Today is Wednesday, the eighteenth of August, 2021.
Shalom Aleichem!
Day 23,169
Tomorrow is S’s birthday!!
Today is Bad Poetry Day. Shall I regale your senses with some awful poetry? The best example that I know of is Vogon Poetry, known from Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide “trilogy.” An example follows:
Oh freddled gruntbuggly, Thy micturations are to me, (with big yawning) As plurdled gabbleblotchits, in midsummer morning On a lurgid bee, That mordiously hath blurted out, Its earted jurtles, grumbling Into a rancid festering confectious organ squealer. [drowned out by moaning and screaming] Now the jurpling slayjid agrocrustles, Are slurping hagrilly up the axlegrurts, And living glupules frart and stipulate, Like jowling meated liverslime, Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes, And hooptiously drangle me, With crinkly bindlewurdles,mashurbitries. Or else I shall rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon, See if I don't!
The word for today is vamoose. Most folks probably know what this means. We tend to use it as a synonym for “hurry up!” The literal meaning is “to leave hurriedly or quickly; decamp.”
Today’s quote, from the great Henry David Thoreau, is, “The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.”
Before I get to the birthdays, I want to talk about yesterday. It was my first day at the new, part time, job as a library aide for the Hurst Library. It was wonderful. I’ve already told several people that I have not been this happy at a job since my very first job, when I worked as an attendant at a local miniature golf course, which was owned by the family of one of my childhood best friends.
I learned quite a bit, yesterday, and I will get to see how much of it I remember when I go back at 1:00 PM today. My shift today is only four hours, 1:00 – 5:00. As previously stated, I am a “floater,” going between circulation, the computer center, and shelving. I will be training in circulation for the first two weeks, then moving on to one of the other areas. I believe I have met all of the managers, as well as the Library Director and Assistant Director. I even learned a few things that I probably won’t be doing, just to see the processes.
I already have a library card, which I processed, myself. I have not used it, yet, though. One of C’s former work friends quipped on Facebook that she wondered how many books I would bring home the first day. Well, I didn’t bring home any. Hah!
One of the coolest things this library has (I was totally blown away by this) is the technology on the outside book drop. As books are placed on the conveyor, one at a time, the system scans the book, and then sorts it into one of five different canvas totes, inside the building. Pretty amazing. It’s not a super-deep sort, but it sorts between adult books, youth books, and media, and I forget what the other two totes are for.
So, yesterday, I had experience checking out books, checking them in (which involves mostly scanning them to see if the drop system already processed them) capturing holds for customers, creating new library accounts, modifying existing accounts, and some sorting, as well. It was a great day, and I really enjoyed the people I worked with.
C asked me, while I was on my lunch break, if I was happy. I sent her this:
I would be even happier if 1) the Social Security people would get off their you-know-whats and get my benefits processed, 2) the sleep study folks would get back with my doctor, and 3) my COBRA information would arrive in the snail mail so I can get my health insurance going again.
I’m not asking for much, right?
