John the Baptist Prepares the Way 3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for…
An Introduction into the Life and Art of Vincent Van Gogh – His Quest to Find the Light
Self Portrait – Vincent Van Gogh Painted in 1887 – Months before Van Gogh Moved to Arles In Quest of the Kingdom of Light Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands but moved to Belgium in 1886. After studying art there, he moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo, who had encouraged…
Vincent Van Gogh in Arles – Letters to Theo September 1888 – The Place and Month He Painted Starry Night Over the Rhone
In September of 1888, Vincent Van Gogh painted Starry Night Over the Rhone, During the same month, he wrote a letter to his brother Theo, and he began trying to explain how his frame of mind had changed since his recent move to Arles. Because of his move to Arles, Vincent had begun to recognize…
How to Make an Advent Wreath from Stuff You Have at Home – Unplug the Perfect! Use Candles from the Dollar Store — It’s OK!
True Confession Time — This year, I could not find my Advent Wreath, and it was not until December 23 that I found my Advent Candles. This morning, on the day before Advent ends, I realized that I could have gone to the dollar store weeks ago, and I could have used any candles to…
An Old Book of Holidays & Feast Days January 1 – December 31 – Published in 1901
NEW YEAR’S DAY. “Little children are usually snug in bed when the first holiday of the year arrives. It comes at midnight when all is dark out of doors. Sometimes the weather is very cold, here in England, with snow upon the ground; and as it nears midnight on the 31st December there is a…
Advent Day 21 – Looking at Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Advent — A Tale as Old as Time
In 2024, Day 21 of Advent falls on the day of Winter Solstice. That is not always the case. The dates of Advent vary from year to year: You might think that Christmas has been celebrated the same way since the day Jesus Christ was born–thousands of years ago. But that is not the case….
Unlike the Date of Christmas, the First Day of Advent Varies Year to Year – Dates of the First Day of Advent for the Next Several Years
Without a lengthy review of how things got this way, in most countries today, Christmas is celebrated on December 25–religiously–so to speak. But a bit of understanding is in order to understand when to expect the first day of Advent. Keep this tip in mind: Advent begins on a Sunday–the fourth Sunday before Christmas. In…
Advent Day 21 – The Water in God’s Plan
In yesterday’s Advent Story, we looked at the story of how God parted the Red Sea to help Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt and their bondage there: The Water is a power image in the Bible: Water is a major theme in the Bible. Perhaps that is because water was so very essential…