In Remembrance

Mine eyes have seen the glory

of the coming of the Lord,

He is trampling out the vintage

Where the grapes of wrath are stored,

He has loosed the fateful lightning

of his terrible swift sword,

His truth is marching on.

Glory, Glory Hallelujah,
Glory, Glory Hallelujah,
Glory, Glory Hallelujah, His truth is marching on.

On the last Monday of May, we observe Memorial Day, a national remembrance of the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country.


2, 690 deaths so far in the war in Iraq

15,000,000 WWI

62,000,000 WWII

3,000,000 Vietnam

558,052 Civil War

A very special lady

In my short life, I have had the pleasure to come across an extremely special lady to whom this post is dedicated. Mrs. Gwendolyn Cole and her husband Ed live directly across the street from us and a little to the right. You'd know their house if you passed it, because it is a small mansion. Four stories tall, it sports a vast lawn and several gardens and several lovely gables. They are known to many as the patrons of Nacogdoches, sponsoring everything from the SFA music department, to the Fredonia hotel to LampLite to The Maryse Gobel Ballet Academy. Not only is Mrs. Gwen rich, she possesses the gift of great hospitality.

1 Peter 4: 8-11a
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."

These commandments are manifested in every action of Mrs. Gwen. When Liv was born we were invited to a splendid dinner. When Phil was born, we were treated to the same, as well as after every concert Dad performs, every time one of us is in the paper for some insignificant matter, and so on.

When the hurricane hit, Mrs. Gwen payed us a visit to, you guessed it, invite us to come live temporarily at their house, which we accepted, and ended up staying for three full weeks. It was heaven. We were each given our own room and given free run of the house. I tell you we never had a grander time! We explored to our heart's content, though we never did walk through it all. It seemed to go on and on, even bigger on the inside then it looks on the outside. They have a pump organ and a whole room full of hundreds of songs. But I never did find The Lord Bless You And Keep You, though I looked and looked. We were quick to learn how to play, the hard part was stopping. Heaven forbid we should play too much and make a nuisance of ourselves.

Last week, we were surprised by a visit from Mrs. Gwen and her husband, bearing presents! Ell and I received lovely china dishes to hold jewelry and such, perfect for what we have.

Mrs. Gwen loves everybody, and everybody loves Mrs. Gwen. She never grumbles, and is quick beyond quick to display a marvelous hospitality. The gifts she has are distributed around with much joy, and her words are always cheering. When your feeling sad, you can expect an uncannily timed phone call from Mrs. Gwen, telling you about the robin's egg she found in her rose bush, a treasure she found in a trunk somewhere, and once, she called to say she'd found The Lord Bless You And Keep You. I went over that very afternoon to play it.

Mrs. Gwen is a blessing from God, an angel in disguise. Do you know a person like that? Maybe not, for they are very rare indeed.

Say What?

A finred tlod me taht acnrdcoiog to a Cmigabrde sutdy, a haumn can raed mxied up wdors as lnog as the fsirt and lsat lrtetes are in pcale. Can you raed tihs? Amewsoe! Rhigt now I am rvignreoecg form a smactoh vruis taht I hvae now pesasd on to my eritne fmaliy. Not fun at all. My gatndrarpes are cnomig form Firdola taody and we are hniopg tehy do not ctach it! I can not beveile taht sohcol edns tihs week! Tehn…we dvie, rdeay or not, itno the flihfrulgty bsuy semumr slechdue. Ykeis. I’m ptintug a yboreaok totheegr, dnciang in a belalt ractiel, gniog to a blal, a moissin tirp to Tesensene, cchurh cmap, cohir cmap, dtebae cmap, a flaimy tirp to New Mcexio and I am poinerfrmg in the Ssaesuicl. All rhigt! Hree is one ccihk who wlil not be beord! So lnog, draes, and I hpoe yuor semumr wlil be a bslat.

Simple Treasures

This morning I was resting in bed when my two year old sister brought me a plastic horse.

"Sissy," she said, "What this called?"

"Horse."

Her face lit up. "It called 'Forsie'? "

"Yes, Forsie."

She began to point to each part of the horse, asking the names of them. I answered them to the best of my knowlege, thinking, "Joy could do this better..." Then she preceded to make it stand on the bed, which it refused to do. She looked up at me, her big blue eyes filled with grief. "Why forsie not sit up?"

I leaned over and helped her stand him up on the floor. She was almost ecstatic with delight. "Thank you! You good sissy! I love you!"

Then she skipped away, singing "Forsie eye, forsie ear, forsie tail..."

And I just sat there, all choked up. Thank God for Simple Treasures.

Once Saved Always Saved?

Following our discussion yesterday, I went home and looked up a few Bible references pertaining to the debate of "Once Saved Always Saved." I came up with some great verses: (Links have been privded to prove I didn't make them up! Just as further credit, you see)


Hebrews 6: 4-6 NLT
"For it is impossible to restore to repentance those who were once enlightened--those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come-- and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people to repentance again because they are nailing the Son of God to the cross again by rejecting him, holding him up to public shame."


