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In "full flower" he was cut down
Only thorns left for his head
Our precious Saviour, crucified
Our "rose of Sharon," dead!
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Ransomware
February 5th. Hollywood Presbyterian declared an internal state of emergency.
It is believed the hospital got a malware infection called ransomware through someone opening an infected e-mail or from someone visiting an infected website.
Once it was on one computer, it got into the hospital’s network and went everywhere it could while it remained hidden. It would have found all hard drives, data and files that it could. It would have communicated back to the command and control server and then encrypted everything it could get its hands on. Then a screen would pop up explaining to the hospital staff that all their files were locked until a bitcoin payment is sent.
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Joy, Real Joy
A gospel song declares, "Joy real joy God's wonderful joy Is flooding the depths of my soul A joy that brings peace and contentment God's wonderful wonderful joy."
Not everyone can say they know the truth of these words. Even though joy is fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23), it sometimes seems in short supply.
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Waiting for Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
The lyrics of this song are haunting. Of all the Christmas music that we hear this time of year this one touches me more than any.
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An Ancor
"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast” Hebrews 6:19.
When the storms of life threaten to wrench everything from us that is solid and secure, hope keeps us solidly grounded. Even amidst the greatest gale force winds of adversity, hope prevents the underpinnings of our life from coming undone when we need it most.
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Frost Flowers
Real Hope
"Discovering and integrating real hope in uncertain times affects everything we do and are. It directs and redirects our talents and abilities, time and priorities, material values and investments. Hope infuses our lives with joy and peace, such as we have never previously known. Knowing how all will ultimately turn out brings peace that the process will take us there.
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At its heart, looking for closure is really just asking ‘Why’?
If you had the chance to seek closure about a difficult situation from your past, is there anything that would cause you to pass it up?
I’m not sure where this idea of ‘closure’ even came from. Is it just a cop-out to avoid dealing with hurt, to escape taking responsibility for our own healing? Or could it be that, deep down, we just want to know why.
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Faith, Hope, Love
Hollywood Erasure
Hollywood, an iconic landmark sign. It is on Mount Lee is the Santa Monica Mountains.
HOLLYWOODLAND was spelled out in 45 foot tall capital letters. It was created in 1923 as an advertisement for a local real estate development. The same type of sign had worked well in the past for them at Whitney Heights. It was meant to last a hear and a half, but became an international symbol, so was left up.
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Hope
"I remember, as a young college student, discovering a Bible verse that spoke to me about hope: “Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely.” Job 11:18. Hope, it said to me, was basis for trust and secure rest. Whatever the uncertain future held, it need not be cause for fear and sleeplessness. Hope offered certainty amidst uncertainty.
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Above all, love– Or: How not to get people to join your gym
When your wife gets home and you ask how it went and her reply is, “Terrible, I cried the whole way home.” … the right thing to do is hug her. Thank you, God, that I have a husband who knows this.
Have you ever stepped out to do something that was out of your comfort zone, hoping that you’d be rewarded for your courage only to be shot down? Yeah. That. I’m not talking about outright personal rejection, just something going in a generally sucky way.
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Burnout
Foundations
Last Words
Saving black lives where they’re most at risk…in the womb
The men at our church have a monthly men’s breakfast and my husband is in charge of finding videos to watch and discuss with the group. Often, I get to preview them with him, and sometimes come across a gem like this that I end up using myself to teach with.
It’s called Black Genocide in 21st Century America. And this video was so thought-provoking and moving that I used it to teach a women’s class, showed it at the Family Camp we attend and it was the basis of the class I taught at the teen youth camp this summer.
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A Promise
God made a promise to King David that you can "go to the bank on," so to speak. When his mortal life was done, he would join in the common lot of all who went before him: the grave. But, a special descendant would one day assume David's throne, and there would be no end to His perfect rule and reign.
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Shining our Light
Today a Compact Florescent bulb is rated at 6,000 hours.... if you use it as per their guidelines. LED lights are said to last up to 50,000 hours.
Before 1924 an incandescent light bulb would last 1,500 to 2,000 hours. However in 1924 the Phoebus cartel decided that it would be better to shorten that lifespan to 1,000 hours. The light bulb companies would send in samples to a laboratory in Switzerland for verification. If they lasted too long or too short they would pay a fine.
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Be Strong
How do you repay someone who saved your child’s life?
Allie is a former neighbor and my boys’ favorite babysitter. She is the kind of young lady who would, every once in awhile, refuse payment, saying, “I just want to bless you.” Her ‘magic’ tricks kept the boys completely mesmerized. (I’m pretty sure this involved her hiding things behind her back and pulling them out with flourish, but what do I know?) My boys are teenagers now, older than Allie was when she babysat them.
And we owe her a debt of gratitude we can never repay. You see, my youngest son is here because of Allie.
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