Psalm 122--Jerusalem and the U.S. during 1937

I enjoy reading "Meditations in the Book of Psalms" by Erling C. Olsen. He had a Sunday afternoon radio broadcast in the 1930s, later transcribed and published in 1939 which then went through several editions. Mine is c1967, 4th printing, 1985. He was not a preacher--just a businessman who studied the Bible and had the gift of talking plainly to people suffering during the Great Depression.

Here's what he said to his radio audience in Feb. 1937 about the current problems in Jerusalem as he commented on Psalm 122 [Pray for the peace of Jerusalem]. Keep in mind, there was no Israel nation at that time, and he was not a dispensationalist.

"If you wish to know how important that city [Jerusalem] is [to the world] consider that even in this present time one has but to read the current magazines and newspapers to discover that it is a city of trouble and disturbance, yet a place to which the eyes of the world are turned for salvation--I mean national salvation . . . " (p. 879)

He then digresses from Jerusalem and turns to the USA, his primary audience.

". . . For nearly ten years, here and there, men have raised their voices, calling attention to the dangers due to the inroads of the philosophy of communism in this country. Some of us have given them only a passive interest--we thought the situation was not serious, thought it never could be serious--it might develop in other countries, but NOT HERE. I am not so sure about that now! I repeat, conditions existing in our own land today are definite causes for deep concern (I think he is referring to FDR's policies, particularly the New Deal pt. 2, and the communists in his administration) and my earnest conviction is that there is only one possibility of our escaping serious trouble and that is by a return to the faith of our fathers, and to an earnest proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unless this country returns to God, I frankly fear for it." (p. 883)

Do you need to move closer to Columbus--or are you already here?

 Roughly 138-147 million people live within 500 miles of Columbus. A 500‑mile radius from Columbus, Ohio covers a vast area — roughly 1.2 million square miles.

Major Cities Within 500 Miles

Some notable cities and towns within this radius include Miles of Me:

Toronto, Canada – ~319 miles
Chicago, IL – ~279 miles
Detroit, MI – ~164 miles
Indianapolis, IN – ~168 miles
Hamilton, Canada – ~281 miles
Mississauga, Canada – ~307 miles
Baltimore, MD – ~341 miles
Charlotte, NC – ~347 miles
Milwaukee, WI – ~336 miles
Washington, DC – ~324 miles
Nashville, TN – ~330 miles
Virginia Beach, VA – ~429 miles

Cleveland, OH – ~127 miles

Toledo, OH – ~120 miles

Cincinnati, OH – ~100 miles

Airports Within 500 Miles

Key airports within this range include Miles of Me:

Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport – ~443 miles

Chicago O’Hare International Airport – ~295 miles

Toronto Pearson International Airport – ~313 miles

Charlotte Douglas International Airport – ~346 miles

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – ~156 miles

Washington Dulles International Airport – ~302 miles

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport – ~340 miles

Chicago Midway International Airport – ~282 miles

Nashville International Airport – ~329 miles

Cities within 50 miles of Columbus

32 miles: Newark, OH
44 miles: Marion, OH
27 miles: Lancaster, OH
11 miles: Dublin, OH
12 miles: Westerville, OH
10 miles: Reynoldsburg, OH
7 miles: Gahanna, OH
4 miles: Upper Arlington, OH
24 miles: Delaware, OH
8 miles: Grove City, OH
10 miles: Hilliard, OH
43 miles: Chillicothe, OH
6 miles: Whitehall, OH
40 miles: Mount Vernon, OH
27 miles: Marysville, OH

These are straight line distances in a radius around Columbus, Ohio. There are many towns within the total area, so if you're looking for closer places, try a smaller radius.

The War Letters--Memorial Day

 It's Memorial Day week-end and many of us here at the Estates (and here on FB) remember when it was Decoration Day because it first memorialized the war dead of our Civil War. Now we remember all our war dead, and also while at the cemeteries, we put floral arrangements and remember all.

The 20th century was the most bloody and devastating of any period in history. It's a good time to remember WWI, where 5 or 10 thousand could die in one battle, over a few yards of ground--and thousands of horses and farm animals. The U.S. entered the war late and the president at the time, Woodrow Wilson, promised to keep us out of it. He was a "progressive" the first president to send us down the messy road we're on now where our foundation didn't matter. The Constitution became plastic and changeable and our past became an object of shame.

You can review WWI by listening to The Public Square podcast which yesterday reran it's "The War Letters" by John Beckett (2015). The book itself can be downloaded pdf for free. content.libsyn.com/p/1/4/b/14bf916a1865d16f/TPS_052326_WEB.mp3?c_id=202229075&cs_id=202229075&destination_id=208554&response-content-type=audio%2Fmpeg&Expires=1779570930&Signature=ff0Ser4BoIV9yMF5PTd2fPutAscSZ4LHxuMQ3rXiaTLMW0SIyj~L~McdFQZ-OrfxLNq1vgONbRSQu3SeTf~6Em3n9DgtX8zdgafl5mXJFltXhu66y1kvSuEjAceHJf6TvIKf8dlY-vJSyuqW4NGdvcVRzyyHG0ufHEoRklCSypCHjyJaWymjWhB9A6~bed3A1JxL61Etfifjrb2isIbXIGZtzgP9ayZrjPDxRdi9PkHaeq1R4QUDVuvmftyejwh5uW2ANvKFaLyYvTYXVl7dWJPz39AKuanneaPvNM29KYjtO1KNn-RUkreLKf79m-i5KQFtOU6UKvcLL4DrE9FhVA__&Key-Pair-Id=K1YS7LZGUP96OI The letters are between John Beckett's father who served for Canada and his family. The podcast is about the war (then known as the Great War) but as Beckett talks with Zinotti, it's also about how we're losing our own history because it's not taught in our schools.

My parents were too young to actually serve in WWI but they remembered it, and told us stories. And in the little town where I grew up (Mt. Morris, IL) there was a public program where "In Flanders Fields" a poem by John McCrae, a Canadian soldier, was always presented by a high school senior. (Maybe they still do that?) I personally knew WWI veterans, and both my grandfathers were registered for the draft (although they didn't serve).

This collection of family letters is priceless, and a good teacher.

Link to The War Letters pdf: https://beckettpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/The-War-Letters.pdf

Link to Battle of the Somme  https://youtu.be/ZaBdBhK4XzQ?si=HqJIKtR67XcqRyKV

Congratulations graduates

We don't have church newsletter/bulletins (a Covid casualty?) anymore, but for special occasions we do have handouts on Sunday--and yesterday was a real blowout. A four page, color announcement of the UALC's high school and college graduates with a photo, brief bio and God's plans. There were 35! What a lovely group. Interesting college and job choices. Names we'd never heard when I was that age like Peyton, Gabriella and Parker. Career choices we women wouldn't have dreamed of like going to the South pole on an ice breaker or drug development. I was happy to see that some of our brightest and best are still choosing teaching. And two are marrying and moving to Cincinnati. A lot of young people drop out of church life when leaving home despite the love, prayers and efforts of their parents and church family. May they all take those years of nurturing and grow in their Christian life.

Three out of four (movies) isn't too bad

Here at the Estates this week-end (if Thursday counts) we had four movies; National Treasure with Nicholas Cage, Ferris Bueler's Day off with Matthew Broderick, Best years of our Lives with Myrna Loy, and Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn. I liked all but Funny Face.

National Treasure (2004) follows historian and code-breaker Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) "as he uncovers clues tied to the legendary Knights Templar treasure, setting him in a high-stakes race against a ruthless rival to protect the Declaration of Independence. This globe-hopping, clue-solving adventure blends American history with fast-paced action, offering plenty of thrills and family-friendly fun. While its plot is improbable, reviewers praise its entertainment value, likening it to a modern-day Indiana Jones." 21 Years Later, Nic Cage's $347 Million Adventure Movie Is a Sleeper Streaming Hit

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) stars Matthew Broderick as "a charming high school senior who fakes illness to spend an unforgettable day exploring Chicago with his best friend and girlfriend, while evading his principal and suspicious sister. . . sharp humor, memorable characters, and moments of heart, making this a light, witty, and culturally iconic coming-of-age comedy that remains a must-watch for its rebellious spirit and timeless charm." Ferris Bueller couldn’t take his day off in 2026 - The Observer

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) follows three WWII veterans from different walks of life as they return to their hometown and face the challenges of reintegrating into civilian society. With themes of post-war trauma, disability, love, and shifting social roles, William Wyler’s moving drama blends realism with heartfelt storytelling. Acclaimed for its performances, human depth, and sensitive direction, it remains a timeless classic and one of cinema’s greatest portrayals of veterans’ experiences.

Best years of our Lives I'd seen before but even with its age it points to problems of veterans we've come to expect--alcoholism, disabilities, PTSD, and family break-ups. The home front is also not without its casualties movie review

Funny Face (1957) "follows a shy Greenwich Village book clerk whose unexpected discovery by a fashion photographer whisks her into the world of haute couture and Parisian romance. With dazzling musical numbers by George and Ira Gershwin, chic Givenchy costumes, and the charm of Audrey Hepburn alongside Fred Astaire, it’s a stylish, lighthearted satire of fashion and beatnik culture. Critics praise its elegance, wit, and visual flair, making it a timeless classic worth watching."

Although it had good reviews, by the end of the movie all of us had left Funny Face before it was over. But the clothes were gorgeous. I don't think it worked as a musical and the 30 year age difference between the stars were really off putting. 

I'm not sure the small reviews are AI generated or Wikipedia, but I didn't write them.

Microchimerism--again

In our Thursday Bible Study today at UALC, we are in chapter 7 of the Gospel of John. 

(NRSV)  7 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish[a] to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish festival of Booths[b] was near. 3 So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; 4 for no one who wants[c] to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.) 6 Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. 8 Go to the festival yourselves. I am not[d] going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.’ 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were[e] in secret.

There were the usual comments (in a Protestant study) about Jesus' brothers being half brothers. Now the reason I say Protestant is that most of the Christian world believes Mary had no more children after Jesus and remained a virgin. Tradition holds that these are Joseph's sons from a previous marriage, or refers to a clan culture where close relatives (cousins) are called brothers or sisters,

I'd like to propose that God knew best. Our Creator God knows culture and he knows biology. If Jesus had half brothers and yet was the Messiah who was killed, there would be great demands placed on his brothers to take his place (particularly from those followers who didn't believe in the Resurrection). That would have been common in that culture. It still is today.

 But God also designed microchimerism--the passing of fetal cells between a pregnant woman and her babies.  Most of the studies in the last century have involved male offspring. Children leave behind their fetal cells in their mothers. There is strong biological evidence that these cells (particularly males) protect the mother for the rest of her life.  And those fetal cells can also appear in the bloodstreams of the woman's future children. Because of microchimerism there may also be the grandmother's cells passed to the children which the mother got from her mother.  Do you suppose God didn't have a plan to have only Jesus and not other men have Mary's cells in their blood stream?

Maternal Microchimerism: How A Mother's Cells Stay In Her Child Forever

Microchimerism: Lifelong Biological Connections Impacting Everyone

The Trump and Xi summit

Although I understand the economics of the deal and why Trump is chatting it up with Xi, I haven't forgotten the millions of Chinese citizens that were killed by Xi's party, and the millions of baby girls who were aborted for years in China's one child policy. The various popular Communist ideologies by our own leftists--climate extremism, trans-whatever, racist hate, Covid lockdowns, pro-Palestinian riots, worship of big tech and big pharma, anti-Christian bias, all in the name of chaos, not a better life for Americans. Although we can see through the virtue signaling and complain about it, their leaders too know that it causes long term chaos even when the poorly educated 20 somethings grow up or move on to the next big thing. Some people believe this took off in 2008 with the recession and the election of Obama, but I retired in 2000.  Wokeism and the leftist ideologies were firmly in place in academe even if it was called something else like political correctness or multiculturalism.   

Patron Saint of the Internet, Saint Isidore of Seville

I didn’t know the internet had a patron saint. Did you? He lived in the 7th century, and was known for being the first great Christian encyclopedist. St. Isidore of Seville, Bishop, died in 636. My kind of guy.

 According to Magnificat, Vo. 28, no. 3, May 13, "It was his curiosity about the world around him that made him the greatest scholar of his age. Not only did he write about Catholic theology--he collected information about music, medicine, geography, clothing, war, language, animals, plants, astronomy and physics. He compiled this information and carefully arranged it into textbooks that were used by scholars for generations to come."

I don't care much for Wikipedia, but it's getting harder NOT to use it since AI platforms use it and people grab the first thing that pops up. The phrase, "do your own research" is very hard to do unless you have a personal library pre-internet, and it won't help much with some of the current tech stuff like AI.

I used to have 7 sets of encyclopedias, but I think 3 were for children, so they left the house years ago. Although I own many "cyclopedic" type reference books, I don't call them that. But I do own the 11th, 12th and 13th editions of Encyclopaedia Britannica (inherited from my grandfather) and their history is fascinating although I don't necessarily agree with all that's said about it in the internet article.

The 12th was so focused on WWI (incredible maps) the editors soon had to publish the 13th to bring back some balance to scholarship about the world. Reminds me of the phenomenon we call Trump Derangement Syndrome and the Left/socialists believing the world of blame and evil only revolves around their own myopic viewpoint.

My new old jeans, Laurie Felt

It appears to me that the Laurie Felt brand was on QVC maybe a decade and then closed down sometime in 2023 saying she wanted more time with the family.  I looked through some old websites and found this.

The Laurie Felt jeans fabric is made of rayon, cotton, polyester and spandex and the various styles are extremely comfortable. It has a very nice feel.  They look very traditional, but there is no zipper behind the stitched fly, mine looks like 5 pocket, but in the front there ae no actual pockets (no bulk).  But the waist has a nice stretch for a pull on. Marc's which is an Ohio grocery and remainder store had a few on the rack and among the XXXXL and the XXXXXS I found a plain old L for $5, and it fit perfectly.  I'd never heard of the brand. 

"They pull-on — and stay on. We’re all about using technology to its maximum, creating special fibers that give a firm hold and an amazing recovery every single time. It’s all in the construction. The higher the construction, the tighter the weave, the softer the fabric, the higher the quality. All cars drive, but a Bentley drives better than a Volkswagen… same concept.

“There is so much stretch that just the slightest little shimmy gets you in. Once you’re in, everything looks lifted, shaped and great at the start of the day and when the day ends,” said QVC show host Jennifer Coffey, after rocking a pair of our Silky Slim Pull-On Jeans on air.