dual personalities

Tag: scripture

January 31, 2022

“If life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car”*

by chuckofish

Another quiet weekend passes by. I went to an estate sale where I picked up a few books, including They Were Expendable, which jumped out from a lower shelf in a packed basement. This is a book which has been out of print for some time, so I was thrilled to find it. My guardian angel was working with me then!

On Sunday we all went to church where the sermon was on 2 Timothy 1:8-14.

But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.[a]13 Follow the pattern of the sound[b] words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

1:12-14

We then headed to our house to eat the shepherd’s pie the OM had made ahead of time. The temperature had reached 40 degrees so the wee twins got to run around outside and drive the Raptor around the cul de sac.

Lottie thought about driving, but then was a little too timid to do so. She also balked at rolling down the hill. She is of an age where she does not abandon herself so willingly to such activity. She reminds me a little of myself in that way.

The wee boy has no such restraint. He relishes getting so dizzy he falls down. Anyway, they had fun and it was good to breath the cold, fresh air.

I downloaded the TNT app on our Amazon Fire Stick and so now I am able to watch Supernatural (2005-2020) to my heart’s content. You remember Dean and Sam, “Two brothers [who] follow their father’s footsteps as hunters, fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds, including monsters, demons and gods that roam the earth.” It is pretty crazy, I admit, but Dean is dreamy and demons are real. They mostly live in Washington.

In other news, this is very cool:

Another good reason to visit the National Cowboy Museum before May 1 when the Santa Fe Trail 200th anniversary exhibit closes. We are starting to plan our trip for early April! (#Hashtag The Cowboy)

February starts tomorrow–spring is in sight. But don’t miss February looking forward to warmer temperatures! And guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

*“If life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car / and objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are.”–Meatloaf, RIP

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October 26, 2021

“If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will”*

by chuckofish

We had some crazy midwestern weather the other night, tornadoes et al, but we are okay and no one died. We are once again reminded that with all our scientific advancements, they still can’t control the weather, try as they might. They’re not even that good at predicting it.

While daughter #1 was home this past weekend, we watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), which, as you know, is one of my top-five American movies of all time. I have recently re-read the Truman Capote novella…

…and it was good to see the movie and how great Audrey Hepburn was (as opposed to Marilyn Monroe, whom TC imagined in the part.) We enjoyed it and it lifted our spirits, as all favorite movies do.

Anyway, it got me thinking–in the middle of the night when all great thinking is done–about my top-five movies of all time and how they haven’t changed over the years.

They are (in order by year of production): The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) directed by Michael Curtiz; Stagecoach (1939) directed by John Ford; The Wizard of Oz (1939) directed by Victor Fleming; Shane (1953) directed by George Stevens; and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) directed by Blake Edwards.

These movies are in my opinion perfect and I would not change a thing about them. I guess it’s sad that there is no movie on my list after 1961!

It got me thinking about what movies would round out my top 10 and I came up with these: To Have and Have Not (1943) directed by Howard Hawks; The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) directed by William Wyler; My Darling Clementine (1948) directed by John Ford; The Searchers (1956) directed by John Ford; Ben Hur directed by William Wyler (1959).

Those are 10 great movies!

Do you have a top-ten list? You might try making one. And then buy the DVDs. They’ll be canceling them soon. I mean did you ever see the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode (2020) where they do the take-off of Toy Story? At the end Ben Mankiewicz starts to introduce what’s coming up next on TCM–some movie with Debbie Reynolds saying something ethnically offensive about the Irish–and then he says, “And next on TCM…Nothing.” Blank screen. I’m not the only one that worries about this.

Speaking of movies, here’s an article by Paul Zahl about Hammer horror films, just in time for Halloween. He even comments on private baptisms–“let’s hear it again for private baptisms on Saturday afternoons — public baptisms on Sunday morning are starting to get old.”  Amen, brother.

And this is a great article about the importance of actually going to church on Sunday morning and the inanity of “self-care Sunday.”

Where is that big eye freaked out emoji? Decorate “some” pumpkins? How many? With what? But seriously, if that freaks you out as it does me, keep scrolling to discover that “loving yourself first” is one of the key ingredients of self-care Sunday, as well as taking a hot bath and “loving yourself instead of loving the idea of other people loving you.”

I saw this quote from Jeremiah 10:23 in a daily devotional I follow: “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
    it is not for them to direct their steps.” True, true, true.

Curious, I looked up the rest of the prayer, which in typical Episcopalian fashion, the author of the devotional had left out. Oh golly, always look for the context:

Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
    it is not for them to direct their steps.
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—
    not in your anger,
    or you will reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations
    that do not acknowledge you,
    on the peoples who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
    they have devoured him completely
    and destroyed his homeland.

Have a good day!

*The Grateful Dead

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April 19, 2021

Postcards from the weekend

by chuckofish

I turned in a huge project on Friday–a grant proposal years in the making–and so when daughter #1 arrived in town, we celebrated at our favorite local re-opened wine/Tapas bar with a glass of wine and some hummus. Delightful. That set us up nicely for the rest of the weekend which involved a 4.5 hour babysitting assignment with the wee twins on Saturday, followed by a reprise on Sunday afternoon.

