#god bless illinois...

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

5 Ways to Celebrate the Resurrection!

As Easter approaches, here are five ways to celebrate the resurrection. Easter is the most holy of holidays in the Christian world. Why not make the most of this amazing time? Attend an event recalling the resurrection. Last Saturday, with a group from Trinity Lutheran Church in Auburn Illinois, we went to the 100th anniversary, and final performance of the American Passion Play in Bloomington,…

[thefallenangelsgang]

I'm losing my fucking mind

Or: I just saw Lord of the Rings the Musical at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and my brain chemistry has irreversibly changed

I'm too genuinely scrambled at the moment from travel to make a solid post (I am multiple states away from Illinois and I hate city driving) but I cannot shake the life-changing experience that was.

SPOILERS AHEAD

(Spoiler free tldr: story is changed sometimes severely to make a sub-3hr runtime or to simplify, but the message doesn't get completely lost. Tolkien fan approved)

First issue I can see everyone having is how much the story changes because it does change a lot. Rohan and Gondor being merged is probably the most glaring. I think it works because the show is more focused on the Hobbits (specifically Frodo and Sam). Personally I can look past it. My one issue is the missing Sam monologues (mount doom is a rather swift sequence, I'd have liked to see Sam give his devotion speech and his speech about the shire while waiting to die) those would have made insane songs but alas. The ending still was a gut punch though so it's more a personal preference thing.

First thing that blew me away was the technical aspect. The lighting and set design was GORGEOUS and EVOCATIVE. There were multiple times lighting alone drew me to tears.

The puppetry is immaculate. The nazgul chase is singularly some of the most beautiful choreo I've seen and I'm a slut for puppetry

The cast play all of the instruments live on stage, sometimes while doing choreography (nothing will prepare you to see Legolas holding a fucking trumpet or Boromir strapped into a goddamn accordion)

The costuming is more accurate to the original editions' illustrations which I found endlessly charming. One difference is, for safety (probably OSHA), all the hobbits (and Gollum) wear Sandals. This is never discussed. I love that.

BOROMIR IS KILLED BY HIS OWN SWORD WHICH I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW PERFECT THAT IS NARRATIVELY

GOLLUM PLAYED BY TONY BOZZUTO IS NEARLY INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM ANDY SERKIS

(I am not joking about this. Somehow he has mastered Andy's physicality and voice work. It truly was a sight to behold.)

Saruman/Elrond's actor (dressed as a hobbit) was hanging out in our section during preshow and was having a grand old time.

Bilbo and Frodo were in the main audience bothering people. Frodo was playing a stick and ring game and got absolutely shown up by some 10 year old he invited to play.

The Entmoot took literally 2 minutes (the way I had to stop from HOWLING at that)

I was SOBBING at the end, like actually.

Somehow this production managed to keenly make me feel the ending of Frodo leaving for the Grey Havens more than the movies did. The Irony of Frodo leaving being both a hopeful prayer that there is a place where people bound with trauma and wounds too deep to heal can live in peace without pain and also a grim acceptance that sometimes people cannot recover was STARK

Frodo and Sam really push the narrative of this show up until the end and it hits HARD. God bless this cast with steady work, they all deserve it.

[mariacallous]

god bless illinois (and greece)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

John Kelly at The Imprint (12.10.2024):

A former foster youth and award-winning advocate for children was arrested at the U.S. Capitol tonight — a bizarre twist in an otherwise celebratory day of events — after South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace accused him of assault.   The incident took place outside a House of Representatives office building following an event honoring the anniversary of a landmark child welfare law where Mace, a firebrand Republican, had given a speech. Three witnesses at the scene told The Imprint their accused colleague James McIntyre had done nothing more than shake the congress member’s hand at the House reception, and asked her to protect the rights of transgender people. 

But in a post on the social media platform X, Rep. Mace described a violent confrontation.  “I was physically accosted at the Capitol tonight by a pro-tr*ns man. One new brace for my wrist and some ice for my arm and it’ll heal just fine,” she posted at 8:43 p.m. “The Capitol police arrested the guy. Your tr*ns violence and threats on my life will only make me double down.” The arrest stunned onlookers. A group of McIntyre’s fellow foster youth advocates rushed to the outside of the Rayburn House Office Building to watch the scene unfold. They stood by tearfully as he was searched for several minutes by police, asking officers where he’d be taken and calling frantically for an attorney who could represent him. 

