#21st Century King James Version

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Do Not Worry

Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? — Matthew 6:25 | 21st Century King James Version (KJV21) The Holy Bible; 21st Century King James Version Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc. Cross References: Jeremiah 45:5; Matthew 6:27-28; Matthew 6:31; Matthew 6:34; Matthew 10:19; Luke 10:41

[mask131]

There's still a haunt on the hill...

In my previous post, I dug through the ghostly chain of adaptations of Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" starting by its various movie incarnations. But I am not done...

Because in 2018, Mike Flanagan released on Netflix his massively successful television series, "The Haunting of Hill House".

Flanagan's television series was strongly influenced by "The Shining", another major haunting-story of the 20th century, first marking American literature under the pen of Stephen King...

... Then marking American cinema by the movie adaptation of Stanley Kubrick.

Mike Flanagan never hid his passion and love for "The Shining", both the Kubrick and King versions, and it is for this reason he was the man behind the 2019 movie "Doctor Sleep"....

... an adaptation of Stephen King's sequel-novel to The Shining.

And fascinatingly, a lot of details and ideas of Flanagan's "The Haunting of Hill House" (or its sister-series, "The Haunting of Bly Manor") were reused for his Doctor Sleep movie...

But, speaking of Stephen King, did you know he made his own "The Haunting of Hill House"? Well, almost... He and Steven Spielberg worked on a project in the 1990s: a remake of The Haunting/a new movie adaptation of "The Haunting of Hill House". Unfortunately this movie never came to the light of day, as the two men split apart due to creative differences...

However this did not stop Stephen King from reusing the unused/unfinished script/concept for his "Haunting of Hill House" adaptation, throwing in a lot of elements from his own "The Shining", with several nods to the real-life Winchester Mansion, and tadaa! The result was 2002's mini-series "Rose-Red".

Stephen King has very often praised Jackson's novel. In fact, in his eyes it is one of the two greatest ghost stories of American literature... Alongside Henry James' The Turn of the Screw.

Do you recall Henry James? Sure you do! From the previous post... He wrote the "Ghostly Rental" story, that itself got adapted in 1999 into a horror movie called "The Haunting of Hell House" - confusing Jackson's "Hill House" with Matheson's "Hell House".

Do the links stop here? NOT AT ALL! Flanagan's "The Haunting of Hill House" was supposed to be the first season of an anthology series about ghost stories. This project got cancelled, but not before a sister-series to "The Haunting of Hill House" was made... a second season called "The Haunting of Bly Manor", which is a loose adaptation of "The Turn of the Screw".

AND THERE'S MORE! Because you see, before being re-adapted by Mike Flanagan, "The Turn of the Screw"'s most famous adaptation was a 1961 movie called "The Innocents". A movie which also became a classic of black-and-white haunted house horror movies, just like "The Haunting" that was released two years afterward... Film critics, cinema theoricians and movie enjoyers all agree that the two movies have to be compared, with something of a sibling relationship to each other.

"The Turn of the Screw" - and more specifically the 1961's "The Innocents" movie - also had a huge influence on one of the greatest Spanish moviemakers of the 21st century: Guillermo del Toro. In fact, it was to pay homage to both the classic of Gothic that was "The Innocents", and the behemoth of the traditional horror that was Kubrick's The Shining, that he decided to create his own Gothic horror movie... The wonderfully horrifying "Crimson Peak", released in 2015.

And not only does Crimson Peak unites The Turn of the Screw with The Shining (Guillermo also invoked the influence of other massive horror movies, such as The Omen or The Exorcist) - but this movie also is the final union, the ultimate blooming of Jackson and James' works. Because del Toro's original intention for this movie was to pay homage to the "two grand dames" of the haunted house movies... 1961's The Innocents, and 1963's The Haunting. The two ghostly tragedies finally united in one Gothic movie...

Well... To be fair, the uniting of "The Haunting of Hill House" and of "The Turn of the Screw" had already happened long before del Toro's Crimson Peak, but with a much less famous and successful movie: 1971's Let's Scare Jessica to Death... A cult piece (despite its lukewarm reception), it was created with only one goal in mind: recreating a psychological horror story with ambiguous implications, in the style of James' The Turn of the Screw, and Robert Wise's The Haunting.

(Think we're done? FOOL! Just you wait...)

[chaos-vulpix]

Aftershockshipping Playlist

After reading Chapter 40 of @weekend-whip‘s Born to Be a 21st Century Ninja, I... managed to talk myself into making a playlist for Aftershock (Cole x Jesse)... and Ren (weekend-whip) wanted to see it, so... here it is, I guess.

Just a heads up, I don’t normally share playlists, but I just needed to showcase the vibe these two together give me. It’s mostly inspired by the events of the chapter itself & what could’ve been logically playing during Tox’s set at Rockshot, but also just general vibes outside of that setting, though some may feel like they are from a specific perspective (like, you can feel which song is Cole or Jesse), or it is completely unrelated but meshed well into the vibes so I thought “screw it, throw it in”. I’m also thinking that this could be expanded on in future, but let’s keep it “small” for now.

