The children World Vision collect money for need it and benefit from it, but not as much as World Vision benefits from it. There are options World Vision offers to ensure payments go to the sponsored child, but it does not seem to be encouraged. The cost of feeling good.
What does one have to spend to feel good about their past? I am a bitsa. Bits from China, Ireland, Russia, Jew, Scotland, England, Netherlands, Aboriginal Australian .. and I was born in the US. I like the 1788 landing and what has happened since. I like 1901's start with Australia as a federation. But there is a lobby of hate claiming to represent my bits. The use emotive words like 'invasion' to frame the founding of Sydney. But cultural pluralism gave my mother her maiden name, Shying. No where else in the world had that name, it began in Sydney, thanks to '88. Those that claim '88 was bad weren't there. They don't know, or care. It is unsporting, like a strike to the knee of a figure skating rival.
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Samuel Ball, Andrew Mussell, Lynda Ly, Vu Tran and Natalie Tran. Born on the same day, across the years, along with
- 1475 – Crinitus, Italian scholar (d. 1507)
- 1839 – John Knowles Paine, American composer (d. 1906)
- 1849 – John Hartley, English tennis player (d. 1935)
- 1854 – Lady Randolph Churchill, American-English wife of Lord Randolph Churchill (d. 1921)
- 1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)
- 1900 – Richard Halliburton, American adventurer and author (d. 1939)
- 1911 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American dancer, actress, and author (d. 1970)
- 1913 – Richard Nixon, American politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Judith Krantz, American author
- 1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1939 – Jimmy Boyd, American actor and singer (d. 2009)
- 1939 – Susannah York, English actress (d. 2011)
- 1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter and activist
- 1943 – Scott Walker, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (The Walker Brothers)
- 1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Honeydrippers, The Firm, and XYZ)
- 1995 – Nicola Peltz, American actress
Matches
- 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
- 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against theJews in Spain.
- 1127 – Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin Dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong and others, ending the Northern Song Dynasty.
- 1150 – Prince Hailing of Jin and other court officials murder Emperor Xizong of Jin. Hailing succeeds him as emperor.
- 1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.
- 1431 – Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government.
- 1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first person to fly in a balloon in the United States.
- 1799 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1806 – Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul's Cathedral.
- 1816 – Sir Humphry Davy tests his safety lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery.
- 1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
- 1880 – The Great Gale of 1880 devastates parts of Oregon and Washington with high winds and heavy snow.
- 1894 – New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
- 1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the furthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
- 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli concludes with an Ottoman Empire victory when the last Allied forces are evacuated from the peninsula.
- 1917 – World War I: the Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
- 1947 – Elizabeth "Betty" Short, the Black Dahlia, is last seen alive.
- 2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the first iPhone.
Despatches
- 1150 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (b. 1119)
- 1324 – Marco Polo, Italian merchant and explorer (b. 1254)
- 1918 – Charles-Émile Reynaud, French scientist and educator, invented the Praxinoscope (b. 1844)
- 1923 – Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand author (b. 1888)
OBVIOUS QUESTIONS
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (5:42am)
Further on the mystery of my 17-year-old World Vision sponsorship kid who draws like a pre-schooler. Here’s World Vision director Matt Davis:
We share your concern about the recent report you have received from Obvious and we have requested an immediate response from our team in Zimbabwe. We are yet to hear back and will let you know as soon as we do.I can assure you there are some really encouraging things happening ?in Obvious’s community and we are committed to ensuring you receive an appropriate explanation as to what has been happening with his development.
Also on the case: Radio 2UE summer drive host Mike Jeffreys, who interviewed Davis and me.
1788 HATE
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (5:40am)
Leftoid Twitter folk shut down a supermarket’s t-shirt sale:
Aldi has pulled a portion of its Australia Day clothing from shelves following social media pressure over a “racist” design.
The alleged racism was a logo reading: “AUSTRALIA EST 1788”. Seriously.
Twitter users have called for the range to be pulled from shelves, including Sunshine Coast University lecturer Matt Mason.“This is historically wrong and racist,” Mr Mason posted.“Remove them from sale.”Others users have described the range as “sickening”.
Just as well the frightening logo wasn’t printed on a packet of crisps.
(Via Waxing Gibberish)
THE UNENDING, INESCAPABLE HORROR OF A WARMER PLANET
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (5:38am)
It’s happening, people:
The effects of climate change could hinder sea snails’ extraordinary ability to leap away from predators on one foot, Queensland researchers have found.
Add this to the list.
(Via reader fidens, who emails: “I feel so helpless.")
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (5:21am)
Following interest from Australian media, the tiny island of Nauru applies a modest increase to the cost of journalist visas.
