Thursday, March 16, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Gaslight (1940 film)
Gaslight is a 1940 British film directed by Thorold Dickinson which
stars Anton Walbrook and Diana Wynyard, and features Frank Pettingell.
The film adheres more closely to the original play upon which it is
based – Patrick Hamilton's Gas Light (1938) – than the better-known 1944
MGM adaptation. The play had been shown on Broadway as Angel Street, so
when the film was released in the United States it was given the same
name.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Set Me Free
ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES is told by Carlos Valles, a Spanish priest
who works in India. Once while cycling through the warm Indian
countryside, he became aware of a strange stillness in the air. Nature
seem to have stopped, as if waiting for something to happen. Sensing
danger, he got off his bicycle and looked around.
Suddenly he understood the reason for the eerie silence. In the low grass a cobra stood up with its hood spread and its tongue flicking. Carlos followed the snake’s gaze. It was fixed on the branch of a bush just ahead. On the branch sat a little bird, completely paralyzed. he writes:”I had heard that snakes do that to birds. Now I was seeing it. The bird had wings, but could not fly. It had a voice, but could not sing. It was frozen, stiff, mesmerized. The snake knew its own power and had cast its spell. The prey could not escape, though it had the whole sky for its range.”
Carlos decided to do something. He stirred the breeze with his presence. He tried to break the snake’s hypnotic hold on the bird by waving his arms. He shouted human sounds. Eventially his efforts were successful. Reluctantly the cobra lowered itself to the ground and slid off into the grass. The countryside came alive again with its surrounding sounds. And the bird, freed from its paralysis, found its wings and flew. It discovered its voice and began to sing once more.
This story is a powerful parable. Many people today find themselves caught in the hypnotic gaze of the snake. Some are immobilized by fear or depression or despair or by some other dark feeling. Some are trapped in destructive and addictive patterns of behavior.
Some go through all the familiar motions of believing—praying, reading the Bible, going to church—but somehow feel stuck in their relationship with God. As a result, like the little bird, they become paralyzed. They long for a new freedom. They have wings but do not fly. They have a voice but do not sing.
If you feel paralyzed like this little bird, there is some wonderful good news in the Bible. God wants to free you and me. However, an important precondition accompanies this freedom. We need to be willing to embark on a journey of change, risk, and obedience.
Suddenly he understood the reason for the eerie silence. In the low grass a cobra stood up with its hood spread and its tongue flicking. Carlos followed the snake’s gaze. It was fixed on the branch of a bush just ahead. On the branch sat a little bird, completely paralyzed. he writes:”I had heard that snakes do that to birds. Now I was seeing it. The bird had wings, but could not fly. It had a voice, but could not sing. It was frozen, stiff, mesmerized. The snake knew its own power and had cast its spell. The prey could not escape, though it had the whole sky for its range.”
Carlos decided to do something. He stirred the breeze with his presence. He tried to break the snake’s hypnotic hold on the bird by waving his arms. He shouted human sounds. Eventially his efforts were successful. Reluctantly the cobra lowered itself to the ground and slid off into the grass. The countryside came alive again with its surrounding sounds. And the bird, freed from its paralysis, found its wings and flew. It discovered its voice and began to sing once more.
This story is a powerful parable. Many people today find themselves caught in the hypnotic gaze of the snake. Some are immobilized by fear or depression or despair or by some other dark feeling. Some are trapped in destructive and addictive patterns of behavior.
Some go through all the familiar motions of believing—praying, reading the Bible, going to church—but somehow feel stuck in their relationship with God. As a result, like the little bird, they become paralyzed. They long for a new freedom. They have wings but do not fly. They have a voice but do not sing.
If you feel paralyzed like this little bird, there is some wonderful good news in the Bible. God wants to free you and me. However, an important precondition accompanies this freedom. We need to be willing to embark on a journey of change, risk, and obedience.
– Trevor Hudson
Questions God Asks Us
Questions God Asks Us
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The love of God can help us to endure many things.
Circumstances that ordinarily knock us flat are a s nothing when face-to-face with the power of God. Cry out to God in times of affliction, and He will comfort you and lift you above the fear of evil things. Truly, our help is in the Lord.
Prayer: There is nothing in this life, Lord, that I cannot face as long as You are with me. Amen
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
To look at Bess and to listen to her talk, you would never have thought
she was dying of cancer. She always had the same smile on her face and a
kind word for everyone who came to see her. The other patients spent a
lot of time with her, because her spirit seemed to be contagious. She
ministered to her roommates by remaining cheerful and positive. Even the
thought of death couldn't take Bess's dynamic humor from her.
Circumstances that ordinarily knock us flat are a s nothing when face-to-face with the power of God. Cry out to God in times of affliction, and He will comfort you and lift you above the fear of evil things. Truly, our help is in the Lord.
Take a Break
I CAN ALWAYS TELL when I’ve pushed myself too hard. My body begs for
rest; but too often I keep going at breakneck speed, believing I can
handle everything—but I can’t. We aren’t meant to continue nonstop. We
need breaks. The times we feel as if we can’t pull ourselves away from
daily responsibilities may be exactly the times we need a break.
Do you need a moment of stillness? Pause and let Psalm 46:10a breathe healing into your soul: “Be still, and know that I am God!”
~Tynea Lewis [New Hollland, Pennsylvania]
Do you need a moment of stillness? Pause and let Psalm 46:10a breathe healing into your soul: “Be still, and know that I am God!”
~Tynea Lewis [New Hollland, Pennsylvania]
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Rod Stewart - Broken Arrow (HD 16:9)
I wanna breathe when you breathe
When you whisper like that hot summer breeze
Count the beads of sweat that cover me
Didn't you show me a sign this time
When you whisper like that hot summer breeze
Count the beads of sweat that cover me
Didn't you show me a sign this time
Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around, around
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around, around
Do you feel what I feel, do you feel what I feel
Can you see what I see, can you cut behind the mystery
I will meet you by the witness tree
Leave the whole world behind
Can you see what I see, can you cut behind the mystery
I will meet you by the witness tree
Leave the whole world behind
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