Breakfast and excitement

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.”

A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Peacock from Behind

Peacock from Behind, Nihaljabinedk - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

I'm used to seeing peacocks with their tail feathers displayed, but in this shot I see how beautiful they are anyway.

Corn with Husk

Corn with Husk, Duane Keiser

All these things are here to save our lives

As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren’t any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true.

Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction: The Shooting Script

Gospel of Matthew: Why Jesus' Exorcisms Were Unique

Matthew 8:28-34

I have always loved the fact that Jesus is shown several times healing people simply with the power of his word, as we saw with the centurion's slave. But this equal power is shown in exorcisms, something that had escaped me entirely until I read this commentary. Of course. Jesus' own authority is enough.

Medieval illumination of Jesus exorcizing the Gerasene demoniac from the Ottheinrich Folio

Jesus was not the only exorcist in the ancient Near east (see 12:27), but the way he performed exorcisms was unique. First, other people claiming to expel demons used material instruments such as incense, medicines, rings, wood chips, olive branches, or bowls of water. Some played music or made special sounds. Jesus, however, does not rely on any device or special technique. He simply drives out demons by his command (8:32; 17:18; Mark 1:25; Luke 4:35; 8:29). Second, while other exorcists sometimes said prayers, Jesus never prays during an exorcism. He relies instead on his own power, which he associates with the Spirit of God (see 12:28). Third, other exorcists might invoke a higher authority or a powerful name, such as the name of Solomon, who in Jewish tradition was known for his exorcisms. Jesus, however, never expels demons by calling on on another name, not Solomon's or even God's. Jesus drives out demons by his own word and by his own authority.

Quote is from Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #8 — Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

8. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang

A film that mocks film noir cliches while at the same time being a very satisfying mystery/action/buddy noir-ish film in its own right.

Robert Downey Jr. is a small-time thief who stumbles into an acting audition when on the lam from the cops. He aces the audition and is sent to Hollywood where he soon finds himself neck-deep in a murder mystery involving his childhood sweetheart. While shadowing detective Val Kilmer to learn more about his acting role, Downey Jr. becomes heavily involved in a second mystery as well.

Great fun, with fast-talking dialogue that will keep you on your toes. A nice companion piece to Brick; though completely different in feel, both movies mimic noir style while still standing on their own two legs.

Happy Birthday, Rose

The Roses of Heliogabalus by Alma-Tadema

Our celebration won't be quite on the scale (or style) of the one pictured. Though I do approve of their liberal enjoyment of roses.

Our own Rose is worthy of such a party though I think it would have to be a surprise party. We're going to have a modest, at home celebration with take out and a Cafe Latte Gingerbread Cheesecake (trying out an intriguing Mary Berry recipe).

We're so happy that Rose is here with us and not in L.A. We felt that way before the corona virus situation and it is doubled and redoubled now. Our lives are brighter thanks to her sense of humor, common sense, gardening, cooking, and (especially) Bollywood movie selections. Happy Birthday, Rose!

Lost and Found

The Texas Quote of the Day:

"Thursday I lost a gold watch which I value very highly as it is an heirloom. I immediately inserted an advertisement in your Lost and Found Column and waited. Yesterday I went home and found the watch in the pocket of my other suit. God bless your paper."

------ Letter to the editor of the Dalhart Texan Newspaper, 1920

via Traces of Texas

Let me read you a chapter of Thus Sayeth the Lord

Valencia. The Groups.

Joaquín Sorolla, Valencia. Las grupas

Stupidity

Stupidity is also a gift of God but one mustn't misuse it.

Pope John Paul II

I do my best but sometimes my gift overcomes me and springs free.

I'll Be Reading a Chapter of My New Book on Facebook Tomorrow

Friday, May 8

3:00 p.m. Central Time

My personal Facebook page

I'll be reading a chapter of Thus Sayeth the Lord: A Fresh Take on the Prophets.

If you miss the specific livestream reading, don't worry. Our Sunday Visitor will have the video living on its YouTube page later. And it will stay up on Facebook as a recorded video.

It'll be fun! A personal reading of one of my favorite chapters! Tune in to see which of the 18 prophets I choose!

A passing fairy's hiccough

[Mrs. Gamp] was by this time in the doorway curtseying to Mrs. Mould. At the same time a peculiar fragrance was borne upon the breeze, as if a passing fairy had hiccoughed, and had previously been to a wine vault.

Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit

Such pertinent information, so amusingly conveyed. What a master!

A Rooftop with Flowers

A Rooftop with Flowers, Joaquín Sorolla

The Key to a Happy Marriage

I have always believed that the key to a happy marriage was the ability to say with a straight face, "Why, I don't know what you're worrying about. I thought you were very funny last night and I'm sure everybody else did, too."

Miss Manners

A Very Nice Review — "Believe That Subtitle!"

Many thanks to Susan Vigilante for her review on Amazon.

