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In the salvation of souls and their purification and enlargement preaching must always be the most important human agency. The only rival is the press. This lacks personality, one of the two cardinal elements of preaching. The other is truth. Phillips Brooks defines preaching as the communication of truth through personality. Christian truth embodied in a book held in the utmost reverence is not preaching. It lacks the vital element of personality. Truth written across the arches of the sky in letters of flaming fire might inspire sublimity and awe, but it would not attain the purpose of preaching. There can be no substitute for a personal presence endowed with the gift of speech and with the subtle magnetism of an earnest soul fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit as an organ of His suasive Power. "On the other hand, if men speak to other men that which they do not claim for truth; if they use their Powers of persuasion or entertainment to make other men listen to their speculations, or do their will, or applaud their cleverness, that is not preaching either. The first lacks personality. The second lacks truth." It must be evangelical truth; not its pleasant elements only,, such as the love of God and the bliss of heaven, but its alarming verities also. The highest style of preaching is the tender yet earnest and courageous proclamation of "the whole counsel of God, sin, retribution, atonement, repentance, faith, pardon, purity, judgement, heaven and hell."' Both of these elements of successful preaching are brought to perfection through the indwelling fullness of the Holy Ghost. What we call unction, that contagious, indefinable state of the speakers sensibilities; combining deep conviction of the truth uttered, strong, emotion, religious fervor and melting tenderness, reaches its climax of persuasive energy only under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. This can never be simulated. Vociferation, boisterousness and physical vehemence are clumsy and disgusting counterfeits of genuine spiritual unction, easily detected by an intelligent audience. The arts of the perfect elocutionist, when completely naturalized, may help, as in the case of Whitefleld, to widen and deepen the channel through which the warm, liquid stream of power may flow forth into all hearts, but they can never originate that power. It was a capital offence to counterfeit the "holy anointing oil" (Ex. xxx. 33) in the Mosaic dispensation. Can it be a venial sin in the more glorious dispensation of the Spirit to stand up in the name of Christ and pour out upon a multitude of immortal souls needing impulse heavenward a wretched counterfeit unction, a mixture of fine prose rhetoric garnished with scraps of poetry and seasoned with the grimaces and gestures of an actor? Did not our Lord Jesus have such preachers in view when He said: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out demons? and in thy name done many miracles? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity"? (Matt. vii. 22, 23). Meyer, the exegete, describes the distinguishing feature in these preachers as "an impure, often fanatical, boldness in the faith, which, though enabling them to perform acts of a marvelous nature, yet fails to exercise any influence upon their own moral life — just the sort of thing described by Paul in I Cor. xiii. 2 and the manifestations of which are to be met with in every age, especially in times of great religious excitement." These solemn words of warning of our Lord should be written in large letters over the study table of every preacher, to be pondered in the preparation of every sermon. They are never read by the writer without awakening him to self-distrust and self-examination. This is especially true since reading again and again Stalker's fifth lecture of his Yale lectures, 1891, entitled "The Preacher as a False Prophet," in which he shows
that the true prophets had to face the opposition, not of heathen and not of the openly irreligious among their own countrymen only, but of those who had the name of God in their mouths and were publicly recognized as His oracles. To us these are now false prophets, because time has found them out and the Word of God has branded them as they deserve; but in their own day they were regarded as true prophets; and doubtless many of them never dreamed that they were not entitled to the name. They must have been a numerous and powerful body.
This is an appalling fact, that the public representatives of religion should ever have been the worst enemies of religion; but it cannot be denied that even in Christendom, and that not once or twice, the same condition of things has existed.
1. The Holy Spirit stands by all the truth that He has inspired. If any vital truth is unaccepted and unpopular and has largely dropped out of your sermons, you may know that your preaching is not prompted by the Spirit of truth. You have no valid reason for thinking that your proclamation of such generally accepted truth as you do preach is a proof that you are thus far submissive to the dictation of the Spirit, for you may be actuated by motives entirely impure and selfish. He is not a herald loyal to his king who proclaims only such commands as please him and neglects every disagreeable order. This would be the ruling of every jurist. A young curate in England was asked what were the favorite themes of his preaching. He replied, "Free trade and the pleasant parts of Christianity." He probably uttered some kind of ethical or economical truth in every sermon. Does this prove that the Holy Spirit a anything to do with his preaching? "How often we ask with real sadness, whence the remarkable impotence of preaching in our time? It is because we concoct our gospels too much out of the laboratories of our understanding; because we preach too many disquisitions and look for effects correspondent only with the natural forces exerted."
2. The Holy Spirit inspires only that ministry which is subordinate to Jesus Christ, whom He glorifies. He cannot be the soul of that ministry which exalts self above Christ. The Spirit's oneness of nature with Him forbids it. There are only two themes of preaching, Christ and self. Most evangelical preachers begin with the exaltation of Christ. But many come to an imperceptible switch from Christ to self, and from that point in their history they use the ministry of the Son of God as a ladder up which they climb to grasp the object of selfish ambition, ecclesiastical promotion, literary excellence, oratory, a college professorship, an editorship, money, social standing, or some other soap bubble. Many are using the gospel ministry as a stepping-stone to something better in their estimation. The Holy Ghost does not dwell in stepping-stone preachers. A true minister filled with the Holy Ghost feels a repugnance to a college presidency or professorship, and he yields to the call only when he is convinced that he can be more effectively preaching Christ in teaching others to preach. It was this that reconciled Dr. Chalmers to the chair of theology in the Edinburgh University. He came to see "that while many were called to catch and salt fish, some men are called to make salt."
3. The Holy Spirit, the successor to Christ in presiding over His Church, has a special sympathy with those whom He designates as His representatives — the poor to whom He preached. He sent to John, His forerunner, this crowning proof of His Messiahship towering above His miracles, "and the poor have the gospel preached unto them." Here is the criterion. You have two ministerial calls; you are free from debt, and have a fair outfit. One call is to a rich and fashionable church with a large salary; the other is to a congregation of laboring people in "a shoe town" on half the other salary. The size of the two congregations and of the two cities is the same. I do not say that the Holy Spirit does not call eminently spiritual men to rich city churches. Edward Payson was called to such a church, where he thundered and lightened like another Sinai for twenty years against every form of iniquity. The Holy Ghost evidently dwelt in him, and prompted his utterances. When called to more lucrative salaries in Boston and New York he declined, and refused an increase in his salary in Portland. This spirit of self-sacrifice is sufficient proof of his freedom from self-seeking and his willingness to follow whithersoever the Spirit might lead.
What we do say is that men of great gifts are needed among the poor, and when they are called to minister to them, and gladly accept a call to the rich instead, we are inclined to say that the Holy Spirit does not prefer the rich to the poor, but rather the reverse. A preference of that call which evinces the greatest self-sacrifice, and which brings the preacher into closer sympathy with the least of Christ's brethren, is an evidence that the preacher is a temple of the Holy Ghost.
Says Austin Phelps of the true ideal of a Christian minister: "He should be able to go, without a ripple of difference in his sense of personal distinction, to the Fiji Islands or to the Fifth Avenue in New York." Robert Hall says: "If God should send two angels down from heaven, one to sweep the streets of London and the other to be lord mayor, there would be no dispute between them as to which is the more honorable calling." What in this respect is possible in angels is possible in the entirely sanctified men and women, hundreds of whom are choosing the wretched abodes of heathenism in which to spend, in the name of Christ, lives of uncomplaining privation and toil. When Lorenzo Dow was told of a preacher who had a call to two churches, offering the same salary, and was in doubt which to accept, but finally decided that he was called by the Holy Ghost to the church which added his firewood to the salary, that eccentric but keen evangelist irreverently said: "It was a wooden Holy Ghost."
We are frequently asked whether the preacher should seek after the induement of power as a special gift.
If you are conscious of the indwelling of the Spirit as purifying and ruling with supreme authority, it is very appropriate to pray as Paul did, for utterance and boldness in the proclamation of truths distasteful to the unregenerate and to the unsanctified. If you have not such a consciousness of the presence of the Holy Spirit, it would be more complimentary to Him to ask for Himself first, and for His gift afterwards. The Spirit rarely intrusts His power to those who do not completely intrust themselves to His cleansing and guidance; He does not give His power separate from Himself. Ask for Him for His own sake, if you wish to show Him proper respect as a person. His permanent indwelling is in itself the noblest end at which you can aim; to aim at something beyond Him is derogatory to Him as divine in His nature and equal to the Father and the Son in glory and majesty. Everybody wants power, few want God. It is not a proof of a high state of grace to ask for power, even the power of the Holy Ghost; this is what Simon Magus wanted; the secret motive may centre in the glory of self on the top round of the ladder of ministerial ambition. There is a chance for mixed motives even in a preacher of undoubted piety. Many pray earnestly for power in their work and receive it not, because they do not assume the only posture in which the power can work; they want to get possession of the power of the Spirit and use it as they please. God wants the power of the Spirit to get the mastery of them and use them as He pleases. If they would surrender to the power of the Spirit to rule through them. "God gives the Holy Spirit to them who obey Him," and in His abiding fulness to them only. His wisdom cannot intrust power to the disobedient. The more perfect the obedience the larger the power of the Spirit. "If thou wouldst have this power work in thee, bow very low in reverence before the holy presence that dwelleth in thee, which asks thy surrender to His guidance even in the least things. Walk very humbly, in holy fear lest in anything thou shouldst fail in knowing or doing His holy will."
Moreover, remember that the power of the Spirit is never bestowed as a premium to indolence. There is sound Christian theology in the fable of pagan AEsop about Hercules helping the mired teamster only when he put his own shoulder to his wheel. Asking for the Holy Spirit for our own enjoyment may not be a vicious motive. Certainly it is not the highest; this sways you only when your purpose is to glorify the adorable Son of God. God is constantly seeking men and women of such a purpose to clothe them with power, "for the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong (strongly to hold with, Hebrew), in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (II Chron. xvi. 9).
The power of the Spirit may be in exercise while the preacher is unconscious of it. He may not feel it, though sometimes the speaker is aware that a power outside of him has descended upon him, endowing with spiritual might. To this Spurgeon often gave testimony. But ordinarily the Spirit's power, like gravitation, magnetism and electricity, is silent and unseen, giving a penetrating energy to the speaker's words, even when they seem powerless to himself. Dr. Stephen Olin had a marvellous experience of this sort in his ministry in Charleston, S. C. Several persons dated their conversion from an evening sermon of which he was so ashamed that he dared not meet any of his hearers, but retired from the church through a back door into a dark graveyard, and with difficulty found his way to his lodgings. It is to be noted that in God's chosen order of sequences weakness and power coexist in a wonderful way. "When I am weak, then am I strong." This is Paul's testimony, who also declares that God takes weak things to confound the mighty. This parable disappears when we assert that the weakness is only the human side of strong faith in God. It was a favorite remark of one of God's modern sons of thunder, that "there are two persons in the universe to whom all things are possible: one is God, and the other is he that believeth." It has been well said that faith grows strong in the dark. "The Holy Spirit hides Himself in the weak things that God has chosen, that no flesh may glory in his presence."
If there is any sight especially painful, it is that of a professed minister of Christ destitute of power in a world over which Satan has usurped dominion. He ought to be the most wretched man on earth, who knows how wicked and miserable is a world of sinners lost, but has no power to bring any of these palsied souls to Christ, the Healer and Giver of life. "He lays a kind but helpless hand upon the wound. He tries to relieve it with his sympathy and his philosophy. He is the source of all he says. There is no God behind him."
