Ten Websites I Am Especially Thankful for

 

•  A.Word.A.Day
•  Blue Letter Bible
•  Discover the Word
•  International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) / Petrucci Music Library
•  Merriam-Webster  
•  Our Daily Bread
•  Pixabay
•  Project Gutenberg
•  Ravelry
•  Ten Things of Thankful

Sky Watch Friday: October 29, 2021

 

a view from the riverbank earlier this week

Skywatch Friday

Six-Sentence Story: Keepsake

When I opened the Bible one morning, I found a tear in the leather bookmark I had been using for more than ten years. I picked it up gently, and looked at it closely, wondering what had caused the damage, and when I was about to put it back, it suddenly crumbled to pieces in my hand. 

The bookmark was a gift from Prof. Kubo, whom I had met at the local church I attended in my university days, and I remembered having a good time with his family when I was invited to his home for dinner with some other students. 

Some time later, I heard on the grapevine that Prof. Kubo had passed away a few months before. They didn't tell me the date of his death, and I didn't remember the exact date when the bookmark crumbled, which made me wonder if it might have been the same day, by any chance, though I didn't want to be superstitious. 

Years have passed since then, and whenever I think of Prof. Kubo, I am reminded of the keepsake which I no longer have.

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: keepsake

Ten Things of Thankful: October 23, 2021

 

• The chrysanthemums in our backyard are in buds. 
• I had a pleasant chat with Toshiko last Sunday.
• I played the organ at church last Sunday. 
• The three-month-old girl born to Mr. and Mrs. O* attended the worship service for the first time in her life.  She is BEAUTIFUL! 
• I am thankful for our pastor, whose sermon is usually based on his own experiences. 
• The season of my pollen allergy is finally coming to an end.
• I have a cup of hot green tea at breakfast every morning.   
• I am thankful for warm clothes. 
• I am thankful for the cookbook for soups and one-pot dishes that I got two winters ago. 
  
  
   
• The Greek words I've studied this week include πιστός (faithful) and δίκαιος (just, righteous).

#Sky Watch Friday: October 22, 2021

 

Last week was like summer, but this week is like winter. The weather is changeable and we had a terrible thunderstorm last Tuesday and Wednesday. When the rain let up in the afternoon yesterday, I walked to the riverbank and took the photo above. 

Skywatch Friday

Six-Sentence Story: Treatment

I felt as if my father were giving me the silent treatment for no reason, until I realized he could hardly hear me.

He is in his eighties now, and he has been getting harder of hearing year by year. 

He has tried using a hearing aid before, but he no longer wears it because it is uncomfortable, and not so effective as he expected. Even if my voice is loud enough, he finds it difficult to distinguish each sound clearly, so he often fails to understand what I say. 

We don't know the standard sign language, so I communicate with my father either in writing or with gestures. In addition, I am inventing my own sign language for simple things and actions as needed, so we often look as if we were playing charades in our house. 😄

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: treatment

Finding Our Identity in Christ

I listened to Discover the Word podcast, "Finding Our Identity in Christ" last week, in which we mainly studied Galatians 2:20. 

Both at the beginning and at the end of the program they quoted an impressive passage from C. S. Lewis:

The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become, because He made us, invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality that I first begin to have real personality of my own.

In the program, they pointed out that the text often translated as  'I live by faith in the Son of God' can also be interpreted as 'I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God.' 

• the faith in the Son of God
• the faithfulness of the Son of God 

The Son of God is faithful in the first place, so we have faith in Him.

I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.

 Galatians 2:20 (NIV) 

Jesus identified Himself with us on the cross, 

and we identify ourselves with Jesus when we believe in Him.

Ten Things of Thankful: October 16, 2021

 

• delicious kaki (persimmons) 
• the book One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each, written by Peter McMillan
• sunny, warm and comfortable days  
• my bicycle  
• a cup of hot chocolate I usually have after coming back from grocery shopping  
• mothballs for the wardrobes 
• studying a few Greek words almost every day   
• Bach Cantatas Website, which is full of information about chorales including the English translation of lyrics.
• time I spend playing the electronic organ
• the choral prelude based on Von Gott will ich nicht lassen (I shall not abandon God), arranged by J. G. Walther, which I am practicing this week 

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Sky Watch Friday: October 15, 2021

 

This photo was taken a while ago, when I went to the other side of the river by bicycle. The first half of October has been warmer than usual, but the weather forecast says it is going to be chilly this weekend. It is time to prepare for winter.

Skywatch Friday

Six-Sentence Story: Video

Several years ago, the day after the choral festival, I was surprised to find a video on Facebook, in which our group of seven people was singing Amazing Grace on the stage at the city auditorium. It was embarrassing to watch myself. Our song was OK, but did I really look like that? My hair was unruly and messy. I looked awful. -- No, I will NEVER share the link here.

image source

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: video

Light, Blood, and Cleanse in Ancient Greek

I studied the Greek text of 1 John1:7 with the help of Blue Letter Bible .

Since I am a beginner, I am focusing on learning nouns and verbs. Naturally, words that are associated with English are easier to remember. 

Examples:

φωτὶ < φῶς  (light)  -- photo-

 cf. photograph, photosynthesis, photochemical, photon 

αἷμα  (blood) -- hemo-, hem-

cf. hematology, hemoglobin, hemorrhage, 

 

καθαρίζει  < καθαρίζω  (cleanse) 

cf. catharsis, cathartic  

Also, blogging about these words helps me remember these words. 😊

Ten Things of Thankful: October 9, 2021

 

• The toad lilies in our backyard are in bloom. 

• I've got my favorite kind of apples, jonathan, at the supermarket. 
  
  
   
• Yesterday I took part in the Bible Study meeting, where we read Judges 6. 

• I'm thankful for all the people who are patient with me. 

• I'm thankful for Mr. G* and his family.

• I'm thankful for surviving a busy and stressful week, though I am not going into detail here.  

Greek Words I've learned this week

• φῶς     (light)
• σκοτία  (darkness)
• σκότος  (darkness)
• ἀλήθεια (truth)

Have a great weekend!

#Sky Watch Friday: October 8, 2021

 

This picture was taken near the riverbank at around 16:00 a few days ago. It was a hot day for October. It was refreshing to look up at the sky after a very busy day.

Skywatch Friday

Six-Sentence Story: In Memory of Mr. G*

Clara wiped her tears with the back of her hand, took a deep breath and began to write with a fountain pen. 

"...My husband was loved by God and people all his life. 

He loved his family and his church family all his life. 

Thank you for everything you have done for us..."

Tears came welling up in her eyes again.

Her husband of 60 years, who had been living with a disabling disease for the last three years, went home to be with the Lord yesterday. 

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: fountain

The Links to the Videos on The Gospel of Matthew

I've watched these videos that show the structure of the Gospel according to Matthew, which will be helpful in reading the Gospel as a whole narrative about Jesus. 

• Overview: Matthew  1-13   (Bible Project)
• Overview: Matthew 14-28  (Bible Project)

The Kingdom of Heaven

I listened to The Gospels as Stories at DTW, in which Jeannine Brown talked about the importance of reading a Gospel as a whole narrative about Jesus, instead of reading the stories in it piecemeal, taking Matthew 16-20 as examples. Some of the verses discussed in the program that stand out to me are Matthew 16:24-25, Matthew 18:3-4, Matthew 20:16, and Matthew 20:28. These verses, resonating harmoniously, tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like, and what the King is like.

In the kingdom of heaven, the last will be first and the first will be last. The King is a servant, who has given His life as a ransom for many. 

#Ten Things of Thankful : October 2, 2021

 

(Part 1) Foods I am especially thankful for this week: 

• chestnuts
• sweet potatoes 
• Japanese pears 
• figs
• salmon
• mackerel 
• Pacific saury 
• chicken

(Part 2) The Greek words I have memorized while studying 1John 1:3-4:

• κοινωνία      (fellowship)
• χαρά          (joy)

graphic by Lisa 

Have a great weekend!

#Sky Watch Friday: October 1, 2021

 

This is a photo taken from a window in my house earlier this week. 

Skywatch Friday