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Our Daily Thread 6-22-13

Good Morning!

Yay! It’s Saturday! 🙂

On this day in 1611 English explorer Henry Hudson, his son and several other people were set adrift in present-day Hudson Bay by mutineers.

In 1870 the U.S. Congress created the Department of Justice.

In 1942 a Japanese submarine shelled Fort Stevens at the mouth of the Columbia River.

In 1944 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the “GI Bill of Rights” to provide broad benefits for veterans of the war.

In 1945 during World War II, the battle for Okinawa officially ended after 81 days.

In 1970 President Richard Nixon signed 26th amendment, lowering the voting age to 18. 

And in 1992 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that hate-crime laws that ban cross-burning and similar expressions of racial bias violated free-speech rights.

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Quote of the Day

“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.”

Charles R. Swindoll

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It’s one of these fellas birthday, the one with matching initials.

It’s the lady with the wild hairs’ birthday too. So here’s one of her with normal hair.

And also Gary Beers from this group from the 80’s.

And on this day in 1959 Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” was released.

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Anyone have a QoD?

60 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 6-22-13”

  5. I watched the videos this morrning. What is not to love about four iconic musicians singing an almost iconic song. Cindy Lauper has a beautiful voice but her version of Unchained Melody moved much too slow. INXS what can you say, but that it was a shame how it all ended. Chuck Berry? No music history lesson can be without him and that clip was especially funny to me because I thought, there he is singing, dancing, playing the guitar, AND BREATHING. I can only do one of those things well and some question whether or not I can dance!
    What great talents –all of them.
    We have had several days of stormy weather bt it looks as though it is going to be a gorgeous day today. Amos is on the back of the sofa, looking out on his “window to the world” making sure the neighborhood is safe. Everyone else in the house is still snoozing.
    I am going to slowly begin my day. There is laundry to be done and other things to eat up my morning. I will check in later to see what you are up to.

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  6. Good morning! We are leaving for the airport in two hours. I’m all packed and ready to go! I’ve never been to the Cayman Islands, but always love the Caribbean. We have lots of fun activities planned. It should be a good trip. Just pray for no hurricanes!!!

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  8. Ann, my girls have been to the Caymans, but I haven’t! (They went, separately, with high school friends who are sisters, and the parents, who own property there.) Enjoy your trip.

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  9. Ah, the sounds of surf and sea breezes! I guess I have to settle for the sounds of barge boats and trains.

    Finally convinced Mrs L to turn on the a/c last night when it was 86° in the living room, meaning 90° in the bedrooms. I cannot sleep when sweating.

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  10. I’ll be at a beach of sorts today too. 🙂

    But it’s on a lake. We won’t swim there though. There’s an Olympic size pool nearby for that. Plus, I won’t swim anyway, I’ll be too busy fishin’. 🙂

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  13. Happy summer everyone. Not my favorite time of year generally (at least not since I haven’t had the summers “off”). But I still enjoy the first few weeks: the sense of being a bit more carefree, the Fourth of July, the smell of suntan lotion and salt water.

    I’m lucky enough to live in a place where the ocean, beaches and the sounds of the surf are a part of the everyday landscape.

    I’m hoping the temperatures will stay mild this year.

    A friend of mine just got back from Hawaii, looking forward to seeing all their pictures in the next few weeks when we get together.

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  14. Major marathon near us this weekend. The temperature at starting time was supposed to be 55 degrees. Some of you may want to plan a vacation up here during those hot months. 😉

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  15. 😦 I get my e-mail through Yahoo. Both thorugh my ATT DSL and a Chrome account. Every time I open my e-mail now, I have to sign with my pssword.
    Every time. It irritates me. I hate it.

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  16. The house is tidier. Mr. P has sanded the metal and repainting the utitlity trailer. Next he will seal the wood.
    Shhh….Amos hasn’t figured it out yet but he is about to get a bath.

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  17. I have a question. Real question.
    I know who Joel Osteen is, in that I recognize his picture.
    I have never heard Joel Osteen. What does he preach about?
    Is he an evangelist? I understand he has a large church in Texas.
    i.e. If a person says, “I listen to Joel Osteen a lot.” Does it mean that he hears the Gospel of Christ?
    I have a reason for asking.
    but I won’t say what it is.

