crookedfingers

It is 1:51 PM Friday afternoon here in Western Michigan. It is 53 degrees and partly sunny today. It is a blessing to have eyes to see sunshine. I do not like dark days. It frightens me to contemplate spending eternity in darkness, never seeing the glory of God's divine essence.

I got up this morning around 7 o'clock AM. When I came upstairs I found Carol reading her ESV Study Bible. I spent the morning doing the usual. Carol and I did have morning devotions after we ate breakfast. After breakfast I spent the morning reading, 'New Testament Theology' by Eckhard J. Schnabel and writing in my paper diary. I did leave our house to drive over to Zeeland to buy black sunflower seeds and cracked corn for our birds. While out I filled my car with gasoline and stopped at Gateway Thrift store to look at their used books.

There is not much else to report this afternoon. I am drifting through Time Span. Carol is outside in our backyard raking leaves this afternoon.

Last night I read before going to bed, 'The Decades of Henry Bullinger' Volume One. I suppose I will close since I am falling asleep.

"[22] The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
[23] I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
[24] When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
[25] Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
[26] While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
[27] When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
[28] When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
[29] When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
[30] Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
[31] Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
[32] Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
[33] Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
[34] Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
[35] For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
[36] But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." Proverbs 8:22-36

1. Sponge - CHESNUTT
2. World War One - PICCIOTTO
3. Distortion - CHESNUTT
4. Der Gasn Nigun - AMAR/MOSS (SMZ)
5. What He Is And What He Ain't - CHESNUTT
6. Sound Collage - PICCIOTTO/GRIFFIN
7. Coward - CHESNUTT
8. Choir Invisible - COHEN/GRIFFIN/TOTH
9. Wall St. Flag Improvisation - AMAR/CRAVEN (SMZ)
10. Blanket Over The Head - CHESNUTT
11. Brooklyn, Silesia - THE QUAVERS
12. Rustic City Fathers - CHESNUTT

The Vienna International Film Festival (Viennale) takes place in October of each year. For the 2007 edition, New York filmmaker Jem Cohen was commissioned to close the festival, which he did with his program entitled Evening's Civil Twilight In Empires Of Tin. This piece, inspired by Joseph Roth's novel The Radetsky March, is a meditation on the decline of empires, juxtaposing images from the twilight stages of the Hapsburg empire and WWI with footage from present-day Vienna and Cohen's hometown of Brooklyn, NY, where he traces his own visual meditations on the twilight of American empire. An impressionistic narrative is constructed through live readings from the texts of Joseph Roth, and a live musical score performed by Vic Chesnutt, members from The Silver Mt Zion, Guy Piciotto (Fugazi), and The Quavers. The music includes improvisations, wonderfully blown-out interpretations of Strauss' "The Radetsky March", and bracing renditions of a number of Vic Chesnutt songs. The result is a sort of agit-prop hallucination, a string of film vignettes bound by the poetry of Roth's writing and by the sounds and songs of the live musicians.

This 2007 film performance was recorded (audio and video) by the Viennale. Video footage of the live event was then combined with Cohen's original film footage and edited in Vienna by Jem. The live audio was mixed at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal by some of the participating musicians. The resulting DVD is a politically charged and unique hybrid of concert and film -- a document of a very special multi-media performance, and one hailed as one of the highlights of the Viennale.

Empires Of Tin was co-released on DVD by The Viennale and Constellation. It received its premiere screening at the 2008 Viennale.

Release date: 26 January 2009
Running time: 100:00

16mm film and DV footage by Jem Cohen. Live video of film performance shot by the Viennale crew. Produced by Jem Cohen and Paolo Calamita (Viennale). Video post-production by Andreas Neureiter and Golden Girls (Vienna). Audio mix and post-production at the Hotel2Tango by Thierry Amar, Efrim Menuck, Radwan Moumneh and Harris Newman.

It is 2:43 PM Thursday afternoon here in West Michigan. It is 46 degrees and partly sunny this afternoon. It is a blessing to see some sunshine after so many dark gray days.

I got up this morning around 7 o'clock AM. When I came upstairs Carol was ready to face another day Time Span. I had a typical morning today. Nothing strange happened this morning. I had a nice breakfast with my wife of 44 years. I often wonder how long Carol and I will live together as husband and wife. I pray we have a marriage that lasts forever. Carol did errands this morning. While she was gone I wrote in my paper diary, read from Volume 1 'The Decades Of Henry Bullinger' and filmed a video for my Youtube channe.

