merry christmas!

Our manger scene with its hand-carved wooden figures and motley collection of angels

"Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14 - NKJV)

Wishing all who read here a blessed and merry Christmas!

who is this woman in the mirror?

Here I am with my beautiful 90+ Auntie. Talk about a beautiful smile!

If you've watched any TV or browsed through women's magazines lately, you've probably been bombarded by some or all of the following messages:

~ Grey hair is always best hidden (unless you're a man).
~ Wrinkles must be made to disappear.
~ We should all aspire to look like our teen or twenty-something daughters.
~ We'll want to consider product x, y, or z to plump up our lips, erase the bags from under our eyes, and tone the flabby flesh on any part of us.

By marinating in these messages and many more, we've come to hate our bodies when they betray is by greying, sagging, drooping, generally aging. (Who is this woman in the mirror with the puckers around her mouth and the crepe-skinned upper arms?!)

Of course we can't stop implications like these from coming to us through the media. But we can counteract them with a different soundtrack.

•  We can start by familiarizing ourselves with what makes a woman beautiful in God's eyes. One such depiction is in 1 Peter 3:3-4. Here it is in the Amplified:

3 Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] [a]interweaving and knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes;


4 But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God.

• We can read the writings of others that affirm the qualities Peter talks about. One such writer is Dale Hanson Bourke.  In Embracing Your Second Calling she writes:

"He (God) wants us to know that the best is not behind us. God is calling us from others to him. He wants more of us than we can even imagine because he wants to do more through us than we could possibly know .... If we can understand what God is calling us to and can turn away from those voices calling us to stay attached to our youth, we will be given a power and purpose beyond anything we have experienced" - Dale Hanson Bourke, Embracing Your Second Calling, p. 7,8.

Bourke goes on to suggest some things we can mull over in our minds and act on, to shift our attention away from our disintegrating exteriors to things that really matter. Try some of these this week:

"Consider how you are different today than you were in your twenties, thirties (and I would add forties, even fifties). List in your journal at least three things that are better about you today" (Embracing Your Second Calling, p. 5).

"Make a point to really look at women who are your age or older and notice their beauty. Go out of your way to compliment a woman on what she is wearing or her smile" (Embracing..., p. 6).

"What has been significant in your life so far? What do you consider successful? As you look to your future, do you wish for more success, significance, or both? How do you distinguish between the two?" (Embracing..., p. 7).

If you'd like to share your answers to some of these questions in the comments, that would be great!

promptings' potpourri: 'start the year off right' edition

Happy New Year!

In my blog reading over the last few days I've come across a wealth of interesting articles. Some of them might interest you too.

• Justin Taylor summarizes and links to a multitude of "Bible Reading plans for 2012."

• Apparently the puritan minister Jonathan Edwards had 73 resolutions for life which he reviewed once a week. Blogger Matt Perman has not only listed them but put them in categories (such as Overall Life Mission, Good Works, Time Management etc.) in "The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards in Categories."

• Literary agent Rachelle Gardner muses on the process of making resolutions. This discovery of hers resonated with me: "Last year ... I identified that for me to be successful with my goals, I needed to first identify the underlying emotional reason for the goal." Read all of "Goals, Resolutions, Words."

• Ilya Pozin's "7 Things Highly Productive People Do" contains Tony Wong's common sense advice like "Be Militant about eliminating distractions" and "schedule your email" as well as anti-intuitive suggestions like "Stop multi-tasking." Read all of "7 Things Highly Productive People Do

• Finally, Janet Martin gives her thoughtful and poetic take on the changing of the calendar in "Year."

Enjoy!

book review: Deeper Into The Word: Reflections on 100 Words from the New Testament by Keri Wyatt Kent

In Deeper Into the Word: Reflections on 100 Words from the New Testament Keri Wyatt Kent explores one hundred words/concepts from the New Testament.

Each entry from “Afraid” to “Yoke” gets about a two-page treatment. Within that space Kent covers a lot of ground and, depending on the word/concept does some or all of the following:

* places the concept into its historical, cultural context;

* names the Greek word or words (including derivatives and permutations) that express the idea in the earliest texts, examples of where they occur, and how often they occur in total within the New Testament;

* quotes other writers who shed light on the concept;

* interjects her personal experience and opinion about the word’s meaning and usage.