The preacher needs the fulness of the Holy Spirit to make him an open and wide aqueduct for the water of life to flow to every soul with whom he comes in contact. This implies large faith, the door through which God comes into the human soul, and the door of the communication of grace from the believer to the unbeliever. It implies also what John calls "perfect love", with its kindred graces, meekness, gentleness and patience. The altruists of our generation have made the great philosophic discovery that the way to induce love or any other virtue in our neighbor is to exhibit it in ourselves, a principle embodied in Christ's precept, "love your enemies," and in Paul's "heap coals of fire on his head," not to burn him up but to melt him down. Only the indwelling Holy Spirit can transform a man naturally selfish into such a personality.
But the preacher needs the Spirit of God also for the other element of ministerial success, the truth. He can appropriate its inmost essence only as he is quickened and transformed by "the Spirit of truth." It is one thing to have an intellectual knowledge of Christian theology, but quite another to have Christ, "the truth and the life," incorporated into your inmost self, and "formed within, the hope of glory." The difference between these two kinds of knowledge, the theoretical and the experimental, is the difference between theology and religion, the body and the soul of Christianity. No preacher can have the truth thus wrought into the very texture of his being except by the abiding presence of the Spirit of truth giving reality and vitality to gospel truth. It is because of a lack of this presence that doubt obscures the inward vision, substitutes nebulous language for clear-cut, positive enunciation of saving truth, and makes the sermon a barren literary achievement in the presence of immortal souls fainting and dying of spiritual hunger. "Even spiritual truth is robbed of its power when held, not in the life of the Spirit, but in the wisdom of man. Where truth enters into the inward parts as God desires, there it becomes the life of the Spirit." Many a preacher satisfies himself with the imagination that truth which only touches the surface of the soul, the intellect and reason, will in some way strike its roots into the rock beneath and produce a spiritual harvest. The effect of such preaching is nothing more than that of human argument and wisdom, that never pierces the hearer's heart as with a sword, revealing the sinful spirit to itself.
When several Unitarian theological students came to Father Taylor after one of his mighty sermons in the Seamen's Bethel, and asked him to teach them to preach, the preacher replied: "You must first have the preach in you, then the preaching will take care of itself." We interpret this advice as meaning that gospel truth in its reality and divine substance must be received in the inmost soul and held as an actual possession, the life of the things which others regard as only shadows. The Spirit is the inner life of divine truth. In His teaching He does not employ symbols, words, thoughts, impressions and images like a human teacher or writer. He has the ability to enter the very roots of our life and to secrete the truth of God there as a seed of divine life. Received by faith and watered by prayer, it becomes a banyan tree overshadowing the whole being. Such a preacher will become a Wesley, a Finney, a Moody or a Payson, not in the extent, but in the kind of spiritual success. All we have said about the inability of the unspiritual mind to be a medium of vital truth is sustained by Paul, Who says: "No man can say Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit" (I Cor. xii. 3). If I had the ear of every young preacher and of every student of theology, I would endeavor to convince them of the utter incapacity of human wisdom in its very highest development to grasp the real inward spiritual meaning of a divine revelation without the internal illumination of the abiding Paraclete. It is only as both speaker and hearer are spiritual, under the rule of the Spirit, that there can be a successful communication of gospel truth.
The Holy Ghost, who is in essential and perfect communion with the Father and the Son, reveals unto us eternal realities. He alone knows the infinite love of God with which He has loved us, for He alone can fathom the depth out of which this love proceeds. Thus what the Holy Ghost reveals and imparts is the knowledge of realities which are eternal in God. It is the Spirit Himself who teaches and enlightens. The truth itself, the preaching of the gospel, the reading of the Scriptures, has no inherent power to bring knowledge into the soul. These are only the instruments, the Spirit is the agent; they are only the sword, the Spirit is the energy, the hand that wields it. They shall be taught of God. God causes the light of the gospel to shine into our hearts. How little we realize this truth, so comforting and full of encouragement! How apt are we to forget the living Spirit in the gifts and channels Which He uses! How fond we are of placing ourselves in God's place; if not in the Father's, in Christ's; if not in Christ's, in that of the Spirit.1
Says Stalker:
What an audience looks for, before everything else, in the texture of a sermon, is the blood streak of experience; and truth is doubly and trebly true when it comes from a man who speaks as if he had learned it by his own work and suffering.
True preaching is a testimony; it offers not things reasoned, in any principal degree, but things given, supernatural things, testifying them as being in their power, by an utterance which they fill and inspire. It brings new premises, which, of course, no argument can create, and therefore speaks to faith.2
We live in a time when a section of Protestantism is fascinated by ritualism with its gorgeous ceremonial, robed priests, vested choirs, lighted candles, smoking censers, stately processions, intoned prayers, pronounced absolutions, and genuflections before the cross. This is a bad sign, indicating a desire to substitute something visible and sensuous for that which constitutes the healthful attraction, the true charm and glory of Christian worship, the presence and power of the invisible Spirit in believing hearts. It betokens an interior vacuum which the ritualist is trying to fill with external shows and sounds and shams. The Spirit of truth abhors these substitutes for Himself. Every mind in which the Holy Spirit dwells instinctively turns away in disgust from the chaff of ritualism.
In all manner of Christian work — not embroidering altar-cloths and arranging pulpit nosegays — the first thing and the essential thing is that we shall be continually receiving renewed induements of the Holy Spirit, styled by the seraphic Fletcher "the quintessence of our holy religion." It might be truthfully styled the Magna Charta of the Church instead of "the myth of apostolic succession" as Phillips Brooks aptly called it. It certainly is "the everlasting sign which shall not be cut off," the only continued miracle, the converting power on earth, instantaneously changing bad men into good men, the thorn into a fir tree, a transformation above the power of nature. The measure of this supernatural power in any local church is not determined by the caprice of an arbitrary sovereignty, but by the human fulfilment of divinely appointed conditions, the utter abandonment of the soul to the Holy Ghost as the Sanctifier and a hearty co-operation with Him as the Reprover and Regenerator. There is no effectual substitute for the Holy Ghost as the Transformer, neither eloquence, nor personal magnetism, nor philosophy, nor even the energy of a purified human spirit, unless it is interpenetrated by the divine Spirit.
There should be a careful study of revival preaching. There can be no genuine revival unless the conditions are fulfilled. The fallow ground must be broken up by driving the subsoil ploughshare of repentance through and through it. Begin at the house of God; there is much fallow ground in God's field, the Church. There are many nominal Christians who do not realize that they are sinners in the sight of God. They are resting in church membership, promptly paid pew rents and weekly offerings, attendance upon preaching and the Lord's supper, and the same general interest in the prosperity of the church to which they belong that is exhibited by liberalists and Romanists. They also contribute their share to the great charities of the denomination. But all these things a person backslidden in heart may do from other motives than pure love to our dear Lord Jesus. It may be the effect of habit. He may desire to retain the good opinion of the Christian public for purely personal ends. He may be making an ostentatious display of some virtues to compensate for some vices or to cover them up. Professors of Christianity are prone to sophisticate conscience when they are out of the strait and narrow way. They try to make their crookedness seem to be undistorted. Men spiritually dead have been known to simulate great fervor if called on to pray in public. Sometimes an excessive bustling activity in the externals of Christianity is prompted by the consciousness that the inner life has become extinct and the uneasy moral sense must have something to lean upon. What all these characters need is plain and fearless preaching which uncovers their sins and drives them out of all their false refuges. Their sins should be specially detailed. Their sins of omission, which are most frequently overlooked, should be enumerated and dwelt upon. What a catalogue of neglects the faithful preacher might set in array before the members of his church — neglect of the Holy Scriptures, which do not feed them now as they once did, but they appear dry and chaffy. Once they fed upon the Word with great delight; it was sweeter than honey. Now the daily paper is sought first in the morning, and on Sundays the Sunday newspaper with all its trash and flummery. Preach a sermon on the Bible so long neglected that damnation could be written on its dusty cover. Then, what a fearful neglect of family religion is prevalent in our churches. In many of our families the altar stones have fallen down. The morning and evening sacrifice is no longer burned thereon. Business and the railroad train are put in place of God in the morning. The lodge, the club, the social party, the evening newspaper are instead of God at night. What will become of the children who hear not the voices of their parents in home worship?
"Just as the twig is bent the tree is inclined."
Let me testify to the praise of my heavenly Father that the twig of my childhood was bent heavenward by the voice of prayer about my cradle. Two of the four sons of my father were called to preach, and two of my own. Rebuild the family altars and rekindle the fires, and Methodism of the next generation will feel the effect in the conversion of millions of her children.
Preach on neglected communion with God in the closet, where all unworthy motives, such as the praise of men, are excluded. How common is the neglect of that indispensable condition of discipleship — self-denial! The term is rarely used. Many professors know its meaning by the dictionary only. They never have denied themselves a ribbon or a cigar for Christ and for His gospel. They are quite active in the pleasant parts of religion, but they shrink from anything that requires self-denial. This is too humiliating to pride. What they can do as well as not — flowers for the pulpit or a bookmark for the Bible — they are willing to do, but they are not willing to sacrifice any comfort or any convenience for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ. They seem to think that God ought not to ask them to do disagreeable duties, and that He should feel that He was specially complimented by their condescending to take the name of Christians when there were so many high-toned and fashionable people outside the Church for them to associate with. How few the deniers of self at the contribution box! Here and there a widow with two mites, who gave not her surplus but her capital. Preach self-denial as absolutely essential to salvation. Many are utterly negligent of the highest well-being of their fellow-men, a point on which we have been forewarned that the final judgment will turn. They should be convicted of this sin by the faithful preacher. Says Dr. Finney: "If your soul is not agonized for the poor benighted heathen, why are you such a hypocrite as to pretend to be a Christian? Why, your profession is an insult to Jesus Christ."
Preach repentance for the great sin of not believing God, great because it makes Him a liar. This sin, existing wholly in the invisible realm of the spirit, is by the world and the worldly part of the Church deemed to be destitute of any moral quality. The preacher should put forth his whole strength to tear this destructive falsehood out of men's minds, especially out of the minds of professed Christians. These frequently negative God's promises by their failure to believe, while sinners throw away God's threatenings. Thus the whole Bible is rejected.
Preach repentance for sins of commission, setting forth specifications of transgressions of the moral law as Christ did in His sermon on the mount. Read Wesley's discourses on that sermon as a part of your preparation. I have been painfully observant of the decline of this kind of preaching in the modern pulpit. It is a bad sign of the times. It indicates that a soft theology is superseding the Biblical doctrines of our fathers. In addition to the miasma of liberalism that is in the air, a doctrine is prevalent in certain circles which negatives the law as binding on believers, and substitutes faith for repentance and holiness. Its teachers emphasize the fact that St. John does not speak of repentance either in his Gospel or in his Epistles. Negations prove nothing. He does not mention hell either. Both of the causes named tend to weaken the motives to repentance. But it is quite certain that it is absolutely essential to the genuine revival is preceded by faithful preaching on this duty.