Romans 8: 38-39 ESV
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

1 John 2:19 MSG
"They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong."

John 10:29 AMP
"My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."

Hebrews 13:5b NIV
"...God has said, 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.' "

John 6:37 NASB
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will certainly not cast out."

--This verse seems to be on the affirmative for predestination

Hebrews 10:10 NASB
"By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all."

Jude 1: 22; 24-25 NIV
"Be merciful to those who doubt...To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

Hebrews 7:25 NLT
"Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf."

Ephesians 4:30 NLT
"And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption."

In conclusion:

1) We are saved BY GOD

Titus 3:5a KJV
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.

2) We are supposed to produce fruit

John 13:35 NIV
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

3) So you fall away. Is the backslider still saved?

And here's the whammy!

1 Corinthians 3:13-15
"But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames."

Your Eyes Should Be Gray

Your eyes reflect: Intensity and drive What's hidden behind your eyes: A sensitive soul

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

No more math!!!!

Here is a problem that stumped me yesterday. Props to anyone who is clever enough to figure it out!

"A solution was prepared by mixing salt and water. A man found that the solution was too strong and he diluted 1350g of it with 750g of water. The new solution was then too weak so he added 1.2g of salt into the new solution and obtained a solution containing .9% salt. Find the percentage of salt in the original substance."

:-P

Here is a fun problem that is not exactly math, but is fun to think about.

"Three men walked into a hotel and intended to rent a room and split the cost between them. They were told it would be $30, so they each paid $10. The clerk then realized that the room cost only $25, so he sent the bellboy up with five $1 to refund the men. The bellboy did not know how to evenly refund the $5, so he gave each man $1 and kept the remaining $2. So, in effect, each man paid $9: He originally paid $10 and was given $1 back. So, (3 x 9 + 2 [the 2 that the bellboy kept] ) = 29. Where did the 30th dollar go?"

I actually don't think there's a solution; it's just a thinker. I think the problem lies when you say they paid $9 instead of $10, but I'm not sure.

The Longest Word in the Dictionary

Here are some of the longest words in the dictionary. They technically have names, but are used most often as "long words."

• Suoicodilaipxecitsiligarfilacrepus can be a medical term meaning "A lung infection caused by inhaling very fine silica dust."
• Floccinaucinihilipilification is "The estimation of somethig as worthless."
• And a village in Whales is christened the almost impossible "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch" If you want to attempt that, see My Welsh Pronunciation Guide

Now comes another doozy (what a fun word!), this with a story behind it. In true Da Vinci Code fashion, Sir Edward Lawrence-Durning tried to convince the world that Sir Francis Bacon was actually Shakespeare, using a pen name. As proof, he quotes from Act 5, Scene 1 from Love's Labour Lost:

"I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;
for thou art not so long by the head as
honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier
swallowed than a flap-dragon."

An anagram of honorificabilitudinitatibus is Hi ludi, F. Baconis nati, tuiti orbi. Literally translated from Latin to English, it means "These plays, F. Bacon’s offspring, are preserved for the world."

This is complete nonsense, of course. Shakespeare's plays were really written by Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford.

Scrabble Score

Enter your display name and let me know what your score is, if you even want to waste that much time!

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 21. What is your score? Get it here.

Really Sick

Some of you know that I have an evil youth minister. His favorite pastime is to invent cruel games with mandatory participation, such as three-legged races on the roof of buildings, Frisbee Golf in a pit of mud a foot and a half thick, and inventions we have to create that allow you to be suspended from rooftops for an hour. I remember once when we had to stack our team of 10 in a two foot square. But his favorites are the Eating Games. We always know when those are coming, because he grins smugly at us and says "Hell is coming upon you as we speak," or some other dreadful speech. We've eaten chocolate covered jalapenos, Big Mac shakes, and glasses of blended anchovies mixed with buttermilk. Yes, the memories of such games are a horror for all of us. Last night we were blessed with another Eating Game. The object was to be the first to down a whole gallon of prune jello through a straw. My competitive spirit pushed aside thoughts of the repelling black goo in front of me and I dove in. Twenty minutes later I sunk to the floor, losing by four measly seconds. For any of you that may be wondering, I have had pleasanter nights.

Vincent

One of the most beautiful songs ever written.

