Cryptoquips

Many newpapers, including the one in Bradenton, Florida, feature a word puzzle called Cryptoquip.  The solution involves a substitution of letters based on an initial clue, word sizes, and letter placement.  Recently these were some of the solutions:

 

If a new variety show dealt with the topic of British nobility, I would call it a peer revue.

There’s no need for you to notify me to hurry up and prepare myself.  I’m already all ready.

Certain people in Northern Spain lying on a beach trying to acquire a tan: Basques in the sun.

Prior to becoming business bosses in Turkey’s capital, they took Ankara management classes.

Run Toward the Trouble

David ran at Goliath.  David ran QUICKLY at Goliath.

Almost everyone knows the story from 1 Samuel 17 of young David armed with staff, a sling and five smooth stones who bested the giant Goliath carrying a sword, a spear, and a javelin. Goliath was indeed huge – nine feet nine inches or 6 feet nine inches, depending on the Bible version you are reading.  He must have been massively strong, as his chain mail vest weighed 125 pounds, and his spear’s head weighed 15 pounds.  And he had a shield-bearer who went before him carrying a full-height shield.

David, on the other side of the battle, had no armor at all because he hadn’t or didn’t know how to use it… “he had not tested them.” David’s faith was not in his own prowess, but that “the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lions and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

The Philistine taunted David with, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”  David replied with similar warnings about Goliath’s demise, but added that all the Philistines would share the same fate.  And he made clear why he would win, “… I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cur off your head, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear.  For the battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hand.”

And then David RAN at Goliath.  It may have given the stone additional power, like a thrown javelin, but it was a pretty confident move; the closer he got to the giant, the more likely that the spear and sword would wreak havoc.  But David trusted his weaponry, his practice and experience, and most of all, he trusted his God to bring him through.  No wonder David was a man after God’s own heart.

Waves

The recently completed Masters Golf Tournament was sponsored in large part by IBM Analytics.  They touted their use of high capacity, well-programmed computers to do awesome things.  They can measure the noise made by individual railroad car wheels to determine which ones have a crack.  They can analyze MRI images to find even obscure potential anomalies.  They can instantly provide information from prior arrests, cases, motor vehicle registrations, and events to help solve crimes.

Often during the televised tournament this year, I was swimming about in the Gulf of Mexico, contemplating ocean waves.  All of the wonderful IBM applications pale when compared to the sovereign and providential care that God has in sending every single ocean wave onto its designated coastline all over the earth. Imagine the number of waves that have hit any single point of land in the last year.  Multiply that by the number of shore points around the world and by the millions of years when oceans have been on this world. Crashing or calm, surf-able or float-able, each wave – containing lots of water, varying amounts of salt, sea junk, and life forms – is prepared and propelled by a loving Father’s hand.  Each wave is unique, like a snowflake. God’s creative power is beyond any computer’s capability.

And, God not only knows where the train car wheel cracks are, he can fix them.  He not only knows where health problems are, he can heal them.  He knows who committed the crime, where the perpetrator is, and what the criminal needs to know in order to have his sins forgiven.  Analytics, indeed.

Birds and Horses

A man owned a prize show horse with a beautiful long flowing mane and tail. One day the owner went to groom his horse and was surprised to find two sparrows twittering away, building a nest in the horse’s mane. The man didn’t want to harm the birds, so he tried picking them out of the mane. When that failed, he tried scaring them, first with a pistol shot, then recorded hawk calls and, finally, a stuffed owl stuck on the fence beside the horse. Nothing worked; the birds always rebuilt their nest.

In desperation, the man called his vet, who advised: “Every morning for three days, sprinkle two tablespoons of brewer’s yeast on the mane. That ought to work.”

The owner did as directed, and sure enough, after three days the birds were gone. Happy, he called the vet back. “Doc, it worked!” he exclaimed. “How did you know what to do?”

“Simple,” the vet replied. “Yeast is yeast and nest is nest, and never the mane shall tweet.”

Examples For Avoidance

The Old Testament has commandments and laws galore, many of which were “fulfilled” and made better by Jesus.  The narrative also provides many examples of behaviors that are pleasing or offensive in the eyes of the LORD.  In 1 Corinthians 6. 6-11, Paul alludes to a number of incidents, from the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness in Exodus, that serve as examples of conduct to avoid:

  • Do not be idolaters; the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play, describing the incident of the golden calf (Exodus 32.1-6).
  • Do not indulge in sexual immorality; some of them did and 23,000 fell in a single day (Numbers 25.1-9).
  • Do not put Christ to the test; the people were impatient for lack of food and water so some of them were destroyed by serpents (Numbers 21.4-9).
  • Do not grumble; the Israelites complained about hardships (Numbers 11.1), the scary parts of the Promised Land (Numbers 14), and about the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16). In each case, an angel of the LORD demolished many grumblers.

Hopefully we can learn from the events – “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1Corinthians 6.6).

Too Punny 3

He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.

When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.

When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she’d dye.

Acupuncture is a jab well done.

See previous list for more

Arise, My Soul, Arise

The words for this hymn were written by Charles Wesley in 1742.  A new upbeat version is popular today with music and a chorus added by indelible Grace.  Whatever the music, the words are a strong reminder that Jesus always lives to intercede for his brothers, God’s children (Hebrews 7.25).

 

Arise, my soul, arise, shake off your guilty fears, the bleeding Sacrifice in my behalf appears: before the throne my Surety stands, before the throne my Surety stands, my name is written on his hands.

CHORUS:  Arise, arise, arise, arise, my soul arise.  Arise, arise, arise, arise my soul arise.  Shake off your guilty fears and rise.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede, his all redeeming love, his precious blood to plead; his blood atoned for every race, his blood atoned for every race, and sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary; they pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me.  “Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry, “forgive him, O forgive,” they cry, “nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

My God is reconciled; his pardoning voice I hear; he owns me for his child, I can no longer fear; with confidence I now draw nigh, with confidence I now draw nigh, and “Father, Abba, Father!” cry.