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  18. No. (re: hearing the gospel). 😉

    He’s more akin to a motivational speaker, positive-positive-positive, has actually stated that he’s not gifted as a Bible expositor or theologian so he doesn’t major in that.

    Some clever person once moved one of his best-selling books over to the “What Others Believe” section in our local Christian bookstore. A good place for his books, in my mind.

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  21. Chas, there is an old expression in the South about someone’s “(poop) eating grin” That is what I think any time I see or hear Joel Osteen. I wouldn’t trust him to teach the gospel any further than I could throw him.

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  23. Cheryl – I just saw your reply to me from last week’s Rants & Raves. It’s wonderful – & amazing to me – that your sister won’t have to go to work to support herself & the children.

    Like you & your sister, we believed in a mother being home with her children. But Lee never made enough to afford a lot of insurance, or to put away enough to live on. If something had happened to him, I would have had to get a job.

    Having Emily & Forrest here, we feel pleased & privileged to be able to somewhat “subsidize” Emily. She has only worked part-time since Forrest was born. Now that she’ll be working with Lee, she’ll work 3 (full) days a week (approx. every other day), but have 4 days off.

    For her part, Emily is a hard & conscientious worker who would work full-time if she had to, but is glad she doesn’t have to. And she is appreciative of that fact.

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  25. Thanx Donna, and everyone. I suspected that. That’s the reason I asked the question. People can appear to be something at first, but it comes out.
    Not hypocracy here, just misguided.
    I’m not talking about him, but his followers.

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  26. “Preachers” like Joel Olsteen- Ask yourself, “Would I buy a used car form this man?” If the answer is no, then don’t trust his preaching either. Now I realize that preachers aren’t used car salesmen, but most super-mega-church, ultra popular preachers seem like it to me. I want honesty in a salesperson, but most of them are nothing but money grubbers. Jesus said they are ones who rob widow’s houses. A pastor I had way back said it grieved him when he was asked to be the executor of an elderly lady. when he saw all the mail from TV preachers begging for money, then saw her check book with many checks written them, he realized what they were. Gotta watch where we send God’s money. I have no problem with a preacher getting a decent salary and having a nice home and car, but these guys have multi-room mansions and fancier cars than the average person can afford. Does anyone remember the country song back in the 70s or 80s that asked if Jesus would wear a Rolex on his TV show, mocking the TV preachers of the day? My answer would be that Jesus would even have a TV show, that he would still have come as a poor common man and lived in the ghettos or a place like Appalachia, ministering to the people the TV preachers want nothing to do with.

    I’m getting down from my soapbox now.

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  27. Peter, my dad used to love to watch televangelists so that he could point out the flaws in what they said and did. I can guarantee you he didn’t sent any of them money. About the best one as far as doctrine was the Prince guy from Asia somewhere. Thankfully I have not acquired that habit. One of my aunts went to Orel Roberts University and worked in the hospital there. I am sure they do good work, but I still suffer some of the damage inflicted by teachers who were graduates of Bob Jones University. Sometimes when I tell one of my priests some of my background he shakes his head and says it’s a wonder I even darken the doors of a church.
    Speaking of darkening the doors of a church, I need to get moving. I have a busy day.

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  28. It is important to not throw out the baby with the bath water. If no Christians use the television or any other media followed by millions of people every single day, all those people will be left with only the views and preaching of non-believers. If because there are false preachers, all should stay off the tube, it follows that all should also stay out of the pulpits of any church, because there are false preachers there also.

    Jesus went to the public spaces of the Jews. Paul extended that to the public places of the pagans. We are not all called to a public place, but some are. We must be careful about blanket statements.

    In addition, there are multitudes of people who cannot, for whatever reason, get to a physical church. They can be ministered to by someone on television or computer. Others can be ministered to during hours that one has no church opened to them. I know people who dreaded the middle of the night, when they lost loved ones. Long hours that could be filled hearing words of hope, instead of going to a casino, which are opened all night long, is just one example of some of the blessing of GOOD preachers on the media.

    Peter and Paul said there were already false teachers in the church during their time. Has it gotten worse? Oh, yes. All the more reason to support good preachers and churches, Christian radio etc. Prayer for THEM is one way to support them.

