the Story: putting it in stone

 the Story: putting it in stone by ric gustafson 

The people did not want to get these fundamental laws wrong. So what did Moses do?. Moses read the Book of the Covenant to the people. He sprinkled blood on the people. By doing this, Moses established the covenant with the Lord.

Then God called Moses to come upon the mountain and stay there. He told Moses he would give him tablets of stone. On these tablets of stone were the law and commandments. The law and commandments were for the people's instruction. Praise God's name.

research help: ' The Story 365 devotions' by Zondervan

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

October 1962 page 12

 October 1962 page 12 by ric gustafson

Monday October 22 1962

Bundy spoke up. " You know Mr President the Republicans are going to say you knew about the missiles for weeks".

" You know I only knew about these missiles a week ago".

" How did they know?".

Bobby spoke up. " From the CIA people in Miami".

" They can claim anything they want". Cone frowned. " They have no specifics".

Bobby spoke up again. " The Quarantine should be aimed at the Soviets not Cuba". His voice hesitated. " I also think we should have United Nations inspectors overseeing the missile sites".

President Kennedy shook his head. " No, I don't think they would serve no real purpose". He frowned. " I know what Khrushchev will say?".

" What's that Mr President?".

" He'll say invade Cuba we'll fire the missiles".

Bobby looked at Jack. " That means nuclear war".

research help: ' The Shadow Of War' by Jeff Shaara

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Story: you shall have no other gods

 the Story: you shall have no other gods by ric gustafson

Has a buildup in your life ended up being anticlimactic. According to Exodus 20, that was not the case on Sinai. Thunder rumbled. Lightning crackled. Smoke came from the mountaintop. A thick cloud covering the mountain made it eerie. 

Then God through Moses gave his people clear instructions on how they should live. Moses gave God's people ten of the best rules humankind had ever seen.

research help: ' The Story 365 devotions' by Zondervan

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

October 1962 page 11

 October 1962 page 11 by ric gustafson

Sunday October 21 1962

McCone handed the gentlemen some photographs. " We are certain Mr President ". McCone's voice hesitated. " That eight to twelve Soviet medium range missiles are operational".

General Taylor spoke up. " I believe an air strike is called for and quickly".

McNamara spoke up. " I agree Khrushchev is a wild card".

General Taylor frowned. " We need to bomb the missile launcher sites themselves".

President Kennedy held up a hand. " Gentlemen, your input is appreciated". He frowned. " At our last meeting, the decision was made".

" And what was that decision Mr President?".

" I am going to tell the American people tomorrow evening that we will be instituting a quarantine of Cuba".

Later, at another EXCOMM meeting.

President Kennedy stared at his Chief of Naval Operations. " Admiral Anderson, can you please fill us in as to your plans?".

" Mr President, your quarantine line will be at a point 800 miles from Cuban territorial waters".

research help: ' The Shadow of War' by Jeff Shaara

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Story: be prepared

 the Story: be prepared by ric gustafson

The Boy Scouts have a motto ' be prepared'. According to Exodus 19, God wants his people to be ready and to be prepared. Moses told the people to wash their clothes and be ready by the third day. Why?.

Because on the third day, God was going to come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

Some day when we go before God, he wants our prepared hearts to be overjoyed with awe and respect. 

Everyday, God wants us to be in a quiet place with him. He wants our love.

He deserves our love and respect.

research help: ' The Story 365 devotions' by Zondervan

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Reluctant Beatle page 44

 the Reluctant Beatle page 44 by ric gustafson

In the summer of 1980, George came out with an autobiography. It was titled ' I Me Mine'. Then tragedy struck the Beatle family. 40 year old John Lennon was shot five times in the back. He died in the emergency room. Because of his death, Lennon's new album ' Double Fantasy' shot up to the top of the charts. 

In 1981, George released an album titled ' Somewhere In England'. One song titled ' All Those Years Ago' was a tribute to John. The song shot up to the top of the chart. After John's death, George increased security at Friar Park.

In 1982, George recorded an album called ' Gone Troppo'. One song was called ' Dream Away'. It was used in Terry Gilliam's film ' Time Bandits'.

