79 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-18-15”

  1. It IS FRIDAY!
    You know what that means?
    We’re having an auction at Lions to raise money for the administrative fune.
    That’s one way we pay our overhead.
    Elvera made some brownies. They always go for about $12.00.
    A good deal. She has about $3.50 worth of ingredients in that.

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  2. Good morning! Friday for me (some Fridays, anyway) means Bible study. Then I’m off to buy Christmas cards. I wasn’t sure if I was going to buy and send some this year, and I decided yesterday I would when I would be out today.

    Lots of writing them today so I can get them in the mail tomorrow.

    Have a great day!

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  3. It is Friday indeed. Last night I “crashed” my nephew’s birthday dinner. BG and I had so much fun. She was picked on terribly for all the trouble she has gotten into, but it was all done with love, the way only family or long term familiarity can do. Niece had seen a segment on TV yesterday about the guy in Texas whose parents are using the defense that he suffers from “affluenza”. Niece thought for a moment that was what was wrong with BG but decided no one in the family has that kind of money. Nephew started to tell of some of his younger misdeeds. “Don’t encourage her!!!!” One of the appetizers was french fried avocado. $20 dollars was offered by her cousins if BG would just try a bite. I offered to double the money if she did. The food was delicious and we all passed around our plates for everyone else to taste. I had a seared tuna steak with pistachios and baby brussel sprouts. Of course BG wanted the filet mignon—Go big or go home. Nana and I split our bill, but she told me that G (the daddy) had told her to pay for whatever BG got and he would pay her back. I got the last laugh. Of course she got the most expensive thing on the menu. I wish I could see his face when he hears. But she ate it all and she really does need the iron that is in the red meat. She balanced it off with gouda cheese grits and french fries. I let her go home with Niece for just a little while…it’s only around the corner.
    As I hugged Nephew good bye I sang “Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you—you look like a monkey and you smell like one too”. I have sung that to him since he was 3 years old and last night he was 29!!!!!

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  6. Musical Advent Calendar – Day 18: ‘My Dancing Day’ is one of the most unusual of English carols. First published in the 1800s, the words are thought to go back further to sometime before the 1600s. This performance only includes three verses, but the entire song covers Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection:

    Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;
    I would my true love did so chance
    To see the legend of my play,
    To call my true love to my dance;

    Chorus: Sing, oh! my love,
    This have I done for my true love

    Then was I born of a virgin pure,
    Of her I took fleshly substance
    Thus was I knit to man’s nature
    To call my true love to my dance.

    In a manger laid, and wrapped I was
    So very poor, this was my chance
    Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass
    To call my true love to my dance.

    Then afterwards baptized I was;
    The Holy Ghost on me did glance,
    My Father’s voice heard from above,
    To call my true love to my dance.

    Into the desert I was led,
    Where I fasted without substance;
    The Devil bade me make stones my bread,
    To have me break my true love’s dance.

    The Jews on me they made great suit,
    And with me made great variance,
    Because they loved darkness rather than light,
    To call my true love to my dance.

    For thirty pence Judas me sold,
    His covetousness for to advance:
    Mark whom I kiss, the same do hold!
    The same is he shall lead the dance.

    Before Pilate the Jews me brought,
    Where Barabbas had deliverance;
    They scourged me and set me at nought,
    Judged me to die to lead the dance.

    Then on the cross hanged I was,
    Where a spear my heart did glance;
    There issued forth both water and blood,
    To call my true love to my dance.

    Then down to hell I took my way
    For my true love’s deliverance,
    And rose again on the third day,
    Up to my true love and the dance.

    Then up to heaven I did ascend,
    Where now I dwell in sure substance
    On the right hand of God, that man
    May come unto the general dance.

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  8. I once asked a professor of music at Southwestern Seminary why the melody of hymns was always written for the soprano voice.
    His explanation was that in the early days church music was always by young boys who had high pitched voices. He said that boys with good voices would be castrated to prevent their voices from changing.

    I don’t know how much of that is true. But I believed him.

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  9. My theory about ‘Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day”, derived from the words of the first verse, is that it originally was used to call people to come see a Mystery play (during the Middle Ages, Bible stories were acted out by players employed by the church) of the Life of Christ.

    Chas, it is indeed true that boys with beautiful singing voices were castrated. The practice wasn’t instituted in the Middle Ages, though. It seems to have arisen during the Renaissance and especially the Baroque era, primarily in Italy. Heroic male roles in Baroque opera were sung by castrati. They had an enormous vocal range, sometimes spanning four octaves, which most opera singers today have difficulty filling. It extended into the Classical era – Mozart’s operas have roles written for castrati. The practice slowly ceased as the high male voice roles fell out of fashion.

