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Devotional Hours Within the Bible
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by James Russell Miller
Isaac and His Sons (Genesis 24-25)
With the birth of Isaac, Abraham saw the beginning of the fulfillment of the Divine promise. He was to have a great posterity. For a long while, he had no child but at last one was born to him. Yet Isaac was little more than a link. He had none of the greatness of Abraham. One writer thinks this was partly due to his father’s greatness he was dwarfed and weakened by growing up under the shadow of Abraham. Another writer thinks Isaac’s passive weakness of character may have sprung in part from his close relations with his mother. He grew up in the shade of Sarah’s tent, and was molded into feminine softness by habitual submission to her strong will. Both these suggestions are worthy of thought.
It is possible for a son to be dominated too strongly and too exclusively by his father’s influence, especially if the father is a man of great force of character and occupies a prominent place in the world. The sons of fathers who have grown rich, frequently fail to make of their lives what they might have made if they had been born poor and compelled to struggle and toil for themselves. Life is too easy for them. Sons whose fathers are great in name and in intellectual power, are ofttimes hampered in the development of their own career. They are apt to live in the shadow of their father’s name, to depend upon an inherited distinction, rather than upon making their own. There usually is a disadvantage for a boy in having too great a father. Such a father needs much wisdom if he would make his son’s chance in the world a fair one, for true greatness of any kind cannot be bequeathed ; each man must win his own greatness, through his own effort, his own toil and self-denial, his own struggle.
Then it is no doubt true also that many a son’s career is marred, perhaps wrecked, by the very love of his mother. Boys are sometimes sneered at by other boys, as being “tied to their mother’s apron strings.” Sometimes the sneer is most unjust. Happy, indeed, the boy who is in all true ways, under the influence of his mother, if she is a worthy mother. The boy who is not proud of such a mother and does not make her his confidante in all matters is missing one of the finest opportunities that will ever come to him. Someone was telling a boy of God’s help, how all good came from Him. “Yes,” said the boy, very thoughtfully, “yes but mothers help a lot!”
Yet it is possible that Isaac was too exclusively under Sarah’s influence. It is possible that he was too tenderly cared for by her, too much sheltered from care and danger, saved too much from thinking for himself, meeting his own difficulties, fighting his own battles, doing things for himself. It is possible that it would have been better for Isaac, would have made a better man of him if he had been pushed out into the world, if he had had more contact with other boys and young men, if he had had to take more hard knocks, and measure his strength more with the strength of others.
One of the best results of college life for a young man is his contact with other young men. It takes the self-conceit out of him the self-conceit his mother in the very love of her heart has probably done something to pamper. It teaches him respect for other young men’s abilities. It brings out the finest qualities in character. No matter how great the educational value of the college curriculum, it is no doubt true, in most cases at least, that the part of college life which means most to a young man is what he gets from college life itself. The best education a boy may get in private, studying alone never can do for him all that he needs; it may make a scholar of him but it cannot make him a man .
We are not told of much that Isaac ever did. He made no mark of distinction for himself. He dug some wells to get water for his flocks but most of these were probably old wells of his father’s which had been filled up, and which Isaac re-dug. After his mother had died, his father began to think of getting a wife for him. While his mother lived the question of marriage seems not to have been taken up. Probably it was just as well, for a young wife might not have had an easy lot in Sarah’s home.
When Abraham took up the question himself, according to the custom of the country, he was wisely solicitous concerning the kind of wife his son would get. He did not want him to marry one of the Canaanite women. They were idolaters, and Abraham was to found a new nation that would worship only the one true God. Abraham’s conversation with his servant on this subject is very instructive. The servant doubted whether a young woman would be willing to leave her own country to come to a strange land but Abraham was sure God would take the matter in hand and would send His angel to influence her.
The story of the journey in search of a wife for Isaac is told most simply and beautifully. It is a story of providence. God had gone before and had prepared the way. The servant had prayed for guidance, asking that when the daughters of the neighborhood came that evening with their flocks, the girl whom God had chosen for Isaac should be the one who should give drink to him at his request. So it came about, that it was Rebekah who met him, and Rebekah proved to be God’s choice for Isaac.
When Rebekah was told at length the servant’s errand, and asked if she would go and become the wife of Isaac, she said that she would go with him. So Rebekah became Isaac’s wife, and he loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
For twenty years no child was born to Isaac and Rebekah. They had to learn in some measure, the same lesson of faith and waiting that Abraham and Sarah had to learn. At length their prayers were answered. The twin sons that were born to them gave evidence from the first of great differences in every way. They were different in appearance, and they developed difference in disposition, in character.
It was probably when they were quite young men, that the strange transaction between them occurred in which Esau, the firstborn, sold his birthright to his brother. This incident well shows the differing qualities and characteristics of the brothers.
The narrative begins with the natural statement that “the boys grew”. They were country boys, and they lived a free life in a simple sort of civilization. There was but little restraint put upon them. They did not have to go to school every day as our boys do. They probably had no athletic games to absorb their vast energies. Their home-life was simple. They lived very much as Bedouin boys live today. So they grew into great, stalwart fellows. Boys should always seek to grow. They should grow not only in physical stature and vigor but also in mental power and in spiritual strength.
“And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.” The brothers developed their difference in taste and disposition very early. Esau became a hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob showed a preference for a quiet life.
If you plant an acorn and a chestnut in the same field, though the soil is the same, and the same sun shines on both, and the same winds blow over both they will not both grow up either oaks or chestnut-trees. The individuality of each will assert itself. So it is with boys. Environment may have much to do with the shaping of character but it does not make character. Your boy with the artist soul, will become an artist though he is brought up on the farm among sheep and cattle. And though you keep your boy with the musical soul in the midst of most unmusical influences the music will come out.
A great English painter tells of a boy put under his training to be made a painter. One day the boy was found crying bitterly over his blotched work, and when asked what was the matter, replied, “Father thinks I can draw but I want to be a butcher.” God does not want us all to be alike there is need in the world for every kind of ability and the truest education is that which gives God’s plan for the boy the best opportunity to work itself out.
It is said that “ Isaac loved Esau”. The reason given is “because he had a taste for wild game .” The old man was fond of wild game, and Esau took pains to bring it to him from the field. Are we influenced in our preferences and friendships, by anything that panders merely to the physical appetites? Perhaps we are. The nearest and surest way to some people’s friendship is said to be through their stomachs! Sometimes a person of very vile and unworthy character, is received as a friend because he is “so kind,” always bringing dainty things for eating. Of course Isaac ought to have loved Esau, because Esau was his son but the reason given for it, and for Isaac’s favoritism to Esau, is not a lofty one.
Then, “Rebekah loved Jacob”. Each parent had a favorite child. This was bad. It is always unwise for parents to show preference and partiality for any one child. Jacob himself made the same mistake at a later time in his undisguised preference for Joseph but he only made trouble for Joseph. It should be the aim of parents to treat all their children alike, showing no preference. If there is special interest manifested in any particular child it should be in the one who is in some way unfortunate, blind, crippled, deformed. In such cases there is need for special love and help to balance the handicap of misfortune. But partiality and favoritism because of peculiar endowment or winningness, is both unwise and unjust.
