To us this day, a Savior is born

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!

15th century carol

15th century carol
image from One Passion One Devotion

No, that's not saliva. It's just, uh, white tea essence

Here's an activity I would have eventually thought of if I had indefinitely remained ten years old:

Teapot Blowing


Image from Geeks Are Sexy

Sounds like fun, dunnit?

.................S......P......L......O......O......S......H

There's probably not a future in greeting cards for me

I got a sympathy card at my desk today.
 
No, it wasn’t presented to me as the recipient of the sympathy – it was a card that was being routed to everyone in my department to sign for someone else. Our department has between 60 and 75 people, and I only work directly with about 10 of them. The rest are mostly just “say hello in the hall” people, with whom I have no real business or personal relationships. The recipient of the card is one of those folks, and he lost his grandfather recently. I was unaware of his loss until I got the card at my desk.
 
So, like a good coworker, I wrote, “Sorry for your loss,” just like five or six others had, but I was really wondering what else I could have said that didn’t sound completely awkward. Of course, since I am not from around here, and I am acquainted with very few of the locals, there’s really no chance that I would ever have met this coworker’s grandfather, except by sheer coincidence. There was really nothing else I could have said besides those four words.
 
Then I began to think of inappropriate things I could have written that would have made future hallway “Hi how are ya” moments much more awkward:
 
“Terribly sorry for your loss. Pappy was a patient man who helped me out of many a sticky situation down at the track.”
 
“Coworker: Please accept this handmade coupon for a free hug, no expiration date.”
 
“So sorry for your loss. Hope you get some good stuff, like a pool table or a classic car.”
 
“I’m sorry for your loss. Also, I’m sorry I ate your bologna sandwich out of the fridge last week.”
 
“I’m sorry about your grandfather. I wish I could tell you about his Vegas trip in ’79, but he swore me to secrecy.”
 
“Happy birthday.”

Theological question

If Jesus and Moses were on the edge of a lake, and they needed to get across in a hurry, would they walk across the surface, or part the lake and walk on the lake floor?

Update (yawn, I know, more excuses, etc.)

The blog may seem dead right now, but I assure you, it's not. I'm just really busy every day and evening, and there just hasn't been much time for blogging. Plus, I've been playing with my new iPhone for the last few days, and I'm still in "discovery" mode with it.

For those of you who have been following along, I apologize. There will come a time when my schedule will shift back into a place where I can regularly blog again.

Sorry

Sorry I've been so absent lately. I'll try to update soon