Thought for December 28

 History:

  • 1065: Westminster Abbey consecrated [unfinished]
  • 1849: Dry cleaning discovered when lamp containing turpentine and oil spills on clothing
  • 1869: Chewing gum patented
  • 1905: Intercollegiate Athletic Association founded [NCAA in 1910]
  • 1945: Congress officially recognizes the Pledge of Allegiance
  • 1948: Jacob DeShazzar [one of Jimmie Doolittle's Raiders who was captured and tortured by the Japanese] returns to Japan as an evangelist leading to the conversion of the Japanese pilot who signaled the attack on Pearl Harbor saying "Tora, Tora, Tora. "Wounded Tiger" is a great and inspiring book.
  • 1958: "Greatest Game Ever Played" as Colts beat the Giants in first sudden-death game in the NFL [17 future HOF players participate]
  • 1973: Nixon signs the Endangered Species Act
  • 1973: Solzhenitsyn published "Gulag Archipelago"
  • 1975: First time a pass is called a "Hail Mary"--Staubach to Drew Pearson with 12 seconds left in the game
  • 2012: Putin bans adoption of Russian children by Americans
  • Born: Calixa LaVallee [composed "O Canada"], Woodrow Wilson, Stan Lee, Matt Guitar Murphy, Maggie Smith, Denzel Washington, Seth Myers, John Legend
  • Died: Rob Roy, Maurice Ravel, Bela Schick [doctor who invented Schick Test to detect diptheria], Harry Winston, Dennis Wilson [Beach Boys], William Demarest [My Three Sons], Jimmy Demaret, Sam Peckinpah, Clayton Moore [Lone Ranger], Susan Sontag, Debbie Reynolds, Rose Marie, Dick Van Dyke, Fred Graham, 
Thought:
Still reflecting on 2022 today. For some reason, I marked Proverbs 15:15--a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Think about that for a minute. We used to sing, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart." What is it about a cheerful, joyous heart that becomes a feast, a continual feast. We have seen it on the faces of those who had no reason to be cheerful--that deep joy in their hearts shined on their faces through illness, tragedy, death--they lit up the room when I went to cheer them up. They were feasting on a joy that only Christ gives--Jesus spoke of the living water that would never fail. Another old hymn tells us we are "feasting on a manna from a bountiful supply" when we dwell in Beulah Land.  

The following verses help our understanding. First little with the awe and presence of the Lord is better than great treasure and the turmoil that accompanies it. Then a dish of vegetables surrounded by love is better that a roasted ox [substitute Wagyu beef]. What a thought for reflection--this year have I been seeking joy that fills and feeds the soul, the presence of the Lord in all I do, a life surrounded by love for God and love for others--if so, I have feasted on a meal that is eternal. Or have I tried to fill myself with a feast of all the worldly treats and found myself never satisfied or content, always seeking but never finding. 

Lord, help me feast on the Living bread and Living Water that come with Your presence. Then let my cheerful heart explode into a life of praise for You. 

Blessings
Larry

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