Tag: Christ

Phone it in Friday XLVI: Christmas Break Begins!

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At long last, Christmas Break has arrived!

I take it for granted that most people don’t get two weeks off at Christmas.  Frankly, that should be the norm; in some ways, it seems to be, at least in “white-collar” work.  When I was working my one major job outside of education, I don’t think my office phone rang for two days.  E-mails came in at a trickle.  If I had the work ethic then that I have now, I would have knocked out a lot of little tasks; instead, I read Wikipedia entries and took it easy in the mostly-empty office.

We may not appreciate the True Meaning of Christmas anymore, but there’s still a very strong, vestigial reverence for this season.  Everything shuts down for a week or two; everyone is cheery; and everybody is enjoying parties and family time.  There’s a general sense that this time is not meant for working, but for indulging in fatty foods with loved ones.  Late nights by the fire, reminiscing about departed family, remember old glories and ancient stories—that’s Christmastime.

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Open Mic Adventures LX: “Silent Night”

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We’re getting into the cozy part of the Christmas season, with plenty of cold nights spent bundled up by the light of the Christmas tree, sipping hot chocolate and wearing sweaters.  It’s the hygge, and yours portly couldn’t be happier.

Naturally, all this cozy Christmas cheer gets me thinking about Christmas carols, and few carols capture the quiet peace of Christmas quite like “Silent Night.”

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Lazy Sunday CXXXI: Chapel Lessons, Part II

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It’s another Lazy Sunday, and another look back at some of my short chapel devotionals:

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

Lazy Sunday CXXX: Chapel Lessons, Part I

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Sometimes I fill in for our chaplain at school, which I always treat as a humbling opportunity to share some bit of biblical wisdom with our students.  I can only pray these seeds fall onto fertile soil and bear fruit:

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

TBT^65,536: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!

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It’s kind of humorous to consider that the very first “It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle” post from 2017 reflected upon my dangerous fall from a ladder, resulting in a broken wrist, as I am not celebrating Thanksgiving with a broken ankle (so far, the ankle has been going a bit better than the wrist).  I’ve been incredibly blessed throughout the entire process, as I’ve noted multiple times across other posts.

I haven’t always been grateful.  I’ve been upset with some of the lackluster response to my creative output, and have perhaps been overly vocal about it on this blog.  Part of me thinks that after five years of slogging away, I’d have something to show for this blog.  If a million words or so isn’t read, do they truly exist?

But I shouldn’t complain too much.  I did well in October with Bandcamp Friday, even if it was below my expectations.  It was actually my second best day on Bandcamp.

My personal life is in a much better place now than it was a year ago at this time, too.  I’ve lost some weight and am dating a very sweet flight attendant, which is kind of the equivalent of the nerdy liar who would claim he was dating a Canadian supermodel (but mine is real, I promise!).  We don’t get to see each other as much as either of us would like, but we’re both fairly independent people, so it works out nicely.

Murphy is doing well, too, although she’s been chewing her paws a bit lately.  Something to get checked out as soon as we can get to the vet.

All in all, I’m extremely blessed:  a good house, a good family, a good dog, a good job—all thanks to a good God.

With that, here’s “TBT^256: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!“:

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Chapel Lesson: Exploring God’s Creation

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My school’s chaplain—a truly amazing man of God—is struggling in the hospital as I write these words.  Please lift Father Jason Hamshaw up in your prayers, dear readers.  I do not know the nature of his affliction, but the last I heard, he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which never bodes well.  He is a relatively young man, and a loving husband and father.  One of his sons is a student here at my school.  Pray, and pray hard.

Because he is in the hospital, I was asked to deliver the chapel lesson/devotional/homily the morning of Thursday, 26 October 2023.  Here is the devotional I wrote, with a huge debt of gratitude to The Daily Encouraging Word, which I substantially adapted and modified for this lesson:

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Myersvision: Audre’s Exorcism

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Last Thursday Audre Myers e-mailed me a comment for my post “TBT^4: Things That Go Bump in the Night” (she’s having some issues logging into WordPress to comment—d’oh!).  I asked if I could post it on the blog as its own post, and she agreed.

The title I’ve given her comment-post is a bit of artistic license; I’m sure Audre would not call it an “exorcism,” but she definitely cast something out in the Name of Jesus Christ.

It’s become a trope in horror films, especially of the demonic possession variety, that messing around with fortune telling, Ouija boards, etc., opens one up to demonic influence.  I suspect that our habitual sins open us up far more frequently, but I also strongly believe we shouldn’t mess around with the occult, even in a supposedly playful manner.  I know Ouija boards are mass-produced by Milton Bradley, which somehow takes away some of the demonic mysticism of them; still, I imagine Satan loves the Industrial Revolution and mass production.

We have victory in Jesus.  Praise the Lord!

With there, here is Audre’s fascinating tale of victory in Christ:

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Myersvision: Alexander Scourby

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Growing up, I remember pastors championing the King James Version of the Bible as the only reliable translation.  It is, indeed, exceptional—and, even for a hyperintelligent Übermensch like yours portly, exceptionally difficult to read.  I now primarily use the New King James Version, which retains the KJV’s accuracy, while updating the syntax and language for modern readers.

That said, the NKJV still loses some of the poetry of the KJV.  Christianity is a reading religion, but it’s also a spoken one, and like all poetry, the Bible is meant to be read aloud.  Not many of us do it well.  When it’s done right, however, it pierces our souls.

Audre Myers graciously wrote this beautiful piece about the recorded King James Version, available on YouTube.  Actor Alexander Scourby reads the entire Bible, and from the videos I’ve listened to so far, it’s gorgeous.

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