Who Knew?

Black-eyed peas aren’t peas, but beans. And coffee beans aren’t beans, but seeds.

Who Knew?

Piggy banks come from family money jars in the Middle Ages usually made from a type of clay called pygg.

Today is the twenty-first day of Lent

Click here for the Lenten reading in the Church Fathers. Scroll down to page 106 after clicking on  Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan: With Texts. Today’s reading is from St. Athanasius. In the world of heroes, this church father is a hero of another kind. During his time the church was virtually Arian, that is, they believed that Jesus of Nazareth was not the eternal Son of God. “There was a time when he was not.” Through Athanasisus’ leadership Trinitarianism as we know it won the day. Athanasius was informed that with respect to this controversy the whole world was against him. His response matches the famous words of Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms. “Then Athanasius is against the world.” As a bishop he was deposed and exiled five times and paid a large cost for his position. It is after him that the Athanasian Creed is named, though it does not owe its origin to him.

Who Knew?

The woman wearing nothing but dessert topping on the cover of Herb Alpert’s classic album Whipped Cream and Other Delights was actually wearing shaving cream, because of the hot lights.

Today is the twentieth day of Lent

Click here for your Lenten reading in the Church Fathers. Click on Church Fathers Lenten Reading Plan: With Texts and then scroll down to page 102. Today the reading continues to be from St. Cyprian.

Who Knew?

The popular dice game known as Yahtzee was created by a Canadian couple who played it aboard their yacht — hence the name.

I am not a victim. I am a messenger.

These were the words of Arthur Ashe when he went public with his HIV/AIDS. As ambassadors of Christ we are called to be carriers of The Message in whatevee situation we find ourselves, and we learn a lot (most?) about Him when we are weak. Instead of being embarrassed and shrinking back from our disappointments, failures and setbacks, let’s tell others about what it’s like to fall into the Everlasting Arms. I am convinced that this is mostly how the Gospel is advanced.

Today is the nineteenth day of Lent – Easter’s coming

Click here for the Lenten reading of the Church Fathers.

US religious identity is rapidly changing

Click here for the Boston Globe article on the key findings of a groundbreaking study of the American religious landscape released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

Here’s part of what it says about where I live.

“The study finds that Massachusetts is more Catholic and more Jewish than the nation at large and that the state has fewer evangelicals and fewer African-American Protestants. In general, the study confirms, the Northeast remains the most Catholic region, the South the most evangelical, and the West the most unaffiliated.”

Yup, it’s a little different around here.

Piper on receiving Christ as ticket

Click here for the video clip. Scroll down three or four posts and you will see it.