And now for the birthdays:
1587 1st English child born in New World (Virginia Dare)
1750 Antonio Salieri, Italian composer (Tarare), born in Legnago, Republic of Venice (d. 1825) (accused of murdering Mozart in Amadeus)
1774 Meriwether Lewis, American explorer, soldier and public administrator who helped lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition, born in Ivy, Virginia (d. 1809)
1834 Marshall Field, American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company, born in Conway, Massachusetts (d. 1906)
1856 Charles H. Gabriel, American Gospel composer, born in Wilton, Iowa (d. 1932)("Send the Light")
1873 Otto Harbach, American songwriter (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes), born in NYC, New York (d. 1963)
1904 [Francis] Max Factor, American CEO of Max Factor Cosmetics, born in St. Louis, Missouri
1920 Shelley Winters [Schrift], American actress (Lolita, A Place in the Sun, A Patch of Blue & Poseidon Adventure), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2006)
1925 Brian Aldiss, British sci-fi author (Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, Helliconia trilogy), born in East Dereham, Norfolk (d. 2017)
1927 Rosalynn Smith Carter, American 1st lady (1977-1981), born in Plains, Georgia
1928 Marge Schott, American MLB owner (Cincinnati Reds), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 2004)
1933 Roman Polanski, Polish-French film director; US fugitive (Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Pirates), born in Paris, France (married to Sharon Tate at the time of the Manson murders
1934 Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (15 x MLB All Star; World Series 1960, 71 [MVP]; Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Carolina, Puerto Rico (d. 1972)
1934 Vincent Bugliosi, American attorney and author (Helter-Skelter), born in Hibbing, Minnesota (d. 2015)(it has been alleged that much of what he wrote in Helter Skelter is inaccurate)
1936 Robert Redford, American actor (Sting, Candidate, Natural, Great Gatsby), born in Santa Monica, California; still alive at 85
1943 Martin Mull, American actor and comedian (Bad Manners, Flick, Serial), born in Chicago, Illinois
1945 Sarah Dash, American rock vocalist (Patti LaBelle & Bluebirds), born in Trenton, New Jersey
1949 Nigel Griggs, English musician (Split Enz), born in Hatfield, United Kingdom
1950 Dennis Elliott, English rock drummer (Foreigner), born in London, England
1952 Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (Dirty Dancing, Ghost), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2009)
1957 Denis Leary, American actor and comedian (Rescue Me), born in Worcester, Massachusetts
1957 Ron Strykert, Australian rock guitarist (Men At Work-Who Can it Be), born in Korumburra, Victoria
1958 Madeleine Stowe, American actress (Tropical Snow, Bad Girls), born in Los Angeles, California
1969 Christian Slater, American actor (Robin Hood, Untamed Heart, Heathers), born in New York City, New York
1969 Edward Norton, American actor (American History X), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1970 Malcolm Jamal Warner, American actor (Theodore-Cosby Show), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
1977 Régine Chassagne, Canadian musician (Arcade Fire), born in Montreal, Quebec
1978 Andy Samberg, American comedian and actor (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), born in Berkeley, California
1981 Jon Schneck, American musician (Relient K), born in Eustis, Florida
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The LORD has ascended with trumpets blaring.
Sing praises to God,
sing praises;
sing praises to our King,
sing praises!
For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm.
(Psalms 47:5-7 NLT)
Today I am grateful:
1. for how well the first day on the new job went; 2. for the hope of someday hearing those shouts and trumpets blaring around Your throne; 3. that You are a fortress within a fortress; a citadel within a citadel; doubly secure and impregnable; 4. that because of the work of Jesus Christ, I dwell within You and Your fortresses, and there is no safer place I could be 5. that You are my God for ever and ever.
Scriptures and Prayers from Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year
ORDINARY TIME – WEEK THIRTEEN – DAY FOUR
INVITATION
Hallelujah! Thank GOD! And why? Because he’s good, because his love lasts.
(Psalms 106:1 MSG)
As I pause in this quiet, I think about praising God. The question, “Why?” in the middle of The Message translation helps me to realize that I really don’t need a reason, do I? But in case I do, the psalmist provides one; a simple one. Praise Him (that’s what “hallelujah” means . . . “praise the LORD”) because He is good, because His steadfast love is everlasting. I meditate on this as I attempt to fend of temptations and distractions.
BIBLE SONG
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.
God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.
Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,
consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
(Psalms 48:1-3, 12-14 NIV)
BIBLE READING
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
(Exodus 14:5-6, 10-14 NIV)
DWELLING: SILENCE AND MEDITATION
As I enjoy the presence of the Lord, this morning, I read these passages, looking for something that stirs my soul. Some of these thoughts will translate into prayers as I meditate on them.
Psalm 48 is full of the imagery of protection. Raised high on a mountain, the City of God is, itself, a fortress. But look at the language. Verse 3 says that the Lord is in her citadels. The word translated “citadels” in the NIV is ‘armôn, which means, “to be elevated.” The KJV translates it “palaces;” the NLT says “towers;” the ESV also says “citadels.”
