Of the Week

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying , Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish

Artist: Marcus Warner Album: Liberation Year: 2014 "This world is but canvas to our imaginations." Henry David Thoreau

book cover image (used by permission of Scroll Publishing) Author: David Bercot Year: 1999 Most people today don't know very much about the Christian missionary Patrick, and many of the myths about him are simply not true. However, the real story of Patrick's life is a truly remarkable one. David Bercot's book Let Me Die in Ireland  tells this story. But Let Me Die in Ireland is more than just a history book; its story-telling style makes it an enjoyable read. Bercot used Patrick's writings, historical information, modern research, and even personal visits to the English and Irish countrysides as the basis of his work. Patrick's story shows us what it means to follow Christ, no matter the cost. He was a man of God devoted to prayer, and we can learn much from his example.  I highly recommend this book. You can purchase Let Me Die in Ireland from Scroll Publishing.  Here are the options: individual book Kindle edition evangelism rate audio book

Language Classical Latin contains 23 letters. 23 is XXIII in Roman numerals and 二十三 in Chinese symbols. Mathematics 23 is 10111 in the binary numbering system, 27 in octal, and 17 in hexadecimal. According to the birthday paradox, in a group of 23 (or more) randomly chosen people, the probability is more than 50% that some pair of them will have the same birthday. 23! is 23 digits long in base 10. Only three other numbers have this property: 1, 22, and 24. 23 is a happy number :-) Bible Tola Judged Israel for 23 years (Judges 10:1-2). The 23rd Psalm is perhaps the best-known Biblical Psalm. Jehoahaz was 23 when he began to reign over Judah (2 Kings 23:31, 2 Chronicles 36:2). In Jeremiah 25:3, Jeremiah said that he had received and proclaimed God's Word for 23 years (up to that point). The 23rd verse of the New Testament (Matthew 1:23) cites the 23rd book of the Bible (Isaiah). Years In 23 BC,  Herod Archelaus was born. In AD 23,  Pliny the Elder was born. S

As of the date of this post, these are some of my favorite national anthem melodies. This ranking was made based on my preference for the music without respect to any of the words of these anthems. The purpose of this post is to share good melodies, not to inspire patriotism toward any earthly nation. Just in case you're curious, some of the runner-ups were Finland / Estonia, Mongolia, Marshall Islands, Sweden, Samoa, Cook Islands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ireland. [2017-06-27 edit: I also like the second half of the South African national anthem.] 20. Zimbabwe 19. Austria 18. New Zealand (one of two) 17. Somalia 16. Canada 15. Spain 14. Israel 13. Malawi 12. Australia 11. France See my  post from 2017-02-25  for the top 10 . . . " if a man were permitted to make all the ballads he need not care who should make the laws of a nation" Andrew Fletcher