Good morning, digital neighbors! Happy Saturday, Frozen Souls across the USA! It is a chilly 3 degrees here in outer suburbia, House Springs, MO. My current—and I hope final—assignment as a pastor is about half an hour south of St. Louis. We are all waiting for the next shoe to drop with the weather: 8 to 12 inches of snow if the forecasts are accurate. Sort of funny—we don’t expect politicians to be honest or meteorologists to be accurate, and yet both get to keep their jobs. Go figure.
Well, whatever your circumstances or expectations, off to a prayer for the morning. I have shared this one in the past, but good prayers are always worth repeating, just like a good meal. Happy Saturday digital neighbors!
The beauty of life is to be found
not in luxury, but in simplicity;
in sweat of the brow, sweat of the hands, sweat of the heart;
in pride of work, without greed of gold.
To be loyal in friendship,
patient in suffering,
and rich in laughter
is to be a good comrade in the workshop of life,
and to such faithful servants
God will pay wages of peace and joy.
—Harcourt, Giles; Harcourt, Melville. Short Prayers for the Long Day
Ijzerenleen, Mechelen, Belgium- Filip Bunkens - Unsplash
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
https://teams.live.com/meet/93792382189049?p=DiBHsYfuECPgDrG7vO
2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
Occurs every day starting 1/1 until 12/31/2027
Coffee Talk - Daily beginning at 6:00 AM Central Time Zone - USA
White Pilled Wednesday - A break from the heaviness of news and current events to focus upon things more personal & positive for the first hour of Coffee Talk.
Afternoon Chats - Most Tuesday, Friday & Sundays 2:00 PM Central
Other chats as posted in the community.