Preaching should aim at definite results. We know of none more significant than radical conversions with a date, although a dateless conversion may be genuine. Yet it is very desirable that the Christian should be able to look back upon a definite emergence into newness of life, and to name the day of his espousals unto Christ. This is a great safeguard against the two doubts in respect to fundamentals: Is Christ the true Saviour? and does He save me? A sudden transition from darkness into the marvelous light by a pardon attested by God's seal, the Holy Spirit, the agent of regeneration and initial sanctification, is a type of Christian experience quite difficult for scepticism to assail with success. It is a monumental proof of the divinity of the gospel.
Such experiences were frequent in early Methodism because the type of preaching was such as to promote them. Clear-cut statements of saving truth produce sharply defined experiences. Hazy preaching makes nebulous conversions. When you stand under an arc-light and look at your shadow how surprised you are at the sharpness of the outline! Every stray hair is individualized. Why? Because every ray of light streams from one point. Our figure hints at pointed sermons. What would come to pass if Methodism had an arc-light in every pulpit? We do not predict that every conversion would be Pauline. They would be more numerous and more genuine, but they would not all be striking. God has a great variety of operations in the kingdom of grace.
Young preachers who have had a signal conversion are apt to forget this. They begin their ministerial life with a distinct view of the mode in which souls come into the kingdom of God, and of the spuriousness, of course, of all incomings which had not all the peculiarities of that mode. But when such preachers have in their pastoral work listened to the experience of some of their very best members, most spiritual and most active, they will find that their regulation mode of conversion is altogether too narrow for the wideness of God's mercy. They will find persons full of faith and the Holy Ghost on whom the Sun of Righteousness arose in a period so cloudy that they cannot tell the day, and hardly the week, when His rays first shone into their hearts. The truth is that God works in the realm of grace as He does in nature, along certain established lines, as that summer shall follow spring, with fixed general features, but in such a way as to admit of a vast and beautiful diversity sometimes more surprising than the uniformity.
Christianity faithfully applied to childhood results in frequent conversions without a date. It is natural that the transition of a little child of eight years from the world to Christ should be without a memorable struggle. Several of my most intimate friends who are adult believers, remarkable for their devotion and about as steadfast in their Christian career as the sun in the heavens, were converted when children, and are unable to celebrate any spiritual birthdays. There would be more of these in the Church today as shining lights if the contrast between the quiet mode of their conversion and the marvellous glare of some adults' experiences had not induced them to throw away the little taper which the Spirit had lighted in their hearts. This is one of the evil results of conceiving that God works in only one way. We must respect dateless commonplace conversations, and give the subjects of them our confidence and a warm welcome to the Church, the fold of Christ.
What we have said of conversion is in a less degree true of entire sanctification. This does not usually occur in immature age, and is generally a more signal event in the consciousness of the recipient. Yet there is even here an infinite variety. As to the space of time after justification, God has given us no almanac. While we know the agent, the Sanctifier, we know not the way He will take in any individual case. Many, especially outside of Methodism, have been wholly cleansed from depraved inclinations, and have not known it by the name given by John Wesley. They were athirst after God's fulness, and they received the baptism or successive anointings of the Holy Spirit. They find themselves strong, joyful, victorious over every temptation, and having full assurance of faith. They have all the marks and concomitants of entire sanctification.
In all preaching to believers the aim should be to make the feeble to become as David in strength, and the house of David as the angel of Jehovah.
The relation of this subject to the various moral reforms and attempted social reconstructions is a theme of practical interest on which we would like to dwell. Some preachers of the gospel are preaching sociology. There are well-meaning people who wish to abate and suppress evils which prey upon human society by ignoring the only radical and effectual cure by the new birth. Many of these are philanthropic, but not Christian. They answer very well Father Taylor's description of one of his sons-in-law, when, in reply to the question whether he was a Christian, the old man eloquently replied. "No, but he is a very sweet sinner." The failure of all such reformers arises from their beginning with the mass and not with the individual, and their cleansing of the outside of the cup and platter, and their stopping at the rectification of the outward conduct, leaving the heart, the innermost seat of character, unchanged. They suppress the symptoms without curing the disease. This may not be a blessing, but rather a damage. It has been said that God shows His great wisdom in attaching outward very unpleasant sequences to the evil in men's hearts, sequences in the shape of vices, gusts of anger, pains of body and mind and "woes that follow at the heels of sin." If men could get all their misdeeds out of sight and still keep sin in their hearts shut in from every human eye, it would be the greatest obstruction to their highest well-being. We have all heard of the street angel and the home devil. He is further from the kingdom of heaven than the street devil and home angel. The external purgation of the world by a grand sweep of outward reform without implanting new springs of action in a regeneration of the natural man, if such a reform were possible, would give the race a paradise restored, but a paradise of hypocrites, heavenly in behavior but satanic in principle. This is the aim of all the naturalistic reformers. But the true preacher, who imitates his Master in his method of doing good, perceiving the folly of smoothing up the world in its sin and alienation from God, boldly cries to sinners as well bred as Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again, born of the Spirit." The new birth is the only effectual safeguard of society. This is taught in Old Testament prophecy. "Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks" (Isa. xxvi. 1).
If Christianity is going to regenerate society, its heralds must not stop when they have portrayed its vices and crimes. They must lay bare their fountain, the sin of men's heart, the sin of unbelief toward Jesus Christ, and insist on the new birth as the only cure. The Spirit's great office is to "convict of sin, because they believe not in me."
The gospel has a style or address peculiarly its own. It is not the stately and ornate oration of the Grecian rhetor or the Roman orator, but the unpretending utterance of the herald. It is to proclaim words put into the mouth by a higher authority. Hence Jesus Christ does not call His ministers dialecticians, advocates or orators, but simply preachers, proclaiming that the Messiah has come, and exhorting to the reception of His gospel. One of the first evidences of departure on the part of the Church from the simplicity of Christ is seen in the popular favor shown to those who have ceased to be preachers heralding the world's Saviour, and have become orators, using Scripture texts as convenient staples to hang a chain of brilliant periods upon. That is a false and fatal refinement which takes offence at the plain and earnest preaching of Christ. It always indicates that the godless spirit of Grecian culture, which regards Christ crucified as foolishness, has infused its subtle poison into the Church. There is a widely prevalent mistake respecting the nature of sacred eloquence. But here are only paste diamonds. When your preacher is taking to himself wings and soaring to the empyrean on some grandiloquent passage, and you mentally exclaim or whisper to your neighbor, "O, how eloquent! "real eloquence has not been reached, because you are not swayed by the thoughts and melted into penitence, or lifted out of yourself into the life divine. You are still a critic. True eloquence will always lift you above the critical attitude. You cease to think of the man, his diction, voice and action; you think only of the burning truth which pours forth a molten stream from the furnace of the preacher's glowing heart.
When you look at a picture, if you are thinking of the paints and how they were laid on, you are gazing at a mere daub, and not at the work of a great master. He does not permit you to think of the coloring or of the artist. He allows you to see nature only, so perfectly has he mastered the art of concealing art. When you retire from the church admiring the preacher instead of crying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner," or, "Create in me a clean heart," you have been listening to a journeyman and not to a master of sacred eloquence. Do you think that Felix sat in wonder at the diction of St. Paul as he waxed warm arid his imagination caught fire as he reasoned of righteousness, and Mount Sinai was thrown upon the canvas, and the awful darkness settled upon its summit, and the lightnings and thunderings, and the voice of the trumpet, waxing louder and louder, were portrayed, while Felix feels the earth quaking beneath the tread of Jehovah? Do you suppose that he nudged his Jewish wife at his elbow, exclaiming, "How sublime! What a graphic imagination this countryman of yours has"?
Then when St. Paul portrays the tragedy of Calvary, the darkening skies, the rending rocks, the opening graves, and the Son of God bowing His head in death, praying for His enemies do you think that the Roman governor felt like clapping his hands in applause as at a well-acted drama? When the bold and faithful preacher spoke of temperance to the tippling and licentious sinner on the tribunal, portraying the drunkard's grave of shame and hell of torment, it is not supposable that the royal toper cried out to Lysias, the chief of his staff, "Splendid! splendid! What excellence this Jew might have attained, even rivalling Hortentius and Cicero, if he had been schooled at Rome!" Instead of this, Felix, conscience-smitten at the vivid picture in the gospel mirror of his own dissolute career, is vainly endeavoring to stanch the tears welling up from eyes unused to weep, as Paul, by the dark Ghost of what Felix is, flings upon the canvas the bright ideal of what he might have been. When Paul reaches the thirdly of his sermon, the judgment to come, Felix is sitting with downcast eye, and forehead resting on his hand. We may easily imagine what was the course of that high argument. The materials would be chiefly drawn from the moral and religious ideas of the pagan sinner before him: first, an appeal to his own moral sense, the finger point within, directing him to the hour when justice will mount her tribunal and adjudicate the affairs of men; then a corroborative reference to Roman mythology, involving the judicial scrutiny of the shades in the infernal World; and, lastly, the grand concluding argument used on Mars Hill: "But now God commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
Here follow the infallible proofs of Jesus' resurrection, confirming all His claims, especially that of the future judgment of the world. Then the fearless preacher makes Felix see the great white throne, and the awful Judge, attended by myriads of angels, in majesty sweep down from the skies, and hear the trump of Gabriel calling the slumbering dead from land and sea, and the cry of the wicked for the rocks and hills to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb, and the sentence to the company at the left hand, "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." Felix is no longer the cool critic that he was when he took his seat on the tribunal. Under a tide of religious emotions awakened in his bosom by the faithful presentation of God's truth, be has lost sight of Paul; he has forgotten his Hebrew brogue, his violation of the rules of oratory, or his conformity to them. Matters of greater importance occupy his thoughts. "My sins, my sins: the judgment, the judgment." This is eloquence. Felix does not say it is. Paul may not think that he has been eloquent. But the end of preaching has been attained: a hardened sinner has been awakened and made to tremble before God. This is preaching, "not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."3
There is much preaching which the Holy Ghost cannot use for the conviction and conversion of the unregenerate and the sanctification of believers. It is generally true that the sermon which has most of the Holy Scriptures appropriately quoted in proof of the argument will be used by the Spirit to the best effect.
The themes of the preacher should be the truths which the Holy Spirit enforces upon the world — sin, righteousness and judgment. These momentous doctrines, of which the Paraclete was to convince the world, most intimately pertain to the whole human family and every individual member thereof. To herald these truths is the great mission of the Church till the end of the world. To withhold them is treason to Christ, and a robbery of the Holy Spirit of His own sword, and concealment of the only medicine that can heal a leprous and perishing race.
Do not tone down God's awakening truth. Do not dilute it. Do not destroy its pungency by your modifications. Do not obscure it by your philosophy. As Ann Phillips said to her husband, "Don't shilly-shally, Wendell." Says Channing, "No man is fit to preach the truth who is not ready, to be a martyr to the truth." Says the same great preacher of Christian ethics:
One great reason of the inefficacy of the ministry is the want of faith in a higher operation of Christianity in the higher development of humanity than is now possessed. As long as the present condition of the Christian world shall be regarded as ultimate, as long as our religion shall be thought to have done already its chief work on earth, as long as the present corruptions of the Church and the State shall be acquiesced in as laws of nature, and shall stir up no deep agonizing desire of reform, so long the ministry will be comparatively dead.
1. Dr. A. Saphir, "Christ Crucified," page 109.
2. Dr. Horace Bushnell.
3. See Appendix Note H