A single act sometimes reveals the whole of a life’s inner quality. We may read some of the lines of Esau’s character in his behavior that day when he came in from the field hungry and begged Jacob to give him some of his stew. Jacob was cooking lentils at the time, and the moment Esau smelled the odor of the savory dish his hunger became ravenous. His appetite mastered him. He was hungry, and he acted like a big baby rather than like a man. We ought to learn to keep our appetites under control and to endure the cravings of hunger with some sort of manly courage.
Esau was not a child at this time but a man probably of more than thirty. Esau was altogether under the control of his bodily desires. He was altogether earthly. He had no heavenly aspirations, no longings for God. He was under the sway of bodily appetites. We see the same kind of man again and again, one who thinks of nothing but his meals what he shall eat and what he shall drink!
But what shall we say of the way Jacob treated his brother’s pitiful craving? It was natural enough for Esau in his hunger to ask Jacob for a portion of his supper. What should Jacob have done? What would you say a Christian brother should do in a like case? If Jacob had acted as he should have done there would have been no story of the selling of the birthright. We cannot commend Jacob’s par t in this business. It was despicably base and selfish. We should never take advantage of another’s weakness or distress of any kind to drive a sharp bargain with him. If a man is compelled to sell a piece of property to raise money to meet an urgent need an honorable neighbor will not use the other’s misfortune, to get the property at less than its true value. One who has money to lend should not take advantage of another’s necessity to exact usurious interest. No one should take advantage of another’s ignorance, to impose upon him or to deceive him. No boy wants to be called base yet nothing is baser than taking advantage of another boy’s weakness, innocence, ignorance, or need!
The Lord had said before the birth of the boys, that the elder would serve the younger. That was God’s plan but He did not want it brought about by any wrongdoing. He never wants our sins in working out His purposes. If Jacob had been told this by his mother he ought to have waited for God to give him the promised honor in His own way. We should never try to hurry God’s providences. You can hasten the opening of a rose, tearing the bursting bud apart but you will spoil the rose. You may force some plan which God is working out for you by putting your own hands to it but you only mar and stain it. God’s good purpose for you will bring you blessing, only if it is worked out in God’s way .
Esau’s present hunger seemed such a bitter thing to him, that to appease it he was willing to sacrifice a great future good. For one bowl of stew he sold his birthright! We speak of his folly as if the case were exceptional, as if no other one ever did the same. But people are doing this all the time. For a moment’s sinful pleasure, men indulge their lustful appetites and passions, throwing away innocence, happiness, and heaven for it!
A man is hungry and steals bread selling his birthright of innocence, making himself a thief, darkening all his own future with the shadow of crime, to appease for one little hour the pangs of hunger!
The bargain was sealed. The price was paid and accepted. The birthright was now Jacob’s and the stew was Esau’s. His hunger was satisfied for an hour or two but his birthright was gone. The hunger would soon return but the birthright never could be his again. He had traded rank, position, power, possession, headship, special Divine and very blessed promises for one bowl of stew!
There are several things to notice in the terrible folly of such bartering. One is, that the present is not all. For the instant, it seems all. The giving of the passions or appetites immediate gratification, seems bliss. Everything is forgotten but the moment’s pleasure or gain. But the present is not all. There are days, years, ages, afterward when the life will go on in shame, darkness, bitterness. It would be well to think of this before blackening all the future for one hour’s sinful enjoyment! “Better give up my birthright than die,” said Esau. “Nay, nay; better die than part with your birthright.”
Another thing which intensified the folly of Esau’s act, was its irrevocableness. He had taken an oath, and the compact never could be undone. In Hebrews this feature of Esau’s wickedness is specially marked: “Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” Ah, that is the bitterness of such sin we cannot undo it; we cannot get again the birthright which we have sold. Tears will not bring back lost honesty, lost innocence, lost virtue, lost character, a lost Christ!
By his reckless act, Esau showed that he despised his birthright. He did not value it. He rated it as worth no more than a morsel of food. Yet it really was worth everything to him. Men and women are all the while despising their own birthright. They are holding in one hand purity, noble character, usefulness, joy, peace, heaven and in the other hand, some little sinful gratification, some transient pleasure, some prize worth nothing in the end! Imagine selling a priceless inheritance for a few fading flowers. What fools we are! Shall we not seek to prize and honor the things to be really prized and honored?
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_"Tidak ada di dunia ini yang lebih indah daripada sebuah kehidupan Kristen dengan begitu banyak ujian dan keprihatinan — dan masih tetap penuh kedamaian dan penuh sukacita menerima itu semua. Inilah tujuan sejati dari kehidupan Kristen yang mulia."_ ~ J. R. Miller
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Reputation is what a man's neighbors and friends think of him. Character is what the man is.
-J.R. Miller
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preacherman316 · 1 year
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Growing in Character
The poet, playwright, and author, Oscar Wilde, struggled with religion throughout his adult life. While he acknowledged belief in Catholicism, he lived a decadent, epicurean life as a pagan. In his commentary on Ephesians, William Barclay quotes Wilde as saying, “The gods had given me almost everything. But I let myself be lured into long spells of senseless and sensual ease…” Wilde then…
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life-of-an-asexual · 2 years
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ace and aro books
went on a deep dive to find some aspec rep for myself and this is some of what i came up with. not official recommendations since i haven't read most of them, but they exist and i've put several of them on my own TBR list. these are all books i haven't seen on other rec lists, and i've done my best to confirm that the rep is aspec
if any of y'all have read these, feel free to share your thoughts or correct me if i've gotten something wrong
(organized alphabetically by title and separated by age demographic; mixed genres; subject to being updated)
(ftr just because an author is not specified to be ace or aro does not necessarily mean they are allo; i include that info if i happen to come across it, but i am not going out of my way to track down the identities of every single author)
(some of these books contain themes or scenarios that may be triggering for some readers; i have only done research to ascertain the ace/aro rep; if you find certain topics upsetting to read, it is your responsibility to do the research necessary to determine if a book is appropriate for you and to proceed into a story at your own discretion)
updated 3.28.24
~Mod Q
A Milky Way Home by Hsinju Chen = adult, romance; transmasc/cis f biace4panace romance, described as low heat (author is nonbinary)
A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers = adult, science fiction; asexual MC, various other rep, coast guard in space
Alchemy by Marie S. Crosswell = adult, mystery; asexual lesbian MC, genderbent Sherlock
All the Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher = adult, romance; ace4ace m/m romance, identity discovery
An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows = adult, fantasy; allosexual aromantic MC in a poly relationship
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon = adult, science fiction; aroace side character, intersex MC, themes of oppression and racism
Blank Spaces & Finding Your Feet by Cass Lennox = adult, romance; both feature asexual MCs (second one features a trans LI)
The Bone People by Keri Hulme = adult, magical realism; aroace MC, themes of family and identity, deals with child abuse
The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia = adult, fantasy; aroace nonbinary MC, queernormative world-building
Catch Lili Too by Sophie Whittemore = adult, fantasy; asexual non-human MC, paranormal murder mystery
Chosen. Again. by J. Emery = adult, fantasy; asexual MC, saves the fantasy world as a teen then has to do it again as an adult
The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong = adult, sci fi-fantasy; asexual MC and found family dynamic
City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault = adult, fantasy; various rep including aspec (author is acearospec)
Coffee Cake by Michaela Grey = adult, romance; asexual MC, m/m relationship, mystery elements
The Crows by C.M. Rosens = adult, horror; ace (and aro?) major character, fucked up eldritch horror
Cupid Calling by Viano Oniomoh = adult, romance; demisexual biromantic MC, m/m romance, dating show setting, super fluffy
The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz = adult, science fiction; sapphic ace MC with a robot LI
Devon's Island by Si Clarke = adult, science fiction; aroace POV character, queernormative worldbuilding, various other rep
Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West = adult, romance; gray-ace MC, butch4femme friends-to-lovers, various other rep
Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace = adult, science fiction; aroace MC, dystopia, focus on platonic relationships (author is aroace)
From the Dark We Came by J. Emery = adult, paranormal; demisexual MC, m/m romance, vampires
The Heartbreak Handshake by J.R. Hart = adult, romance; asexual MC with a non-binary LI, fully chaste (author is autistic, adhd, and nonbinary)
How Not to Summon Your True Love by Sasha L. Miller = adult, romance; ace MC and ace LI, paranormal elements
Learning Curves by Ceillie Simkiss = adult, romance; asexual MC in an f/f relationship
Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky = adult, romance; demisexual MC, m/m relationship, mistakenly sent love confessions
Perfect Rhythm by Jae = adult, romance; rural lesbian romance with an asexual LI
Poisoned Primrose by Dahlia Donovan = adult, mystery; asexual autistic MC, middle-aged protagonist (author is autistic)
Rising from Ash by Jax Meyer = adult, romance; asexual MC in an f/f romance
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann = adult, romance; asexual MC, fake-dating (author of Let's Talk About Love)
Second Chance by Chelsea M. Cameron = adult/new adult, romance; demi bi MC in an f/f relationship, exes-to-lovers
Soft on Soft by Mina Waheed = adult, romance; demisexual MC in an f/f romance, pure fluff
Squared Away by Annabeth Albert = adult, romance; gray-a/demi MC, m/m romance with child acquisition
Stake Sauce: The Secret Ingredient Is Love. No Really by RoAnna Sylver = adult, paranormal; gray-a MC, deals with trauma
That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert = adult, romance; demisexual MC, fake-dating, m/f age gap romance
Thaw by Elyse Springer = adult, romance; asexual MC, an opposites-attract f/f romance
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers = adult, science fiction; multiple ace characters, various other rep, space travel
The Trouble by Daria Defore = adult/new adult, romance?; gay aromantic MC, college setting
Upside Down by N.R. Walker = adult, romance; ace4ace m/m romance
We Go Forward by Alison Evans = adult, contemporary; aroace MC, centralized friendship
Werecockroach by Polenth Blake = adult, science fiction; aroace MC, deals with mental disability, also there are aliens
~
Common Bonds = anthology, speculative fiction; stories that highlight aromanticism and focus on platonic relationships
Goddess of the Hunt by Shelby Eileen = poetry, mythology; an exploration of Artemis being aroace
Queerly Loving = anthology, various genres; asexual and aromantic rep, various other rep including trans, polyamorous, and platonic relationships
~
A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell = young adult, paranormal; various rep including ace-spec, chosen family dynamic
Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt = young adult, thriller/mystery; several asexual characters
Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace = young adult, science fiction; aroace MC (according to author)
The Art of Saving the World by Corrine Duyvis = young adult, science fiction; asexual MC
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp = young adult, mystery; asexual (and aro?) MC
Belle Revolte by Linsey Millery = young adult, fantasy; biromantic ace MC in an f/f romance
Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria = young adult, fantasy; major ace character, various other rep, centralized platonic relationship
Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland = young adult, fantasy; asexual MC (demi-biromantic according to author)
Clariel by Garth Nix = young adult, fantasy; asexual MC, prequel to the Old Kingdom series
Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski = young adult, science fiction; asexual (and arospec?) MC
The Facts and Legends of Callie Catwell by Sophia DeRise = young adult, fantasy; asexual MC with lesbian LI
Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor = young adult, fantasy; several aspec characters
Forward March by Skye Quinlan = young adult, contemporary; asexual lesbian MC
Fourth World by Lyssa Chiavari = young adult, science fiction; demisexual MC and asexual MC (author is aroace)
From Under the Mountain by C.M. Spivey = young adult, fantasy; demisexual lesbian MC, aspec secondary characters
Good Angel by A.M. Blaushild = young adult, graphic novel; angel characters where asexual, aromantic, and agender are the assumed default but is explored with nuance
Help Wanted by J. Emery = young/new adult, fantasy; questioning aspec MC (and gender questioning)
Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie = young adult, science fiction; aroace MC, various other rep
Immoral Code by Lillian Clark = young adult, contemporary; asexual POV character, friendship dynamic with "fuck the rich" vibes
Island of Exiles by Erica Cameron = young adult, fantasy; asexual (secondary?) character, various other rep including intersex
It Sounds Like This by Anna Meriano = young adult, contemporary; asexual-questioning MC, gray-a side character, deals with a toxic friendship
The Last 8 by Laura Pohl = young adult, science fiction; aromantic MC, alien invasion apocalypse
Little Black Bird by Anna Kirchner = young adult, fantasy; questioning aspec character
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee = young adult, romance; trans male MC with asexual LI, m/m romance, fake dating
Meet You By Hachiko by Loren Greene = young adult, contemporary; aroace-spec MC, focus on friendship
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko = young adult, fantasy; asexual secondary character, centralized platonic relationship
The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath = young adult, historical; asexual MC, emphasized friendship, all main characters are also disabled
The Rhythm of My Soul by Elin Dyer = young adult, mystery; aroace MC, ballet academy setting
Running with the Pack by A.M. Burns and Caitlin Ricci = young adult, contemporary; ace LI, polyamorous romance
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand = young adult, horror; asexual POV character (all MCs are also sapphic), themes of grief, paranormal elements
Sea Foam and Silence & The Ice Princess's Fair Illusion by S.L. Dove Cooper = young adult, fairy tale; queerplatonic retellings in verse
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow = young adult, science fiction; demisexual (biromantic) MC, post-alien invasion dystopia
Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman = young adult, contemporary; asexual (and aro?) MC, deals with family death
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson = young adult, contemporary; asexual MC, themes of family trauma and multiracial identity
Switchback by Danika Stone = young adult, thriller; aroace MC, survivalist situations
Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor = young adult, steampunk; aroace MC, various other rep, cat-and-mouse game
That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger = young adult, contemporary; asexual MC, deals with the aftermath of a school shooting
This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria = young adult, fantasy; aroace MC (author is aroace)
Two Dark Moons by Avi Silver = young adult, fantasy; aromantic (and ace?) MC, f/nb queerplatonic relationship
Vanilla by Billy Merrell = young adult, contemporary; asexual MC, m/m relationship, coming-of-age
What We Devour by Linsey Miller = young adult, fantasy; asexual MC (biromantic according to author)
Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt = young adult, contemporary; asexual MC
~
A-Okay by Jarad Greene = middle grade, graphic novel; asexual MC, deals with self-discovery and body image
Come Drink With Me, Gold and Jasper, East Flows the River by Michelle Kan = all ages?; described as aromantic chinese fairy tales
The Dragon of Ynys by Minerva Cerridwen = all ages, fairy tale; aroace MC (author is aroace)
Hazel's Theory of Everything by Lisa Jenn Bigelow = middle grade, contemporary; questioning aroace MC, themes of self-discovery
The Faerie Godmother's Apprentice Wore Green by Nicky Kyle = all ages?, fairy tale; major aroace character, focus on friendship
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uwmspeccoll · 3 months
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Publishers' Binding Thursday
Since it's the beginning of the semester we're sharing an educational book that will help you reach your Language Goals just like the fellow on the cover. Language Goals was written by Dr. Henry G. Paul, professor of the "teaching of English" at University of Illinois, and W.D. Miller, "Formerly Superintendent of Schools, Easthampton, Mass." I've shared several of this sort of book here and for most of them it's been difficult to find anything out about the authors, as is the case here. However, we do know that the publisher, Lyons & Carnahan, was a textbook publisher based in Chicago and published this book in 1931.
The book's cover features some tree or leaf (?) like designs in columns on either side of a man with his arms triumphantly raised atop a long staircase or pyramid. This book has some personal touches to it that we can only assume were added by the person whose name adorns the flyleaf: Russell Frank Engstrom. We also know Engstrom's address (2447 North 62nd Street, Wauwatosa, WI), home room (116) and English teacher (Miss Macdonald, Room 117). There is also a little doodle of a man labeled "Uncle Sam" and written on the foreedge is "R.E. L J.M." and "J.R. L D.W." I can only assume the Ls stand for "loves."
When we preserve books we sometimes also get to preserve some stories or memory of the people who owned them. In this case, the fact that Russell Engstrom of Wauwatosa loved somebody with the initials J.M. when he was in junior high in 1931 gives us the idea that maybe junior high has always been about crushes and who likes who.
View more Publisher's Binding Thursday posts.
-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager
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the-gone-ton · 11 months
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Pictured: former Maryland Fried Chicken restaurant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (now a cigarette store) in 2023; and a then-operational Maryland Fried Chicken in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1969.
Maryland Fried Chicken was an early competitor to KFC that ironically was founded in Florida by Al Constantine, a native of Delaware. Constantine, after noting the success of KFC franchises, experimented with his own fried chicken recipe and handed out samples at the diner he owned in Orlando until he had, as he once said, "the best fried chicken in the world."
Al opened the first "Maryland Fried Chicken" restaurant in Fern Park, Florida, in October of 1961. With help from his parents and two of his brothers, Al oversaw the chain's expansion across Florida as dozens of new MFCs opened under franchise agreements. A deal in 1967 with Georgia businessman J.R. Miller helped take MFC to about 20 US states in the south, midwest, and northeast. The company claimed to be the 3rd-largest and fastest-growing fried chicken take-out chain in the US in 1969. Its first (and likely only) international locations opened in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1970. By the start of 1971, 160 locations were operational.
But both personal and economic struggles began to pressure the company in the 70s. Al's relationship with his brothers began to strain, and his marriage ended in divorce in 1971. Before that year was out, Al resigned as President of Maryland Fried Chicken, Inc., dissatisfied with the direction of the company he had started. The company reported a financial loss for the year 1971 and began a bloodbath of store closures, especially in the south. The company quickly went extinct in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee even as it was making a new push into New York, New England, and the midwest. Reduced to just 102 stores by the end of 1972, the new President of the company then announced that it had returned to profitability.
But the economy only got worse from there, as the 1973 recession set in. Of particular concern was the skyrocketing price of chicken and rising interest rates. It didn't help that the company in 1974 became largely owned by shady investor James Mairs, a disgraced former lawyer who was bisbarred due to a credible accusation that he funneled $500,000 from a client's trust fund into his own pockets. The company was now on a downward spiral with no turning back, and by the late 70s it was bankrupt and out of business.
But that was never the end of the story. Although Maryland Fried Chicken, Inc. no longer existed, the individual franchises remained. Many of them threw in the towel, retired, or started new restaurants. But some decided to try and keep things going like nothing had ever happened. By the time I entered the picture, I was living in a bubble where it was as Al's dream had been realized: the local MFC had outlasted Popeyes and competed favorably with KFC across the street. But of course, this was not how most towns looked in the 2000s. My local MFC franchise of 2 restaurants in Bethlehem and Easton, Pennsylvania, was the last one in the northeast. I hardly imagine any of the patrons knew that MFC ever existed outside the Lehigh Valley.
My local location was opened by Tom Workman in 1968, and he owned it until 2008, when he sold it to longtime employee Paul Matula, who Workman considered to be like a son. Workman passed away in 2011, and shortly thereafter a kitchen fire forced the Bethlehem unit's closure. The smaller branch in Easton, lacking a drive-thru, stuck around until 2014. Though my locations have closed, I'd like to go to a remaining store again someday. They still exist in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and one lone unit in Michigan. For a more comprehensive history with lots of pictures, check out my blogger post.
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earthbaby-angelboy · 5 months
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hello all you beautiful people!
a little unknown fact about me: i love reading! i mainly read reference material and nonfiction, but i don't mind the occasional fiction! i have plenty of friends on here who like reading (after all, you're on my page!) and who love elvis, so i figured i'd make a compendium of books that were adapted into elvis' movies.
it will be organized by the movie / the year it came out, and the story / its author. i'll also include a little description of each.
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-love me tender (1956) & the story of the reno gang: this movie was not based on a story, but actual historical events! the reno gang were a group of brothers who went around the midwest robbing trains. clinton reno was a real person, the youngest of the five brothers (his nickname was "honest", as he never got involved with any criminal activity pertaining to his brothers.)
-loving you (1957) & a call from mitch miller by mary agnes thompson: the movie was based on a short story by mary agnes thompson that was featured in the june 1956 edition of good housekeeping.
-king creole (1958) & a stone for danny fisher by harold robbins: king creole was the first of el's movies to be based on an entire book! the role was originally meant for james dean, and was set in the backstreets of new york city.
-flaming star (1960) & flaming lance by clair huffaker: this was one of two movies where the original author was involved in creating the screenplay.
-wild in the country (1961) & the lost country by j.r. salamanca: although some creative liberties were taken (el's character went from an artist to a writer and hope lange's character became a psychiatrist rather than a teacher), it still followed the same plot as the original novel. it was also the first to feature elvis on a published paperback.
-follow that dream (1962) & pioneer, go home! by richard p. powell: the novel is based on a family from new jersey (WOOT WOOT), and although technically based on the book, the movie takes many creative liberties to the point of it being almost completely opposite the original source material.
-stay away, joe (1968) & stay away, joe by dan cushman: this is what el considered his first "serious" role. although involving some incredibly racist stereotypes, it is rooted in some truth about elvis' lineage: his great-great-great grandmother was a cherokee woman named morning white dove, and some attribute his high cheekbones and striking features to his distant native ancestry.
-live a little, love a little (1968) & kiss my firm but pliant lips by dan greenburg: the movie, like follow that dream, was so loosely based on the book that it was almost completely opposite the original source material.
-charro! (1969) & charro! by harry whittington: this is the only "officially endorsed" book based on an elvis movie.
-the trouble with girls (1969) & chautauqua by day keene: this is my absolute favorite movie of all time, and ironically, there is no information about the book's plot. based on what i've gathered from other sources, it follows an almost identical plot to the movie. unfortunately, the author died 9 months prior to the movie's release.
-change of habit (1969) & title-not-available by richard morris and john joseph: according to wikipedia, change of habit was based on a story written by richard morris and john joseph. i've scoured the internet under both of those names, and found nothing! oh well.
i hope you all had as much fun reading this as i did writing this, and be sure to shoot me a message if you read any of these!
(...or if you find a reasonably priced copy of chautauqua.)
-all my love, calla xx @kiankiwi @arianatheangel-girl @mooodyblue
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Devotional Hours Within the Bible
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by J.R. Miller
An Interpreter For God (Genesis 41:15-16)
Joseph was an interpreter for God. There are two instances recorded in which he made known the meaning of dreams. The first was in the prison in Egypt. Two officials from the king’s palace were among his fellow prisoners. Joseph had risen to influence in the prison. “The Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison,” is the way the Bible puts it. “And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison.” So when these distinguished prisoners from the palace came into the dungeon, they fell under Joseph’s care.
One morning when Joseph was going his rounds he found these men sad. He had a sympathetic heart, and he asked them, “Why do you look so sadly today?” They told him that they had each dreamed a dream the night before, and there was no one to act as interpreter for them. Promptly he said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” The men in turn told him their dreams, and Joseph told them the interpretation. He was God’s interpreter to them, showing them what God’s Word for them was.
The other case was that of Pharaoh. He had two dreams in one night. In the morning his spirit was troubled, and he wished to know what his dreams meant. He called for Egypt’s wise men, who were supposed to understand dreams but none of them could interpret the king’s dreams. Then it flashed upon the memory of the chief butler, that two years before, a Hebrew slave, in Potiphar’s prison, had interpreted his dream, and that it came about as the young man said it would. Soon Joseph stood before Pharaoh, listening to a recital of the dreams that so troubled the king.
“Pharaoh said to Joseph I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph’s answer reveals his humility. It shows also his courage, for in the presence of the heathen king he honors his God. “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Then he told the king the interpretation of the dreams. We know how important was the message of God that Joseph read in Pharaoh’s dreams. Think what woe and sorrow and devastation were averted, not for Egypt only but also for other lands, by the interpreting of those dreams. Think what it would have cost the world, if no interpreter had been found. He read the divine meaning that lay folded up in the king’s dreams, and the king was enabled by gathering the surplus of the harvests in the years of plenty to feed his people and the starving people of other lands, in the years of famine which followed.
Thus, Joseph was an interpreter for God. He explained to others the meaning of what God was saying to them. Some writers speak of Joseph as a type of Christ. There certainly are many striking points in which the life of Joseph seems to shadow forth that of Jesus. Like our Lord, he was his father’s beloved son. He was sent by his father to visit his brothers on an errand of love; so Jesus was sent. He was seized by his brothers and sold by them for silver; so was the Son of God. Through his bondage and humiliation, Joseph became the deliverer, the savior, in an earthly sense, of his brothers and of the world; Jesus, dragged to death, made redemption for His people. Joseph as an interpreter for God, was also typical of Christ, the great Interpreter. In the largest sense, Jesus is the interpreter who alone has made plain to the world the nature and the will of God, and who alone can unfold to us the meaning of the divine revealings for our personal life.
It is only in Christ that we can know God. “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” As Jesus walked among men and was asked to reveal the Father, he said “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” The mysteries of the divine nature, were interpreted in Christ. He was the love of God made visible on the earth. Joseph interpreted men’s dreams, in which God’s words were wrapped up. Jesus heard men’s questions, and gave answers to them. He made plain and clear to them, the meaning of the divine teachings. All mysteries vanish, as we sit at Christ’s feet. He is the great interpreter for God.
But there is a sense in which we are all called to be interpreters. When Joseph came to the cell of the prisoners from Pharaoh’s palace, he saw a deep gloom on their faces. When he asked why they looked so sad, he learned that the cause was their uninterpreted dreams. They were sure that the dreams had a meaning which concerned their future, and they were burdened and anxious to know what the meaning was. So it is with people all about us. There is sadness in their faces. There are lines that tell of perplexed thought, of earnest questionings which get no answers, of deep cravings to know which cannot be satisfied. If we were to ask every sad person we meet, the reason for his sadness we would find that it is the old story of these prisoners unanswered questions, uninterpreted mysteries, unexplained trials, unsolved perplexities.
We all need interpreters. The dreams of these two prisoners, really were words of God referring to their future, lamps of divine revealing which threw gleams of light upon their destiny. One was a foretelling of life, the other of the swift coming of death. But the men could not understand the words in which the revealing was made. So, in Pharaoh’s case, the dreams were not mere meaningless dreams but were words of God to the king. They were words, too, of the utmost importance, for they concerned the coming days and were meant to guide the king in his caring for his people. God meant that Pharaoh should know the meaning of the dreams in order that he might act according to the wisdom which this new revealing of the future required. It would have been a great calamity, if he had not learned what God had spoken into his ear in these visions of the night. But without an interpreter he never could have known.
So we all stand in this world, in the midst of mysterious writings which we cannot read, having our dreams and visions whose meanings we cannot ourselves interpret. Yet these writings and these visions are really God’s words to us, divine teachings, which we ought to understand, whose meanings it is intended we should find out. They have their lessons for us. They hold messages of comfort for our sorrows, of guidance for our dark paths, of instruction for our ignorance, of salvation for our perishing life. We cannot live as we should live unless we learn the meaning of these divine words. We need interpreters.
Take the little child. It comes into the world knowing nothing. On all sides are wonderful things in the phenomena of nature, in its own life, in the lives of others, in books, in art, in science, in providence; but every door is locked. The child does not understand anything. It cannot read the simplest written sentence. It does not know the meaning of the commonest occurrence. Yet it is here to learn all it can of the mysteries which lie about it. All these things contain words of God, which it is intended that the child shall hear and understand, words which concern its own happiness and well-being in the future. But the child needs an interpreter. As soon as it is born, it begins to learn. When it is only a few weeks old, we see the questions in its eyes. With the first prattlings of speech, it begins to ask what this means, and what that is. When it is taught to read, its wonder grows. Books are full of great secrets. As it becomes older, life’s mysteries rise before it. “How do I see? How do I hear? How does my heart keep beating, beating, beating, without pause, day and night? What is that strange voice within my heart, which keeps forever saying ‘ I must, or I must not ?’"
Nature, too, has its endless mysteries for the child. We all know how children ask questions. Some of us at times grow almost impatient of their endless interrogations. But the truth is, these mysteries all about them, these strange phenomena, these things they do not know and cannot make out for themselves, are words of God which it is meant they should understand. The children are not impertinent in their incessant asking, What ? and Why ? and How ? They have a right to know what these strange things mean. They would be poor stupid things if they did not care to find out. Their lives would be incomplete, half-blessed, or failures, if they never learned them. And it is our duty, to act as interpreters to them.
The mother is the child’s first interpreter for God. She hears its first questions, and seeks to answer them. She tells it the meaning of a thousand things. Then the child’s school teachers come next, with their interpretations. The church, too, has its function of interpretation for childhood, for the most important of all revealings of truth are those which concern God and his will for man, what he is, what are his feelings toward us, what he wants us to be and to do.
But not childhood alone needs an interpreter; ail through our life, even to the end, we come continually to questions which perplex us, and we have dreams and visions which trouble us. Life is full of enigmas. We bend over the Bible and find texts we cannot understand. The Ethiopian treasurer, sitting in his chariot, and reading the words of the ancient prophet Isaiah, reading with deep interest but not knowing what the words meant, is a picture of many of us. “Do you understand what you are reading?” asked the interpreter, who stood beside the chariot. “How can I, except someone guides me?” answered the puzzled reader. Then the evangelist sat beside him and showed him a blessed revelation of the Messiah, in the words which he had not been able to understand.
Who has not bent over what seemed obscure Bible texts, unable to find out their sense, until some interpreter came and made the meaning plain? But it is not for the words of God written in the Bible alone, that we need interpreters. There are mysteries in providence ; they come into every life at some time. There are dark days in which no light breaks through the clouds. There are nights in which no star shines. We sit with sad heart and with gloom in our face. All things seem to be against us. We cry out with pain and fear. Yet in these very providences, there are words of God hidden good words, words of love, words of mercy.
A minister was talking with his child, about some trouble the child had, and taking a book from his table he pointed to a verse. The child could not make out the words, could not even name a letter. It was in a language he did not know. Then the father told him what the words were, putting them into English. As he did this, the child’s face began to brighten. It was a Greek New Testament in which he was reading, and the words were words of love from the lips of Christ. The child needed but to have the interpreter to show him beauty and blessing, where all had been mystery before to his eyes. So it is that God’s dark providences appear to his children. Yet thoughts of divine love lie in them, and we need only to have them interpreted to us.
These are only hints of the great mysteries that lie about all of us in this world all the way from the cradle to the grave. God gives his messages in many forms: in nature, in the lives of others, in his providences, in history, in his Word, in books and friendships, in circumstances. But how often does the writing baffle us! We need interpreters to read off for us the mysterious handwriting.
All of us in our turn, are to be interpreters to others. Joseph found the two prisoners sad and his heart was touched with sympathy. He became eager to comfort them. That showed a noble spirit in him. He had a warm, gentle heart. No one can ever be greatly useful in this world who does not enter into the world’s experiences. Christ was moved with compassion when he saw human pain, sorrow and sin. At once his love went out to the sufferer, and he desired to help and save. Wherever we go we see sad faces, telling of unrest, or broken peace, of unsatisfied longings, of unanswered questions, of deep heart-hungering’s. Sometimes it is fear which writes its lines on the pale cheeks. Sometimes it is perplexity over tangled circumstances, which darkens the features. Sometimes it is baffled longing; sometimes it is unquenchable desire to know the future; sometimes it is eagerness to learn more of God.
We are sent to be interpreters, each in our own way, and in the things that we know. When we think of it, we see that all the rich knowledge of the world, has come through God’s interpreters. Along all the ages seers have been climbing to the mountain-tops, where the first light breaks, catching the divine meanings in God’s writings, and then interpreting them to others. There have been prophets in every age, gifted to look into the scrolls of truth and read off the words and their meaning. The scientific knowledge we have today, has come through many interpreters who have learned to read God’s word in nature. For nature is one of God’s Bibles. Long ago David wrote, “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.” Psalms 19:1-4
All nature’s works, are pages written full of noble thoughts from God. But not all of us can read the writing. Thousands walk through this world with lovely plants and flowers and a million forms of vegetable life all about them, with the grandeur of mountains, hills, rivers, seas and landscapes on all sides, and with the brilliant splendor of the skies and the starry heavens overarching them and yet never see anything in all this to stir their heart to admiration or their mind to rapture or praise. But there have been interpreters, men with eyes which saw, and with ears which heard and they have told us something of the wonderful things that God has written in nature .
Or take the literature of the world. It is the harvest of many centuries of thought. In every age there have been a few men who have looked into truth with deeper, clearer vision than their fellows, and have heard the whispers of God’s voice; then coming forth from their valleys of silence, they have told the world what they have heard. They have been God’s interpreters.
Take the treasures of spiritual truth which we possess today. How have they come to us? We know how the Bible was written. God took Moses up into the mount, and talked with him, as a man talks with his friend, speaking to him great truths about his own being and character, and giving him statutes and laws for the guidance of men; then Moses became an interpreter to the world of the things God had shown him.
David was an interpreter for God. God drew him close to his heart and breathed heavenly songs into his soul; then David went forth, struck his harp and sang and the music is breathing yet through all the world.
John was an interpreter for God. He lay in Christ’s bosom and heard the beatings of that great heart of love, and learned the secrets of friendship with his Lord; then he passed out among men and told the world what he had heard and felt and seen; and the air of the world has been warmer ever since, and more of love has been beating in human hearts.
Paul was an interpreter for God. Christ took him away from men and revealed himself to him, opened to him the mystery of redemption as to no other man, and Paul wrote the many divine letters we have of his, which have been marvelous in their influence throughout all these Christian centuries.
But not alone have these inspired men been God’s interpreters; many others since have taken up the Word of God and have read new secrets, blessed truths, precious comforts, which had lain undiscovered before, and have spoken out to men what they found. Evermore new insight is breaking forth from the Bible.
God gives to every human life that he sends into this world some message to speak out to others. Indeed he never gives anyone anything to keep for himself alone. Every beam of light he flashes into any soul, from a text of Scripture, from a note of song, from a flower, from a star in the heavens, from a book, from the heart of a friend is an interpretation which is to be given out again. The words he speaks to you in the darkness he wants you to utter forth in the light. Into the heart of every creature therefore, he puts something which he wants that creature to speak out to the world.
God gives the star a message of light and we look up into the heavens at night and it tells us its secret. Who knows what a blessing the star may be to a weary traveler who finds his way by its beam, or to the sick man lying by his window and in his sleeplessness looking up at the glimmering point of light in the calm, deep heavens?
God gives to a flower a message of beauty and sweetness, and for its brief life it tells out its message to all who can read it. And who can sum up all the good that even a flower may do, as it blooms in the garden, or as it is carried into a sick room?
But especially does God give to every human life, a message to interpret. To one it is a new revealing of science. A great astronomer spoke of himself as thinking over again God’s thoughts, as he discovered the paths of the stars and traced out the laws of the heavens. To the poet God gives thoughts of beauty which he is to interpret to the world, and the world is richer, brighter and better for hearing his message.
Thus to everyone of us, even the lowliest, God whispers some secret of truth which he wants us to interpret in word or act to others. We cannot all make books or write poems or hymns, which shall bless men; but if we live near the heart of Christ, there is not one of us into whose ear he will not whisper some fragment of truth, some revealing of grace and love ; or to whom he will not give some experience of comfort in sorrow, some glimpse of light in darkness, some glimmering of heaven’s glory, in the midst of this world’s care.
God forms a close personal friendship with each of his children and whispers to each one some special secret of love which no other has ever learned before. That now is your message, God’s own peculiar word to you and you are his prophet to forthtell it again to the world. Let each one speak out what God has given him to tell. If it is only a word, it will yet bless the earth.
Suppose that Joseph, knowing by divine teaching, the meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams, had remained silent; think what his silence would have cost the world. Or suppose that John, having leaned upon the Lord’s breast and having learned the inner secrets of his love had gone back o his fishing after the ascension, and had refused to be an interpreter for Christ, what would the world have lost!
