A Chunk of Silver, Photo from”Minerals of the World” Project of US Geological Survey and Mineral Information Institute, Source US Federal Govt.
Mentioned in the Book of Genesis, silver has long been prized. Slag heaps in Anatolia attest that this precious metal has been separated from lead since the Bronze Age.
Refining is the method of removing impurities from the metal. It is important not to overheat silver in the refining process. This requires close attention to the molten metal. While overheating will not destroy silver, it can make the metal unworkable.
Temperatures as high as 1450 degrees Fahrenheit are necessary to vaporize impurities which then form on the surface of the silver as dross. Purified molten silver will shine with a mirror-like quality when ready to pour.
Refiner’s fire is often used as a metaphor for spiritual purification in the Bible.
David described God as having “tested us…refined us as silver is refined” (Ps. 66: 10). The prophet, Isaiah, spoke of God as purging out dross, and removing all alloy (Is. 1: 25). We are told by Malachi that the Messiah in the last days “will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Mal. 3: 3). Read more…
US Navy Mechanic Airman and Machinist’s Mate at Work on a Seahawk Helicopter, Photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Patrick L. Heil, Source US Navy (ID 060620-N-3946H-074)
We are surrounded by those rendering service. Mechanics, cleaning women, deli clerks, tow truck operators, building superintendents. The list is endless. Often times these people are “invisible” to us. Yet they personify grace.
CS Lewis wrote in Christian Reflections: “Most men must glorify God by doing to His glory something which is not per se an act of glorifying but which becomes so by being offered…The work of the charwoman and the work of the poet become spiritual in the same way and on the same condition.”
” ‘Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice…’ ” ( Matt. 12: 8).
Lord Jesus, teach us to be servants, as You were a Servant. Teach us to recognize and appreciate the service of others.
We offer You our work this day. May it be pleasing in Your sight.
Amen
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Illustration from “The Nightingale” by Hans Christian Andersen (1900), University of Connecticut Libraries, Author Internet Archive Book Images, Source Flickr (Art-PD l Old-100)
The nightingale is a migratory songbird native to Europe and Southwest Asia. Not a beautiful bird, the nightingale is brown above and light below, with a reddish tail.
Despite its drab appearance, the nightingale sings liltingly, day and night. The bird’s ancient name derives, in fact, from the Anglo-Saxon for “night songstress”.
It is actually the male bird that sings. Not to be outdone, nightingales sing more loudly in urban environments, presumably to offset competing noise.
Nightingales have inspired poets, musicians, and sweethearts since time immemorial. The great poet, John Milton, wrote of the nightingale in Paradise Lost: “…as the wakeful Bird Sings darkling, and in shadiest Covert hid Tunes her nocturnal Note [1].”
“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me — a prayer to the God of my life” (Ps. 42: 8).
Father, we seek You out as deep calls unto deep. Our hearts were made to long for You. Yet when the waves roll over us, we fear at times we are lost.
Forgive our lack of faith, Father. How can we doubt when You sent us Your Son?
Your mercies are unending. Your beauty surrounds us. We will hope in You and praise Your name…as does the humble nightingale.
Amen
—
[1] This quote can be found in Book III of Paradise Lost, at lines 38-39.
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“St. Francis of Assisi with Birds and Animals”, Stained Glass Window at Church of St. Mary’s Halstock, Photo by Sarah Smith, Source Geograph Project geograph.org.uk (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)
“…Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day…
Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens You have made them, precious and beautiful.
Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which You give Your creatures sustenance…”
– From Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi, that most humble of men, was born into comfort. The son of a well-to-do merchant, Francis might have led a life of ease. His father feared Francis would squander his life on self-indulgence.
Instead, Francis founded an Order of monks sworn to abject poverty. He died without worldly goods, bearing the stigmata of Christ, and radiant with joy.
But we are not all born to be friars. How then are we to find our way in the world? How can we distinguish God’s call on our lives from personal ambition or – worse yet – restlessness because the going has gotten rough or the task assigned us has become stale?
What do we do when confronted by that inevitable fork in the road?
There is no formula for holiness…or happiness, for that matter. We are bound to wrestle with God as Jacob did. The limitations of this earthly world dictate as much, since we are meant for another. Between our present location and that ultimate destination lies the road we travel, the life we choose – pitfalls, failures, triumphs, and all.
If we are to live for Christ, we must first know who He is and what He wants from us. The Lord, Himself, told us that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14: 6). He said that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind; that the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22: 37-40).
So Christians are to love…even their enemies (Matt. 5: 44). That sounds deceptively simple. How does it look in action? How can we best exemplify Christ to others? Certainly not by false piety or an air of self-righteousness. Those masks will be burned off by the first real trial we face. Read more…
First baby of the New Year at Calggett Mem’l Hospital (1973), Author David Hiser of EPA, Source National Archives and Records Administration (Identifier 552638) (PD as work of fed. govt.)
There is evidence to suggest that babies can recognize the faces of their mothers within weeks of birth. At first the baby’s vision is only clear enough to let him see his mother’s face as he is feeding. By 6 months of age, however, the baby will be able to pick his mother’s photo out of a group.
It is our mother’s face we seek out. Hers is the approval for which we first yearn. She is the source of our sustenance – both physical and emotional. Not only does she feed, burp, and change us. She bathes, powders, dresses, soothes, tickles, carries, and cuddles us.
She sings us lullabies. She reads to us. She ties our shoes, then teaches us how. She tells us why the sky is blue. She sacrifices for us, and keeps us from harm.
In this relationship, we can see reflected our relationship with God. Read more…
Miners Just Leaving the Elevator Shaft of Virginia-Pocahontas Coal Mine #4, Photo by Jack Corn for EPA, Source National Archives and Records Administration (NAI 556340)
Coal mines have been active in Pennsylvania since the late 1700s. Despite advances, coal mining remains enormously dangerous work. The ravages of Black Lung Disease persist, as does the struggle for occupational benefits.
Though surface mining has increasingly become the trend, we remain the voice for such people – those daily giving up their lives for others, but unable to defend themselves.
What a great privilege God has afforded us as lawyers…and what a great responsibility!
“As for the earth, from it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire; its stones are the source of sapphires, and it contains gold dust” (Job 28: 5-6).
Oh, Lord, how great are Your works in all the earth!
Give strength to those who labor with their hands. Give courage to us, that we may speak out for all those without a voice.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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Reims Cathedral, Photo By Josep Grin, Lohen11, Source Catalan Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.5 Generic)
Using little more than a set of compasses, a T-square, and a rope marked off at regular intervals, medieval masons crafted masterpieces in stone – places of worship filled with light.
The construction of Gothic cathedrals began with the laying of a cornerstone. Completion of these soaring structures could, however, take hundreds of years.
At a time when higher mathematics was largely unknown in Europe, masons (responsible for actually laying the stone) combined the modern roles of architect, engineer, builder, designer, and craftsman. With little or no formal education, stonecutters shared tips with one another, learning through trial and error. Maker’s marks can still be seen on the stone in some locations. Read more…
The term “renewal” has been applied to a wide range of activities.
Renewal is the name for a role-playing game, a rock band, an album, a song, a movie, a type of parliamentary procedure, a magazine, and a brand of rechargeable alkaline batteries, among other things.
Urban renewal relates to the redevelopment of inner cities. Renewal theory is a branch of probability theory, the mathematical analysis of random acts. Renewal Judaism is a spiritual movement incorporating aspects of Hasidism into modern Judaism.
Within Christianity, the term “renewal” has two distinct meanings. Traditionally, renewal has been used as a synonym for sanctification, the process by which we are transformed into the image of Christ. Recently, renewal has been used to designate the emerging church. Read more…
“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’ ” (Matt. 22: 35-40).
In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, a Philadelphia trial dealing with the murder of live infants at an abortion clinic has not gotten much press.
Dr. Kermit Gosnell is, among other things, accused of having routinely aborted babies far beyond Pennsylvania’s 24 week abortion limit, and having killed seven infants who survived abortion. Experts have estimated the gestational age of one such infant as nearly 30 weeks (full term being 40 weeks). Kareema Cross, the key prosecution witness against Gosnell, testified to seeing more than ten babies breathing post-abortion. Read more…
The statistics relating to recidivism are mind numbing:
- In 2011, the Pew Center on the States reported the overall recidivism rate [1] in the United States to be 40% three years after release. The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Statistics in 2002 had reported a rate of 51.1%.
- Department of Justice figures suggest that, within three years of release, approximately 2.5% of rapists will commit another rape; 1% of murderers will kill again [2]. Compare this with a 1995 study by Quincy, Rice & Harris which placed the long-term reconviction rate of rapists at 23%.
- Recidivism among child molesters has been estimated as 20% [3]. However, a 1993 study by Hansen, Steffy & Guathier indicated that 42% of sexual predators are reconvicted for sexual crimes, violent crimes or both [4]. Many victims do not report sexually based crimes, and not all such crimes brought to the attention of police are solved. Consequently, re-arrest and reconviction data for sexually based crimes greatly underestimates re-offense.
How can anyone not be repelled by these figures and the behavior they reflect? How can mercy toward criminals be reconciled with justice for victims?
Yet Christians are asked to put their feelings aside, and trust that God will do the impossible. As He has done for us.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink…” (Rom. 12: 20; Prov. 25: 21).
Lord Jesus, You teach us to return good for evil, to love even our enemies and those who would spitefully use us. This lesson is contrary to our nature. Our first instinct is to strike out, especially when loved ones have been harmed. How are we to overcome our inclinations?
Help us remember that love is stronger than hate. Help us believe that You will render justice – in this world or the next – even if we cannot. Extend Your grace to us, Lord, that we may extend Your mercy to others.
Amen
—
[1] Pew Center on the States, “State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons” (April 2011), https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2011/04/12/state-of-recidivism-the-revolving-door-of-americas-prisons.
[2] Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 34 States in 2012: A 5-Year Follow-Up Period (2012 – 2017)” by Matthew Derose and Leonardo Antenangeli, Uly 2021, https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/rpr34s125yfup1217.pdf.
[3] Department of Justice, Center for Sex Offenders Management, “Myths and Facts about Sex Offenders”, August 2000, https://cepp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Myths-and-Facts-About-Sex-Offenders-2000.pdf.
[4] National Institutes of Health, “Long-term recidivism of child molesters” by RK Hanson and RA Gauthier, August 1993, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8370860/.
Updated 5/3/24
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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A Lawyer's Prayers 