dual personalities

Month: April, 2023

April 13, 2023

Oh Daniel prayed every morning, noon and night

by chuckofish

As you know we are reading the book of Daniel in my women’s Bible study group. I had, of course, read the book before–last year in fact–but I had never really noticed what a treasure trove it is. Daniel is an amazing guy! Angels are frequently showing up in his life, even Gabriel! He tells him: “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision.” (Daniel 9:22-23)

“For you are greatly loved.” In the next chapter Daniel is again told by an angel, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” (10: 19)

John Piper says, “I admit that each year when I read through the Bible and come to these verses, I want to take them and apply them to myself. I want to hear God saying to me, ‘You are greatly loved.’” He says we do hear it. But, wow, Daniel.

From the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, Daniel kept the faith. He shunned the depraved culture in which he was forced to live. And as he continued to surrender to God, Daniel rose to great prominence in the palace of the king. Even King Nebuchadnezzar turned to Daniel for counsel. So did King Darius. He reminds me a lot of Joseph and his rise to prominence in Egypt. There is a lesson here, of course.

Part of that lesson is that Daniel prayed. A lot. And his prayer is refreshingly straightforward. Right before the angel Gabriel appears, Daniel prays:

O Lord, hear!

O Lord, forgive!

O Lord, listen and act!

I like his direct approach. And I like Patty and Ricky’s version of this Gospel classic.

Oh Daniel served his living God
While upon the earth he trod
He prayed to God each morning, noon and night
He cared not for the king's decrees
But trusted God to set him free
Oh Daniel prayed every morning, noon and night
--Ralph Stanley
5 Comments
April 12, 2023

You can find rest in the Father/lay your worries down*

by chuckofish

Yesterday was a typical day for this old retired lady. First thing in the morning I did my daily Bible reading. Then I hopped in the Cooper and drove down to the Link Auction Galleries to pick up my ‘winnings’ (i.e. old stuff no one else wants) from last week’s auction.

It was a beautiful day to take a drive as spring is busting out all over this flyover town.

I came home and caught up on my emails and “desk work”. Daughter #2 sent this picture of baby Idabelle already wearing a dress that daughter #1 made for Katie!

Sunrise/sunset. And, of course, I got the daily update on Katie’s day at daycare…

The boy came over for our usual Tuesday morning gabfest before he headed off to work.

In the afternoon I worked on putting together the first issue of the Kirkwood Historical Society Review with me as co-editor. (The Review has been around for 60-odd years.) Everything goes to the printer today, so say a little prayer. We switched printers when the old printing company’s warehouse burned down and now the printer is my old friend Cherie, with whom I worked for many years while I was at my flyover university. It is good to be back doing business with an old pal.

I walked the dog. I read some poetry:

(W.H. Davies, 1911)

I made hash for dinner with the leftover pork tenderloin from Easter. It was really tasty.

Life is good and God is sovereign. Take the time to stop and stare. Enjoy your day!

*I like this song by Stephen Stanley.

5 Comments
April 11, 2023

The shape of the world

by chuckofish

Today we celebrate the crowning in 1689 of William III and Mary II in London as King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Huzzah! This occasion inspires me to want to watch Captain Blood (1938) with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.

We all cheer, “Aye”.

It is interesting that in 1938 they could make a movie about Monmouth’s Rebellion and the Bloody Assizes and the Glorious Revolution and people could actually follow the story line. I doubt that is the case nowadays or at least Hollywood no longer makes that assumption. Well, what ho, c’est la vie.

You will recall that a few years later in their reign on February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter for a “perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences” to be established in the Virginia Colony as “The College of William and Mary in Virginia.” The first chancellor was, of course, Henry Compton, Bishop of London, who had crowned them.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Mr. Smith got very dirty cavorting on the driveway on Sunday…

…and was quite a mess. He had to have a bath–always a two-person job–so the OM was shanghaied into helping with that.

So a toast to William and Mary, Captain Blood, Henry Compton, current Comptons, and dirty dogs everywhere.

And this made me laugh:

3 Comments
April 10, 2023

Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

by chuckofish

Oh my goodness, what a busy three days! We even managed another trip to Jefferson City to pack more of daughter #1’s apartment. (One more trip should do it.) I was so tired on Friday and Saturday night that it took three nights to watch Ben-Hur (1959)! We concluded it on Easter night and it was great as always.

We had a lovely Easter and I hope you did too. Our weather was perfect. After a rousing church service we were able to frolic outside with Mr. Smith (who was sporting a plaid bow tie) and search for Easter eggs..

We were a little alarmed to see a coyote run across our neighbors’ yards (no kidding) and daughter #1 ran inside with Mr. Smith! Yikes, that was a first. I mean really.

Then we ate a yummy brunch featuring barbecued pork tenderloin. Thankfully the OM managed to not get attacked by the neighborhood wildlife while doing so.

Afterward we enjoyed some primo driveway sittin’ while the wee babes drove around the yard.

Even Lottie (finally) got behind the wheel!

She dragged her brother around for awhile–par for the course. Mr. Smith took refuge under a chair and chewed on a frisbie.

Meanwhile back east, daughter #2 had a nice Easter and everyone looked very festive indeed.

Oh Mylanta, cuteness overload!

4 Comments
April 7, 2023

The only rock I stand on.

by chuckofish

Well, we made it to Friday, readers. Because it is Good Friday, we plan to watch Ben-Hur tonight (well the first half, the chariot race will have to wait until Saturday). Things continue to move forward and hopefully I will be in my house in two weeks (well two weeks and one day, the movers come on a Saturday). Tomorrow, my mother and I will again venture to Jefferson City to continue packing. The end is in sight.

I thought this article in the Wall Street Journal was interesting. As a Flaming Hot Cheeto fan, I will definitely check that movie out. I think the point is less that Hollywood is making movies about things people love and more about the fact that no one in Hollywood has an original idea and they’ve resorted to telling the stories of how things we love and/or feel nostalgic about got made. I love that the Flaming Hot movie is about how someone with a good idea and who worked hard actually made it from janitor to executive. It can happen–and does happen. Now I want some Flaming Hots.

Here’s a picture of Mr. Smith because it’s the only cute picture I have from the past week that my mother didn’t already use on the blog. And here’s a TobyMac and Zach Williams song because we all need a little Toby and Zach these days.

Have a Happy Easter!

2 Comments
April 6, 2023

With a picture of Stonewall Jackson above my head

by chuckofish

Congratulations to Patty Loveless who will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year! This coal miner’s daughter from eastern Kentucky always was a classy lady and a particular favorite in our family.

I will never forget the time the boy, age about 11, yelled out “We love you Patty!” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville just as there was a moment of silence in the audience. She looked up to the balcony where we were sitting and smiled.

We’ll be dancing a jig for you, Patty darling.

Also being inducted are Tanya Tucker and songwriter Bob McDill, who wrote “Good Ole Boys Like Me”. Don Williams recorded it in 1980 and the song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart.

This is one of the great country songs in my estimation. Pure poetry, man.

Nothing makes a sound in the night like the wind does
But you ain’t afraid if you’re washed in the blood like I was
The smell of Cape Jasmine through the window screen
John R and the Wolfman kept me company
By the light of the radio by my bed
With Thomas Wolfe whispering in my head

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees
And those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me
Hank and Tennessee
I guess we’re all gonna be what we’re gonna be
So what do you do with good ole boys like me?

Do yourself a favor and listen to these YouTube videos! This is true Country Music. Just beautiful. And cool, cool, cool.

3 Comments
April 5, 2023

I’ll lay my trophies down

by chuckofish

I am currently reading the Epistle of James in my daily Bible reading plan. Chapter 4 is quite convicting:

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Clearly, resisting the devil is a full time job and we must never drop our guard. Read the whole chapter and see how the Bible speaks to us today. Washing our hands was not just something we did during Covid.

So be obedient and all manner of things shall be well. Don’t follow the world, follow Jesus. Being kind is important, but it’s not the Gospel.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

–Elvina M. Hall, 1865

4 Comments
April 4, 2023

The idle singer of an empty day*

by chuckofish

Well, spring has sprung here in flyover country, it would appear, although the daffodils have been blooming (and blooming) for weeks and weeks. It was warm enough to sit out on the patio this weekend and it was glorious. I am (slowly) cleaning up the Florida Room and am hopeful I will have all my plants out there etc by the end of the week. It is hard work for this creaking old body.

And, look, Don reports that the gnomes are back in his garden!

