MIDWEEK PRAYER

In Matthew's gospel, he records that one day Jesus, early in his public life, had a large number of people following him near the shore on the north end of the Sea of Galilee because he had been performing miracles.  He climbed the highest hill in the area so he could speak to them.  He gave them what we commonly call the Sermon on the Mount.  In it, Jesus told these common people what was expected of his followers and what they could expect if they did follow him.  The gist of the teaching he gave them is what we call the Beatitudes.  

Briefly, he told them that no matter how down and out they were, following him would lead them to where they wanted to be; that those who were poor in spirit would find the Kingdom of Heaven, those who mourn would be comforted, those who are meek and try to be righteous will find all they need on earth,, those who were merciful would receive mercy, those who were peacemakers would be children of God, and those who were persecuted for God's sake would spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

It's good to be reminded of these things when we are down and out. When the Apostles first went about spreading the gospel, they called their movement "the way".   It is 'the way'.

WORDS ON THE WALL

QUIET PLEASE

PRESS BUTTON FOR HELP

Michelle Suzanne is beginning her 57th year today.  Maybe she'll stay up later than usual - listening to the election returns tonight.  She was sleeping late at night on this date in 1968 in Bethesda (Base) Hospital.  I doubt she heard the news on the TV in the nurse's lounge that Richard Nixon was elected president.  

QUIZ OF THE WEEK

Not a quiz this week - just a survey.  Choose your favorite song of the 1970s.  Here is a list of some of my favorites.  Pick one of these or give me another.  Put your answer in comments.  No wrong answers this week.

Dancing Queen - ABBA

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Your Song - Elton John

Hotel California - Eagles

Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

Imagine - John Lennon

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

Easy - Commodores

SON DAY

HAVE QUESTIONS - DOUBTS?    

SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND.  

KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU

NEWS OF THE WEEK

A song named "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" got knocked out of the top spot on the Billboard charts after 15 weeks.  It is the work of someone who sounds country but doesn't look it.  His name is Shaboozey.  Who knew?

That's enough news for this week.

I few weeks ago I wrote about the song American Pie.  Here is a portion of it.

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died

RIP Jay

ANSWER TO MONDAY'S QUIZ

The Armour Hot Dog Commercial.  It's one of those that if you hear it, you might be singing it all day or for days.  It hit the tube in 1967 and played for a long time.  I'm not even sure if Armour still sells hot dogs. 

Anyway, if you want to know who eats Armour Hot Dogs, here it is:  "Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks; tough kids, sissy kids and even kids with chicken pox."  Can you believe it?  That would never be allowed in our woke society.  

- - - 

On another note; today is the day the Catholic Church remembers All the Saints.  Tomorrow is the day, the Church remembers All the Souls who have died.  Its good that we remember.  

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

When your dog brings you one of it's toys for you to throw so it can bring it back to you, does he choose the toy it likes best or the one it thinks you like best?

MIDWEEK PRAYER

 There's one thing about prayer that I remind myself of every once in a while.  It is, of course, talking to God.  At times we have very special things that we think we should pray for and at other times, nothing special comes to mind.  It is important that we pray, keep up our conversation with God, at all times.  Don't just hit him with the big stuff.  Keep in touch so he'll know you, know when you are really in need.  Of course, He never for gets you or doesn't know who you are but it is often showed in the Bible that persistence is a blessed and rewarded attribute.  Remember that our "time" is not His "time".  Be patient and be persistent.  

Oh yea.  Before you ask for something, always start by saying thanks for all the good stuff.

WORDS ON THE WALL

I  II  III  IV  V  VI  VII  VIII  IX  X  XI  XII  XIII  XIV

OK, where am I that you would see this on the wall?  

Happy Birthday Joseph Patrick Fuhrman

QUIZ OF THE WEEK

I really like this one.  It's again, right out of my 'hay days' - before the world was 'woke'.  It is a song made for a TV commercial.  

Tell me:  What kinds of kids love Armour hotdogs?  Armour hotdogs, the dogs kids love to bite.

Complete answers can be left in comments. . . or you can try to be funny.  Answer on Friday.

p.s. If you pull it up on YouTube, admit it.  

SON DAY

Another week and another day closer to the end of political commercials and text messages and e-mails and mail flyers.  I can't wait.  

Hope you all have a great day today; full of love.  

"Take care of yourself and each other."  

NEWS OF THE WEEK

The Bengals staggered by the Browns, unimpressively, last Sunday.  Tomorrow they take on Philadelphia in Paycor Palace.  The Eagles are not what they used to be but neither is the hometown crew.  

Major League Baseball began it's World Series Friday night.  The big spenders from the coasts are out to prove that the big money is worth it.  The Dodgers are slightly favored over the Yankees.

UC Bearcat football is making a name for itself.  They've exceeded my expectations and could finally  impress the press with a win over Prime Time's Colorado Buffalos late tonight.

The top grossing box office movies last weekend were Smile 2, The Wild Robot, and Terrifier 3.  When you get close to Halloween, only the flics that 'scare the pants off you' are popular.  Young people control this market.

The stock market was a slight loser for the week but overall, much higher for the year.  There's a lot going on in the world.  Here's my quirky look at the market.  Big money people are always looking ahead; that's how they stay ahead.  Future events are taken into account before they happen.  Big changes occur when the big guys get fooled.  If the election goes they way they think it does, the market should roll right along.  If not, it could change directions.  In that it has been recently rising, whomever they think will win must be good for business.  Remember this the week after the election.

The Middle East is still a mess.  Israel is firm in it's conviction that it must eliminate those who would eliminate them.  Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis, (all arms of Iran) are their targets.  Like all wars, many innocents are harmed or killed.  The US is trying to walk the balance beam between it's number one ally and the rest of the world over it's prosecution of the war.  We supply both arms to Israel and cash to those they harm.  We encourage Israel to restrain; we send them equipment to sustain, and we plea that it all be kept on a level below which a larger war would ensue.  

The weather is Southwest Ohio has been gorgeous and it looks like we have about ten more days of it.  The always beautiful golf courses are now lined with brilliantly colored trees.  Maybe that's why I'm playing so poorly.  

ANSWER TO MONDAY'S QUIZ

The answer to Monday's quiz is "American Pie". That song was one of the longest ever written and recorded.  So long that it couldn't fit onto a 45 rpm record which was the standard for the time -  radio disc jockeys had to play it off of the 33-1/3 album.  Take a listen - more than 8 minutes.

American Pie     https://youtu.be/PRpiBpDy7MQ?si=bq-9afkjiVkGal06

Here are just a few of the references that people draw from the song.:  

holy trinity  "the three men I admire most, the Father, Son and holy Ghost,  took the last train to the coast"

Bob Dylan  "the Jester"

Elvis  "the King"

the plane crash  "the day the music died"  the one that killed the Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper in 1959

Janis Joplin  "I met a girl who sang the blues"

ADVICE

This is not advice but a note to be advised.  Sportico, a company that puts the sales value on sports things, has valued all of the NFL franchises.  

Before you get sideways over the potentially great team we have in Cincinnati, know that the value of a franchise has a lot to do with the city in which it resides and the contract or lease agreement it has with the city/county.  Moreover, it depends on the stake it has in the stadium, parking and other facilities.  And don't forget, you have to add in, it's ability to earn income from the sale of goods, logos, and rights to the name.  Further, there are other advantages some franchises have relative to their locale with regard to advertising.  

That said, these guys value the Cincinnati Bengals as the least valuable franchise in the league.  The Brown family does not have the great deal that most teams have.  As a result, they value this team at only a mere $4.71 billion.  BILLION!  No tears to be shed for the Brown family.