James M. Thomas

In the United States Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. The day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on that day in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.  In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.  Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale. "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. The poem was set to the tun

Hey, friends. I just got an update from my publishing service, Lulu.com , regarding an ongoing discount promotion. From now through Friday, June 15th, 2012, you can save 20% on Lulu.com purchases. This, of course, includes any purchases of my book, Ruminating on the Psalms, Volume 1 . To take advantage of the promotion, go to Lulu.com . On their homepage, there will be the name of a savings coupon that you can add to your cart in order to save. This promotion ends Friday, June, 15 at 11:59 PM. Please note that Lulu.com reserves the right to change this offer at any time. Also, the coupon codes are unique to each Lulu.com country store, so you must go to Lulu.com from your web browser in order to determine the valid coupon code for your area. Finally, the promotion applies only to Lulu.com (not to Amazon, the iBookstore, etc.). Enjoy! -

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. —Psalm 1 KJV Bible We don't know who wrote this psalm, but it is a perfect introduction to The Book of Psalms. The book is a Psalter — a collection of hymns and praises. This psalm characterizes us as dependant on God. It illustrates this dependency by using the metaphor of a rooted plant

The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 religious songs and chants. The Masoretic Texts, the Hebrew version of the Jewish Bible, refer to the book as Tehillim  — a transliteration of the Hebrew word meaning “Praises.” The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew text, referred to the book as Psalmoi — a transliteration of the Greek word, meaning to sing to the accompaniment of stringed instruments. It is from the Septuagint title that the English translation gets its name of The Book of Psalms. This book was the hymnal of the Jewish people. Five Books within One The psalms are arranged in Five Books: Psalms 1-41; Psalms 42-72; Psalms 73-89; Psalms 90-106; Psalms 107-150. These divisions are indicated in both the Masoretic and Septuagint texts. Each of the books concludes with a doxology of praise to God (41:13; 72:19-20; 89:52; 106:48; 150:1-6). Within the Five Books of the psalms there are sub-groups, including the Psalms of the Sons of Korah, 42-49; the Psalms of Asaph,

This is my new blog. In it, I will share various things which interest me. And there are a lot. I hope you enjoy it. First off, I'd like to share a bit about a book that I put out a couple of years ago. It is called, Ruminating on the Psalms, Volume 1 . As the name suggests this is the first of the series. The next volume is forthcoming. Here is a bit about Volume 1 . The Book of Psalms is one of the most beloved of the Old Testament canon. Yet many of the psalms are often taken for granted. In Ruminating on the Psalms, I try to look at the songs with new eyes. Beginning with the Authorized King James Version, I explore the people and events of the psalms as well as key words and phrases in an attempt to reveal the true meaning of each song. Begun as a series of personal Bible study devotions, I explore the significance of each psalm and then closes each study with a brief prayer, asking God to apply the lessons that have been learned. Ruminating on the Psalms, Volume 1 explor