When I opened "Thus Sayeth the Lord" I was expecting something, you know, churchy. I couldn't have been more wrong. Julie Davis's "fresh take" on all prophets major and minor prophets is just that- a completely different way of thinking about all prophets minor and major, from Moses (I never thought of him as a prophet, either!) to Jesus Himself. She strips away all the musty scents of incense and grandiose intonations and gives it to us straight: "To become holy is to become more authentically who we are." This utterly engaging book would be perfect for all readers from young adult and up. Highly recommended.

Remember Thus Sayeth the Lord is on a deep discount at Amazon right now - just $2.99 for the ebook. Get a copy now!

Portrait of Countess of Santiago

Portrait of Countess of Santiago, Joaquín Sorolla

There's more to telling a story than just telling a story...

All I wanted was something lightweight and undemanding. The Da Vinci Code was both of these. However, as I compulsively turned the page to discover what incredible nonsense might happen to Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu next—incredible but gripping—I could not help noticing that the book was exceptionally poorly written. You go to a thriller for its thrills, not its poetry, but this was distractingly bad. ...

To be clear, Dan Brown knows how to tell a story—but there is more to telling a story than just telling the story. Stephen King understands this...

Andy Miller, The Year of Reading Dangerously

Andy Miller manages to be incredibly fair to Dan Brown while pointing out the very reason I never read The Da Vinci Code. I'd heard it was terribly written and that can be such a point of distraction for me that I'll not be able to read a book sometimes.

Gospel of Matthew: Matthew's Resume

I especially like the point made below of the extent of Matthew's sacrifice because he couldn't turn back. I never thought about that before.

Saint Matthew (1713–1715) by Camillo Rusconi,
Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome

More than any other disciple, Matthew had a clear idea of how much it would cost to follow Jesus, yet he did not hesitate a moment. When he left his tax-collecting booth, he guaranteed himself unemployment. for several of the other disciples, there was always fishing to return to, but for Matthew, there was no turning back. ...

Jesus gave Matthew a new purpose for his skills. When he followed Jesus, the only tool from his past job that he carried with him was his pen. From the beginning, God had made him a record-keeper. Jesus' call eventually allowed him to put his skills to their finest work. Matthew was a keen observer, and he undoubtedly recorded what he saw going on around him. The gospel that bears his name came as a result.

Matthew's experience points out that each of us, from the beginning, is one of God's works in progress. Much of what God has for us he gives long before we are able to consciously respond to him. He trusts us with skills and abilities ahead of the schedule.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• Was one of Jesus' 12 disciples
• Responded immediately to Jesus' call 
• Invited many friends to his home to meet Jesus
• Compiled the Gospel of Matthew
• Clarified for his Jewish audience Jesus' fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies

Lessons from his life:

• Jesus consistently accepted people from every level of society
• Matthew was given a new life and his god-given skills of record-keeping and attention to detail were given new purpose
• Having been accepted by Jesus, Matthew immediately tried to bring others into contact with Jesus

Key verses:
"As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him" (Mark 2:14).

Matthew's story is told in the Gospels. He is also mentioned in Acts 1:13.

Excerpt from Life Application Study Bible. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

Sewing the Sail

Sewing the Sail, Joaquín Sorolla

Raanjhanaa [Beloved One]

A small-town boy needs to break through the class divide to gain acceptance from his childhood sweetheart who is in love with big city ideals.

Between the poster and the description we were expecting a light romance. I mean, look at how much fun they're having during the Holi celebration!

So we were really surprised when this began taking some dark turns, but it was good and I really liked Dhanush's performance. Both the main characters are really stupid about each other when it comes to romance which was rather realistic when you think about their different backgrounds. However, as the film goes on it takes a turn into something different which is more interesting than a standard love story. We see Dhanush's character, Kundun, suddenly think outside his own desires after he makes a big mistake. Simultaneously we see Zoya's twin desires for vengeance and paying tribute to a loved one result in a fascinating journey. The movie becomes an interesting look at selfishness versus true love in what will we do for our beloved ones.

My favorite scene was when he's picked up by the student political group as a thief. They are trying to figure out why he was stealing with discussion on a high intellectual level while not realizing he is hungry, thirsty, out of work, etc.

Anyway, good with several surprising twists which gave it depth.

Rating — for viewers with medium Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.)

Don't Forget! $2.99 Kindle Sale on Thus Sayeth the Lord!

April 27 - May 11, 2020

OSV has a temporary deep discount on the Thus Sayeth the Lord e-book for $2.99 on Amazon!

Get it now! 

And tell your friends!

Remember Your Death: Lenten Devotional by Theresa Aletheia Noble

In the very simplest terms, memento mori(Latin for "remember you must die") is the practice of keeping a reminder in front of you that death is inevitable. The way I'd seen this most commonly was in paintings that included a skull tucked among still life items.

I'd never thought about it much one way or the other, except for the general way I would try to remember that my ultimate goal is heaven. When I saw this devotional it was after Easter 2019 so I waited until Lent 2020 to get it. How timely that turned out to be, what with global pandemics and suchlike.

