The Saturday Edition

While the little sugar seekers are out I figure is the best time to cloister away in a darkened house and post the Saturday Edition. This will also serve as a good stimulus to post early, which is what I have been trying to accomplish anyway.

The Poet's Corner

As I sit here in my niche
My nose begins to itche.
I cannot tell why,
Or even try
Not to flinche or twitche, for I itche!

(Ha! You thought somehow I would work in a witche, didn't you)?

That's it for tonight.
Good night!

Friday Quiz

Many famous people have met death at an early age. These two singers are no exception. The anagrams of their names are a jumble of their first and last names, mixed.

LESLIE SPLERV         WISHMAN KALLI

T.G.I.F.

On the eve of a day with different meanings to different people, we will take a look at October 31 in tonight's blog.

Answers to Last Week's Friday Quiz

The waterfowl was a wood duck.

The camouflaged bird was a ruffed grouse.

The three types of buffalo pictured were:
American buffalo or bison, water buffalo, and Cape buffalo.
Sorry that the last one was cropped. I need to learn how to size the big ones.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world. ~ William Shakespeare

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us! ~ An Old Scottish Saying

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!" ~ Dexter Kozen

Those seemingly interminable dark walks between houses, long before street-lit safety became an issue, were more adrenalizing than the mountains of candy filling the sack. Sadly Halloween, with our good-natured attempts to protect the little ones, from the increasingly dangerous traffic and increasingly sick adults, has become an utter bore. ~ Lauren Springer

...And speaking of the dark, there have been some dark things written of history and historians.

Historians are gossips who tease the dead. ~Voltaire, Scribbling Books

History is the sum total of the things that could have been avoided. ~ Konrad Adenauer

The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice. ~ Mark Twain, Following the Equator

A history in which every particular incident may be true may on the whole be false. ~ Thomas Babington Macaulay

Perhaps history is a thing that would stop happening if God held His breath, or could be imagined as turning away to think of something else. ~ Herbert Butterfield, Christianity and History

Humor

Tennessee

A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

Arkansas

The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch.
The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head."
"Yep", he replied. "That's why I dumpin' it here, cause it says: 'Fine For Dumping Garbage'."

A Thought about October 31

Little did Martin Luther realize when he nailed his theses to the church door on this day in history, that the Reformation would lead to the denominations of the protest we call Protestantism. His attempt to reform the church was just that, to bring about change that was much needed. Had he known that this day in history would be marked as the first day of the Reformation, perhaps he would not have chosen such a widely celebrated day.

Rarely, however, does one consider the day on which something as monumental as this is in the works. If anything, Martin Luther would have considered the traffic in and out of the building which would bring people who could read Latin past this door. The laity could not read it, only students and clergy. If the clergy saw it first it may disappear before very many students saw it. The holiday would be the best chance that a lot of students could get to read it before the professors got to it, so that is how Halloween also became Reformation Day.

Thursday's Thoughts

Once again it is getting late, and I have not posted. Why do so many things get put off until the last possible moment? Don't tell me, I think I know.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"You can judge the quality of their faith from the way they behave. Discipline is an index to doctrine." ~ Tertullian (160 - 225)

Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to proceed into a funeral home as a mourner, as this will be the end of all men, than traveling to the local tavern to drink — and the living take it to heart. ~ Solomon (RSVP to God)

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. We should live for the future, and yet find our life in the fidelities of the present; the last is only the method of the first." ~ Henry Ward Beecher (1813 - 1887)

A Thought to Share

Live a disciplined life with as much as the Lord has given you to accomplish it. I have vacillated from being undisciplined to disciplined and back again. I can say from experience living self-disciplined lives is far better, "for the Lord disciplines those He loves." And "no discipline for the moment seems pleasant."

Tertullian understood this, but using his wisdom to judge others is not how Christians are called to live their lives. Solomon knew the difference, but tried every way that there was to live. In the end, he soured on life itself, because he did not include God in many of his years. "Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth."

He still retained the ability to give sound advice to the end, without maintaining the ability to follow through in his own life. His wives turned his heart from following God. He looked at his approaching day of death as a thing to be desired more than his birthday. Being around that many women might cause any man to feel the same.

Look forward to tomorrow without trepidation. Take hold of it by both handles. Place the handle of anxiety in the hand of God and live by faith. Look for opportunities to praise Him. Commit your day to Him and the way you live it, and He will direct and order it for you. Our future is, after all, already in His hands.

Humor

North Carolina

NEWS FLASH! - North Carolina's worst air disaster occurred when a small two-seat Cessna 150 plane, piloted by two University of North Carolina students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today. Search and Rescue workers have recovered 300 bodies so far and expect the number to climb as digging continues into the evening.

The pilot and copilot survived and are helping in the recovery efforts.


South Carolina

A man in South Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.

The man replied, "I have a flat tayre."

The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"

The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back. I never did understand it neither."

Wacky Wednesday

Since I missed Tuesday's post I will make a noble effort to post tonight before midnight.

Today's Quote

"There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men." ~ Billy Graham

Humor

Louisiana
A senior at Louisiana U was overheard saying, "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana." When asked why he replied, "I'd rather be in Louisiana because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world."