McIntyre, 33, has spoken publicly about his excruciating experience growing up in foster care, and is now a leading voice in policymaking in his home state of Illinois. He is also a chapter co-founder of the influential group Foster Care Alumni of America. In 2019, the National Association of Social Workers’ Illinois chapter named him the “Public Citizen of the Year.”   An officer with the Capitol Police Department told a reporter present at the scene that they were responding to a call about an “assault.” McIntyre was then placed into a police van and driven off.  Other attendees have reacted with outrage since McIntyre’s arrest. “I want to express deep disappointment in the fact that Congresswoman Nancy Mace came to a national foster youth event, told participating youth that it was a safe space — and literally had one of them arrested by Capital police for simply shaking her hand and asking about trans rights,” said Lisa Dickson, a veteran advocate for foster youth from Ohio, in a Facebook post.   Mace is not new to such publicity. In recent weeks, she has been in the news for her successful campaign to bar newly elected Rep. Sarah McBride — a Democrat from Delaware who is transgender — from using the public women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol.

[...] In her remarks at the House event, Rep. Mace told the crowd that while she was not an adoptee or former foster youth, she had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child. She called the dozens of advocates and foster youth in attendance — McIntyre among them — “the cream of the crop.”  “I look forward to working with each and every one of you. God bless you, I will be praying for you,” Mace said.  As she finished her comments and moved to leave the room, McIntyre approached her near an exit door, witnesses said. Elliott Hinkle, a former foster youth and advocate for LGBTQ rights, said McIntyre shook her hand, and made a comment about how many transgender youth are in foster care, adding: “They need your support.” 

Queen TERF Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) fraudulently called the police on foster youth advocate James McIntyre for “assaulting” her all because he shook her hand and asked her to protect the rights of trans people. McIntyre was arrested all due to Mace’s heavy-handed twatty behavior.

See Also:

Rolling Stone: Advocacy Group Calls B.S. on Nancy Mace’s Claim That She Was Assaulted in Capitol

[orthodoxadventure]

The Proclamation of the Holy Synod of Bishops on the Glorification of the Righteous Matushka Olga

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To the beloved Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America

God is wondrous in His Saints

November 8, 2023 Chicago, IL

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has heard the petition of The Right Reverend ALEXEI, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, expressed in his November 2, 2023 letter to His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, concerning the glorification of the Servant of God, the Righteous Matushka Olga.

In this letter, His Grace Bishop ALEXEI states: “I am writing to Your Beatitude with respect to the departed handmaiden of God and faithful Orthodox Christian, Matushka Olga Nicholai of Kwethluk, known by the pious peoples of the Kuskokwim as Arrsamquq.  Her humility, her generosity, her piety, her patience, and her selfless love for God and neighbor were well-known in the Kuskokwim villages during her earthly life.  Her care for comforting the suffering and the grieving has also been revealed after her life by grace-filled manifestations to the faithful throughout not only Alaska, but all of North America.  The first peoples of Alaska are convinced of her sanctity and the great efficacy of her prayers.  For this reason, after prayerful consideration, I, Alexei, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, am hereby making the formal request to Your Beatitude as the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America to begin the process that, if it be in accord with God’s will, would lead to her glorification.”

The Holy Synod, having prayerfully reflected upon this petition and having observed and acknowledged the sincere devotion among the faithful of Alaska and beyond, has unanimously determined that the time for the glorification of Matushka Olga has arrived, fulfilling the hopes and prayers of pious Orthodox Christians throughout Alaska and the entire world.

THEREFORE, meeting in Solemn Assembly in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois, under the Presidency of The Most Blessed TIKHON, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada, We, the Members of The Holy Synod of The Orthodox Church in America, do hereby decide and decree that the ever-memorable Servant of God MATUSHKA OLGA be numbered among the saints.  With one mind and one heart, we also resolve that her honorable remains be considered as holy relics; that a special service be composed in her honor; that her feast be celebrated on November 10 (October 28, old style) on the Feast of All Saints of North America, the Second Sunday after Pentecost; that holy icons be prepared to honor the newly-glorified saint in accordance with the Canons of the Sacred Ecumenical and Regional Councils; that her life be published for the edification of the Faithful, that the name of the new saint be communicated to the Primates of all Sister Churches for inclusion in their calendars; and that the date and location of the Rite of Glorification be communicated to the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of our Church in due time.

