Stefan Sinding (1846 – 1922)

Bronze

Ole Bulls plass, Bergen, Norway

The statue was unveiled on Norway´s National Day, May 17, 1901.

 

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On May 17, 1901, the Ole Bull statue at Ole Bull's place was unveiled, including his wife and daughter present. Fifty years later, in May 1951, Morgenavisen reproduced the minutes of the unveiling, as stated in Bergens Aftenblad on May 18, 1901.

 

"At 8 o'clock there were crowds of people on the Square, spectators and members of - the gods must know - how many boys' corps here arranged for trains to the coronation of three tombs: The Fallen Sailors, President Christies and Ole Bulls," the report said in 1901.

 

The Brigadens Musikkorps played and 270 male singers voted in. The beat was the very act Edvard Grieg raised. The monument committee chairman, John Lund, concluded his speech as follows: "May Ole Bull's noble form always call for work, to fight for the idea and to strengthen our faith and our love for the fatherland, he had to stand as a testimony to one of Norway's gentlemen most ingenious sons, if the solution to the last hour was: All for the Fatherland! ”

bergensiana.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/ole-bull-statuen-50-...

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"How, you might wonder, could anyone called “ooleh bool” be taken seriously? I wondered that myself until I heard the plaintive and evocative “Dairymaid’s Sunday” and had a chance to admire a statue in a central pedestrian zone of Mr. Bull in his very tight pants, with wild romantic hair. The ladies of the day are reported to have swooned in his mere presence and he remains today a revered icon of Norwegian culture. And without Mr. Bull, we might never have had Grieg. He encouraged Grieg’s parents to send the lad to Leipzig Conservatory for further musical studies and the rest is history."

europeupclose.com/article/bergen-the-beautiful-its-art-an...

 

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Ole Bull's place is enclosed by the facades of Hotel Norway on one side and Sundt mall and Grand Banqueting on the other. Further north, Olav V's place is the adjoining urban space.

Statue of Ole Bull

 

The most striking element of the urban space is, of course, the statue of Ole Bull, where he stands and plays over the waterfall. The statue was unveiled in 1901, and the place got its name in 1917.

 

There have been changes in the design of the space several times since the unveiling. The last major change came in 1986, in connection with the international finals of the Melodi Grand Prix. Some minor changes came in 1993, but it can be said that the city space got its current shape in 1986.

Lightwood as a core

 

The first thing you encounter as you approach Ole Bull's place from the city park side is a seating edge of reddish berry granite. The stone edge borders a rectangular bed with rounded corners. The main role-holders are two large, old lime trees. Lush perennials are planted around the trees, and bulbs, spring and summer flowers are planted.

 

North of the trees - in the park - you will find a small space surrounded by benches, facing a larger water pool, and this is of course where Ole Bull stands on his podium, over the waterfall with the Waterfall Grim. In the pool there are large stones from where the children can jump from one to the other, so that they can dry-cut across the water. Children can also climb over and around the large boulders that make up the podium - or mountain - on which Ole Bull stands. Behind and north of Ole Bull stands a large, old lime tree and some smaller birch trees. Perennials are also planted in this area, and annual bulbs, spring and summer flowers are planted annually.

www.bergen.kommune.no/omkommunen/avdelinger/bymiljoetaten...

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Stephan Abel Sinding (4 August 1846 – 23 January 1922) was a Norwegian-Danish sculptor. He moved to Copenhagen in 1883 and had his breakthrough the same year. In 1890 he obtained Danish citizenship. In 1910 he settled in Paris where he lived and worked until his death in 1922.[1]

 

Stephan Abel Sinding was born in Trondhjem as a son of mining engineer Matthias Wilhelm Sinding (1811–1860) and Cecilie Marie Mejdell (1817–1886).

 

/ / /

 

Sinding first embarked on law studies in Christiania but broke off to instead pursue a career in the arts. He took drawing and modeling classes first at the Royal School of Drawing in Christiania and then studied privately with sculptor Albert Wolff in Berlin. Sinding spent his adult life working in different places mostly Rome, Copenhagen, and finally Paris. [4]

 

From 1874 to 1875 he studied in Paris and picked up influences from the latest Realist tendencies in French sculptures, especially from Auguste Rodin and Paul Dubois. Sinding was met with poor recognition from the Norwegian public since his style was considered too modern.

 

In 1883 he moved to Copenhagen, which he found a better working place, and had his breakthrough with the sculpture A barbarian woman carries her dead son home from the battle, created during a stay in Rome that same year. It was acquired by the brewer Carl Jacobsen, the son and heir of Carlsberg-founder Jacob Christian Jacobsen, who was a great admirer of both classical and modern sculpture and was building an ever-growing private collection which in the end turned into the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek[5]

 

Sinding created a number of sculptures, among others Mother in Captivity, which won him the Grand Prix at the Exposition Universelle (1889), Two figures (1889), and Young woman at her husband's body The Widow(1892).

 

Many of Sinding's sculptures are credited to realism, but together with Danish sculptor Niels Hansen Jacobsen, among others, are by many considered much more in the style of Symbolism. An example of his symbolic work is his sculpture Valkyrjen (the valkyrie), a bronze cast of which stands in Churchill Park in Copenhagen.

 

Sinding became a titular professor and taught private students in Copenhagen.

 

In 1910 Sinding moved to Paris, where he worked until his death. Assisted by Franz von Jessen, Sinding wrote an autobiography entitled En Billedhuggers Liv (1921). He died in January 1922 in Paris, and was buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.[2]

 

In May 1885 in Frederiksberg he married actress Anna Elga Augusta Betzonich (1859–1936).

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Ole Bornemann Bull (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈu:lə ˈbʉlː];[1] 5 February 1810 – 17 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer.[2][3] According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing.

 

Bull was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull (1787–1838) and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden (1789–1875). His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect. He was also the uncle of Edvard Hagerup Bull, Norwegian judge and politician.

 

His father wished for him to become a minister, but he desired a musical career. At the age of four or five, he could play all of the songs he had heard his mother play on the violin. At age nine, he played first violin in the orchestra of Bergen's theatre and was a soloist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.[4] At eighteen, he was sent to the University of Christiania, but failed his examinations. He joined the Musical Lyceum, a musical society, and after its director Waldemar Thrane took ill, Bull became the director of Musical Lyceum and the Theater Orchestra in 1828.[5] He also became friends with Henrik Wergeland, who later wrote a biography of Bull.[5]

 

After living for a while in Germany, where he pretended to study law, he went to Paris but fared badly for a year or two. In 1832 in Paris he shared rooms with the Moravian violin virtuoso Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst. He was eventually successful in becoming a high-level virtuoso, giving thousands of concerts. In England alone these included 274 in 1837,[5] during which visit he also travelled to some of the more remote parts of Britain.[citation needed] Bull became very famous and made a huge fortune.

 

He is believed to have composed more than 70 works, but only about 10 are known today. Best known is Sæterjentens søndag (The dairymaid's Sunday). He also was a clever luthier, after studies in Paris with Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. He collected many beautiful violins and violas of Amati, Gasparo da Salò, Guarneri, Stradivari and others. He was the owner of one of the finest violins of the world, made by Gasparo da Salò around 1574 for Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria. The violin, a gift of his widow to Bull's birthplace, is now in the Bergen Vestlandske Kustindustrimuseum.[6] Bull often performed with Guarneri del Gesù violins during his career.

 

Bull was caught up in a rising tide of Norwegian romantic nationalism, and acclaimed the idea of Norway as a sovereign state, separate from Sweden—which became a reality in 1905. In 1850, he co-founded the first theater in which actors spoke Norwegian rather than Danish, namely Det Norske Theater in Bergen—which later became Den Nationale Scene.[7]

 

In the summer of 1858, Bull met the 15-year-old Edvard Grieg. Bull was a friend of the Grieg family, since Ole Bull's brother was married to the sister of Grieg's mother. Bull noticed Edvard's talent and persuaded his parents to send him to further develop his talents at the Leipzig Conservatory. During the 1860s and 1870s Bull went on several tours across the U.S., often accompanied by soprano Varian Hoffman, baritone Ignatz Pollak, and pianist Edward Hoffman.[8]

 

Robert Schumann once wrote that Bull was among "the greatest of all," and that he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing.[9] Bull was also a friend of Franz Liszt and played with him on several occasions.

Ole Bull Colony

 

Bull visited the United States several times and was met with great success. In 1852, he obtained a large tract of land in Pennsylvania and founded a colony he called New Norway, but that is commonly referred to as Ole Bull Colony. On 24 May 1852, he formally purchased 11,144 acres (45 km2) for $10,388. The land consisted of four communities: New Bergen, now known as Carter Camp; Oleana, named after him and his mother, six miles (10 km) south of New Bergen; New Norway, one mile south of New Bergen; and Valhalla in the Kettle Creek area.[10]

 

Bull called the highest point in Valhalla, Nordjenskald, which became the location of his unfinished castle. He soon gave up on this venture, as there was scarcely any land to till, and went back to giving concerts.[11]

 

Today the site is the location of the Ole Bull State Park, 132-acre (53 ha) state park in Stewardson Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania. Norwegian citizens paid for the construction of a monument on site to honor Ole Bull. The statue was placed in the park on the 150th anniversary of New Norway in 2002.[12]

Family life

 

In 1836, Bull married Alexandrine Félicie Villeminot. They had six children, only two of whom survived him. Alexandrine died in 1862.

 

In 1868 Bull met Sara Chapman Thorp (1850–1911), the daughter of a prosperous lumber merchant from Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

 

On a return visit in 1870 (and despite their age difference; he was 60, she was 20), Bull began a courtship, and the couple was secretly married in Norway in June 1870, with a formal wedding in Madison later that year.

 

They had one daughter, Olea (1871–1913). In 1871, he bought a summer home on a rise in West Lebanon, Maine which he named Ironwell.[14] Sara traveled with Bull for the remainder of his career, sometimes accompanying him on the piano. In 1883 she published a memoir of Bull's life.[15]

Ole Bull villa at Valestrandsfossen

Ole Bull villa at Lysøen

Later years

 

Ole Bull bought the island of Lysøen in Os, south of Bergen, in 1872. He hired architect Conrad Fredrik von der Lippe (1833-1901) to design a residence on the island. Bull died from cancer in his home on Lysøen on 17 August 1880. He had held his last concert in Chicago the same year, despite his illness. A testament to his fame was his funeral procession, perhaps the most spectacular in Norway's history. The ship transporting his body was guided by 15 steamers and a large number of smaller vessels. [16]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Bull

The Testimony House, established by the association of Bnei Akiva veterans at the early 1990s, aims to amplify and deepen educational activity related to Holocaust remembrance.

Through its museum, archive, educational center and diverse activities, The Testimony House offers a unique, enlightening and even uplifting way to learn about the Holocaust and the post-Holocaust revival.

The museum is located in a pastoral village Nir Galim, near Ashdod, Israel.

The village Nir Galim was founded by Holocaust survivors.

The Testimony House collects, documents and preserves important material about the Holocaust.

Three-storey retablo, a distinctive nativity scene from Peru, seen in the Museum Würth during an exhibition of cribs from all over the world, Gaisbach, Franconia (Baden-Wuerttemberg)

 

Some backrground information:

 

Retablos are a sophisticated Peruvian folk art in the form of portable boxes which depict religious, historical, or everyday events that are important to the Indigenous people of the highlands. The Spanish word retablo comes from the Latin retro-tabulum ("behind the table or altar"). This is a reference to the fact that the first retablos were placed on or behind the altars of Catholic churches in Spain and Latin America. They were three-dimensional statues or images inside a decorated frame.

 

Retablos probably originated with the Christian knights of the Crusades and the Spanish reconquista (the 700-year struggle against the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula). The Christian warriors, who frequently found themselves far away from their home churches, carried small portable box-altars for worship and protection against their enemies. These earliest retablos usually featured religious themes, especially those involving Saint James, the patron saint-warrior in the fight against the Moors.

 

Retablos came to the New World as small portable altars depicting nativity scenes and other religious topics used by the early priests to evangelize the Indigenous. In a syncretic process, the early retablos brought by the Spanish merged with Indigenous beliefs in the Andean region to acquire certain magical or symbolic properties which had been the attributes of local spirits before the conquest. These early South and Central American retablos were wooden boxes with figures inside carved from stone, ivory or wood.

 

Later, retablos evolved to include daily scenes in the lives of the Andean people, such as harvests, processions, feasts, and tableaux depicting shops and homes. The use of wood for the outside box remained, but other materials, such as gypsum, clay, or a potato-gypsum-clay paste mix, were increasingly used for the figures because of their ease of handling and durability.

 

As you can see, the retablo in this picture shows the Nativity in its top floor. In the middle floor some kind of celebration is shown, with lots of female and male musicians playing traditional Peruvian instruments. And in the bottom floor, a hat shop is depicted. The hats there bear a close resemblance to the typical North American ten-gallon hats. The three-storey box is carved from wood, while all figures inside are made from clay. I guess that the whole ensemble has a height of 80 centimetres, which means that it’s definitely no pocket size retablo, but one that was perhaps used as some kind of home altar.

 

In the 1940s more and more artists were using retablos as a vehicle for affirming and recording the distinct identity of the Indigenous people of the Andean region. They are also a defense of Indigenous culture and values in the face of the modernization and the penetration of their culture by the one of the white Hispanic elites of Lima.

 

If you drive through the countryside of the rural district of Hohenlohe with its pastures and little villages in the northeast of the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, you wouldn’t expect an art museum of international reputation being located in this area. However the museums Würth 1 and Würth 2 are and that has a particular reason: Both museums are attached to the headquarters of Würth Group, a multinational company and the biggest producer of screws in the world.

 

In 1954, the German billionaire Richard Würth took over a two-man business from his father at the age of 19 and made it a successful worldwide concern with almost 86,000 employees today. In the 70s, Würth began to collect art. Since then, he has collected roughly 18,500 works of art. His passion for collecting art even resulted in art becoming an important element of the Würth company culture. The most important works of art are made publicly available in altogether five museums of the Würth Group. All of them are freely accessible.

 

A Merry Christmas 2024 to all of you! Have a great festive season together with your families and friends!

This is the story of how I came to know and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. It is a story of God’s faithfulness to an unworthy and unfaithful young man. It is a story of the Holy Spirit patiently and lovingly changing my mind and heart and arranging circumstances to lead me to Christ so I can be saved.

 

Introduction

 

My name is Fadi and I was born in late 1982 in Baghdad, Iraq, but I grew up in Kirkuk, a city about 240km north of Baghdad. My grandfather was Syriac Orthodox but my father was raised as a Roman Catholic because my grandmother, the one who cared about religion, was a Roman Catholic so she raised him and us--my sister and I--as Roman Catholics. My mother’s family is also Roman Catholic.

 

In Iraq a person’s religion is part of their identification documents. Because of this a lot of people would be known by a certain faith even though they do not believe in it or practice it. A lot of Christians in Iraq are what I call devoted to their denominations, but as far as born-again is concerned I do not recall knowing anyone who was born-again. I also do not recall anyone ever teaching salvation is by faith in Jesus’ death on the Cross through God’s grace. Simply put, there was no Gospel: there was no good news because there was no message of salvation. And because there was no message of salvation people did not get saved and there were no born-again Christians. I also do not recall any teachings about the Holy Spirit; the only time I heard of the Holy Spirit is when we said “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. I actually thought the Holy Spirit was an invisible force; I did not understand that the Holy Spirit is a person of the triune God!

 

Feeling Detached

 

My ethnical background is Chaldean. Chaldeans are an ethnical group of a minority Christian community in Iraq. However, I never felt like I was a Chaldean. The main reason has to do with the fact I do not speak Aramaic—the mother tongue of Chaldeans. I never learnt Aramaic because my family does not speak it either; we speak Arabic (the official language of Iraq). That is why I always felt an outcast in Sunday school, and my Muslim friends often asked me, “How can you be Christian if you do not speak Aramaic?” So since my childhood I never felt like I belonged to any group: I did not feel like I was a Chaldeans, a Roman Catholic, or an Iraqi. I simply could not associate myself with any group whether ethnic, religious, or political. I simply saw myself as a human and that was good enough for me.

 

This detachment from certain groups was negative socially as I could not relate to any group of people and I always saw myself as an outsider; therefore, I did not feel compelled to join any cause or group activity.

 

Feelings of Inferiority

 

I was a very shy and sensitive child and I never felt comfortable in social settings. Here is something that happened that set the course for my life. I have never told this story to anyone but I believe it is important to understand who I was before coming to Christ:

 

On my fifth or sixth birthday party my cousin bought me a set of army vehicles and GI Joes as a gift and I loved it. I was playing with the toys and the house was full of people and everybody was having fun socializing and eating. When my mom saw me playing with the toys she told my aunt (her older sister), “Why did you burden yourself? You shouldn’t have gone through the trouble and spent the money and buy a gift.” I was confused: I did not know if I had done something wrong by accepting and enjoying the gift and if I should return it or what—after all I was only five years old! And I was not a street-smart child—I was very naive and innocent. Of course my mom was saying a typical thing in the Middle East: she was not trying to minimize my importance to her or the importance of my birthday. (And I am sure countless mothers have said something similar in front of their children.) But I was a very sensitive child and to my 5 years old brain I interpreted her words as saying: I am not important; I had done something bad; I am not worthy; I am causing people trouble and costing them money--I am a burden.

 

You would think such a small insignificant incident would not have a long lasting effect, but ever since that day I always felt like I was a burden, always felt guilty, unworthy and stupid. So I shied away from people even more, and became nervous in social settings. And of course, the less social I became the less self-confident I became and started having really low self-esteem and self-image. However, out of all the negative feelings I have about myself the worst is the feeling of being stupid. I am not sure why I feel stupid sometimes but the feeling comes suddenly and so powerfully it is literally paralysing.

 

To make things worse as I became a teenager I started gaining weight and I developed trichotillomania which caused my already low self-confidence to plummet even more, and I became even more withdrawn from people and detached from my surroundings. It is such a vicious cycle: the more anti-social I became the lower my self-confidence became, and the lower my self-confidence became the more anti-social I became; the less social I became the worse my trichotillomania habit got, and the worse my trichotillomania habit got the less social I became! I felt like I was standing in a hole and digging myself deeper in.

 

Obedient but Stubborn

 

I was a good and obedient kid so I rarely gave my parents hard time and I was never the rebellious type. I remember overhearing my mom telling our neighbour that she would have more children if she could guarantee they will be like me. I always listened and respected authority so that made me a good student on top of the fact I always studied really hard. I was very peaceful and a peacemaker. I avoided conflict and I was fair: for me or against me. I always tried to look at things objectively which made my friends trust me. I enjoyed telling jokes but I also was a deep thinker. I was quite liked and respected by my peers. Somehow everybody seemed to know me.

 

I was very stubborn: I would not listen to anyone if I believed they were wrong. I had to be convinced and it was not always easy. My family used to joke that if doctors looked inside my head they would not find a brain but a rock--I was that stubborn! But I was never stubborn for the trivial things in life--I was only stubborn if I disagreed on things that mattered. I was never the follower type even though I never liked being a leader. I was not impressed by popular opinions and never tried to chase after the latest trends. For some reason what the world had to offer did not impress me—I wanted more from life than materialistic things and passing pleasures. I was not tempted to try things that I believed were wrong: to me wrong was wrong whether I am permitted to do it or not.