In other news, on TCM this month they are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Warner Brothers, so you can imagine there are some great movies being shown.

I love a good conversion story. Here is John Piper’s. “All I remember is believing. I’ve always believed, as far as I can remember. I’m sure that’s not true since we come into the world bent out of shape by sin, but whatever God did in my life to make me a believer, he did so early that I don’t remember it happening.”

As Holy Week continues, this is a meaningful read.

This is also excellent.

Also I will note that today is what would have been my father’s 101st birthday. We will toast you tonight, ANC III. From the distance of thirty-one years since your death, I can say, many thanks for being my father.

*From the poem “Prologue of the Earthly Paradise” by William Morris (1834-1896); the painting is “Interior of the Artist” by Léon De Smet (Belgium 1881 – 1966)

3 Comments
April 3, 2023

Postcards from the weekend

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Ours was punctuated by a lot of weather disparities which we are kind of used to in the midwest. Thankfully the really bad stuff went around us this time.

On Saturday daughter #1 and I took part in a DAR “field trip” to the historic Daniel Boone home in the rolling hills of wine country overlooking the beautiful Femme Osage Valley. I had been to the house back in the 1960s when I was a child and again in the 1990s when my own children were small. It is a lovely 1810 home built of native limestone.

I was surprised to find that the nearly 300-acre site now includes not only the historic Daniel Boone home, but the adjoining Village historic site, and surrounding property which was given to the people of St. Charles County by Lindenwood University in 2016. I’m sure I knew that but I had forgotten. The home and property now is called The Historic Daniel Boone Home at Lindenwood Park. The dozen buildings in the village were moved there, originating from within 50 miles of the property, and include several other houses, a general store, a schoolhouse, a church, and a grist mill. It is extremely well done.

Unfortunately, as you can see from these photos, it was an unexpectedly cold, gloomy and very windy morning! Boy, were we cold!

After our tour, we all hustled to our cars and drove down the road to the Defiance Ridge Winery where we had reservations for lunch. We warmed up and enjoyed a convivial time. As always at mid-MO wineries there was live entertainment and a happy crowd.

I also enjoyed becoming reacquainted with the legendary frontiersman who really was quite the exceptional guy. And as you know, this is a kind of guy that really appeals to me.

Boone spent his final years in Missouri, moving here in 1799 when it was still part of Spanish Louisiana and a pretty wild place. He lived here for twenty years and died on September 26, 1820, in the home of his son Nathan Boone on Femme Osage Creek which we visited.  (How he lived to the ripe old age of 85, leading such a life as he did, is amazing.)

Boone was buried next to his wife Rebecca, who had died on March 18, 1813.The graves, which were unmarked until the mid-1830s, were near Jemima (Boone) Callaway’s home about two miles from present-day  Marthasville, Missouri. In 1845, the Boones’ remains were disinterred and reburied in Frankfort, Kentucky. Resentment in Missouri about the disinterment grew over the years, and a legend arose that Boone’s remains never left Missouri. According to this story, Boone’s tombstone in Missouri had been inadvertently placed over the wrong grave, but no one had corrected the error. Boone’s Missouri relatives, displeased with the Kentuckians who came to exhume Boone, kept quiet about the mistake and allowed the Kentuckians to dig up the wrong remains. No contemporary evidence indicates this actually happened, but in 1983, you may recall, a forensic anthropologist examined a crude plaster cast of Boone’s skull made before the Kentucky reburial and announced it might be the skull of an African American. Both the Frankfort Cemetery in Kentucky and the Old Bryan Farm graveyard in Missouri claim to have Boone’s remains. But as our guide said, the Boones are both in heaven, so what does it matter?

(“Daniel Boone escorting settlers through the Cumberland Gap” by George Caleb Bingham, collection of Washington University)

Yesterday, of course, was Palm Sunday.

“There was a vast multitude crying ‘Hosanna’ … But Christ at that time had but few true disciples; and all this was at an end when he stood bound, having a mock robe put on, and a crown of thorns; when he was derided, spit upon, scourged, condemned, and executed. Indeed, there was a loud outcry respecting him among the multitude then, as well as before; but of a very different kind: it was not ‘Hosanna, hosanna,’ but ‘crucify him, crucify him.’” (Jonathan Edwards)

Onward to Easter.

5 Comments