Head-dibs

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If Hamlet's father never appeared as a ghost, Shakespeare would have no story (so to speak). Similarly, if Jacob Marley had not appeared to Scrooge, there would have been no story. Sadly, important elements of Scrooge and Marley's conversation and Scrooge's response on Christmas Morning have been lost as interest in the text has diminished. First, Marley communicated something vitally important to Scrooge that Christmas Eve, and I want to make certain that as many who read this, understand Marley's greatest lament: "'But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself. 'Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. 'Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!' It held up its chain at arm's...

An orange.  An orange! C’mon Grandma!  After all, it’s Christmas!  Where’s the fudge?  How ‘bout some bon-bons? I know I saw you icing a cake.  An orange.  Really? I stood there with my orange.  It made my hand cold. I said I was hungry but it was Christmas and Christmas is about cakes and apple pie and coffee and brownies and Pfeffernüsse and turnovers and petite-fours and gingerbread and Pavlova and icing and cookies and pudding and an occasional candy cane (maybe) and fruitcake and cider and pumpkin pie and eggnog and butter tarts and cider and donuts and Trifle and æbleskiver and rice pudding and those little chocolate Santas wrapped in printed foil and hot chocolate and whipped cream and marshmallows and that funny cake that looked like it was cooked in a jello mold (the one with all the raisins) and marzipan and banana pudding.  Sugar plums! Nuts. I could have some nuts. Instead of the orange. Ahk!  Give me a bowl of rocks, wh...

Welcome!  all Wonders in one sight! Eternity shut in a span. Summer in winter, day in night, Heaven in earth, and God in man. Great little one! whose all-embracing birth Lifts earth to heaven, stoops heav'n to earth!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, darling, beautiful, Godly, wonderful, wife.  You are always in my heart.

Congratulations to our December Graduates! Popular Christian author and Columbia International University alumnus Philip Yancey will be the speaker at CIU's December commencement exercises. Yancey is the author of 20 books that explore the questions faced by most Christians and include "Where Is God When It Hurts," "Disappointment with God," and "Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?" He drew heavily from his CIU background in developing "The Student Bible," a best-selling edition of the Bible with study notes. Yancey's books have won 13 Gold Medallion Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and have sold more than 15 million copies. A native of Atlanta, Yancey met his wife, Janet Norwood at CIU, and went on to earn graduate degrees in Communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago. He joined the staff of "Campus Life" Magazine in 1971, and worked there a...

With this much red, it might as well be a murder mystery . . . and its everywhere! (It's not a murder mystery, by the way) 

I saw these plaques for sale in a store.  Glad to know God's love for us in Christ Jesus never fails!

Looks like this is turning into a week of photoblogging.  My friend Dan took this picture in New Mexico:

Dr. Rick Higgins writes on " This One Thing ." "Hey, Ma! You'll never believe what I caught while offshore fishing !" Definitely some crazy artwork  out there.  They say "weird."  I say " Amazing" cloud formations .  These supercells are incredible . Ok, one more.  Here are some incredible photos of Earth, as art ! Drifting.  It takes me away:

I saw the following “conversation” (one of three, actually) written by a young man named Lev Novak posted on a website (forgive me if I don’t provide the link): “God: Noah, all the people of earth are sinners. You alone are righteous. Noah: Thanks God. Long time fan, first time prophet. God: So, I have decided to smite the entire world with a flood. (pause) Noah: Couldn’t you just teach man goodness? God: No. I’m thinking “flood.” Noah: So you’d rather just kill every- God: What part of “flood” do you not understand?” The act of God flooding the earth is a noteworthy matter for consideration, but is the conclusion correct? What we call “Noah’s Flood” was not a stand-alone incident and sudden whim of God.  The young man gave the reason for God’s judgment by flood in the very first sentence, “all the people of the earth are sinners.” The Bible says, “ The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his h...

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(ht: my wife)

Here are some beautiful snapshots of America before Pearl Harbor .

"If I get arrested, do I have to sit in the basket?" (ht: WNW)

"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice."