Hold On (Wilson Phillips song, 1990s)

Hello Grafted In Reader,

Today is Tuesday, November 5 in my corner of blog-land.

Election Day continues until 8PM this evening in the U.S. for President and several Public Offices. I did vote early by mail. Glad I did so!

There are a couple other things that will be mentioned here, so please, do continue reading, and welcome!

Health News

This little bit of news is from the Mayo Clinic. If you suffer from gut/stomach issues, this may interest you.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A team of Mayo Clinic researchers has developed an innovative computational tool that analyzes the gut microbiome, a complex ecosystem of trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms within the digestive system, to provide insights into overall well-being.

Story Notice

A few posts ago, I shared about one of my stories, Eyes Wide Opened, being in two parts, and published in the print edition, New Authors Journal.  This quarterly is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Easiest way is to google "New Authors Journal, Fall 2024"

You do not need to insert commas but perhaps the open/close quotation mark.

Part two of the story will be in the Winter issue, available just before the start of Winter, December 20, 2024. I did post a snippet of the story on this blog.

Mental Cogitation

For those with an interest in philosophy, faith matters, the neo-political, talkshow host Dennis Prager, has an online podcast hosted with an associate named Julie or Julia.

The October 13 episode is about the whole issue of what are bad thoughts and are they sinful?

The episode is a good hour in length. Google "Dennis Prager Podcast thoughts sin october"

You can also paste quotes here into a google search and press control and v together when in Google's homepage.

To copy and paste, put the cursor at the opening quote mark.

Then hold down the control and shift or capital key and right arrow through the closed quote, then, press control c together.

I gave this to you in reverse order, so copy first, and then paste with control v pressed together.

Final Notice

This will be our only post for November.

So, Happy celebrations or remembrance to you who observe special times on the calendar during this month...

Until early December, may the presence of the Holy One be with us always. If inclined, please say hello as a comment.

Mellow Rock

David C. Russell, Author

 

Blues Is My Medicine (acoustic, Lisa Mann)

Hello Grafted In Reader,

Today Is Tuesday, Oct. 29 in my corner of blog-land.

I awoke to the sound of rainfall, occasional thunder, and the prediction that today the high would be in the mid twenties Celsius, 75 Fahrenheit. We are one week away from another national election. Problems seem to be occurring with regard to vote safety in that some ballot boxes have been set afire across the NorthWest United States. So, votes have been eradicated and the election will probably be a topic of discussion well after November 5.

War continues in the Middle East and Eucraine regions of our world.

Inflation continues to be a concern for many as food prices continue to hold steady or rise steadily. I notice from recent purchase, a can of dog food raised in price by about fifty-cents within one week from $2.69 -  to $3.19. Granted, I can make a can of dog food last for our pooch for up to three days.

Little wonder Lisa Mann is beleaguered by the blues, per our post title. How about you?

I have been reading Isaiah chapter 42 this week, which is about the Prophet Isaiah talking of God's justice being meaded out in the end and protection for the marginalized: esp the blind and deaf people in our world. There is definite tension between the now, the present, the future and forthcoming.

For pleasure, stories from "Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine" are found to be entertaining for me. Imagination is a wonderful thing when used aright!

Finally,  thankful you chose to drop by today. Feel free to leave a hello or comment. Meantime, may the Presence of Adonai (the Lord) guide our steps today and tomorrow.

Mellow Rock

David C. Russell, Author

 

Reference To Prayer: (Whitney Houston, Madonna)

Hello Grafted In Reader,

Today is Friday, October 25, 2024 in my corner of blog-land. This post may appeal to those of you who observe a reflective time known as Sabbath, or quiet rest and contemplation during some hours between Friday and Sunday evening.

In the '90s, pop singers Madonna and Whitney Houston make a brief reference to prayer in two songs by each, respectively.

- Whitney prays about someone she has feelings of love for and desire for connection.

- Madonna says a prayer in the midnight hour for her love interest.

This blog, in its original purpose, was to inform us about the influence of Judaism with regard to Christian practice. Prayer is one of those practices within both faiths.

Here is a simple explanation offered by the website: bible.com.

TEFILLAH: Which means PRAYER

How often do we use prayer as nothing more than an emergency call or a cold call to God?

Too often we only pray when we need or want something from God - which is understandable considering the English word "pray" means to "ask or beg". But the Hebrew word for prayer - tefillah - means to "self evaluate”. So to the Jews of the Bible, prayer was not a time when they asked God for things … it was a time when they examined themselves. They would use prayer as a way to compare their actions, behavior and attitude against God’s holiness.

Could this idea change your prayers today?

Note: Whitney and Madonna in some ways reflect the Hebraic understanding of prayer in the two songs by each mentioned.

They entreat, request, ask, even beg God for intervention.

I encourage you to ponder this word during your quiet time.

Comments welcomed, and thanks for our visit today.

Mellow Rock,

David C. Russell, Author