Hi, Mr. Nature here–and would you believe it? I’ve never in my life seen one of these beautiful creatures in the flesh: the luna moth. The map says they live where I live, but I’ve never, ever, seen one.
Note how trustingly the moth perches on the man’s finger. I guess you have to, if your wings got rained on and they’re too wet to fly.
This moth is one of God’s loveliest creations.
I do hope I see one someday.
It’s part of my job to track the daily news–not a nice part. Watching the bad guys cha-cha around the bases, Team Satan running up the score like nothing I’ve ever imagined in my life. You don’t need me to describe it for you. It’s bad out there.
This morning my regular Bible reading landed me, successively, in Job, Jeremiah, and Revelation. Whoa! Someone throw me a lasso, that’s my spirit running away!
Oh, but there’s an answer to all this! Yes, there is. Matthew hinted at it, citing Isaiah: “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” (Matthew 4:16) And Isaiah 9:6-7 says it plainly enough for anyone:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
For that is the answer. We can’t overcome the evils of this world; but Jesus Christ can, and will. If we could straighten ourselves out, we wouldn’t have needed a Savior. If we could set up a righteous kingdom on our own, we wouldn’t need a King of Kings.
The answer is Jesus Christ. No matter how many points they put up on the scoreboard, He will trample them underfoot. What the Lord says He will do, He will do. The mighty empires of the world are only a drop of water in His bucket.
Go back to the last post and listen again to The Hallelujah Chorus–for Jesus Christ is indeed the answer.
This is the hymn that I had to hear today, after my daily Bible reading landed me in Job, Jeremiah, and Revelation in succession (I’ll say more about that in the next post)–the immortal Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s The Messiah, performed by the Royal Choral Society. You might want to turn up the volume for this one!
Really, if this can’t crank you over, your soul needs a new battery.
Babies and Dobermans–really? Well, seeing is believing–otherwise I wouldn’t’ve believed it. My wife insists Dobermans are really nice dogs, but I had them as being something more in the nature of Velociraptors.
Anyhow, here’s more proof that dogs and cats are very, very good for babies.
Just like they’re good for us adults.
As hard as it may be for us in 2016 to imagine people rioting over who was the best Shakespearean actor, that’s what happened in New York City on May 10, 1849 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_Place_Riot ), known to history as the Astor Place Riot, named after the theater where it started.
Twenty-five people were killed in the riot and 120 injured, plus quite a lot of property damage.
The riot did not decide who was the best Shakespearean actor in New York.
It strikes us as absurd, but to the people living in New York at the time, it was anything but trivial. The riot pitted class against class, immigrant against native-born, and launched the very long career of dime novelist Ned Buntline, best known as the not entirely trustworthy co-author of Wyatt Earp’s autobiography. A famous gun used by Earp, the Buntline Special, was named for him.
The Shakespeare riot is more than just a curiosity of history.
It is a warning to us against how easily things can get out of hand.
Would you vote for this fish?
Wowee! A newly-discovered fish species has been named after the worst president in U.S. history so far. (http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/02/politics/fish-named-after-obama/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool) *sigh* It can always get even worse than this, although such a thing is difficult to imagine.
Here I will exercise restraint and not resort to any of the wisecracks that have doubtless already occurred to the reader. There are an almost infinite number of them that can be employed.
I suppose they named a fish after him because they ran out of diseases.
So i “was” jist walkin ruond the Campuss this moaning “and” Theese twoo other stodents they waked passt me and One she sayes to “the” other Hey lookit “the freek whith” the Moth Antenners meening Me! It was A grate Big Micro Gresion!!!
Wel naturely i busted “out” cryin i meen its Hard enuohgh havin Moth Antenners growin oute “of” my Four Head whithote some Biggit sayin im A freek and than wehn I “was” finnished cryin i runned offf to our Diversity Leadership Teem and i tole them al abuot It!! and Thay sayed dont Worry “whee wil” put them twoo Bums in Diversity Traning untill thay minds is rihgjt!
And than i “had” to Go “to” the Infirmbery becose my prefesser “he” sayed micro Gresion its Bad for yore immuned Sistym and it Can make yiu “sick” iff you here or see or rede Any thing “that” yiu dont lyke and So thay gived me Som Aunti Botics and thay aslo rubed som otther Kind of meddycine i fourget how to spel It, on my Moth Antenners and the One nourse she “was so” Nice she gived mee a Hankerchiff to eet for Lunch!
Hear at Collidge whe goin to Start “a” new Program it caled “langwidge Matters” and thenn No boddy thay wont be aloud to Say nothin at all unles it is Nice and Afirmming exept for Us Interllecturals wee can stil Talk “becose” evry thing Wee say its so Smart!!!
but evry Boddy else thay Has “got” to Shutt Up!!!
This is the hymn, another Fanny Crosby classic, that’s been my companion this morning. One could hardly ask for better company.
I wish I knew who it is, singing this a capella version: they deserve a round of applause.
P.S.–Carol informs me that this is the Antrim Mennonite Choir. Well done!
This is the second time I’ve seen a cat make like an upside-down caterpillar going down a flight of stairs. I wonder what they mean by that.
Took me a while to find this cat video for y’all, so I hope you enjoy it.
Mr. Nature here–and good grief, where did the summer go?
I couldn’t let it pass without posting one of my favorite sounds of summer–the night-time chorus of the katydids.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy God’s stuff.