She ends each section with an inspirational thought (fulfilling the “Reflections” part of the title).

The 100 entries are followed by an index of Greek words. A several-page section of endnotes completes the volume.

When I received my copy of the book for review, I looked immediately for the author’s qualifications to write about this somewhat technical aspect of the Bible. I found none – unless the nearness of a good library and the knowledge of how to use it count. That, for me, is the biggest weakness of the book as a reference: I’m not sure how reliable the information about language, especially the Greek words and their usage, is (although the book is endorsed by both Scot McKnight and John Ortberg so that should certainly give its scholarship credibility).

Kent’s layperson status may also be a strength in that she doesn’t come to the topic as an academic and thus understands what most of us don’t know, will want to know, and gives us just the right amount of information and in a style that is accessible. And, as she says in the Introduction, as well as using it as a reference volume, it can be used as a "tutorial for how to do what has been traditionally called a 'word study.' By reading a few chapters, you can learn this technique and try it on your own" p. 12.

I found the mixed treatment of the subject matter (factual/commentary along with personal/reflection) somewhat disorienting. To my mind, the book has identity issues. Is it a factual reference book? Or a book of personal reflections?

On the plus side, Kent’s writing style is warm and comradely. She doesn’t talk down to readers but neither does she get bogged in technical theology-speak. Though she does have denominational biases she is frank about them. Sometimes she declares them outright:

“I’m not from a charismatic background…. For more examples and rebuttal to the charismatic position see…” (from the endnotes on “Word,” p. 247.)

At other times she reveals her bias by whom and what she quotes. For example in the discussion of the words “Break/Broken” to shed light on Matthew 16:19 (“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose (luo) on earth will be loosed in heaven”), she quotes a paragraph from Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, and his somewhat controversial conclusion:

“…What he (Jesus) is doing here is significant. He is giving his followers the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible” (quoted on p. 30 from Velvet Elvis, pp. 49-50.)

All in all, the book’s easy-to-understand text and comprehensive handling of so many words/concepts make it a valuable reference. What I like most about it is the explanation of each word/concept within the context of the customs and culture of the day. I can see Deeper Into the Word being a useful addition to the library of the layperson who wishes to deepen his or her understanding of the New Testament’s setting and language.

Title: Deeper Into The Word: Reflections on 100 Words from the New Testament
Author: Keri Wyatt Kent
Publisher: Bethany House, January 2011, 247 pages, paperback

• ISBN-10: 076420842X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764208423

(I received this book as a gift from the publisher for the purpose of writing a review. Article first published as Book Review: Deeper Into The Word: Reflections on 100 Words from the New Testament by Keri Wyatt Kent on Blogcritics.)

win a Read and Share Bible!

If you'd like to win a Read and Share Bible (reviewed here) please enter your name in the comments (here or below the review). 

I will draw one name and announce the winner here on March 31, 2011.

(Sorry, but this offer is only for residents of Canada and the continental USA.)

....and the winner is Peacelady!

If you could please contact me by email with your address, I'll send the book your way ASAP.

book review: Read and Share Bible by Gwen Ellis

MA

If you’re looking for a way to share Bible stories with your four-to-eight-year-old, the Read and Share Bible may be just the book for you. It contains over 200 Bible stories retold by “Read and Share” best-selling author Gwen Ellis. It’s also a visual delight with over 400 colorful illustrations by U.K. artist Steve Smallman.

Each titled and illustrated story consists of a mere two-page spread, perfect for the short attention span of little people. Each story’s Bible reference is noted just under the title making it easy for adult readers to find the complete story in a regular Bible should they want to.

Text in a box at the bottom right-hand page of each two-page segment serves a variety of purposes:

For example, sometimes it entices the reader/listener on to the next segment. After Moses gets his assignment at the burning bush we read: “Whenever God asks us to do hard things, He will help us. Let’s see how He helped Moses” - p. 109.

At other times it suggests an application. Below the story of David killing the giant we read: “David was brave and he trusted God. God will help us in scary times if we ask Him” - p. 203.

