And the winner wil be. . . (NFL media column excerpt) -- www.nfl.com (Non-profit corporation)

from Adam Schein (Media Columnist posting - Jan. 2015):
And the winner will be ...

Minnesota Vikings receiver Greg Jennings echoed what I wrote after the Seahawks' improbable victory over the Packers in the NFC title game: Green Bay blew it more than Seattle won it.

The Seahawks' general manager, the great John Schneider, has put together a fantastic team, but I think New England is better and motivated to flip the nonsensical script from DeflateGate.
The Patriots will win an epic Super Bowl [February 1, 2015] by the score of 31-27, with Belichick taking his place as the best coach in NFL history.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000466287/article/marshawn-lynch-bill-belichick-among-keys-to-super-bowl-xlix


Actual score was a come-from-behind 28 - 24 victory for the New England Patriots (MVP Tom Brady who was QB)

Abolishing of Slavery (Constitutional Amendment) - dramatized in Spielberg's LINCOLN feature film

On this Date in history:
On Jan. 31, 1865, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery.

Psalm 31 - 21st Century translation and vocabulary choices - Pamela Greenberg's THE COMPLETE PSALMS (2010: Bloomsbury)

For the conductor of the eternal symphony /// a Psalm of David ///
In you, God, I have taken refuge.
Don't let me ever all to shame.
With your will toward goodness,
provide me means of escape.
Lean down your ear;
come to my rescue.
Be for me a Rock of strength,
a stronghold of salvation.

For you are my cliff and rest from pursuit.

In keeping with your truth, guide me, leading me forward.
Untangle me from hidden snares.
For you are my source of sustenance.
In your hand I place my spirit for safekeeping.
Redeem me, God of truth.
I have rejected those who uphold emptiness and vapor.

I have put my trust in you.

I will rejoice and take pleasure in your kindness,
knowing that you have seen my affliction.
You cared for me in times of trouble,
did not surrender me to the enemy's fist.
You stood my feet on wide plains.
Treat me gently now, my Solace,
because of the narrowness of my straits.
My eye is wasted away with anger,
along with my soul and my stomach.
My life has been destroyed by grief,
my years gone down with groans.
My strength falters because of my wrongs;
my bones are eaten away.
From those who watch for my ruin, I have fallen into scorn,
and most of all by ones with whom I was closest.
I am a source of fear to those who know me.
Those who glimpse me in the streets flee from my face.
I have become invisible as the dead-hearted,
like a lost vessel no one bothers to look for.
For I have heard accusations of the crowd,
a whirlwind of terror all around
when they gathered together against me.
They schemed to take my life --
but I trusted in you.
I proclaimed: "You are my God.
My every instant is in your hand."
You rescued me from the grasp of my enemies and pursuers.
Shine the light of your ace upon your servant.
Save me with the strength of your kindness.
Don't let me be ashamed for calling upon you, God.
Let the wrongful fall to shame instead,
let them go to the grave in silence.
Quiet their lips of lies,
those who speak falsely against the innocent
with arrogance and scorn.
How wide is your concern!
You shelter those who revere you,
protecting all who take refuge in you from harm.
Hide them in the shelter of your presence,
away from the hard knot of people.
Conceal them in a tabernacle,
far from the contention of tongues.
Praised is God for showing me the wonder of divine kindness,
even in a city under siege.
I have said in my panic,
"I am cut off from before your eyes."
But you heard the voice of my plea,
the note of desperation when I cried out for help.
Love the Infinite, all who act with kindness;
the Holy One keeps watch over the faithful,
paying back in good measure those who act with pride.

Be strong and embolden your hearts,
all who long for God.

Winter Storm (7 p.m. Saturday 1/31 until 4 a.m. Monday 2/2/2015) - Berrien County, Michigan USA

from National weather service (www.weather.com/ ):
Saturday, January 31, 8:02 a.m. EST

• ... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 P.M. THIS EVENING TO 4 A.M. EST MONDAY...
• THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 P.M. THIS EVENING TO 4 A.M. EST MONDAY.
• HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
• * HEAVY SNOW... 6 TO 12 INCHES. THE PERIOD OF HEAVIEST SNOW EXPECTED DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS ON SUNDAY.
• * BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW... ESPECIALLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY NIGHT.

Psalm 30 - a 21st Century translaton by Pamela Greenberg (THE_COMPLETE_PSALMS, 2010)

A Song for the Dedication of the House / / / by David / / /
I will raise you in praise, my Solace,
for you have drawn me up,
you have not let my enemies rejoice in my ruin.

God, my Physician, I cried to you for help,
and you healed me.

My Preserver, you lifted my soul from death,
kept me alive during my plunge to the pit.

Let those who love God sing out to the Source of Life,
and be thankful for memory of the holy.

For your anger lasts only a moment;
your will is in favor of life.

At night, I went to bed weeping;
in the morning -- a cry of joy.

I have said in my contentment
I will never stumble.

God, only by your resolve
do I stand on mountains of strength.

When you hide your face from me,
I am confounded, confused.

To you, God, I cry out.
To my Upholder I plead for compassion.

What profit is there in my death?
In my descent to destruction?

Will the dust be thankful to you?
Will it proclaim the light of your truth?

Hear me, God, and show compassion.
My Upholder, you have always been my Source of Help.

You changed my mourning clothes to dancing,
you loosened my sackcloth and covered me with joy.

So that my depths might sing out to you and never be stilled,
God, my Help, I will spill out gratitude to you forever.

January 31 - Winter Zoo Day -- family activity (Build Bird Feeder)

from Potawatomi Zoo dot-org (South Bend, Indiana):

We have very exciting things planned for the Winter Days this season!

Saturday, January 31, 2015 -

12:00 Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Admission is $5.50 per person. Zoo Members and ages 2 and under are free!  Last admission is 1/2 hour prior to closing.

January 31st- Make your own bird feeders!
February 14th- Valentine's Day clay handprint!
February 28th- Build your own safari kit!
March 14th- Flowerpot craft!

*There will be a $5 charge to participate in the activities. We will also be serving chili, soup, popcorn, nachos with cheese, hot chocolate, bottled water, and coffee for purchase.

Visit Potawatomi Zoo

500 S Greenlawn Ave - South Bend, Indiana 46615

Pre-purchase your activity tickets by calling the Zoo at 574 -235-9800 today!

Psalm 29: New Translation for Upper Room Publishers by Gary Chamberlain (1984 publication of THE_PSALMS)

Give to the Lord, you creatures of heaven,
Give to the Lord all glory and power.
Give to the Lord a glorious name;
Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor.

The voice of the Lord sounds over the oceans --
Crashing thunder above the deep seas.
The voice of the Lord is power;
The voice of the Lord is splendor.

The voice of the Lord splits the cedars;
God splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
God makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Mount Hermon skip like a wild young ox.

Slashing the sky with lightning-swords,
The Lord's voice makes the desert writhe;
The desert of Kadesh quakes.
In terror, the deer flee God's thunder,
That snaps the limbs from the trees;
In the temple God's glory appears!

The throne of the Lord is above sky and sea;
The Lord will rule forever.
Lord, give strength to your people;
Lord, bless your people with peace.

Invitation to Poets (Feb. 1, 2015) 2 p.m -- Sponsor is ArtsBridge

From "In the Bend" (arts magazine: Michiana) [www.southbendtribune.com ]
Poets of all ages are invited to the sixth annual "SuperBowl Poetry Reading" at First Presbyterian Church, 475 Green Avenue, Benton Harbor, MI.  Admission is free but donations will be accepted.  A reception follows.  Bring to share a favorite poem or a few poems you have written.  You may read your own work or have someone else read it aloud.  For further information on this annual Literary event telephone 269-925-7075 or locate "First Presbyterian in Benton Harbor" on FACEBOOK.  This is sponsored by ArtsBridge.

Significant School Closures (Winter Ice Condtions) - Jan. 29, 2015 - 6 a.m.

South Bend (IN) Community School Corporations

Closed Thursday;   Niles Community Schools 2 Hour Delay:     Brandywine Public Schools Closed Thursday

Freezing Rain (2:30 a.m.) - adverse ice on surfaces and roads - many school closings and delays in Berrien & Cass counties

 SOME LIGHT ICING IS EXPECTED WITH LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. 

   IMPACTS..DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED DUE TO ICY ROADS THURSDAY MORNING Jan. 29, 2015. EVEN LIGHT AMOUNTS OF ICING CAN MAKE UNTREATED ROADS ICY. PEDESTRIANS SHOULD ALSO BE ALERT FOR SLICK CONDITIONS ON WALKWAYS.

Thursday 4 - 9 a.m. Freezing Rain Advsory -- Southwest Michigan counties

Berrien

Freezing Rain Advisory:

Issued at: 3:51 P.M. EST on January 28, 2015, expires at: 9:00 A.M. EST on January 29, 2015

• ...Freezing Rain Advisory in effect from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST Thursday... The National Weather Service in northern Indiana has issued a Freezing Rain Advisory...which is in effect from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST Thursday. Hazardous weather...
• freezing rain is expected to develop later tonight into early Thursday morning before temperatures warm above freezing. Some snow and sleet may mix in at times.
• Some light icing is expected...less than a tenth of an inch. Impacts...
• impacts..dangerous travel conditions are expected due to icy roads Thursday morning. Even light amounts of icing can make untreated roads icy. Precautionary/preparedness actions... A Freezing Rain Advisory means that periods of freezing rain or freezing drizzle will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads. Slow down and use caution while driving.

Psalm 28 - 21st Century Translation - The Complete Psalms (2010) - Pamela Greenberg, Bloomsbury

By David ///
To you, God, I cry out -- don't deafen yourself to my prayer;
For if you withdraw in silence,
I will be like those who plunge into the well of death.
Listen to the voice of my pleasing;
my cries for help when I raise up my hands in your innermost chamber.
Don't drag me along with the wrongful,
unrepentant wreakers of harm,
those who say "peace" to their neighbors when hatred swells in their hearts.
Repay them according to their deeds,
according to the harm they made happen.
The work of their hands,
let them feel the pain they created.
Give them what they deserve,
for they don't understand your works
or the wondrous acts of your hands.
Break them down and don't rebuild them.
I will bend my knees in praise to you
for having listened to the voice of my pleading.
Your are my strength and my shield.
In you my heart trusted,
and I was helped from the dust.
My heart will exult;
I will pour out gratitude
through voice of my songs.
You give us strength;
a source of salvation
for your anointed.
Save your people, bless your possessions.
Guide them like sheep,
lifting them over obstacles forever.

Carmelite Mystic and Doctor of the Church (St. Teresa of Avila) - 500th Anniversary

The Center for Spirituality (CFS) at Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN) proudly announces the endowed Spring 2015 lecture series.  The series, which includes two talks and one panel discussion, is titled Saint Teresa of Avila: Carmelite Mystic and Doctor of the Church. It marks the 500^th anniversary of Saint Teresa’s birth. The lectures are free and open to the public. The Saint Mary’s College Annual Endowed Lecture Series Fund sponsors the lectures.
Teresa of Avila: Prayer is an Adventure in Love
Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Vander Vennet Theatre, Student Center, Saint Mary's Campus
Speaker: Keith J. Egan, Aquinas Chair of Catholic Theology Emeritus, Saint Mary’s College
Teresa the Theologian on the Human Person as Capax Dei
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time;
Vander Vennet Theatre, Student Center
Speaker: Elizabeth Dreyer, professor of religious studies, Fairfield University
Teresa and Us: The Significance of Teresa of Avila for Young Catholic Women Today Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time;
Vander Vennet Theatre, Student Center
Panelists:
Kaleigh Ellis, class of ’17, Saint Mary's College;
Katie Bugyis, doctoral candidate in Medieval Studies, University of Notre Dame;
Maria Surat, M.Div. student, University of Notre Dame;
Julia Feder, PhD, theology, post-doctorate, University of Notre Dame.

St. Thomas Aquinas Symposium Lecture (Jan. 28) CANCELLED -- "God & Evil" -- Brian Davies at St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN

CANCELED Father Brian Davies, Aquinas Symposium Speaker for 2015

Father Brian Davies, O.P., is the
speaker at the 2015 Symposium
on St. Thomas Aquinas at Saint
Mary's College.DUE TO A WINTER STORM ON THE EAST COAST, WHERE THE SPEAKER LIVES, THIS LECTURE IS CANCELED. OUR APOLOGIES.  THIS ANNUAL LECTURE IS HELD ON THE SAINT's FEAST DAY (January 28).

Psalm 27: a 21st Century translation (Common English Bible)

PSALM OF DAVID / / /
The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Should I fear anyone?
The LORD is a fortress protecting my life.
Should I be frightened of anything?
When evildoers come at me trying to eat me up --
it's they, my foes and my enemies, who stumble and fall!
If an army camps against me, my heart won't be afraid.
If war comes up against me,
I will continue to trust in this:
I have asked one thing from the LORD --
it's all I seek --to live in the LORD's house all the days of my life,
seeking the LORD's beauty and constantly adoring his temple.
Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling
during troubling times;
he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent;
he will set me up high, safe on a rock.
Now my head is higher than the enemies surrounding me,
and I will offer sacrifices in God's tent --
sacrifices with shouts of joy!
I will sing and praise the LORD.
LORD, listen to my voice when I cry out --
have mercy on me and answer me!
Come, my heart says, seek God's face.
LORD, I do seek your face!
Please don't hide it from me!
Don't push your servant aside angrily -- you have been my help!
God who saves me, don't neglect me!
Don't leave me all alone!
Even if my father and mother left me all alone,
the LORD would take me in.
LORD, teach me your way;
because of my opponents,
lead me on a good path.
Don't give me over
to the desires of my enemies;
because false witnesses and violent accusers
have taken their stand against me.
But I have sure faith that I will experience
the LORD's goodness in the land of the living!
Hope in the LORD! Be strong! Let your heart take courage!
Hope in the LORD!

Jauary 27 (Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz Death Camp Prisoners) -- 70 years ago today

from US HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM dot-org web posting:
January 2015 marks seventy years since the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest camp established by the Germans. A complex of camps, Auschwitz included a concentration camp, killing center, and forced-labor camps. It was located 37 miles west of Krakow (Cracow), near the prewar German-Polish border.
In mid-January 1945, as Soviet forces approached the Auschwitz camp complex, the SS began evacuating Auschwitz and its satellite camps. Nearly 60,000 prisoners were forced to march west from the Auschwitz camp system. Thousands had been killed in the camps in the days before these death marches began. Tens of thousands of prisoners, mostly Jews, were forced to march to the city of Wodzislaw in the western part of Upper Silesia. SS guards shot anyone who fell behind or could not continue. Prisoners also suffered from the cold weather, starvation, and exposure on these marches. More than 15,000 died during the death marches from Auschwitz. On January 27, 1945, the Soviet army entered Auschwitz and liberated more than 7,000 remaining prisoners, who were mostly ill and dying. It is estimated that at minimum 1.3 million people were deported to Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945; of these, at least 1.1 million were murdered.
http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features/special-focus/liberation-of-auschwitz

Morality, Security, Torture: Panel discussion - 7 p.m. January 27, 2015 - Auditorium, Hesburgh Center for International Studies, University of Notre Dame

from www.nd.edu / events of the week:

Panel Discussion: "Tortured Nation: Morality, Security, and Torture"

Where: Hesburgh Center for International Studies http://humanrights.nd.edu/events/2015/01/27/31961

The Center for Civil and Human Rights presents a discussion of the moral, political, and national security implications arising from the Senate Select Committee's report on detention and interrogation.

Panelists include:

--Paolo Carozza, Director, Kellogg Institute for International Studies
--Michael Desch, Co-director, Notre Dame International Security Program
--Thomas Durkin, Durkin & Roberts Attorneys and Counselors, Chicago
--Kelly Jordan, U.S. Army, Ret., Former Commander, Notre Dame ROTC
--Jean Porter, John A. O'Brien Professor of Theological Ethics

Light refreshments to follow. Co-sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns, Human Rights ND, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and Notre Dame Student Government.

Psalm 26 (from 2010 translation by Pamela Greenberg: THE COMPLETE PSALMS)

Judge me, God, for I have walked in integrity;

I have trusted your truth and will never be shaken.

Scrutinize me, God, put me to the test.
Smelt like metal my emotions and mind.

For I hold your kindness before my eyes always
and have walked back and forth in your truth.

I have not dwelt with those who die empty.
Those who conceal their wrongs -- I do not enter their midst.

I have avoided gatherings of the violent.
In the company of the callous, I did not dwell.,

I wash my hands clean, and turn toward your altar, Holy One --

to make my voice of thankfulness heard,
to tell stories of the array of your wonders.

God, I have loved the inside of your temple.
the place where your glory dwells.

Don't associate my soul with the mistaken,
and with the bloodthirsty, my life --

those whose hands pursue selfishness,
whose right arm takes money from bribes.

Because I have walked with integrity,
save me with your compassion.

My foot is planted on level ground.
In gatherings of multitudes I fall on my knees,
in awestruck praise of you.

The Book of Prayer Songs in a New Translation: Bloomsbury Publishing

125 years ago today: Completion of a world journey

January 25th, 1890, 125 years ago today . . . a date to make anyone with wanderlust jealous.

New York World

For that was the day journalist Nellie Bly of the New York World completed her trip around the world.

The 25-year-old Bly had set out alone from New Jersey the previous November to try to better the record of Phileas Fogg, the fictional hero of Jules Verne's 1873 novel, "Around The World in 80 Days."
By steamship and train, Bly traveled eastward, sending back brief reports to her World readers when she could.
Despite occasional setbacks, Bly returned in triumph in 72 days, defeating Fogg's record by a full eight days.
The New York World was so thrilled that it even published a "Round the World With Nellie Bly" board game.
Nellie Bly died in 1922 at just 57 years of age, but popular fascination with circling the world continues.
www.cbsnews.com/ (Sunday Morning - CBS features and interviews)

An alphabetic acrostic Psalm (25:1 - 22): Common English Bible (2011)

Of David ///
(Aleph): I offer my life / soul to you, LORD.
(Beth):   My God, I trust you.
Please don't let me be put to shame!
Don't let my enemies rejoice over me!
(Gimel):  For that matter, don't let anyone who hope in you be put to shame;
instead let those who are treacherous without excuse be put to shame.
Make your ways known to me, LORD; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth -- teach it to me -- because you are the God
who saves me.
I put my hope in you all day long.
LORD, remember your compassion, and faithful love -- they are forever!
But don't remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoing.
Remember me only according to your faithful love
for the sake of your goodness, LORD.
The LORD is good and does the right thing;
he teaches sinners which way they should go.
God guides the weak to justice, teaching them his way.
All the LORD's paths are loving and faithful
for those who keep his covenant and laws.
Please, for the sake of your good name.
LORD, forgive my sins, which are many!
Where are the ones who honor the LORD?
God will teach them which paths to take.
They will live a good life,
and their descendants will possess the land.
The LORD counsels those who honor him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
My eyes are always looking to the LORD
because he will free my feet from the net.
Turn to me, God, and have mercy on me because I'm alone and suffering.
My heart's troubles keep getting bigger --
set me free from my distress!
Look at my suffering and trouble --
forgive all my sins!
Look at how many enemies I have and how violently they hate me!
Please protect my Life! Deliver me!
Don't let me be put to shame
because I take refuge in you.
(Taw): Let integrity and virtue guard me because I hope in you.
Please, God, save Israel
from all its troubles!

Psalm 24 - 21st Century Translation - THE COMPLETE PSALMS (2010) - Pamela Greenberg

By David, a psalm. ///
The earth belongs to God and all that fills it,
every continent where people dwell.

For the Creator established its foundations upon the oceans
and upon rivers made it firm.

Who can ascend the eternal mountain?
Who can rise to the place where holiness dwells?

The clean of hands and the clear of heart,
those who do not say "By my life."
when they do not mean it,
who do not swear to that which is a lie.

Such ones will carry with them a blessing from God;
a blessing of justice from the God of salvation.

This is the generations of those who seek out your wonder;
those among Jacob who quest for your face -- SELAH.

Lift up your heads, gates of heaven
and the openings of eternity will be lifted.

The Holy One of Glory comes.
Who is this Holy One of Glory?

God, who is strong and valiant,
God, who is unflinching during war.

Lift up your heads, gates of heaven;
lift up the openings of eternity,
The Holy One of Glory comes.
Who is this Holy One of Glory?

Creator of the Heavenly Spheres.
God is the Holy One of Glory -- SELAH.

Psalm / Prayer Song in New Translation (2010 published by Pamela Greenberg / Bloomsbury USA dot-com): Psalm 23

A PSALM OF DAVID ///
God is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
You lay me down in lush meadows.

You guide me toward tranquil waters, reviving my soul.

You lead me down paths of righteousness, for that is your way.

And when I walk through the valley, overshadowed by death,
I will fear no harm, for you are with me.

Your rod and staff -- they comfort me.
You spread a table before me
in face of my greatest fears.

You drench my head with oil;
my cup overflows the brim.

Surely goodness and kindness
will accompany me all the days of my life
and I will dwell in the house of the Holy
for the length of my days.

[ The Complete Psalms: The Book of Prayer Songs in a New Translation ]

NBC family-oriented drama series to end in January 2015: "May God bless and keep you always" (1/29/2015, 10 p.m. Eastern)

PARENTHOOD:   Season 6, Episode 13

"May God Bless and Keep You Always" (29 January 2015)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4202244/?ref_=tt_ep_nx

On this date in history -- Landmark Supreme Court decision - ruling

ON THIS DAY On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its Roe vs. Wade decision, which legalized abortion.

Psalm 22 - a 21st Century translation - Common English Bible, 2011

For the music leader // According to the Doe of Dawn // A Psalm of David //
My God! My God, why have you left me all alone?  Why are you so far from saving me -- so far from my anguished groans?
My God, I cry out during the day, but you don't answer; even at nighttime I don't stop.
You are the holy one, enthroned.  You are Israel's praise.
Our ancestors trusted you -- they trusted you and you rescued them; they cried out to you and they were saved; they trusted you and they weren't ashamed.
But I'm just a worm, less than human; insulted by one person, despised by another.
All who see me make fun of me -- they gape, shaking their heads:
"He committed himself to the LORD, so let God rescue him; let God deliver him because God likes him so much."
But you are the one who pulled me from the womb, placing me safely at my mother's breasts.
I was thrown on you from birth; you've been my God since I was in my mother's womb.
Please don't be far from me, because trouble is near and there's no one to help.
Many bulls surround me; mighty bulls from Bashan encircle me.
They open their mouths at me like a lion ripping and roaring!
Im poured out like water.
All my bones have fallen apart.
My heart is like wax; it melts inside me.
My strength is dried up like a piece of broken pottery.
My toungue sticks in the roof of my mouth; you've set me down in the dirt of death.
Dogs surround me;
a pack of evil people circle me like a lion -- oh, my poor hands and feet!
I can count all my bones!
Meanwhile, they just stare at me, watching me.
They divvy up my garments among themselves; they cast lots for my clothes.
But you, LORD! Don't be far away! You are my strength! Come quick and help me!
Deliver me / my soul from the sword.
Deliver my life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the mouth of the lion.
From the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me!
I will declare you name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the very center of the congregation!
All of you who revere the LORD -- praise him!
All of you who are Jacob's descendants -- honor him!  All of you who are all Israel's offspring -- stand in awe of him!
Because he didn't despise or detest the suffering of the one who suffered -- he didn't hid his face from me.
No, He listened when I cried out to him for help.
I offer praise in the great congregation because of you;
I will fulfill my promises in the presence of those who nor God.
Let all those who are suffering eat and be full!
Let all who seek the LORD praise him!
I pray your hearts live forever!
Every part of the earth will remember and come back to the LORD; every family among all the nations will worship you.
Because the right to rule belongs to the LORD: he rules all nations.
Indeed, all the earth's powerful will worship him; all who are descending to the dust will kneel before him; my being also lives for him.
Future descendants will serve him; generations to come will be told about my Lord.
They will proclaim God's righteousness to those not yet born, telling them what God has done.

Sunday February 1, 2015 --Local Library Friends Book & A/V sale -- Basement - 620 E. Main St., Niles, MI 49120

Superbowl Book Sale February 1, 2015

All Books (Paperback and Hardback) are 10 cents. All audiovisuals are 25 cents apiece.

Morris Theater performance - Jan. 21, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. - John Mellencamp

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer JOHN MELLENCAMP is hittin' the road on a massive 80-day tour which kicks off at The Morris to promote one of the most distinguished records of his career, Plain Spoken.  The record will be released on September 23rd, 2014 includes ten stunningly elegant and soul-searching Americana gems.