It was a lot, but a mostly delightful experience. I also managed to go to church for the third week in a row! In addition, we ordered a car seat and stocked up on Pampers and organic veggie pouches in anticipation of daughter #2 and Katie’s visit this coming weekend. We watched Hatari (1962) in two parts. This movie is a lot of fun and was a huge hit in 1962. All the actors did their own stunts with the wild animals–amazing!

It is a celebration God’s creation, plus there is a lot of chain-smoking, hipster merry-making.

It is fun to have four-year olds with whom to share the bounty of spring: the beautiful blooming trees, the lush green grass, the bugs that are appearing, the hosta poking through the dirt, along with the iris, the roses, the Euonymus and Ajuga, the peonies, the ants.

We even found two plastic Easter eggs that had not been found two weeks ago during our egg hunt! The chocolate bunnies inside were gobbled up immediately!

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind.

–Job 12: 7-10
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March 9, 2021

Total serenity

by chuckofish

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

Romans 5: 1-5

Take a deep breath. This is the day which the Lord hath made. Happy Tuesday.

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February 26, 2021

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer. *

by chuckofish

It is Friday and the weather has completely turned around since last week. The days are sunny and relatively warm. The birds are chirping away merrily. I saw two flickers in the oak tree in the front yard. Everyone is out and about. It is a veritable traffic jam of walkers in my neighborhood. We can see our shadows!

As usual, I have no plans for the weekend. Why break precedent?

In the Quelle Coincidence Dept. I read this article about Robinson Crusoe shortly after blogging about it.

I will also note that I watched Kit Carson (1940) with John Hall (on YouTube) and really enjoyed it. The plot reflects very little historical accuracy, but who cares? Kit Carson is depicted accurately (if hyper-romantically) and Hall is quite engaging. It is a mystery why he didn’t have more of a career. He is ably supported by Ward Bond and Dana Andrews. Next up: John Hall in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944).

Sunday is the birthday of the actor Charles Durning (1923-2012). You may recall him in The Sting (1973) or Tootsie (1982) or Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not To Be (1983).  

But did you know that during WWII Durning was in the first wave of American troops that landed on Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy? As it turned out, he was the only survivor of his unit that arrived in France on D-Day. After being wounded by a German anti-personnel mine, he spent six months recovering. Durning was then reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment with the 100th Infantry Division and participated in the battle of the Bulge. He was discharged in 1946. For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery. I discovered this when I did a little research on the Silver Star, the third highest military decoration for valor in combat, after reading MacKinlay Kantor’s Glory For Me. Amazing. Wow. We salute you, Charles Durning.

This Sunday the gospel lesson is Mark 8:31-38:

Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Hard words from our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Peace, brother. Have a good weekend.

*Romans 12:12

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February 23, 2021

Our daily bread

by chuckofish

Here’s hoping you are not dreading anything this week.

I gather that yesterday was National Margarita Day. Why didn’t someone inform me? If I didn’t read Instagram, I would never know. (Note to self: stop reading Instagram.)

Today we toast the handsome actor John Hall (1915-1979) on his birthday. Best known for nearly blowing away in The Hurricane (1937) with Dorothy Lamour…

…he also starred as the title character in Kit Carson (1940) with Dana Andrews as Captain Fremont, which I am going to try and find to watch. I’m sure it’s dreadful, but who knows. Ward Bond plays his sidekick–how bad could it be? And that coat looks almost authentic.

The gospel lesson for today is:

“And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
    On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread;[a]
12 And forgive us our debts,
    As we also have forgiven our debtors;
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    But deliver us from evil.[b]

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:7-15

Seems pretty straightforward. But forgiveness is a hard thing.

When we strive against all thoughts of revenge; when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them. (Thomas Watson, Body of Divinity)

Hang in there. Dread not.

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January 25, 2021

Small town Saturday night

by chuckofish

We are now in the last week of January! Time slips by even though we don’t do much.

On Friday night the wee babes and their parents came over for pizza. Daughter #1 arrived in town in time to join in the fun. While the adults gabbed, the wee laddie set up a Beanie Baby school with his favorite Collie as teacher. (Is that the cutest thing or what?) School must be on his mind and I guess he likes it!

In other news daughter #1 found this handmade mid-century child’s apron for me at a mid-MO antique mall.

How much do you love that fabric?

On Saturday I had the pleasure of daughter #1’s company while running a few errands. Gone are the days when we could enjoy lunch out, but we did get take-out margaritas from Club Taco to bring home and drink in front of a crackling fire.

The Bob Dylan sing-along started early and the music flowed far into the night. (The OM remained engrossed in his iPad.)

It was a good weekend. So onward and upward, remembering that today is the feast day of the conversion of Saint Paul on the road to Damascus.

Great painting–but please note that there is no mention of a horse in the scripture. Saul/Paul was on foot.

I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18 Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 

II Corinthians 11: 16-31

Have a good week!