FURTHER, we entrust to the Canonization Commission of The Orthodox Church in America, under the Chairmanship of The Most Reverend DANIEL, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest, with the honorable task of assisting The Right Reverend ALEXEI, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, in preparing for the celebration of the glorification by providing an authorized Life of Matushka Olga for the education and edification of the Faithful, with overseeing the painting of holy icons of her, in keeping with the canonical iconographical tradition of the Church, with the composition of liturgical texts to be sung at the Divine Services in which she will be commemorated, and with assisting in the uncovering and recognition of her holy relics, and in promoting her veneration among all the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of our Church.

We call upon the faithful to remember Matushka Olga at Memorial Services or Litanies for the Departed when appropriate until the day of her glorification.

Through the prayers of Matushka Olga and of all the Saints who have shone forth in North America, may the Lord grant His mercies and blessings to all who seek her heavenly intercession with faith and love.  Amen.

Holy Mother Olga, pray to God for us!

Given at Holy Trinity Cathedral, this 8th day of November, in the Year of Our Lord, 2023.

[source]

[wolint]

NO SHORTCUT IN LIFE!

NO SHORTCUT IN LIFE

Proverbs 21:5

 

The Bible encourages us to avoid shortcuts and instead, to embrace hard work, patience, and diligence. Taking shortcuts may seem profitable in the short term, but they can lead to negative consequences in the long run. Trust in God’s guidance and commit your actions to Him, seeking His ways rather than quick fixes. I heard one thing constantly from my parents growing up, “the shortcut turns out the longest”. Yes, it is! I understand that perfectly. Have you received that revelation yet?

There are no shortcuts!

There are no cutting corners even in natural things, how much then in spiritual things. It’s impulsive to make haste without thinking or planning.

We all have a desire to get somewhere but don’t always have sufficient knowledge on how to reach our goals, so, we rush into things without ever considering the dangers involved.

Life is such a whirlwind that some of us don’t even take a minute to stop and smell the roses or enjoy the journey, there is a mad rush to get “there”, wherever there is, impulsively trudging on without seeing the danger signs. Unfortunately, Shortcuts have consequences! Shortcuts are dangerous!

Whatever promises God gives us are subject to work and process. The dangers and consequences of impulse and shortcuts are at most detrimental and for a lifetime. Abraham and Sarah found out the hard way that taking shortcuts will only get us into trouble as evidenced in Genesis 15 and 16. They forgot, just as we always do that God will ultimately work everything out for our good according to Romans 8:28, even when we get ourselves into trouble.

Sadly, some things are set into motion when we take shortcuts. Our actions may have far-reaching consequences, possibly spanning across generations. So, beware of taking the easy way out! Shortcuts lead to poverty according to Proverbs 21:5, Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

There are so many things in life that no matter how fast we want or desire them, we can’t just make them happen quicker than the designated time or season.

The time of life God referred to in Genesis 18:10 and Elisha used in 2 Kings 4:17 implies the duration of pregnancy, telling us that no matter how desperate we want something, the course can’t be changed. Pregnancy must go through nine months.

There are no shortcuts in God according to Matthew 7:13. If the natural world works according to times and seasons without shortcuts, then we can confidently believe that there are no shortcuts in God’s kingdom or getting to heaven without Jesus, the way, the truth and the life according to John 14:6.

Our bookstores and libraries shelves are flooded with quick but sure, easy going formulas for a shortcut to a successful life to help us achieve our goals and arrive at our destinations early.

But remember that there are no shortcuts in life!

In 1846, James Reed decided to head west to Springfield, Illinois hoping to prosper. The trip went relatively well until Fort Bridger, Wyoming where Mr Reed asked an old friend about shortcuts. His friend adamantly responded with “don’t do it. … You can’t take wagons that way. Go the old route. Be safe. You’ll perish.” Mr Reed replied, “There’s a newer route, and we might as well take it.”

Isn’t that our usual response when God takes us through trials of life that we don’t like? Shortcuts are supposed to be easier however, they don’t live up to our expectations. It’s never a good idea to take a shortcut-they sometimes don’t lead anywhere good. God’s way doesn’t offer shortcuts, but it leads to true success, fulfilment, and eternal blessings. Let’s avoid the allure of quick fixes and instead commit to walking the narrow path with unwavering faith and determination. Trust God’s truth and His ways.

PRAYER: Lord, I surrender my desires for shortcuts and ask for Your grace to walk faithfully. May my life reflect Your wisdom and bring glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN.

[sivavakkiyar]

[yt: Billie Holiday]

[yt: Eric Dolphy]

[fractalist]

may god bless the workers who extracted the salt from the salt water. may god bless the workers that harvested and milled the wheat. may god bless the workers who harvested the rapeseed and the workers that used it to make canola oil. may god bless the workers who transported the salt, the canola oil, and the wheat to the Nabisco factory in Naperville, Illinois. may god bless the workers at that factory who baked those ingredients into this triscuit, and the workers who packaged them all together. may god bless the workers who transported these triscuits to my town, and may god bless the workers at the grocery store who stocked the box on the shelves. veimru, amen.

*eats the triscuit* *picks up another triscuit*

may god bless the workers who

[macwantspeace]

{picture not related...dunno why folks are carrying that stock photo of Illinois gov} The fun part of this story, after you get past the Mayor complaining that a reporter kept asking why city infrastructure failed in record flooding, is that it is fucking Calumet City. [note that a video of the flooding is embedded in the story] The home of the Blues Brothers. Who are on a Mission From God to save the Calumet City orphanage where they grew up, St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud. They have a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and they are both wearing sun glasses. And they hate Illinois Nazis.

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO (Tolentine) The Patron of the Souls in Purgatory Feast Day: September 10

"The heavens are not pure in the sight of Him Whom I serve; how then shall I, a sinful man, stand before Him?"

Nicholas of Tolentine was a simple priest and Augustinian friar who touched the lives of many. His spirit of prayer, penance, austerity of life and devotion to the Holy Souls were notable. His preaching brought many to Christ.

Nicholas Gurutti was born in 1245 in Sant'Angelo, Pontano, Macerata, Italy. His family was rather poor.

He joined the Augustinian Order while a young man, after hearing the inspired preaching of Reginaldo da Monterubbiano, Prior (local superior) of the Augustinian monastery in Sant'Angelo.

As a priest and religious, he was full of charity towards his brother Augustinians as well as towards the people to whom he ministered. He visited the sick and cared for the needy. He was a noted preacher of the Gospel. He gave special attention to those who had fallen away from the Church. People considered him a miracle worker.

He often fasted and performed other works of penance. He spent long hours in prayer.

The story is told that, one day, having fasted for a long time, Nicholas was physically weak. While at prayer, Jesus told him to eat some bread marked with a cross and soaked in water in order to regain his strength. Thus arose the Augustinian custom of blessing and distributing Saint Nicholas Bread in his memory.

Another story relates that Nicholas, while asleep in bed, heard the voice of a deceased friar he had known. This friar told Nicholas that he was in Purgatory, and urged him to celebrate the Eucharist for him and other souls there, so that they would be set free by the power of Christ. Nicholas did so for seven days. The friar again spoke to Nicholas, thanking him and assuring him that a large number of souls were now with God. Because of this Nicholas was proclaimed patron of the souls in Purgatory.

He is also considered the patron saint against epidemic disease and against fires.

During most of his adult life, Nicholas lived in Tolentine, Italy. There he died September 10, 1305. Canonized in 1446 by Pope Eugene IV, Nicholas is the first Augustinian friar to be canonized after the Grand Union of the Order of St. Augustine in 1256.

Source: Midwest Augustinians - Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel of the Augustinian Order - Chicago, Illinois

©2023 photo by yours truly

[radionotfound]

I was blessed by the post-punk gods and was granted access to The Cure’s Chicago show!

“Seven years to the date of their 2016 Chicago appearance, The Cure returned for another stunning show in the Windy City. The post-punk elder statesmen delivered a phenomenal 31-song set at United Center filled with classic hits, deep cuts, and new material from their long-awaited album (Songs From a Lost World), proving again why they remain one of alternative music’s best live bands.

The two-and-a-half-hour career-spanning setlist perfectly captured the chameleon nature of The Cure. One minute, things are bleak and gloomy with cuts like “A Forest,” “Plainsong,” and “A Night Like This.” The next, everything is bright, upbeat, and vibrant with hits like “Friday I’m In Love,” “The Walk,” “Lovesong,” and “Just Like Heaven.” Fan favorites like “Lullaby,” “Pictures of You,” “Play for Today,” and “Shake Dog Shake” earned the biggest screams from the crowd, often drowning out the band. And as a reward for (im)patient fans, the band performed new songs “I Can Never Say Goodbye,” “A Fragile Thing,” “Endsong,” “And Nothing Is Forever,” and “It Can Never Be the Same” as a preview of what’s to come. Spoiler alert: it’s deliciously dark.“

Read the full review on Illinois Entertainer. Link in source.

