Lobsterbacks and a Royal Wedding

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

LOBSTERBACKS AND A ROYAL WEDDING

     Yesterday, while reviewing information for my novel, I came across the word lobsterback. What the heck, I thought. What does it mean to a New Englander who likes an occasional lobster?

     I picked up a book that was lounging in my house, I Hear America Talking: An Illustrated History of American Words and Phrases. It offers the following discussion on the word lobsterback: The British side of the Revolutionary War had the redcoats, also called Lobsters (England 1643; America 1770); lobsterbacks and bloody backs (American use since 1770). All these, of course, referred to the British soldiers’ bright red uniform jackets.*  

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     When I woke up just after 5:00 a. m. this morning I fully intended to return to my warm bed for the rest of my night’s rest. However, my husband Monte, who happened to be working on the computer, asked me if I had awakened to watch the British Royal Wedding of William and Kate, scheduled to be aired live on BBCA. The actual wedding was to begin at 11:00 a. m. British time, or 6:00 a. m. United States time. Since I wasn’t too tired I decided to switch the television channel to BBCA at 5:30 a. m.

     Nancy Lee, my sister who lives in Buffalo, New York, said last night that she was going to set her alarm clock for 2:30 a. m. to watch the festivities I don’t know what television channel she was watching, but I knew we would be enjoying the wedding together, although we live six hours driving time apart. How BBCA described the wedding, as a nice communal, unifying, English experience was working for us too.

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     I turned to my computer, where I found lobsterback defined as A

The True Artist Knows How To…

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

THE TRUE ARTIST KNOWS HOW TO…

     In a recent movie, a substitute dance teacher, Mike, was confronted with one child in the group, Jill, whose inability to “get it” was ruining the dance recital performance. The regular dance teacher, Beth, shrugged it off, having compassion for Jill, who truly wanted to dance.

     When Beth saw the dance performed at the recital, she leaned over to Mike.

     “You re-choreographed the dance,” she said, becoming more pleased as the performance continued.

     Mike had done so. He had taken Jill out of the mix of dancers and given her an individual part that meshed with the choreography.

     His response to Beth’s comment was a cliché, but appropriate: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” He had taken the weakest link, not only making it the strongest, but making it the center.

     What is creativity? Talent, skill, artistry—how are these concepts defined?

     I still remember an assignment in an art class. Us students were all given an 8 ½ by 11 sheet of paper. We were told to cut the longest strip we could from this paper.

     Easy, I thought smugly. How long a strip can you cut from the sheet of paper? Why, 11 inches. Which I did.

     However, I was limited in my creative thinking. Other students

A Chance Encounter With a Chicago Writer

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH A CHICAGO WRITER

     On our last day in the Chicago area my husband Monte took me to explore the downtown area. My daughter, Sandy, had visited Chicago the previous July and had recommended we see landmarks that impressed her—the ferris wheel at the Navy Pier; the Cloud Gate Sculpture (a. k. a. the Bean), the Sears Tower—and, what she thought would especially appeal to me, the Chicago Tribune building. I visited the ferris wheel with Darlene, and we didn’t get to the Sears Tower.

     We did cross the bridge over the Chicago River enroute to the Chicago Tribune building—a massive, tall, landmark with both ancient and modern artifacts embedded in the stones of its building.

     We entered the lobby and watched as guards checked identification of persons allowed to enter the newspaper tower. I watched, wishing one of them would take me for a tour of the offices.

     The day was cold and windy, and my husband Monte and I looked for a restaurant before we were to board the public transportation that would return us to our car. We finally spotted a small sandwich shop in a building that included a library. There were four tables that would seat up to eight persons comfortably.

     While my husband Monte was paying for our snack—a quiche with salad on the side—I scanned the tables looking for a seat. I noticed a woman sitting alone. She seemed pleased

Lenten Study: 7 Deadly Sins—Holy Saturday

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

LENTEN STUDY: 7 DEADLY SINS

HOLY SATURDAY

MONTE W. HOLLAND

INTRODUCTION

     The following study is a journey through Lent, the forty-day pre-Easter season (which excludes Sundays).  Easter’s date, determined by the time of the first full moon after the Spring equinox, is very late this year.

     Traditionally, many Christians use Lent for self-examination and a renewal of their commitment to their faith.

     This year I  chose to do a devotional study on aspects of the Seven Deadly Sins, sins identified by very early Christians as key behaviors separating man from God and God’s will. The seven sins are not listed together in the Bible—each is, however, spoken about in various Scripture sites.

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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS:

GREED, ENVY, ANGER, LUST, GLUTTONY, SLOTH and PRIDE.

 THE ASPECTS OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE:

#1 Breaking the Mosaic Law

#2 Defying God or rebelling against God

#3 Acts of violence to others

#4 Failing to make proper sacrifices or worship

#5 Not living up to or reflecting God’s glory (not living as one created in God’s image)

HOLY SATURDAY

SCRIPTURE: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers–all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him– provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. . (Colossians 1:15-23 (NRSV))

DEVOTION: The bold print says it all—Good Friday, with the horrible death scene at Calvary, has come and gone. We are on the verge of Easter—the empty tomb and the glorious celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.