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January 18, 2021

“Tune my heart to sing thy grace”*

by chuckofish

We did not do anything very exciting this weekend–at least not as exciting as going to a Zoom wedding like daughter #2 and Baby Katie, who attended her BFF Edwina’s nuptials on Saturday. They got dressed up and DN popped the Prosecco and it was a whole thing. I salute Edwina and Kevin for not putting it off because of the crazy time we live in. Because as Harry said to Sally, ““When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with a person, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Speaking of movies, the other night we watched Action in the North Atlantic (1943) a typical Warner Brothers patriotic war film of that era starring Humphrey Bogart as the 1st Officer on a Liberty Ship in a convoy bound from Halifax to Murmansk. After German subs crush the convoy, his ship loses the convoy and heads alone to Murmansk.

In spite of attacks by German planes and a sneaky Nazi sub and the captain being wounded, the gallant crew manages to get the cargo through. I was quite impressed by the special effects wizardry–the whole thing was filmed in a tank on the back lot! Anyway, the movie works as an effective propaganda tool for recruiting for the wartime Merchant Marines. There is even a moving burial at sea scene where Bogart reads a good portion of the naval service for eight seamen who have died to which he adds:

Now, that’s the word of God. And it’s good. But I don’t think He’d mind if I put my oar in. These are eight men we knew and liked, guys like us. Guys we ate with and slept with and fought with. Well, we were just a little luckier than they were. We’ll miss them. All of them.

This all reminded me of one pf those “luckier guys” I was reading about in the Jewish Light obits recently, who died in his nineties. He had joined the Army Air Corps during WWII at 19. As a ball turret gunner in B17 bombers, he flew 33 missions over Germany. Back in St. Louis after the war, Lou worked in advertising for over 44 years. He had big accounts–“Everything from Scoop to Nuts”–and a good long life. But he was a ball turret gunner at 19! That’s the guy who hangs from the belly of the plane armed with two machine guns. Let’s just take a moment.

Lest we forget. Regular guys do amazing things and they do it 33 times.

Forgive me if I got a little off track there, but that’s how my mind works. The wee babes came over Sunday with their parents for taco night. We caught up on the weeks activities and gazed at the fire.

I just love the fire.

I hope you enjoy your day off (if you have one).

Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:27–36 (The lesson appointed for use on the feast of Martin Luther King, Jr.)

*Robert Robinson, 1758, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I am glad to know that this old English hymn is still sung, including many times by the David Crowder Band. Who doesn’t love Crowder?

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November 2, 2020

Foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved

by chuckofish

Another Halloween has come and gone without much ado. The boy dressed up as Blippi and went trick-or-treating with a little monster and Princess Celestia.

What you say? You are not acquainted with Blippi? Well get with the program–he is all the rage with the toddler set. You can check him out here.

In other news, daughter #1 and I went to the drive-through Sticker Treat…

…where we got 99.1 Joy car stickers and candy! How fun is that? We are huge nerds and we just don’t care any more.

We also went to a fabric store, bought Diet Cokes in a strange neighborhood McDonalds, bombed out at two estate sales, and had a margarita-fueled sing-a-long with Alan Jackson. I re-read a Longmire mystery. We watched The Blob (1958) and several Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons. We FaceTimed with precious Katiebelle and her mommy who had an equally exciting weekend.

Now it is back to another Zoom-filled, election-punctuated week. Yikes.

Slander no one … be peaceable and considerate, and always gentle toward everyone. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us… (Titus 3:2-5)

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September 14, 2020

“Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest”*

by chuckofish

Plexiglass dividers between the seats are so flattering.

I think daughter #1 had a pretty great birthday what with an after-school trip to the zoo with the wee babes and a party at home afterwards (just the fam).

The zoo train is the best.
But sometimes there are bad smells at the zoo. C’est la vie.

On Saturday after FaceTiming with wee Katie, daughter #1 and I really got down to business in the basement.

We went through bins and consolidated a lot of stuff, throwing away a lot on the way.

It was glorious. We still have more to go through, but I am very pleased. There is nothing like getting organized to soothe the soul.

After a trip to the recycling center with a load of cardboard, we stopped at Club Taco for to-go margaritas and guacamole. Then we settled in for a long music session, listening to a cache of CDs from the 1990s we found in the basement.

Good times.

More cowbell!

One of the scripture lessons on Sunday was from Romans:

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of
quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the
weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who
abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who
eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on
servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall.
And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all
days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those
who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who
eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while
those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to
God.
We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we
live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then,
whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end
Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead
and the living.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why
do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
So then, each of us will be accountable to God. (14:1-12)

Let’s try to get through the week without passing judgment on our brothers and sisters, shall we? I know it’s hard, but c’mon.

*Henry Van Dyke, “Hymn to Joy” (Van Dyke wrote this poem in 1907 while staying at the home of Williams College president Harry Augustus Garfield. He was serving as a guest preacher at Williams at the time. He told his host that the local Berkshire Mountains had been his inspiration.)

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