[orangekatkustumz]

God blessed my main Thang wit another trip around the sun…..and I’m so greatful🙏🏾🙏🏾 Love you wiz and wish you all the best Flaco’s on ya favor🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 May your dreams(especially the ones wit me in em😸) come to pass and elevate you class! Can’t wait to see you later stuff😽😽 Happy 25th to my PYT!!🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 And ion own the rights to the music. (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnH9tRBPumn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[929-6ye-ayea]

2020... HE STARTED WITH FIRST RULE IS

"We do not talk about 2020 in 2021"

I simply replied that it was not possible. I should have known they believe a word I was trying to say. A lot of words were thrown between the frustration and fears that so far unfornately has come true. Even though I would try to tell them the actual situations and still they would laugh and wouldn't stop. At the same time all of them became a bit of familiarity.

No matter what I told them, or what it's about... They acted detached from it all, like they were in a trance. The subtle approach they took to confront me about smoking... That was a different story. The damage that was done to personal property of mine and Eric's and the girls was really hard to believe. Eric walked through it blind spending most of time at the lake or in the basement, or boarded up in the room. Most of the time it felt like I was alone and that my entire family had been hit by a wave of stupidity. But of course, this is coming from THIER independent daughter that had been away from them for 20 years... Jessica Jones back in the town where she was born in....Need I say more. I hadn't lived there since headstart and a few summers with grandma as Uncle Timmy played baseball. For them, they didn't know what to think... My mom ... Going through that empty nest stage. My dad trying to relax happy as hell he could get his house back. I was left speechless but not in a good way.... Kinda questioning the sanity of the entire city by that point.

With everything going on, along with Katie's 2nd disappearance while she was supposed to be babysitting my kids (my mom was upstairs)(I hope) (at least I didn't pay her before hand) but I was genuinely worried. That's when I started finding things out from Mother's Day 2020 in LaPorte.

People as in people in general in the universe, whoever did hear the events that year...

They forget about the trauma that has been done. Yes, I was hoping for a miracle..Therea been a few new accidents and other incidents that's contributed to it even more. But the underlying possibilities are still present. No I didn't come back to die, but with me comes common sense.

This is my 7-8th chance at life, literally. You never know what can or will happen.

I've been saying something's wrong for awhile... People think you are making it up... But no in the winter it's really bad. This year is a bit different.

With the Hospitals finally seeing that I'm not lying... Lol they really have been great. Hopefully my Medicaid card that I they help me get, because they remembered 2020 and that I had permission no matter what to use the "OZDYCK" name!!! And that me and Thomas was married...

New obstacle: Getting everyone to believe you that it was you they were talking to 4 hours away in Decatur, Illinois not LaPorte, Indiana.

It hasn't been great, really bad at times but it's getting better...

He found me November 19, 2022. We were able to sneak away I guess and spend 29 hours together... Shhh...it's a secret..WHOOPS¡!¡

He's currently mad at me this morning... I switched a good song.. and I can't remember it. I thought he was getting up to come get me...

I have came across a temporary situation to keep me warm for now .. unless I got too loud last night.

∞I have not seen the girls for more than a few hours at a time and that was awhile ago. One of them only a couple hours... The other if we're right and a few days.

THAT IS NOT BY CHOICE

°I do try and there are some who trying to set it up for us as well.

°I really don't feel good, nothing contagious really...just extremely, extremely, worn down.

°Happy New Years

God Bless You and Your Family...

KEEP ALL OF US IN YOUR PRAYERS. THE OLDER CHILDREN OF ALL FAMILIES HAS HAD IT PRETTY ROUGH ALSO.

[ahopkins1965]

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would It be?  First, I would ask my Pastor at Fort McKinley United Methodist Church located in Dayton, Ohio to live inside of the Church for one year.  I would pay $650.00 dollars per month just to rent a nice sized room that is inside of the Church.   I would purchase my own food and make sure that the Church is clean every single day of the week.  Second, I would like to live inside of my Grandparents House in Dayton, Ohio and remove all of the Old Walls that are inside of the house, and pay $650.00 per month just to live in the house.   At least, I would cut the grass every week, and make sure that everything is updated inside of the house.   Third, I really would live inside of a Hospital room for the next seven years.   I really would like to live inside of Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio and pay $650.00 per month, and I would have access to the Kitchen, and Medical Facilities at the Hospital each day of the week.   Fourth, I really want to live inside of the Dorm at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.   I want to have free access to the Cafeteria every single day of the week.   I also need to have full access to the Classroom Facilities, and Exercise Room each day of the week.  I need to have access to the Library every day.   I will become a Full-time Student at the University.  I want to work on Campus inside of the Library for 20 hours per week.   I would have a Double Major in Psychology and CyberSecurity.   Fifth, I love to live inside of the New York City Public Library in Manhattan, New York City New York.   I have to pay rent, while I am living inside of the Library.   Also, I want to have access to my own room, and the Information Technology Department at the Library.   I want to take free classes online, and work Full-time at the Library each day.   I would like to become a CyberSecurity Specialist at the New York City Library.  Sixth, I want to work inside of a very large Hospital in the Toledo, Ohio Area as well as live inside of the Hospital for at least seven years.  I really need full access to the Cafeteria, and the Hospital Library each day of the week.   I would like to work as a Patient Escort on a full-time basis.   I really need access to a Computer each day.   I want to spend all of my time working as a Behavioral Scientist at the Hospital full-time.   Seventh & Finally, I want to Live inside of the O'Hara Airport in the Chicago, Illinois Area.  I have to work inside of the Information Technology Department, or CyberSecurity at the Airport on a full-time basis.   I need to have access to the Cafeteria, while I am at work.  I want to consult with my family members in the Chicago, Illinois Area.  Therefore, I want to work inside of the area that has a Library nearby the Airport.   These are the places that I really want to live, and work while I am taking classes to earn a Masters Degree in CyberSecurity & Psychology.  If it is the Lord’s Will, I would be able to obtain these things either right now or in the near future.   Thank you for reading my essay today 🙏!  God Bless All of You Worldwide!

[nickgerlich]

On The Telly

I did a thing yesterday.

As much as I fancy myself being future-forward, tech-savvy, and all the things that would ever keep me from being labeled a Luddite, I had one legacy artifact in my household: satellite television. The only reason it wasn’t cable TV is that out in the country, they don’t run those kinds of lines. But I also have nine or ten streaming services, making me a case of Modern Man meets Cave Man.

So I did what more than 20 million other households have done since 2014: I canceled my subscription to DirecTV. It was a tough, 30-minute call as they tried every trick in the book to keep me, but in the end, I prevailed. And to be honest, I felt like I needed to shower when I was done, a symbolic cleansing of the old self. It felt great.

Of course, I still need me some regular TV. Not much, mind you, but I want my news stations, The Weather Channel, and local stations. I subbed to YouTube TV instead, which is much cheaper as well as completely portable. Compared to what I was paying, I am saving $125 a month. You could say I gave myself a $1500 a year raise.

All of which got me to thinking about how we consume media so differently these days. Increasingly, we are good with less, as well as having it when and where we want it. Everything I can watch at home, I can also watch in my van, in a hotel room, or wherever life may find me. And yeah, don’t worry. I won’t be watching TV while driving, although I can certainly pump it through my audio system and listen.

As I was tallying all of my savings, I also noticed how the programming has also changed to fit our very different lifestyles. Not only are we mobile, but we have a shrinking attention span. We are increasingly less likely to buy into the format that broadcast television has been feeding us for years, which is usually 20-24 episodes. Believe it or not, a few decades ago, it was as much as 36 episodes in a season. And since it was all linear TV by default, it meant we had to wait a week between episodes. Who has time for that now?

Thanks to streaming as well as cultural changes, we now favor far more condensed episodic series. Last year, broadcast TV series averaged only 10.2 episodes, while streaming series averaged 9.6 episodes. You can binge that in a weekend. And, there are benefits to the studios as well, because fewer episodes means they are cheaper to produce. Win-win.

This all came home to roost on my afternoon walk when I pondered my own viewing. About 10 days ago I completed Drops of God on Apple TV+, a delightful as well as cerebral eight-part series that is delivered in French, Japanese, and English, along with a little Italian toward the end. This was the Rosetta Stone of TV series.

