St. Francis giving away his cloak.
I step down
from the throne my heart has claimed,
I smash down the idols I have raised,
I declare Your death, I immerse my soul
In all Your faith and the promise of Your Resurrection, Your Glory and Your Life.
You are meek and lowly in heart, I put You on,
O clothe me, Your servant, in Your righteousness,
Teach me Your Way, let me ever live for You.
Amen.
I love you all madly so I'm sharing this recent true story for everyone including unblievers, disbelievers and doubters. My friend Bob is 86 years old. Quite recently his blood work came back really wacky. It had been quite normal for an 80+ year old until that happened. His doctor called him back immediately and had him scheduled for further tests. It turns out he had pernicious leukemia! Later on the doctor told him that he was prepared to tell Bob he had perhaps 4 to 6 weeks to live. People began to pray. Undoubtedly none more zealously than his lovely wife. A week later his blood showed some improvement. A week after that more improvement! And the next week his blood work was almost normal. Long story short the doctor called him in and told him that he had been the recipient of a bona fide miracle. His blood work is completely normal. Completely! Thank you Jesus, woohoo hallelujah woohoo ❗❤️🩹 ➡️❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗💖
As you like it?
From Webster's 1828 dictionary
DEMOCRACY, n. [Gr. People, and to possess, to govern.]
Government by the people; a form of government, in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the people collectively, or in which the people exercise the powers of legislation. Such was the government of Athens.
AND also From Webster's 1828
⬇️
REPUB'LIC, n. [L. respublica; res and publica; public affairs.]
1. A commonwealth; a state in which the exercise of the sovereign power is lodged in representatives elected by the people. In modern usage, it differs from a democracy or democratic state, in which the people exercise the powers of sovereignty in person. Yet the democracies of Greece are often called republics.
2. Common interest; the public. [Not in use.]
Republic of letters, the collective body of learned men.
*******
From the Etymology dictionary online
SOCIALISM (n.)
in reference to theories or systems that substitute cooperative action and community possession of means of production in place of competition based on individual effort, 1837, from French socialisme (1832) or formed in English (based on socialist) from social (adj.) + -ism. Perhaps first in reference to Robert Owen's communes. "Pierre Leroux (1797-1871), idealistic social reformer and Saint-Simonian publicist, expressly claims to be the originator of the word socialisme" [Klein, also see OED discussion]. The French word began to be used in this sense c. 1835.
Socialism is not found in Webster's 1828 dictionary. The earliest example of the French word is from 1832 **********
From Webster's 1828 dictionary
MON'ARCHY, n.
[Gr. See Monarch.]
1. A state or government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a single person. Such a state is usually called an empire or a kingdom; and we usually give this denomination to a large state only. But the same name is sometimes given to a kingdom or state in which the power of the king or supreme magistrate is limited by a constitution, or by fundamental laws. Such is the British monarchy. Hence we speak of absolute or despotic monarchies, and of limited monarchies. A free government has a great advantage over a simple monarchy. 2. A kingdom; an empire. **************
From Webster's 1828 dictionary
TYR'ANNY, n.
1. Arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; the exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government. Hence tyranny is often synonymous with cruelty and oppression.
2. Cruel government or discipline; as the tyranny of a master.
3. Unresisted and cruel power.
4. Absolute monarchy cruelly administered.
5. Severity; rigor; inclemency.
The tyranny o' th' open night. It's line o'clock
Matthew 13:44-49 (KJV) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
It is hard to understand why God would crush Jesus, His innocent Servant. But it is in His suffering for sin that God deals decisively with sin and its harmful effects.
Isaiah 53:1
Indeed, who would ever believe it? Who would possibly accept what we’ve been told? Who has witnessed the awesome power and plan of the Eternal in action?
2
Out of emptiness he came, like a tender shoot from rock-hard ground.He didn’t look like anything or anyone of consequence— he had no physical beauty to attract our attention.
3
So he was despised and forsaken by men, this man of suffering, grief’s patient friend.As if he was a person to avoid, we looked the other way; he was despised, forsaken, and we took no notice of him.
4
Yet it was our suffering he carried, our pain and distress, our sick-to-the-soul-ness.We just figured that God had rejected him, that God was the reason he hurt so badly.
5
But he was hurt because of us; he suffered so. Our wrongdoing wounded and crushed him.He endured the breaking that made us whole. The injuries he suffered became our healing.
6
We all have wandered off, like shepherdless sheep, scattered by our aimless striving and endless pursuits;The Eternal One laid on him, this silent sufferer, the sins of us all.
7
And in the face of such oppression and suffering—silence. Not a word of protest, not a finger raised to stop it.Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered, he went—oh so quietly, oh so willingly.
8
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away. From this generation, who was there to complain?Who was there to cry “Foul”? He was, after all, cut off from the land of the living,Smacked and struck, not on his account, because of how my people (my people!)Disregarded the lines between right and wrong. They snuffed out his life.
9
And when he was dead, he was buried with the disgraced in borrowed space (among the rich),Even though he did no wrong by word or deed.
10
Yet the Eternal One planned to crush him all along,
to bring him to grief, this innocent servant of God.
When he puts his life in sin’s dark place, in the pit of wrongdoing,
this servant of God will see his children and have his days prolonged.
For in His servant’s hand, the Eternal’s deepest desire will come to pass and flourish.
11
As a result of the trials and troubles that wrack his soul,
God’s servant will see light and be content
Because He knows, really understands, what it’s about; as God says,
“My just servant will justify countless others by taking on their punishment and bearing it away.
12
Because he exposed his very self—
laid bare his soul to the vicious grasping of death—
And was counted among the worst, I will count him among the best.
I will allot this one, My servant, a share in all that is of any value,
Because he took on himself the sin of many
and acted on behalf of those who broke My law.”