"The music looks back toward ... 'Blood on The Tracks," with strummed guitars, brushes on the drums and neck-rack harmonica, and the words ponder trouble, power, love, God, freedom and mortality," says THE NEW YORK TIMES.  Plain Spoken is set to be hailed as an unparalleled new chapter in Mellencamp's distinctive songbook.

Concert goers will receive a digital download of the Plain Spoken record with purchase of tickets.

TICKET PRICES:
$ 252.00 - Diamond VIP Package  (Within First 8 Rows - Pit & Orchestra Rows AA-A Center Sections)
$ 128.50 - Orchestra, Boxes & Mezzanine
$   89.50 -  Main
$   69.50 -  1^st & 2^nd Balconies
$   42.50 -  3^rd Balcony
Six Ticket Limit per household.  More information at:
http://www.morriscenter.org/schedule.php?id=228

Psalm 21 (Commn English version, published 2011)

For the music leader // a Psalm of David //
The king celebrates your strength, LORD: look how happy he is about your saving help!
You've given him what his heart desires; you haven't denied what his lips requested. SELAH.
You bring rich blessings right to him; you put a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him, all right -- long days, forever and always!
The king's reputation is great, because of your saving help; you've conferred on him glory and grandeur.
You grant him blessings forever; you make him with the joy of your presence.
Because the king trusts the LORD, and because of the Most High's faithful love, he will not stumble.
Your hand will catch all your enemies; your strong hand will catch all who hate you.
When you appear, LORD, you will light them up like an oven on fire.  God will eat them whole in his anger; fire will devour them.
You will destroy their offspring from the land; destroy their descendants from the human race.
Because they sought to do you harm, they devised a wicked plan -- but they will fail!
Because you will make them turn and run when you aim your bow straight at their faces!
Be exalted, LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power!

Advisory until mid-day (National Weather Service) - Jan. 21, 2015

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREEZING DRIZZLE... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 A.M. EST THIS MORNING.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...

* FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL CONTINUE INTO MID MORNING. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE FOR VERY LIGHT SNOW AT TIMES THIS MORNING.

* ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIGHT BUT ENOUGH TO COVER MOST SURFACES WITH A LIGHT COATING OF ICE. THIS WILL CREATE ICY AND HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR DRIVING AND WALKING.

* VISIBILITIES MAY BE REDUCED AT TIMES DUE TO FOG AND PRECIPITATION.

IMPACTS...

* ICY... SLICK AND HAZARDOUS ROADS THROUGH MID MORNING... ESPECIALLY UNTREATED AND SECONDARY ROADS. MAIN ROADS WILL BE DANGEROUS IF YOU DO NOT SLOW DOWN AND USE CAUTION.

While SOTU address is being given, the Transportation Secretary will be in undisclosed location. . .

posted 8 p.m. Eastern Time: from NY Times online:
Source: Peter Baker   

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will be the Cabinet member not attending the State of the Union address in case of emergency.

Psalm 20 (Common English Bible translation for 21st Century readers, 2011)

For the music leader //  A Psalm of David //
I pray that the LORD answers you whenever you are in trouble.
Let the name of Jacob's God protect you.
Let God send help to you from the sanctuary and support you from Zion.
Let God recall your many grain offerings; let him savor your entirely burned offerings.  SELAH.
Let God grant what is in your heart and fulfill all your plans.
Then we will rejoice that you've been helped.
We will fly our flags in the name of our God.
Let the LORD fulfill all your requests!
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed one; God answers his anointed one from his heavenly sanctuary, answering with mighty acts of salvation achieved by his strong hand.
Some people trust in chariots, others in horses; but we praise the LORD's name.
They will collapse and fall, but we will stand up straight and strong.
LORD, save the king!  Let him answer us when we cry out!

Psalm 19 (21st Century translaton) - Common English Bible- published in 2011

For the music leader // A psalm of David //
Heaven is declaring God's glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
One day gushes the news to the next, and one night informs another what needs to be known.
Of course, there's no speech, no words -- their voices can't be heard -- but their sound extends
throughout the world; their words reach the ends of the earth.
God has made a tent in heaven for the sun.
The sun is like a groom
coming out of his honeymoon suite; like a warrior, it thrills at running its course.
It rises in one end of the sky; its circuitry is complete at the other.  Nothing escapes its heat.
The LORD's Instruction is perfect reviving one's very being / soul.
The LORD's laws are faithful, making naïve people wise.  The LORD's regulations are right, gladdening the heart.
The Lord's commands are pure, giving light to the eyes.
Honoring the LORD is correct, lasting forever.
The LORD's judgment are true.  All of these are righteous!
They are more desirable than gold -- than tones of pure gold! --
and they are sweeter than honey -- even dripping off the honeycome!
No doubt about it:
your servant is enlightened by them;
there is great reward in keeping them.
But can anyone know what they've accidentally done wrong?
Clear me of any unknown sin
and save your servant from willful sins.  Don't let them rule me.
Then I'll be completely blameless; I'll be innocent of great wrongdoing.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Who was Basil Moreau (b. 1799)? -- why will Campus Ministry honor him on Jan. 20, 2015 (142 years after his death)?

from ND dot-edu / Campus Ministry web sections (Events):

Moreau Day

Time: Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 9:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M.                

Please join Campus Ministry as we celebrate the Feast Day of Congregation of Holy Cross founder, Bl. Basil Moreau. Born in Le Mans, France on Feb. 11, 1799, Moreau died on Jan. 20, 1873 after founding the congregation in 1837. In his lifetime, Moreau not only developed the basic principles that characterize the Holy Cross education we know today, he also selected Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., to establish the congregation in the United States and form the University of Notre Dame.
http://campusministry.nd.edu/about/events/2015/01/20/31427-moreau-day/

Presidential Proclamation (Jan. 19, 2015) -- National MLK Birthday (Federal Observance)

from Press Office (Proclamations) - whitehouse dot-gov (Jan. 18, 2015):
Today, we pause to pay tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. King, and we reflect on the lessons he taught us. Dr. King understood that equality requires more than the absence of oppression; it requires the presence of economic opportunity. He recognized that "we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." In a world full of poverty, he called for empathy; in the face of brutality, he placed his faith in non-violence. His teachings remind us we have a duty to fight against poverty, even if we are wealthy; to care about the child in the decrepit school long after our own children have found success; and to show compassion toward the immigrant family, knowing that we were strangers once, too. Dr. King transformed the concepts of justice, liberty, and equality, and as he led marches and protests and raised his voice, he changed the course of history.

From Dr. King's courage, we draw strength and the resolve to continue climbing toward the promised land. Our Nation has made undeniable progress since his time, but securing these gains requires constant vigilance, not complacency. We have more to do to bring Dr. King's dream within reach of all our daughters and sons. We must stand together for good jobs, fair wages, safe neighborhoods, and quality education. With one voice, we must ensure the scales of justice work equally for all -- considering not only how justice is applied, but also how it is perceived and experienced. As Dr. King told us, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," and this remains our great unfinished business.

Through struggle and discipline, persistence and faith, patriots and prophetic leaders like Dr. King have driven our country inexorably forward. In every chapter of our great story, giants of history and unheralded foot soldiers for justice have fought to bridge the gap between our founding ideals and the realities of the time. We will never forget all who endured and sacrificed, or those who gave their lives, so that our children might live in a freer, fairer, and more just society.

In sermons and speeches, Dr. King's voice rang out with a call for us to work toward a better tomorrow. As we honor his legacy, Americans across the country will join one another for a day of service, picking up the baton handed to us by past generations and carrying forward their efforts. As one people, we will show when ordinary citizens come together to participate in the democracy we love, justice will not be denied.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 19, 2015, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday.

Freedom March (Cass County, Michigan USA): takes place in County Seat of Cassopolis, MI

Freedom March (Monday, Jan. 19, 2015)

To the courthouse

Downtown Cassopolis, Michigan

11 a.m.   Eastern Time Zone

Marchers will meet on Rowland Street by the U.S. Post office. Chief Frank Williams will escort the marchers.
www.leaderpub.com/ [ further details and event announcements ]

Free Admission for students (Celebration Cinema, Benton Harbor, Michigan USA) -- times for feature film "Selma" (2015 first-run)

• 12:05, 3:05, 6:05, and 9:05 p.m.: Celebration Cinema at 1468 Cinema Way, Benton Harbor, MI offers free admission to the new civil rights movie Selma for those with student ID.  Film is 128 minutes long and has this rating:

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)               

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language.