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Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, ignite in us your holy fire. Strengthen your children with the gift of faith, revive your Church with the breath of love and renew the face of the earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Lemon Chicken and Chickpeas
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, chickpeas, garlic powder, paprika, and seasoned salt. Sautee for 5-7 minutes, until the ingredients are heated through and starting to lightly brown. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, and stir for 2-3 minutes more.
Remove from the heat.
You can serve this plain, with rice or tortillas, inside a pita as a sandwich filling, or anything else you like! I served mine over a green salad with some avocados:
I hope you enjoy this simple, high-protein meal! Give it a try, and let me know what you think!
Lemon Mint Lentil Salad
It's spring, and I have come back to life. The earth is warming, birds are chirping and ... suddenly salad tastes good again. This salad is a variation on another lentil salad I have made for years. I tweaked the seasonings to make it taste something like the filling for dolmades (stuffed grape leaves). Let me tell you, this salad hit the spot. This salad made my palate sing. It brought me back to life. Ok, ok, just make it, already.
The cast of characters:
In a bowl, mix 1 c. sliced radishes, 1/2 c. chopped carrots, 1/2 c. chopped green apple, and 1/4 c. chopped fresh mint. I would have added parsley, but I didn't have any. If you have some, add that stuff in there! And once your mint patch gets going this summer, add a whole heck of a lot more mint if you like!
On the stove, get going:
These are green lentils. I cooked 1 cup of them, in about 2 quarts of water. To the water, I added a bullion cube just for extra flavor. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and let simmer for 25-30 minutes. You want them to be soft, but not turn into mush. I also cooked up some rice. I used 3/4 c. of white rice and 1 1/4 c. water, with a pinch of salt. You could easily substitute brown rice here, if that floats your boat.
When the lentils are done cooking, just pour them through a strainer to strain off the liquid. I rinsed mine off with cold water to cool them off and stop the cooking process. To cool off my rice quickly, I spread it out on a cookie sheet for several minutes.
Then, I mixed up my original lemon-olive oil dressing:
This is: 4 T. olive oil, 3 T. fresh lemon juice, the grated zest of one lemon, 1/2 t. herbs de provence seasoning, 1 t. brown mustard, 2 t. honey, and 1 t. salt. Whisk that all together. Then, you just stir the grains and the dressing into the veggies! You can check the taste and see if it needs more salt.
And voila ... instant spring in a salad. I served mine cold with a whole wheat tortilla. It has complete protein, veggies, and the lemon zest makes it taste so bright and cheerful. It is also great the next day for lunch. It made me so happy to eat this.
Enjoy in good health, and happy spring!
Ratatouille: A healthy classic
Ratatouille is a fantastically simple dish. At its best, it is just tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and bell peppers cooked to perfection in olive oil. It is traditionally served with French bread, but here I made it with polenta, which is Italian corn meal mush.
I started with these ingredients:
I used one medium eggplant, 2 zucchinis, a can of tomatoes, Italian herb seasoning, garlic, and bay leaves. I didn't have any bell peppers, but you could definitely add one. Fresh tomatoes are also a nice touch in place of the canned ones.
This version is my "quick" version of ratatouille, so I'm making it all in one pot (preferably use a ceramic coated cast iron pot, if you have one). If I had more time, I might roast the eggplant separately in the oven before adding it to the stew. But this way works well too!
Into the pot, I put about 1/2 cup of olive oil. No, this is not a low fat dish. But olive oil is healthy! Heat to medium high and add the eggplant and zucchini. Saute for 5-8 minutes, until the eggplant starts to soften:
At this point, go ahead and add 1 t. Italian seasoning, 1 t. garlic powder, and about 1/2 t. salt.
Cooking eggplant always takes longer than I expect. It has a spongy texture that takes a while to soften. If you use the smaller, lighter purple Japanese eggplants, they will cook more quickly.
Now add your can of tomatoes and 1 bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down. This will need to simmer on medium low for about 20 minutes. You will know it's done when the eggplant is as soft as butter:
There we go! You can check your salt levels at this point and add more if needed.
In the meantime, you can cook your polenta. It only takes a few minutes. I had the "quick cooking" kind, which is even faster. I cooked it according to package instructions, 1 cup polenta with 2 1/4 c. water.
If you've never tried polenta, it's a great alternative to pasta for all your Italian cooking needs! Put any kind of sauces or proteins on top you like, and voila! A tasty gluten free dinner. It's also great the next day! Once it's cold, you can slice it and fry the slices in olive oil. Yum.
Anyway, back to the ratatouille. To serve, I just put a small serving of polenta in the bottom of the bowl, ratatouille on top, and a bit of Parmesan cheese.
I know I'm totally mashing together a French classic and Italian food here, but hey, it tasted great. Let me know if you try this!
Easy Kale Chips
This recipe is so easy, it's barely even a recipe. Kale chips are super popular right now. They are delicious and full of vitamins, fiber, and other wonderful kale goodness. My child will eat literally 4 cups of kale for dinner if I make this recipe.
Many of the kale chips you buy in the store are super expensive. My local grocery store sells a popular brand of kale chip for $6.99 a package! For $1, you can buy a bunch of kale and make your own.
I know many cooks prefer to use a dehydrator for kale chips. I don't have one of those. Maybe someday I'll purchase one just for kale chips. For now, I make them in my oven.
I preheat the oven to 375. I wash, de-stem, and rough chop a bunch of kale. I leave the pieces pretty big. I also let some water stay on the kale after washing. This evaporates in the oven, and the steam helps cook the kale. I put the kale on a baking sheet:
Then I drizzle 2-3 T. of olive oil on top, add 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 c. nutritional yeast. I use my hands to toss it like a salad, so the oil and seasoning coats all the kale.
Then I place this on the top rack of the oven. I bake it for 15-20 minutes. You will have to watch your kale and see how quickly it's cooking. I usually stir the pieces around once during the baking process. You don't want the kale to burn, but you want each piece to be pretty crispy, with not very many soft pieces left.
Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Kale chips are a great side dish to go with any dinner! Or just make them to have around as a snack. Let me know if you try them!
Last winter, I became obsessed with cooking one pot dinners. I like the simplicity, of course, but also the challenge of making rice and other grains cook perfectly with meat and vegetables at the same time. It's all about the timing, proportions of ingredients, and temperature.
This chicken and rice dish was one of my winners. It's super easy, tasty, and you probably have the ingredients in your house at all times.
Ingredients: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (not pictured), olive oil, basmati rice, 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, garlic powder, bay leaves, Lawry's seasoned salt, paprika, and black pepper.
Traditionally, these types of dishes are made with short grain rice, because long grain rice like basmati is more fragile and prone to breaking in the cooking process. However, I've been using basmati because it has a lower glycemic index than other kinds of white rice, making it healthier for those watching their sugar intake.
In a large cast iron pot, heat 3 T. olive oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides. After turning them over, season with 1/2 t. garlic, 1/2 t. seasoned salt, 1 t. paprika, and 1/4 t. pepper. If you like things spicy, you could totally add Tabasco sauce or any other hot sauce at this point.
Add the can of tomatoes, 3/4 c. rice, 1 1/4 c. water, and 2 bay leaves. Stir, and allow to come to a boil.
After the mixture boils, cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Stir the mixture gently once or twice during this time, but don't mix it too much or you will break the rice.
When it's done, the rice will be tender and simmering in its own sauce:
Yummy! Quick, easy, and healthy: my favorite combination for weeknight dinners. There is something so magical about cooking rice with sauce. Every time, I marvel at how such a simple process can make such deep and wonderful flavors. Enjoy!
Now, I used these things because this is what I had in my kitchen at the time. I love the "exercise" of seeing what I have lying around and making something out of it...
So here's what I did. I shredded that chicken:
I mixed the can of enchilada sauce with 1/3 c. water and 1 c. plain yogurt:
Then, I oiled a 9 by 9 glass pan and started layering things like a lasagna. Here's how I did the layers:
1/4 of the sauce
layer of tostada shells (3 shells)
1/2 the chicken
1 c. of spinach
1/4 of the sauce
3 tostada shells
1/2 the chicken
1 c. of spinach
4 tostada shells
the rest of the sauce
Here are pictures of the layering process:
You can see I arranged the tostada shells so they covered the surface of the pan.
Then I covered this with aluminum foil and baked at 375 for 30 minutes. I uncovered and baked for 10 more minutes. And the end result:
It was delicious! A little bit messy coming out of the pan, but it totally hit the spot for that enchilada craving. It reminded me a bit of chilaquiles as well (a Mexican dish consisting of tortilla chips and enchilada sauce baked together). This was also lower in fat and calories than your typical cream-based enchilada sauce. Try it out sometime! And let me know what you think!
So I've been having a thing with zucchini this summer. I just love it so much. Here at the tail end of summer, there is still a lot of zucchini around in gardens and stores. So, here is one of my zucchini inventions!
Now, some people have a special machine that turns zucchini into "noodles." I don't have one of those things. It's partly philosophical: why spend money on a gadget when a knife will do the trick? And it's partly financial: I don't want to spend money on a zucchini pasta maker. If you have one of those things, I'm not criticizing you, however. I'm secretly a teensy bit jealous.
Anyhoo, you can make this dish with a zucchini pasta-maker thingie, or with a knife.
So, first, you gotta julienne that zucchini. Step one:
Cut your zucchini in half, then make 1/4 inch thick slices out of each half. Step two:
Make matchsticks by cutting each slice of zucchini lengthwise. Now, you can cut each slice, but to save time, I make little stacks of the slices, and then cut them into the matchsticks. The whole process takes 2 minutes, I promise. Much less time then digging out your zucchini cutter gadget anyway...
The other players: Italian herbs (basil, oregano, marjoram, savory, thyme, sage, rosemary), garlic, olive oil, kalamata olives, and parmesan cheese. You could omit the cheese if you're going for vegan here.
Now, I know this recipe is sorta Italian and sorta Greek. Let's think of it as Mediterranean. You could easily use feta cheese instead of parmesan here. Or put any other kinds of olives you like. This is what I had, so this is what I used!
In a medium skillet, heat 2 T. of the olive oil over medium high heat. Let it get nice and hot. Add the zucchini, 2 t. of the Italian herbs, and 1/2 t. of garlic powder.
Saute that for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While you saute, go ahead and rough chop one large tomato. Cut a lemon in half while you're at it.
When the edges of the zucchini start to turn brown, add the tomato, 1/2 c. of the olives, and squeeze half the lemon in there:
Saute for 2-3 minutes more, just until the tomatoes get soft, but not until they are falling apart. I like the zucchini to not be mushy; it should still be slightly firm. You can add a dash of salt here, but the olives are pretty salty, and the parmesan also adds salt at the end, so I chose not to salt at this point.
And serve with parmesan cheese! (Sorry for my weird thumb on the side of this pic!) This made a lovely, light summer dinner for me. You could always serve it as a side dish with some baked chicken or fish as well. Enjoy, and let me know if you try this!
I'm a school librarian, cookbook author, and longtime fan of food and literature. Welcome to my blog!
September 2018


