The Food Award #2

Lydia nominated me on June 23rd, 2020.

I have been nominated by Lydia Potter for the Food Award! Thanks a lot, Lydia! Make sure you check out her blog and YouTube channel!

The Rules:
Thank the person that nominated you.
Pingback to the creator, Elisha at https://elishamcfarland.com/.
Use the same featured image as your nominator.
Answer the five questions.
Create five questions about food.
Nominate five people.

Questions from Lydia:

1. Do you like dried fruit?

Yes, indeed! I especially like raisins.

2. Have you ever eaten squirrel?

Squirrel? No, I’ve never eaten squirrel in my life. Is it good? 🤔❓🐿{😅)

3. What is your favorite soup?

Oh, I would have to say “Corn soup!” to that question! 🍵🥄😋{いただきます!!)

4. How do you like your steak cooked?

I like my steak medium-rare.

5. When was the last time you ate a pasta dish and what was it?

The last time I ate a pasta dish was on June 18th, 2020 (Say, my diary’s more useful than I thought! 😄), and that was Thursday I should say. It was a scrumptious meal that my mom made: pasta with tomato sauce and onions, and it was called “naporitan.” Sounds French, eh? (And later, after searching “naporitan,” I found out that I had made an error. It’s Italian. Of course it’s Italian, you dunderhead Josh!🤪)

But come to think of it, there was once a French emperor that had the name “Naporitan,” right? Emperor Naporitan, doesn’t really sound good, but hey, we can’t change history.

My nominees:

Lee Duigon

Rosy Marr

Bonnie

Hattush

Steve McLeod

My questions:

1. What’s your favorite soda drink?

2. What do you usually order at your favorite restaurant?

3. Do you like to listen to music while you eat?

4. Which ethnic food do you find the most to your liking?

5. Have you ever eaten sushi?

(All this talk about food makes me kinda hungry!)

Thank you again, Lydia, and I express my gratitude to all those who have read this! 😄

And thank you, God, for the food You so graciously give us each day!

‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’ Sung By Christians All Around the World!

It’s always an encouragement to see Christians mixing their voices together to sing praises to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Please enjoy this amazing rendition of the beloved hymn by Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress, sung by a virtual choir consisting of participants all around the globe.

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” (Psalm 18:2)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

The lyrics:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

(Lyrics taken from Timeless Truths.)

An Interesting Interview

This is a story of a man who, by the grace of God alone, converted from Islam to Christianity. To God alone be the glory!

(Description from YouTube)

Nabeel Qureshi (April 13, 1983 – September 16, 2017) was a Pakistani-American Christian apologist, author, speaker, and convert from the Ahmadiyya movement of Islam. Ahmadi Muslims worldwide are estimated to be around 10-20 million. The Ahmadiyya’s beliefs are more closely related to those of the Sunni Muslims than the Shi’a Muslims. The Ahmadis are guided by the Five Pillars of Islam and believe in the 6 Articles of Faith. They also accept the Quran as their holy book and pray five times a day while facing the Kaaba. Ahmadis practice Sunnah and accept the Authority of the Hadiths. However, their distinguishing characteristic is their belief in Mizra as the Promised Messiah and redeemer as was promised by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Mizra’s aim was to propagate Islam throughout the world through peaceful means and to revive the forgotten Islamic values such as peace, sympathy, and forgiveness.

The 34-year-old Nabeel was an itinerant speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). This interview was recorded in February 2014 with Canadian Pastor Robbie Symons.

Chess Lessons by Lee Duigon: Lesson Four

All Chess Lessons

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Lesson 4 – a bit more about Pawns.

The job Pawns do best is to defend your Pieces and your territory. Remember, they can only capture diagonally. Whole books have been written on this subject, but I can’t do that here.

“Pawn chains” often play a major role in defense. A simple chain of three Pawns might be placed on, for example, squares C5, B4, and A3. The A-Pawn defends the B-Pawn, and the B-Pawn defends the Pawn on C5. The weak link in the chain is the A-Pawn, which cannot be defended by another Pawn. When you have to attack a pawn chain, always aim for the weakest link.

There is a dirty trick in chess involving any Pawn you might have on the 5th rank. If your Pawn is on, say, E5, your opponent may attempt to move a Pawn *two* squares, as its first move, to D5 or F5. If he does, on your next move, *and only then*, your E5 Pawn may capture it by moving diagonally to D6 or F6, just as if your opponent’s Pawn had stopped there, having moved one square instead of two. This move is called Capturing En Passant, “In Passing.” It’s a legal move, and you should always keep an eye out for it. I find that when you take an opponent’s Pawn en passant, it usually shocks and confuses him: he loses his cool, and sometimes his train of thought as well. It’s not a move that shocks a very experienced player, it’s a perfectly legal move, but it often has a disproportionately powerful effect on the game. Personally, I’m always on the lookout for it.

