Of the Week

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow      When I compare What I have lost with what I have gained, What I have missed with what attained,   Little room do I find for pride.      I am aware How many days have been idly spent; How like an arrow the good intent   Has fallen short or been turned aside.      But who shall dare To measure loss and gain in this wise? Defeat may be victory in disguise;   The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide. "a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again" Proverbs 24:16 ASV

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men . And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And ...

Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it , and brake it , and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vin...

Created in September 2016, this 3D art piece is about 19 inches wide,  15⅝ inches high, and  ¾ inches deep. Pins are nailed into the painted piece of wood, and black string is wrapped around those pins to depict a musical score. The musical selection is the very ending of Amen, which is the very last chorus of Handel's oratorio Messiah. You can hear the specific section in this video from 7:04 to the end (you might want to turn down your volume). "And the four beasts said, Amen." Revelation 5:14

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...

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

As of the date of this post, these are my favorite ten 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. So here goes the countdown! 10. Namibia 9. Bahamas 8. Russia 7. United States 6. Tanzania / Zambia / South Africa (half) 5. Kosovo 4. Wales 3. Germany 2. Netherlands 1. United Kingdom / New Zealand (one of two) / Liechtenstein "fear thou the LORD and the king" Proverbs 24:21

Words: John Fawcett Music: Hans Georg Nägeli Arrangement:  Low­ell Ma­son Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love; The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that above. Before our Father’s throne We pour our ardent prayers; Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one Our comforts and our cares. We share each other’s woes, Our mutual burdens bear; And often for each other flows The sympathizing tear. When we asunder part, It gives us inward pain; But we shall still be joined in heart, And hope to meet again. This glorious hope revives Our courage by the way; While each in expectation lives, And longs to see the day. From sorrow, toil and pain, And sin, we shall be free, And perfect love and friendship reign Through all eternity. "the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness  before God, even ou...

A Mac and Its Chauffeur August 2016 You Lookin' At Me? August 2016 Not Seen August 2016 Simple Still Life August 2016 Open Composition August 2016 Abstract Chairs August 2016 Abstract September 2016 Pencil Bag—Gone Wild September 2016 Drapery—or a Striped Mountain? September 2016 Pattern of Love September 2016 The Pillar Box September 2016 Pinwheel Galaxy September 2016 Crumpled September 2016 24-hour Clock September 2016 Hallway in Wake Forest, NC October 2016 Perspectives October 2016 Dishing Up October 2016 Pillar October & November 2016 Reflections November 2016 Complementary Colors November 2016 Copy of Winslow Homer's Sailing off Gloucester 2016 (Homer's: c. 1880) "drawing is the basis of art" Arshile Gorky

Photo by Allan Stanglin (u sed by permission) Retrieved from allanstanglin.com Poet: Sidney Lanier Year: 1880 Into the woods my Master went, Clean forspent, forspent. Into the woods my Master came, Forspent with love and shame. But the olives they were not blind to Him, The little gray leaves were kind to Him: The thorn-tree had a mind to Him When into the woods He came. Out of the woods my Master went, And He was well content. Out of the woods my Master came, Content with death and shame. When Death and Shame would woo Him last, From under the trees they drew Him last: 'Twas on a tree they slew Him—last When out of the woods He came. "And  there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Luke 22:43-44 KJV

Through three points not in a straight line, one circle and only one can be passed. I got the exact wording of this geometric principle from A Beka Book's Plane Geometry  by F. Eugene Seymour, a book I used in my eleventh grade geometry class. In the text, this principle is found on page 166 as a corollary to Construction 12 (the construction of a circle around a triangle). Something about this corollary intrigued me, and it's one of those random facts I never forgot. " A circle is a round straight line with a hole in the middle. "   a schoolchild (quoted by Mark Twain)