So, in no particular but alphabetical order because I can’t curate effectively, enjoy:

Adore - Cashmere Cat ft. Ariana Grande

All For You - Rynx ft. Kiesza

Animal - Kesha

Atic - Astrid S

Audio - LSD (Labrinth, Sia & Diplo)

Beautiful Now - Zedd ft. Jon Bellion

Blue - Bad Computer

Boom Clap - Charli XCX

Break My Heart - Dua Lipa

Call You Mine - The Chainsmokers ft. Bebe Rexha

Chameleon - Mako & Elephante

Chasing Clouds - Bad Computer & Danyka Nadeau

Chasing Fire - Lauv

Chroma - Pixel Terror ft. EMELINE

Circles - Audien ft. Ruby Prophet

Daisy - Zedd ft. Julia Michaels

Dreamin’ - Seven Lions ft. Fiora

Eyes Off You - M-22 ft. Arlissa & Kiana Ledé

FANCY - TWICE

Fly - Bad Computer

Go Bang - PNAU

Gold - Koven

Goodness Gracious - Ellie Goulding

Hearts On Fire - Illenium & Dabin ft. Lights

I Don’t Do Drugs - Doja Cat ft. Ariana Grande

I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding

Keep You Mine - NOTD & Shy Martin

Levitating - Dua Lipa

Light Me Up - RL Grime ft. Miguel & Julia Michaels

Lost In Your Light - Dua Lipa ft. Miguel

Love Lies - Khalid & Normani

Magic - Kylie Minogue

Make U Mine - James Landino ft. Jenny

Message In A Bottle (Taylor’s Version) (Fat Max G Remix) - Taylor Swift

Off Limits - BAYNK ft. GLADES

Out Loud - Fairlane, ROZES & JT Roach

Play - Jax Jones and Years & Years

Run Away With Me - Carly Rae Jepsen

Running In The Dark - MONKEY MAJIK

Settle - BAYNK ft. Sinéad Harnett

Shattered - MitiS ft. RUNN

Shine - Jeff Williams & Casey Lee Williams

Sight of Your Soul - Dirtyphonics & Sullivan King

Something Better - Audien ft. Lady A

Something Comforting - Porter Robinson

Spectrum - Zedd ft. Matthew Koma

Still Into You - Paramore

SuperLove - Charli XCX

The Other Side (Oliver Heldens Remix) - SZA & Justin Timberlake

There’s No Way (LZRD Remix) - Lauv ft. Julia Michaels

This Is Real - Jax Jones ft. Ella Henderson

Tie Me Down (Blanke Remix) - Gryffin & Elley Duhé

Wake Up Alone (Fairlane Remix) - The Chainsmokers ft. Jhené Aiko

When You Call - Cyrus Reynolds ft. BELLSAINT

Wings - Birdy

With You - Jupiter Project & Jetski Safari ft. Helen Corry

Now, I did say I was making an Aftershock playlist, but I also wanted to make a playlist for Jesse’s futile efforts to get over Cole because Glacier keeps getting in the way (poor thing lol, not your fault Cole is like a puppy with heart eyes when Zane is present). Just the idea of someone hopelessly in love with another, yet the object of their affections is not only oblivious, but is hopelessly in love with someone else as well, so they try to bury those feelings, try to cut it out of the heart, on for it to hurt them in the process because that love is just rooted so deeply... and perhaps, eventually realising that they can’t give up, that they can’t let go so easily (when letting go is just too hard & painful).

Aftershock - Cash Cash ft. Jacquie Lee

All for Nothing - Duumu & MYRNE

All I Wanted - Paramore

Bells in Santa Fe - Halsey

Chasing Fire (Robin Schulz Remix) - Lauv

Clarity (Virtual Riot Remix) - Zedd ft. Foxes

Don’t Leave - Seven Lions ft. Ellie Goulding

It’s Okay If You Forget Me - Astrid S

New York City - The Chainsmokers

Rush Over Me - Seven Lions, Illenium & Said The Sky ft. HALIENE

Save Your Tears (Remix) - The Weeknd & Ariana Grande

So Close - NOTD & Felix Jaehn ft. Georgia Ku & Captain Cuts

The One - Rita Ora & Imanbek

Tonight I’m Getting Over You - Carly Rae Jepsen

Velcro - spill tab ft. Gus Dapperton

Want You - Rynx ft. Miranda Glory

You for Me - Sigala & Rita Ora

[einsteinsugly]

Eric and Donna's Playlist, via Spotify (by einsteinsugly/megannoodlesoup). 79 songs, and counting!

If season 8 is canon...

"Africa" by Toto

"Blackbird" by The Beatles

"So Far Away" by Carole King

"Smoke from a Distant Fire" by Sanford Townsend Band (almost verse specific, but whatever)

"What You Won't Do For Love" by Bobby Caldwell

Verse specific...

"Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners (a song Donna hates)

"Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney

"Everybody Wants To Rule the World" by Tears for Fears

"Land of Confusion" by Genesis

"New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel

"Shout" by Tears for Fears

"We Didn't Start The Fire" by Billy Joel

Some contemporary jams (from the 21st century)...

"100 Years" by Five for Fighting

"Daughters" by John Mayer

"Drive" by Incubus

"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" by Train

"Island In The Sun" by Weezer

"Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat

"The Only Exception" by Paramore

"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran

"Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon

And the rest...

"Advice for the Young at Heart" by Tears for Fears

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel

"California Dreamin'" by The Mamas and The Papas

"Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles

"Change the World" by Eric Clapton

"Christmas Time is Here" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

"Circle of Life" from the Lion King

"Come Sail Away" by Styx

"Come Together" by The Beatles

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

"Do You Believe in Magic?" by The Lovin' Spoonful

"Dream On" by Aerosmith

"Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright

"Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" by Aerosmith (Donna jokes that this is Eric's song)

"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police

"Fernando" by ABBA

"Groovin'" by The Young Rascals

"Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears

"Hello It's Me" by Todd Rundgren

"Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles (shared with Jackie and Hyde)

"Hip To Be Square" by Huey Lewis and the News (Donna refutes this)

"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" by James Taylor

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith

"I'm In Love With a Girl" by Big Star

"In My Life" by The Beatles

"I Want To Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles

"Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel

"Lean on Me" by Bill Withers

"Let's Stay Together" by Al Green

"Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

"Love is the Answer" by Utopia

"Love of My Life" by Queen (also shared with Jackie and Hyde)

"Low Rider" by War

"Make Me Smile" by Chicago

"Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney

"Moondance" by Van Morrison

"Night Moves" by Bob Seger

"No Matter What" by Badfinger

"Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

"Peaceful Easy Feeling" by The Eagles

"The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News

"Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan

"Saturday in the Park" by Chicago

"She's So High" by Tal Bachman

"Silly Love Songs" by Wings

"Something" by The Beatles

"Somewhere in My Memory" John Williams (from Home Alone)

"Smooth" by Santana ft Rob Thomas (shared with Jackie and Hyde)

"Still The One" by Orleans

"Thirteen" by Big Star

"Time" by Hootie and the Blowfish

"Walk This Way" by Aerosmith

"With a Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker (The Wonder Years version)

"Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney

"Yesterday" by The Beatles

"You're My Best Friend" by Queen

"You've Got a Friend" by Carole King

"You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor

[rabbitcruiser]

National Chocolate Cake Day 

Indulge in this delectable cocoa-based dessert, make the original pioneering recipe or put a modern twist on this classic by adding flavors like matcha.

