Psalm 73

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

A Psalm of Asaph.

1. Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.
3. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek.
5. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.
7. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
8. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
9. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
10. Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.
11. And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12. Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
14. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.
15. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17. until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
18. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
19. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
20. Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
22. I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
23. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
24. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength£ of my heart and my portion forever.
27. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Hump Day - Some music to get you through

Gravity Storm ... this one will get you through tonight into Thursday

 

And my all-time favorite from Steve Vai—“Tender Surrender”. This one will get you through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Just listen to it over and over and over!

Glenn Beck's call to stand against tyranny

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lenn Beck has become a hero to those of us who stand against tyranny. That would make him a favorite of our founding fathers as well. Unfortunately, many years of propaganda and misinformation from our public schools and a culture that has gone completely nuts have produced a terribly misinformed electorate. And this lack of understanding has, in turn, produced the current administration—the most anti-American and anti-Christian administration this nation has ever seen. I pray that God allows us another chance to recover.

But recovery will be difficult. And it will require those of us who know and understand American history to take a very strong stand.

Glenn Beck’s address to the members of the NRA this weekend touched on one aspect of the stand we must take. May God forgive us. May God intervene and heal our land.

Blog Header - May 5, 2013

I haven’t been posting my blog header photos for quite a while. And... I haven’t been posting nearly as often as I used to a few years ago. But I decided to post this header photo that has been up for the past few weeks. I am particularly fond of this one, even though I did not take this beautiful portrait.

My interest in angels began about five years ago when I began photographing tombstone angels in graveyards. There is something fascinating about the angels in graveyards. They seem to carry a tremendous amount of emotion. Some are sad... some are young and playful... some are introspective... some are flamboyant. There's a tremendous amount of variety, but so many of them are beautiful.

I’ve even considered doing some angel photography myself and creating a series of photographs of angels. I’d love to get input on this concept as I work toward a good focus in my mind about what I’m trying to accomplish with this series. But, for now... this photo is one of quite a few I have collected for inspiration.

Everyday brilliance

I

have noticed recently that when I focus on the negative stories in the news or the things in my own life that I perceive as negative, my quality of life drops precipitously. I have also noticed that when I focus on the positive stories and the good things... the blessings God has given me... the beauty of nature... the brilliance of my fellow man, my attitude and my quality of life skyrocket.

Perhaps it’s best to follow God’s guidance on this:

Philippians 4:8
...Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

And so, I commend to you the following:

Virtual Choir - from TED Talks

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usic! I don’t know what it is about music, but it reaches my soul. Life without music is death. Music inspires me. Music feeds me. Music makes me want to live!

And some music blow my mind... some music, such as this:

Down fell an angel renegade

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rom his Wikipedia bio:
Michael Hedges:

In late 1997, Hedges died at the age of 43 in a car accident along State Route 128 in Mendocino County, near Boonville (about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of San Francisco). According to his manager Hilleary Burgess, he was driving home from San Francisco International Airport after a Thanksgiving visit to a girlfriend in Long Island, New York. His car apparently skidded off a rain-slicked S-curve and down a 120-foot cliff. Hedges was thrown from his car and appeared to have died nearly instantly. His body was found a few days afterward. After his death, his record Oracle won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best New Age Album. Hedges' unfinished last recordings were brought to completion in the album Torched, with the help of his former manager Hilleary Burgess and friends David Crosby and Graham Nash.

And this is how this world lost in incredible talent of Michael Hedges who takes me to worlds away. He takes away the cares and scares of this world and ushers me into a land of music... the Fantasy genre of life.

Thank you, Michael, for your music.

The song posted at the top is from the album Torched, produced posthumously. Spring Buds...

It’s time for me to fly

It’s Friday! Time for some fun!

- Watch More Funny Videos

It's about time!

Kudos to PTR Industries, maker of military-style rifles, for standing up for what's right. PTR has been manufacturing guns in Connecticut but has just announced that they will be closing up shop in that state and moving their manufacturing business elsewhere. This decision is in response to the new gun control legislation signed into law by Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy. Colt has also decided to move part of their manufacturing plant from Connecticut to Texas.

I know who the manufacturers of my next two guns will be.

Gun Manufacturer Will Leave Connecticut Over Gun Control Legislation: ‘A Call to All Involved in Our Industry to Leave This State’

Wednesday morning... time for latte

This guy is truly amazing!