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  11. True, Kim, and you also have to consider that Italy was greatly influenced by Eastern traditions. The great merchant states of Venice, Florence, and Genoa traded with the Middle East and Turkey and brought back many cultural changes with them – coffee being one. Eunuchs have existed in Eastern culture for a very long time. It is probable that Daniel and his three friends were made eunuchs – the castration and servitude of members of each conquered royal house would have increased Nebuchadnezzer’s prestige (Daniel 1). Nehemiah would also probably have been castrated, so that he would have no possible motivation to poison the king. The law of Moses forbid castration, saying a castrated man from entering the congregation (Deuteronomy 23:1), and when Nehemiah asks God to remember him for good, one wonders if that prohibition was on his mind (Nehemiah 13:31). Of course, Israel did have its own eunuchs, such as Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian eunuch who saved Jeremiah’s life, and who was given his own life in return (Jeremiah 38). Christ lifted the ban on eunuchs, as he did for so many outcasts; Philip’s evangelism and baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch can be seen as symbolic, not only of the gospel being offered to the Gentiles, but also for those, whether by choice or by force, have been maimed for life. It is hope that we can now offer to the transgender who repents.

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  15. Our trash gets picked up this morning and I still had the last of the recycles to get out to the curb so I was up early. The trucks often don’t start coming around until 7 a.m. or sometimes later — and some of it isn’t collected until after 9 a.m. — but sure as anything, if you lolly-gag around they’ll be there early and you’ll miss the pickup. Hate that.

    So today I plan to pick up those new blinds at Home Depot and get them hung (which will be a snap as the hardware is up, I just needed blinds to fit in the existing brackets). Then out with the old which all had at least some broken or twisted pieces.

    Like 6 arrows, I started thinking last night about Christmas cards and figured I should at least make an attempt to get a few this year. I have plenty of left-over cards from past years so I don’t have to buy any. But I’ve kind of fallen down on the card-sending in the past few years.

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  17. Good Morning….so we are all sitting on the edge of our seats AJ….how was the movie….no spoilers….just a “good” or an “eh”! 🙂
    Sitting at Panera waiting to cross the road at 9….you know there are so many more men here in the morning than women…and they are having one on one discipling, or a group having Bible Study….now there is a group of women making their way towards the community room to have their Bible Study…all with Bibles in hand…..thankful ❤

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  19. Michelle, in my research on the carols, I came across some of those discussions regarding Mary. My thought, and it is still there as I read the link, is that the mystical view of Mary and how she gave birth is greatly influenced by Gnoticism, which held that the body was evil and only the spiritual was good. I think such legends as are in the Protoevangelium are what Paul warned against, “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables…” (I Timothy 4:7). However, although the author did acknowledge that the inspiration for the ox and ass comes ultimately from Isaiah 1:3, he failed to note that the inspiration for combing the Magi with kings also comes from prophecy:

    “A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
    They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.” (Isaiah 60:6)

    “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.” (Psalm 72:10)

    As I read the words of the carols I chose, I was actually impressed by how much wasn’t confused. More often than not, the shepherds and the Magi were not mixed up, although they were sometimes mentioned in the same song – ‘The First Noel’ is an exception rather than a rule. However, that is partly because the celebrations of Christmas and Epiphany are close together, and like the above carol, carollers seem to like to speak about the whole story. Some delightful carols start with the Garden of Eden and the Fall to explain why Christ came.

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  21. cheryl, I was just thinking of Riddlebarger this morning as I was texting with a friend about Knott’s Berry Farm. Back in the 1990s, I was attending some free Friday night lectures put on by Horton, Riddlebarger & others. When some friends and I were visiting Knott’s one day, we wandered into the Christian bookstore that was always a staple in the little shopping village rimming the park and there was Riddlebarger stocking books. Turns out his family owned (started?) the shop years ago and he continued to work there. As you might guess, they had some pretty solid titles on those shelves. 🙂

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  28. Hello, all.
    The weather is a bit cooler, but it’s a bright sunshine kind of day.

    Art gets to go off the blood thinner for a couple of days to hopefully allow for healing and less blood drainage.

    When I stepped out this morning I found beside the door two mugs with our initials, A and J, filled with packs of Swiss Miss hot cocoa packs and a cookie stick treat. Very thoughtful surprise.

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  30. So what’s your secret, if you have one, to successful pancakes?

    Honestly, I have such trouble making those — the best luck I had was years ago when I owned an electric griddle (which my mom had given to me one Christmas but I don’t have anymore).