At still other times it serves to stimulate discussion. Below the story of Jesus’ birth we read: “Why do you think God would want His son to be born where animals were kept?” - p. 301.

This Bible also contains a gift-inscription page and a Tips page with four ideas on how to use of the book. The Table of Contents includes each story’s title and Bible reference. The stories follow the chronology of the Bible with all the stories about each character grouped together.

The book’s sturdy hardcover binding and good quality glossy paper make it one that will stand up under hours of use by little hands.

I like the author’s to-the-point style. Though each entry is short (under 100 words) the telling is clear and vivid. The scope of the book is interesting with stories of lesser-known Bible characters (like Balaam and Deborah) sprinkled amongst the usual Bible story fare. The discussion bits are written in a warm, friendly tone that invites participation. Read the story of Noah as a sample.

This book would be a wonderful addition to any home, preschool, kindergarten, early elementary school, or church library. It could be used as a book for adults to read to youngsters or for beginning readers to read themselves. If there is a little person in your life who needs a first Bible, the Read and Share Bible would be an excellent choice.

DO YOU WANT ONE? 

I have an extra copy to give-away!

If you’d like a chance to win a copy of the Read and Share Bible, enter your name in the comments below (only Canada and continental USA please). I will draw one name and announce the winner here on Thursday, March 31st.

....and the winner is Peacelady!

If you could please contact me by email with your address, I'll send the book your way ASAP.


I received this book as a gift from the publisher for the purpose of writing a review.


Article first published as Book Review: Read and Share Bible: More than 200 Best-loved Bible Stories by Gwen Ellis on Blogcritics.

considering your resolution options

Happy New Year!

Have you broken any of your New Year's resolutions yet? Or maybe you're like me, and still in the process of making them.

I usually reserve the week between Christmas and New Year's Day for thoughts of resolve. However, this year we were away in Kamloops enjoying Christmas #2 during that week. So here I am on the 2nd of January with not a concrete resolution in sight.

But I do have some resources squirrelled away to help me consider my options. If you're with me in the resolutionless boat, you might want to take a look at some of these.

• If you'd like to pull up your socks in pretty well every department, consider adopting Andy Andrews "Seven Decisions," which include: The Responsible Decision (The buck stops here); The Guided Decision (I will seek wisdom); The Active Decision (I am a person of action) and four more. They're listed and explained on The Seven Decisions (pdf file).

• If you want to spend more time in the Bible, Sherry (Semicolon blog) has assembled 52 ways to read and study the Bible in 2011.

Let me add one more. I've just finished writing a year's worth of daily devotions at Other Flood: daily devos, and will continue with this in 2011. I'd love it if you joined me there for the daily (linked to an online Bible) Canadian Bible Society reading and a few devotional thoughts.

• And while we're on the subject of the Bible and things spiritual, you might want to spend some time this year, sorting out your theology, especially as it pertains to bad stuff happening. Rebecca has written a thought-provoking post to help get you started: "Every Year After Christmas: Getting Your Theology on Track."

• If you're a blogger, and want your blogging to be more meaningful and God-centered in 2011, read, then download for praying over and over Ann Voskamp's "A Blogger's Prayer." (And don't miss the links to three more articles about blogging at the bottom of the page.)

• If your resolutions tend toward housekeeping, homemaking, simplifying, tidying — that sort of thing, a good online resource is The Fly Lady. It's a huge site, heavy with how-to. A good place to start is Beginner BabySteps section.

Happy resolving to us!

daily devotions in 2010

If one of your New Year's Resolutions in 2010 is to have a daily quiet time, Other Food: daily devo's may be just the place for you.

Starting January 1, 2010, Other Food will feature a new meditation every morning.  Based on Bible readings from the Canadian Bible Society, these devotionals will link a Scripture passage, focus on one idea from the text, lead in a brief prayer, and supplement the idea with inspiration in quotes, songs, links to check out, etc.

I'm really excited about writing these daily meditations - and would love for you to join me January 1st!

a prayer meditation

Just over two weeks ago our son had a scary fall from a roof, 20 feet down onto concrete. You can probably imagine the frantic prayers a parent prays at times like this. In fact, the hours of the first few days and nights blurred into one long prayer.

