Saul answered David, “You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You’re too young and inexperienced—and he’s been at this fighting business since before you were born.”from 1 Samuel 17 (The Message)
David said, “I’ve been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I’ll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine.”
Saul said, “Go. And God help you!”
Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge.
David told Saul, “I can’t even move with all this stuff on me. I’m not used to this.” And he took it all off.
One Sabbath day he was walking through a field of ripe grain. As his disciples made a path, they pulled off heads of grain. The Pharisees told on them to Jesus: “Look, your disciples are breaking Sabbath rules!”Seems to me both Saul and the Pharisees were working out accepted wisdom, you needed armor to fight, you needed detailed rules to keep the Sabbath. Yet both were subverting the thing that they were trying to protect. David wouldn't have won in a traditional armor based fight. The Pharisees had turned a blessing "take one day a week off -" into a curse.
Jesus said, “Really? Haven’t you ever read what David did when he was hungry, along with those who were with him? How he entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, with the Chief Priest Abiathar right there watching—holy bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat—and handed it out to his companions?” Then Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the Sabbath. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath. He’s in charge!”
Fortunately, every year some of our favorite Paste artists choose to freshen the holiday music genre with new releases, whether they're original compositions or unique takes on traditional holiday favorites. If you're looking for the perfect playlist for that tired "Secret Santa" party or just hoping to amp up your holiday spirit in a new way, look no further than the Paste Holiday Sampler.You know the drill, email + postal code that the artist can use to contact you gets you 18 hip Christmas songs.
 | The underside of Paris' most famous arc at night. I wish I had centered this shot better. Other than that I love it. |
 | The cconic sign for the Paris Metro with other signs. I'm quite sure this was shot from the top of a tour bus. |
 | Moved the tripod thinking the shot had finished when it still had a second to go. Oops. |
 | Quite happy with capturing the beacon light at the top of the tower. |
 | A more traditional shot of the Arc de Triomphe |
 | I thought this Lensbaby portrait of the young woman with the flowers in her hair would genergate more interest. Oh well, I still like it. |
I wanna swear it's true but it's hard to defend itThe final line of the song puts that raw pain and doubt into the context of incarnational faith in way that is simply stunning. Best to listen to the song via the Noise Trade Widget embeded above, but reading the full lyrics works too.
I know it comes from You and I don't comprehend it
Love never fails
Mercy will prevail
I wanna swear it's true but it's hard to defend it
In the chill of a cruel word
In the nest of a wounded bird
In the shadow of doubt
In the smoke
In the smoke of a torch blown out
| #1 |  | 2nd only to 2008's Sky Canola this shot just took off. 1266 views, 76 favorites and 49 comments. I knew it was a cool shot but wasn't expecting that much of a response. It was the perfect spot for my Sigma 8-16mm Ultrawide lens. |
| #2 |  | #31 on the all time list, the London Eye does well again with my Ultrawide lens. Taken with my tripod on the Westminster bridge. |
| #3 |  | The Gothic Ceiling of the St Mary Aldermary Church was listed as one of the reasons to visit it when I googled the church while trying to locate Moot. Moot is as cool as their ceiling. Even if they did mock me for drinking Strongbow. Not a real cider apparently. |
| #4 |  | A weak shot technically, I think this shot works as the British Police are famous for not carrying guns. The fact that this armed Bobby is a woman just adds to the dissonance. |
| #5 |  | With 7 favorites and 0 comments I have no idea why people like this shot. I'm guessing the curved architecture, the clouds and the river. |
| #6 |  | Shot from our tour bus, this is one of those times when things come together. Cool shiny Austin Martin on a mostly monochromatic background. |
| +1 |  | Sometimes I get very excited about a shot and post it to flickr and the silence is deafening. I have a whole collection of these shots called: Personal Favs. I just love this handheld, Lensbaby night shot of a drenched Piccadilly Circus. Flickr was less impressed. |