But then, it says that the Lord, who is within her citadels, is her “fortress.” This word, misgab, is an “inaccessible place.” It is “refuge” in KJV, “defender” in NLT, and “fortress” in ESV. Oddly enough, The Message renders it “impregnable,” which is closer to the literal meaning of the Hebrew word.
Disclaimer: I know virtually no Hebrew. All of this is coming from a resource I have on my computer, e-Sword.
So, the way I’m reading this is that God’s holy city, His holy mountain, is a fortress within a fortress. It is at least doubly-secured, and it is impregnable. The last three verses of the psalm are instructing the reader to walk around this fortress, count the towers, consider the ramparts (more defensive wording, indicating thick walls), view the citadels.
“This God is our God for ever and ever.”
And this God was the same God who led the people of Israel out of Egypt. And when Pharaoh changed his mind (again) and chased them, they found themselves trapped between his army and the Red Sea. They turned against their leader (as humans are wont to do) and said things like, “So what?? You led us out here just so we could die here?? We should have stayed in Egypt!” (They would make similar statements over the course of the next few years, as well.)
Moses’s response was one of the best speeches in Scripture.
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
(Exodus 14:13-14 NIV)
Where do you feel trapped today? (I sound like a preacher giving an invitation.) But seriously. What, in your life, has you afraid? See the words of the Sons of Korah and Moses.
Our God, who is God for ever and ever, is an impregnable fortress, within the fortress of His holy city, His holy mountain. This city we will someday see coming down out of heaven, as seen in Jesus’s Revelation to St. John. Go back and read that word . . . IMPREGNABLE. “Unable to be captured or broken into; unable to be defeated or destroyed; unassailable.”
Just sit back and let that sink in for a moment.
Do you believe it?
Father, I praise Your Name! Why? Because You alone are worthy of it, for one thing. But if I need other reasons, there are plenty here, today. I praise You that You are my fortress, my ramparts, my citadel, and that You dwell within another citadel/fortress, known as Your holy city. You are a fortress within a fortress, a high, lofty refuge that is unable to be captured, broken into, defeated, or destroyed. And I, along with all the saints, past, present, and future, dwell within You. There is no safer place for me to be.
And it is from this safe place, this citadel, that I cry out to You on behalf of all world leaders, governments, and needs of this world, that You would rise up and defend the needy and oppressed of this world. Take down corrupt powers, Father, and help those who need Your help. I lift up the continent of Australia, that they might feel Your presence among them today. And I pray for all areas where there is war and strife, most especially, today, the country of Afghanistan. I also pray for Your protection over our brothers and sisters in that country.
"Faithful God, this life is filled with more than enough trouble and tears to dominate my vision and distract me from seeing you. When captured by anxiety, I turn defensive and hostile, of no use to you or others. Take the blinders of fear away and turn my eyes to heaven, to see you and be confident of your goodness, so that I can once again serve you here on earth. Amen."
BLESSING
Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.
(Psalms 16:11 MSG)
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV)
But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
(Ruth 1:16 ESV)
from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
(Ephesians 4:16 ESV)
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
(1 Corinthians 3:9 ESV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
(Ephesians 6:10 ESV)
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
(1 John 4:9 ESV)
Or, perhaps, that He might live through us.
I pray for our world, today. The pandemic rages on, and people have grown complacent about it, especially in my country. Please heal us, Lord, and take this plague from our midst. Turn our attention toward You again, and away from politics and politicians. Even Your own people, those who claim to follow Jesus, have slipped into this trap, Lord. We care little for those around us and have embraced a form of “patriotism” that has become idolatry. Heal Your Church, Father. Turn our eyes toward Jesus, and Him alone. May we look full in His wonderful, beautiful face, so that the things of earth will grow strangely dim.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.
(Psalms 59:16 ESV)
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 