    I either (a) burn them or (b) wind up with half raw pancakes or (c) get some combination of the above when I try making them in a skillet over my gas stovetop. I only make them maybe twice a year, maybe I need more practice — but then again, they’re not exactly on my diet right now, even the “healthy” high-grain kind you buy at the health food store.

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  31. Donna, it’s not healthy, but Bisquik makes good pancakes and waffles.

    I like to use a buckwheat mix with blueberries and a bit or orange juice. They are not fluffy, but I like them and they are fairly healthy. I have also used thinly sliced bananas in my pancakes and that is good. I always put cinnamon in, too, to reduce the effects of sugary syrups, honey, etc. toppings.

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  32. Pancakes are not my favorite. I always feel like I have a brick in my stomach afterward so I can’t help you there. Mr. P makes them.

    When I have made them I have the heat on medium to medium high. I pour out the batter and cook until most of the bubbles pop, then I flip them.

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  33. Pancakes. Pancakes are just plain good. Impossible to mess up. And very versatile. Husband makes Bisquick pancakes but they have an ill effect on me. I just mix some milk and eggs and sugar and vanilla and whole wheat flour and baking powder and whatever else appeals at the time (apples, bananas, cottage cheese, yogurt, chocolate chips, whatever) and cook em up. Cinnamon of course. They generally don’t need sugar or syrup and disappear very rapidly.

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  35. Snow is coming down, and 5th Arrow is doing his happy dance. 🙂

    Cheryl, that link was funny. I know just who to email it to — a relative of mine who recently got a serious finger-wagging from one of those type parents. She’ll find it hilarious. 🙂

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  39. Pancakes are filling — which I why I don’t eat them very often. A couple times a year is plenty — but then they are a special treat. Too bad I can’t cook them very effectively. 🙂 Maybe I’ll just buy the frozen microwave ones next time a craving hits. Oh, I did try the pre-mixed Bisquick batter once, that wasn’t too bad and you can buy a very small bottle.

    Done with buying blinds, now for hanging them. Also found some very inexpensive sheer panels (martha stewart brand) at Home Depot I’m going to try out.

    Meanwhile, my house seems to look messier now than when the week began. Oy.

    And the rain that was forecast for tomorrow has been cancelled, but it will be cloudy and colder — today is a bright sunny day, temps in the high 60s. Had to use the air-conditioner in the Jeep.

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  42. Well, I don’t know if any of you is listening to the link I put at 3:34 blog time, or are singing along with the caroling, but my internet keeps dropping the connection. Like singing with a choir where everyone stops and I keep going. 😛

    I’ll just play and sing at my own piano, thank you very much, where there won’t be any interruptions!

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  51. Arrrg. Blind brackets vary in size on my windows. Not by much, but by enough to make the blinds I have not fit in a couple windows.

    This was a dumb idea, deciding to redo all my window coverings in one night. What was I thinking? Oh well.

    Off to Home Depot. Again.

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  52. Peter, no bag is being banned; it’s a video about a young man trying to get someone to sign a petition to ban plastic bags. But that’s just the surface: it’s really a commentary (spoof) of over-indulgent parenting. I imagine that you would find it hilarious.

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  54. HI, JO, I’M SPEAKING LOUDLY SO YOU CAN HEAR ME ABOVE ALL THE CAFE NOISE 🙂

    We have a restaurant we like that is so noisy with patrons, and it is at the smallish airport so there are airplane noises on top of cafe chatter!

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  55. We are having a grumpy day or at least Art is. All the cold wind is making the tv lose reception. He is not a happy camper. I have done all the Christmas cards for people at his church today. Tomorrow I will try to do some for folks at my church and friends and relatives. I felt the need to write more than usual on the cards today since so many at Art’s church have sent cards and done other little things in addition to prayer lifting.

    Art asked for Popeye ‘ s chicken for dinner. Not real healthy, but I hoped it would make him happier. I can tell from expressions I would rather not hear from downstairs that the tv continues to misbehave.

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  56. I did find a new cat bed for Miss Bosley. It’s a pretty pink and sort of enclosed but open on both ends. She has tried it out but still prefers to sleep on me which is not so bad in winter because the warmth on my legs really eases arthritis pains. She does not want to be so close in the summer. I just hate it when I need to get up and have to, disturb her snoozing. With her own bed that becomes a nonissue.

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  58. Trump does seem to be a similar type personality as Putin. They both seem to me to like all the glory for what they do. I have not noticed on anything I have heard that they give glory to God. Are either of them seeming to be true believers?

