It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a bad example.
‹anonymous›
Atlantis: the domain of the Stingray
22Nov
2012
Thu
18:33
author: Stingray
category: Sermons
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National Day of Thanksgiving

various scripture references

National Day of Thanksgiving 2012 Wordle
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Countless times we have heard the story of the ten lepers. Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria, through no-man’s land. Approaching a village, they are approached by ten men with leprosy. They cry out to Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” They didn’t call out with the usual cry to stay away since they were unclean. However, having heard of Jesus, they knew He could make them clean. “Go, show yourselves to the priests,” Jesus replies. On the way, all ten are made clean and would be declared as such by the priests, allowing them to return to their regular routines and lives. However, one of the ten, realizing that he was clean, returned to Jesus to thank Him; the priests could wait—Jesus had done to this man what he believed Jesus could. (cf. Luke 17:11-19)

Countless times we have heard as St. Paul exhorts Timothy, and by extension, Timothy’s hearers, to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all men, for kings and all who are in authority. For one thing, with regard to kings and those in authority, they would not be kings or have authority apart from God granting it to them. God gives government so that all people can live a quiet and peaceable life—so that believers can do so in godliness and reverence to Him. For another, with regard to all men, including kings and those in authority, we are to give thanks because God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-14)

Countless times we have heard as God briefly recounts Israel’s past as they are about to enter Canaan. “Remember,” God tells his chosen people; “Remember the LORD your God who led you through the wilderness these 40 years out of the land of slavery.” Through those 40 years, their clothes and shoes did not wear out, and God provided them just enough manna and quail to survive one day to the next. This He did to teach them that “man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that process from the mouth of the LORD.” And why? Because He was about to bring them into a good land flowing with brooks and springs of water, land filled with wheat and barley and vines and figs and pomegranates and olive oil and honey. God’s chosen people were about to receive much more than they could have ever imagined after 40 years of want and destitution. And God says, “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.” (cf. Deuteronomy 8:1-10)

21Nov
2012
Wed
19:15
author: Stingray
category: My Ramblings
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HIRED!

I've been called to Christ Our Savior Lutheran church as a worker-priest for nearly three years. Today, after countless applications and a few interviews, I was finally hired to a second job. The hours and location are super convenient when it comes to the priest side of my vocation, too. I'm thrilled and relieved that prayers have been answered.

11Nov
2012
Sun
22:25
author: Stingray
category: My Ramblings
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It's Like Drinking a Christmas Tree

Alaskan Winter Ale

They say more citrus-y, and I get that, but I can't help but taste what a fresh-cut Christmas tree smells like. It's delicious; I highly recommend it.

22:14
author: Stingray
category: Sermons
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Third-Last Sunday in the Church Year

Mark 12:38-44

Third-Last Sunday B Wordle
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus talks about two types of people in today’s Gospel: the scribes and a widow.

The scribes were men who were trained in the Scriptures; “teachers of the Law” the Bibles in your seats call them. You could say these were the Pharisees’ right-hand men, their apprentices...they were practically Pharisees—so much so that they were often mentioned together in the same breath: “scribes and Pharisees.” They liked to put on a show, much like the Pharisees: they “desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,...and for a pretense make long prayers.” Jesus points out their hypocrisy.

Then, there’s the widow: she had very little. Jesus sat with His disciples watching people make their temple treasury donations. Those who were rich put in much. Then, the lowly widow happens by and puts in her 2 cents: “two mites, which make a quadrans.” Her two mites probably didn’t amount to a penny; nevertheless, it was all that she had. While the rest of the people gave a portion of their earnings—most probably keeping in line with the standard tithe donation—the widow gave all the money she had to the temple, keeping nothing for herself.

What can we take away from this?

10Nov
2012
Sat
00:48
author: Stingray
category: Moblog
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Molly Loves Giraffe

Look what Molly fell in love with.

4Nov
2012
Sun
23:10
author: Stingray
category: My Ramblings
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Thank Goodness for the First Sunday in November

There was entirely too much pink in the NFL last month.

2Nov
2012
Fri
17:05
author: Stingray
category: My Ramblings
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Some Thoughts or Observations

just...things

I've been watching reruns of Airwolf on Netflix. Today, I started season 4. I knew season 4 was different from the previous three, but I wasn't expecting the downturn in production that I've seen through the first two episodes so far. There was another old series I wanted to look for, but I can't remember what it is.

Every time I see a commercial for Cloud Atlas, I am more and more intrigued by it. I probably won't be going to the theaters to watch it, but I will be watching for it to become available to rent at Redbox or similar kiosks. Unfortunately, if I find that I like the movie enough that I want to own it, it'll be too late, once it makes it to the kiosks, to get the release date pricing.

When I voted yesterday, there were no U.N. observers at the polling place. Granted, Elbert County is a small, rural county in Colorado, insignificant in the sight of many, but the thought that we're being "observed" is ludicrous. I can't help but think something else is going on.

I like jQuery; I'm using it to do some pretty neat stuff around this site.