Carol got home from her errands around 11:05 AM. She cooked a big lunch, which she called a Christmas dinner. After lunch Carol took a nap and I wrote in my diary and read some more of 'The Decades Of Henry Bullinger'. So the Time Span drifts by.

Last night I mainly read, 'The Decades Of Henry Bullinger' Volume 1 till I went to bed around 10:55 PM. Now it is another afternoon and this day has gone by quickly and quietly.

I will close to continue down the Narrow Way. We will soon be in Heaven all those who have confessed Jesus Messiah as LORD.

O love of God, how strong and true!
Eternal and yet ev­er new;
Uncomprehended and un­bought,
Beyond all know­ledge and all thought.

O love of God, how deep and great!
Far deep­er than man’s deep­est hate;
Self-fed, self-kin­dled, like the light,
Changeless, eter­nal, in­fi­nite.

O heav’n­ly love, how pre­cious still,
In days of wear­i­ness and ill!
In nights of pain and help­less­ness,
To heal, to com­fort, and to bless.

O wide emb­rac­ing, won­drous love,
We read Thee in the sky above,
We read Thee in the earth be­low,
In seas that swell, and streams that flow.

We read Thee in the flow­ers, the trees,
The fresh­ness of the frag­rant breeze,
The song of birds up­on the wing,
The joy of sum­mer and of spring.

We read Thee best in Him who came
To bear for us the cross of shame;
Sent by the Fa­ther from on high,
Our life to live, our death to die.

We read Thee in the man­ger-bed,
On which His in­fan­cy was laid;
And Na­za­reth that love re­veals,
Nestling amid its lone­ly hills.

We read Thee in the tears once shed,
Over doomed Sa­lem’s guil­ty head,
In the cold tomb of Be­tha­ny,
Ana blood-drops of Geth­se­ma­ne.

We read Thy pow­er to bless and save,
E’en in the dark­ness of the grave;
Still more in re­sur­rec­tion light,
We read the full­ness of Thy might.

O love of God, our shield and stay
Through all the per­ils of our way;
Eternal love, in Thee we rest,
Forever safe, for­ev­er blest!

December 7.
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us" 1 John 4:16

Who hath known and believed, in terms equal to the greatness of the mercy itself, the love of God to the poor sinner! God's love must be an infinite love, and consequently the display of it must be infinite also. God, we are told, "Commendeth his love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Had God loved and delighted in saints that loved him, this would have been love. Had God taken the holy angels into a nearer acquaintance with him, this would have been love. But when he raised beggars from the dunghill, and took rebels from the prison to sit upon his throne, and at a time when his justice would have been magnified in their destruction; to prefer sinners, haters of God, and despisers of his grace; to bring them into the closest and nearest connection with him, in the person of his dear Son; and all this by such a wonderful plan of mercy, as the incarnation and death of Jesus; who hath ever calculated the extent of such grace? Who hath thoroughly known or considered, or believed, in any degree proportioned to the unspeakableness of salvation, the love that God hath to us? O Lord, add one blessing more. Cause my cold heart to grow warm in the contemplation of it; and let it be my happiness to be daily studying the breath, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of God, which passeth knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fulness of God. 'The Poor Man's Morning Portion' by Robert Hawker

It is 2:34 PM Wednesday afternoon here in West Michigan. It is 38 degrees outside and gray today. It has snowed since last month. We only had one day of real snow. We are predicted to have a mixture of rain and snow towards the end of this week.

I got up this morning around 8 o'clock AM. When I came upstairs I found my wife dressed and ready to meet the day. This morning she made a quiche for breakfast. After breakfast Carol and I had devotions and I then spent the rest of this day writing and reading, 'The Decades of Henry Bullinger' Volume 1. There is nothing else to report right now so I will close.

Yesterday evening Amazon did delivered a novel I had pre-ordered titled, 'Monument Maker' A Novel by David Keenan.

I suppose I will close to wait for it to all unfold. Last night I read late into the night, 'The Decades of Henry Bullinger' Volume 1. I suppose I am able to read a book for hours upon hours. I am not going anywhere and like to just sit reading and writing. I am an old man and there is nothing I want to accomplish. I have victory right now in Jesus Messiah.

Pss.45
[1] My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
[2] Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
[3] Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.
[4] And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
[5] Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
[6] Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
[7] Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
[8] All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
[9] Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
[10] Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
[11] So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
[12] And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.
[13] The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.
[14] She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
[15] With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace.
[16] Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
[17] I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.