    I am so sorry for those who are looking and looking and fall prey to charlatans. Sometimes I look at the public library offerings of ‘Christian’ books and shudder. Again, all the more reason to help donate good books or have those available in our churches.

    I am extremely careful of how my charity dollars are spent and most goes locally. I feel bad for those who are used by charlatans. I shudder, too, about the charlatan standing before a Righteous Judge, who sees it all. This life is short.

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  29. I agree with you Kathaleena. I pointed out that Prince is about as good as they come. Several churches around here tape their services and they are televised or played on the radio…that is an outreach of their church, not the entire reason for being.
    Being on the vestry of my church and knowing how much money comes in and how much goes out and the salaries of the people who work for and in the church has opened my eyes to a lot. I do not begrudge either of my priests the salaries and benefits they receive.

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  30. Kathleena, you are right about some people needing media recorded sermons. We depend on recorded messages here. Most are from pastors nobody but their members have heard of, but we have enjoyed messages by people like John MacArthur and John Piper.

    That being said, when I had cable (courtesy of the apartment I was renting – I never would have had it otherwise) I used to shudder every time I crossed the TBN network. It was painful to think that was the public face of Christianity to many. Sometimes, I have the opportunity to see some television here and most programing comes out of the Arabian peninsula (they really like Hollywood movies) – it is fascinating to see how they have imitated the media techniques of America’s televangelists, only for a different religion.

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  31. TBN, ugh.

    But I do love being able to listen to sermons and teachings by folks like RC Sproul, John Piper, Alistair Begg, John MacArthur on the radio while on my commute. We have staff members at our church who host an apologetics program on Christian radio and our pastor’s sermons can be heard on one of the AM Christian stations.

    Technology can be (and is) used for good and bad. I’d love to see a cable channel — and maybe someday we will — with good, solid Christian teaching. Already there are good options you can tap into via the internet (and our church also makes use of that, posting our audio on sermon audio — and, lately, apparently video of our sermons, too).

    But television does seem to lend itself to the more, well, flamboyant. Not to mention big hair. Gotta have the big hair. 🙂 (I was endlessly fascinated by Benny Hinn’s comb-over ‘do back in the day).

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  34. She was back today. A young woman who has a voice you wouldn’t believe. She has sung at our church before. She has had some trouble, but she was back today. In three weeks she will give her testimony. I hope this time she stays better. This is the song she sang.

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  35. A lady who attended our church in Virginia had cancer. She later died of it. While she was an invalid at home, she lamented that there were no church services on any of the local DC stations. Elvera always watches FBC Columbia, Dr. Estep, on Sunday afternoons. (Previous week’s service.) When we attended there, and at Travis Ave. BC in Ft. Worth, they televised it real time. She also watches Dr. Charles Stanley out of Atlanta.

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  36. Kathaleena, I think there is much more “place” for Christian radio than for Christian TV. Neil Postman, in Amusing Ourselves to Death, has some profound things to say about how Christianity doesn’t translate that well to TV, and he isn’t a believer. One thing he said is that TV by its nature creates celebrities, and the preacher (not Jesus) becomes the celebrity. Radio does better in communicating words; TV in communicating images, not words.

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  37. I made my commitment, not first decision, to Christ while I was driving up US-176 from N. Charleston to Columbia. I was listening to Charles Fulles’s “Old Fashoned Revival Hour” on the radio one Sunday afternoon.

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  38. I live in Houston, so I’m well-acquainted with Joel Osteen. I echo all of the preceding comments regarding him. He is a charlatan, no doubt.

    We are in the Cayman Islands! It is absolutely beautiful here. We just came in from spending the morning on the beach. Becca awoke at five and she and Scott were on the beach by 7. My older daughter, Lindsey, slept in ’til 9:00 and then we joined them. The water is perfectly clear when you’re swimming in it. From our balcony it is a gorgeous turquoise. Tomorrow, Lindsey and I are going on a horseback ride on the beach. You get to “swim” with the horses on bareback. It should be fun. This afternoon, we’re going to explore the island and do a little shopping, although most stores are closed on Sunday (which I find really refreshing!). Even the main grocery is closed! Luckily, we knew that yesterday and stocked up. We’re in a condo, so we plan on having breakfast and lunch at home and then eating out for dinner. Last night, we were all pretty tired so we just ordered a pizza. I’m glad we did, as I was tuckered out.