Memento mori seems like a gloomy prospect but, especially as reflections written by Theresa Noble, it is actually life affirming. How do we want to live ... and why? How can we draw closer to God? Where are we going wrong and how do we fix it? These are all Lenten questions and all questions we want to have figured out by the time we die. Remember Your Death helps you with that.

Noble has her own two-page reflection, a prompt for Examen and intercessory prayer, and a journaling/prayer prompt. I liked all of them, especially the long quote from a saint that was included in each intercessory prayer section.

This book will definitely be one I use for future Lenten reflection.

Happy Birthday, Tom!

You may recognize this from last year. When Tom got that look on his face (see below) I reminded him of last year's ice cream sundaes and his look changed to one of amazed delight. Sometimes repetition is a wonderful thing. Done and done.

Tom always gets this look on his face when I ask him for a decision about something like this. What kind of cake does he want for his birthday? (His 66th birthday! So I'm willing to go all out — or to enlist Rose's help in doing so.)

It's the look of someone who ... though he has tons of imagination otherwise ... has no imagination when it comes to birthday cake. This is a problem I cannot relate to.

My mission — fulfill the dream that he can't come up with.

You can see the answer. When someone gives up ice cream for Lent year after year, because it is the most perfect food they can imagine — well it doesn't take much imagination to come up with a substitute for birthday cake (not a thing I'm ever going to need to do for myself, but Tom got a big smile on his face when I suggested it).

So sundaes it is! I've got four kinds of ice cream (66th birthday, after all!) - vanilla, milk chocolate, coffee, and white chocolate raspberry swirl. Chocolate sauce. Butterscotch caramel sauce. Toasted pecans. Whipped cream. And maraschino cherries because ... it's not a sundae otherwise. (Though Tom feels otherwise. I tell you, I do not understand this guy sometimes.)

Also I have many gifts, chosen with great difficulty because he's the kind of guy whose whims begin at $2,000. The way it is with a lot of people attracted to tech and cars and so on.

Happy, happy 66th birthday, Tom! We're gonna use the big bowls tonight - in your honor!

McLuhan, the Catholic Convert

From my quote journal.

Marshall McLuhan was a Roman Catholic with a profound understanding of the traditions of the Church and Catholic doctrine. Often other intellectuals and artists would ask him incredulously, "Are you really a Catholic?" He would nod and answer, "Yes, I am a Catholic, the worst kind—a convert," leaving them more baffled than before.

The Medium and the Light, introduction

Marshall McLuhan

Rest in peace, Irrfan

I'm surprised at how upset it made me to learn this morning that Irrfan Khan died. He was hands-down one of my favorite Indian actors, with a nuance and subtlety which gave every performance depth. I tended to forget that he'd been in Western movies like Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire although the admiring obituaries ranging from CNN to The Guardian to Deadline Hollywood reminded me that in many ways he was the face of India in Hollywood. What defined his skill for us were Indian movies like The Lunchbox, Haider, and Piku.

Tom also felt it more deeply than he expected and, talking it over, we realized that Irrfan was so natural seeming that you felt as if you connected with him personally in many of his roles. So it is as if we have lost a friend instead of a star. I imagine that many in India feel that and more right now.

I am glad that we so recently watched Billu, which I reviewed yesterday. It was a nice last look at Irrfan Khan while he was alive.

Grant to Irrfan eternal rest. 
Let light perpetual shine upon him. 
May his soul and the souls of all the departed, 
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
Amen.

The Doctor and Nature

From my quote journal.

The doctor is the cooperative ally of nature, not its master.

Dr. Leon Kass, Toward a More Natural Science

I believe we are living through the proof of that very thing.

An Afternoon Coffee

Henri Adrien Tanoux, An Afternoon Coffee
via French Painters

Gospel of Matthew: Keeping Our Faith During the Storm

Matthew 8:23-27

Why does Matthew tell us the story of Jesus calming the storm? Multiple reasons but there is a specific one for disciples.

Lu Hongnian, 20th century, Chinese, Jesus Calming The Storm
via J.R.'s Art Place

While the incident of the storm at sea provides a glimpse of what sort of man Jesus is, Matthew's focus in recounting it is on what sort of disciples Jesus wants. Jesus invites his disciples to be with him wherever he goes, sharing his life and enduring the hardships he endures (verses 19-20). His disciples must put following him above all else (verses 21-22). They must remain firm in their faith, no matter what storms rage about them (verses 23-26). An ordinary teacher deserves respect; a Lord who has the authority to command winds and seas deserves absolute, unwavering commitment.

Quote is from  Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life by George Martin. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

Billu

This was really charming. A barber's claim to be friends with a mega-star is put to the test when a movie is shot in his small village featuring, of course, that star. We are left wondering if the barber is telling the truth and what will happen if he can manage to meet the star face-to-face.