There before you is the ultimate in birthday confections, a rich and luxurious chocolate cake with rich strawberry filling, you know it’s going to be a good day. Maybe you’re just coming into work, and some thoughtful soul has laid out a tray of chocolate cupcakes, each with their own design and one waiting for your mouth to wrap lovingly around it and fade away on a cocoa fueled holiday. However you like your chocolate cake, National Chocolate Cake Day gives you an excuse to indulge as deeply as you’d like!

History of National Chocolate Cake Day

Chocolate cake has been with us just over 150 years, having first come on the scene in 1764, when it was discovered that grinding cocoa beans between heavy stones produced cocoa powder, which could then become chocolate. 60 years would pass before Conrad Van Houten discovered a method by which he could mechanically extract fat from the cacao liquor which produced cacao butter. Long story short, this man is the reason that chocolate is actually affordable, and we all have him to thank for it!

From this point forward the types of cake and techniques involved in making them just kept expanding, so there are dozens of kinds of cake on top of the original ‘traditional’ chocolate cake. From the Black Forest cake with its cherries to the German Chocolate Cake with its rich coconut pecan frosting, new types are being invented all the time, and chocolate still reigns as King.

In the early days, people didn’t consume chocolate as a solid snack we do today in the form of bars or cakes. During the era of the 1830s and 1840s, it was primarily a drink that you mixed with water. Furthermore, it wasn’t even sweet. The original chocolate drinkers would often make up a savory, almost bitter beverage that they would typically consume early in the morning.

The first verifiable recipe for chocolate cake appeared in Eliza Leslie’s 1847 cookbook. The actual formula, however, wasn’t quite what we’d recognize as a chocolate cake today. Leslie’s recipe called for chopped pieces of chocolate inserted into a plain sponge, instead of adding cocoa powder to the mix itself. You can imagine, though, how delicious this thing would have tasted. There would have been tiny chunks of melted chocolate throughout its core, providing a melt-in-the-mouth experience people would still very much enjoy today.

Over the years, authors and cooks such as Maria Parloa added their own twists on the chocolate cake. They began incorporating all of the trappings of the modern version we’d recognize today. First came the frosting, followed by the inclusion of de-fatted cocoa powder into the batter mix. After that came a range of chocolatey fillings, designed to make the dessert even more delightful.

By the 1920s, the humble chocolate cake had become mainstream, and manufacturers began to sell the recipe outright. O. Duff and Sons released the first boxed chocolate cake, ready to eat – no baking required. And in 1947, Betty Crocker released a pre-made chocolate cake mix. Ultimately, making chocolate cake became more straightforward. Almost anyone could do it, even if they lacked experience in the kitchen.

Chocolate cake became a part of the culture increasingly throughout the late twentieth century and early 21st, leading to the development of National Chocolate Cake Day. This particular day was designed as an opportunity for chocolate and cake lovers to pay homage to this chance invention. Remember, it was only with the discovery that sweetening chocolate created a delicious dish that we even have this most beloved of desserts.

National Chocolate Cake Day Timeline

1764 Cocoa beans are ground between stones to make chocolate

Dr. James Baker financially backs the production of grinding cocoa beans to make chocolate, which would eventually become an important ingredient in chocolate cake. This is the beginning of the company still known as Baker’s chocolate.

1847 First recipe for chocolate cake is printed

The Ladies Receipt Book by Eliza Leslie (of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is the first to print a recipe for chocolate cake. While other cakes containing chocolate were referred to or known of previously, this is the first recorded recipe for the public.

1948 Pilsbury launches first boxed chocolate cake mix

Motivated by making life easier for women in the kitchen, the idea for a powdered cake mix comes in the 1930s, but is set aside for a time due to WWII. It is picked up again after the war and Pilsbury is one of many companies trying to market the product.

1957 First published recipe for German Chocolate Cake appears

Created in the United States using the “German’s” brand of chocolate, this cake covered in coconut-caramel frosting is featured in the Dallas Morning Star newspaper.

1967 First Ding Dongs are produced

Making little chocolate cakes accessible to just about anyone, even on the go, Hostess Brands supplies North America with these little cream filled, chocolate covered cakes. About the size of hockey pucks (but a bit taller), in Canada they are known as King Dons.

How to celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day

The way to celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day is deliciously simple and perfect. 

Throughout your day, incorporate as many types of chocolate cake as you can! Take chocolate cake batter and use it to make chocolate pancakes in the morning, topped with caramel syrup and whipped cream. Use the rest of the batter to produce chocolate cupcakes, place a strawberry in the center of each one and take them to work to share with your workmates.

Then when you get home, go ahead and go all out and serve yourself up a big old slice of chocolate cake for dessert, and then eat it first. After all, when it comes to dessert you really shouldn’t wait, who knows what could happen during dinner! National Chocolate Cake Day is all about this delicious treat, so don’t make yourself shirk one opportunity to wrap your lips around another delectable bite of these cocoa-rich concoctions!

Don’t forget, though; National Chocolate Cake Day is an opportunity for you to be adventurous. You don’t have to stick with today’s boxed cakes or even modern recipes. What about digging out Eliza Leslie’s original 1847 cookbook and trying the very first official chocolate cake for yourself? You can relive the experience of the early pioneers of the art, experiencing the cakes that they enjoyed at the dawn of the chocolate cake era.