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  39. My dad was a pronounced atheist until age 36 when he became a Christian while watching a Billy Graham special on TV. I’ve always been grateful to Mr. Graham for having such a profound effect on my father. I wasn’t born until he was 45, so he’s always been a believer to me.

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  40. I was thinking about tv vs. radio on the way to church this morning and Cheryl is right I think. While it can certainly be a teaching and educational medium, TV by its nature is entertainment, so that’s probably why TBN-type stations flourish.

    Would I really “watch” RC Sproul on television? Maybe not. I’ve gone to Ligonier conferences and thoroughly enjoyed them. But putting aside being in a “live” audience, radio’s probably a better medium for our more substantive theologians and teachers (who also don’t have big hair).

    annms, we’re all jealous.

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  42. I used to operate radios on the plane shown as the Pan Am Stratocruiser. Only we called it the C-97. Most were cargo types, but we had one “Plus Job” we carried important people in.

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  43. In those days, 91951) the C-97 would fly from Westover to Lages, in the Azores, and from there to Frankfurt, Germany, at about 250 mph and 18-21000ft.
    Friday evening, Mary, middle GD, boarded a plane in Charlotte and flew at 37,000 ft and 535 mph direct to Frankfurt.

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  44. All different types of media have their pros and cons. I have lived long enough, though, to realize none of them should be abandoned to the devil.

    I was responding to PeterL’s statement that Jesus would not use television, but be out serving the poor. I do not believe that is true. Jesus came for one purpose and he, steadfastly moved towards it. In doing so, he healed many (but not all) and he taught (but not exclusively to his own followers). He allowed expensive ointment to be used on himself, instead of for the poor. He knew this spoke of his real reason for coming, but those around him did not. We often do not know how God is using us.

    .We, as believers, all have some purposes in common (loving, being witnesses, sharing the gospel) but we do those things in all kinds of ways. Some are lead before kings, like Paul. Others will stay in ghettos or go into strange places in the world. Some will stay home and minister only to their families and neighbors. Often, we will not even realize how God is using us.

    Being in the public eye brings different temptations. That is another reason to be praying for one another. The temptation to put some Christians on pedestals is real, as is favoring the rich newcomer over the poor one. It is good to remind each other of that danger.

    We should also remind each other that we can give everything we own to the poor and still not have love (and still not be serving God!). 1Cor.13:3

    Oh, the ways we fall short! Thank be to God for His grace and mercy through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!

    Sorry for the sermon. It just hit me wrong and most likely went far beyond what was meant. I, too, cringe at many of those programs.

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  45. Liked the photos, Donna. Laughed at the comment about the boy In the middle of the seesaw. The photo that was from Duluth, MN was interesting. My grandparents had a glass coffee table, but not rectangular. They also had an arts and crafts style home, but the photo put me in mind of their home. I am not sure why one would think such a home would have been unusual. There were a lot of wealthy people in Duluth and I don’t believe such a home would have been unusual in certain areas of the city.

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  48. Kathaleena, nothing except overt sin should be “abandoned to the devil.” But there is still a distinct difference between what works in one medium and what is better suited for another. Technically, a person could dress up in a clown costume and juggle knives while he gives the gospel message, or a prostitute could explain the gospel while she services clients . . . but the second of these examples would be rejected by all Christians and the first by most, because they are horridly unsuited for the message.

    Television and movies work well for entertainment, and they do well for showing what something looks like, whether that is a bird building a nest or modern Israel. But if you’re trying to make a sustained theological or philosophical argument, generally a book is a much better choice. And radio does better at communicating words, too, than television does. Television is better for images.

    I personally think that if television worked better for communicating the Word of God, God could have made sure it had been invented before Christ came to earth. But Christ is the “Word,” not the “image,” and there truly is a huge difference between those ideas. I don’t think Christ would have appeared on television (my own personal opinion), because His purpose was never to wow crowds. He also didn’t perform a miracle for Herod. He came to disciple and He came to die. He dealt with individuals as persons, not as mobs, though the mobs did come to hear Him.

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  49. The C-97 was modeled after the B-29. But it had more powerful engines. It was among the largest planes of it’s day. The C-74 and C-124 were larger, but were slow and not pressurized for high altitude flying. All of them are small by today’s standards.
    The B-29, with all that it did to end WWII, was not a good airplane. They rushed it into production. They improved the model with the B-50, but it the B-50 was not useful because by that time, the B-36 was flying. The B-36 was an awsome aircraft.
    B-52’s were after my time.