text: Richland Library Blythewood Virtual Tour July 10, 2017Mez Joseph Our beautiful and spacious new library is a direct reflection of the traditions and values that distinguish our community and make it a sought after destination to visit, live in, work and raise our families. We know you'll love the new creative spaces; much needed meeting rooms; and interactive Lego wall. — Shirley Carter, Richland Library Blythewood Manager Click here or above image and scroll down to take a virtual tour of the library. Comment


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We have a strong track record over a wide spread of commercially driven projects, including office, retail, hotel and cinema sectors, both individually and as part of complex mixed use multi-tenure developments. Our extensive knowledge base and decades of experience, combined with a strong passion for design and creative thinking allows us to constantly challenge expectations. We are strongly focused on exploiting maximum potential from all types of commercial opportunity.
We have delivered a wealth of commercial office space, from small scale interior fit outs for multi-national IT companies, to design of significant City Centre corporate Council headquarters within existing A-listed retained facades. Our hotel experience covers both new build and conservation projects within World Heritage sites, as well as delivery of the next generation of high technology interior designed hotel rooms.
Our retail experience combines speculative and bespoke solutions as part of mixed-use developments including cinema, hotel and variety of retail uses.


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in Boston.
And, how do I know this?
Because, my husband, who happens to be in Boston, just sent me the following text:
"Don't mean to make you sad, mad or jealous but it's snowing here."
And, of course, I am sad, mad AND jealous!! UGH!
Tuesday, February 5
It's snowing...
in Boston.
Sunday, February 3
Nick's Pics or Nick Picks
Either title could be appropriate.
I downloaded the photos on my camera this evening to find LOTS & LOTS of pictures taken by my budding photographer, Nicholas. The kid LOVES taking pictures!
Out of the hundred plus that I deleted, I saved my two absolute favorites:
Who else would take a picture of themselves diggin' for gold?!
Gotta love it!
Saturday, February 2
iPod Fun
I saw this on another blog & thought it looked fun. So, of course, I'm stealing...
The Rules
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.
Q: What does next year have in store for you?
A: Our Town by James Taylor
(Maybe that means we'll be moving back home!!)
Q: What does your love life look like next year?
A: Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
Q: What do you say when life gets hard?
A: Born on Christmas Day by Brad Paisley
(Yes, I still have my Christmas music on my iPod!)
Q: Song that reminds you of good times?
A: A New Anointing by ZOE Group
Q: What do you think when you get up in the morning?
A: Thank God I'm a Country Boy by John Denver
(Well, not exactly...)
Q: What song will you dance to at your wedding?
A: Don't Stand So Close by The Police
(Ha! Perfect!)
Q: Song that reminds you of your first kiss?
A: Silent Night by Third Day
Q: Your favorite saying?
A: Little Wonders by Rob Thomas
Q: Favorite place?
A: Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts
Q: Most Missed Memory?
A: Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad by Def Leppard
Q: What song describes your best friend?
A: The Hand That Feeds by Nine Inch Nails
Q: What song describes your ex?
A: Everything by Buckcherry
Q: Where would you go on a first date?
A: I Burn For You by Danny Peck (Secret of My Success Soundtrack)
Q: Drug of choice?
A: Armageddon It by Def Leppard
Q: What song describes yourself?
A: Anytime by Journey
Q: What is the thing you like doing most?
A: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Countdown Kids
(Kids' Christmas music downloaded for school parties)
Q: The song that best describes the president?
A: My Grown-Up Christmas List by Kelly Clarkson
Q: Where will you be in 10 years?
A: Policy of Truth by Depeche Mode
Q: Your love life right now?
A: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by James Taylor
(How appropriate!)
Q: What is your state of mind like at the moment?
A: You Picked Me by A Fine Frenzy
Q: How will you die?
A: Animal by Def Leppard


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My wiggle through Germany started by bouncing into Aachen, a city that was heavily hit in World War 2. It would be a consistent theme through my time in Germany, but Aachen did a good job of showing it with old shells of buildings being retained and used as part of the new constructions. I was only there shortly, arriving on Saturday afternoon and leaving Sunday morning, but staying with my Warmshowers hosts, Bernd & Sabine, meant that it wasn't until almost noon that I left. Sunday in Germany is still a special day, and it has a very different feel. In the UK, large shops can not be open for more than 6 hours on a Sunday. In Germany bakeries are open until about 10am, and that's so people can get their fresh breakfast rolls, but otherwise it's just really petrol stations. People really do slow down on a Sunday, and I think that's fantastic – other than the logistical issue it creates in terms of having to remember to buy enough on Saturday afternoon to see me through to Monday morning. No problem if you're living there, more of an issue when you're carrying it all, but with my panniers being emptier than ever there was space for plenty of food, and with petrol stations being open there was always an option for some kind of overpriced nutrition if it was needed.
Sabine & Bernd have done plenty of cycle trips, including a longer one last year through Latin America, and were fantastic hosts. They've just had a baby, and so it was Bernd who took me out for my tour of Aachen as Sabine stayed home with Lea. It included a visit to the local church where a Bolivian group were playing traditional music (you can see a short clip below) having been invited over to build ties between Germany and Bolivia. It was lovely, although I had no idea what they were saying as the audio quality wasn't the best. Oh well!
The other part of this German wiggle, was after Luxembourg. I headed east to Koblenz, where the Mosel + Rhine meet. Christian, an old friend of the family works there and lives just north so I spent a few lovely days with his family, before a brief return back to the UK. Having been away for only 3 weeks it was bizarre, but C was home for a few days so it made sense to go home and see her. I left my bike in Sinzig and the return flight was around €100, not so bad really!
Bolivian music


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1. The land in dispute formed part of the emoluments attached to the office of maniem in a Government village, The second defendant formerly held the office, but having been found guilty of embezzlement he was dismissed. The land was a few years afterwards enfranchised in favour of his wife Ellammal since deceased. With reference to the issue remitted for trial, viz., what right, if any, and under what circumstances the land was enfranchised in favour of Ellammal, the District Judge states in effect that the evidence does not enable him to do more than find that the enfranchisement took place, because Ellammal was in possession of the land at the time.
2. The District Munsif gave a decree to the plaintiff, being of opinion that she, as the unmarried daughter of Ellammal, was her heir and entitled to the property. But the District Judge, on the strength of an observation contained in Section 616 of Mayne's "Hindu Law" held chat the property, though acquired by Ellammal, became on her death the second defendant's in his sole right and that the plaintiff had no title to it.
3. The chief authority relied on in support of the Lower Appellate Court's decision is a text of Katyayana (Dayabhaga, ch. IV, Section 1, 19). As translated it runs thus: "Wealth acquired by mechanical arts or received through affection from any but the kindred is subject to the husband's dominion. The rest is stridhanam."
4. Whether an acquisition such as that in the present case falls within either of the two classes mentioned in the text is open to doubt. For it can scarcely be said with any degree of accuracy, that the land was acquired by mechanical arts or was received through affection entertained by the Government towards Ellammal. But it has been suggested that the text was intended to cover all acquisitions which are not stridhana in the technical sense of the term as understood by Smriti writers. We propose, therefore, to deal with the present case on the supposition that it comes within the spirit of the rule laid down by the text.
5. The first question then that arises is, in whom is the ownership of property of the kind mentioned in the text–is it in both husband and wife or in which of the two?
6. The language of the text may seem to vest the ownership in the husband. But it being well established that whatever may be the law intended to be laid down by the Smriti writers, that law must be sought for in the writings of the commentators; we have to look to what those commentators, who are authorities in this part of India, have said on the subject.
7. At the outset we may state that no commentator, known to us by name, has said that the ownership vests in both husband and wife. But Mr. Mayne, in the line of devolution pointed out by him, would seem to assume the joint ownership of both. In support of this, he refers to Jagannatha, Colebrook's Digest, Madras Reprint, Vol. II, page 628. No doubt we find therein a statement that the property goes to the survivor and afterwards passes to his or her heirs. But Jagannatha simply mentions this as the opinion of certain lawyers. Who these are does not appear. Jagannatha's own opinion, as will be shown further on, would seem to be different finder these circumstances it is not safe to assume the joint ownership so as to allow the survivor to take the property.
8. If the property does not belong to both, to whom then according to the commentators does it belong? First and foremost comes the Mitakshara. It is significant to note that Vijnaneswara does not refer to the text at all, nor was it necessary for him, in the view he took of the subject of stridhanam, to refer to it. For according to him (Chapter II, Section 11) whatever is lawfully acquired in any manner by a woman married or not–is her stridhanam. The Smriti Chandrika (chapter II, Section 1, 16), however, does not seem to recognise property of the kind mentioned in the text as her stridhanam. (The translator of the work was evidently of that opinion, page 120.) The Madhaviya ( 50: Burnell's Translation, page 42), and Varadaraja's Vyvaharanirnayam cite the text, but express no opinion on it. The Sarasvati Vilasa like the Mitakshara does not refer to the text and would seem to follow the Mitakshara. The author of the Virauhttrodaya expressly recognizes such property as her stridhanam. For he says (chapter V, part I, 2) " the answer is, in the above texts" (one of which is that in question) " the denial is, not of their being woman's property, hut of its consequences, such as distribution (by her choice amongst her heirs), etc. Accordingly in the latter text" (the one in question) " it is said, therein the husband's ownership arises. The meaning is that the husband and not the woman has independence in dealing with such property." (Golapchandar Sircar's Translation, page 222). In this state of the authorities, when there is not such a consensus of opinion among the commentaries prevalent in this part of India as to suggest that the law of the Mitakshara on the point was not recognised or was departed from, it seems to us to he best to follow the Mitakshara. No doubt, judicial decisions have established that property inherited by a woman is, notwithstanding the opinion of Vijnaneswaras to the contrary, not stridhanam. But those decisions do not go the length of holding that Vijnaneswara's doctrine as to stridhanam is otherwise unsustainable.
9. It is scarcely necessary to say that Vijnaneswara's statement that stridhanam is not to be understood in a technical sense (Mitak. chapter II, Section 11, & 3) was not mere philological observation. By laying down that proportion, Vijnaneswara and other great commentators, who followed him, succeeded in effecting a beneficial change in the archaic smriti law and placed women almost on a footing of equality with men as regards the capacity to hold property. It is on account of the boldness and reach of mind evinced by Vijnaneswara , as pointed out by Messrs. West and Buhler Digest, page 291, not, (a), 3rd edition, in propounding his doctrine of stridhanam and his other theories that property is a matter of secular not of religious cognizance and sapindaship rests on consanguinity that the Mitakshara has become the chief authority on Hindu law. A departure from the law, laid down by such a high authority, must not be made unless supported by adequate grounds. and as no such grounds exist, we hold that the property in the present case belonged to Ellammal and was her stridhanam descendible to her heirs. This conclusion is in accordance with that of Jagannatha who is relied upon by Mr. Mayne in support of his view. After referring to the opinion of certain lawyers as noticed above, Jagannatha says in the paragraph immediately following, but, according to .Jimutha Vahana Raghunandana and the rest, the wife is the sole owner of wealth acquired by her even during coverture: yet she has not independent power over it so long as her husband lives; for the negative in the text of Manu (Book III, chapter 1, verse 52), conveys the sense of imperfection Consequently, they have no wealth exclusively their own, and the imperfection of their property consists in the want of uncontrolled power. It must be therefore understood that the legal heirs of a woman's peculiar property succeed also to this wealth." [Colebrook's " Digest of Hindu Law," Madras Reprint, Vol. II, page 628. See Banerjee's "Marriage and Stridhanam, " page 319, 2nd edition, also page 439].
10. The next question is who is the heir to the property? No special rule as to the devolution of the property comprised in the text of Katyayana is laid down in any of the commentaries. In this matter of the devolution of stridhana too, as in the comprehensive character of the definition of stridhanam, the superiority of the Mitakshara is evident. While the other commentators, in their attempt to reconcile the various Smritis, complicate the matter by prescribing different lines of devolution–these too not complete–according to the class of stridhanam to which the particular property belongs, the Mitakshara lays down rules which are easy of application, complete in themselves and on the whole equitable We think therefore we ought to follow the Mitakshara and hold that the plaintiff is the heir.
11. It only remains to observe that though, as we have seen, a wife's earnings and gifts to her by strangers are her stridhanam descendible to her heirs, yet a question may arise whether her husband has any and what control over such property. The question, however, does not arise in this case and it is unnecessary to consider it,
12.The decree of the Lower Appellate Court is reversed and. that of the District Munsif restored. The appellant's costs in this and in the Lower Appellate Court must be paid by the first defendant.


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Smart Visegrad
Funding: This project has been supported
by the International Visegrad Fund
Silesian ICT Cluster role: Partner
Project website: http://www.itapa.sk/digital-single-market-in-v4/
About the project:
Forging the smart and innovative digital solutions in the Visegrad region in order to deal with social challenges on regional and urban level. The project aims to help to improve regional strategies and policies for demographic and other social and economic challenges in municipalities and regional authorities mostly by incorporating concept "smart regions and smart cities" into strategies. The smart solution concept also includes the creation of enviroment favourable to citizen participation, community cooperation, innovations as well as education and human, social and regional development in a broader sense. Therefore, by incorporating smart solutions into regional strategies and policies can greatly increase ability of local authorities deal with all types of societal challenges such as migration, population ageing, or even other challenges such as enviromental issues, economic restructuring and so on.
The strategic outcomes of the project will be:
– enhancement of Visegrad group into the digital realm;
– help the V4 countries to be among EU leaders;
– help to make the mutual V4 cooperation closer and more intense.
The project is an continuing cooperation with our partners from last year. The scope of activities that will be carried out within the framework of the project will cover the following events:
In Slovakia, it will be organization of a V4 Congress ITAPA 2018, leading strategic event dealing with digitalization of the society in Slovakia. This year ITAPA has become an official event of the Slovak Presidency 2018/2019 of the Visegrad Group. The congress will create a constructive platform within which the Visegrad countries will be able to exchange the best practice and share their national digital policy approaches. Along wtih ITAPA congress, the project will include:
- V4 Cyber Securiy Workshop, focused on the exchange of experience and cooperation of public and private sector.
- V4 Smart Cities Workshop for municipalities, city representatives and innovation experts from all V4 countries. It will be focused on the implementation of the smart city concepts and principles in practice.
- ITAPA V4 Project Award for projects contributing to the development of the smart solutions in the V4 region. Winners will be awarded in a special awarding ceremony in November 2018.
In Hungary, it will be the organization of 3 days conference Infoter in Balatonfured, which is one of the biggest digital innovations related conference in Hungary. The three-day conference taking place from October 9 till October 11 in Balatonfured is one of the biggest digital innovation related conferences in Hungary with more than 2000 participants (decision makers, government, municipality representatives, SMEs, NGOs, etc.) The program focuses on several strands of digital innovation, focused especially on the social aspects of ICT. Th event will be also dedicated to trends on European and global level with the aim to inspire participants and speakers from the V4 region. More information here https://konferencia.infoter.eu/en/?page=1
In Poland, it will be the organization of V4 Smart Cities Conference for municipalities, experts, entrepreneurs and media in V4 region. Conference organized for municipalities, experts, entrepreneurs and media in the V4 region will take place October 16, 2018 in Katowice, Poland. Conference details are available here http://sv.ict-silesia.pl/english/ , program is available here https://goo.gl/hUQyej
Facebook page of the event is here https://www.facebook.com/events/266346910668481/
In Czech Republic, one day workshop Smart cities and regions: A system approach for better lives on how to implement smart city concepts and principles effectively in practice will take place December 19 in Prague.
With all of above mentioned events and workshops we would like to create a platform with a goal to directly facilitate change of regional strategies and policies and thus achieve the changes of the current regional problems and change them into part of solutions. All together will build upon one another and aim to encouradge adoption of smart solutions into regional strategies and policies, build partnerships and foster cooperation of the subjects from the V4 region.
Direct Impact, s.r.o., (SK)
Śląski Klaster ICT, and Human Cloud (PL)
eDemokrácia Műhely Egyesület, (HU)


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In each of these following video pages I will gradually build up a library of instructional videos, great techniques or inspirational footage. I have a separate section for relevant documentaries. Please feel free to email any links to video clips that you might think valuable and worth sharing.
Please keep checking back regularly as the library will be frequently updated.


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good bye instagram ;-(/
If you have read the blog in the past, you know I am a fan of instagram. I recently posted about the success the app has had and the estimates of their future growth with the introduction of an android version of instagram.
However, no one had any idea how successful the founders of the company were about to become. Enter Facebook and a deal to purchase instagram for ONE BILLION DOLLARS!
I have two reactions...
... Happiness for the entrepreneurs who had a fantastic idea and made it a reality. Enjoy your very early retirement.
... Fear for what Facebook will do to destroy and app and a service I really love. We won't know for a while what Facebook will do with instagram, but my experience is that instagram was simple, uncluttered, unobtrusive to it's users, and fun to use. I don't think many of us would use those words to describe Facebook.
There is a great post on gigaom taking about the backlash from instagram users and trying to determine why Facebook would spend that much money on instagram. Of course they say because it is such a great app and they just want the best for their users (paraphrase of course), but many feel it was a preemptive strike to buy out a competitor that was a threat to their social network (at least as it relates to photo sharing). In the end, they may just be buying 30 to 50 million users?


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I know nothing of this conspiracy...
Nothing at all.
But I'll wager than anything reminiscent of foregone days will be quite welcome in these new frames...
"Obstacles" and "Removed"... last time I heard those two together I was speaking about my in-laws... it sounded ominous then, too... :^0
I'm sure the interest will still be there :)
and hi Jay, nice to see you again.
I'm in.
Of course, this assumes anyone who was around during 'Geek Trivia' salad days is still around after The Transformation.
The old 'Why Giant Mecha Robots are Stupid' still pops up from time to time.
Ha! That was a good one.
Along with, "Is Google a God" and other similar gems, this brought the crazies out of the woodwork.
Kicking the hornet's nest...
...is a profitable business model. Just ask Gawker.
Oh my, yes.
Gawker, indeed. And a few others I can think of which sadly don't apply this as a business model at all. :^0 They really should.
I'm in
I don't post as much anymore, but I do check things out when I have a moment or two free...
I've been enjoying your references to the older columns. Ready for some new ones.
Bring it on!


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Ranch Businesses
- Acres of seasoned juniper wood cut. May require additional cutting.
- Old, dry fence posts cut. May require additional cutting.
The ranch has several acres of gravel and rock available. The rock may be used for septic systems and other forms of fill and riprap. There is easy access to the pit directly off SR34. Contact us for availability.
Pasture Lease
We will be accepting new pasture lease clients on January 1 of each calendar year for the upcoming grazing season.
If interested in leasing our pasture or the Dyer pasture, please contact us for a tour of our facilities, pastures, and rates.
We also manage the pasture lease for our neighbors and friends at The Dyer Farm and Ranch. The Dyers own the windmill located at the junction of SR34 and Dugway roads.
The windmill and the holding area may be used by local ranchers moving cattle into and out of summer pastures here in Long Valley. The holding area includes the windmill and stock water tank and comes with one caveat: We would greatly appreciate that you contact either us at the TD Ranch or the Dyers before your intended use with the dates and the number of days you plan to use it.


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My sister is coming for Christmas. It's probably going to be 50 below outside and drier than all get out, but she's still coming. For nearly 2 weeks. I'm pretty excited about that. She's never visited me before so far north. Even when I was in college, we just never had a means to get her up here to see me. Now that we are much older (with a heck of a lot more resources), visiting each other is just a heck of a lot easier.
And for that, I'm grateful.


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Follow us on Twitter & Find us on Facebook
'Passenger Transport' dated 26 April 2018 carried a report which opens with:The break-up of FirstGroup is being predicted by City analysts and in the transport industry following a preliminary takeover bid from North American private equity investor Apollo Asset Management.http://www.passengertransport.co.uk/2018/04/firstgroup-break-up-likely-after-apollo-bid/David
FirstGroup break-up likely after Apollo bidby PASSENGER TRANSPORT on Apr 26, 2018 • 3:50 pmAlthough group rejected initial takeover bid as 'opportunistic', major changes are expected – especially at under-performing UK bus divisionThe break-up of FirstGroup is being predicted by City analysts and in the transport industry following a preliminary takeover bid from North American private equity investor Apollo Asset Management.Although First rejected an initial approach from Apollo as "undervaluing the company" and "opportunistic", major changes are expected regardless of whether Apollo comes back with a successful bid.Analysts said First's continued inability to deliver a substantial recovery across its US and UK divisions, following a £615m funds injection from shareholders in 2013 to pay down debt and invest in new buses, indicated that the task of turning round multiple underperforming businesses was "too big and too complicated".There has been a marginal improvement in the large US school bus division's performance during that period. However, the UK bus division has failed to approach the profit margins achieved by other transport groups, the Greyhound coach business has faltered in the face of intense competition from airlines and cheaper car travel, and the finances of UK rail franchises are under pressure from lower than expected growth."Either way, it will not be business as usual, when this reaches its conclusion," a longstanding City analyst told Passenger Transport. At a minimum, Apollo is expected to exit the UK rail business due to political unease at private equity ownership of franchises. Sale or closure of the worst performing UK bus businesses is also predicted in order to create a higher potential UK bus division.Assuming FirstGroup sees off any new approach from Apollo, the minimum sales expected are a major, possibly all of, the UK bus business plus Greyhound, both of which require substantial capital investment and management attention. Greyhound could also face further pressure from rumoured competition from private equity-funded coach business Flixbus which analysts said First does not have the resources to compete with."Apollo will certainly have plans for what needs to be done, and if the management retain control, investors will be wanting to know what Plan B is, to provide some value because the turnround has not worked," the analyst said.The bid for First was not unexpected in the transport industry. David Leeder, managing partner of Transport Investments Ltd and former FirstGroup plc main board director, said that the group's failure to pay a dividend for the past five years along with its declining share price meant it was effectively a "zombie business" whose function had been to meet is pension fund liabilities, provide management salaries and repay debt rather than provide a return to investors.He said that factors that were likely to have prompted a bid included forthcoming expiry of debt bonds, which provides the opportunity to refinance on cheap rates, and low UK rail growth, which could prove to be "the final nails in the zombie's coffin"."If you look at what has changed to prompt a bid, those are the factors," he said. "If the rumours that they are in trouble and facing losses at South Western and TransPennine are true, that must place them in a very difficult position. If you look at their performance in other divisions, you have to ask how they can make it all work if the franchising market means they can't win contracts on profitable terms."First's UK bus division set for major changesSignificant action to reshape First's UK bus division will be considered in the wake of Apollo's interest in the company, industry sources have predicted.One of the UK bus industry's most experienced managers told Passenger Transport that the case for substantially reducing the size of the division to create a more profitable and manageable business is highly likely to be revisited. He considered that private equity ownership of most, or all, of First UK Bus is a likely outcome, regardless of whether Apollo ultimately buys FirstGroup, due to the need for a new management perspective.He recalled that in 2013 First had been looking to sell low profit and loss-making companies amounting to around half its UK bus business, but had not been able to dispose of a large number of its worst performing operations which had distracted from the turnround plan for the bus division and contributed to failure to meet profit targets.The type of turnaround needed is more likely to come from a private equity owner who can do the ruthless and objective thing out of the public gaze and without having to issue trading statements every three months"At that time, First correctly identified that they needed to sell half the UK bus business to concentrate resources on the areas where there was most potential, but they hit a situation where no one would buy the worst of those companies," he said."Then they weren't brave enough to close the ones they couldn't sell and tended to soldier on. They are now at a stage with UK bus where the type of turnaround needed is more likely to come from a private equity owner who can do the ruthless and objective thing out of the public gaze and without having to issue trading statements every three months."
[First's] seven days a week Clacton-Colchester and Clacton-Walton-on-the-Naze routes will continue.First says its Clacton operation "has not been viable for several years."It faces competition from Go-Ahead owned Hedingham, which has a network of five Clacton town routes, and a route to Colchester.Hedingham says it is planning to replace First's routes.
It looks like the deregulated model for bus service provision is broken.The real competition is the private motor vehicle and only an integrated service, involving a single operator in most areas, with jointly-operated routes in areas of territorial overlap, can be viable. The regulatory need to reflect that.First to exit Clacton and close depot with 60 jobs to goNote that First would be unable – under current competition law – to sell its operations to another major – in this case GoAhead. Though a sensible system would see major operators legally exchanging depôts and routes, with fares reviewed by a regulator, or municipalities stepping in.


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Watch on Netflix
Unblock Your Netflix
New Movies on Netflix
New TV Shows on Netflix
Two butt-head brothers are muddled in the midst of executing a bomb threat. What's worse than a national bomb scare? When the bomb is in the hands of two idiots.
Not available in your region? Sign up for ExpressVPN to unblock Netflix!


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SGT James J. Regan Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients
Every 18 months, Army Ranger Lead The Way Fund hosts a gala in New York City as a way to bring our Patriotic and generous donors together to collectively join us in our mission to raise funds in support of the men and families of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Since 9/11, elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment have been consecutively deployed on the front lines, fighting this Global War on Terrorism.
We see it as our obligation to give back to these men and their families who have selflessly given so much and ask so little in return.
Our Galas also give us the opportunity to honor some extraordinary Patriots, whether through their own service to our Nation, or their service and dedication to others, with our SGT James J. Regan Lifetime Achievement Award. These honorees embody the spirit, traits and characteristics by which SGT James J. Regan lived his life.
We hope you will be able to join us at our next Gala.
Steven A. Cohen
Mr. Steven A. Cohen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Point72read more
General Joseph L. Votel
GENERAL JOSEPH L. VOTEL, COMMANDER, UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMANDread more
United States Special Operations Command Warrior Care Program (Care Coalition)
The U.S. Special Operations Command Warrior Care Program (Care Coalition) was established in 2005 to provide Special Operations Forces (SOF) wounded, ill or injured Service Members and their families advocacy after life changing events.read more
General Raymond A. Thomas III, Commander, United States Special Operations Command
General Raymond A. Thomas III currently serves as the 11th Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.read more
Ranger Special Operations Combat Medics (68 Whiskey – Whiskey 1) "Docs"
Ranger Special Operations Combat Medics are affectionately called "Doc" by the men.read more
Coach Mike Krzyzewski "Coach K"
Winning seasons, superb graduation rates for his players and a basketball team that is as close as family, are all attributes that reflect on the man who is now in his 36th season as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.read more
CSM (Ret.) Michael Hall
A retired Command Sergeant Major, Mike Hall is the former Senior Enlisted Leader of the U.S. and International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan, the United States Army Special Operations Command, the Joint Special Operations Command and the 75th Ranger Regiment.read more
General (Ret.) Stanley A. McChrystal
A one-of-a-kind commander with a remarkable record of achievement, General Stan McChrystal is
widely praised for creating a revolution in warfare that fused intelligence and operations.
Sponsorship and Patriotic Supporters
Army Ranger Lead The Way Fund is grateful for the support of our corporate and local sponsors.
Become a Gala Sponsor
Army Ranger Lead The Way Fund welcomes new opportunities to develop partnerships with corporations, businesses and individuals who share in our commitment to helping serve our Army Rangers and their families.


text: Mendel enjoying his morning snack. By Christophe Posted May 3, 2014 In Videos 0 Video created with the Socialcam app: https://socialcam.com Related Posts You May EnjoySquirrel snack time.Mendel having his snack!Everyone is enjoying this beautiful 81 degree day in Beverly Hills.Enjoying the beautiful views of downtown today from the Hollywood Hills.Turtle town enjoying his fresh organic dandelion greens.Enjoying the beautiful views of LA from Bel Air today.Enjoying the stunning views today from the bird streets in the Hollywood Hills.I always enjoy relaxing in the lounge at The Ivy with the complimentary champagne before lunch! Christophe


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NOTE from Linda: Wendy (Hillcrest) created some special paintings for the hood. These are images that you put into your Paintings folder inside your game files. Then your Sims can paint them, if they have enough skill. All you have to do is save each one and into the Paintings folder, as mentioned above.
You can find Wendy's special paintings HERE.
Here's how some of the paintings look when a Sim completes them in the game. This is our retired pirate (Dollar Acob) showing off his talents. He lives at one of the lighthouses.


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It's not long until O-Games releases its dancing game Get Up and Dance. The game includes songs from the likes of Jessie J, Rizzle Kicks, Nicole Scherzinger, Taio Cruz and The Noisettes to Ministry of Sounds' very own Example, Wretch 32 and Vato Gonzalez Feat. Foreign Beggars. All of the dance routines were choreographed by the artists which should make for an authentic dancing experience. A new trailer has been released showcasing some of the dance routines that are in the game.
Get Up and Dance will be out on 4th November on Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3.
Tags: Get Up and Dance, nintendo wii, o-games, PlayStation 3
October 14th, 2011 |
Tags: Get Up and Dance, nintendo wii, o-games, PlayStation 3