March from County-City Building to Century Center, South Bend, Indiana USA (Jan. 19, 2015 mid-day)

Event is free and does not require pre-registration:
• 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.: This traditional march will first gather in the lobby of the County-City Building for song, readings, prayer, and a presentation of community service awards, then a march to the Century Center.

Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation Blood Drive (9:30 a.m. - Noon) -- 22 scheduoled appointments for South Bend Medication Foundation website

Location:	Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation at the Century Center (Downtown) 120 S. Saint Joseph St South Bend, IN 46601
Date:	Monday - January 19th 2015 - EST SIGN UP at to reserve a time at SBMF dot-org

Psalm 18 (a translation for the 21st Century) - CEB, published in 2011

NOTE: This poem also occurs in II Samuel 22 with some variations // For the music leader // Of David, the LORD's servant, who spoke the words of this song to the LORD after the LORD delivered him from the power of all his enemies and from Saul //
He said: I love you, LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer.
My God is my rock -- I take refuge in him! --
he's my shield, my salvations strength, my place of safety.
Because he is praiseworthy, I cried out to the LORD, and I was saved from my enemies.
Deaths cords were wrapped around me; rivers and wickedness terrified me.
The cords of the grave / Sheol surrounded me; death's traps held me right.
In my distress I cried out to the LORD;  I called out to my God for help.
God heard my voice from his temple; I called to him for help, and my call reached his ears.
The earth rocked and shook; the bases of the mountains trembled and reeled because of God's anger.
Smoke went up from God's nostrils;  out of his mouth came a devouring fire;
flaming coals blazed out in front of him!
God parted the skies and came down; thick darkness was beneath his feet.
God mounted the heavenly creatures and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.
God made darkness cloak him; his covering was dark water and dense cloud.
God's clouds went ahead of the brightness before him; hail and coals of fire went too.
The LORD thundered in heaven; the Most High made his voice heard with hail and coals of fire.
God shot his arrows, scattering the enemy; he sent the lightning and threw them into confusion.
The seabeds were exposed; the earth's foundations were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD:
at the angry blast of air coming from your nostrils.
From on high God reached down and grabbed me; he took me out of all that water.
God saved me from my powerful enemy, saved me from my foes, who were too much for me.
They came at me on the very day of my distress, but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out to wide-open spaces; he pulled me out safe because he is pleased wih me.
The LORD rewarded me for my righteousness; he restored me because my hands are clean,
because I have kept the LORD's ways.  I haven't acted wickedly against my God.
All his rules are right in front of me;
I haven't turned away from any of his laws.
I have lived with integrity before him; I've kept myself from wrongdoing.
And so the LORD restored me for my righteousness because my hands are clean in his eyes.
You deal faithfully with the faithful; you show integrity toward the one who has integrity.
You are pure toward the pure; but toward the crooked, you are tricky.
You are the one who saves people who suffer and brings down those with proud eyes.
You are the one who lights my lamp -- the LORD my God illumines my darkness.
With you I can charge into battle; with my God I can leap over a wall.
God! His way is perfect; the LORD's word is tried and true.  He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
Now really, who is divine except the LORD? And who is a rock but our God?
Only God!  The God who equips me with strength and makes my way perfect,
who makes my step as sure and the deer's, who lets me stand securely on the heights,
who trains my hands for war so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
You've given me the shield of your salvation; your strong hand has supported me; your help has made me great.
You've let me walk fast and safe, without even twisting an ankle.
I chased my enemies and caught them!  I didn't come home until I finished them off.
I struck them down; they couldn't get up again;  they fell under my feet.
You equipped me with strength for war; you brought my adversaries down underneath me.
You made my enemies turn tail from me; I destroyed my foes.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them.  They cried for help to the LORD,
but he wouldn't answer them.
I crushed them like dust blown away by the wind; I threw them out like mud dumped in the streets.
You delivered me from struggles with many people; you appointed me the leader of many nations.
Strangers come to serve me.
After hearing about me, they obey me; foreigners grovel before me.
Foreigners lose their nerve; they come trembling out of their fortresses / prisons.
The LORD lives! Bless God, my rock!  Let the God of my salvation be lifted high!
This is the God who avenges on my behalf, who subdues people before me, who delivers me from my enemies.
Yes, you lifted me high above my adversaries; you delivered me from violent people.
That's why I thank you, LORD, in the presence of the nations.  That's why I sing praises to your name.
You are the one who gives great victories to your king, who shows faithful love to your anointed one -- to David and to his descendants forever.

Happy 51st Birthday, to FLOTUS!

"Biography" definition at IMDb dot-com:
Michelle Obama was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, USA as Michelle LaVaughn Robinson.

Spouse:

Barack Obama

(3 October 1992 - present) (2 children)

Trivia:

Graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Sociology, and went on to earn a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

The movie she saw on her first date with Barack Obama was Do the Right Thing (1989).

Her brother is the head coach of the Oregon State basketball team.

Has two daughters, Malia Obama (born in 1998) and Sasha Obama (born in 2001).

Is narrowly beaten by Eleanor Roosevelt as the tallest United States First Lady. Michelle Obama is slightly shorter than 5'11", Roosevelt was slightly shorter than 6'.

Psalm 17: 1-15 (21st Century translation) - Common English Bible

A Prayer of David --
Listen to what's right, LORD:
pay attention to my cry!
Listen closely to my prayer;
it's spoken by lips that don't lie!
My justice comes from you;
let your eyes see what is right!
You have examined my heart, testing me at night.
You've looked me over closely,
but haven't found anything wrong.
My mouth doesn't sin.
But these other people's deeds?
I have avoided such violent ways by the command from your lips.
My steps are set firmly on your paths; my feet haven't slipped.
I cry out to you because you answer me.
So tilt your ears toward me now -- listen to what I'm saying!
Manifest your faithful love in amazing ways
because you are the one who saves those who take refuge in you,
saving them from their attackers by your strong hand.
Watch me with the very pupil of your eye!
Hide me in the protection of your wings away from the wicked
who are out to get me, away from my deadly enemies who are all around me!
They have no pity;
their mouths speak arrogantly.
They take me down -- suddenly, they surround me!
They make their plans to put me in the dirt.
They are like a lion eager to rip its prey;
they are like a strong young lion lying in wait.
Get up, LORD!
Confront them!
Bring them down!
Rescue my life from the wicked -- use your sword!
Rescue me from these people -- use your own hands, LORD!
Rescue me from these people whose only possession is their fleeting life.
But fill the stomachs of your cherished ones;
let their children be filled full so that they have leftovers enough for their babies.
But me?  I will see your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I will be filled full by seeing your image.

National Drug Facts Day (January 30, 2015) -- for U.S. High School students nationwide

Drug Facts Chat Day

Drug Facts Chat Day is an annual live online chat held between high school students and NIDA scientists during National Drug Facts Week^SM. Students from around the country ask the questions they most want the answers to about drugs and drug abuse, including drug effects, how to help friends or family that are abusing drugs, and what causes addiction. Our expert scientists give them the facts.
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-facts-week/chat-with-scientists

Supreme Court agrees to hear four cases involving Same-Sex Marriage (April 2015) with ruling likely by June 30 or thereabouts

From SCOTUS Blog -- http://www.scotusblog.com/
Court will rule on same-sex marriage

By Lyle Denniston on January 16, 2015 at 3:39 p.m. Eastern Time 

Taking on a historic constitutional challenge with wide cultural impact, the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon agreed to hear four new cases on same-sex marriage.   The Court said it would rule on state power to ban gay and lesbian marriage and state power to refuse to recognize such marriages performed out of state.  A total of one hour and ninety minutes was set for the hearings, likely in the April sitting.
The Court fashioned the specific questions it is prepared to answer, but they closely tracked the two core constitutional issues that have led to a lengthy string of lower-court rulings striking down state bans.  As of now, same-sex marriages are allowed in thirty-six states, with bans remaining in the other fourteen but under court challenge.

Psalm 16: 21st Century Translation effort (Common English Bible, published in 2011)

"A Miktam of David"
Protect me, God, because I take refuge in you.
I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord. Apart from you, I have nothing good."
Now as for the "the holy ones" in the land, the "magnificent ones" that I was so happy about;
let their suffering increase because they hurried after a different god.
I won't participate in their blood offerings; I won't let their names cross my lips.
You, LORD, are my portion, my cup; you control my destiny.
The property lines have fallen beautifully for me; yes, I have a lovely home.
I will bless the LORD who advises me; even at night I am instructed in the depths of my mind.
I always put the LORD in front of me; I will not stumble because he is on my right side.
That's why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous; yes, my whole body will rest in safety because you won't abandon my life [my soul] to the grave; you won't let your faithful follower see the pit.
You teach me the way of life. in your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand.

Anniversary of Gulf War operation Desert Storm (1991)

from NY TIMES online edition:

ON THIS DAY

On Jan. 16, 1991, the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Eboo Patel -- 7:30 p.m. DeBartolo Hall, University of Notre Dame -- Multicultural Event / Interfaith Leadership

Eboo Patel: “Interfaith Leadership: Engaging Religious and Non-Religious Diversity in the 21st Century.”

Thursday January 15, 2015, 7:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.

Location: Debartolo Hall 101

Eboo Patel, Founder and President of Interfaith Youth Core, believes that religious and non-religious identities can serve as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. In an increasingly pluralistic society, what knowledge base and skill do we need to create these bridges? Eboo’s answer is interfaith leadership: the ability to voice values, engage diversity, and act on behalf of the common good. Join us to learn more about this idea, and to explore your own identity as an interfaith leader as well.

 http://msps.nd.edu/events/calendar/2015/

Psalm 15: 1-5 (21st Century translation: published in 2011) - Common English Bible

"A Psalm of David"
Who can live in your tent, LORD?
Who can dwell on your holy mountain?
The person who lives free of blame, does what is right, and speaks the truth sincerely;
who does no damage with their talk, does no harm to a friend, doesn't insult a neighbor;
someone who despises those who act wickedly, but who honors those who honor the LORD:
someone who keeps their promise even when it hurts;
someone who doesn't lend money with interest; who won't accept a bribe against any innocent person.
Whoever does these things will never stumble.

Visitors to this Google Blog (Seeking Faith and Understanding) 2015 statistics

Pageviews today      134 (April 25, 2015) Pageviews yesterday     158 (Friday 4/24/2015)

4:20 a.m. International Space Station crew moves away from Ammonia Leak (Jan. 14, 2015)

A problem in the U.S. segment of the International Space Station on Wednesday prompted its six-person crew to quickly lock it up and move to a Russian module, but they aren't in danger, Russian and U.S. officials said.
"The space station crew is safe," NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said.
According to a NASA official, a "very small" ammonia leak was detected around 4:20 a.m. EST, CBS News space consultant William Harwood reports. The crew donned masks as a routine protective measure, moved into the Russian section of the space station and closed hatches to isolate the U.S. section.
Russia's space agency Roscosmos said in a statement that a "leak of harmful substances from the cooling system" prompted the crew to isolate the American module.
"The crew is safe and is in the Russian segment now," it said in a statement, adding that mission control experts in Moscow and Houston quickly and efficiently cooperated to ensure the crew's safety.
While Roscosmos said there was a leak, NASA said in a statement broadcast on its online television station there was still "no concrete data that suggests that there was in fact an ammonia leak."
"We saw an increase in water loop pressure, then later saw a cabin-pressure increase that could be indicative of an ammonia leak in the worst case scenario, so we protected for the worst case scenario and isolated the crew is the Russian segment of the space station while the teams are evaluating the situation," Jacobs said.
www.cbsnews.com/ with updated information 9 a.m. Eastern Time.

The Catholic Church, Ireland, Pope Francis (annual lecture at Notre Dame School of Business Auditorium and Basilica sermon): Wed. 1/14/2015 and Thursday 5:30 p.m.

"The Catholic Church in Ireland and Pope Francis: Legacy and Transformation" (2015 Keeley Vatican Lecture)

Thursday January 15, 2015 • 5:30 P.M. - 6:30 P.M.
Jordan Auditorium, Mendoza College of Business, campus of Notre Dame 

The Most Reverend Charles J. Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland and Titular Archbishop of Aquileia, celebrates the 10th annual Keeley Vatican Lecture on Thursday, January 15th at 5:30 p.m. in Jordan Auditorium of Mendoza College of Business.
Archbishop Brown will also preside and preach at Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Wednesday, January 14th at 5:15 p.m.
Archbishop Charles J. Brown graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1981, and went on to earn master’s degrees from the University of Oxford and the University of Toronto.  John Cardinal O’Connor ordained him a priest in 1989 for the Archdiocese of New York, and later sent him to Rome for doctoral studies in sacramental theology, intending that Brown would return to teach at Dunwoodie Seminary.  While in Rome, however, Archbishop Brown was recruited to work for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  There he worked under Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, for over ten years.  He served the Congregation until 2011, when Pope Benedict personally ordained Archbishop Brown to the episcopate and appointed him Titular Archbishop of Aquileia and apostolic nuncio to Ireland.  Archbishop Brown’s appointment in Ireland is an opportunity for healing and revitalization of the Catholic Church in Ireland. 

Psalm 14: 1 - 7 (21st Century translation, CEB)

"For the music leader // Of David"
Fools say in their hearts, There is no God.  They are corrupt and do evil things; not one of them does anything good.
The LORD looks down from heaven on humans to see if anyone is wise, to see if anyone seeks god; but all of them have turned bad.
Everyone is corrupt.  No one does good -- not even one person!
Are they dumb, all these evildoers, devouring my people like they are eating bread but never calling on the LORD?
Count on it [or There they will be]; they will be in utter panic because God is with the righteous generation.
You evildoers may humiliate the plans of those who suffer, but the LORD is their refuge.
Let Israel's salvation come out of Zion!
When the LORD changes his people's circumstances for the better, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will celebrate!

Psalm 13: 1- 6 (21st century translation: published in 2011) - Common English Bible version

"For the music leader // A song of David"
How long will you forget me, LORD? Forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I be left to my own wits, agony filling my heart? Daily?
How long will my enemy keep defeating me?
Look at me! Answer me, LORD my God!
Restore sight to my eyes!  Otherwise, I'll sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, "I won!"
My foes will rejoice over my downfall.
But I have trusted in your faithful love.
My heart will rejoice in your salvation.
Yes, I will sing to the LORD because he has been good to me.

Hunter Ice Festival 5K run (6th Annual) -- Details for Jan. 17, 2015 - Niles, Michigan USA

from NILES DAILY STAR publicization (Jan. 11 online posting):
Inertia Cycleworks is offering a winter run this month in conjunction with the Hunter Ice Festival.

The 6th annual Frigid 5K will begin at 9 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 17., at Inertia Cycleworks, located at 211 E. Main St. in downtown Niles.

Participants will travel a route along the St. Joseph River in downtown Niles.

Afterward, runners and walkers will have the opportunity to warm up with chili, cookies, and an age-group awards presentation at Massimo’s Pizzeria downtown.

There will be running and walking categories.

Day of race registration will be offered from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Inertia Cycleworks.

Entry fee is $25 or $20 without a race shirt.

People can begin picking up their race packets from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16 at Inertia Cycleworks.

For more information, including a race route visit the website niles5k.com or email chris@inertiacycleworks.com.

MLK and Coretta (Scott) King Children in legal hearing over Bible and Nobel Peace Prize - Jan. 13, 2015

Excerpt of PEOPLE Magazine article (online):
Three of Martin Luther King Jr.'s children are expected to appear in an Atlanta courtroom on Tuesday as they battle over the slain civil rights leader's tattered personal Bible and Nobel Peace Prize, reportedly worth millions of dollars.

Dexter King and Martin Luther King III have sued their sister Bernice King for the items, which are in her possession. King's estate is controlled by Bernice's two brothers, who reportedly want to sell their father's belongings to a private buyer.

The dispute started not long after President Barack Obama used the Bible during his 2013 inauguration. Bernice was ordered by the estate to turn over the two items and was later sued in Fulton County, Georgia, Superior Court when she refused.

In February 2014, Bernice released a statement about the feud over "our father's most prized possessions," explaining how troubling her brothers actions are. 

"There is no justification for selling either of these sacred items," she wrote. "They are priceless and should never be exchanged for money in the marketplace. While I love my brothers dearly, this latest decision by them ... reveals a desperation beyond comprehension."
http://www.people.com/article/martin-luther-king-jr-children-feud-bible-nobel-prize?xid=rss-fullcontent

Michigan Governor injured on Winter Vacation

Gov. Rick Snyder sports a cast after injuring Achilles (Jan. 11, 2015):

 

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder arrived at Cobo Center today with a cast on his right foot and ankle, after tearing an Achilles tendon Wednesday while jogging on vacation in Florida.

 

Snyder, 56, said he will have to wear the cast and walk around in crutches for about six weeks and hopes to avoid surgery, but must avoid putting weight on it in the meantime.

Known for walking at a brisk pace, Snyder told the Free Press in an interview today that he decided to take up running, with the notion joining his children at in a 5K (3.1-mile) race in the near future. On his fourth day of running, he was upping the distance to "a couple of miles" when he injured the tendon.

Excerpt from online article by Detroit Free Press reporter  - columnist Tom Walsh = http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/tom-walsh/2015/01/11/rick-snyder-jogging-achilles/21598309/

Friday, Feb. 21,2015 -- Abraham Lincoln Presidentical Museum, Springfield, IL

February 21, 2015

Family Day

Where: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum 

Story time at the Museum.  At 10:30 a.m. a civil war solider will be joining us to read a story.  Join in crafts and have a treat.  Museum admission required.

Parking - General Admission
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum parking ramp is off 6th Street between Madison and Mason streets. The rates are .75 cents per half-hour or $9.75 per day. The RV and bus parking lot is a flat rate of $5.00.
http://www.illinois.gov/alplm/Pages/default.aspx

An historic "Tailgate" and Championship Game (www.collegefootballplayoff.com)

Monday, January 12, 2015 (Orogon vs. the Ohio State University)

• Championship Tailgate | Noon - 6 p.m. Central Time Zone
• College Football Playoff National Championship | 7:30 p.m. Central Time Zone; played at AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
   

Psalms 11 and 12 (Common English Bible Translation)

Both "For the music leader // Psalm of David":
Psalm 11: 1 - 6 (CEB)
I have taken refuge in the LORD. So how can you say to me,
"Flee to the hills like a bird because the wicked have already bent their bows; they've already strung their arrow, they are ready to secretly shoot those whose heart is right?"
When the very bottom of things falls out, what can a righteous person possibly accomplish?
But the LORD is in his holy temple.  The LORD His throne is in heaven.  His eyes are --
his vision examines all of humanity.
The LORD examined both the righteous and the wicked, his very being / soul hates anyone who loves violence.
God will rain fiery coals and sulfur on the wicked; their cups will be filled with nothing but a scorching hot wind because the LORD is righteous!  He loves righteous deeds.
Those whose heart is right will see God's face.

Psalm 12: 1 - 8 (CEB)
Help, LORD; because the godly are all gone; the faithful have completely disappeared from the human race!  Everyone tells lies to everyone else; they talk with slick speech and divided hearts.
Let the LORD cut off all slick-talking lips and every tongue that brags and bras, that says, "We're unbeatable with our tongues! Who could get the best of us with lips like ours?"
But the LORD says, "Because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy, I'm now standing up.  I will provide the help they are gasping for."
The LORD's promises are pure, like silver that's been refined in an oven, purified seven times over!
You, LORD, will keep us, protecting us, from this generations forever.
The wicked roam all over the place, while depravity is praised by human beings.

Friends of the Niles District Library SUPER BOWL Book Sale -- Noon, Feb. 1, 2015

Sunday, February 1, 2015 -- new prices announced Jan. 22, 2015 -- 10 cents (Books) & 25 cents (Audio-Visuals)

12:00 Noon

 Superbowl Bowl Book Sale

When: Sunday February 1, 12:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Description: Special annual NFL Super Bowl Used Book Sale. All Books (paperback and hardback) 25 cents. All videos and DVD cost 75 cents.

NILES DISTRICT LIBRARY, Niles, Michigan USA Zip = 49120

Psalm 10 (conclusion of an acrostic poem) -- CEB translation published in 2011

(aleph to taw in Hebrew alphabet resumes a letter LAMEDH "L")
Why do you stand so far away, LORD, hiding yourself in troubling times?
Meanwhile the wicked are proudly in hot pursuit of those who suffer.
Let them get caught in the very same schemes they've thought up!
The wicked brag about their body's [or soul's] cravings: the greedy reject the LORD, cursing.
At the peak of their wrath, the wicked don't seek God.
"There's no God" -- that's what they are always thinking.
Their ways are always twisted.  Your rules are too lofty for them.  They snort at all their foes.
They think to themselves: we'll never stumble. We'll never encounter any resistance.
Their mouths are filled with curses, dishonesty, violence.  Under their tongues lie troublemaking and wrongdoing.
They wait in a place perfect for ambush, from their hiding places they kill innocent people, their eyes spot those who are helpless.
They lie in ambush so they can seize those who suffer.  They seize the poor, all right, dragging them off in their nets.
Their helpless victims are crushed; they collapse, falling prey to the strength of the wicked.
The wicked think to themselves God has forgotten, God hasw hidden his face, God never sees anything.
Get up, LORD!
Get your fist ready, God!
Don't forget the ones who suffer!
Why do the wicked reject God!  Why do they think to themselves that you won't find out?
But you do see!
You do see troublemaking and grief and you do something about it!
The helpless leave it all to you; you are the orphan's helper.
Break the arms of those who are wicked and evil.
Seek out their wickedness until there's no more to find.
The LORD rules forever and always!  The nations will vanish from his land.
LORD, you listen to the desires of those who suffer.  You steady their hearts, you listen closely to them, to establish justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that people of the land will never again be terrified.

On this date in history (69 years ago) -- a post-war step ahead for Global co-operaton and diplomacy

ON THIS DAY On Jan. 10, 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.

Happy 73rd Birthday, Stephen Hawking! Autubiographical statment on website

From Hawking dot-org dot UK:
Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 (300 years after the death of Galileo) in Oxford, England. His parents' house was in north London, but during the second world war, Oxford was considered a safer place to have babies. When he was eight, his family moved to St. Albans, a town about 20 miles north of London. At the age of eleven, Stephen went to St. Albans School and then on to University College, Oxford; his father's old college. Stephen wanted to study Mathematics, although his father would have preferred medicine. Mathematics was not available at University College, so he pursued Physics instead. After three years and not very much work, he was awarded a first  class honours degree in Natural Science.

Stephen then went on to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology, there being no one working in that area in Oxford at the time. His supervisor was Denis Sciama, although he had hoped to get Fred Hoyle who was working in Cambridge. After gaining his Ph.D. he became first a Research Fellow and later on a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. After leaving the Institute of Astronomy in 1973, Stephen came to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics in 1979, and held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics from 1979 until 2009. The chair was founded in 1663 with money left in the will of the Reverend Henry Lucas who had been the Member of Parliament for the University. It was first held by Isaac Barrow and then in 1669 by Isaac Newton.  Stephen is still an active part of Cambridge University and retains an office at the Department for Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics. His title is now the Dennis Stanton Avery and Sally Tsui Wong-Avery Director of Research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

Stephen Hawking has worked on the basic laws which govern the universe. With Roger Penrose he showed that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implied space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes. These results indicated that it was necessary to unify General Relativity with Quantum Theory, the other great Scientific development of the first half of the 20th Century. One consequence of such a unification that he discovered was that black holes should not be completely black, but rather should emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear. Another conjecture is that the universe has no edge or boundary in imaginary time. This would imply that the way the universe began was completely determined by the laws of science.
http://www.hawking.org.uk/about-stephen.html

Psalm 9 (First part of an "acrostic Poem" -- Common English Bible translation (pubsihed in 2011)

""For the music leader // According to Muth - Labbeh // A Psalm of David"
I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart.  I will talk about all your wonderful acts.
I will celebrate and rejoice in you.  I will sing praises to your name, Most High.
When my enemies turn and retreat, they fall down and die right in front of you,
Because you have established justice or me and my claim, because you rule from the throne establishing justice rightly.
You've denounced the nations, destroyed the wicked.  You've erased their names for all time.
Every enemy is wiped out, like something ruined forever.
You've torn down their cities -- even the memory of them is dead.
But the LORD rules forever!
He assumes the throne for the sake of justice.  He will establish justice in the world rightly, he will judge all people fairly.
The LORD is a safe place for the oppressed -=-a safe place in difficult times.
Those who know your name trust you because you have not abandoned any who seek you, LORD.
Sing praises to the LORD, who lives in Zion!
Proclaim his mighty acts among all people!
Because the one who avenged bloodshed remembers those who suffer, the LORD hasn't forgotten their cries for help.
Have mercy on me, LORD!
Just look how I suffer because of those who hate me.  But you are the one who brings me back from the very gates of Daughter Zion.
The nations have fallen into the very hole they themselves made!  Their feet are caught in the very net they themselves hid!
The LORD is famous for the justice he has done; it's his own doing that the wicked are trapped. Higgayon / Selah.
Let the wicked go straight to the grave; the same for every nation that forgets God.
Because the poor won't be forgotten forever, the hope of those who suffer won't be lost for all time.
Get up, LORD!  Don't let people prevail!  Let the nations be judged before you.
Strike them with fear, LORD; let the nations know they are only human.  Selah.

Famous Psalm 8: Common English Bible transation (published in 2011)

"For the music leader // According to the Gittith // A psalm of David"
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth;  You made your glory higher than heaven!
From the mouths of nursing babies you have laid a strong foundation because of your foes, in order to stop vengeful enemies.
When I look up at your skies, at what your fingers made -- the moon and the stars that you set firmly in place -- what are human beings that you think about them, what are human beings that you pay attention to them?
You've made them only slightly less than divine, crowning them with glory and goodness.
You've let them rule over your handiwork, putting everything under their feet -- all sheep and all cattle, the wild animals too, the birds in the sky, the fish of the ocean, everything that travels the pathways of the sea.
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!

Wind Chill and Winter Storm Warnings (Thursday Jan. 8, 2015) - Berrien County, Michigan, USA

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED BOTH A WIND CHILL WARNING AS WELL AS A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW... THESE BOTH REMAIN IN EFFECT FROM 3 P.M. THURSDAY AFTERNOON TO 4 P.M. EST FRIDAY.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER INCLUDES: 

* BITTER COLD THIS MORNING WITH WIND CHILLS OF 20 BELOW TO 30 BELOW ZERO.

* SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE TONIGHT. THE PERIOD OF HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING. LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY FRIDAY WITH ADDITIONAL LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS.

* ACCUMULATIONS... 4 TO 8 INCHES.

* STRONG SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES THIS AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

Epiphany (Jan. 6 annually) and Theophany (Orthodox term some traditions): definitions

from PBS "Religion and Ethics News Weekly" web main page:
Tuesday is January 6, the date of the Feast of the Epiphany, meaning manifestation, or Theophany, meaning manifestation of God at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.
In Western churches, the focus of Epiphany is on the visit of the three kings / magoi (Matthew chapter 2). Many Orthodox Christians observe the Theophany by jumping into an icy river to retrieve a cross thrown in by an Orthodox priest, and the water is believed to bring health and purification.
Most Orthodox Christian churches will celebrate Christmas on January 7.

Psalm 7: CEB translation (published in 2011)

"A shiggayon of David, which he sang to the Lord about Cush, a Benjaminite"
I take refuge in you, LORD, my God.  Save me from all who chase me!
Rescue me!
Otherwise, they will rip me apart, gragging me off with no chance of rescue.
LORD, my God, if I have done this -- if my hands have done anything wrong, if I have repaid a friend with evil or oppressed a foe for no reason -- then let my enemy not only chase but catch me, trampling my life into the ground, laying my reputation in the dirt. Selah.
Get up, LORD: get angry!
Stand up against the fury of my foes!
Wake up, my God,
you command that justice be done!
Let the assembled people surround you.  Rule them from on high!
The LORD will judge the peoples.
Establish justice for me, LORD, according to my righteousness and according to my integrity.
Please let the evil of the wicked be over, but set the righteous firmly in place because you, the righteous God, are the one who examines hearts and minds.
God is my shield;
he saves those whose heart is right.
God is a righteous judge, a God who is angry at evil every single day.
If someone doesn't change their ways, God will sharpen his sword, will bend his bow, will string an arrow.
God has deadly weapons to strike for those who won't change; he gets his flaming arrow ready!
But look how the wicked hatch evil, conceive trouble, give birth to lies!
They make a pit, dig it all out, and then fall right into the hole that they've made!
The trouble they cause will come back on their own heads; the violence they commit will come down on their own skulls.
But I will thank the LORD for his righteousness; I will sing praises to the name of the LORD Most High.

An "ERA / Equal Rights Amendment" to the Constitution in the 2010s? - Radio call-in Forum (Monday Jan. 12, 2015)

Posted at Diane Rehm Show website [http://dianerehmshow.org ] :

Jessica Neuwirth: “Equal Means Equal”                         

A legal scholar makes the argument for passing an Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which came three states short of ratification in the early 1980s.

Guest

• Jessica Neuwirth : founder and director, ERA Coalition and Donor Direct Action; former director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Blowing snow and subzero wind chill close SW Michigan and N. Indiana School districts (Wed., Jan. 7, 2015)

5:30 a.m.
Niles, Michigan (K - 12) and Brandywine School Districts (K - 12) are closed for this winter's day -- source: WNDU-TV "Morning Show" ( 4:30 a.m. - 7 a.m.).[ www.wndu.com/news/ ]

LATE SHOW -- (David Letterman weeknight show on CBS - TV) - "Small Town News" (Jan. 5, 2015)

as transcribed from WAHOO GAZETTE (www.cbs.com/shows/late_show/wahoogazette/1006344 ):
SMALL TOWN NEWS
-“The Gazette-Virginian” - South Boston, Virginia – it’s a classified ad:  “FREE, to good home: Llamas . . . 3 female, 1 male. If you can catch them, you can have them."
-“The Cottage Grove Sentinel” - Cottage Grove, Oregon: Caption under photo: "Assembly of God Living Faith's Girls' Night Out" – we see a photo of a bevy of young girls behind bars in a prison
-“Snoqualmie Valley Record” - Snoqualmie, Washington: POLICE REPORT: "A caller shared concerns with police about a mound seen behind a business. The caller thought it might be a grave, but investigated, and discovered it was an anthill."

Common English Bible - Psalm 6

"For the music leader // On stringed instruments // According to the eighth // A psalm of David"
Please, LORD, don't punish me when you are angry; don't discipline me when you are furious.
Have mercy on me, LORD, because I'm frail.
Heal me, LORD, because my bones are shaking in terror!
My whole body is completely terrified!  But you, LORD! How long will this last?
Come back to me, LORD!  Deliver me!
Save me for the sake of your faithful love!
No one is going to praise you when they are dead.
Who gives you thanks from the grave?
I'm worn out from groaning.  Every night, I drench my bed with tears;  I soak my couch all the way through.
My vision fails because of my grief; it's weak because of all my distress.
Get away from me, all you evildoers, because the LORD has heard me crying!
The LORD has listened to my request.
The LORD accepted my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and completely terrified; they will be defeated and ashamed instantly.

El Dia de Los Reyes -- festival of gift-giving

from local NBC-TV affiliate (WNDU - South Bend, IN):

http://www.wndu.com/community/events/287103201.html | 287103201

El Dia de Los Reyes

Date(s): 1/5/2015

Monday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Harrison Primary Center, 3302 W. Western, South Bend, IN.

3 Kings celebration.

Contac: Lt. Voros, South Bend Police Athletic League, 235-7770

Red, Yellow, Brown, Black, White: New Racial Demographics of America (Jan. 5, 2015 topic for NPR Call-in Show)

Monday, January 05, 2015 • 11 a.m. (ET)

How New Racial Demographics Are Remaking America

The idea of America as the world’s “melting pot” has endured for more than a century. Today, we are on the verge of becoming a country with no racial majority. Diane Rehm and her guests [listed below] discuss how new minorities are poised to remake U.S. society, economy and politics.

• Jamelle Bouie, Slate staff writer covering politics, policy, and race.
• Mark Hugo Lopez, director, Hispanic trends, Pew Research.
• Jim Tankersley, economic policy correspondent, The Washington Post; editor of the "Storyline" policy blog
• William Frey, senior fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution; author of Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics Are Remaking America.