I then dove into Bad Monkey on the same network, thanks to Oldest Daughter and her husband recommending it, but I quickly discovered the show is on a weekly release schedule, so I have to wait until tomorrow night for Episode 4. Given the heat wave still burning us up this last weekend, I needed something else, and Netflix—God bless them—recommended Prison Break. I took the bait, and after a few episodes, I was sucked in.

Prison Break originally started airing in 2005 for four seasons. Netflix then picked it up in 2017 for a final season. But what I did not know until after I returned from my walk and a quick Google search, is that there are 90 episodes in total. Holy crap, this sounds like a commitment now.

As much as I like the show—and never mind the fact it was filmed not far from my childhood home in northern Illinois—I just don’t know if I can keep going. How long can you string out a prison break? I mean, the prisoners could all be dead by the time you get through 90 episodes.

My conflict increased when I remembered that Youngest Daughter is coming over for dinner tonight, and we will continue watching Season 2 of The Bear, a series I have already completed S1 and S2 before, but am enjoying rewatching with her. After this we’ll dive into S3, which came out back in June. And then there’s Only Murders In The Building Season 4 which debuts today, and later in October, Shrinking Season 2.

Looks like I have some hard choices to make, because those 90 episodes, while not as bad as trying to watch the entirety of Law and Order’s 502 episodes, are bound to just become filler between all the cool condensed series.

There is a downside, too, with so many condensed series, as Oldest Daughter mentioned last night on the phone. “Dad, it has gotten so I can’t remember what I just watched last weekend,” she said. It’s the result of bingeing a few too many series in rapid order, and they fall off our memory too quickly. Heck, I had to do some thinking to recall the name of the show—Drops of God—I had just finished less than two weeks ago.

Part of me wishes I had not started Prison Break, even though it is riveting. I remember all too well laboring through far too many episodes of Criminal Minds and The Blacklist in recent years. Brand loyalty is good when we’re talking about consumer packaged goods, but I am pushing back when it comes to dramas. Just get the damn thing over with so I can move on.

Meanwhile, I’m sure my students have similar such conundrums and viewing patterns. It is part and parcel an artifact of the new culture, one that finds us chatting at the water cooler about which series we are watching at the moment.

What are you watching? And how do you consume it, all at once, or whenever and wherever you want? Be glad you are young enough not to have endured 36 episodes, or even much of the more recent 20-24 episodes. Be glad you either cut the cord, or never had one in the first place. And be glad you don’t have to box up four DirecTV receivers and their associated cables to ship back to them. Thankfully, it will be the first—and last—time I have to do it.

Anyone want to watch an episode of Prison Break with me?

Dr “Eight Or Ten Episodes Is Just Fine” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[jdgo51]

August 24, 2024

Fresh Manna

Maria Barroso (Illinois, USA)

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

"Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with problems. There is only so much time in a day and so many days in a week, and I ask myself how and when I can possibly do one more thing.

God intends to give us all the help we need, but only one day at a time. This has been God’s message all along, even in the days of Moses, with the daily manna that fell from heaven. I can easily get stuck in a mindset of trying to solve tomorrow’s problem today rather than slowing down my anxious thoughts and just asking for help today. It’s hard for someone like me to do this, but the guidance Jesus gives is to take one day at a time — to ask God for our daily bread. I have learned to take only this day’s concerns and bring them to God, asking for help just for today. Then I do the same thing tomorrow — and each tomorrow to come.

Each new day we can bring all our cares to God. Because God loves us and cares for us, God desires to meet us with fresh manna each day to lift our burdens. As we learn to trust that God will provide what we need today, we can release our grip on tomorrow, laying all our anxieties on God one day at a time." Just come to God for strength to make it through the day, no need to look ahead, rather concentrate on now and what He will do to assist us. He will provide all that you need.

Today's Prayer

"Dear God, we surrender the worries of today to you, and we trust you to take charge of all that burdens us. We know you will do the same for us tomorrow" . Amen.

Matthew 6:25-34

"'25 “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? 27 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Notice how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. 29 But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn���t dressed like one of these. 30 If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, won’t God do much more for you, you people of weak faith? 31 Therefore, don’t worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 Gentiles long for all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."' Never to worry about anything. God will provide for everything that you need. We worry about the silly things and God has already got it done. Have faith and be blessed! Joe