then, reach out to others with that love. And when the light of the face of God is shining upon us (remember that bit in the Aaronic blessing?), any alleged risk that is involved in reaching out to someone else in love, is dissipated . . . it completely dissolves.
The light of the Face of God is . . . I can’t even think of a good word to describe it, so it is indescribable.
So it is God, we see, who gives us victory over our enemy, not our own strength.
And it is God who is about to lead His people out of Egypt in the passage from Exodus. We see them making the preparations for what will forever be known as Passover. And the sign that they are prepared is blood, on the doorposts of their homes.
Father, I thank You for Your strength, for the power of Your right hand and Your arm, and for the light of Your holy face that shines upon us, each day. May we recognize these truths, and the fact that Your love shines down on us, showing us that we are, in fact, lovable, even though we may think we are not. Then help us to take that love and reach out to a shattered, hurting, world with it, knowing that we are secure in You, and that there is nothing that the world can do, ultimately, to harm us.
I pray that we, Your Church, would work for the common good and benefit of all mankind. I pray that “deep care, bold love, and rich community” would be experienced within the Church, by all who make their way into her. I pray for new local churches to be formed and planted by people who know You and Your love. May the light of Your face shine upon us all.
"Saving God, by the blood of Christ the angel of death passes over us and you set us on the road to freedom. May the bread and cup of communion always remind me that Christ offered himself so I might go free. I am so grateful for the freedom from slavery to sin and death that comes through Jesus, my spotless Passover Lamb. Amen."
BLESSING
Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
(Exodus 15:2 WEB)
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.
(Isaiah 61:11 ESV)
And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis 1:11-12 ESV)
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
(1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV)
And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.
(Zechariah 14:20-21 ESV)
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
(Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)
Everything that we do can be considered holy to the Lord, no matter what. Every utensil we use in the process can be considered holy to Him.
I pray for peace in our nation, peace in our world. I pray for racial injustice to end, and I pray for the pandemic to be over. Above all else, though, I pray for Your will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10 ESV)
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 