Saturday's Old Photo

These are Carl and Avas Carlson, relatives of my father, who ran a little Brethren in Christ Mission on the southside of Chicago. This photo is from the the early 1960s, and it’s one of those little photo cards that missionaries give out.

 

On the back of the photo this is stamped in red ink:

 

BRETHREN IN CHRIST MISSION
6033 S. Halsted St. - Went. 7122
CHICAGO 1, ILLINOIS
CARL J. CARLSON, Pastor 
SUNDAY SERVICES 9:45, 11, 7, AND 8
WEDNESDAY SERVICE 8:00 P.M
YOU ARE WELCOME !  

 
I remember Avas as a pale, quiet, unenergetic woman. That’s how she was during the three years that my family lived in the Chicago area and we attended church at the mission. According to my mother, there were quite a few days that Avas couldn’t get out of bed because she wasn’t feeling well. 

A few years after this photo was taken, Carl died. What did Avas do? She started her second life. She began playing her harp again and went all over giving concerts until she was well into her eighties and maybe her nineties. No more days in bed for her.

You might think from those details that was unhappy with Carl, but I don’t think so. I think she was unhappy with life in a dark and dingy flat above a storefront mission in a very rough area of Chicago.

Avas didn’t die until 2001 when she was 107 years old. 

Questioning the Queries Again

Pickled eggs are still way out in front as the most frequent subject of search queries that lead people to this site. There are many searches for just plain pickled eggs, more specific searches for easy pickled eggs from pickle juice, a couple of searches for love pickled eggs (pickled egg fans, I suppose), and one search from a pickled egg fanatic: pickled eggs that’s all I eat. One can only hope that’s hyperbole.

 

The last time I listed my top search queries, chicken related searches were the second most common. This time, however, chicken searches have dropped right off the chart and have been replaced by diva searches. Not just diva alone, but diva and scripture, as in several for scripture reference for diva and one for What does DIVA stand for scriptural?.  I don’t have a clue what those are about, but it must be something. What do the initials DIVA stand for? I thought perhaps it was a referrance to a word in the original languages, but I’m coming up blank there, too. Any ideas?

 

And while I’m asking questions, why did the chicken drop off the chart?

Update on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 3:31PM by rebecca

Brandon found the source of the DIVA and scripture queries.  See for yourself.  It comes from a book by Michelle McKinney Hammond called The DIVA principle:  Secrets to Divine Inspiration for Victorious Attitude.

From the book blurb:

Divine Inspiration for a Victorious Attitude…

In her newest offering, bestselling author Michelle McKinney Hammond serves up all the details on how to get and keep a victorious attitude that will set readers apart and give them their own unique style.

With her tell–it–like–it–is approach, Michelle helps women explore the beauty and power of their inner self with expert tips on how to…

• get their act together—emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically
• be the queen of their domain
• make a man sit up and take notice

Drawing examples from some of the Bible’s great divas such as Deborah, and translating them into everyday practical principles for living, Michelle shows readers how to excel in every area of life whether young or old, single or married by mastering the art of diva–tude!

Whoo boy!  Now there’s a book I won’t be reading. 

What are the special privileges of the visible church?

The visible church hath the privilege of being under God’s special care and government;[1] of being protected and preserved in all ages, not withstanding the opposition of all enemies;[2] and of enjoying the communion of saints, the ordinary means of salvation,[3] and offers of grace by Christ to all the members of it in the ministry of the gospel, testifying, that whosoever believes in him shall be saved,[4] and excluding none that will come unto him.[5]

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