Mississippi
A young man in Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"
Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?"
The young man answered, "I didn't have time to look, but I got the license number."

A Question for You

Pardon me if I diverge from the normal line of Bible questions to ask something for which I have no answer, nor have I heard anyone address.

Why does the Genesis account not record the creation of sound?
Was it created at all? Does it exist as a created thing, or is God's
creation limited to the things we can see and touch?

If sound was created, when was it created? Was it before God called light into existence? If not, what is the meaning of "And God said..."? If before, what was the medium in which it traveled, since sound cannot exist in a vacuum?

The last question is based on the science of sound, but there is also the philosophy of sound which is spawned by the question, "When a tree falls in a forest with no ear to hear, is there a sound?" Philosophically then to some, the ear would have to come before the sound.

Pardon the digression, it is only an example of my consternation. As important as sound is to the "Thus saith the Lord" of scripture, the question remains, "Why does the Genesis account omit sound?"

Monday Madness

When things fit neatly together we feel good about them. The way words form sentences and sentences fit together to make a paragraph is an accepted format that would make us all cringe if suddenly it were any other way. We all resist change to one degree or another. In any change, things do not seem to fit the way we were accustomed to having them.
"Don't call it change, call it 'progress'", we are told. Does that really make any difference? Today's quotes are on the theme of progress. See how they fit together.

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

"All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” ~ C.S. Lewis

"All progress is experimental." ~ John Jay Chapman

“Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity.” ~ Thor Heyerdahl

"Is it progress if a cannibal uses a fork?" ~ Stanislaw J. Lec

What level we have progressed to now? It all seems to prove --

"The more things change, the more they remain the same." ~ Alphonse Karr

Humor

This weeks jokes consist of a series poking fun at us Southerners. I can laugh along with the rest of them.

Alabama

A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck.

"Where's Henry?" the others asked.

"Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied.

"You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back?" they inquired.

"A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one is going to steal Henry!"

Sunday Praise

It can be found in abundance in many places, but it is not sold in any store. It is not available in all circumstances, but it is desirable in many. Some people would pay a great deal of money for it, but it cannot be bought at any price. It can be obtained without money and maintained at very little cost. Those that have it in abundance may sometimes tire of it. If broken, it can be restored without charge. What is it? (Answer below)

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

I am not completely sold on the "any situation" of this quotation. It would follow that doing the wrong thing is better than doing nothing at all. This cannot be the case in any situation. While doing nothing when something must be done is definitely wrong, choosing between two good things does not make one of them wrong. Opinion often makes the call rather than results. Even considering only the results does not justify the means we choose to obtain the results. There are so many situations in life that we had better not apply generalizations that merely sound good. Bully!

"Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which though easy enough to understand is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

There is enough truth here to make this seem like a viable cause for hatred, but is it the real reason? The human heart cries out for justice. When the law is violated, law enforcement seeks to punish the violator. Hatred is not involved. The sinner and his sin are inseparable in the eyes of the law. Only the church of Jesus Christ can truly practice this, because only through Jesus comes forgiveness of sins.

The poison of hatred spreads in the world when there is no forgiveness. Injustice reaps vengeance where there is neither forgiveness nor punishment. Hatred flows from hearts that have never heard the gospel of Christ. Gandhi loved to point out inconsistencies in Christianity. That is not such a bad thing if we heed and correct them.

Humorous Quotes

How is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person? ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Why do they put the Gideon Bibles only in the bedrooms, where it's usually too late, and not in the barroom downstairs? ~ Christopher Morley, Contribution to a Contribution

If you wonder where your child left his roller skates, try walking around the house in the dark. ~ Leopold Fechtner

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. ~ Will Rogers

A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married. ~ H.L. Mencken

Biblical Quotes - What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1-6 "Faith is a firm foundation for us to build our hope upon, a conviction that something we cannot see does exist. On this basis our forefathers gained God's approval. Faith is understanding in our inner being that the spoken word of God set up time and eternity so that what we see may shine out of that which has not been made.
It was through faith Abel offered God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which it testified of him that he was righteous. God bore witness in respect to his gifts and through faith he still speaks, though dead.
It was through faith Enoch was changed so he did not have to experience death, and he was not found because God transferred him; for it was testified before the exchange that he lived to please God. So then without any faith it is entirely impossible to please God; for in coming to Him it is absolutely necessary to believe that He exists, and He is One who rewards those seeking for him." ~ From an unpublished manuscript, RSVP to God.

The Week's Best Link(s)

Tolerance and Religious Freedom

Just a note to explain why this link was selected. The couple spoke out for Jesus and against Mohamed in a way that offended Muslims at a scheduled debate in the couple's hotel. Anyone present was there by their own choice, yet one woman complained she was offended. The British Government then arrested them, imposed sanctions against their business, and released them while awaiting trial on criminal charges for what they said. It is a crucial bit of information concerning the way things are starting to go in another previously free country. We will be seeing more and more of this across Europe and the Americas as Islam strengthens its grip on the western world. Religious persecution will only be leveraged against Christians who name the name of Jesus. Tolerance applies to all others, and those who cry for tolerance the loudest will be the least tolerant of Christians.

ANSWER TO THE LEADING PARAGRAPH QUESTION: When you speak to name it, you break it. It is silence.