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Coffee Break – 03.05.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1845, the U.S. Congress appropriated $30,000 to ship camels to the western U.S. In 1922, “Annie Oakley” (Phoebe Ann Moses) broke all existing records for women’s trap shooting. She hit 98 out of 100 targets. In 1946, Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton, Missouri, popularizes the term and draws attention to the division of Europe. And in 1963, the Hula-Hoop was patented, although it first hit the market in 1958. An estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold in its first four months of production alone.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Cheese Doodle Day!
It’s time to get your fingers orange!

Smoking Your Iced Coffees – I want to try this. Yes, it is literally adding smoke to an iced coffee, for the purpose of adding additional, smoky, flavors. If you want to try one out, you can get it here.

How To Fold A T-Shirt – I know what you’re thinking… This isn’t something that needs to be taught. And you should be right. But take a look, and prepare to learn something new about something as simple as folding a shirt. You can also check out the infographic here.

The Blue Man: An Ozarks Legend – I am intrigued by the mythology of local areas where I have lived. And just around the corner from where I live now is a place where the legend of the Blue Man can still be heard occasionally.

Sardine Feeding Frenzy – I love some of the videos produced by BBC Earth. This one fascinated me for a while.

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Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:25-28

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

In the third stanza of Psalm 119, we saw the psalmist feeling rejected and alienated. He continues that description in the fourth stanza, but provides a positive outlook at the same time. You can see the first half of this stanza in Psalm 119:25-28:

Psalm 119:25-28

In the latter half of the last strophe, the psalmist described the alienation he felt due to his solid commitment to God’s Word. In the first half of Daleth, the fourth stanza, he gives two more results of the world’s hatred: humiliation and sorrow.

In verse 25, the writer states that he has been “laid low in the dust” because of his commitment to God and his precepts. The Hebrew word here is closely associated with the concept of “cleaving,” meaning he feels so low that he has bonded intimately with the dust he lies in. That feels pretty low, and permanent.

In verse 28, he states that his “soul is weary with sorrow.” There are a lot of good reasons for sorrow, but here, the writer seems to connect it to the rejection, alienation and humiliation that has been directed at him due to his commitment to God.

Seems kind of bleak, doesn’t it?

Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or removes your relish for spiritual things – that is sin to you.

Susanna Wesley
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Coffee Break – 02.26.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1919, Arizona’s Grand Canyon was established as a National Park with an act of the U.S. Congress. Ten years later, in 1929, President Coolidge signed a bill creating the Grand Teton National Park. And in 1933, a ground-breaking ceremony was held at Crissy Field for the Golden Gate Bridge.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Pistachio Day!
If you don’t like pistachios, go buy some for me!

Drink Four Cups Of Coffee A Day And You Could Live Longer – I already knew this, but to have a study confirm it is nice. And, at the rate I’m going, I should live forever.

Because Paper Has Soul – I write a lot, most of it digitally. But I love the concept of analog even more. I journal on paper, usually with a fountain pen. I write letters on an old Royal typewriter occasionally. Why? Because paper has soul.

Is The F-35 A Trillion-Dollar Mistake? – This is a lengthy article about the new F35 warplane, but if you are an airplane or jet fan, you’ll find it interesting.

4K Stormlapse – It has been rainy here all week. Not really stormy, but steady rain. So here is a timelapse of storms to help you out.

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Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:21-24

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

A couple of weeks ago, we began the third strophe of Psalm 119, looking at verses 17-20. This week, we will look at the second half of that stanza. You can find it at Psalm 119:21-24:

Psalm 119:21-24

As this stanza began, the psalmist speaks of the concept of alienation he feels because he so diligently follows God’s laws. He follows that thought with another; those who do not understand his commitment to God bring about slander and speak ill of him.

This slander takes a step past mere alienation, and not just because it is directed at the psalmist by the rulers of his people. As believers, it is natural that we feel like don’t fit it, that we are aliens. Because that is what we are. This world is not our home. We do not belong here. As a result, alienation is to be expected. But slander? That’s another issue entirely.

Slander is a falsehood. Slander is saying things about someone that are not true. Slander attaches false motives to the things we do, and may even bring false accusations of evil that we did not do. To not fit in feels bad enough, but to have people lie about us, and falsely accuse us of doing evil while we are striving to live for God feels even worse!