From 1982-1985, life was quiet for George. He spent a lot of time with Olivia and Dhani. He bought a 63 acre lot on a bluff in Maui. He began to play the ukulele.

In 1985, Handmade released a film called ' Water'. In Jan 1986, George was part of a tribute special to one of his heroes. His hero was Carl Perkins. In March 1986, George and Handmade decided to make a film with Madonna and Sean Penn. The film was called ' Shanghai Surprise'. It was a total flop.

George started smoking again.

research help: ' George Harrison the Reluctant Beatle' by Philip Norman

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Story: time out

 the Story: time out by ric gustafson

God instructed Moses to tell the people what he did to Egypt. Moses told the people that God carried them on eagles wings and brought them to himself. Then God said that if the people obeyed him fully they would be his treasured possession.

The Hebrews needed a time out. It had been two months since they left Egypt. Now the people were camped in front of Mount Sinai. Through Moses, God reminded the people all that he had done for them. God wanted the people to obey him. God wants us to obey him also.

research help: ' The Story 365 devotions' by Zondervan

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Wicked page 1

 Wicked page 1 by ric gustafson

The witch stared out from the topmost bough of a black willow tree. She quietly watched as the four approached the tree, When the four had stopped, she tucked her broom under her arm. She quietly scuttled down the tree. Now she was only twenty feet from her prey.

There were four of them. One was a huge cat possibly a lion. One was a tin woodman. One was an animated scarecrow. The fourth was a girl.

" What a witch". replied the Lion. " Psychologically warped insane".

The Tin Woodman spoke up. " She was castrated at birth".

The Lion frowned. " She's a despot and a tyrant".

Just then, the witch noticed the girl. She was a good size farm girl. She was dressed in blue and white. In her lap was a little dog.

The girl frowned as she looked toward the distance. " There is a storm coming".

" We're safe here" replied the Tin Woodman.

" No, we're not". The girl looked worried. " Let's run to that shed up ahead".

The four ran off.

Then the witch noticed the sparkly shoes the girl was wearing. Those were her sister's shoes.

research help: ' Wicked' by Gregory Maguire

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Blackbird page 3

 Blackbird page 3 by ric gustafson

A biography of Paul McCartney came out in 1997. The author was Barry Miles. McCartney explained to Miles his inspiration for ' Blackbird'. He told Miles he had in mind a black woman than a bird. It was the days of the Civil Rights movement. The song was from him to a black woman and what she was experiencing. McCartney hoped that the song would encourage people to keep trying, keep your faith and hope.

McCartney wanted something symbolic so he picked a bird. McCartney cloaked the civil rights message so listeners could apply the song to whatever problem they were facing.

' Blackbird' at a basic level is lyrics about a bird. The lyrics talk about flying and singing. McCartney had a bird book. He picked the blackbird to be his visual. He had picked the name Wings for his post Beatles band.

The Beatles loved and respected black musicians. One of their favorites was Billy Preston. Preston became a good friend and was in on many of their recordings. His nickname was the 5th Beatle. Preston's own interpretation was of a gospel sensibility. 

Disco Queen Sylvester did a 1979 version of ' Blackbird'. That interpretation addressed liberation.

research help: ' Blackbird' by Katie Kapurch and Jon Marc Smith

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Reluctant Beatle page 43

 the Reluctant Beatle page 43 by ric gustafson 

In 1977, George and Olivia traveled and enjoyed the quiet of Friar Park. One of George's frequent guests was Peter Sellers. One hobby George started was being a Formula I race driver. He started racing in the 1977 season while Olivia was pregnant. George divorced Pattie in June 1977. George married Olivia in Sept of 1978.

A son was born to George and Olivia on August 1 1978. They named their son Dhani. The rest of 1978 George spent with his wife new son and Eric Idle.

In 1980, George started a business partnership called Handmade Films. He let Denis O'Brien handle the business end of the partnership. George mostly stayed away from business affairs. George had two friends watch Handmade for him. The first was Beatles former press officer Derek Taylor. The other was a close friend. His name was Ray Cooper. A young accountant named Steve Abbott who started working with George noticed shady dealings with George's money. O'Brien had set up shady accounts in Panama, Dutch Antilles and Swiss bank accounts. George knew nothing about them. 

