Surely the Son of God

from a devotional by Max Lucado

The ground had been shaken, gently at first and then violently. No one could explain it.… No one even tried. One minute the sun, the next the darkness. One minute the heat, the next a chilly breeze. Even the priests were silenced.

The centurion stood and looked around at the rocks that had fallen and the sky that had blackened. He turned and stared at the soldiers as they stared at Jesus with frozen faces. He turned and watched as the eyes of Jesus lifted and looked toward home. He listened as the parched lips parted and the swollen tongue spoke for the last time.

“Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.”

The centurion’s convictions began to flow together like rivers. “This was no carpenter,” he spoke under his breath. “This was no peasant. This was no normal man.”

Had the centurion not said it, the soldiers would have. Had the centurion not said it, the rocks would have—as would have the angels, the stars, even the demons. But he did say it. It fell to a nameless foreigner to state what they all knew…

“Surely this man was the Son of God.”

painting by Dr. Jeff Warren

this week I love: Yankees vs. Rangers

I’ve lived in the Dallas area my entire life, and while growing up my family always went to Texas Rangers baseball games in Arlington during summer vacations. But the last time I’ve been a Rangers fan was during the late 70s/early 80s, back when the PA announcer used names like Buddy Bell, Bucky Dent, and Jim Sundberg. But they are my hometown team, and because I love baseball with undying passion, I will visit the Ballpark in Arlington and root for the boys in red. Unless, of course, my favorite team comes to town, and then I’m all Yankees, all the time.
 
This week has been the American League Championship Series between my favorite New York Yankees and my hometown Texas Rangers. I’m rooting for my Yankees, of course, but if this is finally the Rangers’ year, I’ll happily pick up the chant and root them on throughout the World Series. First and foremost, I’m an American League girl, but I’m also quite proud of the Rangers and so impressed with the players on this current team. (It was the players themselves that made me a Yankees fan in the first place!) For the Rangers, though, it’s taken an entire franchise history to even get to this semi-final level, and watching the ALCS has been nothing less than joyful. I know my Yankees won’t go down without a fight, but if they do go down, it’s pretty cool to have a built-in loyalty to their victors.
 
And the last boy will be thrilled with my joining his side.

 

2010 Read-A-Thon

The 24-Hour Read-A-Thon event has completed, my numbers have been posted (and reprinted below), and now I’m heading back to bed. There is a definite hangover that comes with this experience, whether you read for 24 hours or just 12. But it’s a delightful fatigue, and I can’t wait to do it all over again in April! Check out my first-experience stats then click over to phrenetical to read the play-by-play as it was posted throughout the event. Then consider joining up in the spring! It’s truly a wonderful (communal) experience.
 
3 Hours Sleep Acquired the Night Before
 
12 Hours Time Elapsed Before I Could Fully Participate
 
4.65 Hours Spent Napping During The Event
 
 
670 Minutes Spent Reading
 
210 Minutes Spent Blogging
 
308 Pages Read
 
 
1 Book Completed
 
2 Magazine Issues Completed
 
3 Books Attempted
 
 
5 Snacks/Meals Consumed
 
12 Coke Reward Points Acquired
 
88 Ounces Caffeine Consumed
 
 
21 Tweets Posted
 
14 Blog Posts Published
 
193 Blog Views During The Event
 
23 Comments Received On My Blog
 
9 Actual Cheers Posted To My Blog (so fun!)
 
 
5 Mini-Challenges Participated In
 
1 Prize Won in a Mini-Challenge
 
Favorite Mini-Challenge: Submit a photo of something in your house that represents a character in one of the books you are reading for the readathon. Seriously? How could I resist?
 

 

I’m reading today!

Today I’ll be participating in the 24-Hour Read-A-Thon! I love this idea for so many reasons, but my personal motivation is quite simple: to rediscover my love for reading. I’ve let it lapse in recent years, choosing other entertainment over books and purposeful reading, and I truly do miss it when that happens. So today will be all about the written word! I also love that “print” now includes text on a screen, so I’ll be mixing up my selections throughout the day to keep interest alive and resist the urge to nap (much). Some of the items I have scheduled for the day include:

• The Yankee Years
• Bridge to Terabithia
• You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried
• Ford County
• Pride and Prejudice
• Mud Hens and Mavericks: Illustrated Travel Guide to Minor League Baseball
• and an assortment of magazines and blog posts that have recently piled up

A big part of the Read-A-Thon includes blogging about the event and about personal progress, as well as participating in hourly challenges designed to keep the mind fresh. Click over to phrenetical :: a state of mind to follow my read-a-thon journey.
 

it’s not Friday, but I’m in love

All this month Turner Classic Movies has been focusing on a single Hollywood star each day, running marathons of their respective movies for 24 hours at a time. What I didn’t realize was that the site also has accompanying posters for each of these 31 stars. If there’s anything I love more than movies, it’s movie art. And the ones at TCM are simply divine. These are my favorites, but you can see all 31 designs at the TCM’s Summer Under the Stars.
 

Paul Newman
 

Steve McQueen
 

Lauren Bacall
 

Ingrid Bergman
 

Elizabeth Taylor
 

Warren Beatty
 

Olivia de Havilland
 

Norma Shearer
 

Katharine Hepburn
I admit I’m a bit disappointed in this one, as it’s not immediately recognizable as the Great Kate. But then I have to wonder: is there an iconic image that is unmistakably Kate Hepburn and also works in silhouette? Perhaps a full length image in wide-legged trousers? That’s something to ponder!
 
 

Errol Flynn
 

Clint Eastwood
 

Peter O’Toole
One of my top three favorites within the set (along with Newman and McQueen). Not only is it obvious and iconic, but it evokes the same emotion I feel each time I watch Lawrence of Arabia. Which is the mark of great art, after all!
 

 

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