Friday, March 25, 2016

Lesson 410: Another Good Friday

It's another Good Friday, Readers.
Welcome to the Lamp Post
for your Good Friday edition.



Good Friday is a day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus.
I found this news piece from NBC today--
lots of photos of Good Friday around the world.
Check it out.


I love art,
particularly religious art.
Here are some of my recent favorite depictions of Jesus.

JESUS SAID THIS OF HMSELF-      "THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YOU BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE HAS SENT"   JOHN 6:29:


this child prodigy has painted the most beautiful portrait of Jesus I have ever seen. It astounds me!:

I saw the artist paint this live at Women of Faith 2012. It is stunning:

I love this artist's rendering of Jesus Christ. So precious. Love seems to radiate from the picture.:

Beautiful Companion 아름다운 동행2015 oil on canvas 53×53 cm:

 I love Pope Francis.




He is so accessible to the people,

Catholics are pro-life because we are pro-unconditional love: no child is a mistake, and every child is truly wanted. That child may show up when least expected, but the fact is that we did hope for them to show up at all. It's just that God had different ideas than we did as to when.:

and uses his gift of language so well.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10  (+):


New Year's resolution of Pope Francis:


Pope Francis holds a dove before his Wednesday general audience at Saint Peter's Square:

I love Pastor Charles Stanley of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
He has a televised program at 8:30 on Sunday mornings that I enjoy.

I love Charles Stanley and In Touch Ministries. Dr. Stanley's 30 Life Principles series is sell-worth listening to.:

You can also find his words and sermons at InTouchMinistries.com

"Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we're waiting for." ~ Charles Stanley #patience:

Charles Stanley is an avid photographer.
You can follow him on Instagram.

From Dr. Stanley's 2013 trip to Africa. Like this? Follow Dr. Stanley's photography account on Instagram: instagram.com/charlesstanleyphoto:

I love my church,
South Harborcreek United Methodist.


We have a facebook page, too.


Look it up and you'll find Pastor Keith McGarvey sharing words like this:


This Good Friday was especially Hoppy this year.


We celebrated Sam's birthday!
Sam turns 9 years old on Easter Sunday!


 And to round out this Good post,
some Good news:

Natalie took the world by storm and issued a Prom-posal.
She sent her friend Ryan a texted invitation.


Ryan responded.


Natalie was happy.
We know this because her Happy Person had lots of arms and legs.
The happier Natalie is,
the more appendages Happy Person gets.



It's Friday but Sunday's Coming:

See you on Sunday with some Easter and birthday wishes from the Lamp Post.

ELOISE


Friday, March 18, 2016

Lesson 409: My Church


Top o- the weekend to 'ya, Readers!


Eloise, 
who happens to be
0% Irish


still found a way to hone in on St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Leave it to Grandma.
She claims that through ancestral research,
someone found a distant relative born in County Cork Ireland.

It's not much,
but it's enough.

That gives us reason to celebrate.


Since my parents are the true Settlers,
and do have Cable TV,
she gave us a green and white family lolly for desert.


If you don't get my mother's weird humor,
check out the newest Settlers commercial below.


Irish blood in me or not,
gotta admit,
love the Irish blessings.

Here's one for you:









The beautiful shots were taken at Harborcreek's Shades Beach Park
at a Team Adrenaline workout on Thursday evening.

The lake was choppy,
but as always,
beautiful.


Congratulations to my city!
Erie's Presque Isle won the title of Best Fresh Water Beaches!
Thank you to those who voted!


Although it never seems like it never will arrive,
signs of spring are popping up everywhere.

Spring blooms.



Morning fog.



Grandpa and his chainsaw.



Spring zoo.




And unfortunately, spring flu.
Flu for Lou
and Ellen Lou, that is.

Glad I got this in the mail.
Someone was a little snarly after a 4 day fever.


The title of tonight's blog is My Church.
The title ties together a few themes.
I usually let my readers put that together for themselves.
Finding common themes,
making connections,
those are all good skills I try to develop each week in school.
It's good brain work,
but I'm helping you out tonight,
because I have more for you to think about.
Keep reading.

My Church refers to a song that is stuck in my head this week,
My Church from new country artist, Maren Morris.


A photo video of sky shots appears at the end of this blog.
Check it out.

I'd be remiss in not putting a plug in for my home church,


South Harborcreek United Methodist.


It's a great place to worship,
found in an out of the way location.
SHUMC is in the heart of Harborcreek's farmland.


Just look for the big lighthouse on McGill Road.

It has a cemetery just east of it.
I hope to be buried there one day after my time here has ended.


The church is at the end of one of my favorite challenging running routes
 that I've named McHill.
I always tell my friends a church and a cemetery are at the end of a long, uphill climb,
and joke with them they can either thank God that they finished,
or we can bury them out back.


As great of a place South Harborcreek is,
East Assembly beat them out on the sign message this week.
Clever!


Another place that is almost holy for Eloise is school.
I love school and treat it with the utmost respect.

Each week I find joy in planning my lessons for my students,
and organizing events and activities that can set the students on a better path for life.

We've been studying governments for the past month.
To culminate our unit, 
I read my classes a Dr. Seuss book.


Was this book one of your childhood favorites?
If so,
I hope you never named your pet turtle, Yertle.
Yertle represents Hitler.


Seuss inserted lots of symbolism and messages into his works.

Has it been awhile since you've turned the pages of a children's picture book?
If so,
let Mrs. Eloise take you through a lesson,
right here at the Lamp Post.

Sala-ma-Sond represented a well functioning Germany at the beginning of Hitler's reign.
Yertle, the Turtle King
represents Hitler.
He is shown here on this stone throne.


Soon, the pond wasn't enough.


Yertle wanted a larger pond.
Yertle the Turtle desired power.



So Yertle called upon is how turtles to make him a higher throne.
Look closely at the turtle on the bottom of the stack,
bearing all of the weight.
His shell is different.
It represents the Jewish people, as Hitler saw them to be.




Yertle was happy,
but at the expense of his people.



When he was questioned by a plain, little turtle,
lowliest of the low,
a lad named Mack
way, way down low,
at the bottom of the stack--
Yertle responded this:




When you are power driven,
nothing is never enough, it seems.

Yertle the Turtle King spied the moon.
What dared to be higher than He?




Yertle's turtles grew weary.
Look at their emaciated necks and wrinkled skin.
The ones with the X's on their eyes are dead.
This represents the concentration camps.


In the end, 
it was the dying, 
weak,
plain and simple Mack,
who was way, way down low,
at the bottom of the stack,
that caused the collapse.

Mack burped.


The system basically regurgitated in Yertle's face.


Yertle's tall tower fell down,
down, 
down, 
down
to the ground.

And Yertle the Turtle that great Marvelous He,
Became King of the Mud.  
That was all he could be.



In keeping with lots of Dr. Seuss's books,
it was the lowliest,


the humblest,




and the smallest that made the difference.



Pope Francis agrees.
"All it takes is one good person to restore hope!" - Pope Francis #PopeUS:

Don't give up hope, Americans.
The American Political System will remain strong.

And a Special Note to Parents---
 stop telling your kids that if
Hillary Clinton
or 
Donald Trump
is elected President
(I've heard lots of both in recent weeks)
that you will be moving to Canada!
They believe it 
and you are upsetting them!

Pope Francis reminds us not to lose hope.
Let's apply that to the American political system.

Never yield to discouragement. Do not lose trust. Do not allow your hope to be distinguished.

Enjoy some nature photos set to Maren Morris's 
My Church.

Spring has almost sprung.
Remain hopeful.

Happy weekend,

ELOISE