Revelation of song meaning

So a sister of a close friend of mine is very sick with cancer. Cancer is just horrible, period. But it's so awful when everyone in that family is so very nice and sweet and struggling with so much right now. And aside from praying, it doesn't sound like there's much to be done.

I was listening to my MP3s on the way home from work and "The Only Constant" by Mending Point comes through the cycle. I've had that album since probably 2003. I don't even know how many hard drive crashes that particular MP3 has survived, and I've listened to the song probably 15-20 times this year alone just because I don't have a giant rotation of songs.

If you actually listen, the song's meaning is blindingly obvious. But for some reason it never occurred to me until that moment that the entire song is from Jesus' point of view. The veil was lifted, so to speak, at just the moment when I could be moved by Jesus' love.

Hello to my fragile one
It's been so long
But I am still here
Walk beside me
I've already won
I know it's hard
Just believe
Just believe

Did I not remember you
When the world was on my shoulders
Do you feel my heart
When colors fill the sky
You cannot erase the words
That I sing to you when you're broken
Not a thing has changed
I still feel the same
For you

I'm not at all an emotional person, to put it mildly, but my eyes got hot with tears, and I even felt a few fall, driving down the freeway. Sometimes things just hit you. God will always love us and nothing can take that away.

Rest of the lyrics here. Since the album's 8 years old, the songs aren't on YouTube that I could find, but you could buy it online at places like Amazon (in CD version!).

Scariest Entry Ever - 2.5 for 40

I didn't mean for this first part to be scary, but I guess you can take it that way too. From my Facebook:

Bin Laden was a very bad man and I'm not sorry he's dead. And I can't know the grief of those who lost loved ones. But I think singing "Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye" may be a bit much.

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him. Proverbs 24:17-18 (thanks, Laurel Shields!)

(And yes, God promises the wicked will get their comeuppance, and I'm thankful for that. I just don't know if partying like we won a sports game is the most Christian reaction.)

So on a completely unrelated note--I actually got these ideas Sunday morning before church!...

I love writing and feel God has given me a gift and/or interest in writing. I don't work on writing as much as I should, even though I think God has some things He would like me to write for whatever reason. I don't spend as much time with God as I should, and I'd also like to get some writing done.

So I got to thinking. I believe in tithing 10% of your income to God (interestingly, that's what my pastor preached on soon after I got this idea!). But as an adult I have never been in a position where I've found tithing my income difficult.

I do NOT believe the Bible says you have to give 10% of your time. Honestly, I'm not sure if many parents or students would even actually be able to do that if they wanted to!

But I'm single. Employed, yes. Tired when I get home from work, often. But my obligations outside my job are really pretty minimal. For pity's sake, I have machines to wash my laundry and my dishes for me!

(Every time I think of complaining about "having to do laundry" I think of my great-great-grandmothers. If they didn't have servants, they could have easily spent something like 2 days EVERY WEEK doing the family laundry. I guess the fact that my great-grandmothers have not given me a solid beating for my laziness is evidence that the dead do not walk the earth among us.)

ANYWAY. I've got a bunch of time I'm squandering. I wonder...could I give 10% of my time towards God and pursuits I believe God would like me to follow, such as writing Christian fiction?

Honestly, I'm kind of scared. But I'm trying it for 40 days. My goal is to spend an average of 2.5 hours each day (just over 1/10 of my time) praying, reading/studying the Bible, at church activities, and/or writing/planning my writing. This is stuff I should be doing anyway. Realistically, the writing/planning is going to take up the majority of this time. Thing is, I am lazy and I am easily distracted. Only by the grace of God will I manage even this meager goal. I realize the idea of calculating this time may be a little crass, but if I just have a fuzzy goal of "more time doing these things"...it just doesn't happen.

The first day was Sunday, May 1, so I got a jump start with church and all. I actually got in 5 total hours before my bedtime Bible reading/prayer time. So RIGHT NOW I'm well ahead. The other 39 days...well, my follow-through is not so good, and again, I'm going to need God to help me here.

Can you see why I claim this is the scariest entry ever? But hopefully an exciting one too.

President Warren Harding's Inauguration - March 4, 1921

So the big news of this week in 1921 was the inauguration of President Warren Harding! Before the 20th amendment, the Presidents were inaugurated on March 4th!

So in March 1921, Woodrow Wilson was leaving office:

WOODROW WILSON'S ADMINISTRATION
Eight Years of the World's Greatest History

WOODROW WILSON took the oath of office as President on March 4, 1913, after one of the most sweeping triumphs ever known in Presidential elections...

--The New York Times, February 27, 1921

What a heart-wrenching headline:

WILSON'S EXIT IS TRAGIC

Limping on Cane, But Smiling, He Goes to Capitol With Harding.

THERE HE SIGNS LAST BILLS

But Fearing to Venture Out on East Portico, He Regretfully Leaves for His New Home.

HE IS CORDIAL WITH HARDING

Last Formal Statement Shows Coldness to Lodge--Gets Big Ovation at His Home.

The New York Times, March 5, 1921

On the other hand, preparations were made for Warren Harding's inauguration:

WASHINGTON BIBLE TO BE SAFEGUARDED

Going on Special Car to Be Used at Inauguration of President Harding.

PRICELESS--MASONIC RELIC

New President Will Swear on Same Page Thumbed by George Washington.

The New York Times, February 27, 1921

The same Bible was used for Presidents Eisenhower, Carter, and George Bush Sr.


Fewer people than expected showed up:

THRONG OF VISITORS FAILS TO ARRIVE

Plenty of Politicians and Officeseekers in Capital, but Few Old-Time Spectators.

DUE TO SIMPLE CEREMONY

Everything Settled for Today's Event Except the Exact Part That Wilson Will Play.

Special to The New York Times.

--The New York Times, March 4, 1921

While the tradition of a morning church service prior to the inauguration started in 1933 (!), there were a couple religious articles:

WILL PRAY FOR HARDING.

Churches on New Haven's Historic Green Hold Services Today.

--The New York Times, March 4, 1921

Ohio Catholic Pray for Harding.

--The New York Times, March 5, 1921

There is an editorial on Harding's speech at The New York Times, March 5, 1921.

AIRPLANES CARRY TIMES TO CAPITAL

Two Machines Put the Latest Edition Into Washington Early in the Morning.

TRAVEL 92 MILES AN HOUR

Start from Long Island Delayed Forty-five Minutes as Result of Storm.

Special to the New York Times.

--The New York Times, March 5, 1921

And the "happy puppy story," as my family always calls fluff news, is about boots given to Mr. Harding from a shoe factory for his inauguration.

Inauguration Boots for Harding

--The New York Times, March 5, 1921

More stats on the inauguration are at inaugural.senate.gov. The inaugural Bible was open to Micah 6:8 (excellent!):

Micah 6:8: (KJV): He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Did you know that Warren Harding's full name was Warren Gamaliel Harding? Yes, his middle name was Gamaliel! I will admit full well I thought that sounded rather like a Lord of the Rings name. Actually, Gamaliel was a Pharisee, a man who always struck me as delightfully sensible:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%205:34-39&version=NASB

Acts 5:34-39 (NASB) - But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.  

And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."

The name comes up a few times in the Old Testament and also Paul says:

Acts 22:3: I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

Guess that's enough news for today!

*All articles believed to be in public domain per US law.

Flashback Friday - The Good Old Days - January 8, 1921

A New York Times editorial that would have been written almost exactly 90 years ago today complains that the British are selling oil to the Japanese for $1.80 a barrel, but selling the same oil to Californians at $2.40 a barrel!

--The New York Times, January 8, 1921

If this converter is to be believed, that's $22 and $29.34 in current dollars, respectively.

Ow!

Hey, Great Britain, if you'd like to make up for your unfair treatment of 1921 and charge us $29.34 per barrel of oil today, we'll take it. :)

Harding has been cited as saying "Prayer is a dominant factor for a successful life." The New York Times said he wrote those words as President-elect to Reverend Benjamin Root of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

See Herald and Presbyter, Volume 92 and The New York Times, January 8, 1921

Scheduling and Facebook Causes

So I haven't decided for sure on a publishing schedule, but I'm leaning toward Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I might even specify topics for each day, but that may be getting too far ahead of myself? I am fixing to post my weekly writing progress every Wednesday. I've got a ton of notes I got from published authors' panels at various conventions/etc. so I will probably bring those in at some point.

I find it so interesting how statuses/etc. can evolve on Facebook. One of my friends passed this cute little status on back on November 19, 2010:

Change your profile picture to your favorite cartoon character from when you were a kid. The goal of this game is to not see a human picture on Facebook but an invasion of childhood memories until Monday. PLAY AND PASS ALONG!

Then yesterday, December 2, 2010, this one went around, making what was a fun little request suddenly serious:

Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood. The goal? To not see a human face on facebook until Monday, December 6th. Join the fight against child abuse and copy and paste to your status to invite your friends to do the same.

This morning, December 3, 2010, I see this:

Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until monday, there should be no human faces on facebook, but a stash of memories. This is for eliminating violence against children. Support the walk against child abuse.--A child should be protected not because he deserves it but because he is loved.

EDIT: This afternoon, I saw two more variations!

Change your facebook profile photo to a cartoon from YOUR childhood & invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday, there should be no human faces on FB, but an invasion of memories. This is to raise awareness for violence against children.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it. Change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood.The goal? To not see a human face on FB till Monday, December 6th. Join the fight against child abuse, copy & paste to your status to invite your friends to do the same.

Anyone have any more? Given that some versions remove all references to a specific date (aside from "Monday") it is fairly likely that type of post will last well past Sunday, making next week a defacto "post cartoon profile pictures to end child abuse" week too....

I won't say much else on the matter, but I find the evolution interesting. From a Christian standpoint, I kind of wonder why none of these statuses ever say to pray to help end something negative (let alone donate money to a cause!). I don't think changing your profile picture will keep people from abusing children...but prayer might. So no, even though I like cartoons more than the next person, I'm not changing my avatar...but I did just say a prayer.