Wednesday, March 2, 2011

By Faith:

Hebrews 11 (New Living Translation)

Great Examples of Faith
 1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
 4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
 5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”[a] For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
 7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
 8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
 11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed[b] that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.
 13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
 17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”[c] 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
 20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
 21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.
 22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.
 23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.
 24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.
 29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
 30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
 31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
 32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death.
   But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half,[d] and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Mark Demsteader: Contemporary Figurative Art

I have recently discovered a British artist that I absolutely adore. His name is Mark Demsteader and he paints portraits of women. They are darker paintings dabbling in both realism and the abstract. They are absolutely stunning!!! On his website, he provides a really interesting drawing demonstration of the process he uses to create his works.

"Mark Demsteader was born in 1963 in Manchester where he still lives and works.He studied foundation at Rochdale college and Oldham college, but he is largely self taught having spent many years studying the figure at life drawing classes and developing a unique style through close observation of the human form.

In recent years Mark`s reputation has flourished, such that he has become one of the most popular figurative artists working in Britain today. His powerful depictions of the female form in clean and assured lines of pastel and gouache have sparked a renaissance of interest in traditional life drawing amongst the art collecting fraternity. This immense technical ability is tempered by the natural sensitivity with which he imbues each subject. Although isolated in the picture plane each model seems to live and breathe, their expression and poise conveying a sense of narrative that invites the viewer to ask more questions about them than the artist answers."


art blog - Mark Demsteader - empty kingdomart blog - Mark Demsteader - empty kingdomart blog - Mark Demsteader - empty kingdom 

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Deaf dog adopted by deaf kids after learning sign language

By Kevin Murphy, Reuters 

Tue, Feb 08 2011 at 5:52 PM EST 


KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Most people may be reluctant to adopt a deaf dog, but what if they were deaf themselves?
children petting dachshund
DEAF DOGS: Training drain deaf dogs for deaf owners began at a Missouri prison. Inmates trained a deaf dachshund in sign language and then asked the Missouri School for the Deaf to take him in. (Photo: jupiterimages)



The idea made sense to inmates at a Missouri prison who trained a deaf dachshund in sign language and then asked the Missouri School for the Deaf in Fulton to take him in.
Today, the dog named Sparky is right at home with the school's youngsters, who have taught him additional sign language. And a second deaf dog, a Boston Terrier named Petie, may be on his way to the school soon.
Superintendent Barbara Garrison approved bringing Sparky to the school.
"She really thought it would be a great learning experience for the kids," Garrison's secretary Barbara McGrath said in an interview Tuesday.
Sparky came from the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Mo., which has also offered Petie. Garrison is interested in taking in Petie but only if she knows it can eventually be placed in a permanent home after some sign language training, McGrath said.
Sparky responds to hand signals to sit, heel, lay down, and stop and is working on additional signs that mean "food" or "outside."
Sparky and Petie come from the Puppies for Parole program of the Missouri Department of Corrections in which inmates train animals with behavioral or other issues that make them difficult to adopt. The program saves dogs that might otherwise be euthanized and it gives inmates a constructive activity, said Tina Holland, activities coordinator at the Licking prison.
"It's been wonderful — it's gone far beyond what we thought it would be," Holland said. "Their goal is just to get these dogs a home."
(Writing by Kevin Murphy, edited by Mary Wisniewski and Greg McCune)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Quote:

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
Albert Einstein

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Enchanted

Okay so I know a story about Taylor Swift seems like a super way lame to start this blog.. but I am okay will being super lame on occasion. I found this article on the Bobby Bones website this morning and while the story is super sweet and all that jazz, my favorite part is that another song about me a.k.a. Taelor (who needs to know the spelling of the Taylor in the song?) is out there!! Watch the youtube video of Owl City's cover of Taylor Swift's Enchanted below to see what I mean:

 
 
Taylor Swift said that she names names on her current Speak Now CD, and a new one has just surfaced. Apparently she wrote the song "Enchanted" about meeting Adam Young, a member of the rock group Owl City. Taylor even included secret lyrics that only Adam would be able to figure out, and spelled his name out in the CD booklet by capitalizing the letters A-D-A-M. Adam appropriately chose Valentine's Day (Monday, February 14th) to respond to the song. On his official blog, he wrote, "I'm so tremendously honored that Taylor would write such an elegant song and thereby offer a gracious nod in my direction. Needless to say, I was lost for words and utterly smitten. I couldn't stop smiling." Click Here to read Adam Young's blog and watch the song verse for Taylor below!


He got a bit more personal, directing his comments to Taylor herself writing, "Everything about you is beautiful. You're an immensely charming girl with a wonderful heart and more grace and elegance than I know how to describe. You are a true princess from a dreamy fairy tale; a modern Cinderella. I'm terribly sorry it's taken me such a long time to reply but I figured Valentine's Day was the perfect time to write this note to you and simply say . . . I was enchanted to meet you too." Check It Out: Taylor's song for Adam Young called, "Enchanted" from her album 'Speak Now'!


Adam also added his own verse to "Enchanted", which he recorded on his website. The lyrics are: "I was never in love with someone else / I never had somebody waiting on me / 'Cause you were all of my dreams come true / And I just wish you knew / Taylor (Taelor) I was so in love with you."  
02/16/2011

Monday, February 14, 2011

Prologue

This blog, an adjunct to my personal blog, Letters, Syllables, Words, Phrases, Sentences, is meant as an outlet for me to share "All Things Read." On any given day I read A LOT, from textbooks, to novels, to magazines, to newspapers, to online articles, to facebook walls, to posters, to billboards, to bumper stickers...and the list could go on forever. There is no escaping the endless amounts of reading surrounding us at all times except whenever it becomes so much that it turns into the reading equivalent of white noise. It's everywhere, so we become numb to it, and eventually completely unaware of it. I want this blog to challenge me to really pay attention to everything I read on a daily basis and choose something to post and share my thoughts on.