 

I was a good storyteller and communicated my thoughts well but I almost never shared my inner feelings with anyone—I kept everything on the inside and dealt with it by myself. I loved to help and could empathize with others. I was always attracted to the meek and outcast than the proud and popular. I love to comfort others and encourage them. I was cautious and had a heightened sense of danger. There are a couple of instances when God by His grace warned me beforehand to avoid—if I had went along with others to these two places I would have been hurt really bad. The young liked my company and the adults trusted me. I was the kind of a boy where the neighbourhood girls could give me a friendly smile without having to worry about me interpreting it the wrong way.

 

Even though I was smart, worked hard, punctual, and a perfectionist I still lacked confidence: I did not believe I was worthy or capable of succeeding.

 

God Is Real

 

In the 1980s Diego Maradona, the captain of the Argentina soccer team, was the biggest soccer star, especially after the 1986 FIFA World Cup where he single-handedly lead Argentina to win the title defeating West Germany in the final. So he was my hero because soccer is the most popular sport in Iraq. In the 1990 FIFA World Cup final it was Argentina versus Germany again and Argentina lost 1-0 because of a last minute penalty kick. Maradona, my hero, cried and so I was going to cry too (don’t forget I was only 7 years old at the time!) but I did not want my family to see me crying so I ran upstairs. (Because Iraq’s summer is hot and often times there was no electricity, a lot of people sleep on the rooftops. It is easy to set up beds on the roof since the houses have flat roofs with brick walls.) It was night time and I threw myself on my bed crying—it was very quiet because people were still watching the FIFA World Cup event. I bitterly asked God why He let Maradona lose--as a child I didn’t know any better! Then I got tired of crying so I just laid on my back on the bed and looked up: the sky was dark and full of stars. I could hear distance noises from the TVs but it was quiet where I was. I kept looking at the sky and kind of forgot about Maradona’s loss because it was such a peaceful sight. Then it suddenly became a fearful sight: I was lying on a bed that is sitting on a roof with nothing tangible attaching me to earth which itself was floating in a vast and dark universe! That is when I understood that there is a God: a God had designed and created the heavens and the earth. Until then I was told that God existed but on that night I understood that He existed.

 

Who was He? I did not know but I knew He existed and He was great.

 

Doubts, Disappointments, and Rebellion

 

My dad was a devoted Catholic and he was an altar boy as a child but after two wars and the economic sanctions under a ruthless dictator he started to doubt his faith. So after the Gulf War, when I finally got to spend some time with him and know him, he imparted his doubts onto me. I was still young, in my early teens, so I was easily impressible and so I embraced his doubts as mine. On top of my new doubts I was becoming very disappointed with the Roman Catholic denomination for many reasons.

 

When I was 12 years old I enrolled in Sunday school in the summer break to be prepared for my first communion. They seated me in the front and paired me with this beautiful girl who was my age. There was a boy named Emmanuel who was trouble (he was always up to no good) and they had seated him in the back. As usual I kept my distance from troublesome kids and minded my own business. I did not talk much anyway especially to the girls because I was very shy. We rehearsed everything and everything was going according to plan. On the day of the first communion a nun came and kind of escorted me by the shoulders all the way to the back of the column and gave Emmanuel my spot at the front. I did not know why and, as usual, I did not protest. Not long after I found out the reason: Emmanuel’s uncle was a deacon, so when his parents saw their son standing in the back of the line they asked his uncle to move Emmanuel to the front to stand next to the beautiful girl.

 

I was not disappointed with Emmanuel, after all he was just a boy like me, or his parents, after all they are just ordinary people, but I was very disappointed with the nun and his uncle the deacon for showing favouritism. There were other incidents that disappointed me. One time in Christmas mass I was sick with the flu and I had asthma so I got up to go outside to catch my breath and go to the washroom. As I opened the side door a priest was walking in so he asked me where I was going, so I explained to him that I was sick and needed some fresh air and he said, “You liar! You probably want to skip mass to hang out with the bad kids!” I was taken back by his comment, first because he accused me of lying which is something I did not do and hated, second he had no reason to assume I was a liar, and third I did my best to avoid bad crowds. I was very disappointed by how unclean the priest’s heart was.

 

Even though I became more and more disappointed with the Catholic denomination, I actually stayed a very devoted Catholic: I would still pray to the saints and follow the Catholic decrees. Instead, I started crumpling against God, doubted the Bible and especially disliked the Lord Jesus Christ to the point of disliking my name because Fadi means “Saviour” in Arabic! I had two dear friends, Ayad and Furat, who used to always try to restore my faith: they reasoned with me and quoted scripture but nothing helped. I was too stubborn to listen, too blind to see, and too self-righteous to believe—I had made up my mind that God was wrong and I was right, He was the bad guy and I was the good guy. I believed in Him, I just did not like Him!

 

Not by Works

 

Around the time of my first communion, my grandmother read the story of Joseph son of Jacob to my sister and me. I was very impressed by Joseph and set him as my role-model (until today) and I became more interested in spirituality, the Bible, and the Christian faith. In summer time I started going to church every morning and confessing my sins until the priest told me to stop confessing my sins every day! I started reading Catholic prayer books and did the Sacred Heart of Jesus month and the Immaculate Heart of Mary month readings and prayers. I reciting those shorts Catholic prayers such as “Holy Mary, pray for us” all the time. I felt peace when I did those religious tasks and felt closer to God.

 

One Sunday school they were giving New Testaments away so I took one (even though we had half a dozen Bibles at home) just because it had an orange cover and I love the colour orange! Having nothing to do in Iraq’s hot summer afternoons and excited about my orange-cover Bible I started reading the New Testament. A couple of weeks later I asked my grandmother, “What do I have to do to go to heaven?” And she gave me the classic Middle Eastern answer, “When you die God will weigh your good words versus your bad works. If your good works are more than your bad works then you go to heaven. And if your bad works are more than your good works then you go to hell.” That sounded fair to me so I made up my mind that next morning I would be the best righteous Fadi I could be!

 

The next morning I woke up early because lazy was “bad works”. I helped my sister with cleaning and resisted to rush to the streets to play with my friends, because helping and self-control were “good works”! I prayed my morning prayer and read some Catholic prayer book. I was obedient to my sister and did not give her hard time (probably the hardest thing to resist doing!) I also pushed all evil thoughts away from my mind and asked for forgiveness right away from any evil thought. Everything was going according to plan but by noon I was getting exhausted; a sinful human living a righteous life is as exhausting as if I had tried to live as a pig—it was contrary to my nature so it was a spiritual fight every second of it! But I still “prevailed” until the afternoon when the doorbell rang.

 

I looked from the kitchen window and saw it was a beggar boy; it was common for beggars in Iraq to go house to house asking for money or food especially in the years of the economic sanctions. Of course on that day I had to outgive myself so I took double the amount of money I usually gave and went outside. It was very sunny and bright and it was hot. I tiptoed so I would not burn my feet because the ground was very hot. I gave the boy the money and quickly looked through the door to see if my friends were outside or not. They were not so I headed back inside.

 

As I entered the hallway I realized I could not see anything because my eyes had not adjusted yet to the darkness so I thought to myself “Be careful, you don’t want to hit your little toe against the stairwell!” So I slowed my steps down and still could see very little and that is when a verse from the Bible I had read few days ago flashed through my mind. It was Luke 17:7-10:

 

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

 

And just like that it occurred me: all my “good” works are not credited to me as righteousness! So I knew then that salvation is not attained by works because good works is my duty! However, I still did not know how to go to heaven!

 

After that day I stopped trying to live a righteous life by obeying man-made strict religious laws. I was angry that I was given wrong information about how to go to heaven—there is no scale of good versus bad works! And how could my grandmother a devoted Catholic for over 70 years not know that? So I started paying more attention at mass and realized there is no message of how to go to heaven. Most of the time the priest made little sense and talked about things that were irrelevant to my daily life. To make it worse most of the mass rituals were carried out either in Latin or Aramaic and I did not understand either! Also, it seemed that the priest answer to all life problems was: “God wants to test your patience!” Why did this happen to me? “God wants to test your patience!” Why did God say this in the Bible? “You shouldn’t question God. God wants to test your patience!” What does this mean? “God wants to test your patience!”

 

So I vowed after that day to never trust anyone with any spiritual teaching: I was going to test the faiths to see which one, if any, has any validity. If I found a faith that had any authority to its teachings then I would accept it as the truth and follow it. I did not mind people lying to me or misleading me in trivial matters, but going to hell was serious business—I wanted to know where I went after I died!

 

The Reality of Death

 

(Warning: This section is graphic so reader discretion is advised!)

 

If you live in Iraq you cannot ignore death. Growing up in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war I occasionally saw taxis driving by with Iraq flag-covered coffins on top. That did not scare me as it was a common sight. However, three incidents occurred that made me understand that death is real, it is a serious problem, and it is inevitable.

 

The first incident happened while watching TV at dinner time: the news showed two Iraqi soldiers captured by the Iranians. The first soldier was shot on the spot which kind of fazed me because I was about 7 or 8 years old and had never seen a person killed before, but the second soldier had his hands tied to two Jeeps. One of his arms was severed when the two vehicles moved apart, and he was shot afterwards. I was in shock because I had not known before that humans can be so evil and can inflict such violence and pain on another human. I thought people died peacefully in their sleep!

 

The second incident happened in 1991 during the Kurdish uprising right after the Gulf War; I was 8 years old. After Iraq’s loss in the Gulf War the Kurds in the north and the Shias in the south were convinced that the Iraqi army was weakened to the point where they can overthrow Saddam Hussein. So the Kurds advanced south toward Baghdad and in the process took control of the city I lived in, Kirkuk. However, a couple of weeks after retreating the army advanced into the city to regain control. One day in the battle between the Iraqi army and the Kurd rebels (known as Peshmerga) I went up to the roof of our house without my mom’s knowledge to see an army helicopter firing its weapons. I did not know at the time that weapons were horrible—I thought weapons were “cool”. There were no deaths in our neighbourhood so I did not give thought to the consequences of war. Not long after the firefight started the army took Kirkuk back and for few days everybody was scared and the streets were quite empty. It was an unusually quiet time for a city that just went through the turmoil of mass looting and a civil war.

 

Few days after the army recaptured Kirkuk, our neighbour--who lived across the street from our house--wanted to go see his daughter’s family who lived in Arafa (a mostly Christian neighbourhood on the outskirt of Kirkuk) to check on them because there were no phone lines and he was worried about them. His name was Matta (which means Matthew in Arabic) and he was an older man in his 60s or 70s, but because the government car he drove was stolen during the looting he asked if he can fill our car with gas to go see his daughter. My mom agreed (my dad was not home because he had to join the army) and her and I went with him. The streets were quiet but as soon as we reached the main road I saw two bodies covered in blankets. I was taken back by the view of two dead bodies lying on the side walk of the city’s main road. I had been through that street many times, and I never thought I would one day see dead bodies lying on the side walk!

 

After Matta checked on his family we drove back and a checkpoint was set up at a roundabout so we stopped. As Matta talked to the soldier I looked to my left outside the car window to see a dead young Kurd in the centre of the roundabout. He was may be in his late 20s or early 30s. He had a dark curly hair and dark skin and had facial hair. I do not know how long he was dead for but he was not dead for long even though the blood running from his body was kind of thick and dry. I mostly remember the flies flying in and around his face—and I think this image imprinted this incident in my memory. Because I thought, “How helpless is a dead person? He can’t even shoo away a fly from his face? Is this how I will end up?” The answer was “yes”—that is the fate of all human beings. Death is our biggest problem.

 

I was 8 years old then so I was not ready to see that but I understood then what death was, and I had never understood what death means before then. I knew when people died they were buried but I did not understand that death is ugly and tragic. For some reason, I kept trying to figure out who the dead young Kurd looked like then I realized he did not look like anyone I had known—he was a unique human being and his death was a loss not only to his loved ones but to humanity as a whole. I also understood that death is an ugly problem every human has to face. I realized when people die they do not just disappear as in action movies—in one scene they are killed and in the next scene they are gone. Death is real, ugly, tragic, and inevitable. I believe that incident trigger me to think about life’s meaning, searching for God, and know my place in the universe. But most importantly I really wanted to know what happens to me after death! I wanted to know if there was something more after life, or a corpse is all I was going to end up as!

 

The third incident I definitely was not ready for. I was may be 9 or 10 years old when they showed on the news images of the Amiriyah shelter bombing which happened during the Gulf War. The shelter was located in the Amiriyah neighbourhood and it was bombed by two “smart bombs”: the first bomb cut through the 3m of reinforce concrete while the second one went through the hole made by the first bomb. Over 400 civilians, mostly women and children, died. The images shown on TV were graphic: amputated and charred bodies of mothers and children fused together; human skin stuck on walls; burned corpses of screaming victims.

 

Again I was in shocked of the graphic violence of the incident and I was scared. At night I could not sleep because images of the dead kept flashing in my mind—images of their faces and corpses haunted me. And it was winter time so my mom would turn the electric heater from the evening until morning to warm up the bed room during the night, but I was too scared to uncover myself because of the images of the dead. I could not have a good night sleep because it was too hot to sleep and I was too scared to come out from underneath the blanket! As usual, I never shared my struggles and feelings with anyone. This went on for a couple of months until summer.

 

After that summer I was never again scared of the dark or death, but death became a reality of life that I could not ignore. Death has its way of maturing a person: you never live life the same after taking death into consideration. So many things and dreams become unimportant and so many things and dreams become important if you only keep in mind that you will die. So knowing who God is, who I am to Him, why He created me, and where I am heading after death became very important topics to me.

 

A Precious Gift

 

Around the age of 14 I started to become lonely because as teenagers all my close friends (aged 13 to 17) were interested in doing teenager things but I was never interested in joining them. Suddenly they stopped playing sports and decided to go downtown to chase after girls, which I wanted no part in. They spent time, energy, and money to look their best and buy the latest fashion to impress girls, which did not appeal to me. The summer break and fall of when I was 14 was very depressing; I was alone and the fall weather was gloomy and cloudy with no sun. I spent a lot of time thinking about life and asking: it can’t be that a great God exists but He is not interested in me! It makes no sense for Him to create me and create all those amazing and beneficial things for me then forgets me! There must be more to life than chasing girls and getting the latest in fashion! I know I am going to die but what am I supposed to do with my life in the meantime? And how do I go to heaven?

 

We only had one complete Bible in our house which belonged to my grandmother and it was a really old book; the other Bibles we had were only the New Testament. My sister wanted to read the Old Testament so she asked our neighbour and my friend, Furat, to get her one. (For some reason the Old Testament was not easily acquired at that time, may be because Iraq is a predominantly Muslim country and the Old Testament is all about God’s chosen people—the nation of Israel.) Furat was active in the church and had many friends so he was able to get a hold of a new copy of the complete Bible. He refused to get paid back for the price of the book (even though 400 dinars at the time was a lot of money)—he said it was a gift. For some reason my sister did not read the Old Testament so I took ownership of it. I started reading it starting with Genesis and I was amazed by it: here was an account of earth and human history from Adam, the first man, to 2,000 years ago! I remember sharing with two of my younger Muslim friends about how amazing the Bible was and they listened, but few weeks later we left Iraq to Jordan.

 

I cried a lot on the way to Jordan: I missed my home, my friends, my neighbours, and my country. Until that moment in my life Iraq is all I had known. We did not have the Internet so all things I did and knew were Iraqi things done the Iraqi way! We settled in Amman the capitol of Jordan and started our immigration papers to come to Canada where the rest of my mother’s family is. Few months later my aunt’s family joined us in Amman (they were the last family we had in Iraq) to do their immigration papers to go to Sweden where my cousin lives; it was my aunt (my mom’s oldest sister), her husband (who is also my dad’s uncle), and my two cousins. Being the insecure and shy kid I was meant I made no friends in Jordan, and being bitter toward the church meant I did not even go to church with my family. I would watch them take the stairs down to the main road (Amman is built on mountains so there are long stairs wherever you go) but I could never bring myself to go with them. Also, my insecurities and low confidence prevented me from meeting new people and made me feel very uncomfortable in social settings.

 

I simply stayed home and read the Old Testament for hours every day; I would read over a dozen of chapters every day. I was amazed by the God of the Old Testament and I wanted to become a Jewish Rabbi because I had found the true God! My uncle told me, “Israel has borders with Jordan. It’s not that far if you are serious about becoming a Rabbi!” I liked the God of the Old Testament but I still did not like Jesus Christ; I guess it was Satan’s last efforts to prevent me from getting saved.

 

Also, because I spent a lot of time by myself I started to realize that my mind and thoughts were always changing (which is a common thing for any human especially a teenager), but I was not reaching a point of knowing. I tried to explain life and live by following rules I had learnt from experiences but my experiences always changed and I always changed so my rules changed and I was again at the start point: Why did this happen? How should I respond to this situation? Is this action right or wrong? I did not know the answers to these questions and more. I was frustrated because my life events had no clear purpose or pattern I could understand and follow. Every time I looked back at myself from a month ago I realized I had yet again changed in no certain direction—I just randomly changed. This pattern of continuous random change scared me: how will I know to make the right decisions in the future if my thoughts keep changing? How will I choose the correct career and wife if I do not know who I am and what I am looking for! It is like trying to measure a length using a ruler that is always changing! Experiences, feelings, opinions and beliefs were not good enough for me: I wanted to know, I wanted truth!

 

Wrong Attitude

 

While I was getting all this information about God and how He works from reading the Old Testament, I still had the wrong attitude toward God. One day my sister came back from church and told me how it was wrong to pray to the saint and that was a shocking thing to say to a “devoted” Roman Catholic! I was upset with her words and told her, “How can you say we should not pray to the Virgin Mary?!” As far as I was concerned, what she was saying was sacrilegious! It is sad how I liked Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the other “saints”, but I did not like the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!

 

One evening in Amman, our neighbour--an Iraqi Catholic named Emad--came to visit us. He was in his 30s and was sitting at the table looking outside the window while I was sitting on a mattress on the floor (we did not have much in Jordan). I was making my case against God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Bible—mostly doubts I had heard my dad say (I was not that original!) I kept going on and on but he rarely looked at me and he did not seem fazed by my arguments against God. When I finally finished talking he looked at me and said in a scoffing manner, “So you are telling me that you know better than the Son of God?” WOW! That was all I needed to hear!

 

First, I shut my mouth because I realized I was “arguing” with a man twice my age which is a shameful thing to do in the Middle East. Second, and most importantly my spirit was quieted because I realized there is a huge problem with my belief system: how could I say that I believe God is great and all-knowing and all-powerful yet claim to know more than Him? How could I trust His knowledge if I knew more than Him? What’s the point of following God if I am smarter than Him? Why would He gives us truth in some things while mislead us in other things? Jesus Chris is the Son of God—I am not fighting against a man but God Himself!

 

So two things happened that evening: first, I started liking Jesus Christ because I finally understood He deserved the respect I gave the God of the Old Testament because He is the Son of God; second, I stopped questioning God’s Word to prove I am right and God is wrong, and started asking God to explain to me His Word. There is a big difference between the two: questioning comes with the wrong attitude of fighting against God, while asking comes with the right attitude of desiring to know God. On that day I humbled myself and gave God the respect He deserves—I laid down my arrogance and self-centeredness.

 

So far God had arranged my circumstances and changed me to know He is real, give me enough discernment to know we are not saved by works, gave me time to think about life and death and what happens after death, have knowledge of His Word (especially the Old Testament which I was not familiar with before), quieted my spirit and humbled me, but I still did not know what is the next step. The big questions were always: How do I go to heaven? What does all this mean to me?

 

Three Books, One Message

 

My aunt’s family had a Syrian neighbour who was Christian (born-again or not, I do not know) and his immigration papers came to Sweden so he took his family and stuff and immigrated to Sweden but left some things behind. One of the things he left behind were six books (two copies of three books) written by Josh McDowell titled: Evidence That Demands A Verdict, More Than A Carpenter, and Jesus: A Biblical Defense of His Deity. My uncle took one of each copy and gave me the other, so I started reading those books. It all made sense because I had just finished reading the Old Testament and knew the prophecies about Jesus—I finally understood who the Gospel writers were quoting! But I still needed something more to be convinced, more than good arguments and a testimony—I wanted tangible evidence. So what really made an impact on me are these three points:

 

1) Prophecies. Prophecies are very important because a lot of people can write “holy” books but what prove their authority are prophecies because no one knows the future but God. And this was not one prophecy or two, but hundreds that all came true in one person--the person of Jesus Christ! And they were not some random prophecies that did not have anything to do with each other. No, they were all parts of one plane: God’s plan to save mankind from sin and hell through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. The strange part is that they were written by different men in different places from different times, so how could all these prophecies agree on the message and make so much sense unless they were inspired by God!

 

Prophecies also give witness to Jesus Christ. So many religions were started by one person with no witnesses to His authority; Jewish law required at least two witness for a trial otherwise it would be one person’s word versus another person’s word. By what authority does a person start a religion? Self-righteousness? One’s own words? Who is to back him up? That is why some religions started by the sword: if people were not convinced by evidence they were persuaded by fear. But that is not how it is with Jesus Christ (apart from His miracles and the Father witnessing to Him) those prophecies witness to Him as the promised coming Saviour. And He did not need to harm anyone for people to follow Him.

 

2) The character, life, and death of Jesus Christ and His followers. Nothing made sense: why would His disciples die for Him? He did not give them money, fame, or earthly power, or allowed them to have carnal desires, or anything of that nature. On the contrary, they lived difficult lives full of hunger, chased, persecuted, put on trials and executed but still refused to deny Him as their Lord! And Why would He or they die for a lie? Were they crazy or delusional? They did not sound like it! Unless, they saw something supernatural in the person of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is real. Nothing else could explain to me their lives. Jesus Christ definitely was not crazy for how can a crazy man teach such noble things? And He definitely was not lying for how can a liar—a sinner--perform miracles?

 

3) How bizarre is Christianity comparing to all other world religions! Seriously, have you thought about how difficult it is for a dozen of men who lived in different times and places to conspire to write about the same God with the same salvation plan? And what an unlikely story for one person to come up with, yet they all had to agree on the following:

 

a. God is three Persons in One. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

b. The Son of God became a human. That is God in His entire glory and greatness manifest Himself as a human child.

c. The Son of God is born of a virgin! (Do you see now how bizarre it is for a man to come up with this story?)

d. He is born in a manger. He leads a simple and poor life, often times persecuted. (Remember, we are not talking about some monk here, we are talking about God Himself taking a form of a meek human being!)

e. He was a miracle worker to the likes of nobody! He opened the eyes of the blind, raised the dead, and walked on water.

f. Salvation is not by human works but by faith in the Son of God, that is: believing God’s Son died for your sins. (When was the last time you heard of a religion that teaches salvation is not by human good works?) All world religions teach: we must reach up to God—humanly it makes sense! While Christianity teaches that God reached down to us!

g. Not only the Son of God dies but He rose from the dead!

h. His followers will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit who will live the life of Christ through them!

 

And the list goes on and on—such an unlikely story to be written and die for! I do not know about you but if I made my own religion it would not sound something like this! It would be a simple “do good, go to heaven; do bad, go to hell”. Love those who love you (who teaches to love their enemies and expects large followers?) There is one god made up of one person (so much easier to be accepted than three persons make one God!) And enjoy life on earth as much as you can (power, fame, comfort, all kind of pleasures) because I know the there is no god and no heaven or hell—I made them up!

 

Christianity’s unusual doctrine and events are not made for the sake of making it a “strange” religion. Each one of these doctrines and events had a purpose and was designed this way. There is a reason for the virgin birth. There is a reason for the death on the cross. There is a reason why the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. There is a reason the Son of God had to die and not somebody else. There is a reason why we cannot gain righteousness by works. And the list goes on and on: everything has a purpose to fulfill God’s divine plan to save mankind.

 

A lot of religions have very noble and admirable teachings but they still lack authority. You see the problem is that truth is truth: it is not about how much I like it, whether I accept it or not, or I agree with it or not. Jesus Chris is the truth and I could not avoid this fact.

 

Saved at Last

 

One day I was laying on a straw carpet close to a window in the afternoon and the sun rays were shinning on me and I was reading the last chapter of the last of the three books. At the end of the book, the author Josh McDowell wrote his own testimony of coming to Christ and his struggle to forgive his old drunkard father prior to coming to Christ. He asked if the reader wanted to give their lives to Jesus Christ and there was a short prayer (also known as the sinner’s prayer) and I desperately needed this 3- 4 years spiritual crisis to be over with because I had made up my mind that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour and I need to surrender my life to Him. So I prayed asking God to forgive my sins because I was a sinner and I accepted the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the Cross as payment for my sins, and I invited the Holy Spirit into my heart to change me into the likeness of Jesus Christ. For the first two days I was the happiest I had ever been--I felt like I was floating on air; as if the weight of the world was taken off my shoulders!

 

I did not know what happened to me but I knew few things right away: I was happy and worry free; I had peace and joy; and I started to see things differently. Suddenly I started to know good from evil and it stayed that way--the next day, next week, or next month--the good did not become evil and evil become good. I grew in my knowledge of the truth but the truth never changed.

 

A couple of months later we immigrated to Canada. In Canada, I still did not know what had just happened to me, and if there were other people out there who had gone through the same experience of salvation. Because I still did not go to church and did not socialize with others, I had no idea what was going on and so I kept praying the sinner’s prayer every day to remind myself that I was saved by faith through God’s grace and not by works. Not long after coming to Canada (may be a year or so) I was watching TV on a Sunday evening when I came across the InTouch program by Dr. Charles Stanley. That is when I understood what happened and I gradually grew in my Christian faith and still growing. One Sunday while I was listening to Charles Stanley on TV my uncle asked me, “Do you really believe in this nonsense?” I simply answered, “Yes, I do.” My uncle’s words and attitude reminded me of myself, not long ago, before coming to Christ: I also was an enemy of Christ, but God in His grace not only sent His Son to die for my sins but also sent the Holy Spirit to draw me to Him so I believe and be saved.

 

Giving up my Roman Catholic identity was a much harder battle. I still prayed to the Virgin Mary for three years, mainly out of habit, after coming to Christ. Until one day when I realized it was idolatry and had no spiritual value.

 

The work God had done in my life in the last 15 years and His love and faithfulness are more than I can include here. The testimony you read here is just the beginning because I could write about His love forever.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Final Words

 

Here I would to discuss issues that are related to my testimony but I did not include them in the testimony because I did not want to disturb the flow of the story.

 

The Birthday Incident

 

I had forgotten about the birthday incident, but about two years ago I prayed, “Lord, why do I hate my birthday? Why don’t I celebrate it like everybody else? Why don’t I like receiving gifts? Why do I always feel guilty and as if I am a burden on others?” A couple of weeks after I prayed that prayer I remembered the birthday incident—it all makes sense now. God has been faithful in every single way. He has been faithful in trying to heal my heart and emotional scars.

 

Salvation Is God’s Work

 

Salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44) I did not come to Christ through my own intelligence or effort—my testimony is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. When I did not understand He exists and He is great, He showed me His amazing creation. When I did not know where my life was headed, He showed me the reality of death. When I was busy, He provided me with a quiet time and the opportunity to read. When I did not understand who the Lord Jesus Christ is, He gave me the Old Testament to read and understand that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah. When I had doubts, He gave me books that answered my questions. When I had the wrong heart attitude, He humbled me. When I was too shy to go to church, He reached me through books. When I fought against Him, He was patient because He saw my ignorance and confusion and lovingly led me to become His child. (Romans 2:4)

 

I would love to tell you that I was this genius kid who had this great spiritual discernment and understood God’s mind! But it was not like this at all! God saw my confusion, took me to a place and a time and patiently waited for me to open my eyes and see, then He did the same thing over and over again until I reached a point where I was ready to accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Saviour! How much more shall I say about God’s goodness and faithfulness?

 

Everything happened to me was God’s divine work to bring me to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. It was not my self-effort—I simply responded to His moves and when I did not He waited and used other methods to reach me. None of the things I mentioned in my testimony can be considered “miraculous”, actually a doubting person can simply look at these events as mere coincidences. However, so many things happen around us are God’s divine work and design but we cease to see them as such—we brushed them off as coincidence. Even painful events God can use for our good. There were many instances before I came to Christ where God worked in my life—not because I was His child but because He wanted to lead me to Himself to become His child.

 

The sinner’s prayer does not save anyone—the “sinner’s prayer” can simply express the desires of those who are ready to be born-again. Simply asking someone to read the “sinner’s prayer” will do no good if the Holy Spirit has not led that person to the point in their lives where they are ready to repent of their sins and turn to Christ as their only hope of salvation. Also, saying the “sinner’s prayer” is not a proof that someone is saved; the Bible says that the fruit of the Spirit--that is, us abiding in Christ so the Holy Spirit can live Christ’ life through us--is the proof that we are saved.

 

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13)

 

None of that “I prayed the sinner’s prayer” or “I felt Goosebumps” is evidence of our salvation. If you have to keep rededicating your life to Christ then maybe you do not want to be part of Christ—may be you are not saved, may be you are not a child of God. I am not saying the sinner’s prayer does not work: what I am saying is that it only works for those who the Holy Spirit has prepared to be born-again.

 

The Bible says, “Very truly I [Jesus Christ] tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3) And in verse 6 it says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

 

Why did our Lord use the birth experience to explain the born-again experience? Because being born-again is the work of the Spirit—it is not your work and it is not someone else’s work. Others can help the Spirit (just like a doctor and nurses help a pregnant woman), but it is the Spirit who has to do the work (just like it is the mother who has to give birth). And just like there is a nine month period of time for a child to be ready to be born, so there is also a preparation period for our sinful hearts to turn to and accept Christ. A person does not come out of a strip club for a smoke, then you ask him if he wants to go to heaven (who doesn’t?) then ask him to read the sinner’s prayer if he wants to go to heaven, then he goes back to the strip club and does so for the rest of his life and then you declare him to be born-again! It does not work this way!

 

Remember, it is not your work to save someone else. Often times you are only one link in the process of leading someone to Christ. Do not be discouraged or dishearten if you do not see the fruit of your labour right away; after all, sinners are not rejecting you—they are rejecting Jesus Christ.

 

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18)

 

I thank the Lord that by His grace and mercy He kept giving me chances to come to Him after rebelling against Him for years. Just like He never gave up on me, we should never give up on another person who is so blinded by Satan that he or she cannot see the truth of God’s Word.

 

The hymn “At Calvary” perfectly explains my salvation experience.

 

Peace Through Works

 

Believe it or not, I actually had peace before I came to Christ! It was not permanent and it was not fulfilling. It was peace acquired through doing good works and following decrees; it was peace tied to my performance, feelings, and circumstances. I had peace if I read the Catholic prayer books or read the Immaculate Heart of Mary devotional book. It was a momentary peace tied to my works. The Lord Jesus Christ does not say we will not have peace in this world but that the peace He gives us is different than the world’s peace.

 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

 

Of course this worldly and work-based peace is very damaging because it deceives us into thinking that we can acquire more peace if we do more good works. So we end up becoming more religious and busier trying to please God all the while we are heading straight to hell. The peace I have now is not based on me or my circumstances—the peace I have now is based on God’s Word. I live by faith knowing that I am saved only because Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, paid for my sins on the cross. Nothing can take this away from me. Worldly peace is a counterfeit trying to mimic true peace which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit through abiding in Christ, but it will never be able to withstand trials and the test of time.

 

Satan will give you his version of peace--actually he will give you anything--to keep you away from Christ. The worldly peace I had was misleading: it misled me into believing I could have peace apart from Christ, and it misled me into thinking I could approach God my way.

 

Approaching God

 

The problem we have is not that we do not know God, but that God does not know us! If I went to the White House asking to see the president of the United States telling the guards that I knew him, will the guards let me in? Of course not! For me to get in the guards have to first verify if the president knows me! We have not separated ourselves from God; no, He separated Himself from us! He is the one who banished Adam and Even from the Garden of Eden—they did not leave voluntary! He is the one who has problem with sin because He is the Holy and Righteous one; we are sinners—sin is what we do, we love it!

 

If I am a man who wants to ask a lady’s hand in marriage then I have to meet her requirements and the requirements of her parents. Why is that? Because I am the one who wants to marry her and so I have to measure up to her expectations of being a godly husband and father and a leader and protector of the family. Therefore, I cannot approach her my way—I cannot offer what I want to offer. No, I have to approach her the way she expects and offers her what she wants! It is the same thing when we approach God: we have to approach Him the way He says is acceptable to Him and that is through His Son Jesus Christ.

 

In all religions God forgives by forgetting; that is, God’s mercy is not balanced by His justice. His justice book is not balanced—it does not add up to zero! Our sins are somehow forgiven but are not paid for! In Christianity God forgives by placing the punishment for sin on His Son Jesus Christ. His justice and requirement punishment for sin, namely death, is balanced by the death of His Son. God’s holiness, justice, mercy, and love are all satisfied. His justice book is balanced because Jesus paid it all!

 

In all religions God is holy and hates sin but He is not so holy and hates sin to the degree where He can’t just forget about it! If you do a bit of this and that and ask for forgiveness then He is merciful and will just forgive you! But in Christianity God is so holy and hates sin so much that there is no way He is just forgetting about it—justice must be served and the punishment for sin is death! He is infinitely holy and we are infinitely sinful, therefore, we are infinitely separated from Him. But He is also infinitely merciful and loving and to save us He sent His only begotten Son, the sinless Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. This way His justice is satisfied because sin’s death punishment is satisfied through the Cross, and the infinite gap between sinful man and holy God is spanned. It is not only spanned but God came to live inside man through the person of the Holy Spirit!

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

 

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

 

“…the Spirit of truth...lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17)

 

Not Blind Faith

 

I do not like the phrase “blind faith”. I actually had not heard of this phrase until I came to Canada! I do not like the phrase because I do not agree with it. To agree with it is to say that God is unwise, unreasonable, and scared!

 

God knows that there are many beliefs and religions out there, so if He did not give us enough evidence of who He is and His plan then we would not be able to discern which prophet is sent from Him and which is not! Which faith is true and which is not! They all cannot be true because they have conflicting teachings! All gods cannot be the One true God! It would be unwise of Him not to give us evidence of His truth when He knows we could easily follow the wrong faiths. And it would be unreasonable of Him to not to give us reasonable proofs of His identity and will and still expect us to know Him and obey Him! Unless He is scared that we find out He is not real! May be He is keeping us at bay because He does not want us to discover the reality that He does not exist! Growing up in the Roman Catholic denomination I had a feeling that God was very insecure, so you can imagine my shock when I read Malachi 3:10 in the Old Testament, “Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty!

 

The reason I am bringing this up is that our faith should not be a blind faith—it must be built on a foundation. Sometimes in life when we go through trials and pain we have to preserve through faith—you may call it “blind” faith—but how do you know the Bible is God’s Word? I will go back to the three points that convinced me of the authority of the Bible and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

 

Suppose I told you, “Our friend Chris will come in a rental car” and he shows up in a rental car, what would the first thing you would ask? It would be, “How did you know?” Why? Because you know that the chances of me guessing accurately on that day Chris will show up in a rental car are very slim. Now suppose I also said, “Christ will show up in a yellow shirt” and he does, now you know that I did not simply guess but I knew these things! It is the same with prophecies: they are God’s way of wanting us to know who is sent by Him and who is not because we know that no one knows the future but Him—it is not blind faith if you know!

 

For the sake of the argument, let us assume that Jesus Christ had planned to fulfill some prophecies to impersonate the coming Messiah, namely: to die on the cross. How did he manage to plan the prophecies concerning His birth? Let us assume His disciples lied in the gospels about Him fulfilling His birth prophecies. Why would they die for a lie? Not only they would have died for a lie, but they gained nothing a human would want in return: long comfortable life, wealth, power and fame. They received none of that! Jesus Christ promised them two things: eternal life and persecution! Eternal life they could not see but persecution was very much real! To make their story even more bizarre they were not only following but also worshipping who in public opinion was a convicted and executed criminal! When was the last time the idea of worshiping an executed criminal appealed to you? Exactly! They saw and experienced someone very real--the Son of God and the Holy Spirit—to give up everything including their lives for this God!

 

Personal testimony is good but I wanted to base my faith on more than stories. I am sorry to word it this way, I am not trying to dismiss testimonies—they are the work of God—otherwise I would not have written my testimony. But I understood that people are emotional creatures and anything could change us, I knew that first hand because my thoughts were always changing. If someone told you his testimony of how boxing changed his life, how he was a street kid but now he has a purpose and stays away from bad influence, does this make boxing a religion or his trainer a prophet? Of course not! Testimonies are good to strengthen our faith, but not to base our faith on them because for every Christian testimony I can bring you a testimony of someone of a different religion. God wants us to know!

 

Why Christ?

 

I often asked myself: Why did I doubt the Bible? And why did I hate the Lord Jesus Christ? If I was disappointed with the Roman Catholic denomination, then why did I not hate being a Roman Catholic? If I was disappointed with the priest who called me a liar, then why did I not hate him? If I was disappointed with the nun who moved me to the last row at my first communion, then why did I not hate her? If the teachings and decrees of the Roman Catholic denomination did not make sense to me, then why did I not hate those teachings? Why did I not hate Moses, or King David, or Elijah, or the apostle Paul? If I had doubts, why did I not doubt God’s existence? Why did I not doubt the teachings of the Roman Catholic denomination? Why did I instead hate the person of Jesus Christ and doubt God’s Word?

 

The answer is simple: Satan blinded me and focused my doubts on God’s Word and turned my disappointments as hatred toward the Lord Jesus Christ because Satan knew that God’s Word can lead me to Jesus Christ who can save me. Satan did not care if I was a devoted Roman Catholic or not. Satan did not care if I believed in God, a god, or gods. The Bible says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.” (James 2:19)

 

These things do not save me! What saves us from our sins is faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and His death on the Cross as payment for our sins. How do we come to this knowledge? Through God’s Word! And that is why Satan is willing to give us everything else but knowledge of God’s Word and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

 

Death

 

When I came to Canada at the age of 15 I was surprised that Canadians live as if they are not going to die: they live only for this world and for now.

 

The objective is not to focus on death--death is only a gateway--but to focus on our lives after death. Not long ago my 11 years old nephew told me about all those things he wants to accomplish when he grows up—things the world is concerned with—and how he would retire as a rich old man. So I asked him, “And then?” He thought about it for a second then answered, “I guess I die.” I asked him again, “And then?” And he looked baffled because he had thought of everything except death and he definitely did not think about eternity. He made the classical error of seeing death as an end when in reality it is the beginning. Satan distracts us with so many present worldly things just so we do not plan for eternal heavenly glory!

 

If we remember every morning that one day we will die then we will be more focused spiritually and make decisions with eternity in mind. Praying, giving, serving, forgiving, and loving will become our priority.

 

The Difference

 

So how am I different now than before coming to Christ? Well, I am saved now and have the Holy Spirit and God is working in me, through me, and in my life. But also God addressed my problems.

 

Do I still have trichotillomania? Yes, I do. It is not as bad as before and I have learned not to focus on it. Satan wants us to focus on our problems—whether big or small—but the Lord has taught me to focus on Him so I do not miss His plan for my life. Do I still have low self-confidence? Yes, I do. However, I have learned to be confident in the Lord. Before I could not make decisions because I had no self-confidence and no other source of confidence, but now I have the Lord as my source of confidence. The good part is that I am always drawing closer to Him because I know I will not be able to function and make important decisions without Him; this way I also know those decisions will be blessed because their source was Him. Do I still feel anxious in a crowd? Yes, but now I can have courage in Him. Just like He replaced my low self-confidence with His sufficient confidence, He also replaced my anxiety with His sufficient courage.

 

Am I still shy and feel awkward in social settings? Yes. But I learned that God can use us different ways: maybe I do not have what it takes to stand in front of a crowd and talk, but I can write! Not everyone comes to faith by hearing—some, like me, come to faith by reading! God does not see my shyness as a problem, after all He created me and He knows I am an introvert. Personality traits are not a sin: being funny versus serious is not a sin, being an introvert versus extrovert is not a sin, being talkative versus quiet is not a sin, excelling in math versus the arts is not a sin! He created every one of us to be unique, to fulfill a certain purpose in His plan to preach the gospel to the lost. Sin is a problem, shyness is not—not once did the Holy Spirit convict me of my shyness as being a sin! He did not solve my shyness problem because to Him it is not a problem.

 

Do I still feel guilty over past sins and do I still feel stupid? Yes, sometimes I do. Satan would bring something silly that happened in my childhood to mind to make me feel guilty or stupid, and the Holy Spirit would always remind me that I am forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ and I have a new identity in Him. Those feelings and thoughts do not hinder me: I can confront them now with God’s truth and quickly move on. As many times as Satan attacks me I keep reminding myself that the war has been won 2,000 years ago at Calvary and Satan is just trying to win a pity battle here and there. There is nothing Satan can do to send me to Hell, but he sure will try to make me ineffective for God’s Kingdom.

 

Am I still searching for the truth? No, I found Him who is the truth. Does a runner keep running after reaching the finish line? Of course not! Before coming to Christ my thoughts were always changing: my thoughts were going in random circles toward no clear end. But now my thoughts are growing and being build up to know more of His truth. While I am still learning and growing, the knowledge the Holy Spirit taught me is not obsolete, on the contrary He is building my current knowledge on the previous lesson He taught me. My thoughts and knowledge are growing toward more of His truth; these are not some baseless thoughts with my ever-changing experiences as their reference. No, these are God’s truths written in His Word and carried out in my life.

 

The hymn “It Is Well with My Soul” best describes my Christian walk.

 

Lastly but Not Least

 

I am still friends with Ayad and Furat. In fact, they both now live in Toronto as I do! It is strange how 20 years ago they preached to me but now I preach to them the Good News of salvation by faith alone!

 

One day in Amman a tailor lady told my mom, “Why isn’t your son enrolled in school here? You don’t know how long you will stay in Jordan. Don’t waste his youth—let him continue his education here!” I often reflect back on those words: how many of us, with good intentions, give similar advice? Imagine if I had gone to school for that one year we spent in Jordan: imagine how busy I would have been, imagine how little time I would have had to read God’s Word, reflect on it, and read those evangelical books. Often times we try to help others but in reality we are interfering with God’s work. Give God the space and time to do His work—trust Him. He has never ever let me down. I was delayed a year in high school, so what? I gained eternal life instead! Do not rush God’s work; not everyone has to graduate from high school at the age of 18, go to university and graduate at the age of 22, find an office job and get married at the age of 26!

 

I will leave you with Proverbs 3:5-6:

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

 

(Toronto, ON; winter 2015.)

 

The sculptor Bjørn Nørgaard's new Bible work in bronze and steel

 

Shaped by two egg-shaped domes in patinated bronze and stainless steel respectively. The outer forms an oval of approximately 4.5 x 3.70 meters. The interior is circular and has a diameter of 2.50 meters. There are three displaced entries and a prism with the star of stars at the top. The sculpture is filled with reliefs, old-fashioned on the outside and newest in the interior of the inner dome, both supplemented by contemporary references. Several politicians and cultural figures are depicted. Among other musicians Bob Dylan, poet Inger Christensen and German philosopher Jürgen Habermas.

  

en.easternlightning.org/testimonies/do-the-will-of-God-2....

 

I Finally Understand What It Means to Do the Will of God (Part Two)

 

By Xinshou, United States

 

After Sister Li listened, she smiled and said, “Thanks be to God, you’ve asked a critical question! Whether we can become people who do the Father’s will is directly related to our own endings and destination, and fellowship on this question is very necessary! In the last days, the returned Lord Jesus, who is Almighty God, has already revealed the truth and mysteries surrounding this question to us. First, let’s read several passages of Almighty God’s word!” After she spoke, Sister Li opened a book ofJesus Return God’s word and began to read, “A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be after God’s heart? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as a sinner because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance” (“Concerning Appellations and Identity” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

 

Image Source: The Church of Almighty God

 

Terms of Use: en.easternlightning.org/disclaimer.html

 

Read more:

 

A Wonderful Reunion With the God</a: I Find the Way to Be Free From Sin

Visitors of "local testimony" photography exhibition.

Due to covid-19 restrictions it was relocated from the museum to an open space.

Nina Persson!

Eflatun Pınar.....bears unique testimony to a major cult monument of the Hittite Empire. The Hittites secured the political unity in Anatolia, existed in these lands roughly between 1620 BC and 1200 BC and acquired a very different and significant place in the Anatolian history. The Hittites built their temples nearby sources of water as they thought water was elixir of life. The spring sanctuary of Eflatun Pınar has a great importance within the water cult having a significant role in the Hititte religion. Integration of water in the architectural and religious concept is a unique feature of the site. As the Hittites had a theocratic understanding of religion they often established their cities and erected their temples nearby the sources of water which is elixir of life. These sources of water and rivers were sanctified and good deal of importance that attached to the cult of water by performing a lot of rituals. In lots of places of the Hittite Empire territory, foremost Hattusa, basins, dams, weirs, especially rock monuments were built nearby water were unearthed. For usually Hittite spring sanctuaries had been carved everywhere in Anatolia in the natural rock, but in this case obviously Eflatun Pınar was erected artificially in order to be able to mount the relief. Thousands tons of stones had to be transported from an andesite quarry about five kilometres away from the construction site that is an impressive logistical achievement. No inscriptions were found at the site, but based on its proximity to Yalburt and Köylütolu Monuments this monument may be dated to the 2nd half of 13th century BC. A Hittite cult basin is also preserved in Yalburt, a place that is only 60 kilometres away from Eflatun Pınar. Yet the water structural arrangements of this monument are very simple and cannot be compared to those in Eflatun Pınar. In one point, the two structures are nevertheless similar the basin of Yalburt is erected of large ashlars, that are stacked up in several courses. There is no relief existed on the monument of Yalburt and as a result of its drain spring, it has lost its original function currently.

Antonis Mor (Utrecht, 1512 – Antwerp, before 1576)

 

Sir Thomas Gresham (1519–1579) was the leading English merchant in Antwerp and also the English king’s financial agent in the Low Countries. He and his wife, Anne Fernely, are expensively, yet soberly dressed. Their status is also evident in their choice of painter: Anthonis Mor was one of the pre-eminent portraitists of his day and court painter to the Spanish king.

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Realism or Artifice?

 

To a modern viewer accustomed to the precision of photography, this portrait of Sir Thomas Gresham, painted by Anthonis Mor around 1560–65, seems startlingly lifelike. The sharpness of the gaze, the finely textured beard, the subtle gradations of flesh, and the liquid sheen of black satin all contribute to an effect that reads almost as a 16th-century photograph. But this resemblance to photographic realism is, in fact, the result of extraordinary painterly artifice.

 

Mor was one of the leading portraitists in Habsburg Europe and court painter to Philip II of Spain. His work exemplifies the height of Renaissance court portraiture, not just in its finish but in the way it encodes social rank, intellect, and restraint. Gresham is shown in sumptuously sober attire—black satin with a fine ruff and velvet cap—conveying immense wealth and self-discipline, virtues prized in a merchant-banker who served the English crown abroad.

 

What may look today like realism is actually a careful construction of authority and presence. The lifelike rendering of Gresham’s skin, particularly around the eyes and cheeks, is balanced by the nearly abstract perfection of his garments—broad, glossy planes of black with minimal visible brushwork. The gleam of fabric and crisp edge of the ruff are not merely decorative but emblematic: they speak of control, hierarchy, and Protestant sobriety.

 

In Mor’s hands, portraiture becomes a theater of social identity. While modern photorealism might capture a fleeting moment, this painting offers something else entirely: a carefully composed illusion of timeless gravitas, engineered not by a lens but by a painter trained to capture the aspirations of Europe's ruling and mercantile elite.

 

Anthonis Mor (also known as Antonio Moro) was precisely admired in his own time for what we might now call a hyper-realistic style, though in the 16th century it was seen through the lens of lifelikeness, presence, and majesty, not “photorealism” per se.

 

Compared with lesser or more provincial artists of the time—whose portraits might flatten features, muddle anatomy, or lack psychological engagement—Mor’s work stood out as startlingly vivid, even uncanny. His patrons valued this not just as a feat of craftsmanship but as a tool of status, diplomacy, and display.

 

What distinguished Mor was not just technical virtuosity, but the illusion of animation in his sitters:

 

The wetness of the eye,

 

The subtle movement in the mouth or beard,

 

The luminosity of flesh beneath skin,

 

And the finely observed materiality of textiles—especially black silk, a notoriously difficult surface to paint convincingly.

 

These weren’t simply signs of manual dexterity. They suggested that the subject was alive, powerful, and psychologically present—crucial qualities for royal and diplomatic portraits in an age when a painting might stand in for the sitter in international negotiations.

 

Philip II of Spain retained him as a court painter—testimony to how essential his brand of realism was to imperial image-making.

 

He was sent across Europe to paint proxy portraits of marriage candidates and diplomats, where capturing a faithful likeness was not just aesthetic—it was political.

 

Merchants like Thomas Gresham commissioned him to display not only their wealth but their worldliness—sitting for Mor signaled participation in the elite visual culture of Habsburg Europe.

 

Compared to Lesser Artists:

 

Where lesser artists might produce stiffer, more symbolic, or less technically integrated portraits, Mor’s approach fused:

 

Italianate anatomical modeling,

 

Netherlandish detail and texture, and

 

A cool psychological detachment that gave his sitters dignity and inscrutability.

 

This combination is what made his portraits seem so real—and so admired. His realism wasn’t photographic in the modern sense, but it was the highest form of visual truth available to his age, and elite patrons sought it out precisely because it distinguished them from the merely wealthy or provincial.

 

So yes: Mor was very much a celebrity artist of realism in his day, and rightly seen as a master of visual credibility, centuries before photography redefined what realism meant.

 

The text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.

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About Panel-to-Canvas Transfers

While no precise global count exists, thousands of Renaissance and earlier panel paintings were irreversibly altered or lost due to 18th- and especially 19th-century panel-to-canvas transfers—a practice once considered state-of-the-art but now viewed as damaging and often tragic.

 

️ Known Numbers and Patterns

 

In Russia, Alexander Sidorov alone reportedly transferred at least 51 panel paintings between 1860 and 1865, and many more afterward. His brothers Nicolai and Mikhail also performed numerous such transfers.

 

In Italy and France, hundreds of paintings underwent this process, particularly during the Napoleonic era and later institutional reforms, as museums sought to stabilize or standardize formats.

 

The Hermitage, Louvre, and even private collectors in Britain and Germany commissioned this type of work throughout the 19th century.

 

In some major European collections (e.g., the Uffizi, the Prado, or German princely collections), curators today still deal with the consequences of 19th-century transfers—many of which were unrecorded at the time.

 

⚠️ Destruction Rates and Risks

 

Hundreds of works were lost entirely in failed transfers: if the ground layer didn't separate cleanly, or the paint cracked during wood removal, the image could be severely damaged or obliterated.

 

Even "successful" transfers often lost original surface texture, subtle brushwork, and structural integrity. The wood panel—part of the original artifact—was usually discarded.

 

Gilded backgrounds, incised halos, and tooling (common in early Italian panels) were often flattened or destroyed in the process.

 

In many cases, facings were poorly removed, pulling off original paint.

 

🔄 Changing Attitudes

 

By the early 20th century, institutions like the National Gallery in London and the Louvre had begun to abandon the practice, recognizing the long-term harm. Today, conservation ethics prioritize:

 

Preserving original supports

 

Minimally invasive stabilization

 

Full documentation

 

Reversibility of treatments

 

In Summary:

 

It is not hyperbole to say that the panel-to-canvas transfer craze of the 19th century permanently altered the history of Renaissance art, with thousands of paintings affected, hundreds lost or disfigured, and countless more stripped of their original material integrity. It was a historic act of preservation that, with modern hindsight, reads more like sanctioned destruction—driven by good intentions and bad methods.

 

The text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.

Christian Movie Trailer | "The Gospel Messenger" | Bear the Cross and Preach Gospel of the Kingdom

 

www.holyspiritspeaks.org/videos/gospel-messenger-trailer/

 

Chen Yixin had believed in the Lord for more than twenty years and had been engaged in work and preaching with great enthusiasm. She was once arrested by the Chinese Communist Party and imprisoned for four years, and she stood firm witness for the Lord. However, when faced with the fact that her church grew more and more empty, she sank into pain and confusion. Later, she was fortunate enough to hear Almighty God's gospel of the last days, and was finally able to be reunited with the Lord. Full of happiness, she passed on the good tidings of the Lord's return to her brothers and sisters in religion, but was unexpectedly slandered, insulted, beaten, abused, and driven away…. From the words of Almighty God, Chen Yixin saw God's eager desire to save mankind and understood that spreading the gospel of the kingdom was God's entrustment and the mission and unshirkable obligation of everyone as a creature…. Over several years' time, Chen Yixin has traveled to many provinces and cities to preach the gospel and bear witness to God, and time after time she has been rejected by the religious world and hunted and persecuted by the satanic regime of the CCP, suffering a great deal. There were times when she was weak, but these bitter experiences have made her clearly see the truth that the religious world is controlled by antichrists and false shepherds and its essence of believing in God yet resisting God. She has also recognized God's love and salvation for mankind. Under the guidance of Almighty God's words and encouragement of His love, Chen Yixin, burdened with God's commission, forges ahead with no fear of the unknown …

 

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Christian Movie | God Is the Way, the Truth, and the Life | "The Mystery of Godliness: The Sequel" youtu.be/4XFNR5Ovh-w

 

Love God Without Regrets | Praise Song | "Follow God Along the Rough Path" (Christian Music Video) youtu.be/vb_fkiD3nLQ

 

Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.

 

Special statement: This video production was produced as a not-for-profit piece by The Church of Almighty God. The actors that appear in this production are performing on a not-for-profit basis, and have not been paid in any way. This video may not be distributed for profit to any third party, and we hope that everyone will share it and distribute it openly. When you distribute it, please note the source. Without the consent of The Church of Almighty God, no organization, social group, or individual may tamper with or misrepresent the contents of this video

Old decaying cannon of the Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca near santiago de cuba

From the official website:

 

Located 18 km north & west of Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada at a location where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains, one of the world's oldest, largest, and best preserved buffalo jumps can be found. Head-Smashed-In - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - has been used continuously by aboriginal peoples of the plains for nearly 6,000 years.

 

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is an archaeological site known around the world as a remarkable testimony of the life of the Plains People through the millennia. The Jump bears witness to a method of hunting practiced by native people of the North American plains for nearly 6,000 years.

 

Due to their excellent understanding of the regional topography and bison behaviour, native people hunted bison by stampeding them over a precipice. They then carved up the carcasses and dragged the pieces to be butchered and processed in the butchering camp set up on the flats beyond the cliffs.

 

In 1981, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump as a World Heritage Site placing it among other world heritage monuments such as the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge and the Galapagos Islands. For more information on UNESCO, go to www.unesco.org.

 

This 360° panorama was stitched from 35 photographs with PTGUI Pro, processed with Color Efex, then touched up in Aperture.

 

Original size: 20000 × 10000 (200.0 MP; 1.02 GB).

 

Location: Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, Alberta, Canada

Psalm 119:125

I am thy servant, give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies. (KJV)

 

#Devotion #Christian #Faith #BibleStudy #PicOfTheDay

 

www.bible-sms.com/

Faith is the ultimate source of theological reflection, giving theology its specificity and delimiting its territory. Its purpose is—or should be—to contribute to making the gospel present in human history through Christian testimony. A theology that is not nourished by walking Jesus’ own path loses its bearings. Those we call Fathers of the Church, for whom all theology was spiritual theology, understood this very well.

-In the Company of the Poor Conversations between Dr. Paul Farmer and Father Gustavo Gutiérrez Edited by Michael Griffin and Jennie Weiss Block

Explore

 

I would like to thank Randy Simmons ( deshan photo gallery )for writing me a testimony.Thank you my friend for the kind words.

 

You will able to view his wonderful stream here:

www.flickr.com/photos/deshanphotogallery/

 

And thank you very much to all for always being there.Have a wonderful week to all.

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Gladiolus: This amazing flower got its meaning from the Latin word that means sword, gladiolus represented Roman gladiators. Gladiolus symbolizes strength of character.

 

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Liliopsida

Order: Asparagales

Family: Iridaceae

Subfamily: Ixioideae

Tribe: Ixieae

Genus: Gladiolus

 

Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword) is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). Sometimes called the sword lily, the most widely-used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus (plural gladioli, gladioluses or sometimes gladiolas).

 

These attractive, perennial herbs are semihardy in temperate climates. They grow from rounded, symmetrical corms, that are enveloped in several layers of brownish, fibrous tunics.

 

Their stems are generally unbranched, producing 1 to 9 narrow, sword-shaped, longitudinal grooved leaves, enclosed in a sheath. The lowest leaf is shortened to a cataphyll. The leaf blades can be plane or cruciform in cross section.

The Testimony House, established by the association of Bnei Akiva veterans at the early 1990s, aims to amplify and deepen educational activity related to Holocaust remembrance.

Through its museum, archive, educational center and diverse activities, The Testimony House offers a unique, enlightening and even uplifting way to learn about the Holocaust and the post-Holocaust revival.

The museum is located in a pastoral village Nir Galim, near Ashdod, Israel.

The village Nir Galim was founded by Holocaust survivors.

The Testimony House collects, documents and preserves important material about the Holocaust.

"I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge --

even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you --

so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ;

who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

 

- 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, which is part of today's Second Reading at Mass for the First Sunday of Advent.

 

Facing liturgical east, we stand together with the priest at the altar and await the coming of the Lord in glory. This photo was taken in St Dominic's Priory church in London.

St. Thomas's, was built in Worsbrough Dale in 1859 to cover the growing population and the old Worsbrough parish was divided at this time.

 

The stained-glass windows are fine Victorian examples. There are some fine Kempe windows in the south aisle.

 

The churchyard is very interesting. There are some fine tombstones and graves where local benefactors and worthies are buried. Directly opposite the church entrance is a memorial to a local disaster at Swaithe Main Pit. In December 1875, 143 people including children were killed in an explosion. Other graves bear testimony to tragic deaths including high numbers of infant deaths.

 

Information from the Heritage Inspired website.

www.heritageinspired.org.uk/partner.php?partner_ID=30

"Actually, Daniel and I packed our 7 Spirits; e.g., 1st Spirit – gold Mercy seat, 2nd Spirit – gold Ark of the Testimony, 3rd Spirit – gold Table for the Shewbread, 4th Spirit – gold Candlestick, 5th Spirit – gold Ephod-Girdle, 6th Spirit – gold Breastplate, and our 7th Spirit – gold Altar of Incense (4 horns), together with Moses' skeleton and Torah scroll (2 horns), inside our brass Altar of Burnt Offering (4 horns), and cemented with Pozzolanic concrete that same 10 horns Mishkan inside eastern Scroll Trench, capping them with Heelstone. Are they still there; below Ezekiel's lion head, calf head, man face, and flying eagle; below Daniel's lion head, eagle's wings, bear head, and leopard head? 'Yes, that 10 horns Mishkan still is, even Ezekiel's iron wheels', confirmed Kate Davies, general manager of Stonehenge. Go figure? Shofar." G-D

 

#Mishkan4FeetBelowHeelstone

#HeelstoneArk

Centers falling down

Wounded by the same hands

That used to feed us land

Breathing out

The fire

5400 Geary Blvd. in San Francisco, CA www.sfheritage.org/positions-testimony/alexandria/ "The Alexandria Theatre opened in 1923 by Samuel Theatre Levin, a San Francisco movie entrepreneur and his brothers Alex and Joseph. At the time of the theater’s opening in 1923, it made news as the first theater in the area to use a sloped floor. The building stands out within the Richmond district due to its large physical presence and unique Egyptian Architecture. Capitalizing on the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, the architects for the building, the Reid Brothers, designed the Alexandria Theatre with a stylized Egyptian theme, mixing elements of ancient Egypt, Minoan culture, and classical detailing. The Reid Brothers designed 20 theaters during the 1920s and 30s; many of these theater buildings in San Francisco remain (although in some cases are not operating as theaters), such as the Balboa, Metro, York, Avenue, and New Mission. In 1941, it underwent extensive remodeling, emerging totally Moderne, with only the original stone pillars on its corner facade still exhibiting evidence of its original Egyptian roots."

 

In the miserable morning rain is MCV Evora B8RLE BV22HCH of Beeline in Warminster. It is operating the Warminster to Salisbury service near Wylye. The bus stop is testimony to the fortunes of the route with a First Discover flag on a Wilts and Dorset pole - both former operators of the route.

Character Publication History

 

Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in the comic book The Uncanny X-Men #4 (March 1964) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character has since starred in two self-titled limited series and has historically been depicted as a regular team member in the superhero title The Avengers.

 

Quicksilver has the superhuman ability to move at great speeds. In most depictions, he is a mutant, a human born with innate superhuman powers. In comic book stories beginning in 2015, he is the product of genetic experimentation by the High Evolutionary.

 

Quicksilver most commonly appears in fiction associated with the X-Men, having been introduced as an adversary for the superhero team. In later stories, he became a superhero himself. He is the twin brother of the Scarlet Witch and, in most depictions, the son of Magneto and a Sinti woman Magda, and the older half-brother of Polaris.

 

Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books, Quicksilver has featured in several decades of Marvel continuity, starring in the self-titled series Quicksilver and as a regular team member in superhero title the Avengers.

 

The character has also appeared in a range of movie, television, and video game adaptations. Two separate live-action versions of Quicksilver have been adapted by two different film studios: Aaron Taylor-Johnson portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise, appearing in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) as a cameo and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) while Evan Peters portrayed him in the 20th Century Fox films X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and Dark Phoenix (2019), as well as a cameo in Deadpool 2 (2018). Peters later appeared as an imposter Pietro in the MCU television series WandaVision (2021), as a nod to his past role.

 

Publication history

 

Quicksilver first appears in X-Men #4 (March 1964) and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character initially appears as an antagonist to the X-Men, although before long he becomes a member of the Avengers and appears as a regular character in that title beginning with The Avengers #16 in May 1965.

 

He has made numerous other appearances in that title, and other related titles, sometimes as a member of the team, sometimes as an ally, and sometimes as an antagonist.

 

From 1991 to 1993 Quicksilver was a regular character in the first volume of X-Factor. The series emphasized the character's irritability and arrogance, which writer Peter David felt were a natural consequence of his powers, explaining:

 

Have you ever stood in the post office behind a woman with 20 packages who wants to know every single way she can send them to Africa? It drives you nuts! You think to yourself, "Why do I have to put up with this? These people are so slow, they're costing me time, and it's so irritating. I wish I didn't have to put up with this."

 

Now—imagine that the entire world was like that... except for you. ... to Quicksilver, as he said in an issue of Amazing Spider-Man many, many moons ago, the rest of the world is moving in slow motion. That must really, really get on your nerves.

 

Quicksilver lives in a world filled with people who don't know how to use cash machines, and want to know all the ways to send packages to Africa, and can never get your order right in a Burger King unless you repeat it several times. That would tend to make you feel very superior to everyone and very impatient with everyone.

 

Quicksilver also starred in Quicksilver, a regular ongoing eponymous series that began in November 1997 and ran for 13 issues.

 

The character also played a pivotal role in the House of M and Avengers: The Children's Crusade.

 

Quicksilver appeared as a supporting character in Avengers Academy from issue #1 (August 2010) through its final issue #39 (January 2013).

 

He appears as one of the members of All-New X-Factor, which was launched in 2014 as part of the second Marvel NOW! wave. Writer Peter David's handling of the character in that book earned the character a 2014 @ssie award from Ain't It Cool News. AICN's Matt Adler commented that David writes the character best and that the "arrogant, impatient speedster" made the title worth following.

 

Fictional Character Biography and Major Story Arcs

 

Origin

 

Pietro and his twin sister Wanda (Scarlet Witch)* always assumed that they were the children of the gypsy couple that raised them, Django and Marya Maximoff. They did not know that they had been adopted. In fact, they were born on Wundagore Mountain to a woman only known as Magda, a woman on the run from her husband who had "become a monster".

 

She appeared at the house of Bova, the midwife to the High Evolutionary, heavily pregnant and stayed for a few weeks until she gave birth. She then immediately fled into a raging blizzard and was never seen or heard from again. Given her weakened state following delivery, it is assumed that she perished. Whilst at Wundagore Mountain, they were also offered for adoption to the Whizzer when his wife died. He did not accept them, but thought that they were his children.

 

Poor but loved, the twins enjoyed a relatively happy childhood until their family was killed by local villagers angered at Django for stealing food. Using his new found powers, Pietro was able to rescue Wanda. Orphaned, the twins wandered Eastern Europe, constantly on the move as Wanda’s uncontrollable hex powers would draw suspicion from the people around them. One day Wanda accidentally set a house on fire, spurring the locals to attack the twins. Despite his best efforts, Wanda and Pietro were trapped until rescued by Magneto.

 

Feeling that they owed him a debt, they reluctantly joined the Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants. Magneto played on their fear of outsiders and Wanda’s gratitude, but neither twin was comfortable as a terrorist. Pietro always made his disapproval known and repeatedly stated that he stayed only for his sister’s sake. Wanda was more compliant, feeling indebted to Magneto, but was deeply unhappy and often shocked by Magneto’s callous behavior.

 

Whilst in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, both Toad and Mastermind would often play for Scarlet Witch's feelings, and so Quicksilver would stand between her and them. Unconsciously however, both twins absorbed Magneto’s attitude of mutant superiority, which would occasionally surface form time to time in their lives. When Magneto was taken from Earth by the Stranger, Pietro and Wanda ended their association with the Brotherhood and returned to Europe.

 

New Beginnings

 

When they heard that the Avengers were accepting applicants, they rushed to join, wanting to atone for their past crimes. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch served honorably with the Avengers for years, though Pietro’s arrogant and distrusting demeanor often made him an outsider in the group, and he would often clash with Hawkeye over which one of them should replace Captain America as a leader.

 

Return to Wundagore Mountain

 

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch had to leave the Avengers when they lost their powers for a short while, and return to their birthplace. Whilst at Wundagore Mountain, they were telepathically asked by Professor X to join the X-Men so that they could help fight against Factor Three, but the two mutants declared that should they return to America, it would be as Avengers. Upon their return, Quicksilver's powers had somehow increased, as he could now fly for short distances by vibrating his feet at high speeds.

 

Shortly after their return, Quicksilver willingly joined the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants after Scarlet Witch was hit by a bullet, shot by a "mere human". Unknown to Pietro and Wanda, the bullet was being controlled by Magneto. Eventually he calmed down and left the Brotherhood, but instead of rejoining the Avengers he, Wanda and Toad became traveling companions for a while.

 

Since the bullet had erased Wanda's power somehow, the three companions went to Europe, and found a book of spells which they believed could restore Wanda's powers. Instead, the spell summoned Arkon, who wished for Wanda to be his bride. With the help of the Avengers, Wanda was saved, and as her powers had been restored by the dimensional jump between Earth and Arkon's planet, the twins rejoined the Avengers. During this stint with the Avengers, Pietro played a role in the Kree/ Skrull War, and help against Ares. When Wanda fell in love with the android Vision, Pietro protested loudly, refusing to attend their wedding.

 

In the interim, Pietro persued a romantic relationship of his own. After battling Sentinels, Quicksilver was gravely wounded. He was nursed back to health by Crystal, one of the Inhumans. He fell deeply in love with her and the two were married.

 

Korvac Saga

 

During the Korvac saga, Pietro still protested against Wanda's marriage until Moondragon telepathically erased Pietro's prejudice against the android that he accepted the relationship. In an encounter with Django Maximoff, he revealed that Pietro and Wanda were adopted. They traveled to Wundagore Mountain to search for their roots. To their surprise they found Bova, who told them about their birth mother. Their father’s identity, however, remained a mystery, for though Magda was obviously terrified of him, she had never spoken his name.

 

Pietro left the Avengers to live with his wife’s family on the moon in the Inhuman city of Attilan. He served as an officer in their militia. Crystal and Pietro soon had a daughter, Luna, who turned out to be a normal human child. While the Scarlet Witch and the Vision were visiting the happy family on Attilan shortly after Luna’s birth, Magneto arrived.

 

Turned from his path of terrorism, he too had been on a quest to his past trying to retrace the last steps of his missing wife. Thinking him nothing more than an innocent traveler, Bova had also told Magneto Magda’s story and unwittingly informed him that he was the father of the very youths he had manipulated and browbeaten in the Brotherhood. He had immediately rushed to Attilan to inform the twins who were shocked. While Wanda was confused and unsure, Pietro was appalled. He rejected Magneto outright. While Magneto was in his reform period, he earned Pietro’s tentative respect, but not his acceptance. When Magneto returned to terrorism, Pietro hated him all the more.

 

The First Fall

 

Naturally arrogant, impatient, and of a jealous temperament, Pietro left Attilan when he discovered that Crystal had had an affair. He soon began behaving very irrationally, going insane to the point he tried to frame the Avengers for treason and proclaimed himself King of all the Mutants. When X-Factor finally captured him and returned him to Attilan, it was discovered that Pietro’s insanity had been caused by the Inhuman Maximus The Mad.

 

When Magneto attempted to manipulate the Scarlet Witch in her grief over the loss of her husband, Pietro was able to use this period of insanity as a cover to stay close by his sister’s side. After helping to rescue her from both Magneto and Immortus, Pietro remained on earth.

 

Hero Once Again and X-Factor

 

Quicksilver would spend time working with the government sponsored mutant group X-Factor. Luna was kidnapped by Fabian Cortez, who wanted to use Luna as a symbol of Magneto’s sovereignty and as a human shield. Rushing to her rescue, Pietro encountered Crystal and the Avengers. They were successful in rescuing their daughter, though Pietro almost sacrificed his life in a fight with Exodus in the process.

 

Pietro left X-Factor and remained in close contact with the Avengers, though he refused to officially join until his romantic rival for Crystal’s affection, The Black Knight, left. Pietro strove to reconcile with Crystal and the two were beginning to create a family again when Crystal was lost with many other heroes in a pocket universe in the events of Onslaught. Pietro remained in loose association with the X-Men for a time, his main concern to care for his daughter.

 

Upon hearing that Exodus and the Acolytes were planning an assault on the High Evolutionary’s citadel, Pietro joined the Knights of Wundagore and he and Luna lived there for a time. While he was there, Pietro was exposed to Isotope E, a material with enhanced his powers of speed to a great degree.

 

Genosha

 

Sending Luna to Crystal, Pietro joined Magneto’s cabinet when the U.N. granted him rule over Genosha following the events of the Magneto War. Pietro still resented and distrusted Magneto a great deal, but felt he had to stay in order to ensure Magneto’s policies did not become too tyrannical. Eventually, he rebelled and Magneto threw him out of the country. He snuck back in with Polaris to help the human underground, but was eventually caught and deported again.

 

House of M

 

Pietro was vacationing, “reading a book”, when the Scarlet Witch went insane and attacked the Avengers, killing three of them including her husband. While the Avengers and X-Men met with Professor X and Doctor Strange to discuss Wanda’s fate. Pietro became convinced that the assembled group was going to kill her and rushed to Genosha and begged for Magneto’s aid. Defeated and out of options, Magneto could not think of what to do.

 

Pietro then convinced the Scarlet Witch to remake the world into the House of M reality in which everyone had their fondest wishes granted. Most importantly their father, who received the global power he had long desired over a world in which the mutant population was the ascending majority. Pietro served his father as a loyal prince. When the deception was revealed, Magneto went into a terrible rage, beating Pietro to death. Wanda restored her brother to life, but then took his power away with 99% of the mutant population when she uttered the fatal phrase “No more mutants.”

 

Son of M and X-Factor

 

Depowered and suicidal, Crystal brought Pietro to Attilan to recover. After he did, Pietro snuck into the Terrigen Mists chamber to regain his powers. Instead, he received the ability to travel in time. He stole pieces of the Terrigen crystals and he exposed Luna to them repeatedly, granting her empathic abilities. He then proclaimed himself a “Savior” of mutant kind, setting up shop in Mutant Town and promising to restore the powers of the mutants who had lost theirs on M-Day.

 

What he did not inform his clients however, was that the crystals did not restore mutant powers safely and many people died as a result of Pietro’s “treatments”. The Inhumans visited Quicksilver in order to reclaim the crystals, but Pietro revealed that he had worked with the crystals so much, they became embedded in his skin.

 

At that time, Crystal told Quicksilver that their marriage was annulled. After several deaths, Rictor used his temporarily restored powers to eject the crystals from Pietro body, depowering him once again. Pietro later saved Layla Miller from drowning, because he planned on killing her himself, for being the cause of the their downfall in the House of M. Layla later escaped when Pietro became hesitant about killing her.

 

After his fight with Layla Miller, Pietro was found unconscious in Central Park. Not knowing who he was, the police threw Pietro in general lock up where he experienced a series of hallucinations: His sister, his father, his wife and child, and Layla Miller who explained that Pietro had hit rock bottom and hinted that he was still a mutant.

 

From the windows of the prison Pietro observed a woman in the process of being pushed off a roof by her boyfriend. Using his super speed, broke out of prison and saved her, coming to terms with the his past villainous acts and looking forward to a better future.

 

The Rise of Chthon

 

After being taken prisoner by Modred the Mystic, Quicksilver's body was offered up as a vessel to the demonic Elder God Chthon and was completely overtaken by him. Thanks to the Scarlet Witch who was really Loki in disguise, and Hank Pym's Mighty Avengers, Chthon was exorcised from Quicksilver's body.

 

Once An Avenger

 

After aiding Hank Pym's Avengers in taking down Chthon, he helped them with a number of threats including Swarm and Titan. Pietro proceeded to write off all his recent crimes as having been committed by a Skrull impostor and officially join the team, with the ulterior motive of reuniting with his sister.

 

After helping Pym with his personal war against Reed Richards, the Mighty Avengers came into conflict with the ancient Inhuman emperor, The Unspoken. With the aid of all active avengers, they managed to put an end to the fallen king's mad scheme. Pietro used this as an opportunity to reunite with his ex-wife Crystal and his daughter, Luna, and the Inhumans officially pardon him of any crimes against their race. Unfortunately, Luna is aware that he was not, in fact replaced by a Skrull. She promises, out of love for her father, not to tell anyone, but lets him know that she can never respect him again.

 

Avengers Academy

 

After Norman Osborn’s “Dark Reign” was ended, Hank Pym founded the Avengers Academy to continue training young superhumans that Osborn had recruited under false pretenses. Quicksilver was hired as one of the mentors, since Magneto tried to mold him the same way Osborn tried to mold the Academy’s cadets. In addition to empathizing with their story, Pietro would be passing off the training he got from Captain America. Unfortunately, one of the cadets, Finesse, was able to determine that Pietro was lying about his Skrull double. She used that information to blackmail him into teaching her Magento’s training in addition to Captain America’s.

 

Children’s Crusade

 

After seeing Wiccan make a public spectacle of himself while fighting the Sons of the Serpent, Quicksilver believed Magneto would seek out the Young Avengers to aid him in locating Wanda. He fled to Transia, believing that to be their first step, and he was right. When Pietro attempted to fight his father and rescue the young heroes, they uncovered a Doombot made in Wanda’s likeness and assumed she was a prisoner of Doctor. Doom.

 

Pietro would reluctantly fall in with their plan to sneak into Latveria on a rescue mission, in part, to protect the kids from his father. However, when the Avengers tracked them down, Pietro immediately switched teams. Pietro and the Avengers were unable to stop the Young Avengers from teleporting away with the amnesiac Wanda and helping her get her memories and powers back. Happy to have his sister back, Pietro started to defend her against M-Day allegations after Doom admitted to manipulating her.

 

Serval Industries

 

After his half sister, Polaris, started acting out, Pietro kept a close eye on her. When she got a job with Serval Industries running the new X-Factor, Pietro volunteered to join the team, pretending to have a falling out with the Avengers. He was secretly keeping a close eye on her under orders from Havok, Polaris’ ex-boyfriend, who was currently leading the Avengers Unity Squad.

 

Their first mission was to save Fatale, Abyss, and Reaper from a scientist experimenting on them. They had previously been poisoned with terrigen mists by Quicksilver trying to reactivate their mutant abilities. They were not happy to see him, and Fatale later confronted him during a press conference. This inspired Pietro to admit that he lied about being impersonated by a Skrull and took responsibility for his previous actions. His daughter, Luna, was proud of him and began to rebuild their relationship.

 

Pietro’s reports back to the Avengers satisfied Havok. Believing Polaris was finally in a good head space, he invited Pietro back to the Avengers, but Pietro had found the team for him. He wanted to be there for Lorna in a way he failed for Wanda. Unfortunately, Polaris eventually found out that Pietro was originally spying on her. Their relationship never found solid ground after that and Pietro eventually left for the good of the team.

 

True Parentage

 

After a moral compass inversion spell was attempted on the Red Skull, it backfired and affected a number of Avengers, including Scarlet Witch. With Wanda acting out, Pietro reluctantly worked with Magneto to protect her until they could free her from this possession. This required them to enter Latveria where she sought vengeance on Dr. Doom.

 

Seeing her own family protect Doom, Wanda lashes out, casting a spell that targets members of her bloodline. Pietro is nearly killed, but Magneto is unscatched, proving that he had no blood relation to the Maximoff twins. His parentage was a lie, one even Magneto fell for. Soon after, the ghost of Daniel Drumm possessed Wanda to reverse the inversion spell, changing almost everyone back to normal.

 

Together, the twins visited Wundagore Mountain in search of the truth of their parentage. They used a portal to Counter-Earth, where they fell in with The Low Evolutionary, the leader of a rebellion against the High Evolutionary. While fighting alongside him, the twins were eventually brought in front of the High Evolutionary. He explained they were the true offspring of Django and Marya Maximoff, but they were not mutants. They were experimented on by The High Evolutionary, granting them their abilities.

 

They were eventually joined an Avengers Unity Squad that was sent to rescue them.

 

Avengers Unity Squad

 

In the wake of Black Bolt’s terrigen bomb, causing people worldwide with the inhuman gene to suddenly develop superpowers, Captain America rebranded the Avengers Unity Squad to be an Avenger, X-Men, and Inhuman cooperative. Quicksilver stuck with the team after returning from Counter-Earth. He aided them in fights against The Shredded Man, a Hand brainwashed Hulk, and Hank Pym, who was now bonded to Ultron.

 

Their main goal was still to hunt down Red Skull and stop him from using the telepathic abilities he stole from Pr. X's corpse. Unbeknownst to Pietro, he had a run in with Red Skull while responding to an alarm at the old Avengers Mansion. Using his telepathy, Red Skull clouded Pietro's mind from remembering him and left a mental trigger in Pietro's psyche.

 

Using that trigger, he forced Pietro to kidnap his teammates and bring them to him, so Skull could mentally control all of them. Skull forced the Squad to attack New York City. Fortunately, Pietro's teammate, Deadpool, was generally immune to telepathy. After shaking Skull's influence, he stole one of Magneto's psychic blocking helmets and put it on Rogue so that she was freed to fight Skull, saving Pietro and the rest of the Squad.

 

No Surrender

 

When Earth is stolen to be used as a game board by The Challenger and The Grandmaster, the most prominent Avengers are frozen in stasis so as not to interfere. All available Avengers are activated, including Pietro. While Wanda and Doctor Voodoo experimented with magic to release the other heroes from stasis, the release of one caused the stasis to switch to Pietro, thus keeping the same amount of heroes frozen at all times. In this new vulnerable position, Pietro was injured and forced to recover at an auxiliary Avengers HQ.

 

While recovering, Pietro noticed a small ball of light moving so fast that it was imperceptible to anyone without super-speed. Pietro attempted to catch one but failed. He convinced Wanda and Synapse to combine their powers to increase his speed. This finally allowed him to capture the ball of light which freed some of the frozen heroes when Pietro destroyed it. Unfortunately, Pietro was stuck at his advanced speed.

 

Pietro was now isolated in a gray area where time had seemingly stopped. He starts to encounter strange electrical creatures that take on his appearance and start targeting his allies. He defends his friends from these beings but comes to the realization that they were feeding off his running wild emotions. He starts to calm himself, causing most of the double to disappear. However, a final more intelligent double starts to argue and confront Pietro, but Pietro was able to defeat simply by consoling him. This also allowed him to slow down enough to reunite with the Avengers.

 

Empyre

 

When the Cotati, the plant people living on the Moon, decided to target both the Earth and the newly united Kree/Skrull Alliance, Skrull separatists decided to take out the Cotati by blowing up the Earth’s sun and destroying the entire solar system. They would do so using the Pyre, a bomb traditionally used to test the mettle of a new king, which the Kree/Skrull Alliance had in Hulkling. While the Avengers and Fantastic Four did their best to fight the various alien threats, reservists, like Pietro, were called in to deal with incidents on Earth.

 

Pietro was sent to Mexico with Wonder Man and Mockingbird where a platoon of Skrulls and Kree were fighting Cotati soldiers. They attempted to convince them all to put down their weapons and stop fighting in general. When their words didn't work, they forcibly disarmed them and destroyed their weapons.

 

Fall of X

 

Although Krakoa was no home to Pietro following the revelation that he wasn't actually a mutant nor the son of Magneto, he still came to their defense when Captain America reassembled the Avengers Unity Squad. Working out of the old Morlock Tunnels, the team would try defending the world from false flag attacks that Orchis was using to turn opinion against mutantkind, especially a new Mutant Liberation Front, being led by a mysterious villain posing as Captain Krakoa.

 

This new MLF had stolen nuclear weapons, putting the whole world on edge. After tracking the MLF to Camp Lehigh, Cap guessed that the new Captain Krakoa was his Hydra-raised clone, who was now answering to Grant. In addition to the nuke, the clone was gunning for Ben Urich who had witness testimony against Orchis from a non-mutant, Kingpin.

 

Pietro stayed with Rogue looking for the nuclear warhead at Empire State University, while Cap and the others went to protect Urich from Grant. Cap and the others bested Grant and took him into custody, but the warhead was activated. Cap ordered Rogue to get rid of it in orbit, but the ISS was due to pass by New York. Instead, she flew it out to Area 51 to blow it up in the desert, while Quicksilver ran Deadpool to her as fast as he could so she could absorb his healing factor and survive.

 

Blood Hunt

 

When the vampire cult, The Structure, cast a spell that fills the sky with darkforce energy, Pietro is recruited to a backup Avengers squad under Captain America. While the active Avengers deal with the vampire supersoliders, the Bloodcoven, Pietro and the others help on the ground against multiple vampire attacks. There, his new team are abducted by Baron Blood and his vampire Nazis.

 

On Blood's helicarrier base, Cap takes on Baron Blood one on one luring him deeper into the helicarrier while he secretly makes his way to the control room. While he does this, he orders his new Avengers to get any prisoners to the escape pods. Unfortunately, there are more prisoners than escape pods, so these Avengers were forced to continue fighting the vampires. Luckily, Cap made it to the control room and raised the helicarrier above the darkforce and into the sunlight, killing Baron's troops. With the Avengers regrouped by Cap's side, Baron jumps from the ship.

 

The Lesser Twin

 

Wanda and Pietro's relationship is tested when Wanda withholds a final message from Magneto and The Wizard starts manipulating them with the help of his magically enhanced army of drones, the Frightful Four Hundred. The Wizard was sent by The Griever at the End of All Things, which has taken special interest in Wanda. She wanted to separate Wanda from her "lesser twin" who grants her strength.

 

After Wanda's seeming demise, Darcy Lewis, Wanda's friend, walks through The Last Door, a magic portal of Wanda's that brings lost people in need of help. It teleports Darcy to Pietro, so that she can ask his help protecting their local community from The Griever. With some help from his "sister," Polaris, and current girlfriend, M, Pietro fights The Griever to avenge Wanda.

 

Powers and Abilities

 

Quicksilver was at first able to reach the speed of sound, which is about 770 mph, but exposure to the High Evolutionary's Isotope E made it possible for him to run at supersonic speeds of up to Mach 5, about 3805 mph,he once traveled 347 miles in 3.7 seconds (which is MACH 438).

 

Using his super speed, Pietro was able to achieve various effects such as "out running gravity" for short periods, such as running across water or up walls. By running in circles, he could creates whirlwind vortexes of great intensity. He could vibrate his muscles extremely fast, creating destructive effects on anything he touched.

 

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

 

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

Secret Identity: Pietro Django Maximoff

 

Publisher: Marvel

 

First Appearance: The X-Men #4 (March 1964)

 

Created by: Stan Lee (writer)

Jack Kirby (artist)

 

* Scarlet Witch profiled in BP 2024 Day 348!

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/54202875589/

Mummies of Ancient Eggypt: Rediscovering 6 Lives

 

From July 14 to October 26, the CaixaForum Madrid cultural space hostsed an exhibition made up of a collection of objects on loan from the British Museum in London, which explores the idea of ​​mummification and analyzes the testimony of six people who lived in the Ancient Egypt.

 

This sample contains six mummies of people who lived between 900 and 150 BC. C. in Egypt. Thus, through a non-invasive investigation carried out with the most modern technology, the discoveries that have been achieved by the hand of these specimens are exhibited.

 

Through scientific and historical evidence, it is possible to observe what life was like in these lands, the tools and techniques used for mummification, the medicinal recipes with which they were cured, the diet of those people, cosmetics and adornments, music, cultural exchanges and even the role of women and children in the Egypt of the pharaohs.

 

Mummification became a common practice in ancient Egypt, believing that the body had to be preserved in order to reach the afterlife. For them death was just the beginning and this represented the separation between the body and the soul.

 

The first mummies are dated between 4000 and 3000 BC. C. and it is thought that this practice could have come from accidentally unearthing some corpses, which had dried due to the heat of the desert. By keeping much of their physical appearance, they tried to manually mimic this preservation. In this way, they dried the deceased by extracting the viscera from the body and then dehydrated them with natron and embalmed them.

   

Testimonies

Real life has been real busy, and here's a tad of what I've been doing.

 

For our last mission training meeting we had to artistically present our testimonies (in non-Christianese, our stories). So this is what I made. There's a boatload of symbolism throughout the piece that I will share with you all in a bit.

 

The Setting Sun: Represents my longing to go home to God and the anticipation for the day I die. Kinda morbid, but it’s true.

Golgotha: The 3 Crosses represent not only Jesus and two criminals, but the three men whose deaths altered my life: My grandpa, my best friend's dad who was also the children's pastor, and Nnenn. All three are big long stories, but for brevity’s sake I won’t dive into them.

The Rolling Hills: Regardless of where you stand, at the highest point or in the valley you can still see the Sun, so no matter where you go or what you do you can see His light and feel His warmth.

The Trees: (upon reflection, I definitely should have drawn more stumps and withered trees), they represent growth and spiritual maturity. Some are big and bear much fruit, others not so much. Some have withered, some have been cut down, so only a few remain. They represent my fellow young men of God (and after completion, I realized that there are 6 trees, and there are 6 of us left... funny how that worked out)

The Man At The Tombstone: That’s me, at the grave of who I was before God gave me new life. The old me has been laid to rest, and as a result my tree has grown. The grave marker says “RIP 1994-“ because I ain’t dead in the flesh just yet.

The Coat Of Many Colors: Relating back to the Setting Sun, I’ve always had a connection to the story of Joseph and his not being wanted by his brothers and finding himself as an alien in Egypt. The only reason he was anything was because he trusted in God, and God did some crazy stuff through him as a result. And I’m repping the tartan cause I’m Scottish.

 

There's more to it, and feel free to ask me questions about it if you'd like, just figured you all didn't want to read an immensely humongous essay on my entire life story (tl;dr, and all).

I have rejoiced in the

way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches...

Your testimonies are

also my delight and

my counselors.

 

Psalm 119:14, 24

The Testimony House, established by the association of Bnei Akiva veterans at the early 1990s, aims to amplify and deepen educational activity related to Holocaust remembrance.

Through its museum, archive, educational center and diverse activities, The Testimony House offers a unique, enlightening and even uplifting way to learn about the Holocaust and the post-Holocaust revival.

The museum is located in a pastoral village Nir Galim, near Ashdod, Israel.

The village Nir Galim was founded by Holocaust survivors.

The Testimony House collects, documents and preserves important material about the Holocaust.

Carl Schütz (Laibach 1745-1800 Wien)

Stock-im-Eisen Square, Vienna, 1779

Der Stock-im-Eisen-Platz in Wien

Feder in Schwarz, Aquarell

Pen and black ink, watercolour

Albertina, Wien

 

The Art of the Viennese Watercolor

Till 13. May 2018

Transparent lightness, brilliant colours, and a generally atmospheric impression are the special qualities of 19th-century Viennese watercolor painting. Virtuosic city views and landscapes, detail-rich portraits, genre paintings, and floral works comprise the rich motivic repertoire featured in this glorious blossoming of Austrian art.

The Viennese watercolor’s heyday was the Biedermeier era: Jakob Alt, Matthäus Loder, Thomas Ender, and Peter Fendi number among its most important artistic figures.

Likewise outstanding are the exquisite works by Rudolf von Alt from his over 70-year career. His masterful watercolours run from the Biedermeier era all the way to the rise of the Secession movement around 1900.

This exhibition presents a veritable parade of exceptionally beautiful pictures, including the ALBERTINA’s own treasures as well as important loan works, all of which pay impressive tribute to the high standing of the Viennese watercolor in the context of 19th century art.

www.albertina.at/en/exhibitions/viennese_watercolour/

 

On view from 16 February until 13 May 2018.

 

The Albertina

The architectural history of the Palais

 

"It is my will that ​​the expansion of the inner city of Vienna with regard to a suitable connection of the same with the suburbs as soon as possible is tackled and at this on Regulirung (regulation) and beautifying of my Residence and Imperial Capital is taken into account. To this end I grant the withdrawal of the ramparts and fortifications of the inner city and the trenches around the same".

This decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I, published on 25 December 1857 in the Wiener Zeitung, formed the basis for the largest the surface concerning and architecturally most significant transformation of the Viennese cityscape. Involving several renowned domestic and foreign architects a "master plan" took form, which included the construction of a boulevard instead of the ramparts between the inner city and its radially upstream suburbs. In the 50-years during implementation phase, an impressive architectural ensemble developed, consisting of imperial and private representational buildings, public administration and cultural buildings, churches and barracks, marking the era under the term "ring-street style". Already in the first year tithe decided a senior member of the Austrian imperial family to decorate the facades of his palace according to the new design principles, and thus certified the aristocratic claim that this also "historicism" said style on the part of the imperial house was attributed.

It was the palace of Archduke Albrecht (1817-1895), the Senior of the Habsburg Family Council, who as Field Marshal held the overall command over the Austro-Hungarian army. The building was incorporated into the imperial residence of the Hofburg complex, forming the south-west corner and extending eleven meters above street level on the so-called Augustinerbastei.

The close proximity of the palace to the imperial residence corresponded not only with Emperor Franz Joseph I and Archduke Albert with a close familial relationship between the owner of the palace and the monarch. Even the former inhabitants were always in close relationship to the imperial family, whether by birth or marriage. An exception here again proves the rule: Don Emanuel Teles da Silva Conde Tarouca (1696-1771), for which Maria Theresa in 1744 the palace had built, was just a close friend and advisor of the monarch. Silva Tarouca underpins the rule with a second exception, because he belonged to the administrative services as Generalhofbaudirektor (general court architect) and President of the Austrian-Dutch administration, while all other him subsequent owners were highest ranking military.

In the annals of Austrian history, especially those of military history, they either went into as commander of the Imperial Army, or the Austrian, later kk Army. In chronological order, this applies to Duke Carl Alexander of Lorraine, the brother-of-law of Maria Theresa, as Imperial Marshal, her son-in-law Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, also field marshal, whos adopted son, Archduke Charles of Austria, the last imperial field marshal and only Generalissimo of Austria, his son Archduke Albrecht of Austria as Feldmarschalil and army Supreme commander, and most recently his nephew Archduke Friedrich of Austria, who held as field marshal from 1914 to 1916 the command of the Austro-Hungarian troops. Despite their military profession, all five generals conceived themselves as patrons of the arts and promoted large sums of money to build large collections, the construction of magnificent buildings and cultural life. Charles Alexander of Lorraine promoted as governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1741 to 1780 the Academy of Fine Arts, the Théâtre de Ja Monnaie and the companies Bourgeois Concert and Concert Noble, he founded the Academie royale et imperial des Sciences et des Lettres, opened the Bibliotheque Royal for the population and supported artistic talents with high scholarships. World fame got his porcelain collection, which however had to be sold by Emperor Joseph II to pay off his debts. Duke Albert began in 1776 according to the concept of conte Durazzo to set up an encyclopedic collection of prints, which forms the core of the world-famous "Albertina" today.

1816 declared to Fideikommiss and thus in future indivisible, inalienable and inseparable, the collection 1822 passed into the possession of Archduke Carl, who, like his descendants, it broadened. Under him, the collection was introduced together with the sumptuously equipped palace on the Augustinerbastei in the so-called "Carl Ludwig'schen fideicommissum in 1826, by which the building and the in it kept collection fused into an indissoluble unity. At this time had from the Palais Tarouca by structural expansion or acquisition a veritable Residenz palace evolved. Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen was first in 1800 the third floor of the adjacent Augustinian convent wing adapted to house his collection and he had after 1802 by his Belgian architect Louis de Montoyer at the suburban side built a magnificent extension, called the wing of staterooms, it was equipped in the style of Louis XVI. Only two decades later, Archduke Carl the entire palace newly set up. According to scetches of the architect Joseph Kornhäusel the 1822-1825 retreaded premises presented themselves in the Empire style. The interior of the palace testified from now in an impressive way the high rank and the prominent position of its owner. Under Archduke Albrecht the outer appearance also should meet the requirements. He had the facade of the palace in the style of historicism orchestrated and added to the Palais front against the suburbs an offshore covered access. Inside, he limited himself, apart from the redesign of the Rococo room in the manner of the second Blondel style, to the retention of the paternal stock. Archduke Friedrich's plans for an expansion of the palace were omitted, however, because of the outbreak of the First World War so that his contribution to the state rooms, especially, consists in the layout of the Spanish apartment, which he in 1895 for his sister, the Queen of Spain Maria Christina, had set up as a permanent residence.

The era of stately representation with handing down their cultural values ​​found its most obvious visualization inside the palace through the design and features of the staterooms. On one hand, by the use of the finest materials and the purchase of masterfully manufactured pieces of equipment, such as on the other hand by the permanent reuse of older equipment parts. This period lasted until 1919, when Archduke Friedrich was expropriated by the newly founded Republic of Austria. With the republicanization of the collection and the building first of all finished the tradition that the owner's name was synonymous with the building name:

After Palais Tarouca or tarokkisches house it was called Lorraine House, afterwards Duke Albert Palais and Palais Archduke Carl. Due to the new construction of an adjacently located administration building it received in 1865 the prefix "Upper" and was referred to as Upper Palais Archduke Albrecht and Upper Palais Archduke Frederick. For the state a special reference to the Habsburg past was certainly politically no longer opportune, which is why was decided to name the building according to the in it kept collection "Albertina".

This name derives from the term "La Collection Albertina" which had been used by the gallery Inspector Maurice von Thausing in 1870 in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts for the former graphics collection of Duke Albert. For this reason, it was the first time since the foundation of the palace that the name of the collection had become synonymous with the room shell. Room shell, hence, because the Republic of Austria Archduke Friedrich had allowed to take along all the movable goods from the palace in his Hungarian exile: crystal chandeliers, curtains and carpets as well as sculptures, vases and clocks. Particularly stressed should be the exquisite furniture, which stems of three facilities phases: the Louis XVI furnitures of Duke Albert, which had been manufactured on the basis of fraternal relations between his wife Archduchess Marie Christine and the French Queen Marie Antoinette after 1780 in the French Hofmanufakturen, also the on behalf of Archduke Charles 1822-1825 in the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory by Joseph Danhauser produced Empire furnitures and thirdly additions of the same style of Archduke Friedrich, which this about 1900 at Portois & Ffix as well as at Friedrich Otto Schmidt had commissioned.

The "swept clean" building got due to the strained financial situation after the First World War initially only a makeshift facility. However, since until 1999 no revision of the emergency equipment took place, but differently designed, primarily the utilitarianism committed office furnitures complementarily had been added, the equipment of the former state rooms presented itself at the end of the 20th century as an inhomogeneous administrative mingle-mangle of insignificant parts, where, however, dwelt a certain quaint charm. From the magnificent state rooms had evolved depots, storage rooms, a library, a study hall and several officed.

Worse it hit the outer appearance of the palace, because in times of continued anti-Habsburg sentiment after the Second World War and inspired by an intolerant destruction will, it came by pickaxe to a ministerial erasure of history. In contrast to the graphic collection possessed the richly decorated facades with the conspicuous insignia of the former owner an object-immanent reference to the Habsburg past and thus exhibited the monarchial traditions and values ​​of the era of Francis Joseph significantly. As part of the remedial measures after a bomb damage, in 1948 the aristocratic, by Archduke Albert initiated, historicist facade structuring along with all decorations was cut off, many facade figures demolished and the Hapsburg crest emblems plunged to the ground. Since in addition the old ramp also had been cancelled and the main entrance of the bastion level had been moved down to the second basement storey at street level, ended the presence of the old Archduke's palace after more than 200 years. At the reopening of the "Albertina Graphic Collection" in 1952, the former Hapsburg Palais of splendour presented itself as one of his identity robbed, formally trivial, soulless room shell, whose successful republicanization an oversized and also unproportional eagle above the new main entrance to the Augustinian road symbolized. The emocratic throw of monuments had wiped out the Hapsburg palace from the urban appeareance, whereby in the perception only existed a nondescript, nameless and ahistorical building that henceforth served the lodging and presentation of world-famous graphic collection of the Albertina. The condition was not changed by the decision to the refurbishment because there were only planned collection specific extensions, but no restoration of the palace.

This paradigm shift corresponded to a blatant reversal of the historical circumstances, as the travel guides and travel books for kk Residence and imperial capital of Vienna dedicated itself primarily with the magnificent, aristocratic palace on the Augustinerbastei with the sumptuously fitted out reception rooms and mentioned the collection kept there - if at all - only in passing. Only with the repositioning of the Albertina in 2000 under the direction of Klaus Albrecht Schröder, the palace was within the meaning and in fulfillment of the Fideikommiss of Archduke Charles in 1826 again met with the high regard, from which could result a further inseparable bond between the magnificent mansions and the world-famous collection. In view of the knowing about politically motivated errors and omissions of the past, the facades should get back their noble, historicist designing, the staterooms regain their glamorous, prestigious appearance and culturally unique equippment be repurchased. From this presumption, eventually grew the full commitment to revise the history of redemption and the return of the stately palace in the public consciousness.

The smoothed palace facades were returned to their original condition and present themselves today - with the exception of the not anymore reconstructed Attica figures - again with the historicist decoration and layout elements that Archduke Albrecht had given after the razing of the Augustinerbastei in 1865 in order. The neoclassical interiors, today called after the former inhabitants "Habsburg Staterooms", receiving a meticulous and detailed restoration taking place at the premises of originality and authenticity, got back their venerable and sumptuous appearance. From the world wide scattered historical pieces of equipment have been bought back 70 properties or could be returned through permanent loan to its original location, by which to the visitors is made experiencable again that atmosphere in 1919 the state rooms of the last Habsburg owner Archduke Frederick had owned. The for the first time in 80 years public accessible "Habsburg State Rooms" at the Palais Albertina enable now again as eloquent testimony to our Habsburg past and as a unique cultural heritage fundamental and essential insights into the Austrian cultural history. With the relocation of the main entrance to the level of the Augustinerbastei the recollection to this so valuable Austrian Cultural Heritage formally and functionally came to completion. The vision of the restoration and recovery of the grand palace was a pillar on which the new Albertina should arise again, the other embody the four large newly built exhibition halls, which allow for the first time in the history of the Albertina, to exhibit the collection throughout its encyclopedic breadh under optimal conservation conditions.

The palace presents itself now in its appearance in the historicist style of the Ringstrassenära, almost as if nothing had happened in the meantime. But will the wheel of time should not, cannot and must not be turned back, so that the double standards of the "Albertina Palace" said museum - on the one hand Habsburg grandeur palaces and other modern museum for the arts of graphics - should be symbolized by a modern character: The in 2003 by Hans Hollein designed far into the Albertina square cantilevering, elegant floating flying roof. 64 meters long, it symbolizes in the form of a dynamic wedge the accelerated urban spatial connectivity and public access to the palace. It advertises the major changes in the interior as well as the huge underground extensions of the repositioned "Albertina".

Christian Benedictine

 

Art historian with research interests History of Architecture, building industry of the Hapsburgs, Hofburg and Zeremonialwissenschaft (ceremonial sciences). Since 1990 he works in the architecture collection of the Albertina. Since 2000 he supervises as director of the newly founded department "Staterooms" the restoration and furnishing of the state rooms and the restoration of the facades and explores the history of the palace and its inhabitants.

 

www.wien-vienna.at/albert

Your testimonies, which You have commanded,

Are righteous and very faithful.

Psalm 119:138

Dedicated to my guru : Digital monk

If you havent seen his photostream, you are missing out on life!

Digital monk's photostream

 

This was clicked a looong time ago in India. I was sitting on the pillion seat, and my dad was driving his lancer at over a 100 km/hr! Got my timing right! And yeah its clicked using a Sony Ericsson K810i mobile phone camera. I wanna keep this pic as testimony to the fact that the camera doesn't matter much! Those of you who think that getting a DSLR gives you a better click, well eat this! ;)

PS: I made an HDR here making the other exposures through photoshop

 

View On Black

  

Homeless person. Market Street. San Francisco. I came upon this scene on Wednesday, not long after I had been assaulted by a young black man , near Powell Street. I stood and observed this scene for several minutes trying to decide if I should make a photo or just move on. I almost never photograph similar moments. But after thinking about it, and realizing that I have paid my dues to San Francisco street photography and especially the homeless, Someone has to take the responsibility to record and highlight this horrendous problem, with the expectation that more can and will be done to mitigate it. Sorry if it offends anyone. It is real life on the Streets of San Francisco.

Today was an extraordinary day of personal blessings for me. In fact, it was so out-of-the ordinary, I feel compelled to post this message as a public testimony of gratitude and love to the Blessed Virgin and the power of her maternal intercession... I received three great blessings from her generous hands, for which I am most grateful and humbled:

 

* The first grace that Our Lady granted was the recovery of a Holy Relic of St. Lucy of Syracuse that I lost yesterday in our Honolulu Cathedral after I attended the noon Mass. I accidentally forgot the relic on a bench in the church and it was recovered this morning - safe and sound - under truly remarkable circumstances in the Cathedral's sacristy.

 

* The second grace that I received from Our Lady was an answer to a prayer - a peaceful resolution - to an urgent family matter that I had been commending to her intercession for the past couple of weeks. The prayer was answered shortly after I reached my place of work, only minutes after having come from the Cathedral.

 

* And finally, the third grace Our Lady granted me had to do with a little flower I found on the floor of the Cathedral this morning. When I was leaving the church to go to work, I found a single fragrant Pikake blossom ("Sampaguita" in Filipino) lying at my feet, which I picked up and took back with me to my office. At the end of the work day, while I was walking to my car, I held the blossom to my nose to smell its sweet fragrance and noticed an uncanny image formed in the middle of the petals - incredibly, it clearly resembled Our Lady of Guadalupe, who also happens to be the patroness and namesake of my personal ministry! I immediately used my cellphone to take the photo posted above to capture and preserve the unique moment.

 

So with all that I've experienced today, I sincerely and joyfully testify that... Jesus is truly AWESOME and our Blessed Mother is indeed a powerful intercessor before the throne of her Divine Son. The maternal solicitude of Our Lady exceeds all expectations... so turn to her with Faith, Love, Humility, and Confidence during your times of need... and you will not be disappointed. Ad Jesum per Mariam!

 

Additional photos may be viewed at my Guadalupe House Blogsite.

"Something which has existed since the beginning,

that we have heard,

and we have seen with our own eyes;

that we have watched

and touched with our hands:

the Word, who is life –

this is our subject.

That life was made visible:

we saw it and we are giving our testimony,

telling you of the eternal life

which was with the Father and has been made visible to us" – 1 John 1:1f.

 

Detail of the crib in St Albert's, Edinburgh. The fruit are symbolic of the Passion and Resurrection, of Our Lady's fertility and of Christ's gift of Himself to us in the Eucharist.

The Testimony House, established by the association of Bnei Akiva veterans at the early 1990s, aims to amplify and deepen educational activity related to Holocaust remembrance.

Through its museum, archive, educational center and diverse activities, The Testimony House offers a unique, enlightening and even uplifting way to learn about the Holocaust and the post-Holocaust revival.

The museum is located in a pastoral village Nir Galim, near Ashdod, Israel.

The village Nir Galim was founded by Holocaust survivors.

The Testimony House collects, documents and preserves important material about the Holocaust.

The Testimony House, established by the association of Bnei Akiva veterans at the early 1990s, aims to amplify and deepen educational activity related to Holocaust remembrance.

Through its museum, archive, educational center and diverse activities, The Testimony House offers a unique, enlightening and even uplifting way to learn about the Holocaust and the post-Holocaust revival.

The museum is located in a pastoral village Nir Galim, near Ashdod, Israel.

The village Nir Galim was founded by Holocaust survivors.

The Testimony House collects, documents and preserves important material about the Holocaust.

Shaking it softly

 

Attack sticking around

омочка • om-2 / zuiko-50/1.4 / agfa scala 200 / d-76 11 min

 

2011-09-12-18-021-800

Testimonio.

 

Olympus Digital PEN E-P1

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 ASPH

"Pinhole" Art Fillter mode

f/1.7

ISO 200

20mm

1/60

Metering: Matrix

White Balance: Auto

Flash: ON (FL-36R)

No Photoshop

No HDR

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 40.000 - 60.000

Sold for € 32.200

 

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2018

 

- Delivered new to France

- Three owners from new

- Very well maintained

- Fully documented

- 29.307 km recorded

 

In the mid-1980s, Ford to renew its alliance with Cosworth to create the eponymous Sierra, assembly commencing in June 1986 at the company's Genk plant in Belgium. Based on the three-door Sierra bodyshell, the RS Cosworth combined the standard 1.993 cc Pinto engine's cylinder block with a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, the first time the latter combination had been seen in a production Ford engine. Topping it off was a Cosworth-developed, 16-valve cylinder head fed by a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger, the latter being deemed necessary to achieve a competitive power output for racing, which in time would amount to over 500bhp! Even in standard road trim the RS Cosworth produced a staggering 204bhp. Needless to say, the standard Sierra underpinnings were comprehensively up-rated to cope.

 

This Sierra RS Cosworth was delivered new in France on 25th April 1988 via the official Ford dealer, Durruty in Bayonne. Its first owner, Mr Pourvahab, a businessman living in Biarritz, paid a total of FF 175.000 for the car, and took delivery on a temporary registration (the original invoice and registration certificate are on file). Six weeks later, the car was registered by its owner in Biarritz, and at the same time received the anti-theft etching required by the insurance company (certificate on file).

 

The first owner took great care of the car for more than 20 years, covering 28.732 km (see bill of sale on file). The next owner, Mr André Lenoir of Berre-l'Etang (Bouches-du-Rhône), registered the Sierra in February 2009 and kept it for the next seven years. The car was well stored seldom be driven (the roadworthiness report of 2015 indicates 29.217 km). Finally, in 2016, the car was added to the stable of a prominent Belgian collector. Today, the car still sports its French second-owner registration plates from the Départment Bouches-du-Rhône ('308 BTS 13').

 

The car's current condition is a testimony to the great care it has enjoyed all its life. The interior shows almost no signs of wear, and the original Zandvoort Blue exterior colour presents beautifully. All books and instruction manuals are present, including the very rare 'Sierra Cosworth RS' supplement. The car is described as in generally excellent condition and runs extremely well.

 

The Sierra RS Cosworth has always been a coveted car as confirmed by a recent article in 'Octane' magazine dated January 2018, with record numbers stolen in their early days. Today, they are much sought after by discerning collectors, especially when presented in original, unmolested condition and with excellent provenance like this stunning example, which ticks all the boxes.

It seems incredible to me that there are any churches in East Kent, at least parish churches, that I had yet to visit and photograph. Especially along Stone Street, which I thought that nks to churches and orchids I knew very well. And yet as I cross-referenced between John Vigar's book and the county A-Z, I saw more and more churches I had to visit.

 

And that brings us to Elmstead.

 

Elmstead is less a viallage and more a dog leg in a single track lane, and the church sits in the dog leg. Being a small place, surely it would have a small church? No, the church is large with two leat to chapels, and an extraordinary timber topped tower.

 

You reach Elmstone by taking tiny fork off Stone Street and following the narrowest of lanes, which has high banks and hedges both sides with few passing places. Down through woods, down steep hills crossing streams and up hills the other side, and all the while the road coated with a thick layer of mud, so that one hoped you were still on the road not having driven into a field.

 

In time I passed the village sign, and no missing the church, a large flint built church, and the triple gabled east end facing towards the road. Behind the tower was partially hidden, but I could already see the wooden upper part.

 

And it was open, and filled with much of interest, especially the stone altar in the south aisle.

 

---------------------------------------------

 

An extremely worthwhile church in remote countryside. The tower is an unusual shape, being almost twice as wide as it is deep and capped by a wooden upper storey with stumpy spire. The church consists of nave, aisles, chancel and equal length chapels. The nave is Norman: the original arch to the tower is still recognisable although a fourteenth-century replacement has been built inside it. At the same time the present arcade was built on the existing piers. In the north aisle is a medieval vestry screen, in front of which is a Norman font. There are very fine altar rails, each baluster looking like an eighteenth-century candlestick. Between the main altar and chapel is a simple thirteenth-century sedilia. The south chapel altar has a twelfth-century mensa which was discovered in the churchyard in 1956. The east window (1880) commemorates Arthur Honeywood who was killed in the Afghan war - only a dog survived and was given an award by Queen Victoria! Honeywood's ancestor, Sir John (d. 1781), is also remembered in the church by a splendid marble bust signed by Scheemakers

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Elmsted

 

----------------------------------------------

 

Parish Church. Late Cll or C12, C13 and C14, restored in 1877. Flint

with stone dressings. Plain tile roofs. West tower, nave with north

and south aisles, south porch, chancel with north and south chapels.

West tower: C13, with late Cll or C12 base: Medieval belfry. Single

stage, but north and south sides reduce in width about half way up

with plain-tile shoulders. Large stone north-west and south-west

quoins to lower half. Diagonal south-west buttress. Shingled timber-

framed belfry jettied to west. Splay-footed octagonal spire. Two

louvred three-light trefoil-headed windows to each face of belfry.

No tower windows to north or east. Broadly-pointed plain-chamfered

lancet towards top of west face, and another to south. Taller plain-

chamfered lancet West window. Plain-chamfered pointed-arched west doorway.

Nave: south elevation: continuous with south wall of tower base. C19

traceried three-light window. South aisle: C14 possibly with late Cll

or early C12 origins. Narrow and gabled, stopping short of west end nave.

Plinthless. Buttress towards east end. C14 or early C15 pointed west window

of two cinquefoil-headed lights, with tracery of vertical bars, and hoodmould.

One straight-headed C15 or C16 south window to east of porch, with two

cinquefoil-headed lights and rectangular hoodmould. South porch: medieval,

restored in C19. Coursed knapped flint. Gabled plain-tile roof.

Window with cambered head, to each side. Crown-post roof; two outer crown

posts plain. Broadly-chamfered rectangular central crown post with broach

stops and head braces. Chamfered tie-beams. Pointed-arched plain-chamfered

inner doorway with broach stops. Unchamfered pointed-arched outer doorway.

South chancel chapel: early C14. Continuous with south aisle, but with

chamfered stone plinth and lower eaves and ridge. East end flush with

chancel. Diagonal south-east buttress. Large straight-headed south window

with three cinquefoil-headed lights and moulded hoodmould. Similar two-

light east window. Chancel: C13, probably with late Cll or C12 origins.

Slightly narrower than nave. No plinth. Two buttresses. C15 or C16

untraceried east window with cambered head, three cinquefoil-headed lights,

and hoodmould. North chancel chapel: early C14. Flush with east end

of chancel. Plinthless. Diagonal north-east buttress. C14 pointed-arched

east window with three cinquefoil-headed lights, tracery of cusped intersecting

glazing bars with trefoils and quatrefoils, and with hoodmould. Pointed-

arched C14 north window with Y tracery and trefoil, without hoodmould.

North aisle: C14. More stone mixed with flint. Continuous with north

chancel chapel, and slightly overlapping tower. Plinthless. One untraceried

C15 or C16 north window, with cambered head, three cinquefoil-headed lights,

and hoodmould. Straight-headed west window with two cinquefoil-headed

lights and hoodmould. Small blocked plain-chamfered pointed-arched north

doorway. Rainwater heads dated 1877. Interior: Structure: two-bay early

C14 south arcade to nave, with doubly plain-chamfered pointed arches and

octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases. Two-bay C14 north

arcade, similar to south arcade, but extending further to west and with

more intricately-moulded capitals. East end of south arcade rests on

late Cll or C12 pier of large ashlar blocks on plain-chamfered plinth,

and with top heavily corbelled to south side. Footings for further structure

to east and south. Small, probably pre-C14, stone quoins to east pier

of north arcade, capped by single block from which arch springs. Doubly

plain-chamfered pointed early C14 chancel arch, springing from moulded

rectangular capitals which break forwards unusually. Plain-chamfered

piers with broach stops. Two-bay early C16 north and south arcades to

chancel, with doubly hollow-chamfered four-centred arches and octagonal

columns with moulded capitals and bases. Early C14 pointed arch between

south chancel chapel and south aisle, with plain-chamfered inner order

and slightly ovolo-moulded outer order. Moulded rectangular capitals

slightly different from chancel-arch capitals, but similarly breaking

forwards under inner order of arch, each on image corbel. Piers slightly

hollow chamfered, with cushion stops to base and undercut trefoil to tops.

Doubly plain-chamfered pointed arch between north chancel chapel and north

aisle, springing from chamfered imposts which break forwards to centre

with rounded corbel under. Low, pointed C14 tower arch, with plain-chamfered

inner order springing from moulded semi-octagonal piers, and hollow-chamfered

outer order descending to ground with cushion and broach stops. Above

arch, exposed voussoirs of taller, broader, blocked, round-headed late

Cll or C12 tower arch. Roof: C19 crown-post roof to nave and north aisle.

Chancel and north chancel chapel roofs boarded in five cants. Plastered

barrel vault to south chancel chapel. Medieval crown-post roof to south,

with three cambered plain-chamfered tie-beams, with moulded octagonal

crown posts, sous-laces and ashlar pieces. Fittings: piscina in rectangular

recess towards east end of south chancel chapel. C13 piscina in moulded

recess with trefoiled head and moulded hoodmould, towards east end of

south wall of chancel. Image corbel to north wall of north chancel chapel.

Late Cll or C12 font, low, deep, octagonal, with two panels of blind

arcading to each side, circular central pier and eight slender perimeter

columns. Small C17 altar table. Hexagonal C17 pulpit with sunk moulded

panels, strapwork, fleur-de-lys frieze, and enriched cornice. Medieval

screen, probably of domestic origin, with close-studded partition under

moulded and brattished beam, across west end of north aisle. Laudian

altar rails with turned balusters. Monuments: Cartouche on south wall

of south chancel chapel, to Sir William Honeywood, d. 1748. Monument

on same wall, to Thomas Honeywood, d. 1622; grey-painted chalk in form

of triptych. Central section has moulded and pulvinated base, scrolled

base-plate and shield, and raised and moulded inscription panel in eared

surround, flanked by Composite columns. Above it, a recessed panel

with inverted scrolls, and triangular pediment with cherubs head and

achievements. Recessed flanking sections, each carved with angel in

husked surround, and with scrolled base plate and corniced pediment

with shields. Tablet on same wall, to Mary Honeywood, d. 1708, lettered

on a shroud with gilded fringe, cherubs' heads, and shield surmounted

by urn. Brass of a lady, part of a brass to Christopher Gay, d. 1507.

Monument on north wall of north chancel chapel, to William Honeywood,

d. 1669. Black marble inscription panel in a frame which breaks forwards

twice. Each back panel eared, the outer with inverted scrolls to base

and festoon to return sides. Festooned rectangular panel flanked by

acanthus consoles and with scrolled acanthus base plate under inscription

panel. Moulded cornice over oak-leaf frieze, breaking forwards three

times. Segmental pediment with achievements over central break. Monument

by Thomas Scheemakers on same wall, to Sir John Honeywood, d. 1781.

White marble. Rectangular inscription panel, flanked by reeded pilasters

which curve out at top to form consoles under flower paterae. Shaped

base plate, also with inscription. Moulded cornice surmounted by -sarcophagus

with bust above it, against grey marble obelisk back plate. (J. Jewman,

Buildings of England Series, North-east and East Kent, 1983 edn.)

  

Listing NGR: TR1178645546

 

www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-440965-church-of-st-j...

 

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ELMSTED

IS the next parish northward from Hastingligh lastdescribed, taking its name, as many other places do, which are recorded in the survey of Domesday, from the quantity of elms growing in it, elm signifying in Saxon, that tree, and stede, a place. The manor of Hastingligh claims over some part of this parish, which part is within the liberty of the duchy of Lancaster.

 

THIS PARISH is situated in a lonely unfrequented part of the country, above the down hills, in a healthy air. It lies mostly on high ground, having continued hill and dale throughout it. The soil is but poor, and in general chalk, and much covered with flints, especially in the dales, where some of the earth is of a reddish cast. The church stands on a hill in the middle of it, having a green, with the village near it, among which is the court-lodge: and at a small distance westward, Helchin-bouse, belonging to Sir John Honywood, but now and for some time past inhabited by the Lushingtons. Lower down in the bottom is Evington-court, in a dull ineligible situation, to which however the present Sir John Honywood has added much, and laid out some park-grounds round it. At a small distance is a small heath, called Evington-lees, with several houses round it. At the southern bounds of the parish lie Botsham, and Holt, both belonging to Sir John Honywood. At the north-east corner of it, near Stone-street, is a hamlet called Northlye, the principal farm in which belongs to Mr. Richard Warlee, gent. of Canterbury, about half a mile from which is Deane, or Dane manor-house; and still further Dowles-farm, belonging to Mr. John Rigden, of Faversham; near Stone-street is the manor of Southligh, now called Mizlings, by which name only it is now known here; and near the same street is Arundel farm, belonging to Thomas Watkinson Payler, esq. and at the southern extremity of the parish, the manor-house of Dunders, with the lands belonging to it, called the Park, formerly belonging to the Graydons, of Fordwich, of whom they were purchased, and are now the property of the right hon. Matthew Robinson Morris, lord Rokeby, who resides at Horton. There are but two small coppice woods in this parish, lying at some distance from each other, in the middle part of it.

 

There is a fair kept yearly in this parish on St. James's day, the 25th of July.

 

THE MANOR OF ELMSTED was in the year 811 bought by archbishop Wlfred, of Cenulf, king of Mercia, for the benefit of Christ-church, in Canterbury, L. S. A. which letters meant, that it should be free, and privileged with the same liberties that Adisham was, when given to that church. These privileges were, to be freed from all secular services, excepting the trinoda necessitas of repelling invasions, and the repairing of bridges and fortifications. (fn. 1)

 

There is no mention of this manor in the survey of Domesday, under the title of the archbishop's lands, and of those held of him by knight's service, and yet I find mention of its being held of him in several records subsequent to that time; for soon afterwards it appears to have been so held by a family who assumed their name from it, one of whom, Hamo de Elmested, held it of the archbishop, by knight's service. But they were extinct here before the middle of king Henry III,'s reign, when the Heringods were become possessed of it, as appears by the Testa de Nevil, bearing for their arms, Gules, three herrings erect, two and one, or; as they were formerly in the windows of Newington church, near Sittingborne. John de Heringod held it at his death in the 41st year of that reign. His grandson, of the same name, died in the next reign of king Edward I. without male issue, leaving three daughters his coheirs, of whom, Grace married Philip de Hardres, of Hardres, in this county; Christiana married William de Kirkby; and Jane married Thomas Burgate, of Suffolk: but he had before his death, by a deed, which bears the form of a Latin will, and, is without a date, settled this manor, with the other lands in this neighbourhood, on the former of them, Philip de Hardres, a man of eminent repute of that time, in whose successors the manor of Elmsted remained till the 13th year of King James I. when Sir Thomas Hardres sold the manor of Dane court, an appendage to this of Elmsted, in the north-east part of this parish, to Cloake, and the manor of Elmsted itself to Thomas Marsh, gent. of Canterbury, whose son ton, whose great-grandson of the same name, at his death left it to his two sons, Richard and John, the former of whom was of Faversham, and left an only daughter Elizabeth, married to Mr. James Taylor, of Rodmersham, who in right of his wife became possessed of his moiety of it, and having in 1787 purchased the other moiety of John Lushington, of Helchin, in this parish, (son of Richard above-mentioned) became possessed of the whole of this manor, and continues owner of it at this time.

 

THE MANOR OF DANE, now called Deane-court, above-mentioned, remained in the name of Cloake for some time afterwards, and in 1652 Mr. Samuel Cloake held it. It afterwards passed into the name of Elwes, in which it continued down to John Elwes, esq. of Marcham, in Berkshire, who died in 1789, and by will gave it to his nephew Thomas Timms, esq. the present owner of it.

 

THE YOKE OF EVINGTON is an estate and seat in the south-west part of this parish, over which the manor of Barton, near Canterbury, claims jurisdiction. The mansion of it, called Evington-court, was the inheritance of gentlemen of the same surname, who bore for their arms, Argent, a sess between three burganetts, or steel caps, azure; and in a book, copied out from antient deeds by William Glover, Somerset herald, afterwards in the possession of John Philipott, likewise Somerset, there was the copy of an old deed without date, in which William Fitzneal, called in Latin, Filius Nigelli, passed over some land to Ruallo de Valoigns, which is strengthened by the appendant testimony of one Robert de Evington, who was ancestor of the Evingtons, of Evington-court, of whom there is mention in the deeds of this place, both in the reigns of king Henry III. and king Edward I. After this family was extinct here, the Gays became possessed of it, a family originally descended out of France, where they were called Le Gay, and remained some time afterwards in the province of Normandy, from whence those of this name in Jersey and Guernsey descended, and from them again those of Hampshire, and one of them, before they had left off their French appellation, John le Gay, is mentioned in the leiger book of Horton priory, in this neighbourhood, as a benefactor to it. But to proceed; although Evington-court was not originally erected by the family of Gay, yet it was much improved by them with additional buildings, and in allusion to their name, both the wainscot and windows of it were adorned with nosegays. At length after the Gays, who bore for their arms, Gules, three lions rampant, argent, an orle of cross-croslets, fitchee, or. (fn. 2) had continued owners of this mansion till the beginning of the reign of king Henry VII. Humphry Gay, esq. alienated it to John Honywood, esq. of Sene, in Newington, near Hythe, and afterwards of St. Gregory's, Canterbury, where he died in 1557, and was buried in that cathedral.

 

The family of Honywood, antiently written Henewood, take their name from the manor of Henewood, in Postling, where they resided as early as Henry III.'s reign, when Edmund de Henewood, or Honywood, as the name was afterwards spelt, of that parish, was a liberal benefactor to the priory of Horton, and is mentioned as such in the leiger book of it. After which, as appears by their wills in the Prerogative-office, in Canterbury, they resided at Hythe, for which port several of them served in parliament, bearing for their arms, Argent, a chevron, between three hawks heads erased, azure; one of them, Thomas Honywood, died in the reign of king Edward IV. leaving a son John, by whose first wife descended the elder branch of this family, settled at Evington, and baronets; and by his second wife descended the younger branch of the Honywoods, seated at Petts, in Charing, and at Markshall, in Effex, which branch is now extinct. (fn. 3) John Honywood, esq. the eldest son of John above-mentioned, by his first wife, was the purchaser of Evington, where his grandson Sir Thomas Honywood resided. He died in 1622, and was buried at Elmsted, the burial place of this family. (fn. 4) He left by his first wife several sons and daughters; of the former, John succeeded him at Evington and Sene, and Edward was ancestor of Frazer Honywood, banker, of London, and of Malling abbey, who died s. p. in 1764. (fn. 5) Sir John Honywood, the eldest son, resided during his father's time at Sene, in Newington, and on his death removed to Evington. He served the office of sheriff in the 18th, 19th, and 20th years of king Charles I. Sir Edward Honywood, his eldest son, resided likewise at Evington, and was created a baronet on July 19, 1660. His great grandson Sir John Honywood, bart. at length in 1748, succeeded to the title and family estates, and afterwards resided at Evington, where he kept his shrievalty in 1752. On the death of his relation Frazer Honywood, esq. banker, of London, in 1764, he succeeded by his will to his seats at Malling abbey, and at Hampsted, in Middlesex, besides a large personal estate; after which he resided at times both here and at Hampsted, at which latter he died in 1781, æt. 71, and was buried with his ancestors in this church. He had been twice married; first to Annabella, daughter of William Goodenough, esq. of Langford, in Berk shire, whose issue will be mentioned hereafter; and secondly to Dorothy, daughter of Sir Edward Filmer, bart. of East Sutton, by whom he had two sons, Filmer Honywood, esq. of Marks-hall, in Essex, to which as well as other large estates in that county, and in this of Kent, he succeeded by the will of his relation Gen. Philip Honywood, and lately was M. P. for this county, and is at present unmarried; and John, late of All Souls college, Oxford, who married Miss Wake, daughter of Dr. Charles Wake, late prebendary of Westminster; and Mary, married to Willshire Emmett, esq. late of Wiarton. By his first wife Sir John Honywood had two sons and four daughters; William the eldest, was of Malling abbey, esq. and died in his father's life time, having married Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. Clack, of Wallingford, in Berkshire, by whom he had three sons and one daughter Annabella, married to R. G. D. Yate, esq of Gloucestershire; of the former, John was heir to his grandfather, and is the present baronet; William is now of Liminge, esq. and married Mary, sister of James Drake Brockman, esq. of Beechborough, and Edward married Sophia, daughter of the Rev. Mr. Long, of Suffolk. Edward, the second son, was in the army, and died without issue. The daughters were, Annabella, married to Edmund Filmer, rector of Crundal; and Thomasine, married to William Western Hugessen, esq. of Provenders, both since deceased. On Sir John Honywood's death in 1781, he was succeeded by his eldest grandson abovementioned, the present Sir John Honywood, bart. who resides at Evington, to which he has made great improvements and additions. He married Frances, one of the daughters of William, viscount Courtenay, by whom he has three daughters, Frances-Elizabeth, Charlotte-Dorothea, and Annabella-Christiana, and one son John, born in 1787. (fn. 6).

 

BOTTSHAM, antiently and more properly written Bodesham, is a manor in the western part of this parish. About the year 687 Swabert, king of Kent, gave among others, three plough-lands in a place called Bodesham, to Eabba, abbess of Minister, in Thanet, and in the reign of king Edward the Consessor, one Ælgeric Bigg gave another part of it to the abbey of St. Augustine, by the description of the lands called Bodesham, on condition that Wade, his knight, should possess them during his life. (fn. 7) The former of these continued in the monastery till the reign of king Canute, when it was plundered and burnt by the Danes. After which the church and lands of the monastery of Minster, and those of Bodesham among them, were granted to St. Augustine's monastery, and remained, together with those given as above-mentioned by Ælgeric Bigg, part of the possessions of it at the taking of the survey of Domesday, in which record it is thus described:

 

In Limowart left, in Stotinges hundred, Gaufrid holds Bodesham of the abbot. It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is two carucates, and there are, with eight borderers, wood for the pannage of fifteen hogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth four pounds, and afterwards twenty shillings, now four pounds, A certain villein held it.

 

Hugh, abbot of St. Augustine, and his chapter, in the year 1110, granted to Hamo, steward of the king's houshold, this land of Bodesham, upon condition that he should, if there should be occasion, advise and assist him and his successors in any pleas brought against him by any baron, either in the county or in the king's court.

 

Hamo above-mentioned, whose surname was Crevequer, had come over into this kingdom with the Conqueror, and was rewarded afterwards with much land in this county, and was made sheriff of it during his life, from whence he was frequently stiled Hamo Vicecomes, or the sheriff. He lived till the middle of king Henry I.'s reign; and in his descendants it most probably remained till it came into the possession of the family of Gay, or Le Gay as they were sometimes written, owners of the yoke of Evington likewise, in which it continued till it was at length sold with it, in the beginning of Henry VII.'s reign, to Honywood, as has been fully mentioned before; in whose descendants it still remains, being now the property of Sir John Honywood, bart. of Evington.

 

IN THE REIGN of king Edward I. Thomas de Morines held half a knight's fee of the archbishop in Elmsted, which estate afterwards passed into the family of Haut, and in the reign of king Edward III. had acquired the name of the Manor Of Elmsted, alias SOUTHLIGH. In which family of Haut it continued down to Sir William Haut, of Bishopsborne, who lived in the reign of king Henry VIII. and left two daughters his coheirs, Elizabeth, married to Thomas Culpeper, of Bedgbury; and Jane, to Thomas Wyatt. The former of whom, in the division of their inheritance, (fn. 8) became possessed of it; from his heirs it passed by sale to Best, and from thence again to Rich. Hardres, esq. of Hardres, whose descendant Sir Tho. Hardres, possessed it in king James I.'s reign; at length, after some intermediate owners, it passed to Browning, whose descendant M. John Browning, of Yoklets, in Waltham, is the present owner of this manor.

 

There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly relieved are about thirty, casually seventeen.

 

Elmsted is within the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Elham.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. James, is a handsome building, consisting of three isles and three chancels, having a low pointed wooden steeple at the west end, in which are six bells. The chancels are open, one towards the other, the spaces between the pillars not being filled up, which gives the whole a light and airy appearance. In the middle chancel, which is dedicated to St. James, are memorials for the Taylors, who intermarried with the Honywoods, and for the Lushingtons, of Helchin; one for John Cloke, gent. of Northlye, obt. 1617. In the east window is a shield of arms, first and fourth, A lion rampant, or; second, On a fess, argent, three eros-croslets; third, obliterated. In another compartment of the window is the figure of an antient man sitting, in robes lined with ermine, a large knotted staff in his left hand. The north chancel is called the parish chancel, in which is an elegant monument, of white marble, with the bust of the late Sir John Honywood, bart.(a gentleman whose worthy character is still remembered with the highest commendation and respect, by all who knew him). He died much lamented by his neighbours and the country in general in 1781; and on the pavement are numbers of gravestones for the family of Honywood and their relatives. The south chancel, dedicated to St. John, belongs to Evington, in which there are several monuments, and numbers of gravestones, the pavement being covered with them, for the Honywood family, some of which have inscriptions and figures on brasses remaining on them. Underneath this chancel is a large vault, in which the remains of the family lie deposited. On the north side of this chancel is a tomb, having had the figures on it of a man between his two wives: and at each corner a shield of arms in brass for Gay. On the capital of a pillar at the east end of this tomb is this legend, in old English letters, in gold, which have been lately repaired: Pray for the sowlys of Xtopher Gay, Agnes and Johan his wifes, ther chylder and all Xtian sowlys, on whose sowlys Jhu have mcy; by which it should seem that he was the founder, or at least the repairer of this chancel. Underneath is carved a shield of arms of Gay. In the east window are two shields of arms, of modern glass, for Honywood. In the south isle is a monument for Sir William Honywood, bart. of Evington, obt. 1748. In the middle isle are several old stones, coffin shaped. William Philpot, of Godmersham, by will anno 1475, ordered that the making of the new seats, calledle pewis, in this church, should be done at his expence, from the place where St. Christopher was painted, to the corner of the stone wall on the north side of the church.

 

The church of Elmsted belonged to the priory of St. Gregory, in Canterbury, perhaps part of its original endowment by archbishop Lanfranc, in the reign of the Conqueror. It was very early appropriated to it, and was confirmed to the priory by archbishop Hubert, among its other possessions, about the reign of king Richard I. at which time this church, with five acres of arable, and five acres of wood, and the chapel of Dene, appear to have been esteemed as chapels to the adjoining church of Waltham, and the appropriation of it continued part of the possessions of the priory till the dissolution of it in king Henry VIII.'s reign, when it was surrendered into the king's hands, where this appropriation remained but a small time, for an act passed that year, to enable the king and the archbishop to make an exchange of estates, by which means it became part of the revenues of the see of Canterbury, and was afterwards demised by the archbishop, among the rest of the revenues of the above-mentioned priory, which had come to him by the above-mentioned exchange, in one great lease; under which kind of demise it has continued from time to time ever since. Philip, earl of Chesterfield, as heir to the Wottons, was lessee of the above estates, in which this parsonage was included; since whose decease in 1773, his interest in the lease of them has been sold by his executors to Geo. Gipps, esq. of Canterbury, who is the present lessee, under the archbishop, for them.

 

But the vicarage of this church seems never to have belonged to the priory of St. Gregory, and in the 8th year of Richard II. anno 1384, appears to have been part of the possessions of the abbot of Pontiniac, at which time it was valued at four pounds. How long it staid there, I have not found; but it became afterwards part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, and remains so at this time, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.

 

¶The vicarage of Elmsted is endowed with the tenths of hay, silva cedua, mills, heifers, calves, chicken, pigs, lambs, wool, geese, ducks, eggs, bees, honey, wax, butter, cheese, milk-meats, flax, hemp, apples, pears, swans, pidgeons, merchandise, fish, onions, fowlings, also all other small tithes or obventions whatsoever within the parish; and also with all grass of gardens or other closes, vulgarly called homestalls, although they should be at any time reduced to arable; and the tithes of all and singular feedings and pastures, even if those lands so lot for feedings and pastures should be accustomed to be ploughed, as often and whensoever they should at any time be let for the use of pasture; which portion to the vicar was then valued at twelve marcs. (fn. 9)

 

It is valued in the king's books at 61. 13s. 4d. It is now a discharged living, of the clear yearly certified value of forty-five pounds. In 1587 it was valued at thirty pounds, communicants one hundred and eighty. In 1640 it was valued at ninety pounds, the same number of communicants. There was an antient stipend of ten pounds, payable from the parsonage to the vicar, which was augmented with the like sum by archbishop Juxon, anno 15 Charles II. to be paid by the lessee of the parsonage; which sum of twenty pounds continues at this time to be paid yearly by the lesse. There was a yearly pension of 1l. 6s. payable from the vicar of Elmsted to the priory of St. Gregory; which still continues to be paid by him to the archbishop's lessee here.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol8/pp33-45

On vacations, I am always fascinated by places where the water meets the land. I am from a desert and while the Great Salt Lake is a pretty big inland body of water, it has a sort of stillness that makes it feel lifeless compared to the rivers, oceans and water bodies I see elsewhere on my travels. Especially anywhere near the ocean where the dark gray overcast clouds seem to roll in and cover the sky in a drab blanket, something I am very familiar with from the Pacific Northwest and to no surprise I experienced in the northern corner of Wales. I think of a scene penned by Frank Herbert in Dune: Messiah where a Fremen warrior describes the alien feeling of visiting a watery planet during Muad'dib's interstellar jihad, and how it changed his perspective of his desert home world when he returned.

 

On The Cob overlooking Porthmadog in Wales though I can borrow a literary reference from another author I adore (and the title of a book I have yet to read). Porthmadog was a town where nautical influences from ships making their way up the Afon Glaslyn converged with the narrow gauge railways on land. Although steam ships were not uncommon by the time Porthmadog was making a name for itself as a slate exporter, many of the ships that came in here were powered by sail; old fashioned yet reliable clippers and schooners that could travel the world without worrying about expensive fuel costs. "Ballast Island" just outside the harbor, was formed by the ballast dropped by ships before taking on their slate loads; representative of the global ports of call the slate ships reached.

 

The water is an active element against the railway too... the trident signal in my photograph would collapse a few months later due to rot in its timbers caused by exposure to the elements.