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Merry Stressmas Everybody!
“The kiln tests the potter’s vessels…” ~~ Ecclesiasticus 27:5 I was baking cookies all day Friday, my oven never going higher than 375 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a great test for butter, sugar and flour: leave it in that heated box too long and the smoke detector just outside the kitchen door will start its…
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Death by China: Wesley and Barnum Meet Dr. Who
Overheard: PT Barnum & the Rev. John Wesley on the Movie “Death by China” Citizens of 1880 and 1760 usually don’t have the opportunity to visit over coffee, unless Dr. Who activates his telephone booth or we use the research tools available to us to bring their ideas together in the same space. “Free Books”…
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50 Shades of Slavery
“But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” ~~ 1 Corinthians 8:9 Twenty million copies of 50 Shades of Grey have been sold, earning author E.L. James around $50,000,000 to date—one million per shade of grey, as the wag might say. As a result, the…
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Mega Millions, Pie in the Sky and Perfection
“If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”~~ Matthew 19:21 I didn’t hit it big last Friday, but then I didn’t go buy the golden ticket. In fact, I bought no ticket at all. I didn’t…
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Art, Work & Breaking Out of Prison
This is a strange & dark veil of bamboo and vines that I found in Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Looking into the sun, the image was backlighted, so it seemed to be a fence guarding against my entry. I thought about the fences that keep me from progressing in my spiritual and…
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Art, Cabbages and The Spiritual Life
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit.” ~~ Luke 6:43-44a My family was known for its colorful sayings. “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” and “a zebra can’t change its stripes” were two…