It's at times like that I really appreciate a little book I bought some years ago. Praying with Fire by Barbara Billett is a collection of prayers based on Scripture. The prayer for children is one I've been reading/praying over and over.

In the last few days I've also been meditating on the Bible passages these prayers are based on (they're listed at the bottom of each prayer, in the order they occur). Isaiah 54:13 is one of those verses:

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.


ALL YOUR CHILDREN - children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren...

"TAUGHT BY THE LORD" - how does He do it?
- through nature.
- through the Bible.
- through the experience and counsel of others.
- through their own experiences - including tragedy, loss, sickness, disaster - and good times too.
- through miracles - dreams, visions, miracles, healings.

"AND GREAT SHALL BE THE PEACE OF YOUR CHILDREN."
That's an interesting outcome. Not wealth or intelligence, favor, or joy but peace.
- A state of mental or physical quiet or tranquility; calm, repose
- Absence or cessation of war
- Public order - freedom from riot or violence
- Reconciliation after strife or enmity
- Freedom from mental agitation or anxiety


Lord, teach our children. Bring peace to them - and us. Amen.

A sampling of the prayers in Praying with Fire is on The Miracle Channel website. Here is the "Prayer for Children". Other prayers are linked at the top of the page.

Holy Week - Easter Sunday

He is risen

He is risen indeed!

"Mary Magdalene and the Holy Women at the Tomb" by James Tissot, 1836-1902

Read: Mark 16:1-13

The story of the resurrection includes a lot of doubting. The women who first discovered Jesus was gone and heard from the angel that Jesus was risen, "trembled and were amazed. And they said, nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."

Mary Magdalene saw Jesus but when she reported to His friends, "...they did not believe."

After He appeared to two disciples on the Road to Emmaus and they later told the disciples, the disciples "...did not believe them either."

People don't like to be thought gullible. Skepticism is way cooler. But when it comes to the things of God, we can believe the promises He has made in the Bible.

The disciples wanted nothing more than to have Jesus back with them again. But when He appeared after His resurrection, they didn't believe it could be Him - even though he had told them plainly this would happen.

Oswald Chambers says, "It is always a wonder when God answers prayer...it is so wonderful that a great many people believe it impossible. 'Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do' (John 14:13). Isn't that wonderful? It is so wonderful that I do not suppose more than half of us really believe it. 'Every one that asketh receiveth' (Matthew 7:8). Isn't that wonderful?"

- Oswald Chambers - If You Ask, p. 37

Dear Jesus, nothing is too hard for You. Your resurrection proves it. I want to be a believer. Help my unbelief.

Holy Week - Saturday

"Joseph of Arimathaea" by James Tissot, 1836-1902

To Read: Mark 15:42-47
(Readings suggested by Canadian Bible Society)

In these five verses, nine words popped out at me: "who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God." Ping! That's me. That's you if inside you is that deep yearning for His peace, love and justice to win; for God's order, His kingdom to come on earth.

Joseph of Arimathaea, the man who was waiting, had heard Jesus' teaching and seen his miracles. He just knew Jesus was the fulfillment of God's promise of a king, come to establish a new order. But now his hero was dead.

Still, that kingdom sense in Joseph prompted him to get up the courage to ask Pilate for Jesus' body. Because that's what "waiting for the kingdom" is about too. It's about facing the meaningless, the awful, the sad, the tragic. It's about not slumping into unbelief just because things aren't going the way we thought they would but carrying on, even in the dark.

We too must wait for the kingdom through good and bad. It's easy to anticipate the kingdom when things turn out the way we hope: we get the job, health is restored, the house sells. But in the face of unemployment, sickness, dashed dreams, does our kingdom hope survive?

Dear Lord, please help me wait for Your kingdom with positive action, never losing sight of the fact someday it will come "on earth as it is in heaven."