Eric Clapton married Pattie Harrison in March 1979.

research help: ' George Harrison the Reluctant Beatle' by Philip Norman

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Story: no water

 the Story: no water by ric gustafson

God's people had no water to drink. They grumbled and complained to Moses. Moses cried out to God for help. God told Moses to strike his staff against a rock. God told Moses water will come out. It did.

Once again, God provides for his people. God provides for us every day.

research help: ' The Story 365 devotions' by Zondervan

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Blackbird page 2

 Blackbird page 2 by ric gustafson

In 2020, Blues Hall of Famer Bettye LaVette released an album called ' Blackbirds'. On the album was her first person interpretation of Paul McCartney's song ' Blackbird'. LaVette knew about the civil rights origin of the song. She had heard McCartney's stories of the origin of the song. Realizing that black musicians were using the song to give them hope about their own recordings and live performances. LaVette gave ' Blackbird' a first person perspective.

For the Beatles, it started before their arrival in the US in 1964. A black owned label called Vee Jay. It was founded by Vivian Carter and her husband Jimmy Brocken. The label's representative was Barbara Gardner Proctor. In 1962, the Beatles were unknown in the US. Proctor flew to London and traded songs with EMI Records. EMI Records included Parlophone. This was the Beatles label.

Billy Preston recorded with Vee Jay in 1964 and 1965. Preston would later become part of the Beatles legacy. Preston said that the Beatles had great respect for black music. They were not threatened by it. The Beatles had great respect for American rhythm and blues.

So what was Paul McCartney's inspiration for ' Blackbird'?.

research help: ' Blackbird' by Katie Kapurch and Jon Marc Smith

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Reluctant Beatle page 42

 the Reluctant Beatle page 42 by ric gustafson

On December 19 1974, the Beatles business partnership was terminated. Only Paul and George were there to sign. After the tour ended, George and Olivia went to Hawaii. Patti moved into Eric Clapton's mansion in December 1974. George's next album turned out to be Apple's last album. The album was called ' Extra Texture Read All About It'. ' You' was a love song to Olivia. ' You' made it to number 20 on the Billboard singles chart.

George loved the silly comedy of the British troupe Monty Python. One of the troupe was Eric Idle. George and Idle became fast friends. In Feb 1976, the ' My Sweet Lord' lawsuit played out in Manhattan District Court. Because of Allen Klein's involvement in the case it was put on hold for another 5 years.

In May of 1976, George was diagnosed with hepatitis B. This was a liver disorder caused by excessive alcohol use. George's next album was called ' 33 1/3'. George missed the deadline to turn in the album. 

CEO of Warner Brothers Records Mo Astin saved George by giving him a great deal. George had to give A and M Records 4 million. George was able to keep Dark Horse going. And he gave ' 33 1'3' to Mo Ostin. From the new album ' This Song' became a top 25 hit. Sales for the album did better than George's previous two albums.

research help: ' George Harrison the Reluctant Beatle' by Philip Norman

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

the Story: what is it?

 the Story: what is it? by ric gustafson

God's people were cranky, grumbling and hungry. God heard them and acted. In the morning, God sent a layer of dew around their camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes appeared on the desert floor. 

God's people did not know what it was. What is it?.

The thin flakes was called manna. The people were given this manna morning and evening by God. 

Everyday, God provided for his people. He does the same for us every day.

research help: ' The Story 365 devotions' by Zondervan

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric

Blackbird page 1

 Blackbird page 1 by ric gustafson

In 2018 was the 50th anniversary of an album the Beatles put out on November 22 1968. The album was simply called ' the White Album'. It was the only double album the group put out. One of the songs on the album was ' Blackbird'. 

' Blackbird' was written by Paul McCartney. As far as the motivation to write the song, it goes back to a dark time in American history. At that time, McCartney was paying attention to what was happening here. 

McCartney was watching what was happening in the South regarding civil rights. McCartney was watching what was going on in Alabama and Little Rock.

McCartney wanted to write a song about what those people were going through. He hoped the song would give people there a little hope. The song was his way to support black people fighting for civil rights.

But why the blackbird as a metaphor?.

research help: ' Blackbird' by Katie Kapurch and Jon Marc Smith

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric