THOUGHTS AT THREE A.M.

WHERE TO FIND"HOW SHARPER THAN A SERPENT'S TOOTH....."

It is generally accepted that the quote came from the bible, as a referrer requested where to find it there, but in actuality, the quote comes from Shakespeare, specifically, King Lear, "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!" - (Act I, Scene IV). young Cordelia, in her integrity, refuses to allow so intimate a truth to be flaunted for public hearing, and says she loves him neither more nor less than the natural bond of daughter to her father. Lear infuriated, marries her off,and she flees,but the King hasn't gotten over his anger,and much later in the act, spouts off to Edmond,a suitor,and another daughter, Gonoril;

Lear to Gonoril and Edmond:

It may be so, my lord.
Hear, nature, hear; dear goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful!
Into her womb convey sterility!
Dry up in her the organs of increase;
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honour her! If she must teem,
Create her child of spleen; that it may live,
And be a thwart disnatured torment to her!
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth;
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks;
Turn all her mother's pains and benefits
To laughter and contempt; that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child! Away, away!

In conclusion,just how "thankless " was changed to "ungrateful", I can only suggest that they are similar in meaning and nature, but that ungrateful is a little stronger,and may have been done to avoid plagiarism.

OUI?

THE " GOSPEL" ACCORDING TO JUDAS??

Two men were on the Today show this morning,talking about  a book called the Gospel according to Judas.They are novelist Jeffery Archer,and Professor/ Biblical scholar, Francis Moloney (rhymes with baloney),whom when Archer went to Rome and asked for a Biblical Scholar to help him, this is who was supposed to guide him in making his work, believable, and was told whatever he writes, it's got to be possible. This novel, otherwise known as the fifth Gospel,reportedly debunks much of what we know about Judas,including the thirty pieces of silver,and even the notion that Judas committed suicide. Apparently, they even go so far as to suggest that Jesus didn't turn water into wine, or walk on water.

Well! I don't care if Moloney, (Rhymes with baloney) was wearing a Roman collar or not. They can write their lies until their fingers bleed,and they are still not going to convince me that Jesus Christ wasn't the son of God, and I am certainly not going to plunk down my thirty pieces of silver to buy a book that says my Bible is wrong! Whatever their claims, I can only point them to the prophetic words of St. John the Divine, as he closed out the canon of scripture with these words;

"If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.." rev.22:18

Have a care, sirs. You are treading on dangerous, dangerous ground!

OUI?

It's been published in eight languages,and hits the stores this month.

HAVE YOU HEARD OF "THE SECRET?"

I caught a blurb on television today about this book, and even before that, I did happen to see some of Oprah's show when they talked about it. Well, I am not impressed.In the first place, Oprah has said many things which would lead us to believe that she is a Christian,and yet, at the same time, she has made it no secret that this is probably not so. Living openly with Steadman, and saying she does not plan to marry is part of this. She has all the money she needs to do whatever she wants,and she has done some very nice things, but that doesn't mean she's a Christian either. So, here she comes with this book, and being a very high figure in the world, and with a following that does whatever she wants them to do, she makes "The Secret" sound like this is absolutely true,and correct and right to read and to believe!  God help me, she even had me interested for a moment, right up to the point where she and her guests said that the Secret gives you the power to make your life and your world exactly what you want it to be.

Well, excuse me, but doesn't that fly in the face of the Bible and belief in God? Isn't he the supreme being? Doesn't he order the steps of a righteous man? Look out,my fellow Christians! The roaring Lion is walking again, seeking whom he may devour...only this time, he's doing it in book form!

OUI?

SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES!!