Billu provides an interesting insight into the challenges of Indian movie making on location as well as how to handle sudden notoriety. One of the things that makes this movie so much fun for Bollywood fans is that the mega-star is played by the biggest Indian star of our time, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK). We felt a real thrill when he first appears and pulls off his helmet to show himself. The role allows us to see him behind the scenes as well as the fact that every celebrity is, underneath all the glamor, a human being. I've seen Irrfan Khan in a lot of movies where his understated style means the movie is going to be relatively low-key. His parts of this movie were a definite contrast to the "big in Bollywood" SRK part.

 I am hard put to think of another movie that successfully blends big movie glitz with thoughtful small village reality, or in other words Shah Rukh Khan's style with Irrfan Khan's. But this one pulls it off.

With three item numbers (not moving the plot forward, just for fun, and frequently with stars who we never see again in the film) as well as various other songs, this was long. But we didn't mind and already know we'll watch it again sometime when we want a feel-good movie.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!) 

For You, Darling!

For you, darling! Remo Savisaar

Right hand and left hand

The Texas Quote of the Day:
"Hell, Judge ... I've got that much in my right-hand pocket."

"Then look in your left-hand pocket and see if you can find two years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth."

----- Exchange between Galveston bootlegger John Nounes and Judge Joseph Hutcheson after the judge fined Nounes $5,000 in May, 1926

Via Traces of Texas

$2.99 Kindle Sale on Thus Sayeth the Lord!

April 27 - May 11, 2020

OSV has a temporary deep discount on the Thus Sayeth the Lord e-book for $2.99 on Amazon!

Get it now! 

And tell your friends!

Lilacs in a Window

Mary Cassatt, Lilacs in a Window

Thank you, Ellen!

I received a lovely gift from Ellen, but there was no way to acknowledge it! There's nothing like a surprise present to brighten your day! I can't thank you enough. :-)

10 novels every Catholic should read (or at least try once)

Source

This article, by yours truly, is the feature article in the April 26 issue of Our Sunday Visitor. Luckily it is available online now! Here's the beginning:

Humans are wired to seek the truth. God created us that way. It helps us in finding God who is Truth itself. While science and math give us measurable facts, the place where we reach real, intangible truth is usually in our stories.

Good fiction helps us recognize who we are, who we want to be and how to live a life of courage, honesty, endurance and compassion. There’s a reason that Jesus told so many parables, after all. If you’ve got the choice between a detailed lecture and an exciting story, which one would you pick?

In today’s world we may come across few parables, but we do have an abundance of novels and short stories. Here are 10 good stories for you to try. Some of the authors are Christian, some are not, but all have truth at the heart of their tales — in a very entertaining package.

Read the rest at Our Sunday Visitor where each book has an overview, food for thought, and a look from a Christian point of view for your consideration.

The Old Bridge

The Old Bridge, France, 1910, Guy Rose

A Movie You Might Have Missed #7 — A New Leaf

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

7. A New Leaf

One of Tom's favorite movies and one that I am glad he insisted I watch. Matthau is a wealthy playboy and confirmed bachelor who has run through all his money. To keep afloat, he decides to marry a wealthy woman and murder her later. Elaine May, who also wrote and directed, plays Matthau's clumsy and adoring bride. He discovers she is being cheated blind by her household staff and, while setting things straight, begins to find a different facet of himself. Not that he gives up on the murder scheme though. Hilarious and perhaps Matthau's best performance.

The terrible pain of loss teaches humility to our prideful kind

We must know the pain of loss; because if we never knew it, we would have no compassion for others, and we would become monsters of self-regard, creatures of unalloyed self-interest. The terrible pain of loss teaches humility to our prideful kind, has the power to soften uncaring hearts, to make a better person of a good one.

Dean Koontz, The Darkest Evening of the Year

I never would have thought of it that way but it is perfectly expressed.

I'll be on Meet the Author on Radio Maria - today at 2:00 CST!

Each week Ken Huck talks with Catholic authors on Meet the Author on Radio Maria about their books, both recent publications and older works that have stood the test of time.

And today it is me! We're gonna talk about the prophets in a way that goes down easy!

Listen live at 3 pm ET.

Also, use your Echo or other device to listen. Simply say "Alexa, play Radio Maria USA" and you will be connected in seconds.

The face of a good poker player

"I haven't told you everything about this woman."

"Yes, I am aware."

"Surprised, I said, "You are? How?"

"What do they call the face of a good poker player?"

"A poker face," I said.

"Yes, I believe that is correct. You do not have one. ..."

Dean Koontz, The City

One of the great pleasures of this book is the relationship between the young narrator and his neighbor, Mr. Yoshioka.

Gospel of Matthew: Let the dead bury their own dead

Matthew 8:21-22

Below is a discussion of one of the most puzzling and seemingly hard-hearted comments Jesus ever made. Until you understand the context, of course, in which case Jesus is calling the man's bluff.

Josef von Führich, 1837

But there was another man who wished to follow Jesus. He said he would follow Jesus, if he was first allowed to go and bury his father. Jesus' answer was: "Follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead." At first sight that seems a hard saying. To the Jew it was a sacred duty to ensure decent burial for a dead parent. ...

