Flashback Friday: The Keeper Of The Stars

 

 

 🌠 "He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name."🌠
(Psalm 147:4)

  

 In this pretty country ballad the singer is telling the love of his life that
   their meeting each other was no accident... "Someone had a hand in it,
  long before we ever knew."  Released in 1995 by American country music
 artist Tracey Byrd,  "The Keeper Of the Stars" reminds us that God not
 only counts the stars, but has a plan and a purpose for every life 
 if we choose to place our trust and hope in Him.

 

The Keeper of The Stars
(1995)
Tracey Byrd
(Uploaded December 24, 2009)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Devil Makes The Pots...But Is Still Short On Lids

 

 

 

 When contemplating all the evil that men do in this lost and fallen world in
which we live, my paternal Italian grandfather often quoted the old world idiom,
 "Il diavolo fa le pentole e non i coperchi’" which translated, simply states,
"the Devil makes pots and not lids."

 

Image courtesy/iStock

 

This old saying came to my mind this morning after reading an op-ed piece in
The Hill by Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 
  concerning the sudden about-face by the Trump-Vance Administration in their decision
 to resume former President Joe Biden's forced taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.

 Ms. Dannenfelser claims that Trump initially froze Title X grants for the organization,
but then, quietly unfroze them in January.  He is now actively re-funding the nation's
 largest provider of abortion services courtesy of American tax payers.

The same man who, on Easter Sunday no less, threatened to wipe the nation of Iran 
off the world map, and one week later, after a purported war of words with the Pope,
 posted an offensive image of himself as Jesus Christ on his own social media platform,
    decided it is better to bow his knee before Moloch, alongside the pro-abortion Democrats
 in Congress and other high-end lobbyists, and replenish millions of dollars to fill the
  coffers-or is it offering boxes?- at the largest altar of child sacrifice in the world.

Why this sudden shift in policy?  Is President Trump trying to attract more votes 
 for the upcoming mid-term elections by softening his stance on abortion?
It seems more than apparent that this is exactly what he is doing. But it
also seems like a high price to pay for something that may not happen at all.

 As Ms. Dannenfelser rightly asserts, "There is little evidence that funding Planned
Parenthood, or softening positions on abortion will meaningfully shift independent
voters in large numbers. But there is ample evidence that such moves will dampen
enthusiasm among pro-life voters who already feel sidelined...When these voters
perceive that their priorities are being ignored-or worse, contradicted- it becomes
significantly harder to mobilize them."

So, if the Republicans fail miserably in the mid-terms, will Trump once again
  blame the loss on pro-life Americans as he did after he lost the 2020 election?

"the Devil makes pots and not lids."

The message of this old saying, again simply put, is that despite all the evil
we see happening in the world, and this does not exclude America, where
 certain people act as if they are above the laws of both God and man,
 truth and justice will one day ultimately prevail. 

 Someone who is hiding something and are up to no good can be likened 
 to cooking with a pot without a lid.  Eventually people will look into the
 pot to see what's cooking, or the contents will boil and spill over, and 
 thus expose the person in charge of the pot for whom they really are!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Focus: Unlocking The Mysteries Of The Universe...

 

"You alone are the LORD.  You created the heavens, the highest heavens with
all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You."
(Nehemiah 9:6)

 

  "Butterfly Nebula"

Image courtesy/Colossal

 

 

 Thirty-six years ago today-April 24, 1990-the Hubble Telescope was launched 
by NASA into low earth orbit.  This large and versatile telescope, named after
   American astronomer Edwin Hubble, captured some of the most hauntingly
  beautiful images from outer space never seen before that time.

 

26 Best Images Captured By
The Hubble Space Telescope
 Beyond Science
(Uploaded March 23, 2015)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastor Jack Hibbs: Angels Had Sex With Humans... A Demonic Background

 

 

 

 

 Pastor Jack explores the intriguing verses about the infamous Nephilim
 mentioned in Scripture. Who were these mysterious giants?
 Where did they come from and where did they go?

 

Angels Had Sex With Humans...
A Demonic Background
Real Life With Jack Hibbs
(April 23, 2026)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

America At 250: Old Ironsides

 

 

 

USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" in Boston Harbor
Boston, Massachusetts
(July 4, 2014)
Image courtesy /US Navy Seaman Matthew R. Fairchild
/Wikipedia

 

 

 

OLD IRONSIDES

(Written with reference to the proposed breaking up of the famous
U.S. frigate Constitution) 

Ay, Tear her tattered ensign down! 

Long has it waved on high,

And many an eye danced to see

That banner in the sky;

Beneath it rung the battle-shout,

And burst the cannon's roar;

The meteor of the ocean air

Shall sweep the clouds no more!

Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,

Where knelt the vanquished foe,

When winds were hurrying o'er the flood

And waves were white below,

No more shall fell the victor's tread,

Or know the conquered knee:

The harpies of the shore shall pluck

The eagle of the sea!

O better that her shattered hulk

Should sink beneath the wave!

Her thunders shook the mighty deep,

And there should be her grave:

Nail to the mast her holy flag,

Set every threadbare sail,

And give her to the god of storms,

The lightning and the gale!

 

"Old Ironsides"
(1830)
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
(1809-1894)
American writer and poet

 

 

THE STORY BEHIND THE POEM

 

Welcome To The USS Constitution
And Charlestown Navy Yard
USS Constitution Museum
(Uploaded August 8, 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MeMe Makes Strawberry Cream Cheese Icebox Cake

 

 

 

 

Gracious host Diane "MeMe" Leary shares her recipe for simple 
 no-bake "berry" delicious Strawberry Cream Cheese Icebox Cake! 

And everybody remember, Shine for Jesus! 

 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icebox Cake
MeMe's Recipes/Diane Leary
(April 22, 2026)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday's Word: The Shepherd And Bishop Of Souls

 

 "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned 
unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."
(1 Peter 2:25)

 

Image courtesy/Adobe Stock

 

 

 THE SHEPHERD OF SOULS

 It is needless to trace this metaphor through the Old Testament, where it is employed to
express the relation of Jehovah to Israel. The most familiar of all the psalms shows us
a single devout soul appropriating the whole rest and blessedness of thought for 
 the nourishment of the individual life of trust.

 "The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
(Psalm 23:1)

  The Shepherd leads. And under that thought is included all the shaping 
 of outward life, for Christ is the Lord of providence, and the hands that
were pierced for us hold the helm of the universe.  

And therefore we must think of His guidance as mainly leading our souls 
in the paths of righteousness, and "showing us that which is good."  

The touch of His hand on our wills, the sweet constraint of His love,
 the wisdom which directs breathed into the soul which lives in fellowship
with Him, has silenced the loud voice of self, that His voice may be heard.

He says, "Come, follow Me" and His sheep walk not in darkness, 
but have the light of life. 

 

 CHRIST THE BISHOP OF OUR SOULS

Undoubtedly, the allusion here is to the bishop or elder of the early Church. 
The marginal rendering of the Revised "overseer" is perhaps better than
 "bishop".  The connection between "shepherd" and church "overseer"
can clearly be seen in the apostle Paul's address to the elders at Ephesus:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the
Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which
 He hath purchased with His own blood."
(Acts 20:28) 

The original meaning of the word, "overseer"  suggests the vigilant inspection
which Christ exercises over His Church.  The Good Shepherd knows each sheep
by name and His watchful eye is on every one of His flock.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts!
See if there is any offensive way in me, lead me in the way everlasting."
(Psalm 139:23-24)

Reference Material for
"The Shepherd and Bishop of Souls"
 A. Maclaren/Bible Hub