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  59. Janice – Do you think Miss Bosley will actually stay in her bed?

    I don’t know about Putin being a believer, but I kind of doubt it. I also doubt that Trump is. He says he is a believer, but has not been able to recite a favorite Bible verse, & once said that he has never asked God for forgiveness for anything. 😦 May God save them both.

    Donna – Chrissy is the pancake maker around here, & she uses our electric griddle, which she prefers to a pan on the stove. The recipe she uses is one from The Joy of Cooking, & the pancakes are delicious. She has a way of getting them “just right” – not too moist but not too dry.

    Believe it or not, the frozen pancakes that you microwave are not bad at all. They’re actually pretty good.

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  60. I read about the castrati a while back. Not all the boys were necessarily willing to have themselves castrated, & many died. At the height of the craze for their voices, thousands of boys were castrated each year, but few actually became successful.

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  61. Putin, a believer? He’s a remnant of the USSR KGB. In fact, I think he was a director of it or something. To get that high, he would have had to be a member of the Communist party. He would have to have been an atheist. He most likely still is. As for Trump, he shows absolutely no fruit of being a Christian.

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  66. What a frustrating day.

    Not only can I NOT find any vinyl blinds in the 28″ width (29 is fine for most of my windows, but a tad too much for others — where 27″ is too narrow).

    And the sheers I wanted (and was led to believe were in stock at one of the local Home Depots) can’t be found. I wanted eggshell, not “Pure White.” The store’s website said they had a bunch of eggshell panels in the longer length I needed. When I got there to pick them up, they could only find white. Very confusing.

    So now I think I’ll have to just try cutting off the top end of the 29″ blinds for the 2 windows that are just a smidgen narrower (or the brakets are closer together anyway).

    And my house looks like something exploded.

    How can one spend an entire week cleaning and sorting and have it end up in such a bigger-than-ever mess?

    It’s a talent I seem to have …

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  70. Donna, I empathize with frustration on blinds. When I moved into my house in Chicago, I soon noticed most of the blinds didn’t work. I informed my landlady, who told me that was a tenant responsibility. I shopped for blinds and discovered mine to be a non-standard size and color. Meanwhile, weeks had gone by, and my blinds had been closed all day every day, and it was winter and I was driving to and from work in the dark, and working in a basement office. Eventually a friend with more shopping savvy or experience than I figured out how to custom-order blinds, and she measured and ordered them, I paid for them, my roommate helped me hang them, and we had light again . . . at least on the weekend, the only time I was home during daylight hours. I still remember that time period with some horror, because the darkness was depressing. (We soon moved to upstairs offices, winter ended, etc., but it was a bad period.)

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  71. Done composing my Christmas letter! 🙂 Amazingly, I got it just the way I wanted it on the first try, and it fits on one side of the paper with about a 2-inch margin at the bottom to hand-write a small, personalized note to individual families, if I want.

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  72. Donna, I feel your pain. But how about a little humor via Steve Martin? 😉 (The blinds not fitting the windows — or the blinds people and the windows people scheming against the consumers 😉 — reminded me of the hotdogs and buns scene from Father of the Bride.) 😉

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  73. My husband is the breakfast cook. He makes sourdough pancakes on an electric griddle. He freezes any extras with wax paper between each and takes out as many as he wants for breakfast. They have a slightly different texture and are quite thin. The grandchildren love them too.

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  74. 6 arrows, that had me laughing out loud, that was so me at the Home Depot! Thanks for posting. I needed that.

    And it turned out I had an errant 30″ wide blind panel in the boxes I bought by mistake — which, of course, is why it wasn’t fitting in the 29″ (more or less) brackets. AAAAArrrrgh.

    As of now, all the blinds have been switched & windows (insides at least) washed — except for two (I have a LOT of windows in this living room).

    So there will be blinds to go back as returns.

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  76. Then, putting me completely over the edge, I heard an “interview” (or rather a shouting match between 2 megalomaniacs) between O’Reilly & Trump on the radio as I was leaving the Home Depot.

    Felt like my head was exploding.

    All I want are eggshell sheers. How hard is that? (stomping my foot)

    Poor guys who ere trying to help me at Home Depot, they really tried hard but they really didn’t understand that “eggshell” was a different color than “Bright White!” — or why it really mattered.

    Crazy lady at Christmas.

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  78. I went to the consignment shop in our town that is closing after tomorrow. I found a pair of shorts and two short-sleeved tops for myself that fit and look nice. Not exactly clothing for this time of year, but each item was only $1. Can’t beat that!

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