The next lesson will be more about Pawns. I’ll try to stick to the basics. But as the 18th century French master, Philidor, famously said, “Pawns are the soul of chess.” So don’t sell them short.

– Lee Duigon (Nov. 3rd, 2018)

Check out Christian fantasy author Lee Duigon’s blog at LeeDuigon.com!! Don’t forget to give him a follow!

I really recommend The Bell Mountain Series by Lee Duigon! There are 12 volumes altogether!

Stay tuned for the next chess lesson!

Where Can I Find Jesus?

This is an excellent and encouraging video by my new friend, Sophia Lorena Benjamin. Thank you, Sophia, for the video!

“[5] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

[6] In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

[7] Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Mystery Blogger Award #7

Lydia Potter nominated me for this on May 14th, 2020!

Thank you so much, Lydia, for nominating me for the Mystery Blogger Award!! That was so kind of you! (To my readers: make sure to check out her blog and to give her a follow!)

The Rules:
1. Put the award logo on your blog.
2. Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
3. Mention the creator of the award.
4. Answers the five questions you were asked.
5. Tell the readers three things about yourself.
6. Nominate ten to twenty bloggers.
7. Notify the bloggers (tell them you nominated them) by commenting on one of their posts.
8. Ask your nominees five questions with one weird or funny one.
9. Share a link to your best posts.

The Mystery Blogger Award was created by Okoto Enigma.

My best posts (well, my personal favorites at least) are: Creation VS Evolution, The Bell Mountain Series by Lee Duigon, The Adventures of Joshua and Jeremy: The Hike Up Thunder Mountain, The Scrabble Game 2, J&J’s LEGO Stories: #1, and The Word of God.

3 Facts About Me:

I believe that the Bible is true.
I like to write my diary every day.
I am a very, very, very, very slow eater.

The Questions:

1. Do you prefer solid color clothes or a pattern?
I like both, but I prefer clothes with patterns,

2. What are your 3 favorite things you do every day?
I like to drink coffee, read my Bible, and pray.

3. How often do you post on your blog?
I used to post every day, but recently I’ve been doing only a few posts a month.

4. When you handwrite, do you write in cursive or print?
I write in cursive.

5. When was the last time you ate bacon?
The first thing I wrote was: “Hmm… I don’t remember exactly when I last ate bacon, but I think I ate some with fried rice (called “chahan”) four or five weeks ago,” but later, the time of my latest bacon consumption changed. On June 10th, 2020, Wednesday, at approximately 12:00 PM, I ate bacon strips, and, oh, they tasted swell.

(P.S. – I also ate bacon on June 17th, Wednesday, when it showed up in my lunchbox. Thanks, Mom!)

(P.P.S. – Sigh. This is what’ll happen if you wait until after Father’s Day to post this… you get to eat a whole pig before you can answer the question!!! On June 19th, Friday, Mom served us some delicious Japanese food which included some salmon, miso soup, and, you guessed it, bacon. I ate bacon on that day at around 12:15 PM, by the way! So what!?)

(P.P.P.S. – On June 21st, 2020, which, come to think of it, was yesterday, I ate chahan, and I don’t think I have to mention what was in it. 😉 )

I feel as if I’ve eaten an entire pig in order to answer this question! 🐷

I will nominate 12 people…

Mr. Holliman

Mrs. Holliman

Elijah Holston

Elisha McFarland

Lydia Rose

Keziah Hofmann

Joah Pearson

John Eli Garay

Sophia Lorena Benjamin

Jacquie A. Bradford

Robert Chamberlain

Ryan Callahan

The 5 Questions to the 12 Nominees:

1. What encourages you during these trying times?
2. What gives you the greatest happiness in your life?
3. How often do you wear a watch?
4. What is your favorite zoo?
5. Have you ever eaten black garlic? If so, do you like it?

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Thank you once again, Lydia! And thank y’all for reading! 🙂

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!!! 🙂

Thank you for everything you have done for me, for nourishing me, and for bringing me up in the way a child should go. (Proverbs 22:6)

This is a song my dad likes.

“Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me such a kind and loving father. May this day and the rest of his days be happy always in Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Again, to my father, and to all the fathers in the world…

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!! 😊😄

(P.S. – Sorry for the long break! I wanted to line this post up with the Mother’s Day post, so I had to wait! 🙂 )