Another idea is to make a super contemporary chocolate cake that includes state-of-the-art flavor fusions. You could try all sorts of combinations, everything from matcha to pistachio. National Chocolate Cake Day is a chance for you to experiment with exciting chocolate twists. Then, once you’re finished in the kitchen, you can serve your creations to your friends to see what they think. Just be prepared for some honest feedback! Everyone has their own idea of how the perfect chocolate cake should taste.

Source

[ranaged]

Why Are There No Great Authors Anymore?

Ah, yes, I can hear the hissing already!

‘No great authors!?  What about Some Guy, who wrote The Blahbity?  And how dare you denigrate Blahs Before Blah, the masterpiece series conjured up by the wits and exquisite grace of Some Lady, author and voice of the 21st century!’

Indeed, I hear your acid-toned responses and can feel the scorching wind jutting off from eyelids created by a sea of hard eye-rolls, so let me just begin my essay by defining what I mean by the word ‘great’.

Yes, there are many, many talented writers, authors, and journalists who live and breathe and type today; I’m not disputing this in any way.  JK Rowling is an actual billionaire (Nasdaq), James Patterson is worth $800 million (Nasdaq), and Stephen King has made around $500 million (Nasdaq).  Whether we agree or disagree that the previous authors are talented or not, it is hard to dispute that they are very successful ones.

But, again, I sense your lamentations.

‘Oh, so your version of so-called talent and greatness in writing rests upon an author ascending to the heights of meteoric financial stratospheres?!’

Awesome word choices in your rebukes, but no!

Saying the richest authors are the greatest authors is like saying the childish and god awful superhero remake/reimagining/retelling/rewhythefuckareyoupeoplemakingthiscrap movies of the last 15 years are the greatest movies of all time, based on their achieving the highest ever box office totals.  Only an individual whose brain has been deprived of oxygen for longer than five minutes would make that argument.

So, establishing my point that financial success is not necessarily to be equated with ‘greatness’, just what is greatness in a literary capacity?

One final point I must denote here before going on is that the lack of today’s great writers has nothing to do with the general public.  Although people tend to read less today than they used to, it is also true that not many folks read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick when it first came out before he was forgotten until being rediscovered in the 1930s, but does that take away anything from the book that justly may be called the definitive ‘Great American Novel’?  No, unlike a nation producing garbage politicians (which is a direct result of the electorate), the audience is not responsible for an author’s creation.

Therefore, I humbly submit here that there are only two distinct markers for true authorial greatness: (1)inventors of new genres that spawn imitators or originators of new styles of writing and (2) remarkable chroniclers that document their time, space, and community’s zeitgeist in a fictional format.

Now, it may be accurately argued that these two distinctions are usually linked together, but they do not necessarily need to be so.  For example, without getting into a pissing match about the particulars, the great Edgar Allan Poe has been credited with creating the detective story and modernizing horror for the 19th century, as has the brilliant but bizarre H.P. Lovecraft has been credited with modernizing horror for the 20th century.  Although I declare that both of these authors are deserving of the title ‘great’, I think their greatness stems from their abilities to create new tropes and genres that are not relegated to their times; their stories and ideas can easily be transported into modern settings without losing any of their potency.  Does The Tell-Tale Heart really need to be set in the mid-1800s in order to breed the claustrophobic guilt rendered by the story’s protagonist?  Of course not.

No, creating a new genre, like science fiction or surrealism or New Journalism, is exceedingly rare and requires an author to possess a talent beyond once-in-a-generation; perhaps more akin to talent once-every-other-century.  Without Christopher Columbus’ existence, the European rediscovery of the Americas would have still happened, eventually.  However, can the same be said about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (a true original to both horror and science fiction) or the collected works of Shakespeare (a true original, which basically everything ‘new’ written since The Great Bard stems from)?  Possible but certainly not probable.

Okay, and what about the invention of new styles of writing?

There have been no new creations in this capacity to occur (worth mentioning) in the 21st century, and only a small handful to take place in the 20th century.

Although I genuinely like James Joyce’s short stories, I utterly despise his stream of conscious claptrap tomes, like Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake, and have been physically angered by reading William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury.  Theirs was indeed a new style of writing, and while I may beg to differ and argue that these works are literal garbage, I cannot disagree on the impact they have had upon the literary world, for better or worse.

More agreeable to my reading tastes is Ernest Hemingway’s innovative and potent short sentences and period riddled novels, which stands in stark contrast to many (but not all) writers of the 19th and early-20th centuries, with their flowery prose and often beating-around-the-bush descriptions.  For God’s sake, Flaubert could spend 20 pages describing the architecture of a room!

That leaves us with the documentation of the spirit of an age, which is more reliable but even less out of the grasping hands of an author to be able to ‘invent’.  No writer has ever ‘changed’ the world, but brilliant writers have recorded these changes and transmogrified human experience into the collective ether in a way that other folks who may also have lived through the changes but could not perhaps describe in words. 

It is rather unfortunate that worlds need to end, nations need to be revolutionized, or terrible calamities need to occur in order for true changes to take place in a society, in a set time, in order for a great writer to be born.

Miguel de Cervantes wrote what is regarded as the first novel, Don Quixote, in the spirit of the new Enlightenment period looking back and commentating upon the passing of the feudal medieval ages, the death of chivalrous knights of old.  With the birth of new ideas concerning science, art, religion, etc, the world of the early 17th century was conducive to a writing genius of Cervantes’ caliber.  He created the character of Don Quixote, but he did not invent the age and social mores in which he lived.  Much like a fish in water, even the greatest writers are relegated to swimming in the currents into which they are born.