     This is the last day of Lent this year. We’ve taken our time to reflect on the most prevalent sins in our lives and to meditate on the antidotes to these deadly sins—with the seven virtues: humility, generosity, love, kindness, self-control, temperance, and zeal. Jesus’ death on the Cross has changed everything. Jesus has reconciled us to him. We may not be able to live the perfect life that he did, but we can live close to Jesus. With Jesus’ help we can be more identified with these seven virtues and less associated with the

Ladybug, Ladybug, From Whence Did You Come?

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

LADYBUG, LADYBUG, FROM WHENCE DID YOU COME?

     The first spring of our new home I went to an upstairs room. There, the floor was covered with ladybug carcasses. Where did they come from? Had they wintered in the woodwork? I’d never seen so many of the red creatures with black dots on their backs.

        When my granddaughter Jordan was younger, that is, toddler age, she loved ladybugs. I can’t say the same about me during this invasion of their ilk, although in other settings I find them intriguing.

     Although many parts of the world consider the ladybug a good-luck symbol, I don’t recall having that much extra good luck during or after the invasions. In China the ladybug is known as

Lenten Study: 7 Deadly Sins—Maundy Thursday

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

LENTEN STUDY: 7 DEADLY SINS

MAUNDY THURSDAY

MONTE W. HOLLAND

INTRODUCTION

     The following study is a journey through Lent, the forty-day pre-Easter season (which excludes Sundays).  Easter’s date, determined by the time of the first full moon after the Spring equinox, is very late this year.

     Traditionally, many Christians use Lent for self-examination and a renewal of their commitment to their faith.

     This year I  chose to do a devotional study on aspects of the Seven Deadly Sins, sins identified by very early Christians as key behaviors separating man from God and God’s will. The seven sins are not listed together in the Bible—each is, however, spoken about in various Scripture sites.

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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS:

GREED, ENVY, ANGER, LUST, GLUTTONY, SLOTH and PRIDE.

THE ASPECTS OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE:

#1 Breaking the Mosaic Law

#2 Defying God or rebelling against God

#3 Acts of violence to others

#4 Failing to make proper sacrifices or worship

#5 Not living up to or reflecting God’s glory (not living as one created in God’s image)

MAUNDY THURSDAY

SCRIPTURE:  13:1 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
13:2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper
13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,
13:4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.
13:5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. (John 13:1-5, 12-15, 34,35)

13:12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13:13 You call me Teacher and Lord–and you are right, for that is what I am.
13:14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
13:15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”

13:34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

DEVOTION:  Lent is drawing to a close. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are upon us.

     Maundy Thursday is associated with the upper room Passover meal and the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion.) Only the Gospel of John brings foot-washing into this event. Jesus reminds us that we are servants of one another. No task is too

Lenten Study: Seven Deadly Sins—Deadly Sin Recap

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

LENTEN STUDY: 7 DEADLY SINS

DEADLY SIN RECAP

MONTE W. HOLLAND

INTRODUCTION

     The following study is a journey through Lent, the forty-day pre-Easter season (which excludes Sundays).  Easter’s date, determined by the time of the first full moon after the Spring equinox, is very late this year.

     Traditionally, many Christians use Lent for self-examination and a renewal of their commitment to their faith.

     This year I  chose to do a devotional study on aspects of the Seven Deadly Sins, sins identified by very early Christians as key behaviors separating man from God and God’s will. The seven sins are not listed together in the Bible—each is, however, spoken about in various Scripture sites.

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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS:

GREED, ENVY, ANGER, LUST, GLUTTONY, SLOTH and PRIDE.

 THE ASPECTS OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE:

#1 Breaking the Mosaic Law

#2 Defying God or rebelling against God

#3 Acts of violence to others

#4 Failing to make proper sacrifices or worship

#5 Not living up to or reflecting God’s glory (not living as one created in God’s image)

DEADLY SIN RECAP

SCRIPTURE:  ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8 -9 (KJV))

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 (NIV))

So  then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:25-32 (NRSV)) [God] chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. (Ephesians 1:4 (NRSV))

DEVOTION:  I heard from a friend of mine that John Wesley (a principal person of the Methodist movement in England) didn’t refer to the seven deadly sins in his writing. Be that as it may, these sins remain a constant challenge in our lives and well-written about in the scriptures. I hope that by now you can name these seven sins and are more sensitive to how they creep into your daily living.

     Certainly the sins overlap each other in many situations. Pride seems to be in

Lenten Study: 7 Deadly Sins—Pride #5: Friend of the World or Friend of God?

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

LENTEN STUDY: 7 DEADLY SINS

PRIDE  #5:

FRIEND OF THE WORLD OR FRIEND OF GOD?

MONTE W. HOLLAND

INTRODUCTION

     The following study is a journey through Lent, the forty-day pre-Easter season (which excludes Sundays).  Easter’s date, determined by the time of the first full moon after the Spring equinox, is very late this year.

     Traditionally, many Christians use Lent for self-examination and a renewal of their commitment to their faith.

     This year I  chose to do a devotional study on aspects of the Seven Deadly Sins, sins identified by very early Christians as key behaviors separating man from God and God’s will. The seven sins are not listed together in the Bible—each is, however, spoken about in various Scripture sites.

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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS:

GREED, ENVY, ANGER, LUST, GLUTTONY, SLOTH and PRIDE.

 THE ASPECTS OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE:

#1 Breaking the Mosaic Law

#2 Defying God or rebelling against God

#3 Acts of violence to others

#4 Failing to make proper sacrifices or worship

#5 Not living up to or reflecting God’s glory (not living as one created in God’s image)

PRIDE  #5

FRIEND OF THE WORLD OR FRIEND OF GOD?

SCRIPTURE: ³⁴ He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34  (NIV))

Submit Yourselves to God ¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. ⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ¹¹ Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? (James 4:1-12 (NIV))

 ⁵ All of you young people should obey your elders. In fact, everyone should be humble toward everyone else. The Scriptures say, “God opposes proud people, but he helps everyone who is humble.” (1 Peter 5:5 (CEV))

DEVOTION:  “ You’re not my friend!” 

     Don’t you hate to hear those words? Immediately I may ask What did I do? What’s wrong with me?  I expect to be able to take some corrective action to repair the friendship. After all, I am a pretty good guy, so I shouldn’t have to change much. On the other hand, my approach may be different: If you don’t like what I do or say, that’s tough. I believe my friend is wrong and he is the one to make adjustments in his attitude and actions.

     We tend to be proud of who we are. Can’t we list off the good deeds that we do in our family and in our community? And we can list all the good things we have done to help God out. To use the words from the scripture, we have been a friend of the world.

     However, James sees things a little differently.  James states that friendship with the world is 

“All My Children:” Susan Lucci & Erica Kane

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

ALL MY CHILDREN: SUSAN LUCCI & ERICA KANE 

     Erica has been “the other woman” in my husband’s life for almost forty years.

     In spite of the fact that he does no more than occasionally glance at her soap opera episodes—especially now that she is entering her eleventh valid marriage—I’m sure he will miss her beauty and pizzazz.

     He’s unaware that Erica Kane will disappear from our television set after September 2011. I only caught the news as I was about to put our computer to sleep for the night: ABC network is canceling both All My Children (and One Life to Live).

     Lest you conclude that I lounge on my couch all day in my comfortable ‘jammies with my hair up in rollers, nibbling on Reese’s peanut butter cups and indulging in an array of chocolate candies while I watch soap operas, I want to tell you that neither Monte nor I are fans of these programs.

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     My memories of soaps goes back to my childhood, when my grandmother listened to Stella Dallas on the radio soap. As I grew up, graduated from high school and college, held jobs, and married, I never expected to be an avid fan of a soap opera.

     Both All My Children and my daughter, Sandy, celebrated their

Lenten Study: 7 Deadly Sins—Pride #4: Don’t Brag

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

LENTEN STUDY: 7 DEADLY SINS

PRIDE #4: DON’T BRAG

MONTE W. HOLLAND

INTRODUCTION

     The following study is a journey through Lent, the forty-day pre-Easter season (which excludes Sundays).  Easter’s date, determined by the time of the first full moon after the Spring equinox, is very late this year.

     Traditionally, many Christians use Lent for self-examination and a renewal of their commitment to their faith.

     This year I  chose to do a devotional study on aspects of the Seven Deadly Sins, sins identified by very early Christians as key behaviors separating man from God and God’s will. The seven sins are not listed together in the Bible—each is, however, spoken about in various Scripture sites.

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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS:

GREED, ENVY, ANGER, LUST, GLUTTONY, SLOTH and PRIDE.

 THE ASPECTS OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE:

#1 Breaking the Mosaic Law

#2 Defying God or rebelling against God

#3 Acts of violence to others

#4 Failing to make proper sacrifices or worship

#5 Not living up to or reflecting God’s glory (not living as one created in God’s image)

PRIDE #4

DON’T BRAG

SCRIPTURE: ² Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you. ³ But we are the ones who are truly circumcised, because we worship by the power of God’s Spirit and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don’t brag about what we have done, ⁴ although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else. ⁵ I was circumcised when I was eight days old, and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses. ⁶ And I was so eager I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God. ⁷ But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. ⁸ Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ ⁹ and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. ¹⁰ All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, ¹¹ so that somehow I also may be raised to life. (Philippians 2:3-11 (CEV))

 Devotion: “Don’t brag!”

     What a challenge. Any time I talk about things that I do, isn’t that bragging? It seems that the only way around the sin of pride is to always give the praise and glory to God.

     Whatever I do, God makes it possible. Whatever I accomplish, God allows it. Whatever I do, I can only feel good about it if it glorifies God. For Paul, All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him. Paul goes on to spell out his desire to make himself acceptable to God by keeping the Law of Moses. And yet he points out that we are really acceptable to God through our faith in Jesus Christ alone.

     To me there is a fine line to be traveled here. On the one hand, we can avoid