If only one of the million flowers that bloom in summer days in the fields and gardens, refused to bloom, hiding its little gift of beauty the world would be less lovely. If but one of the myriad stars in the heavens should refuse to shine, keeping its little beam locked in its own breast, the nights would be a little darker. Every human life that fails to hear its message and learn its lesson from God, or fails to interpret its secret, keeping it locked in the silence of the heart in some measure impoverishes the earth. But every life, even the lowliest, which learns its word from God and then interprets it to others adds something at least to the world’s blessing and good.
It is the interpretation of life which makes for most in blessing the world. Our creeds may be good but unless we interpret their articles into sweet, beautiful living, in this world of sorrow and sin our orthodoxy will count for little. One writes of a day in the dead of winter, when even men and women wrapped in furs could scarcely endure the biting cold. Yet in the midst of it all, wearing only tatters which flapped in the wind, passed a child, shivering and crouching, as in mumbled words that seemed frozen on his tongue; he called out the name of his newspaper. One face by its genial light arrested his calling. “May I have a paper?” he asked. The kind eye glistened as the stranger took the newspaper and glanced at the stiffened fingers, dropping into the boy’s hand the value of his fifty papers. “Ah, poor little friend!” he faltered, “Don’t you shiver and ache with cold?” The boy, with a gulp of gladness, sobbed out, as he raised his eye to the warmth of the face above him, “I did, sir until you passed by!”
That was a bit of true interpretation. We should try to get men and women to know of the love of Christ, and we never can do it in sermons and bible-lessons alone; we must do it in deeds, in living, in humble service ; in love which interprets itself in kindly helpfulness; and in truth which is wrought into honesty, integrity, uprightness and holiness.
Joseph was an interpreter for God; we must be God’s interpreters. How? We must live near to God, so as to hear what God has to say to us. We must study God’s truth, that his words may become plain to us. If Joseph had yielded to temptation; if he had let his heart grow bitter under injury and wrong; if he had lost his faith in God in the darkness he could not have been God’s interpreter when he was called to tell others the meaning of the divine teachings. So must we keep our heart gentle and warm, our hands clean, our faith strong, and our character right if we would be God’s interpreters to others.
Let us set ourselves anew, to the task and the duty of being the interpreter for God. Let us learn well the meaning of God’s Word that we may interpret that. Let us seek for the key to God’s strange providences, that when we are beside those who are perplexed and in darkness, we may speak to them the interpreting word of divine peace. Let us get into our heart so much of the word, the spirit, and the love of Christ that we may show in our daily life the beauty of Christ. Whittier truthfully tells us that,
The dear Lord’s best interpreters Are humble human souls; The gospel of a life Is more than books or scrolls. From scheme and creed the light goes out, The blessed fact survives: The blessed Master none can doubt, Revealed in holy lives.
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markredfield · 6 months
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DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (2002) Trailer.
Starring Mark Redfield Elena Torrez Kosha Engler Carl Randolph
On our YouTube Channel
Designed and Directed by Mark Redfield. Written by Mark Redfield and Stuart Voytilla, based on their stage play, and the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
With J.R. Lyston, Robert Leembruggen, R. Scott Thompson, James Nailitz, Jennifer Cortese, Ronald Burr, Alena Wright, Brad Marshall, Chuck Richards, Tom Brandau, Josh Petroski, Jeff Miller, E. John Edmonds, Melanie Ambridge.
Music by Nalin Tenaja. Director of Photography Carl DeVos. Edited by Sean Paul Murphy. Special Make-up Effects by Robert Yoho.
MarkRedfieldStudios.com
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (2002)
Coming to our YouTube Channel January 2024.
https://youtube.com/@MarkRedfieldStudios
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Any Christian should be able to live godly in the midst of friendly influences and favoring circumstances; but it is doubly important that we be loyal and true to Christ when surrounded by an ungodly society!
-J.R. Miller (1890)
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smalltownfae · 1 year
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Favourite Opening Lines:
“He came one late, wet spring, and brought the wide world back to my doorstep.” - Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb
“In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three.” - Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
“I lost an arm on my last trip home.” - Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.” - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
“Let’s start with the end of the world, why don’t we?” - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
“The  unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone.” - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” - The Hobbit by J.R. R. Tolkien
“I’ll make my report as if I told a story, for I was taught as a child on my homeworld that Truth is a matter of the imagination.” - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
“Marley was dead, to begin with.” - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Favourite Ending Lines:
Careful with spoilers.
“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” - Animal Farm by George Orwell (Name a more iconic ending. You can’t.)
“If Hundreds Hall is haunted, however, it’s ghost doesn’t show itself to me. For I’ll turn, and am disappointed –  realising that what I am looking at is only a cracked window-pane, and that the face gazing distortedly from it, baffled and longing, is my own.” - The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Killer reveal)
“Oh,Constance,” I said, “we are so happy.” - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (this has the same effect on me as the ending of the movie Midsommer)
“I When they entered, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was.” - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
“In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood, like a hundred golden urns pouring out the sun.” - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
“Wolves have no Kings.” - Royal Assassin / “We dream of carving our dragon.” - Assassin’s Quest / “She settled into it and continued towards her destiny.” - The Mad Ship / “The past is no further away than the last breath you took.” - Fool’s Errand / “Perhaps having the courage to find a better path is having the courage to risk making new mistakes.” - The Golden Fool (all by Robin Hobb)
“Hoping that this time it will remain a lullaby. That this time the wind will not hear. That this time – please just this once – it will leave without us.” - Chocolat by Joanne Harris
“And Cat, though he was still a little lonely and tearful, managed to laugh too.” - Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
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likohno · 14 days
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When God does not give us the things we plead for, he will give us grace to do without them; and if we accept his decision sweetly and trustingly - he will enable us to go on rejoicing.