When pondering terrific changes to a society, consider further the historic event known as the Dust Bowl of America.  What comes to your mind when considering this topic?  The Great Depression, so-called Okies from Oklahoma migrating to California, and…..yes, The Grapes of Wrath by the great John Steinbeck!  Steinbeck, himself native to California, spent several years writing about and interviewing the newcomers in their migrant camps and makeshift tents, and wrote several highly acclaimed newspaper articles in the few years preceding the publication of The Grapes of Wrath.  Again, Steinbeck was an author accidentally born into his time and place, with no personal control over what was transforming American society in that moment, but who nonetheless wrote the definitive fictional account of a major historical event as it was occurring.

In this spirit, I finally pose the question: why are there no more great authors?  Can you honestly imagine taking any random author from today, transporting them into 1930s civil war-era Spain, and expect to read a novel as powerful as Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls?

To highlight this, I want to quote the very good writer (but is he great?  Hmm), Tom Wolfe, with regards to what was happening in America in the 1960s (Esquire):

“I wrote The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and then waited for the novels that I was sure would come pouring out of the psychedelic experience ... but they never came forth, either. I learned later that publishers had been waiting, too. They had been practically crying for novels by the new writers who must be out there somewhere, the new writers who would do the big novels of the hippie life or campus life or radical movements or the war in Vietnam or dope or sex or black militancy or encounter groups or the whole whirlpool all at once. They waited, and all they got was the Prince of Alienation ... sailing off to Lonesome Island on his Tarot boat with his back turned and his Timeless cape on, reeking of camphor balls.”

Mr. Wolf’s point was that the novelists of sixty years ago, instead of documenting the spirit of change in their age, retreated into their minds with pseudo-new renderings of works that, although there are many that are good, none are in fact great.

Since then, where are the great novels considering technology’s impact on human society, not counting the realm of science fiction?  Where is the grand work that depicted the impact 9/11 and other terrorist attacks have had upon Western societies?  In 2024, we live in an age when freedom of speech is constantly under attack, but are we to be satisfied with Orwell's brilliant 1984, with no new commentary warranted for the updated 21st century?  And does anyone really think that at some point in the future an author is going to write an incredible fictional account of the ongoing Ukraine war?

No one can argue against great changes having occurred in the 21st century, so where are the great novels?  It is not for lack of talent.  Therefore, one is left with the uneasy feeling that authors today are not unable but perhaps unwilling to write a truly compelling account of the times in which we live in. Hey, but who can also argue against the fact that books about a boy in a wizard hat, an attorney not willing to sell-out her client, or an icky clown being scary sure do sell a hell of a lot of books, though, no?

This was originally published on ranaged.com

[flagbridge]

I made a master list of every Broadway show I’ve ever seen.

I’ve seen 46 unique shows (does not count repeats). ASK ME ANYTHING!

I’ve seen six shows more than once (Avenue Q, Fiddler, King &I, Les Miz, Phantom, and Rent).

Phantom and Rent are currently tied for most seen. Phantom will surpass rent soon.

Rent: Broadway, West End, Kennedy Center (DC)

Phantom: Tour (Boston, 1995), Broadway, Italy

Fiddler/King & I are doubled up because of school productions.

Les Miz I saw both the original Broadway production and the 21st Century version (NA Tour, Kennedy Center)

The earliest shows I saw were Peter Pan (w/ Cathy Rigby) and Fiddler (w/Topol). Since both were in 1990 I don’t know which I saw first. I remember them both, especially Peter Pan. I have a distinct memory of a balcony view of Cathy Rigby flying across the stage.

Showboat I randomly saw during its Toronto pre-Broadway run. Show list below the cut line.

Obviously, I have some clear favorites. But from the below, for favorites that are not much talked about? Brian D’Arcy James in Titanic.

1776

American Utopia

Annie

Annie Get Your Gun

Avenue Q

Book of Mormon

Brigadoon

Bye Bye Birdie

Crazy for You

Damn Yankees

Evita

Fiddler on the Roof

Funny Girl

Grease

Guys and Dolls

Hadestown

Hairspray

Hamilton

Hello Dolly

Here LIes Love

How to Succeed in Business

Jekyll & Hyde

King & I

Kiss Me Kate

Les Miserables

Lion King

Merrily We Roll Along

Moulin Rouge

Oklahoma!

Oliver

Once Upon a Mattress

Pajama Game

Peter Pan

Phantom of the Opera

Rent

Showboat

Sound of Music

Spamalot

Spring Awakening

Starlight Express

Sweeney Todd

The Fantastiks

The Producers

Titanic

Wicked

Candide

[bills-bible-basics]

APOSTLES CONVINCED JESUS WOULD RETURN SOON -- KJV (King James Version) Bible Verse List King James Version Bible verse list compiled by #BillKochman for #BillsBibleBasics concerning the topic "Apostles Convinced Jesus Would Return Soon". Visit my page at https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/ to see all the lists I've compiled to date. Thanks! "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass IN THE LAST DAYS, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:" Acts 2:16-18, KJV NOTE: Peter -- who had just been filled with the Holy Spirit -- is clearly saying two things: Joel's prophecy was being fulfilled at that time during the First Century, and that period was also the Last Days. The phrase "last days" does NOT mean from 30 AD to the 21st Century, as some modern Bible teachers erroneously teach. That is a false doctrine of men. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN [meaning Paul and other First Century Christians] unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN [meaning Paul and other First Century Christians] shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, KJV NOTE: The fact that Paul includes himself by saying "we" is clear proof that he was expecting Christ's soon return, and he was hoping to still be alive to witness it. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath IN THESE LAST DAYS spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;" Hebrews 1:1-2, KJV NOTE: The phrase "lasts days refer to the very end of the Prophet Daniel's 70 weeks -- or 490 years -- prophecy. "For yet a little while, and he that shall come [meaning Jesus] WILL COME, and WILL NOT TARRY." Hebrews 10:37, KJV NOTE: A little while does NOT mean in 2,000 years. "Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together FOR THE LAST DAYS . . . Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for THE COMING OF THE LORD DRAWETH NIGH." James 5:2-3, 7-8, KJV NOTE: The Apostle James is likewise confirming that it was the Last Days, and he was convinced that Jesus would be returning soon. "But the END OF ALL THINGS IS AT HAND: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." 1 Peter 4:7, KJV NOTE: This verse confirms the "last days" of Hebrews 1:1-2 above. "Little children, IT IS THE LAST TIME: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby WE KNOW THAT IT IS THE LAST TIME." 1 John 2:18, KJV NOTE: Not once, but twice, John tells his readers that it is the Last Time, or the very end of the Prophet Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy. Conclusion: Peter, James and John -- who were Jesus' inner circle -- as well as the Apostle Paul, were all convinced that Jesus would return during their lifetimes, exactly as He had promised them in these verses:

