My daughter Itsy is in grade one and she wrote a very short story for school called Princess Leora and the Balloons. Call me a proud dad but I am super pleased with the level of creativity that went into the story (without any help). She drew pictures as well but I am too lazy to scan them just now (perhaps later). I will translate the story here so you do not have to work out the spelling on your own (for instance – "the king frood the archduke and his gis in to the doongin" translates to "the king threw the archduke and his guys into the dungeon".

 

 

Princess Leora had lots of colorful balloons. There were purple balloons, and there were yellow balloons, and there were orange balloons, and there were blue balloons and there were red balloons.

 

The archduke popped Princess Leora’s colorful balloons.

 

Princess Leora had a secret passageway to a wizard. He said to Princess Leora "find a full balloon and plant the balloon under the courtyard tree by sunset."

 

The king threw the archduke and his guys into the dungeon. They had to blow up balloons.

 

The End.

 

In the latest effort by journalism to hail the findings of a single individual researcher against a whole history of prior research CNN.com refers to a Time magazine article as "Dead Sea Scrolls Shocker". This is the sort of headline I would expect in the National Enquirer or something equally as brain dead.

 

The researcher claims that the Essenes (seen as the keeper/transcribers of the scrolls) never existed and that they were "likely" made up by Josephus in an attempt to pump up Judaism in the eyes of his Roman masters.

 

REALITY CHECK:

 

– Time interviews one other scholar and dedicates a single line to him in response to the entire article.

– Even if the Essenes didn’t exist the scrolls still do and still say what they say…the Essenes existance matters little to Biblical scholarship in comparison to the scrolls themselves

– This is one scholar weighing in against decades of modern scholarship that says otherwise

 

CONCLUSION: Controversial religious stories sell magazines…expecially "shockers" and Time knows this – no other magazine has featured Jesus on the cover more than Time.

 

Here’s the link to the article if you’re interested: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1885421,00.html?cnn=yes

 

How crazy blessed am I simply by playing men’s floor hockey. We started the ministry last Sunday night as a weekly event for men and it is simply AWESOME! I don’t know what it is frankly. I am exhausted within 10 minutes of starting and injuries happen no matter how careful you are (especially when you make a point of standing directly in front of people’s shots).

 

I love the pace (fast), the commaraderie, even the pain can be a little good (reminds you of your mortality I suppose).

 

After the game tonight we were already talking about how this can really develop into a men’s ministry. The best thing about this is that it all started with someone from the congregation (Warren). Big thanks to the MMC for letting us use their gym tonight after a last minute switch. Looking forward to next week already (if I can move by tomorrow morning).

 

 

Leper lost his nerve

                        one day

and stopped the business

of feeling

 

I’m done with this

he said

I want no more pain

I want no more hurt

take away this sense

remove from me

this burdened heart

tear out this tortured eye

I’m done with dis-ease

 

so leper laughed

and went unfeeling

into the rocky world

and nothing hurt

and nothing burned

but everywhere he went

a piece if himself was

                          left behind

till all that was

was the small stone heart

shriveled and discarded

 

no one told him that

joy left with pain

they rode the same train

and no one ever said

without the blood

passion bled to death

and heat escaped

like air from a torn balloon

 

cold ghost wandered

through cries of unlean

looking to Lord

looking to be seen

praying –

 

lay your hand hard upon me

give me heart and heat

give me blood and boon

give me pain and peace

healing and hurt

and tears to wash away terror

 

and it was

blessed, praised pain it was

 

 

 

Glory or glories the new trailer is out. This movie is not to be missed. The latest is trailer 3 but watch them all.

 

 

 

 

Here’s some more bands to hunt down. M.C. Admin (said in the spirit of M.C. Hammer) turned me on to a Brit Radio station over the web so that helps with the influence (that and Youtube crawling). I want to know what you think:

 

– Red Light Company (M’s suggestion)

– The Maccabees

– The Saturdays

 

 

Ok – I know I have blogged about her before but one of Kokia’s song’s just shuffled to the fore on the iPod and I can’t resist posting a link to youtube showing her sing…she has an amazing voice.

 

 

Let me know what you think.

 

A couple of weeks ago one of the youth in my Junior Youth group brought a Ziplock bag filled with deer jerky that his dad made. He offered me a piece and I gave it a shot…THIS IS THE GREATEST JERKY I HAVE EVERY EATEN! I feel like an addict now waiting for his dealer to show up with another Ziplock baggie full. I offered to buy as much as I could get but apparently they don’t have much left. I don’t know how I will survive till next hunting season but I will have to.

 

You should know this is not simply a post designed to inform but also a shameless self-serving plea for deer jerky. If you have deer jerky and think it’s pretty good send some my way – I will pay.  🙂

 

Must

 

Have

 

J-e-r-k-y!

Frank & Mary left their love

they left the emerald

and sailed away away

and the great west rose

empty and new and

cold

Till William came

and little Irene

sinner and saint

children of Eire

Lucan-born

in Donnelly’s black shadow

far from long lost Tipperary

cold

But William went

left blood and kin

to be with Maria Savina

roman daughter

celtic son

and some fires don’t burn together

and some lights don’t shine

in the same sky

and once again

William went

left blood and kin

and died in drink

cold

but there was Monica

born of these hearts

born of these hurts

banished burden-bearer

sent to meet her Peter

broken boy

made to break and break again

and some knots

were not tied to bind together

but Alexander-cloven

and left apart

cold

till Gordian-born

new Peter

son of father

                   or

child of mother

maybe neither

maybe both

rose quiet with

words in his veins

a Word in his heart

cold

now rise new clover

bold three bind every strength

passionate Eire

strong Rome

majestic Maya

Isabella bright and beautiful

Caleb strong hearted bull

and

Matthew God-lover, lion-hearted leader

move into sun and Son

while shadows

of saints and bishops

poets and priests

mothers and fathers

sharers of blood and blame

whisper in your ears

of Spring and the end of

cold…