**************

Story time

This "waiting for the kingdom" reminds me of a little story Richard Stearns (head of World Vision USA) tells in his book The Hole in Our Gospel. He was visiting a desperately poor family high in the Andes. Octaviana was a widow trying to support herself and her children as well as pay back a $300 debt her husband had incurred. The whole family was sick with parasites. Her small flock of sheep were sick too. Here is Rich Stearns' description of his visit with her. I think it's a beautiful illustration of both sides of 'waiting for the kingdom.'

"I asked her what she prayed for, because I could tell she was a woman of deep faith. She said she prayed to God that He would not forget her and her three children on that remote mountain -- that He would help her carry this burden and that He would send help. And as I held her hand and prayed for her, God revealed to me a profound truth -- that I was the answer to Octaviana's prayer. Eight thousand miles from my home in Seattle, 14,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains, she had cried out to God for help, and He had sent me. God had sent me to help her, He had sent me to comfort her in her suffering, and He had sent me to be Christ's love to her. She had prayed and I was God's answer, I would be God's miracle in her life.

And then the even bigger truth washed over me. I could see that all across the world people were crying out in desperation to God for help, for comfort; widows, orphans, the sick, the disabled, the poor and the exploited. These millions of prayers were being lifted up to God, and we, each of us who claim to be His followers, were to be His answer. We were the ones who would bring the "good news" of Christ to the poor, the sick, the downtrodden. God had not turned His back on the poor in their suffering. God had sent us. This was the good news of the gospel -- good news indeed for the poor."

(The Hole in Our Gospel, pages 166,167)

Holy Week - Good Friday

"Christ on the Cross" by Eugene Delacroix, 1798-1863

Read Mark 15:1-41

How quickly things got ugly once evil was allowed to run free. The crowd turned nasty. The soldiers were blasphemous and abusive. Even the others condemned to death were full of sarcasm and ridicule.

But on another plane a great victory was being won. Jesus had met God's standard of perfection. He was the Lamb of God, paying the penalty for our sin. Our relationship with God would be restored.

At His death the earth shook. The "veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom"; physically impossible for a person to tear it in that manner. Jesus' death opened the way for us to come into the very presence of God. That is why we can call the day we remember a death - GOOD.

Holy Week - Thursday

Read Mark 14:12-72

Jesus and His disciples have eaten the Passover meal. After dinner they walk to Gethsemane Garden. Jesus says to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray." Taking Peter, James and John He walks on, then stops. "Stay here and watch," He says, and goes deeper into the garden.

We don't know how long He spends in intense prayer. Perhaps an hour. When He returns, they are all asleep. "Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation."

What is this watching?

Oswald Chambers says:

"Is our idea of prayer based on the keen watching that Jesus Christ asked of His disciples?.... Probably our biggest difficulty is that our Lord is not really Master... The point is are we prepared for our Lord to say to us, 'Sit ye here while I go yonder'? Are we prepared to give due weight to the fact that we are not our own master? Are we devotees to a cause or disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ? He said to the disciples, 'Sit ye here.' If they had been like some of us they would have said, 'No it it absurd. We must go and do something.'"

- Oswald Chambers from If You Will Ask - Reflections on Prayer

Dear Lord, become just that - Lord, Master, Boss. I would be your servant, slave, steward, go-fer ... to do, or wait and watch.

Holy Week - Wednesday

Read Mark 14:1-11

How can she show Jesus the extent of her love? She imagines the greatest extravagance. She could pour her most costly treasure over Him - the vial of perfumed oil that cost a year's wages. And then she actually does it. Jesus, moved by her gesture, prophecies the meaning of her act. She is anointing His body for burial but beforehand, when He can still appreciate it.

He is fed up. How can a potential king have so little money sense? Jesus' affirming of the woman's wastefulness is the final straw. He goes to the priests and scribes - who just happen to be on his wavelength. Plus they pay good money. He puts in motion the last events of Jesus' life by agreeing to betray Him.

Two people acting out of the consistency of their hearts with very different outcomes.

What is my heart? Do my actions build up God's kingdom, like the woman's did, or work against it, like Judas's? I need to remember, their actions didn't come out of a vacuum but were logical next steps of consistent lives that were already pointing in a direction. In what direction is my life pointing?

Lord, show me the attitude of my heart. May it be toward You.