"Spiritual wickedness in high places." It is one of those phrases I am so used to reading and hearing from the bible, warning of the end times, and frankly, I expected it to crop up,even from church members. Because even though we know Jesus is the son of God, and have been redeemed by his sacrifice, you don't really anticipate having it come back to you that brothers and sisters in the Lord will continue in sin. I mean, sure we all have our problems,and none of us are perfect...we are merely forgiven,through the blood of Jesus. But it is one thing to have a problem, and ask forgiveness. It is quite another to know when something is patently wrong, and then to go ahead and allow it, or endorse it anyway. Okay, there are some Grey areas. Some things aren't so obvious as others. We all know that some things are absolutely right, and some things are absolutely wrong. Agreed? Alright, so for those of us who are interested in where we will spend eternity,and even for onlookers who don't much care, but are watching what Christians do and don't do, isn't it up to us to keep an eye on what our church leaders are leading us into? Because I have to tell you that there is some literature coming out now days that is being espoused by some rather unsavory types, whom my unsaved friends are saying some very insightful things about, and I can't say that I disagree with them. Rick Warren was one that a buddy of mine said speaks in platitudes and cliche's...and what could I say?  He's right! Beyond that, I thought his book, "Purpose Driven Life" was sadly lacking in Biblical principle,and rather than being a tool to a victorious life, has the opposite effect, that of leading believers away from the Cross of Christ. Having been given the freedom of choosing whom to listen to, I used my free will from God to dismiss the purpose driven, for the spirit led.

Now, I am not saying that Rick Warren is wicked, but he does have a rather "High" place, lauded by all sorts, having written a best seller,particularly the world. And, as we all know, the world is hardly the best judge of whether one is delivering spiritual truth.

However, to my surprise, there are a number of other spiritual, or shall I say, in this instance, "religious" leaders who are looking to Mr. Warren's work as a viable alternative to the Bible....because it certainly does not point the way "To" the Bible,and a great many church members are following his lead,as their pastors have decided to go along with his ideas,and they will follow their pastors wherever they take them, unwilling to doubt, or question what is being told to them. I wonder why this is? Don't they know that when we come to the end, we are responsible for they way we went? You can't put it off on your pastor, saying that's what he told me. It's up to you to diligently seek the right way on your own.

OUI?

THOUGHTS ABOUT "THE DA VINCI CODE: A NOVEL"!

To begin with,when all this hoopla began, and escalated over this book,and then the movie,I was completely turned off on the whole idea of even reading the book, nevermind the movie. But then, someone sent me the book to read,and I being at loose ends with nothing to read, thought, oh well, why not? I had already heard all this stuff about how it offends the church,and that it is Blasphemous and all, but being well grounded in Christ, that didn't really worry me. If I found myself offended by the book, I could just put it down, stop reading,and send it back to my friend, with my thanks, and that would be the end of it.Besides all that, I have already read the history of the Catholic church, (which to my knowledge is the truth) and by gum, if that didn't offend me, then this novel isn't going to do that either!

Now, it used to be that I could knock off a book or two a week.Not only that, but I could have three or more books going at a time. One in the living room, one in the kitchen,and one in the bathroom. I read in the bathtub, or on the throne. I read in the kitchen, while timing cakes or pies, or watching a pot simmering on the stove. Or, I would be sociable,and join my Tom while he watched his games (ack) and read. That was just the reading I did for fun,not counting the stacks and stacks of books I went through for research,and reference works. The one place I rarely read was in the bedroom. There were other things going on in the bedroom,and I had no opportunity or interest in reading in there. But that was then, and this is now. Now, I can not sit up and read for very long. See, nobody bothered to tell me that after back surgery, it is just too uncomfortable to sit in a chair, or curl up on the couch and read for hours and hours. I found that out the hard way. By doing it, and then living with the consequences afterward. I also found out my recliner was uncomfortable, my swivel rocker was uncomfortable, and that the bathroom is just too far away from the living room to spend a whole lot of time there. Little by little, I became aware that the only place I could do much reading now, was propped up in my bed, in my bedroom.So, now the bedroom is the only place I do much reading at all, unless you count the reading I do in the dinning room, on the computer, or for my writing, which you really can't count at all, because that is just research,and reference works. The problem with reading in bed is, I fall asleep. I can read, at one time, for perhaps, one hour, tops. Even if the subject matter is really exciting, nine times out of ten, I wake up with the book on my lap, or right next to me, or on the floor, and don't remember what the last thing I read was. Besides that, I have this problem with hard-bound books. They are hard to hold, when you're laying in bed. So lately I have taken to reading paperbacks. Is it any wonder then, that I have gravitated to paper back anthologies? So, now that I have filled you in on the background for my reading of" The Da Vinci Code" I have to tell you that I was totally dismayed when I saw that the book was hard-bound,and rather larger than I had anticipated. So, while I did set out to read it a while back,it has taken me a long time...and I am not quite finished with it yet. I have maybe one chapter left, but most of the suspense has been taken out of it for me, because I began to look upon it merely as a murder mystery. That was the opening of this novel,and what drove the action throughout the book. And, yes, there were some religious overtones, downright lies, and other articles of fiction involved, but let's face it.Sometimes, writing even good fiction,in order to create conflict, which is an absolute necessity to move the story along, the author must resort to placing villains in the most unexpected places,re-write some facets of ancient history,and in order to give his story a high profile hype,perhaps even offend God, if he sees it as necessary.

As a work of fiction, I found this work to be really hard going in spots, yet I persevered. I enjoyed being able to figure things out, just before the answers where revealed...that always gives me a charge,and it was very cool that I figured out who dunnit ahead of time too.

If you're a child of God, and don't care to read anything that might call our Lord and savior some sort of fake, don't be afraid to read this book. It all becomes a side issue, really,and hardly noticeable in the end. That is, unless they pull some sort of horrendous twist at the very end. If that is the case, I shall update you later, I promise!

OUI?

WHY I RESISTED READING "DEEP END OF THE OCEAN"!!

The very first time I heard about this book, I was like a lot of you, never heard of it, until Oprah announced it as one of her picks for her book club. I was instantly turned off by the very idea of reading it, because it was just exactly what I didn't want to re-live...a mother's worst nightmare...her child, gone missing! I have had years of that threat haunting me, and I certainly didn't want any of that revived! I honestly don't know which is worse. The threat, and living with knowing that at any moment someone you know...intimately...and used to trust, has vowed to take your child from you..."when you least expect it.." Or, having it happen out of the blue, suddenly, with no warning whatever! Either way is horrible, unspeakably cruel and fills a mother with anxiety. I would like to say that since Yon son is now a grown man, that is all in the past, but, it never really is, is it? Haven't we all heard of grown people being abducted just recently? So, yes, the thought, for the most part has receded, but is never too far from the surface of my thought processes. So, when this book was announced, I just jerked my head away,and it was the one book I never asked for at the Library. Likewise, when the movie came out, I again, did not ask for it, because A. I never read the book, and I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie,and B. Worrisome tear jerkers are not my genre of choice!

And then, Yon son, and wifey-poo went shopping, and brought goodies. Cat toys for Molly,a new algae eater for the fish tank, (which they named " Jumpy" since it jumped from the clerks bag, into another tank to avoid being taken away!) and about 5 new DVD's for me to watch...one of which was the  movie " Deep End Of The Ocean." I thanked them for everything, and turned a blind eye to that movie, thinking, okay, it's here, but that does not mean I have to watch it. But, around here, that is easier said than done, especially since She went back over the road yesterday,and we miss her terribly, and I woke up this morning with a leg cramp not to be believed, and had to first thing choke down a HUGE potassium pill, and eat and run blood sugar,and take more pills,and wasn't ready to go back to bed when Yon son hit the sack. Well! I have seen all the other movies,and wasn't ready for the French open..or the America's cup..or whatever game they have decided to run instead of normal Saturday morning programing which I am used to, and rather fond of, to be perfectly frank. I kind of like " Tutenstein" and "Kenny the Shark!" But, I had to watch something, and since the video room is now so overfilled I can't get my wheelchair in there right now, I had to rely upon what was available. And what was available, was...you guessed it " Deep End Of The Ocean!" Now, I am going to interrupt myself here, and tell you that I could have sat up and read, but, no I couldn't  because when I try to read when I am already sleepy, even while sitting up in my chair, I have been known to fall asleep,and wake up three, four hours later, with the book on the table, my glasses on the floor, a hideous pain in my neck, and my hair in my eyes! It seems I have a tendency to fall forwards! Thank God the table keeps me in the chair!