AWESOME OF THE ANTARCTIC
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (5:15am)
Mark Steyn reviews the ice-tastic performance of Professor Chris Turney and his academic Antarcticians:
You’d have to have a heart as cold and unmovable as Commonwealth Bay ice not to be howling with laughter at the exquisite symbolic perfection of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition ‘stuck in our own experiment’, as they put it. I confess I was hoping it might all drag on a bit longer and the cultists of the ecopalypse would find themselves drawing straws as to which of their number would be first on the roasting spit.On Douglas Mawson’s original voyage, he and his surviving comrade wound up having to eat their dogs. I’m not sure there were any on this expedition, so they’d probably have to make do with the Guardian reporters. Forced to wait a year to be rescued, Sir Douglas later recalled, ‘Several of my toes commenced to blacken and fester near the tips.’ Now there’s a man who’s serious about reducing his footprint.
ALLAH HAS WAN AT NEVER
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (5:05am)
John Tiedemann updates a classic Australian ad:
Further on Australian booze issues from James Morrow, who addresses the new prohibitionist mood encouraged by – among many others – anti-alcohol campaigner Tony Trimingham:
Further on Australian booze issues from James Morrow, who addresses the new prohibitionist mood encouraged by – among many others – anti-alcohol campaigner Tony Trimingham:
Reduction and regulation of advertising has been effective in countries such as France, Norway, Ukraine, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Sweden, Kenya, Hong Kong and most Muslim countries.
You don’t say.
I WORK WITH GOOD PEOPLE
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (4:56am)
At the close of work yesterday I emailed a very senior Daily Telegraph identity to make sure all of the opinion pages were complete. His (censored) reply:
Go ---- yourself you ----.
Followed immediately by:
Sorry. Predictive text!
OLD CHOPPERS
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (4:53am)
Texan shark cuddler Carey Barlow-Heyden – who received ABC applause for her opposition to Western Australian shark killing – turned out to have an interesting jewellery hobby, making decorations from:
Shark teeth, Arrowheads, Anything fun, colorful and unique
Ms Barlow-Heyden has since amended her list of preferred materials:
Fossilized Sharks Teeth, Arrowheads, Anything fun, colorful and unique
(Via J.F. Beck)
THEY COULD’VE JUST RIPPED UP THE PAMPHLET
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (4:39am)
An old-fashioned book burning in Lebanon:
“Unknown assailants torched the Saeh Library in Tripoli, destroying two thirds of some 80,000 booksand manuscripts housed there,” said the source, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity …The attack came a day after “a pamphlet was discovered inside one of the books at the library that was insulting to Islam and the prophet Mohammad,” said the source.
I blame Presbyterians.
FREEDOM BOOT
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (4:11am)
Trapped in your car? Not a problem. Just use your feet, as one of Peter Brock’s mechanics demonstrated at Bathurst in 1985. (From 2:00 at the link. Under race rules, if a damaged windscreen is removed the rear glass must also be removed. Doesn’t take long.)
OUT OF THE ASHES
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 09, 2014 (2:56am)
A rare but priceless win:
England cricketers Matt Prior and Stuart Broad have been credited with helping prevent a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge in Darling Harbour.Prior is said to have pulled the man – who was saying he wanted to drown – away from the edge of a foot bridge in the early hours of Wednesday morning.Prior and Broad, who had been attending a Barmy Army charity event nearby, talked to the man for nearly an hour before police arrived.
Impressive, especially because star power wasn’t in play. Although the man is believed to be British, he did not recognise either player.
Reporting to police is not a punishment .. they need to know if there was culpability. Reporting to the Age is irresponsible. - ed
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Andy Trieu
Day 1 of 21 days of shooting starts today!#matesvszombies ..
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Remember just a few months ago when LABOR declared the Coalition's policy of turning back asylum-seeker boats was "entirely dead".
Labor Shadow Immigration Minister Mr. Marles proclaimed ; “Turning back the boats was always a furphy.”
Mr Marles is now wiping egg off his face, as today we hear that the head of Indonesia's military General Moeldoko has confirmed he has reached an agreement with the Chief of the Australian Defence Force to accept boat turn-backs and said late on Tuesday that boat turn-backs by Australia were ''justifiable''.>
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/indonesian-military-head-says-boats-turned-back-will-be-accepted-20140108-30hmj.html#ixzz2pohWPhTW
www.smh.com.au
===This week, dozens of #IDF soldiers embarked on a mission to help people in need. They cut off their hair and donated it to cancer patients who can't afford to buy their own wigs. Their kindness deserves your LIKE.
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“Rohingya children need safe, secure environments after fleeing violence in Burma and enduring the trauma of difficult journeys,” said Alice Farmer, children’s rights researcher at HRW. “Yet Thailand locks up many who reach its shores, leaving them vulnerable to trafficking and further abuse.”>
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Michele Bachmann.
<50 accomplish="" and="" ar="" did="" goals.="" its="" later="" not="" on="" poverty="" the="" trillion="" years="">50>
michelebachmann.tumblr.com
===Michelle Malkin
The secret to George H.W. and Barbara Bush’s long, happy marriage revealed? [awesome pic] ==> http://twitchy.com/2014/01/08/ the-secret-to-george-h-w-and-ba rbara-bushs-long-happy-marriag e-revealed-awesome-pic/
===In his defence, it isn't Kenya. - ed===
Fifty years ago today, President Johnson declared a “War on Poverty.” But half a century later, too many of our fellow Americans—46 million—are living below the poverty line.
Let’s use this anniversary to rededicate ourselves to fighting poverty. We can’t just rely on the inadequate ways of the past to do it; we have to work on new solutions for a more prosperous future. http://bit.ly/1ggDvxB
Johnson was right, the war against poverty was not won in Washington. - ed
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Big W has joined Aldi in recalling 'inflammatory' Australia day shirts after a public backlash. |http://bit.ly/1aa36nU
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twitchy.com
===Michelle Malkin
We need conservatives in D.C. who won't be sucked into the Beltway Vortex. That's why I support Katrina Pierson for Congress! Donate here ==> https://secure.piryx.com/
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WWW.NEWS.COM.AU
Where was Sheik Cat's meat? - ed===
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An atheist wrote .. ed
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www.canberratimes.com.au
===Happy Birthday to the Doctor who started it all – William Hartnell. http://bbc.in/FirstDoctor
As a follow-up to the cell phone panorama posted a couple days ago, here is the last bit of color from the sunset. I headed down to the beach as the clouds thickened up.
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MEET OUR NEW VLAD OPPONENT
At the risk of offending what’s left of my 75 per cent of readers who scathingly disagree with me, I will make one final apolitical plea.
Premier Newman’s quaintly named VLAD or Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (only someone on the gear could invent that) is poorly drafted legislation, it’s abusive, discriminatory, invalid and most of all dangerous to any Australian who values his freedom.
PM Tony Abbott’s newly appointed Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson, is also highly critical of Newman’s anti-bikie laws... as critical as he would and should be if they were anti-AWU official, anti-burglar or anti-climate scientist laws.
It’s not about bikies, it’s about your rights as a free human, and bikies are Newman’s chosen medium to put his foot in a door no fair minded Aussie would want left ajar.
NSW is successfully dismantling criminal gangs using existing law. Newman is unnecessarily lurching to the far Right to regain lost constituents.
Tim Wilson explained, “The imprisonment of people for free association, who are not otherwise engaged in criminal activity, is deeply, deeply disturbing.”
When I asked Tim today if the Federal Libs shared his deep disturbance, his response was, “Sadly not.”
It’s tough being a Conservative when the Right seems so obviously wrong.
At the risk of offending what’s left of my 75 per cent of readers who scathingly disagree with me, I will make one final apolitical plea.
Premier Newman’s quaintly named VLAD or Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (only someone on the gear could invent that) is poorly drafted legislation, it’s abusive, discriminatory, invalid and most of all dangerous to any Australian who values his freedom.
PM Tony Abbott’s newly appointed Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson, is also highly critical of Newman’s anti-bikie laws... as critical as he would and should be if they were anti-AWU official, anti-burglar or anti-climate scientist laws.
It’s not about bikies, it’s about your rights as a free human, and bikies are Newman’s chosen medium to put his foot in a door no fair minded Aussie would want left ajar.
NSW is successfully dismantling criminal gangs using existing law. Newman is unnecessarily lurching to the far Right to regain lost constituents.
Tim Wilson explained, “The imprisonment of people for free association, who are not otherwise engaged in criminal activity, is deeply, deeply disturbing.”
When I asked Tim today if the Federal Libs shared his deep disturbance, his response was, “Sadly not.”
It’s tough being a Conservative when the Right seems so obviously wrong.
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calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.se
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calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.se
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<The Wonder Workers
"The love of money is the root of all evil." Unfortunately too many rabbis have been put on pedestals until we finally realize they are just as human as the rest of us. This does not negate the fact that there have always been Gedolai HaDor, rabbis who truly care about the sanctity of Jewish life and our relationship with Hashem and His wonders. It is these corrupt few who not only commit a chilul Hashem, but shame us all.>
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www.meforum.org
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virtualjerusalem.com
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January 9: St. Stephen's Day (Eastern Christianity)
- 475 – Basiliscus became Byzantine Emperor afterZeno was forced to flee Constantinople.
- 1816 – Inventor Humphry Davy first tested hisDavy lamp, a safety lamp containing a candle for use in coal mines.
- 1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition, planted the British flag (pictured) 97 nautical miles (180 km) from the South Pole, the furthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
- 1972 – The Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, ending a 33-game winning streak, the longest of any team in American professional sports.
- 2004 – Twenty-eight illegal Albanian emigrants died when theirinflatable boat stalled near the Karaburun Peninsula while on the way to Brindisi, Italy.
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Events[edit]
- 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
- 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against theJews in Spain.
- 1127 – Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin Dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong and others, ending the Northern Song Dynasty.
- 1150 – Prince Hailing of Jin and other court officials murder Emperor Xizong of Jin. Hailing succeeds him as emperor.
- 1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.
- 1431 – Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government.
- 1760 – Afghans defeat Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat.
- 1788 – Connecticut becomes the fifth state to be admitted to the United States.
- 1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first person to fly in a balloon in the United States.
- 1799 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1806 – Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul's Cathedral.
- 1816 – Sir Humphry Davy tests his safety lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery.
- 1822 – The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decides to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese King João VI, beginning the Brazilian independence process.
- 1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
- 1857 – The Fort Tejon earthquake strikes California, registering an estimated magnitude of 7.9.
- 1858 – Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.
- 1861 – American Civil War: The "Star of the West" incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina. It is considered by some historians to be the "First Shots of the American Civil War".
- 1861 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.
- 1863 – American Civil War: the Battle of Fort Hindman begins in Arkansas.
- 1878 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
- 1880 – The Great Gale of 1880 devastates parts of Oregon and Washington with high winds and heavy snow.
- 1894 – New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
- 1903 – Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.
- 1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the furthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
- 1914 – Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., the first historically black intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity to be officially recognized at Howard University, is founded.
- 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli concludes with an Ottoman Empire victory when the last Allied forces are evacuated from the peninsula.
- 1917 – World War I: the Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
- 1918 – Battle of Bear Valley: The last battle of the American Indian Wars.
- 1921 – Greco-Turkish War: The First Battle of İnönü, the first battle of the war, begins near Eskişehir in Anatolia.
- 1923 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro flight.
- 1923 – Lithuanian residents of the Memel Territory rebel against the League of Nations' decision to leave the area as a mandated region under French control.
- 1927 – A fire at the Laurier Palace movie theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, kills 78 children.
- 1941 – World War II: First flight of the Avro Lancaster.
- 1941 – World War II: The Greek Triton (Y-5) sinks the Italian submarine Neghelli in Otranto.
- 1945 – World War II: The United States invades Luzon in the Philippines.
- 1947 – Elizabeth "Betty" Short, the Black Dahlia, is last seen alive.
- 1960 – President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser opens construction on the Aswan Dam by detonating ten tons of dynamite to demolish twenty tons of granite on the east bank of the Nile.
- 1964 – Martyrs' Day: Several Panamanian youths try to raise the Panamanian flag on the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, leading to fighting between U.S. military and Panamanian civilians.
- 1965 – The Mirzapur Cadet College formally opens for academic activities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
- 1991 – Representatives from the United States and Iraq meet at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
- 1992 – The Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaims the creation of Republika Srpska, a new state within Yugoslavia.
- 1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launch a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboringDagestan, which turns into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
- 2004 – An inflatable boat carrying illegal Albanian emigrants stalls near the Karaburun Peninsula while on the way to Brindisi, Italy; exposure to the elements kills 28.
- 2005 – Mahmoud Abbas wins the election to replace Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority. He replaces interim president Rawhi Fattouh.
- 2005 – The Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the Second Sudanese Civil War.
- 2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the first iPhone.
- 2011 – Iran Air Flight 277 crashes near Orumiyeh in the northeast of the country, killing 77 people.
- 2013 – A SeaStreak ferry travelling to lower Manhattan, New York City, crashes into the dock, injuring 85 people.
Births[edit]
- 1475 – Crinitus, Italian scholar (d. 1507)
- 1554 – Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)
- 1571 – Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, French military commander (d. 1621)
- 1622 – Empress Meishō of Japan (d. 1696)
- 1674 – Reinhard Keiser, German composer (d. 1739)
- 1685 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist (d. 1766)
- 1728 – Thomas Warton, English poet (d. 1790)
- 1735 – John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral (d. 1823)
- 1745 – Caleb Strong, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1819)
- 1753 – Luísa Todi, Portuguese soprano (d. 1833)
- 1773 – Cassandra Austen, English painter (d. 1845)
- 1811 – Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English journalist and author (d. 1856)
- 1818 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (d. 1881)
- 1819 – James Francis, Australian politician, 9th Premier of Victoria (d. 1884)
- 1822 – Carol Benesch, Czech-Romanian architect, designed the Peleș Castle (d. 1896)
- 1823 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon (d. 1908)
- 1829 – Thomas William Robertson, English playwright (d. 1871)
- 1829 – Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (d. 1857)
- 1832 – Félix-Gabriel Marchand, Canadian journalist and politician, 11th Premier of Quebec (d. 1900)
- 1839 – John Knowles Paine, American composer (d. 1906)
- 1848 – Princess Frederica of Hanover (d. 1926)
- 1849 – John Hartley, English tennis player (d. 1935)
- 1854 – Lady Randolph Churchill, American-English wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill (d. 1921)
- 1856 – Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)
- 1859 – Carrie Chapman Catt, American activist, founded the League of Women Voters and International Alliance of Women (d. 1947)
- 1864 – Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1926)
- 1868 – S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist (d. 1939)
- 1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)
- 1873 – Hayim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian poet (d. 1934)
- 1873 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower (d. 1938)
- 1873 – Harry Spanjer, American boxer (d. 1958)
- 1875 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (d. 1942)
- 1876 – Arthur Darby, English rugby player (d. 1960)
- 1879 – John Broadus Watson, American psychologist (d. 1958)
- 1881 – Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet and critic (d. 1938)
- 1881 – Edouard Beaupré, Canadian giant and strongman (d. 1904)
- 1881 – Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1956)
- 1886 – Lloyd Loar, American sound engineer and instrument designer (d. 1943)
- 1889 – Vrindavan Lal Verma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1969)
- 1890 – Karel Čapek, Czech author (d. 1938)
- 1890 – Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist (d. 1935)
- 1891 – August Gailit, Estonian author (d. 1960)
- 1892 – Eva Bowring, American politician (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Warwick Braithwaite, New Zealand-English conductor (d. 1971)
- 1897 – Karl Löwith, German philosopher (d. 1973)
- 1898 – Wally Baker, American super-centenarian (d. 2009)
- 1898 – Gracie Fields, English-Italian actress and singer (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Harald Tammer, Estonian journalist, weightlifter and athlete (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Richard Halliburton, American adventurer and author (d. 1939)
- 1901 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Rudolf Bing, Austrian-English opera manager (d. 1997)
- 1902 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint, founded Opus Dei (d. 1975)
- 1907 – Eldred G. Smith, American patriarch (d. 2013)
- 1908 – Simone de Beauvoir, French author (d. 1986)
- 1909 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese politician, 1st President of Malta (d. 2008)
- 1909 – Herva Nelli, Italian-American soprano (d. 1994)
- 1909 – Patrick Peyton, Irish-American priest (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American dancer, actress, and author (d. 1970)
- 1912 – Ralph Tubbs, English architect, designed the Dome of Discovery (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Richard Nixon, American politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
- 1914 – Kenny Clarke, American drummer and composer (Modern Jazz Quartet) (d. 1985)
- 1915 – Fernando Lamas, Argentine actor (d. 1982)
- 1915 – Anita Louise, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1916 – Vic Mizzy, American composer (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Peter Twinn, English mathematician and entomologist (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Alma Ziegler, American baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1919 – William Morris Meredith, Jr., American poet (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Chan Canasta, Polish-English magician (d. 1999)
- 1920 – Clive Dunn, English actor, singer, and author (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Lister Sinclair, Indian-Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)
- 1922 – Har Gobind Khorana, Indian-American biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2011)
- 1922 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (d. 1984)
- 1924 – Sergei Parajanov, Georgian-Armenian director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
- 1925 – Len Quested, English footballer (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Jani Christou, Egyptian-Greek composer (d. 1970)
- 1926 – Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2002)
- 1926 – Sydney Lotterby, British television producer and director
- 1927 – Sunderlal Bahuguna,Indian Environmentolist,Chipko Aandolan
- 1928 – Judith Krantz, American author
- 1928 – Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and politician (d. 1994)
- 1929 – Brian Friel, Irish author, playwright, and director
- 1929 – Heiner Müller, German poet, playwright, and director (d. 1995)
- 1929 – Dorothea Puente, American murderer (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Tom Riley, American lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
- 1931 – Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American author (d. 2008)
- 1931 – Paul Mantee, American actor (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Robert García, American politician
- 1933 – Wilbur Smith, Zambian-English journalist and author
- 1934 – Mahendra Kapoor, Indian singer (d. 2008)
- 1934 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach
- 1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Dick Enberg, American sportscaster
- 1935 – Earl G. Graves, Sr., American businessman and publisher, founded Black Enterprise Magazine
- 1935 – Brian Harradine, Australian politician
- 1936 – Ruth Runciman, English former trustee of the National AIDS Trust
- 1936 – Anne Rivers Siddons, American author
- 1936 – Marko Veselica, Croatian politician
- 1937 – Michael Nicholson, English journalist
- 1938 – Claudette Boyer, Canadian politician (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Peter Edelman, American lawyer and educator
- 1938 – Stuart Woods, American author
- 1939 – Jimmy Boyd, American actor and singer (d. 2009)
- 1939 – Rik Kemp, Australian cartoonist
- 1939 – Susannah York, English actress (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)
- 1940 – Al Downing, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2005)
- 1940 – Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss politician, 151st President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter and activist
- 1941 – Terry Hands, English theatre director
- 1941 – Gilles Vaillancourt, Canadian politician
- 1942 – K Callan, American actress
- 1942 – John Dunning, American author
- 1942 – Lee Kun-hee, South Korean businessman
- 1942 – Judy Malloy, American poet
- 1943 – Robert Drewe, Australian author
- 1943 – Elmer MacFadyen, Canadian politician (d. 2007)
- 1943 – Freddie Starr, English comedian and singer
- 1943 – Scott Walker, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (The Walker Brothers)
- 1943 – Jerry Yester, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (Modern Folk Quartet, The Lovin' Spoonful, and The New Christy Minstrels)
- 1944 – Ian Hornak, American painter and sculptor (d. 2002)
- 1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Honeydrippers, The Firm, and XYZ)
- 1945 – John Doman, American actor
- 1945 – Levon Ter-Petrosyan, The First President of Armenia
- 1946 – Mohammad Ishaq Khan, Indian historian (d. 2013)
- 1946 – Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician
- 1947 – Ronnie Landfield, American painter
- 1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Cowsills) (d. 2006)
- 1948 – Cassie Gaines, American singer (The Honkettes) (d. 1977)
- 1950 – Alec Jeffreys, English geneticist
- 1950 – David Johansen, American singer-songwriter and actor (New York Dolls)
- 1950 – Rio Reiser, German singer-songwriter (Ton Steine Scherben) (d. 1996)
- 1951 – M. L. Carr, American basketball player and coach
- 1951 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1952 – Hugh Bayley, English politician
- 1952 – Mike Capuano, American politician
- 1953 – Javad Alizadeh, Iranian cartoonist
- 1953 – Morris Gleitzman, English-Australian author
- 1954 – Philippa Gregory, English author
- 1955 – Michiko Kakutani, American critic
- 1955 – J. K. Simmons, American actor
- 1956 – Kimberly Beck, American actress
- 1956 – Imelda Staunton, English actress
- 1956 – Mike Walczewski, American announcer
- 1957 – Bibie, Ghanaian singer
- 1957 – Yury Bandazhevsky, Belarusian scientist
- 1957 – Phil Lewis, American singer-songwriter (L.A. Guns, Girl, New Torpedos, and Tormé)
- 1958 – Mehmet Ali Ağca, Turkish murderer
- 1958 – Stephen Neale, English philosopher
- 1959 – Mark Martin, American race car driver
- 1959 – Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemalan activist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1959 – Otis Nixon, American baseball player
- 1961 – Oliver Goldstick, American screenwriter and producer
- 1961 – Al Jean, American screenwriter and producer
- 1963 – Michael Everson, American-Irish linguist
- 1964 – Stan Javier, Dominican baseball player
- 1965 – Darren Bennett, Australian-American football player
- 1965 – Muggsy Bogues, American basketball player
- 1965 – Iain Dowie, English-Irish footballer and manager
- 1965 – Eric Erlandson, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Hole, RRIICCEE, and Rodney & the Tube Tops)
- 1965 – Haddaway, Trinidadian-German singer
- 1965 – Farah Khan, Indian director, actress, and choreographer
- 1965 – Andrei Nazarov, Estonian decathlete and coach
- 1965 – Joely Richardson, English actress
- 1966 – Jan Johansen, Swedish singer
- 1966 – Stephen Metcalfe, English politician
- 1966 – Candi Milo, American voice actress and singer
- 1967 – Carl Bell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Fuel)
- 1967 – Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer
- 1967 – Steve Harwell, American singer-songwriter (Smash Mouth)
- 1967 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Dave Matthews Band and Dave Matthews & Friends)
- 1967 – Gary Teichmann, South African rugby player
- 1968 – Jimmy Adams, Jamaican cricketer
- 1968 – Joey Lauren Adams, American actress
- 1968 – Catalina Saavedra, Chilean actress
- 1968 – Al Schnier, American guitarist (moe. and Al and the Transamericans)
- 1970 – Lara Fabian, Belgian-Italian singer
- 1970 – Alex Staropoli, Italian keyboard player and songwriter (Rhapsody of Fire)
- 1970 – Mia X, American rapper
- 1971 – MF Doom, English-American rapper (Danger Doom, Madvillain, and KMD)
- 1971 – Angie Martinez, American rapper, actress, and radio host
- 1971 – Yusuke Naora, Japanese game art director and producer
- 1971 – Hal Niedzviecki, Canadian author
- 1971 – Scott Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Sarah Beeny, English television host
- 1972 – Mat Hoffman, American motocross cyclist
- 1972 – Jay Powell, American baseball player
- 1972 – Rawson Stovall, American video game producer and author
- 1973 – Angela Bettis, American actress, director, and producer
- 1974 – Farhan Akhtar, Indian actor, singer, director, and producer
- 1975 – Kiko Calero, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1975 – Julia Lutrova, Russian tennis player
- 1975 – Mattias Olsson, Swedish classical percussionist and drummer for Änglagård
- 1976 – Radek Bonk, Czech ice hockey player
- 1976 – Hayes Carll, American country singer-songwriter
- 1976 – Simon Gosejohann, German comedian and actor
- 1976 – Todd Grisham, American sportscaster
- 1977 – Viktors Dobrecovs, Latvian footballer
- 1977 – Beth Troutman, American television host
- 1978 – Mathieu Garon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer
- 1978 – Chad Johnson, American football player
- 1978 – A. J. McLean, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (Backstreet Boys)
- 1978 – Maggie Rizer, American model, actress, and activist
- 1979 – Athanassios Prittas, Greek footballer
- 1979 – Tomiko Van, Japanese singer and actress (Do As Infinity)
- 1980 – Edgar Álvarez, Honduran footballer
- 1980 – Sergio García, Spanish golfer
- 1981 – Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer
- 1982 – Timmy Bowers, American basketball player
- 1982 – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
- 1982 – Grétar Steinsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1983 – Marek Doronin, Estonian basketball player
- 1983 – Sharad Malhotra, Indian actor
- 1984 – Benjamin Danso, German rugby player
- 1985 – Juan Francisco Torres, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Jéferson Gomes, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Amanda Mynhardt, South African netball player
- 1987 – Sam Bird, English race car driver
- 1987 – Mao Inoue, Japanese actress
- 1987 – Lucas Leiva, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Paolo Nutini, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1987 – Pablo Santos, Mexican-American actor (d. 2006)
- 1988 – Marc Crosas, Spanish footballer
- 1989 – Michael Beasley, American basketball player
- 1989 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress
- 1989 – Michaëlla Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
- 1989 – Yana Maksimava, Belarusian heptathlete
- 1989 – Chris Sandow, Australian rugby player
- 1990 – Justin Blackmon, American football player
- 1990 – Oteng Oteng, Batswana boxer
- 1990 – Melissa Ricks, Filipino actress
- 1993 – Ashley Argota, American actress and singer
- 1993 – Kevin Korjus, Estonian racing driver
- 1995 – Nicola Peltz, American actress
- 1996 – Oana Gregory, American actress
Deaths[edit]
- 1150 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (b. 1119)
- 1282 – Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, Minorcan ruler (b. 1204)
- 1283 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (b. 1236)
- 1324 – Marco Polo, Italian merchant and explorer (b. 1254)
- 1499 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)
- 1514 – Anna, Duchess of Brittany (b. 1477)
- 1543 – Guillaume du Bellay, French general and diplomat (b. 1491)
- 1562 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1514)
- 1571 – Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French navy officer (b. 1510)
- 1598 – Jasper Heywood, English translator (b. 1553)
- 1757 – Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician (b. 1688)
- 1757 – Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, French author (b. 1657)
- 1766 – Thomas Birch, English historian (b. 1705)
- 1800 – Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)
- 1805 – Noble Wimberly Jones, American physician and politician (b. 1723)
- 1843 – William Hedley, English engineer (b. 1773)
- 1848 – Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer (b. 1750)
- 1856 – Neophytus Vamvas, Greek cleric and educator (b. 1770)
- 1858 – Anson Jones, American politician, 4th President of the Republic of Texas (b. 1798)
- 1873 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (b. 1808)
- 1876 – Samuel Gridley Howe, American physician and activist (b. 1801)
- 1877 – Alexander Brullov, Russia painter (b. 1799)
- 1878 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)
- 1895 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American businessman (b. 1812)
- 1901 – Richard Copley Christie, English lawyer and academic (b. 1830)
- 1908 – Wilhelm Busch, German painter (b. 1832)
- 1908 – Abraham Goldfaden, Russian actor, playwright, and author (b. 1840)
- 1910 – Nathaniel Moore, American golfer (b. 1884)
- 1911 – Edwin Arthur Jones, American composer (b. 1853)
- 1911 – Edvard Rusjan, Slovene pilot (b. 1886)
- 1918 – Charles-Émile Reynaud, French scientist and educator, invented the Praxinoscope (b. 1844)
- 1923 – Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand author (b. 1888)
- 1924 – Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Ceylon Tamil statesman (b. 1853)
- 1927 – Houston Stewart Chamberlain, English-German author (b. 1855)
- 1930 – Edward Bok, Dutch-born American author (b. 1863)
- 1931 – Wayne Munn, American football player and wrestler (b. 1896)
- 1936 – John Gilbert, American actor (b. 1899)
- 1939 – Johann Strauss III, Austrian conductor (b. 1866)
- 1941 – Dimitrios Golemis, Greek runner (b. 1874)
- 1945 – Shigekazu Shimazaki, Japanese admiral (b. 1908)
- 1945 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist and politician (b. 1890)
- 1946 – Countee Cullen, American poet (b. 1903)
- 1947 – Karl Mannheim, German sociologist (b. 1893)
- 1958 – Dick Grant, Canadian runner (b. 1878)
- 1960 – Elsie J. Oxenham, English author (b. 1880)
- 1961 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
- 1971 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player (b. 1876)
- 1972 – Ted Shawn, American dancer (b. 1891)
- 1975 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor (b. 1897)
- 1975 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician (b. 1901)
- 1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect, designed the Tour de la Bourse and Pirelli Tower (b. 1891)
- 1981 – Cozy Cole, American drummer (b. 1909)
- 1981 – Kazimierz Serocki, Polish composer (b. 1922)
- 1982 – Marya Zaturenska, American poet (b. 1902)
- 1984 – Wolfgang Staudte, German director (b. 1906)
- 1985 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)
- 1987 – Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1989 – Bill Terry, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)
- 1990 – Spud Chandler, American baseball player (b. 1907)
- 1992 – Steve Brodie, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1992 – Bill Naughton, Irish-English playwright (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1905)
- 1994 – Johnny Temple, American baseball player (b. 1927)
- 1995 – Souphanouvong, Laotian politician, 1st President of Laos (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Peter Cook, English comedian and actor (b. 1937)
- 1996 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American author (b. 1923)
- 1997 – Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)
- 1997 – Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)
- 1998 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 1998 – Charito Solis, Filipino actress (b. 1935)
- 2000 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)
- 2001 – Maurice Prather, American photographer (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Will McDonough, American journalist (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Norberto Bobbio, Italian philosopher (b. 1909)
- 2005 – Gonzalo Gavira, Mexican sound technician (b. 1925)
- 2006 – Andy Caldecott, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1964)
- 2006 – Mikk Mikiver, Estonian actor and director (b. 1937)
- 2007 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (b. 1977)
- 2007 – Jean-Pierre Vernant, French structuralist, historian, and anthropologist (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (b. 1923)
- 2008 – Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist (b. 1977)
- 2008 – John Harvey-Jones, English businessman and television host (b. 1924)
- 2009 – Rob Gauntlett, English explorer (b. 1987)
- 2009 – René Herms, German runner (b. 1982)
- 2009 – T. Llew Jones, Welsh author (b. 1914)
- 2010 – Vimcy, Indian journalist (b. 1925)
- 2011 – Makinti Napanangka, Australian painter (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Alex DeCroce, American politician (b. 1936)
- 2012 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1947)
- 2012 – Pyotr Vasilevsky, Belarusian footballer and manager (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Brigitte Askonas, English immunologist (b. 1923)
- 2013 – James M. Buchanan, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Sakine Cansız, Turkish activist (b. 1958)
- 2013 – Anscar Chupungco, Filipino monk and theologian (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Frank Esposito, American politician, 37th Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Jim Godbolt, English historian (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Tarsem King, Baron King of West Bromwich, English politician (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Rizana Nafeek, Sri Lankan murderer (b. 1988)
- 2013 – Jean R. Preston, American politician (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Robert L. Rock, American politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Rex Trailer, American television host, actor, and singer (b. 1928)
- 2013 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances[edit]
===
“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” -Amos 5:14-15
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Charles Spurgeon morning and evening
January 8: Morning
"The iniquity of the holy things." - Exodus 28:38
What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a disclosure is made! It will be humbling and profitable for us to pause awhile and see this sad sight. The iniquities of our public worship, its hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness, irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a full measure have we there! Our work for the Lord, its emulation, selfishness, carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what a mass of defilement is there! Our private devotions, their laxity, coldness, neglect, sleepiness, and vanity, what a mountain of dead earth is there! If we looked more carefully we should find this iniquity to be far greater than appears at first sight. Dr. Payson, writing to his brother, says, "My parish, as well as my heart, very much resembles the garden of the sluggard; and what is worse, I find that very many of my desires for the melioration of both, proceed either from pride or vanity or indolence. I look at the weeds which overspread my garden, and breathe out an earnest wish that they were eradicated. But why? What prompts the wish? It may be that I may walk out and say to myself, In what fine order is my garden kept!' This is pride. Or, it may be that my neighbours may look over the wall and say, How finely your garden flourishes!' This is vanity. Or I may wish for the destruction of the weeds, because I am weary of pulling them up. This is indolence." So that even our desires after holiness may be polluted by ill motives. Under the greenest sods worms hide themselves; we need not look long to discover them. How cheering is the thought, that when the High Priest bore the iniquity of the holy things he wore upon his brow the words, "Holiness to the Lord:" and even so while Jesus bears our sin, he presents before his Father's face not our unholiness, but his own holiness. O for grace to view our great High Priest by the eye of faith!
Evening
"Thy love is better than wine." - Song of Solomon 1:2
Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with Christ. He has enjoyment as others have in the common mercies of life, he can be glad both in God's gifts and God's works; but in all these separately, yea, and in all of them added together, he doth not find such substantial delight as in the matchless person of his Lord Jesus. He has wine which no vineyard on earth ever yielded; he has bread which all the corn-fields of Egypt could never bring forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we have tasted in communion with our Beloved? In our esteem, the joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one mouthful of Christ's love, and a sip of his fellowship, than a whole world full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the wheat? What is the sparkling paste to the true diamond? What is a dream to the glorious reality? What is time's mirth, in its best trim, compared to our Lord Jesus in his most despised estate? If you know anything of the inner life, you will confess that our highest, purest, and most enduring joys must be the fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. No spring yields such sweet water as that well of God which was digged with the soldier's spear. All earthly bliss is of the earth earthy, but the comforts of Christ's presence are like himself, heavenly. We can review our communion with Jesus, and find no regrets of emptiness therein; there are no dregs in this wine, no dead flies in this ointment. The joy of the Lord is solid and enduring. Vanity hath not looked upon it, but discretion and prudence testify that it abideth the test of years, and is in time and in eternity worthy to be called "the only true delight." For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration, and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus. Let us drink to the full this evening.
===
Today's reading: Genesis 20-22, Matthew 6:19-34 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Genesis 20-22
Abraham and Abimelech
1 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman...."
Today's New Testament reading: Matthew 6:19-34
Treasures in Heaven
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money....
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