Holy Week - Tuesday

"Jesus upon the Mount of Olives" - Illustrations by Alexandre Bida, from Christ in Art; or, The Gospel Life of Jesus: With the Bida Illustrations. by Edward Eggleston. New York: Fords, Howard, & Hulbert, 1874.

Tuesday reading: Mark 11:20-13:37

Watch. "Watch and pray. Watch therefore for you do not know when the master of the house is coming...Watch." These are the instructions Jesus gives after making a string of chilling predictions about end times: wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nation, earthquakes, famine and troubles (Mark 13).

I'm sure the three disciples Jesus took with him deep into Gethsemane wished they'd paid more attention to this lesson after Jesus' arrest. Similarly, if I knew what was ahead for me, would I be a better watcher?

Lord, please give me a watchful spirit; and Your wise perspective on the world around me.

Holy Week - Monday

"The accursed fig tree" by James Tissot, 1836-1902

Monday reading: Mark 11:12-19

Jesus is in no mood for lightness. He curses a barren fig tree. Then He cleans the money changers and dove sellers out of the temple. His explanation, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of thieves."

What does the serious, down-to-business, days-from-the-cross Jesus curse in our lives, my life? My fruitlessness? My affair with the things of this world?

God help me, this Holy Week, to get honest with You and let You get ruthless with me.

frivolous friday

SLATE editor recommends the Bible

In a short interview about his new book Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible, David Plotz, editor of Slate responds to Publisher's Weekly questions...

RBL: Do you have a favorite book or part of the Bible?

David Plotz: My favorite parts tend to be where you have heroes who are skeptical, questioning and doubtful. But my favorite story of all is the book of Ruth. It is so beautiful and moving, like a Jane Austen novel or a Patsy Cline song.

RBL:You mention that you've become a “full-on Bible thumper.” What do you mean by that?

DP: Every page, every chapter has something that is culturally significant that has come down to us. So going through life without knowing this book is like wearing a veil. Also, there are millions of Americans who believe in the Bible literally—that every single word is true. For you to fully engage in discussion about the issues that they and you care about, you have to do the duty of understanding why they hold the beliefs they do.

RBL: Do you think that the Bible should be taught in public schools?

Read his answer and the rest of the interview here.

Apparently the book began as a blog.

the black hole of the gospel

"Gospel" is a beige word, one of those words we read but it doesn't register because it's so common. It shouldn't be that way. For gospel" (euangelion), a word that means "good news," has significance to all of us. While in ancient Greek "gospel" referred to the reward given for bringing good news, in the New Testament it means the good news itself.

Good news about what? About God and humankind. About the promise of salvation and its fulfillment by the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

This month's feature at Rebecca Writes is the gospel. Every Tuesday and Friday in October she has been putting up links to posts from around blogland that refer to some aspect of the gospel.

The poem "Black Hole" does that.

I first did some reading around black holes years ago when one of the kids was researching a science project. The theory that matter and light swept into a black hole's vortex are lost to us forever remind me of what happened to sin when Jesus died on the cross.

"The darkness at the crucifixion" - Gustave Dore, 1865

BLACK HOLE
"About noon darkness fell across the entire land..." Mark 15:33

Forbidden fruit’s magnetic lure,
crimson Jealousy, Murder,
consuming Lust,
that bangs down doors.

Fear, Conniving,
Lies – "She is my sister."
Complaints, Grumbling, Muttering
Demands: "We want a king."
Whining, Rebellion: "Who made you king?"
Gagging, Tormenting,
Killing truth-sayers.

Disease – rotting limbs,
glazed eyes, fever,
paralysis.
Demonized, rage-filled shrieks
Schemes, Betrayal, Mockery:
Curses, Spitting
"If you’re so wonderful
come down from the cross."

All vortexed that afternoon
in thick, heavy Evil.
Oppression.
Tear-your-hair-out Despair.
Darkness. Sin’s sum total
sucked into a black hole...

“It is finished.”

© 2007 - V. Nesdoly

Sunday thought

"Roll your works upon the Lord -- commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will and so shall your plans be established and succeed." - Proverbs 16:3 (Amplified)