| Tales and things that you hear... |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|12:16 am] |
As some people might remember, I have a hobby of translating Swedish fairy- and folktales from time to time when I feel like it. However, I don't do it too often so I often refrain from linking them here. However, I think I've managed to collect enough to post them now...
The first is your typical fairytale of enchanted items and good helpers, Golden Apples with Silver Leaves, from the southermost part of the country.
And some time after that, I decided to do this little thing where I translate one myth or legend from each of Sweden's 25 provinces; some of them are very general, other special for the area they hearken from, and some I just found really nifty. I've posted a link to a map of all the provinces in each post, so you'll have a clue of where they are from.
The first post features a ghost story from Skåne and a medieval legend from Småland...
... And the second a tale of abduction from Gotland, giants building bridges from Öland, and an enchanted forest in Halland.
I hope you'll enjoy. :) |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|05:59 pm] |
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December 18, 2009 Jehovah-Jireh Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. —Matthew 6:8
( Read more... )</em> What God promises, God will provide. </center> |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|05:58 pm] |
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December 18, 2009 Jehovah-Jireh Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. —Matthew 6:8
( Read more... )</em> What God promises, God will provide. </center> |
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| My Search for Church - An Update |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|11:20 am] |
I've found services at the two Methodist Churches nearest me that I'll be able to attend next week on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I'm planning to attend service Christmas Eve at Old West Church in Boston, and Christmas Day at First Church, Winthrop, in Winthrop, Mass.
While the longterm problem of my work schedule remains, I'm very much looking forward to attending these services. My hope is to have some time after services to speak with the ministers and members of the congregations of these two churches to find out if there are any weekday programs (such as Men's Group, Bible Study, etc.) already in place that I might be able to attend. Or, if there are none at present, to ask if there might be an interest or possibility of beginning such a program. At any rate, I'm much more encouraged than I was a week ago.
I want to thank, again, all who responded to my last post with their suggestions and support. Your caring and concern truly mean so much. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!
Old West Church, United Methodist Boston, Mass.
Edit - to fix paragraph breaks |
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| Weekly Verses |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|11:17 am] |
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
(Psalm 86:8-10)
This psalm begins with the entreaty of a godly man who recognizes his impoverishment before an all-sufficient God (vv. 1-2), followed by an acknowledgment of how right relationship with God gives the psalmist confidence that God will supply his needs (vv. 3-7). Now attention is turned to praise the unique nature of the God of Israel. The nations (that do not fear God) worship all manner of false gods, but none of the works of those gods can measure up to those of the Lord. For the deeds of Yahweh are incomparable. God is the only Creator, the maker of the nations, and thus "all the nations [He has] made" will worship and praise their Maker. This section of poetry may be seeking to emphasize this point through the chiastic structure of the verses:
A1: Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord
A2: No deeds can compare with yours
B: All the nations you have made will come and worship before you...
A2': For you are great and do marvelous deeds
A1': You alone are God
This common linguistic feature makes use of parallelism in lines A1/A1' (there are no gods like the Lord/He alone is God) and A2/A2' (no deeds can compare with His/He is great and does marvelous deeds), and brings to the fore the correct response of creation to Creator: to borrow a Catholic phrase, it is right to give Him thanks and praise. Of God's great deeds, certainly the creation of all things is beyond compare.
Thus these verses not only praise God's greatness and primacy before all things, but remind us of the foolishness of our infidelity in our relationship with the Creator. None can compare to the living God, so pursuing after the promises of idols will always be a matter of chasing something lesser than He who satisfies. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|11:14 am] |
Okay, we're pretty secular here, and probably not the sorts of folks you expect to find in a group like this one, but I'd like to send out a request that everyone put up a picture of a Menorah in response to the news that the "Arbeit Macht Fri" sign at Auschwitz was stolen. Let's show these thieves where we stand.
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|05:06 pm] |
Title: Through my Veins – A Cuddy & House Story
Author: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) blue_raine
Show: House, MD
Pairing: House / Cuddy
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Romance
Summary: As Cuddy is now taken, House needs a new start. When he is leaving, both need to deal with his decission. "I really want you to really want me. But I really don't know if you can do that" - Could Cuddy let him walk away? Could House live without her?
Disclaimer: House is owned by Fox and the Lyrics of "I really want you" belong to James Blunt.
Authors Note: Chapter 4/7
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4 |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|08:59 am] |
December 18, 2009
Daily DevotionalThe Reasons for Rebellion( Read more... ) Whenever you are faced with a decision, ask yourself this question: What is the wisest thing for me to do? Part of the answer is always to stop, ask the Lord for direction, and wait until He answers. We never have to make excuses for doing the will of God.
In Touch Ministries........................... |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|08:59 am] |
December 18, 2009
Daily DevotionalThe Reasons for Rebellion( Read more... ) Whenever you are faced with a decision, ask yourself this question: What is the wisest thing for me to do? Part of the answer is always to stop, ask the Lord for direction, and wait until He answers. We never have to make excuses for doing the will of God.
In Touch Ministries........................... |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|08:53 am] |
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And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. Acts 5:38-39 (King James Version) |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|08:53 am] |
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And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. Acts 5:38-39 (King James Version) |
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| News Article (1999) - Spirits still survive |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|06:18 am] |
"Beannachd nan siubhal 's nan imeachd. 'S e an-diugh Dihaoine, cha chluinn iad sinn."
on 25 Dec. 1999, The Boston Globe published an account of a fact of life in Iceland. This is the article. One point I find of interest (not mentioned in the article) is that at the time of the article, there were no operational rail-lines in Iceland. Two private lines had been in use in the early part of of the 19th c; a harbour railway which operated from 1913 to 1928 and a private farm rail-line which had been built in the 1930s, but was no longer in existance by the time the article was written. A light rail system was built after 1999, constructed in connection wit the Kárahnjúkar hydro-electric power project. (information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Iceland)
As we all know, iron is inimical to the Other Folk. It seems logical to me that networks of iron rails crossing and quartering the country would have a detrimental effect on the Good Neighbours.
Anyway, here's the article (taken from http://www.seattlepi.com/national/elvs25.shtml - I had clipped it out at the time, but I've lost the clipping).
( the body of the article )
Wikipedia has some additional information, including statistics in the numbers of people admitting to a belief in the Other Folk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldufolk
*"A blessing on their travel and their departure. Today is Friday, they can't hear us." |
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| Verse Of The Day (verseoftheday.com): 18 December 2009 |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|04:49 am] |
| [ | mood |
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Today's Verse Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Thoughts on Today's Verse..."No room in the inn!" "Placed him in a manger!" So often we play favorites with the rich, beautiful, powerful, and prestigous. Isn't it interesting that God revealed himself as the defender of the widow, the orphan, and the alien and then entered the world as the child of a Jewish carpenter and a young virgin from a small town? God wants us to notice those in need around us. He wants it to be more than an annual good gesture at Christmas. He wants us to be advocates for the folks like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We're not just told to be fair; we're told to defend and to plead the rights of those in need. When we do, we do it for him (see Matthew 25). My Prayer...Make me more aware, Holy Father, of those around me who need your love and grace. Make me your instrument to defend them and to serve them. Open my eyes to see Jesus in the faces of those in need. In the name of my Savior, Jesus, Savior of all peoples, I pray. Amen. |
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chipper