J.R. Miller
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lalsingh228-blog · 28 days
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Animal Feed Ingredients Market Value, Growth, and Trends
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Global Animal Feed Ingredients Market Report from AMA Research highlights deep analysis on market characteristics, sizing, estimates and growth by segmentation, regional breakdowns & country along with competitive landscape, player’s market shares, and strategies that are key in the market. The exploration provides a 360° view and insights, highlighting major outcomes of the industry. These insights help the business decision-makers to formulate better business plans and make informed decisions to improved profitability. In addition, the study helps venture or private players in understanding the companies in more detail to make better informed decisions. Major Players in This Report Include, .Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (United States), Mosaic Company (United States), J.R. Simplot Company (United States), Cargill, Incorporated (United States), Grain Millers, Inc. (United States), AB Vista (South Africa), BASF SE (Germany), Koninklijke DSM N.V. (Netherlands), Darling Ingredients (United States) , Dupont (United States). Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/3157-global-animal-feed-ingredients-market Animal Feed Ingredients are used in animal feed to fulfill their nutritional requirements. These ingredients support the growth of animals. These ingredients provide highly nutritious diets that improve the quality of end products like meat, milk, and eggs while also maintaining the health of the animals. Consumers' rising per capita intake of meat and milk has necessitated the need for healthier animals. The growing popularity of poultry-based foods is expected to boost demand for animal feed ingredients. Market Drivers
Rising Demand For Meat From Food Industry
Growing Awareness Regarding The Nutritional Benefits Of Ingredients
Market Trend
Emergence Of Plant Based Nutrition’s
Opportunities
Rising Population Along With Growing Economic Standards
Increase In Demand For Pet Food Due To Rising In Awareness Among The Pet Owners
Challenges
Concern Over Quality Of Feed Due To Adulteration
Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/3157-global-animal-feed-ingredients-market In this research study, the prime factors that are impelling the growth of the Global Animal Feed Ingredients market report have been studied thoroughly in a bid to estimate the overall value and the size of this market by the end of the forecast period. The impact of the driving forces, limitations, challenges, and opportunities has been examined extensively. The key trends that manage the interest of the customers have also been interpreted accurately for the benefit of the readers. The Animal Feed Ingredients market study is being classified by Type (Grains, Milling Byproducts, Added Vitamins, Minerals, Fats/Oils, Others), Application (Poultry, Ruminants, Swine, Aquatic Animals, Other Animals (Pet Animals, Birds, and Reptiles)), Form (Dry, Liquid), Sales Channel (Online, Offline) The report concludes with in-depth details on the business operations and financial structure of leading vendors in the Global Animal Feed Ingredients market report, Overview of Key trends in the past and present are in reports that are reported to be beneficial for companies looking for venture businesses in this market. Information about the various marketing channels and well-known distributors in this market was also provided here. This study serves as a rich guide for established players and new players in this market. Get Reasonable Discount on This Premium Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/3157-global-animal-feed-ingredients-market Extracts from Table of Contents Animal Feed Ingredients Market Research Report Chapter 1 Animal Feed Ingredients Market Overview Chapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Industry Chapter 3 Global Market Competition by Manufacturers Chapter 4 Global Revenue (Value, Volume*) by Region Chapter 5 Global Supplies (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions Chapter 6 Global Revenue (Value, Volume*), Price* Trend by Type Chapter 7 Global Market Analysis by Application ………………….continued This report also analyzes the regulatory framework of the Global Markets Animal Feed Ingredients Market Report to inform stakeholders about the various norms, regulations, this can have an impact. It also collects in-depth information from the detailed primary and secondary research techniques analyzed using the most efficient analysis tools. Based on the statistics gained from this systematic study, market research provides estimates for market participants and readers. Contact US : Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) AMA Research & Media LLP Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA – 08837 Phone: +1 201 565 3262, +44 161 818 8166 [email protected]
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radioeuroextasis · 2 months
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Alright - Sam Hankins
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Sam Hankins es un conocido trompetista estadounidense que se crió en un hogar musical en Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Desarrolló su talento y aspiraciones con el apoyo de su padre Sam Hankins, Sr., quien era el cantante principal de un grupo musical, Sam Hankins & The Ho-Dads. Sam Hankins, Jr., ha compartido el escenario con muchos artistas de renombre, como Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, Clark Terry, The O'Jays, The Temptations, The Dells y Glenn Miller Big Band. Cuando era adolescente, Sam luchó en la escuela para concentrarse y retener información y encontró consuelo en la música. Decidido a superar una discapacidad de aprendizaje que más tarde se identificó como dislexia, Sam obtuvo una licenciatura en interpretación musical de la Universidad Estatal del Noreste en Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Sam luego se alistó en el ejército y mientras estaba estacionado en la Base de la Fuerza Aérea Chanute en Rantoul, Illinois, se unió a la banda de jazz de la Fuerza Aérea como trompetista, hasta el cierre de la base de la Fuerza Aérea en 1991. Más tarde, se graduó de la Universidad de Illinois en Urbana-Champaign con una segunda licenciatura y una maestría en educación musical. Al usar su formación musical como base, Sam pasó a liderar un programa de banda escolar que fracasaba a las calificaciones de la División I con reconocimientos de premios estatales y nacionales. Sam Hankins ha ganado una gran cantidad de reconocimientos y elogios por su trabajo como director de banda. Su logro más notable fue ganar el Premio Golden Apple, reconociendo el compromiso con la excelencia en la educación y recibir una carta de la Casa Blanca en honor al Programa de Bandas de la Escuela Secundaria Edison, que fue firmada por Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sam es un compositor prolífico que ha producido una obra que incluye más de 150 piezas. Este trabajo sirvió como base para su carrera discográfica en solitario, que comenzó con el lanzamiento de su álbum debut de larga duración Dream Catcher en julio de 2011 y fue seguido por el lanzamiento de Nothing Between Us en mayo de 2012. Estos álbumes son recopilaciones de su obra que abarcan todos los géneros musicales, desde el smooth jazz y el dance hasta el techno. En noviembre de 2015, Hankins lanzó su tercer álbum de estudio a Joyous Celebration, un álbum navideño coproducido con David McLorren. Hankins mantuvo el impulso y amplió su base de fans, en marzo de 2016, cuando lanzó Do That Thang, su cuarto álbum de estudio de larga duración. Los cuatro álbumes de estudio han recibido extensas reproducciones en la radio en los Estados Unidos y en el extranjero y han ganado más de 25 premios de música independiente. Sam Hankins, J.r también tuvo el privilegio de haber trabajado y actuado con Barbara Morrison, una legendaria vocalista de jazz de renombre mundial, y su conjunto, antes de su transición en 2022. Sam ha establecido su propia banda, el "Proyecto SAM HANKINS", y continúa perfeccionando sus habilidades como trompetista. Sam Hankins Jr. ha logrado mucho como músico y está dedicado y entusiasmado con el lanzamiento de su quinto álbum de estudio, titulado "Alright", que está programado para lanzarse en el verano de 2023. Trabajando con el vocalista de R&B Jackie Michaels y el poeta y actor Cedric Pendleton, Hankins creó la colección de música más diversa que jamás haya producido. Sam continúa trabajando con músicos y artistas increíbles en Los Ángeles. Angeles, California, mientras trabajaba como director de banda en Don Bosco Tech High School en Rosemead, California. Read the full article
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lindajenni · 4 months
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dec 16
when we're in the dark
"I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places." isa 45:3 in the famous lace shops of brussels, there are certain rooms devoted to the spinning of the finest and most delicate patterns.  these rooms are altogether darkened, save for a light from one very small window, which falls directly upon the pattern.  there is only one spinner in the room, and he sits where the narrow stream of light falls upon the threads of his weaving.  “thus,” we are told by the guide, “do we secure our choicest products.  lace is always more delicately and beautifully woven when the worker himself is in the dark and only his pattern is in the light.” may it not be the same with us in our weaving?  sometimes it is very dark.  we cannot understand what we are doing.  we do not see the web we are weaving.  we are not able to discover any beauty, any possible good in our experience.  yet if we are faithful and fail not and faint not, we shall some day know that the most exquisite work of all our life was done in those days when it was so dark. if you are in the deep shadows because of some strange, mysterious providence, do not be afraid.  simply go on in faith and love, never doubting.  God is watching, and He will bring good and beauty out of all your pain and tears. — j.r. miller the shuttles of His purpose moveto carry out His own design;seek not too soon to disapprove His work, nor yet assign dark motives, when, with silent tread, you view some sombre fold;for lo, within each darker thread there twines a thread of gold. spin cheerfully,not tearfully,He knows the way you plod; spin carefully, spin prayerfully,but leave the thread with God. — canadian home journal ------- yes, God is driving our hands to complete His perfect work in each of us.  this writing makes me think of corrie ten boom and how she used to display needlework from the back side, revealing all it's ugliness, and then turn it over to reveal the beauty it had produced. if we will but leave the weaving to God, He will provide the finished work, and you may be sure it will be beautiful for He does all things well.  when we walk through those dark places in our lives, we are never really alone.  our Lord is walking with us.  He knows the path well, for He has traveled it before.
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