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN, AND RECEIVE YOU unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also . . . I will not leave you comfortless: I WILL COME TO YOU." John 14:2-3, 18, KJV How can we continue to resist the plain truth of the Scriptures? For a more in-depth explanation of this topic, please refer to articles such as the seven-part series entitled "Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?", which you can find at the URL below: https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/deceived-1.html Please also refer to the KJV Bible Verse List called "Jesus Returned During the First Century", which you can find at the following URL: https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse659.html If you would like more info regarding the origin of these KJV Bible verse lists, go to https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/. Thank-you! https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/apostles-convinced-jesus-would-return-soon-kjv-king-james-version-bible-verse-list/?feed_id=45137&_unique_id=64336c8aa0c79&APOSTLES%20CONVINCED%20JESUS%20WOULD%20RETURN%20SOON%20--%20KJV%20%28King%20James%20Version%29%20Bible%20Verse%20List

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The prayer of a righteous man is Powerful

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. — James 5:16 | 21st Century King James Version (KJV21) The Holy Bible; 21st Century King James Version Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc. Cross References: Genesis 18:23; Genesis 20:17; 1 Samuel 12:17; 1 Kings 13:6; 2 Chronicles 30:20; Job 42:8; Jeremiah 42:2

[blacksatinsuite]

Luke 12:2-4

21st Century King James Version(KJ21)

[zalopethoney]

Kansas city jazz fest

DOWNLOAD NOW Kansas city jazz fest

KANSAS CITY JAZZ FEST MOVIE

KANSAS CITY JAZZ FEST FULL

Also the money stayed within the community longer because we couldn't go downtown to shop. I say all this because it was one of the few places were black folk could walk around freely and enjoy themselves without being mistreated.

KANSAS CITY JAZZ FEST MOVIE

Across from there was the Castle Movie Theater and a Milgram Grocery store. There was a Drug Store on the same side of the Orchid Room but on the corner of 12th and Paseo. Besides the Orchid Room there was the several Bars, Cafes, Shoeshine and Barber Shops. Lot's black own businesses that seemed to be doing very well. Anyway, the area 12th street between Paseo and Woodland was a pretty happening place. The only one I can still remember was BB King. There was always something going on there and my mother would show me off to some of the people there and they would watch me while my mother did whatever she was doing there. No I wasn't there late at night but enough to remember where it was. When I was 5 or 6 my mother worked in the Orchid Room night club as a waitress and I remember going there with her from time to time. James Originally From Kansas City, Mo from Los Angeles, Ca.First, let me say that I was born and raised in KCMO in the Wayne Minor Housing Projects on 12th street which was only blocks from 12th & Vine. Johnnie (two Gun) Gonzales from Wichita Union station.back in the days of shipping memorys!.With a drink in one hand and dancing shoes on your feet, you can always go to downtown party central in your mind. Nevertheless, you can still hear this song sung and played by bar bands in nightclubs today. However, in the late '50s, back when Wilbert Harrison was riding high with this Midwestern road song, there was still good reason to hit any highway that would take you to Kansas City. Sadly, America in the 21st century has lost a lot of its original regional flavor. However, with its classic Kansas City-style barbecue, which blossomed in the inner city and can be traced back to barbecue pioneer Henry Perry from Memphis, Tennessee, restaurants like Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q, which opened in 1946, made this downtown area a place for good music, crazy women, and tasty food. Instead, the sin and gambling locales of Atlantic City and Las Vegas are probably the first party choices. People don't likely think of Kansas City when it comes to good-time destinations. In fact, Fats Domino also does a wonderful version of the song. With its rolling piano part, it could easily pass for a Fats Domino song. Today, it hosts the annual Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival.Īlthough the song has a basic blues chord progression, it bops along with a rocking dance beat. However, in the '30s and '40s, Kansas City had a thriving jazz scene. "Kansas City" is a rollicking rhythm and blues song. The Scout statue overlooking downtown Kansas City. On May 11th, 1959, Harrison's version of "Kansas City" reached #1 on the R&B chart and stayed there for seven consecutive weeks. The Beatles and Little Richard also recorded the tune. Lovin'." Little Willie Littlefield was the first artist to track it, seven years earlier in 1952. Ironically, when Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller originally wrote the song, they gave it the title "K.C. In fact, Harrison tries his best to keep this party journey a secret. Kansas City sure didn't seem to have a great reputation among right living folks, though. But because songs about prostitutes didn't get on the radio back in 1959, we'll just need to use our imagination regarding what he truly meant. In the first verse, Harrison dreams of being with his Kansas City baby, "and a bottle of Kansas City wine." The second verse speaks of how "they got a crazy way of loving there/And I'm gonna get me some." This could mean wild women. It's a place where a guy longs to visit to have a good time. Instead, you can think of this as a mythical party point. Its lyric spotlights an intersection of 12th Street and Vine, even though natives say these streets never actually meet to form a true intersection.

KANSAS CITY JAZZ FEST FULL

Read full LyricsWilbert Harrison's 1959 version of "Kansas City" is the song's most famous recording.