So, I was literally forced to watch this movie! My review follows, in the next blog. Hmmm. It seems I am forced to do that too! And yet, I have not changed my mind, or my standards! I still didn't read the book! Or...Oh wait..!

OUI?

NEW CLAIMS ABOUT CHRIST:"THE JESUS PAPERS" BY MICHAEL BAIGENT!!

First, don't rush out and buy this book.This is just another sad attempt to make money in the tradition of the DaVinci Code,and some others we have all heard about recently.This man, Michael Baigent,has written a thoroughly scurrilous book, claiming that Jesus Christ was not crucified,but that he and Pontious Pilot came up with a scheme to make him disappear,and in fact that there are documents that have surfaced now, that were supposedly written 45 years after the Crucifixion, by Jesus himself. That this man had the nerve to go on the Today show this morning, and bald-faced speak such lies from the pit of hell seemed to amaze even Matt Lauer.Matt asked him point blank, and you say your a Christian? Whereupon, Baigent came out with some plain and fancy footwork.See if you can follow this line of reasoning. He said, I speak from a Christian situation,I am deeply spiritual and even though I am a believer, I wanted to find out the truth for myself. I cannot take it just on faith.That's when I started researching, wanting to know more....HUH? He just called Jesus a fake,and then turns around and says he is a Christian,...and a believer.Well, if he is setting out to prove the Jesus was a fake, then How can he be a Christian? How can he be a believer, when he just said he can't take it on faith? Faith is the only way to be a believer! He goes on to say that Christ wasn't divine.It was all fake, we have no text, no roman records,no family papers, or inscriptions. Then, as part of his proof that the whole thing was staged, he points to a "station of the cross" painted on a wall in a French church, highlighting one tiny segment of the portrayal of the followers of Christ, taking his body into the tomb, and the sky is darkened,and there is a moon visible in the sky.This, Baigent says, is proof that the priest of that church knew of the "cover-up" and used this to indicate to his flock that the whole thing was a portrayal of the followers taking Jesus Body OUT of the tomb, since it was night time,and the Jewish Sabbath had already begun,and no Jew would be touching a dead body at that time.So, he says, Jesus had to be alive! Well, that is all very interesting.And, where it is true that no Jew would be touching a dead body on the Sabbath, this church was in France.None of the parishioners would have been even remotely aware of this tradition, because they were mostly illiterate,and the Catholic church has always discouraged the reading of the Bible even if they could read. THAT IS THE REASON THEY PAINTED THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS ON THE WALLS! So the Believers could go from one painting to the next, and follow along the whole story, in picture form, the sacrifice of Christ! The darkness was to indicate that the Lord God blocked out the sun, which he did, when Christ died. The Moon in the sky indicates that it is evening, not morning.And, even if this whole story was true, which it isn't, what the mythical priest knew or didn't know doesn't even enter into it.The Priest didn't do the paintings, Artists were sent to do them,just as artists were sent to do the stained glass windows, which served the same purpose.If, as this Michael person claims, the Priest had any ideas along those lines, he certainly would not have indicated to an outsider the " deep dark secret"! Priests are really good at keeping secrets,in case he hasn't noticed. This whole interview was so riddled with contradictions I am baffled as to why the Roman Catholic Priest, who was there via satellite to rebut this writers claims didn't just jump right down on all these points. But,he was young and attractive, so perhaps he was just too nervous to think on his feet,however, as a defender of the faith, he didn't really do a very good job. And finally,to confront this whole notion that "Jesus Papers" had been found, it's patently ridiculous. Jesus Christ spoke Aramaic. This is a spoken language, not written.As For Matthew, Mark, Luke,and John, they had to turn to Greek scribes to make their written testaments.If you remember correctly, the King James Bible states very clearly, that it was translated from the original GREEK and Hebrew. Paul, being alone on the Isle of Patmos was the only one that I know of, that could write his wonderful letters to the other churches.So, if Jesus was divine, as I believe he was and is, then yes, he could have written those letters, but no, he didn't because he was divine,and did not remain on this earth past the time his followers saw him assumed up into heaven. And, as for Michael Baigent's book, he may as well have printed it on Swiss cheese, because it is so full of holes.

