Enoch

From The New English Bible with the Apocrypha (1970):

Genesis 5:21-24, Ecclesiasticus 44:16, Hebrews 11:5-6

Enoch was sixty-five years old when he begot Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. He lived three hundred and sixty-five years. Having walked with God, Enoch was seen no more, because God had taken him away.

Enoch pleased the Lord and was carried off to heaven,

an example of repentance to future generations.

By faith Enoch was carried away to another life without passing through death; he was not to be found, because God had taken him. For it is the testimony of Scripture that before he was taken he had pleased God, and without faith it is impossible to please him; for anyone who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who search for him.

No one on earth has been created to equal Enoch,

fot he was taken up from the earth.

Smile: A Word Game

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living." So reads a quotation attributed to F. Scott Fitzgerald. The speed of light is approximately 186,282 miles per second. The word SMILE contains the same letters as the word MILES. Can you change the word SMILE into the word MILES in as few steps as possible (in far fewer steps than 186,282)? Change only one letter at a time, making a new word each time, and do not change the order of the letters from one step to the next. Proper names, slang, and obsolete words are not allowed.

MY ANSWER: Smile, stile, stale, stare, stars, sears, seals, sells, sills, mills, miles (10 steps).

Ian McKellen Performs Speech About Immigrants by Shakespeare from Thomas More

Sir Ian McKellen Quoting Shakespeare: Words for the Modern Day

 Actor Sir Ian McKellen recites an excerpt by William Shakespeare from the anonymous Elizabethan play Sir Thomas More.

The Justice of the Law of the LORD

 From the Good News Bible: Psalm 119:73-80, 137-144 (Good News Translation)

You created me, and you keep me safe; give me understanding, so that I may learn your laws. Those who honor you will be glad when they see me, because I trust in your promise. I know that your judgments are righteous, LORD, and that you punished me because you are faithful. Let your constant love comfort me, as you have promised me, your servant. Have mercy on me, and I will live because I take pleasure in your law. May the proud be ashamed for falsely accusing me; as for me, I will meditate on your instructions. May those who honor you come to me -- all those who know your commands. May I perfectly obey your commandments and be spared the shame of defeat.

You are righteous, LORD, and your laws are just. The rules that you have given are completely fair and right. My anger burns in me like a fire, because my enemies disregard your commands. How certain your promise is! How I love it! I am unimportant and despised, but I do not neglect your teachings. Your righteousness will last forever, and your law is always true. I am filled with trouble and anxiety, but your commandments bring me joy. Your instructions are always just; give me understanding, and I shall live.

Song: "Heavy Foot" by Mon Rovia

Watch this video of Liberian-American singer and songwriter Mon Rovia singing "Heavy Foot" from his debut album Bloodline, which is out now.