The true explanation undoubtedly lies in the way in which the Jews used this phrase—"I must bury my father"—and in the way in which it is still used in the east.

Wendt quotes an incident related by a Syrian missionary, M. Waldmeier. This missionary was friendly with an intelligent and rich young Turk. He advised him to make a tour of Europe at the close of his education, so that his education would be completed and his mind broadened. The Turk answered, "I must first of all bury my father." The missionary expressed his sympathy and sorrow that the young man's father had died. But the young Turk explained that his father was still very much alive, and that what he meant was that he must fulfill all his duties to his parents and to his relatives, before he could leave them to go on the suggested tour, that, in fact, he could not leave home until after his father's death, which might not happen for many years.

That is undoubtedly what the man in this gospel incident meant. He meant, "I will follow you some day, when my father is dead, and when I am free to go." He was in fact putting off his following of Jesus for many years to come.

Quote is from Daily Study Bible Series: Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1 by William Barclay. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

A Friend in Need

A Friend in Need, 1903, by C. M. Coolidge from his Dogs Playing Poker series

Rereading: The City by Dean Koontz

I recommended this book to my mother and then I realized it had been six years since I'd read it and I didn't remember it very well at all. It's been a real pleasure to reread so I'm rerunning the review.

That’s life. Always something, more good than bad, but always interesting if you’re paying attention.

The voice in this book reminds me of another classic Dean Koontz character, Odd Thomas, in its sweetness and innocence. However, this is narrated by a 10 year old instead of a grown man.

The 10-year-old is a skinny, black, musical prodigy named Jonah Kirk. The time is the mid-1960's when chaos reigns in America. The place is a mysterious City which is never named. Unless you want to call it Pearl, after the mysterious woman who appears and disappears mysteriously in Jonah's life and who tells him that she is the soul of the City.

This story looks at how we respond when it seems that the world is an unstable, chaotic place where unexpected evil can drop on you at any moment. Sound like any other time period you know? Such as the one we're living in right now? Koontz's story has a subtle supernatural gloss and doesn't focus on horror nearly as much as other books. Instead it focuses on coming of age, the power of community, the power of kindness, and overcoming adversity. As always, there is a strong theme of good versus evil but it is mostly kept in the real world.

A lot of the charm of this book comes from Koontz's ability to remind us what it is like to interpret the world as a supernatural, magical place because of youth's sheer inexperience. The relationship between Jonah and his upstairs neighbor, Mr. Yoshioka was especially interesting to watch flowering. And if you like jazz, big band, and swing, there are enough references to send you to start up your own soundtrack while you read.

It's not what I think of as typical Dean Koontz fiction, but I greatly enjoyed it.

The First Newspaper

Title page of Carolus' Relation from 1609, the earliest newspaper

The News Isn't All the News

[My mother] turned on the TV but muted the sound. People were looting an electronics store, taking TVs and stereos.

"There's something you need to understand, Jonah. For every person who's stealing and setting fires and turning over police cars, there are three or four others in the same neighborhood who want no part of it, who're more afraid of lawbreakers than they are of the law."

"Doesn't look that way."

"Because the TV only shows you the ones who're doing it. The news isn't all the news, Jonah. Not by a long shot. It's just what reporters want to tell you about. Riots come and go, wars come and go, but under the tumult, day after day, century after century, millions of people are doing nice things for one another, making sacrifices, mostly small things, but it's all those little kindnesses that hold civilization together, all those people who live quiet lives and never make the news."

On the silent TV, as the face of the anchorman replaced the riots, I said, "I don't know about that."

"Well I do."

The anchorman was replaced by a wind-whipped rain-lashed town over which towered a giant funnel cloud that tore a house apart in an instant and sucked the ruins off the face of the Earth.

"When weather's big news," my mother said, "it's a hurricane, a tornado, a tidal wave. Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, Mother Nature isn't destroying things, she's nurturing us, but that's not what gets ratings or sells papers."

Dean Koontz, The City

This book is set in the chaotic 1960s and does a good job of showing the uncertainty it brings to Americans' lives, especially if the narrator is a 9 year old black boy. The times we live in are no less chaotic and, if anything, more filled with the bad news people want to tell us about.

Right now it's the pandemic, which is akin to the weather mentioned in the quote above. A lot of the fear being experienced right now is being whipped up by the way it is being reported. I really miss the news professionals like Walter Cronkite. Dean Koontz's words remind us of the reality beneath the chatter of ceaseless news.

One Form of Heroism

After you have suffered great losses and known much pain, it is not cowardice to wish to live henceforth with a minimum of suffering. And one form of heroism, about which few if any films will be made, is having the courage to live without bitterness when bitterness is justified, having the strength to persevere even when perseverance seems unlikely to be rewarded, having the resolution to find profound meaning in life when it seems the most meaningless.