Listen to Vincent

Random

Les Miserables has been running on Broadway for eleven years. With a brilliant score written by Basil Poledouris, fans across the globe feast on this classic, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The plot goes that Jean Valjean, a young Frenchman is inprisoned for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family. When he is released, he is bitter and angry. No one will befriend him, save an old Bishop, who takes him into his home. The kind Bishop feeds the man, gives him new clothes and shoes, and makes sure he has everything he could want. The bitter Valjean repays this by stealing the Bishop's silver and running away. He is caught and the Bishop is called in to press charges. The Bishop comes in to the holding cell holding two sterling silver candlesticks. "Monsieur Valjean, you forgot the candlesticks!" He turns to the guard. "Monsieur, you are mistaken. This man did not steal the silver from me, I gave them to him. I fully appreciate you doing your suty to the country, but you may release him now." He looks at Valjean with the words Avec ces chandeliers j'ai acheté votre vie. Mon fils, vous êtes pardonné. "With these candlesticks I have bought your life. My son, you are forgiven." What a beautiful story.

The eternal connotations of coffee

Coffee is the second most produced product in the world, next only to oil. I heard a radio program this morning that presented a very interesting statment: Coffee, when ground, becomes a fragrant, delicious substance that can be turned into hot and cold drinks, flavoring for ice cream, cookies, and waffles, the industrial staple of an entire tropic island, and so much more. It's the same with us. When God grinds, squeezes, mashes us, when we are put under enormous pressure, then we can be turned into something fragrant and beautiful. That coffeee bean isn't of full value when it's in it's raw form. If we tell God to let us have and easy life, and not to let us suffer, than we are telling him "I want to do my own thing. I don't want to be something better - I'm happy where I am."

1 Peter 4:14
"If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, the spirit of Glory and of God rests upon you."

It'd not fun to be ground, but the rewards we will recieve in heaven are great indeed, for the suffering brings us close to God.

Matthew 5:10
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for my sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of God."

Will you ask God to grind you?

Battle Cry

We, a new generation of young Americans, in order to protect the heritage of our forefathers and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and generations to come, do affirm and pledge this declaration:

When character and morality are uncommon qualities,

When corporations and marketers seek to profit from our destruction,

When pop culture icons do not represent our values,

When Judeo-Christian beliefs are labeled as intolerant,

When activists seek to remove God from our schools,

When truth is deemed relative and unknowable,

It is necessary for us, the merging generation of young Americans, to stand for what is right and reclaim the values that have made our nation great. We call our nation to a higher standard, a lifestyle based

not on convenience, but on character,

not on what is easy, but on what is excellent,not on

what feels good, but on what is good,

not on popularity, but on principle,

not on what is tempting, but on what is true.

We, as young Americans, assert our right to determine our future and the future of our great nation. We hold these truths as our God-given rights, and we embrace them with our hearts and our lives:

We recognize that God, our Creator, is the source of all truth.

We will live with honor, always striving to do the right thing, even when it is unpopular. We will be honest and truthful in matters large and small, regardless of the consequences.

We will take responsibility for our actions, and not point to governments, schools, celebrities, parents, or friends to justify our wrong decisions.

We recognize that we are responsible for our mistakes. We will pursue purity throughout our lives.

We will not be seduced by a fabricated idea of sex and love.

We will save our bodies and hearts for our future spouses, and once married we commit to pursue faithful and enduring relationships.

We will see through the lies of drugs and alcohol and refuse to let any chemical influence our thinking or destroy our lives.

We will respect the authorities placed in our lives, even though some may not live as honorably as they should

We will honor our parents, teachers, and other leaders.

We will reach out with compassion to the hurting and less fortunate, both in our society and around the world.

We refuse to be absorbed with our own comforts and desires.

We recognize the value of each life, whether born or unborn, and we seek to protect those who are unable to protect themselves.

We will do our best to represent and communicate our Creator to our peers, leaders, and society as a whole.

We will work to see that every person has the opportunity to see and hear about the true nature of our God.

We refuse to sit idly by and witness the destruction of our generation.

With God's help, we envision a bright and prosperous future for the nation we love.

Listen to this

Wedding Vows

Currently Listening Genesis

Wedding Vows

The words spoken by a bride and groom on their wedding day are so beautiful and so powerful. Think about each word carefully as you read the traditional vow:

"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish."

A "religious" vow I heard once goes like this:

"(Name), I love you. I want to be your (husband/wife) so that we might serve Christ together. Through all of the uncertainties and trials of life, I promise to be faithful to you and love you, so that together we may grow in the likeness of Christ and that our home may be a praise to Him. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle.When our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in highest regard. I promise to be your confidante, always ready to share your hopes, dreams, and secrets. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, and eternally bonding. The ring I give you today is a never-ending circle, symbolizing God’s eternal love for us and our love for each other. With this ring, I thee wed, til death do us part."

Wow.

For the more humous and lighthearted ceremonies, one might consider this Dr. Seuss-inspired vow:

I will take you as my wife
And I will love you all my life,
I will have and I will hold
From now until the stars grow cold,
I’ll love you through the good and bad,
Whether or not I’m happy or sad,
I’ll love in sickness, and in health,
When we’re poor, and when in wealth,
And when we're fit, and when we're sick,
(Oh, CAN'T we get this finished quick?)
I’ll love you always with all my heart,
From now until death do us part,
I will love you through and through
From this moment on I say “I do”