Sunspots 963

Things of interest that I have recently spotted:

Grammarphobia tells us about the history of the exclamation point/mark.

Gizmodo reports on a study indicating that cursive writing helps children learn more than keyboard use does.

A Conversation writer tells us about the smells we experience when we cut the grass. It's part of the plant's defense mechanisms.

A Conversation article discusses the question of why insects circle artificial lights at night, and answers that question.

Another Conversation article points out how getting enough good sleep increases athletic performance.

Thanks for reading!

Women singers in the Old Testament choir?

1 Chronicles 25:4 Of Heman; the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 25:5 All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 25:6a All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of Yahweh, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of God’s house; (World English Bible, public domain)

This seems to suggest that the three daughters were among the musicians under Heman, their father, in the time of David. The few other versions I checked said the same thing. The question, of course, is who "all these" refers to. I'm not sure.

Thanks for reading. 

With Christ in the School of Prayer, by Andrew Murray, excerpt 209

This post continues a series of excerpts from With Christ in the School of Prayer, by Andrew Murray. I do this, not because I'm a powerful prayer warrior, but because I'm not. Murray was. I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this public domain work available. To see their post of the book, go here. His book is based on Mark 11:22-24. The previous post in this series is here. As usual in this blog, long quotations are in this color. Murray's book is based on Mark 11:22-24.

He makes us share in His intercession.

To understand this, think first of His intercession: He ever liveth to make intercession. The work of Christ on earth as Priest was but a beginning. It was as Aaron He shed His blood; it is as Melchizedek that He now lives within the veil to continue His work, after the power of the eternal life. As Melchizedek is more glorious than Aaron, so it is in the work of intercession that the atonement has its true power and glory. ‘It is Christ that died: yea more, who is even at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us.’ That intercession is an intense reality, a work that is absolutely necessary, and without which the continued application of redemption cannot take place. In the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus the wondrous reconciliation took place, by which man became partaker of the Divine life and blessedness. But the real personal appropriation of this reconciliation in each of His members here below cannot take place without the unceasing exercise of His Divine power by the head in heaven. In all conversion and sanctification, in every victory over sin and the world, there is a real forth-putting of the power of Him who is mighty to save. And this exercise of His power only takes place through His prayer: He asks of the Father, and receives from the Father. ‘He is able to save to the uttermost, because He ever liveth to make intercession.’ There is not a need of His people but He receives in intercession what the Godhead has to give: His mediation on the throne is as real and indispensable as on the cross. Nothing takes place without His intercession: it engages all His time and powers, is His unceasing occupation at the right hand of the Father.

I've been gone. Sorry.

Approximately a month ago, our computer died. During the replacement process, I discovered that somehow I hadn't backed up the file with my Google password as part of it. After many attempts, Google has allowed me to use a new password, which I am now doing, thank God!

Thanks for reading, if anyone is. I hope to post more soon. However, I'm still getting acquainted with a new (to me) keyboard, a new (to me) operating system, Windows 11, a new HTML file creator, and trying to figure out where OneDrive has found and/or saved (or not) my files.

Sunspots 962

According to Gizmodo, drivers with electric vehicles are wearing out their tires rapidly. This doesn’t affect me – the article says that someone who “drives like a grandmother” won’t have such quick wear.

Gizmodo also tells us that the moon is shrinking. Really.