Dean Koontz, The City

Three Strawberries

Three Strawberries, Duane Keiser

Colossians 3:3 by George Herbert

Colossians 3:3
by George Herbert

My words and thoughts do both express this notion,
That Life hath with the sun a double motion.
The first Is straight, and our diurnal friend,
The other Hid, and doth obliquely bend.
One life is wrapped In flesh, & and tends to earth:
The other winds towards Him, whose happy birth
Taught me to live here so, That still one eye
Should aim and shoot at that which Is on high:
Quitting with daily labour all My pleasure,
To gain at harvest an eternal Treasure.

Via Thomas Banks

Great Dane with Sausages: "Caesar, those who are about to die salute you!"

Great Dane with Sausages: "Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant, " Wilhelm Trübner
via J.R.'s Art Place

A Movie You Might Have Missed #6: What's Eating Gilbert Grape

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

6. What's Eating Gilbert Grape

The movie that convinced me Leonardo DiCaprio could act.

Johnny Depp is a teenage boy who loves his 400 pound mother, his mentally retarded brother (DiCaprio), and his restless sister but the weight of their combined needs results in crushing responsibility. Stuck in the backwater of tiny Endora, he sees no way out of his situation. The answer to his problems is not what one would anticipate and is as understated as Depp's performance in many ways. Along the way, we are shown each person in greater depth and as we do the quirkiness becomes less important than the different aspects of humanity. Life affirming and it will stick with you.

The Sad Kitchen by John Paul King

Years after the murder of her son, Helen Sampson has opened an underground, nighttime soup kitchen where people seek refuge when they are kept awake by a guilty conscience. But when one of her customers, Vern, writes a children's book that goes viral, The Sad Kitchen begins to attract public suspicion which calls into question Helen's motives.

This is a simple, yet engaging story. I really enjoyed it and, yet, struggle with how to give more of a description than is on the cover itself.

On one level, it is a meditation on forgiveness and mercy. There are crimes which are considered unforgivable by society, yet the Christian must still practice forgiveness and mercy on the truly penitent.

On another level, it is a meditation on the relationship of art to the artist. Can we judge the art separately from the person who created it? I myself say "yes" and yet there is one person whose movies I refuse to view based on his personal life. I suspect we all have that blind spot somewhere.

On yet a third level, it is a meditation on the power of the good person to change lives - simply by living as a good person.

So The Sad Kitchen is simple but there is plenty to think about.

Cherry Tree in Full Bloom at Mountain Temple

Cherry Tree in Full Bloom at Mountain Temple, Calligraphy in the view

Click through to see many more beautiful photos of cherry trees in blossom.

New Reviews for Thus Sayeth the Lord!

This Book is for Everyone

"I'm not a church-going spiritual kind of person but I am a spiritual person. I wasn't sure what I would find in Thus Sayeth the Lord. If it was all churchy I was outta there. But I was so happily engaged with a description and take on the prophets that I could relate to...that made me stop and think. Reread...think more. How often does that happen in a book? It was such a birds-eye view on big situations and brought into the perspective of today. Pretty interesting how now looking at current events is pretty relatable to what was going on for the prophets to deal with in their day. So buy it and enjoy...you will LOL, I promise!" — Lisa Montgomery

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Well worth the small cost for the fresh take.

"This book provides a refreshing down to earth look at some of the most interesting individuals in the Bible. It humanizes them and allows us a glimpse into their mentality and faith. " — John Austin

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A Good Introduction

"The Old Testament prophets are often hard to get a grip on, as each is embedded in a particular situation in time that usually isn’t familiar to the reader. They can seem detached, unrelated to anything in our current experience. Davis does an excellent job of making the prophets human for us, putting them in context, and making them relevant. As such, it’s an excellent starting for deeper study, and engaging and entertaining in its own right." — William Duquette

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Hear the word of the Lord with different ears

"Julie has a special way of listening to anything she reads or watches. She can't seem to ignore what God may be saying in even the most mundane, everyday things and events around us. That is how she listens to God speaking through his designated prophets, the ones in the Bible that we sometimes skirt in our own reading out of confusion, or sometimes fear of what we might hear. The prophets Julie has heard in writing this book may do and say scary things, and she can still help us hear the mercy and comfort our God wants to give us for our own lives." — Patsy Edinburgh

Many thanks to those who took the time to review my book! Here's where you can get your copy!

Media Bias/Fact Check

If you can't tell how a media is slanting it's reports ... and they all do, even if only from the way they phrase a headline, then this is the spot for you:

Media Bias/Fact Check

Our tests of different media we knew about seemed spot on and it is really interesting to read the criteria upon which they base their judgments of each one. Each isn't the same and they seem to be taking a lot of factors into account such as accuracy of fact checking, emotionally loaded word choices,  credible sources, and factual accuracy.