DOWNLOAD NOW Kansas city jazz fest

[fantasticvewor]

Breezin george benson youtube

BREEZIN GEORGE BENSON YOUTUBE CRACK

Listen to I Hear You Knocking or Memphis, Tennessee to hear a jazzman’s take on the fathers of rock. Here, George returns to his early influences with versions of Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and others. Produced by Quincy Jones, Give Me the Night won three Grammys and dropped another hit with its title track that scored in discos worldwide.īenson sailed on to great heights before things wound down a bit in the 21st century, His tribute to Nat King Cole in 2013 was a natural fit for the crooner in him, but our final pick here is 2019’s Walking to New Orleans. This Masquerade, composed by Bobby Womack and Leon Russell, brings Benson’s vocals upfront, helping to push the LP to triple platinum and a Grammy nomination for album of the year. He rolls out cool melodies and fast, fluent licks with a bright and clear sound. With Breezin’, George Benson hits his instrumental stride. With the aid of producer Creed Taylor and an orchestra in the tradition of Montgomery, George spins on the Fab Four alongside the likes of Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard and Ray Barretto. Check out the take of Donny Hathaway and Gene McDaniels’ evocative When Love Has Grown.Ī few years after Wes Montgomery’s A Day in the Life, Benson followed with his own interpretation of The Beatles songbook. The title track says it all, a physical romp showing off Benson’s soul-jazz stylings in a funky setting with an all-star backup band, including the introduction of Earl Klugh on second guitar. By 1973, Body Talk shone the spotlight onto this still emerging talent in six lingering cuts. George Benson began his recording career in 1964. But if you’re looking for an entry into his repertoire, these are five fine examples of Benson’s exemplary ability to cultivate crossover appeal while still honouring the spirit of jazz. With a career as vast and deep as George Benson’s, narrowing it down to five essential recordings is just scratching the surface. Word of this virtuosity spread, and soon he was offered the chance to record. Benson’s own path to fame involved gruelling nights on the road away from his hometown of Pittsburgh. This chestnut almost ran the brilliant career of guitarist and vocalist George Benson into the ground once the backlash of all. Each took their blues-infused jazz to sophisticated new heights. There’s a direct line from Charlie Christian through Wes Montgomery to George Benson. Pictures from his youth show George Benson holding the instrument like a lad who was born to play. It was then that two love affairs were born: Tom Collier became George’s stepfather and first musical mentor, and young George Benson fell hard for the guitar. Originally recorded by singer-songwriter Leon Russell, This Masquerade comes from George Benson’s 1976 album Breezin’, which was a major critical and commercial success for the guitarist.Benson’s firs ever single, the song would eventually reach as high as No. As soon as the man left the room, George ran to the instrument. One day, a man came calling and told George not to touch the guitar he’d brought to serenade the boy’s mother. Growing up with a single mother, the young George knew he loved music but couldn’t warm up to the old piano in their living room. Looking back to his earliest days, Benson seemed destined for greatness as a child prodigy. George Benson first made it to the top of the pops in the 1970s, scoring multiplatinum with his smooth singing and superb musicianship. By Danny Marks George Benson Austin Hargrave These five albums show his exemplary ability to cultivate crossover appeal while still honouring the spirit of jazz. In the greater scheme of Benson's career, Breezin' is really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album the guitar is still the core of his identity.George Benson was born to play the guitar. The attractive title track also became a minor hit single, although Gabor Szabo's 1971 recording with composer Bobby Womack is even more fetching. Yet it is the sole vocal track (his first in many years), Leon Russell's "This Masquerade" - where George unveiled his new trademark, scatting along with a single-string guitar solo - that reached number ten on the pop singles chart and drove the album all the way to number one on the pop (!) LP chart.

BREEZIN GEORGE BENSON YOUTUBE CRACK

Most of Breezin' is a softer-focused variation of Benson's R&B/jazz-flavored CTI work, his guitar as assured and fluid as ever with Claus Ogerman providing the suave orchestral backdrops and his crack then-working band (including Ronnie Foster on keyboards and sparkplug Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar) pumping up the funk element. All of a sudden, George Benson became a pop superstar with this album, thanks to its least representative track.

[crazycatsiren]

"Blessed be" - do you actually know where it came from?

"Blessed be" has become quite the catch phrase in 21st century spiritual circles, especially among the modern witch communities. It's practically become the witches' version of "I will pray for you", and quite frankly, it's become more and more annoying for many of us to see it and hear it all the time, everywhere.

The phrase originates from a traditional Wiccan ritual, which is included in some Gardnerian initiation ceremonies. During the rite, the High Priest or High Priestess performs on a person what is known as the "Five Fold Kiss", and recites the following words:

Blessed be thy feet, which have brought thee in these ways,

Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar,

Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be,

Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty,

Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names of the gods.

Before Gerald Gardner incorporated the phrase into his Book of Shadows, "blessed be" has already appeared in other religious texts such as the King James Bible ("blessed be the name of the Lord"), which, I would not be surprised, if it were the inspiration for the phrase "blessed be the fruit" in The Handmaid's Tale.

So, as you can see, for the witches who aren't Wiccan, and for the witches who aren't religious at all, this can be an obnoxious thing that gets thrown at all of us constantly. Not to mention, out of context from its original Wiccan ceremony, it's like saying "the body/blood of Christ" outside the context of Communion during a Catholic Mass. It's not even appropriate.

I also maintain my position that "blessing" people as well as praying for people without their consents and/or against their wishes is an invasive thing to do to begin with.

Many witches, religious or not, simply don't want to be "blessed" without asking, by strangers especially, any more than we want to be randomly prayed for. It makes us uncomfortable. We don't want a blessing unless we ask for it, period. It's a boundary that's really not hard to respect.

There are many phrases to express well wishing that can be used as a form of regards. Stop saying "blessed be" to everyone. Please. It's not a greeting, it's not a farewell, it's for the blessing of body parts in a Wiccan ritual.

[araekniarchive]

tell me again, about the burning bush. i have matches.

Dan Miller, The Touch of Love

Alice Walker, The Color Purple

Kabir, ‘Are you looking for me?’

Ted Dekker (paraphrased)

Anne Carson, Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides; ‘Hippolytos’

@hymnsofheresy​ (x)

C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

Rumi, ‘Do you know what you are?’

Alice Walker, The Color Purple

Luke 17:21, Holy Bible (21st Century King James Version)

[strawberry--bride]

Sharon’s study notes #1 ー History exam

Hmー Baroque music, huh...? This really is not my strong suit but since Shuu-san refused to help out, I’ll have to wing it somehow. Otherwise Ms. Gormley (@hanagormley​) will most definitely give me supplementary classes during summer.

[Grabs her notebook.]

For now, I’ll just write down a few important facts on each of the pieces featured on the exam...I doubt I can remember all the information in the textbook, so I just have to hope I make a good selection.

ーー Oh! I should share these notes with Yuriko-chan (@yuriko-tsukino-rp) and Leissa-chan (@the-loony-and-the-fox) as well!

Toccata and Fugue in D minor

- Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach 

- Uncertainty about the exact date of composition, but it was most likely during the first half of the 18th century. 

- First published during the Bach Revial era in 1833

- Featured in Walt Disney’s Fantasia, which boosted its popularity. 

- It is now said to be the best known organ piece of the 18th century

Messiah

- Composed by George Frideric Handel in 1741.

- First performed in 1742 in Dublin.

- The piece got its inspiration from the King James Bible and is said to be a reflection on Jesus as the Messiah called Christ.

- Its structure resembles that of an opera, but it actually belongs to the genre of the English oratorio.

The Four Seasons

- Composed by Vivaldi between 1718 and 1720.

- Published in Amsterdam in 1725.

- It is Vivaldi’s best known work and was considered revolutionary at the time of its publication.

- The first part (Spring) bears resemblances to Vivaldi’s other work: Il Giustino. 

- Vivaldi published the concerti with sonnets, which was unusual for the period. These sonnets were meant to emphasize the spirit of each season.

- The piece is often considered to be an early form of what would later be known as ‘program music’. 

Harpsichord Concerto in D minor

- Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1738.

- The proto version of the manuscript dates back to 1734 and was made by his son Emanuel. 

- It consists of three movements: Allegro, Adagio and Allegro.

- The original melody instrument was initially believed to be the violin, but in the 21st century, scholars began to move away from said theory and now classified it as an organ piece.

The Fairy Queen

- Composed by Henri Purcell and first performed in 1692 in London.

- The libretto is an adaptop of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

- The score was initially lost, but rediscovered in the early 20th century.

- It is said to have been composed for the 15th wedding anniversary of William III and Mary II.

- An updated version of the piece was performed at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 2009, celebrating Purcell’s 350th birth anniversary.

Cat Fugue

- Composed by Domenice Scarlatti and first published in 1739 in London.

- It is called the Cat Fugue because according to a legend, Scarlatti was inspired by his cat Pulcinella walking on the harpsichord keyboard. 

- The nickname was only given to it in the 19th century and never used by the composer himself. 

- Handel borrowed inspiration from the piece when writing his Concerti grossi.

Canon in D

- Composed by Johann Pachelbel between 1680 and 1706 (exact date unknown).

- The oldest surviving manuscript dates from the 19th century. 

- It remained an obscurity for centuries but gained popularity again mid-20th century thanks to the recording of Paillard. 

- It has been an inspiration for many pop songs from the 1970s onwards. 

- It is commonly used at funeral or wedding ceremonies.

Gloria 

- Composed by Vivaldi, possibly composed in 1715.

- Based on the hym Gloria in excelsis Deo from the Ordinary of the Mass, dating back from the 4th century.

- He wrote at least three settings for the piece, the most popular setting is the RV 589. 

- Only two of the three settings survived.

- Its style resembles that of the late Italian Baroque.

L’Orfeo

- Composed by Claudio Monteverdi and Alessandro Striggio in 1607.

- Based on the greek legend of Orpheus, focusing on his descent to Hades as he attempts to bring back his dead bride Eurydice. 

- Originally written for a court performance. 

- It is the first opera which is still regularly performed. 

- It was also the piece which moved the opera out of its experimental era.

Stabat Mater

- Composed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi in 1736.

- It was composed for a Neapolitan confraternity. 

- Pergolesi was suffering from tuberculosis when he composed the piece and finished it mere days before his death.

- It became his most celebrated sacred work, complimented by many important historians, including Rousseau.

- Just like the original Christian hymn from the 13th century, it focuses on the figure of the Holy Mary who laments as Jesus is being crucified. 

[eccl3ctic0n3]

Relinquish the ego. #JesusIsKing👑🙏 Notice Self-Importance and consider all the self-love trends on social media. On the other side we see We-Importance.

The first and greatest commandment of the law is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind, soul, and with all thy strength. (Every Fiber of Your Being)

The 2nd is just like it. Thou shall love your neighbor (your fellow human being) as you love yourself.

The Golden Rule from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 7. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"

Karma. You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around. All the same spiritual principals. Very much truth in life.

21st Century King James Version

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; "the commandment of the Lord is pure", "enlightening the eyes".

Relinquish the ego. #JesusIsKing👑🙏

Notice Self-Importance and consider all the self-love trends on social media. On the other side we see We-Importance.

The first and greatest commandment of the law is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind, soul, and with all thy strength. (Every Fiber of Your Being)

The 2nd is just like it. Thou shall love your neighbor (your fellow human being) as you love yourself.

The Golden Rule from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 7. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"

Karma. You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around. All the same spiritual principals. Very much truth in life.

For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Source: New American Standard Bible 📖 #spiritualawakening

Psalm 19:7-11

21st Century King James Version

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; "the commandment of the Lord is pure", "enlightening the eyes".

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is Thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward.