Film Comment: Void

This Christian short film, entitled Void, has no spoken dialog; none is needed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4TvZeGURWM

Book Comment: Poems of Faith

In college, I had a triple major course of study of Biology, Psychology, and English with a minor in Chemistry.  In my poetry classes, the name of Helen Steiner Rice often came up for denigration.  Her poetry was held up as an extreme example of excessive sentimentality and rigid adherence to an ultra-simple rhyming scheme.  Her poems resemble the verses in greeting cards because that is where Steiner began writing her poetry, working for American Greetings.

Helen Steiner Rice (b. 1900, Ohio, USA – d. 1981) was an advertising manager turned poet who has become known as “America’s beloved inspirational poet laureate” and the “Ambassador of Sunshine.”   Her books have sold over seven million copies, so far, and they still are selling well, years after her death.

By all accounts, Mrs. Rice was loved by everyone who knew her.  She was a pious, prayerful woman devoted to her Lord.  She told her friend, Fred Bauer that “I’m just another worker in the vineyard of the Lord, trying to do God’s will.  All I have to say is in the thoughts He places on my heart, thoughts I put to rhyme.”

Poems of Faith (1981) is a collection of 124 of Mrs. Rice’s poems.  In keeping with the nature of Mrs. Rice’s poems, the book is illustrated with paintings of numerous flowers by artist Judith fast.  The poems are not to everyone's tastes, including mine, but there is nothing heterodox or objectionable in any of them.  Millions of people find them to be inspirational statements of Christian faith and devotion. 

A Steinerian poem in response to the critics of Helen Steiner Rice.

http://chestertonandfriends.blogspot.com/2008/05/helen-steiner-rice-clerihew.html

The Senility Prayer

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
 The courage to change the things I can,
 And wisdom to know the difference.”

The first known appearance of this short prayer is in a 1943 sermon by the American Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971).  It is popularly known as the Serenity Prayer.

Recently, I found a copy of a parody of the Serenity Prayer called the Senility Prayer.  As an aging person myself, I found the prayer to be amusing.  I am aware that it is not a Christian prayer.

“Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.” 

The Most and Least "Religious" of the United States

http://www.gallup.com/poll/153479/mississippi-religious-state.aspx

I just heard about this 2012 survey and thought I should share it with you.  Gallup released a list of the most (top three: Mississippi, Utah, and Alabama) and least religious  (48-50: Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) of the United States of America.

Gallup describes 40% of the American populace as “very religious” and 32% as not religious at all.  The most religious states are heavily clustered in the South, while the least religious states tend to be in New England or the West.

The most religious state in the United States is Mississippi, where a total of 58% are described as “very religious.”  I find this to be disturbing because it means that four people out of ten describe themselves as “not religious.”  We are rapidly becoming the “remnant.”

Hello, Brunei!

Hello, Brunei! Selamat datang ke kumpulan pembaca 120-1 negara-negara lain yang juga melawat blog ini. Saya berharap anda mencari beberapa jawatan berguna atau bermakna.

Kaunter "Terjemahkan Halaman ini" alat secara langsung di atas "Jumlah Paparan Halaman" mempunyai keupayaan menterjemah teks Bahasa Inggeris blog ini terus ke dalam bahasa Melayu dan banyak lagi.


Seratus dan 22 negara: Albania, Algeria, Antigua dan Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Kanada, Kepulauan Cayman , Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Republik Czech, Denmark, Republik Dominican, Ecuador, Mesir, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Perancis, Georgia, Jerman, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guam , Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Itali, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jepun, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lubnan, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania , Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Maghribi, Myanmar, Namibia, Belanda, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Filipina, Poland, Portugal, Qatar , Reunion, Romania, Rusia, Saint Kitts Dan Nevis, Arab Saudi, Senegal, Serbia, Singapura, Slovakia, Slovenia, Afrika Selatan, Korea Selatan, Sepanyol, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad dan Tobago, Tunisia, Turki, Uganda, Ukraine, Emiriah Arab Bersatu, United Kingdom, Amerika Syarikat, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yaman, Zimbabwe.

Unusual Christian Places: Praise Christian Center

http://pinterest.com/pin/114630752986695762/

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/srca/churches/huntington-beach/1-praise-christian-center-714-596-3433.html

http://www.gospelcast.com/our-pastor/

The non-denominational Praise Christian Center is housed in a former Shell Service Station.

The Last Pope

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has once again stirred talk of “the Last Pope.”  I vaguely remembered talk of this several years before and so, I had to investigate.  Apparently, many people believe that the next pope will be the last pope.  This is tied into speculation that this is the beginning of the end of the world.  Some believe that the next pope will be The False Prophet of Revelation.

The speculation is based on the predictions of St. Malachy (d. 1148) an Irish bishop who, when he fist saw Rome, fell into a trance-like state and produced a list of 112 popes identified by short Latin phrases.  Benedict is the 111^th pope since that date making the next pope number 112, whom Malacy describes as “Petrus Romanus.  (Peter the Roman)”

Those who are believers in the list insist that it is eerily accurate,  They cite the phrase for the 106^th pope, “Pastor Angelicus.”  This would be Pope Pius XII. 

“Piscator minorita,” (“The minorite fisherman”) is used of Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484), who was a member of the Friars Minor and the son of a fisherman.

“De rure alba,” (“drom a white country”).  The Englishman, Pope Adrian IV (1154-1159) was born in England, which in ancient times was known as Albion.

Of the Pope known as John Paul II, Malachy declares “de labore Solis,” (“from the labor of the sun,” “of the eclipse of the sun.”  Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) was born during a solar eclipse.

The manuscript recording Malachy’s phrases was locked in the Vatican for four hundred years.  When it was discovered again in 1595, the Catholic Church declared it to be fraudulent.  Some declared it to be an outright 16^th century forgery.   Modern commentators point out that many of the Latin phrases have to be “creatively” viewed to fit their intended popes.  Also, about 10% just cannot be made to “fit,” thus failing one of the tests of true prophecy.  Bernard of Clairvaux, who was a personal friend and biographer of Malachy makes no mention of the prophecies.

Some who believe that the next pope will be the last, bring in the prophecies of Nostradamus (Century 5 Quatrain 49 of “Les Propheties.”).

“a l’ennemy sera faicte fiancé,
Qui dans son regne ser peste cruelle.”
(“He will make a promise to the enemy,
Who will cause great plague during his reign.”)

Notice something here.  All of this is extra-biblical!

Remember also that we are expressly forbidden to set dates for the return of Christ.