A cool summer morning in the Texas Panhandle

Taken by Traces of Texas

Daffodils

Daffodils, Edward B. Gordon

Good Friday was the perfect day to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

This is my fourth time through the series - there couldn't possibly be a better day to read the end of this book (of the series) than on Good Friday. Everything about Harry as a Christ figure resonates so strongly against the backdrop of Christ's passion which is so present during the Triduum. Really perfect.

What a series. Rowling wrote a master work. No character is left without motivation, no one is all good or all evil (except Voldemort, and even he is pitiable as seen in the way station).

See Me on a Live Webcast on OSV Today - 1 Central Time

This webcast will be a half-hour interview about - of course - my new book Thus Sayeth the Lord: A Fresh Take on the Prophets.

Here's where you can see it and it will be on-demand about an hour after we finish - so you can really see it any time at your convenience.

It looks as if you have to register to watch.

“God Does His Greatest Work Through Frail People” — My Interview with Tony Rossi

Though these stories are thousands of years old, Julie reiterates that they can apply to our lives today. She says, “These prophets were people just like us. We all are dealing with the Lord. What does He want us to do? Where are we God’s mouth, so to speak? These people were put in extraordinary circumstances and they had to really step it up. They were called to do big things, but in our own everyday lives, we’re called to do extraordinary things. They’re just not against the king. They’re with our next door neighbor, with our in-laws, with our children or our coworkers.”

My interview with Tony Rossi of The Christophers is available for your listening pleasure! :-)

The Kindle version is available at Amazon. The print version is now scheduled for June 1 (thank you coronavirus!).

The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart

It’s enough to stop Eliza Fairbanks’s heart. At least that’s what the elderly widow claims is being done to her. First, someone unleashes a cloud of bats in her locked bedroom. When that doesn’t do the trick, next comes a pack of rats to claw at her toes. Special duty nurse Hilda Adams, aka “Miss Pinkerton” to the Homicide Bureau, believes Eliza’s every rattled fear is true. She may be frail—but she’s not batty.

What Eliza is, is very, very rich. Out of the shady and oddball assortment of relatives swarming the mansion, someone clearly has an eye on the Fairbanks fortune. Now it’s Hilda’s job to keep an eye on Eliza before a potential killer resorts to more definitive means. And considering all the bad blood running through the heart of the Fairbanks family, it might already be too late to save her charge.

I enjoyed the heck out of this mystery from 1942. It is classic in just the way you want when the point of reading is to enter another world.

This is the classic mystery situation of the wealthy family full of disgruntled offspring. You can't tell who is simply calloused and who's up to no good. It's got bats, rats, ghosts, and spooky noises, none of which put Hilda off her sleuthing. The solution was perfect and I couldn't believe I hadn't figured it out. All the clues were there.

A lot of fun for those who like older style mysteries.

Monet in His Studio Boat

Monet in His Studio Boat, Eduoard Manet

Manet painted Claude Monet in his Studio Boat in the summer of 1874 at Gennevilliers.

Partly no doubt because he was more interested in the old masters than the other Impressionists and took a more traditional view of the painter’s role in society, Manet was slow to take up the idea of painting on the spot, in the open air.

But that summer it all changed quite dramatically when he spent some time painting with Monet and Renoir at Argenteuil, a small town just down-river from Paris. There it was Monet’s convictions which especially affected him, and although he never became particularly interested in landscape as such, took to painting people out of doors.

Here he has captured Monet and his wife Camille in the boat which the painter used as a floating studio, rowing it up and down the Seine and stopping whenever he spotted a promising subject. Monet was often desperately poor, but could always rely on a loan from Manet – who was equally unpopular but less dependent on art for his income.

Wikiart article

St. Corona - pray for us anyway

Saint Corona

In the middle of March, Catholic news outlets began to report an extraordinary coincidence: not only is there a saint named Corona, but she happens to be the patroness of epidemics. Suddenly, her cult exploded. The internet was flooded with new prayers and litanies beseeching this obscure Saint Corona to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

By the end of the month, however, the “fact”-checkers at Snopes (those renowned experts on the Roman martyrology) announced that Saint Corona was not, in fact, a patroness of epidemics. ...

In truth, they’re right. There’s no history of Corona being invoked against plague and pandemic. Traditionally, she’s regarded as the patroness of gamblers and treasure-hunters. In fact, she probably went by the name Stephanie in her mortal existence.

But, then, who cares? Do these wet blankets really think Corona is going to refuse our prayers just because she’s not an officially designated plague saint?

This is a wonderful article which points out that historically it is not the Vatican who chooses what saints are the patrons of, it is the people. And, in the case of St. Corona, the people have spoken! Plus, we can ask any saint we like for intercessory prayer, whether or not it is under their patronage.

I really love this bit of the article, which you should go read in its entirety.

We might imagine the popular patrons all rushing here and there, furiously answering petitions. St. Christopher is dashing between fathers who are setting off on long car trips; St. Anthony is tending to busy mothers who have lost their car keys. And there, amid all this bustle, sweet Corona sits on her little throne. Now and then she hears the plea of an Italian grandmother asking for help with her son’s gambling debt but, otherwise, her days are rather uneventful.

