A treasure restored…

My husband just told me that a package will be coming for me by UPS in the next couple of days.  Through internet searching, he found and ordered for me something I have been looking for literally for years!

One of my prized possessions back in college was a huge (36″ x 81″) collage poster of MGM Movie classics that was created in 1975 to promote the movie “That’s Entertainment”.  I bought my copy from a souvenir shop in Universal Studios in the early ’80’s for about $20 and it traveled with me – and was proudly displayed whenever possible – for many years.  It has graced the walls of a couple of dorm rooms, several apartments  and finally the garage wall of our first condo.  When we moved into our house 13 years ago, there was no place to put it up (did I mention that it’s huge?).  So it was relegated to the garage and was consequently eaten by bugs (bugs with no sense of cinematic history whatsoever!).  This is it’s current condition:

So there you go – the history and demise of my treasured poster.  Now I hope you can see why this poster holds a place in my heart and why I am so pleased with Terry’s efforts in securing a new one.  And I’m sure that the replacement has cost us much more than the original $20 investment, but it is now a rare collectible, right?  To me, it is worth every penny!

But also please understand that “treasure” is really way too strong a word for my feelings for this poster – I know that.  Classic MGM musicals, and stars such as Judy Garland, Doris Day, Lena Horne, Bing Crosby, and so many more are things that I really enjoy in this life.  You can add sports (playing and watching), music, theater, science fiction, books, computer stuff – and the list of things I “love” in this world could go on and on.  And, of course, all of the people and relationships in my life are far more loved and treasured than any of the “things” I could possibly ever enjoy.

Even with my joy over replacing this silly poster, don’t worry about me.  I know that the real treasure is knowing Jesus and trusting in Him for the more important things in this life and for my “best life”, which is not here and now as some would have you think,  but is to come and is to last forever!  And I want to take as many folks with me as I can…

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

Share

7 Reasons To Act Like a Turkey This Thanksgiving

If someone calls you a turkey, it’s usually not a good thing. And yet, Benjamin Franklin liked the turkey better than the bald eagle as the symbol of America.* Why is that??

I decided to learn a little about them and discovered how interesting they are. While clearly there’s one big reason NOT to be a turkey at Thanksgiving (ehem), we’d enjoy the holiday a lot more if we acted like them.

They’re good listeners
Turkeys don’t have physical ears, but they have amazing hearing. Like them, when we find we’re missing resources we think we need to be present with others, we can listen anyway. Let’s be good listeners this holiday.

They’re open about feelings
A turkey’s grey head and neck skin changes colors with their mood – if they’re nervous, excited, scared or sad. Being real lets others know what to expect from them in the moment. Let’s decide we’ll be honest and real in ways that open relationships this holiday too.

They’re surprising… in a good way

See the rest of the “7 Reasons” by clicking here

Share

My New Life – Low Carb, Low Fat Wonderfulness…

image

Well, it’s time to come to grips with my situation and make some changes.  Maybe a public proclamation will help keep me on the straight and narrow this time.

My sugar is high (not diabetic…yet), my cholesterol is high, my blood pressure is high and my weight – well it’s high,too.

Time to make some changes!  I have signed up for Weight Watchers online and am trying to change my evil ways – at least when it comes to food.

I guess veggies and fish are my new best friends – and starches, sugar and fat are the enemy.

Your prayers and encouragement would be greatly appreciated!

Share

Taft Avenue Church Camp 2011

Gallery

This gallery contains 85 photos.

We had a great time again this year at Church Camp for Taft Avenue Community Church.  The theme was “Simple Church” and the session teaching came straight out of 2 Timothy.  We all learned the importance of knowing the gospel, Continue reading Taft Avenue Church Camp 2011

Share

The Tapestry of Scripture | Miscellanies. A Cross-centered Blog

November 4 – by Tony Reinke

That list of biblical references running down the gutter of each page the ESV Study Bible is a compilation of thousands of cross-references that point to other thematically related parts of Scripture. All told the ESVSB has 80,000 of those cross-references.

There’s a history to who actually made those connections. The references found in the ESVSBwere compiled by a team of Bible scholars from Oxford and Cambridge Universities over 100 years ago. Their work was first used in the English Revised Version (RV), a version that appeared in 1881.

A few years back Lutheran pastor Christoph Römhild wondered if an infographic could capture cross-references like these for the purpose of visualizing the tapestry of Scripture. He contacted Chris Harrison, who said yes, and together they created this:

Each bar along the bottom represents a chapter from Genesis (left) to Revelation (right). The length of the bar correspond to the length of the chapter (Psalm 119 is easy to find in the middle). The cross-references are arched and colored by arch length. In all this graphic represents 63,779 colorful cross-references (I’m unsure how they arrived at this number, cross-referencing being something of an art — the Thompson’s Chain-Reference Bible has over 100,000, for example).

Beautiful graphic, isn’t it? This is a wonderful visual reminder of the thematic unity of Scripture, and it serves as a great personal reminder to read every verse in light of the bigger biblical storyline.

You can find a large version of the graphic and more information here.

Share

you said it…

Like most protests, the Occupy Wall Street folks are better at identifying something that is wrong than identifying a way forward that is right.

– Bruce Wydick

I agree. The whole movement would be so much more compelling if they presented some practical answers and ideas rather than just complaints. I think we all see the problem, it is the solution that escapes us.

Share