But, we were warned that false Prophets would arise in the last days, so don't let it upset you, or lead you astray. It's just another sign of the times....

OUI?

SCENE OF ANOINTING OF KING DAVID!!

I followed a referrer back, and the request was for the scene when David was anointed to be king,so now, here is that scene, straight out of my Expositor's Study Bible.  I Samuel, chapter 16 verse 6: And it came to pass, when they were come(Jesse and his sons), that he( Samuel) looked on Eljiab, and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him.(This was David's brother,and he looked the part of a King. This shows us that even a great Prophet like Samuel cannot trust his own intuition. To have done so, would have been to have  grossly violated God's will. vs.7. But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.( and only God knows the heart of man) vs.10:  Again,Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, the Lord has not chosen these.vs.11: And Samuel said to Jesse, Are here all your children? And Jesse said, there remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep...(a type of Christ as the good Shepard) And Samuel said to Jesse, send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he comes hither.( David was the youngest,and apparently his father Jesse thought it would useless to bring him into the house. Generally, those who are totally rejected by men are the very ones whom God chooses.)vs 12: And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy( red-haired) and withall of a beautiful countenance( The Hebrew says, with beautiful eyes) and goodly to look to (to look at, handsome) and the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is he! (it is believed that David was about 15 years old at this time,it would be years before he would take the throne,but this was the beginning of the glory days of Israel.) And I assume that at this point, everybody else was allowed, finally, to sit down! vs.13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren,and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

And, there you have it. A very simple ceremony, with no trumpets blowing, no heads of state in attendance, no banquet, no parades. Just an old Prophet of God, pouring oil on the head of a 15 year old red-haired boy, and the holy spirit enveloping him, as he stood there dripping oil,his red hair shinning even brighter for the experience. Although on earth it was a quiet moment, you know that angels were shouting on the hills of glory, for it was through David's lineage that Christ would be born,and he would be called, The Son Of David!

OUI?

THE PICTURE: NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH "THE PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY!"

If that doesn't confuse you enough, let me try it again. My focus is on the novel by Oscar Wilde, "The picture of Dorian Gray." Not the picture, "The  Portrait of Dorian Gray." You may well wonder why Hollywood took the precaution of changing that one word in the title, while still keeping the basic theme of the novel, to produce that blockbuster of a movie, which to this day is well known,and oft referred to in literature and movies. The truth is, they were so interested in making a horror flick, they punctured the very life veins of the artistic bent, and let it bleed dry, preserving only the hollow shell of the visual sins of the canvas and oil for which the title stood. All the beauty, the passion of the artist in pursuit of his craft, and the ideal of the subject for which he sought and finally found in Dorian, was snipped away along with the way Basil, the aforementioned artist, describes in glowing prose, the physical perfection of his subject to his friend Lord Henry, in the very first chapter of the novel. If you have seen the movie...and who has not, who is not severely under socialized?...then you will recall that Dorian Gray is played by a man who is the matinee idol type of his time...tall, dark and handsome. Yet, in the book, he is described quite differently. He is an Adonis...he was certainly wonderfully handsome, with his finely-curved scarlet lips, his frank blue eyes, his crisp gold hair....something in his face that made one trust him at once...the candor of youth was there, as well as all youth's passionate  purity. This in no way indicates what passed for Dorian in the film. Whoever cast that pasty faced man with his slick black hair,and that snide sneer on his thin mouth was reading something else into the dialog, or the screen writer just hacked the novel to pieces, possibly to avoid any confusion over the intent of two, and then three gentlemen discussing one of their company's virtues of physical beauty. My question is, why? Men can see, can they not? If a human being of either gender sees another whose looks are  exceptionally aesthetically pleasing, isn't it normal to remark upon it? I have always been that way, as was my entire family. I didn't matter if the person being remarked about was of the same or opposite gender, a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, and a  handsome man is a handsome man, irregardless of who is making the observation. I often will say, "Now, that is a beautiful woman." When I see one, in person, or a picture, or on a screen, just as readily as I would seeing an  Adonis,and making mention of my admiration of his good looks. Simply because I have the ability to discern physical perfection means nothing beyond that.However, to those who made this original film, it must have been a huge red flag, indicating that there was more intended by this text of the novel than simple appreciation of a figure of a person who struck an artist as the embodiment of loveliness. So rather than produce a class A piece of art, the film makers opted to do a B picture, which for all time shall be thought of as just another movie through which you will wade, just to see the ultimate shocking ending, of a terrible, horrible, ugly portrait, which then turns back into the original picture, while the subject lays dead in front of it, having taken on the grossness of it's owner.

As a writer, it is most disturbing that this fine, noble work has been reduced to just another horror flick, which at the mention of it's name, will cause feelings of revulsion, without a single thought of reading the actual original novel, and thereby, removing it's contribution to historical classical novels from future generations.

OUI?

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA:MY BOOK REVIEW

If you have ever come out of a movie theater, blinking and looking around as though you've just returned from another world, or put down a book, after turning the last page with a sense of awe, then you know how I am feeling at this moment. I've just finished" Memoirs of a Geisha" the book by Arthur Golden. It was first printed in 1997, but I don't get around to the Library as much as I used to, so I had no idea this work existed until I began to see the trailers on other movies and television. Just from that, I was intrigued and wanted to see the film, but I prefer to read the book first, so I put in a special request for it from our local library. They didn't have a copy available, but I belong to a system that will find what you want and then calls you when they have it, so you can go pick it up.It took them three days to find it, and it took me another two days to find someone who would actually bring it to me.It's a large, hard-bound tome, of exactly 428 pages,and frankly when I saw it, I was a bit dismayed. Gone are the days when I can sit for hours holding a big heavy book, no matter how engrossing the text.By and large, paperbacks are more my speed, because it doesn't hurt my hands and arms to hold them while propped up in bed to read myself to sleep.So, the first couple of days I had this book, I was able to read perhaps a paragraph or two before I succumbed to the arms of Morpheus. But then, it got interesting to the point that I would read some gluck to go to sleep by, have my nap, get up and get some coffee,plant the book on the kitchen table, and read there from "Memoirs"! Lately, it has taken me almost two weeks to read even the lightest of fare, only because I can't read and sleep at the same time.But with this book, I have sailed through it in about a week. The only reason it took that long, was because, as with any really good book, there are moments you stop and savor.Turns of phrase, and metaphors that make you catch your breath with their beauty. Vivid details that trigger your own memories, that send your mind reeling into another time, another place,and you can't help but go with it, only to come back to yourself sometime later with a sigh. For those of us who do this funny thing called reading, rather than just running out to the theater to see the movie, this is another soon-to-be-classic, which will outstrip the film production of it, simply because the translation of the printed word to the theatrical always suffers.Unfortunately, those who only see the movie will never know what they are missing by not reading the book first, because there are some things they simply cannot do on screen to match the printed page.

I have tried and tried to come up with just one example of a passage, of which I speak, but I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to choose just one,only because there are so many of value. Therefore, I leave it to you, dear reader, to get the book yourself, and see what I mean on your own. There is something in this book for everyone who enjoys great literature.

Oh, by the way. This may not be what one considers a proper book review, but that's what I am calling it. My rules! I make them up!

OUI?