Then, suddenly, a loud roar goes up from the earth. The heavens quake; St. Peter’s book nearly falls from its pedestal. Saint Corona almost takes no notice, expecting St. Michael to fly into battle with his flaming sword or St. Brendan to leap into the sea with his great life-ring. Then she notices St. Anthony and St. Christopher, St. Michael and St. Brendan, have halted in their tracks. All at once, they turn and look at her.

Saint Corona blinks. Then, at last, she hears a hundred thousand voices calling her name. Baffled, she looks up at Our Lord. He smiles. “They’re asking for you, Corona.” So she rises from her throne, puts on her crown of glory, and gets to work.

This vision of Saint Corona suddenly going to her new job brought to mind Jo Walton's wonderful story Joyful and Triumphant: Saint Zenobius and the Aliens.

It is short, maybe three pages so go read it at the link. Walton says she wrote it when meditating upon what life in Heaven would be like. It is a delightful companion piece to the imaginings above.

Note: I hadn't heard of St. Corona. Many thanks to Maria for bringing this article to my attention!

Iris

Frank Vincent DuMond, Iris, c. 1902

My favorite flower. Did you know that different colors of irises have different scents?

Lazarus and the Coronavirus

Beautiful. Ten minutes long, but worth every second.

Considering how heartbreaking it is not to be able to accompany our loved ones who are dying of the Coronavirus, it is striking to note that when told that Lazarus had died, Jesus replied, "I am glad that I was not there." What did He mean? How are we to understand His reply?

A careful look at the numbers for coronavirus in the U.S.

This pandemic, now that it has reached America, has taken 3,173 lives here. This, from a tested population of 164,359 cases. That’s a mortality rate of 1.9%. But immediately, questions must be asked. We record every case of death from the coronavirus, but we have no idea how many people have had the coronavirus. Clearly, there are more than 164,359 cases because not everyone has been tested. That would put the mortality rate at less than 1.9%. That rate could be far, far less. As Eran Bendavid and Jay Bhattacharya, professors of medicine at Stanford, have written, based on their model of over 6 million cases they believe exist: “That’s a mortality rate of 0.01%, assuming a two-week lag between infection and death. This is one-tenth of the flu mortality rate of 0.1%.”

William J. Bennett writing at RealClearPolitics has a good piece that helps us keep perspective. Or it helps me do so anyway. Read it all.

Coronavirus in Counties
This map from USA Facts lets you see the number of virus cases and deaths by county. As my husband reminded me, half the cases in the country are concentrated in a few places.

Just my deep breath moments over keeping the sense of perspective that most of the media lost long ago.

Holmes the busybody!

"I know you, you scoundrel! I have heard of you before. You are Holmes the meddler."

My friend smiled.

"Holmes the busybody!"

His smile broadened.

"Holmes the Scotland Yard jack-in-office."

Holmes chuckled heartily. "Your conversation is most entertaining," said he.

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Irises in Evening Shadows

Irises in Evening Shadows, Max Pechstein

Scott Danielson interviewed me about my new book!

Listen here at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast!

AND he just reviewed it, saying:

In "Thus Sayeth the Lord", Julie Davis has given us a book that makes the prophets accessible and personal. She helps us see the prophets as relevant and as living, breathing people in their time, each unique yet each called by God. I come away from this book feeling much closer to them than I did before, and with a new enthusiasm for the Old Testament as a whole.

Thank you, Scott!

The word is more real and more lasting than the entire material world

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will not pass away." (Mk 13:31) The word—which seems almost nothing in comparison to the mighty power of the immeasurable material cosmos, like a fleeting breath against the silent grandeur of the universe—the word is more real and more lasting than the entire material world. The word is the true, dependable reality, the solid ground on which we can stand, which holds firm even when the sun goes dark and the firmament disintegrates. ... [The] word of Jesus is the true firmament beneath which we can stand and remain.

Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth—Holy Week

The Lonely Pope

Edward B. Gordon, The Lonely Pope

The artist says:

This time at the moment gives us pictures that we will not forget for a very long time. Pope Francis praying in the rain on the deserted St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

Polish Godzilla Poster

Via J.R.'s Art Place

The Single Most Important Lesson of Mr. Rogers' Life

“If you had one final broadcast,” I asked, “one final opportunity to address your television neighbors, and you could tell them the single most important lesson of your life, what would you say?”

​He paused a moment and then said, ever so slowly: Well, I would want [those] who were listening somehow to know that they had unique value, that there isn’t anybody in the whole world exactly like them and that there never has been and there never will be. And that they are loved by the Person who created them, in a unique way. If they could know that and really know it and have that behind their eyes, they could look with those eyes on their neighbor and realize, “My neighbor has unique value too; there’s never been anybody in the whole world like my neighbor, and there never will be.” If they could value that person—if they could love that person—in ways that we know that the Eternal loves us, then I would be very grateful.

Amy Hollingsworth, The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers