Thousands of pounds

Did the prodigal son on Sunday, and I asked my class of 6-8 year olds, " If you had thousands of pounds you could spend on yourself, on whatever you liked, what would you spend it on?
Here are the answers I got:

• 2 swimming pools for the summer and 50 rabbits for the winter
• Lego
• Food and water [this sounds like a what-I-think-my-teacher-wants-me-to-say answer]
• Plastic surgery [this appeared to be a joke, or I would be rather concerned]
• Lentils and carrots and things to make soup

The prodigal son spending his money

Did you know that 'prodigal' means 'wasteful'?

Getting old

When I first read CS Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet as a teenager, Ransom was quite old - middle aged.

Last time I read it, he was ages with me (35-40).

Just read it again, and he's younger than me.

Christmas Chronology

This is the correct Christmas chronology as far as I can see.

Luke is yellow
Matthew is blue

• Gabriel comes to Zechariah.
• John is concieved.
• 6 months later, Gabriel comes to Mary. I assume Jesus was concieved at this point (that certainly seems to be Mary's assumption when she asks how this is possible).
• 'In those days' Mary goes to see Elizabeth (probably fairly immediately as she 'hurried').
• Mary stays with Elizabeth 3 months then returns home. Seems odd for Mary to return home just before John is born. Maybe Luke is just wrapping up that story before concentrating on John, and John was born towards the end of the three months. Or maybe not - there could have been some unavoidable reason to go home before John was born - real life doesn't always work out tidily.
• John is born. 
• Joseph finds out Mary is pregnant. No idea how. No idea who else knew.
• Angel appears to Joseph and  he 'takes Mary as his wife'. I assume this means a proper wedding.
• Joseph & Mary go to Bethlehem to register. At this point Luke describes them as only 'pledged to be married' - this is odd, but the best suggestion I have heard was that he considered an unconsummated marriage to be not yet really married.
• 'While they were there' Jesus was born (not necessarily the night they arrived).
• That night, the angels appear to the shepherds and they visit Jesus.
• When Jesus is 8 days old he is circumcised and named.
• 'When the days of purification were finished' (33 days after circumcision for a boy) they take him to the temple to offer 2 doves. Simeon & Anna.
• 'After Jesus was born' wise men come.
• They see 'the child' Jesus. At least 41 days old. Because it must have been after M&J went to the temple. I assume about 1-2 years, because Herod killed boys under 2 based on the time the star appeared.
• After they had gone the angel appears to Joseph.
• Escape to Egypt.
• Herod kills all boys 2 and under
• 'After Herod died' they return to Nazareth. (4BC or 1BC, depending who you listen to!)

Fantasy

Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.

~Terry Pratchett

Roman belt

First part of a Roman soldier costume I'm making.

Old belt, fun foam and aluminium foil tape.
Decoration and rivets done by pressing in the ends of various pens.

 

 

 

Historical info from here (though I didn't leave a space for a dagger because there won't be one.)

Quote

This art is not supposed to last so you can be remembered.
This art is supposed to last so the Lord can be remembered.

~Andrew Peterson

Cave art

By Pline [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

The evolutionist stands staring in the painted cavern at the things that are too large to be seen and too simple to be understood. He tries to deduce all sorts of other indirect and doubtful things from the details of the pictures, because he cannot see the primary significance of the whole; thin and theoretical deductions about the absence of religion or the presence of superstition; about tribal government and hunting and human sacrifice and heaven knows what. [...]

When all is said, the main fact that the record of the reindeer men attests, along with all other records, is that the reindeer man could draw and the reindeer could not. If the reindeer man was as much an animal as the reindeer, it was all the more extraordinary that he could do what all other animals could not. If he was an ordinary product of biological growth, like any other beast or bird, then it is all the more extraordinary that he was not in the least like any other beast or bird. He seems rather more supernatural as a natural product than as a supernatural one.

GK Chesterton