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  50. I personally think that if television worked better for communicating the Word of God, God could have made sure it had been invented before Christ came to earth.

    While I agree with this statement, one must be careful, as it could be asked “Then why didn’t He create radio and reach the whole world at once, rather than a tiny, detested province in the Roman Empire?” There is a place for preaching on TV, but one needs to eliminate all the bells and whistles that come with 21st Century broadcasts, such as several cameras panning, zooming in, changing angles, etc. I hate watching classical music concerts on TV anymore (or any concert, for that matter), as the camera never focuses long enough for me to enjoy what the producer wants us to see. Couldn’t they hold a shot for 20-30 seconds before going to the next angle? Every three-five seconds the shot changes, so I lose the enjoyment of watching the lead violinist carefully playing the solo, or the director pointing his baton, etc. No wonder our children, and too many adults, have short attention spans, because their brain has been programmed by TV to only focus for a few seconds at a time.

    Again, I’ll get off the soapbox and let someone else have a turn.

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  51. Hey! I got #50! We don’t get this high much anymore. I kind of miss the race to 100 we used to have. But then, I think I still have a bruise from being pushed out of the way by a Jeep with a big dog in the passenger seat.

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  52. Interesting thoughts, Cheryl. Jesus did speak before huge crowds of people for sure. Some preachers on television do more speaking than ‘performing’. Jesus told stories. Stories can be told by books or other media. Songs, for example can be incredibly powerful.

    I watched a woman respond just to the beginning of a song today in church, by grabbing a tissue. The song was “Three Wooden Crosses”. It was sung by a man who was singing with Adult and Teen Challenge. I hear God’s love and grace in that song, myself.

    I love books and learn much from them. I do not watch many preachers on television. However, there are those who are not readers who may gain some understanding from those who are good. It seems there are a lot of youtube videos young people use for learning. Sometimes, a talk in conjunction with good charts or slides can be very helpful.

    I wonder if the younger generation, which is more used to images will go more in that direction?

    I hope Christians will not neglect any of the media available to us. I am not saying television or any particular media is better. I just think it should all be used to the best advantage.

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  53. I would rather watch a concert in person, too. No camera can focus on what everyone in the audience would want to focus on. There is something special about any live performance, anyway, in my opinion.

    However, I am grateful to see programs I could never get to ‘live’.

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  56. What was that loud sound out front of my house? Oh, it’s just Donna in her Jeep. At least she said hi as she flew by. I hope she realized before too late that I’m on a dead end street. Not to worry though. It used to be a steep ravine, but the city is preparing to extend the street so it’s a gentler slope now. No problem for the Jeep. Bumpy for the occupants, perhaps.

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  58. I am very grateful for the larger planes at faster speeds. Those long flights are exhausting.
    We have an English service here, but not a church as we have no pastor or elders. Anyone know a good pastor who would like to come preach and minister for six months or so. Here different ones take turns sharing a message.

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  59. Peter,

    You quote me, and then ask your own question, as follows:

    Cheryl: “I personally think that if television worked better for communicating the Word of God, God could have made sure it had been invented before Christ came to earth.”

    Peter: “While I agree with this statement, one must be careful, as it could be asked ‘Then why didn’t He create radio and reach the whole world at once, rather than a tiny, detested province in the Roman Empire?”

    Back to me: Presumably because radio didn’t work “better” for His purposes, either! I think radio is more “sermon-friendly” than TV (by a long shot!), but I would never say it is “better” than a live sermon or than the printed Word /word. I don’t think it was Jesus’ purpose to convert vast masses of people in one big mass evangelistic crusade. He chose the apostles and built the foundation for the New Testament church, but He did it largely by investing time into small groups of individuals.

    (The formatting on this is weird, so I can’t reread it, and I hope it ends up readable. It gave me only a tiny one-line box to type in. I expanded that, but my typing is extending outside the box. So I have no idea how it will post.)

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  60. The answer to the question about God waiting for Radio or TV.

    Galatians 4:4

    4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law………,

    Ephesians 1:10

    10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

    i.e. The Fulness of times had come.

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