Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Gerald C. Primm and Charles H. Spurgeon

World War II Distinguished Flying Cross
Died on Memorial Day Weekend 2011
A devoted son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather
A devoted Christian and pastor

Faith takes the telescope, looks beyond the narrow range of time into the eternal heavens, and sees a crown laid up for the faithful.  
C. H. SPURGEON, THE MOURNER'S COMFORTER

"...what God has done with one life totally committed to Him whose power is unlimited!"  
GERALD C. PRIMM on C.H. SPURGEON

Gerald C Primm (1922-2011) To me, sister of Gerald Primm, the quotes above apply to my dear, oldest brother of my two treasured brothers, Gerald and Bud. Gerald Primm was a co-laborer for Christ and across time with Charles Haddon (C. H.) Spurgeon, and he was an expert on Mr. Spurgeon's life, works for the poor, preaching, and writing. Gerald went to be with the Lord early on the morning of May 28 at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC. His sons were with him. Gerald was a beloved son (of Waldo Primm [d. 1984] and Treva Caudle Primm [d.1995]), husband (to Ethel Brown Primm [d.2006]), father (to John, Mark, and daughter-in-law Sandy), grandfather (to Carly, Caleb, Corrie, and Connor), brother (to Bud, Jean, brother-in-law Jim), uncle (to Deirdre and Carole), and friend; he was a pastor, mentor, preacher, and scholar; a WWII P-38 Lightning fighter pilot and veteran with many combat awards, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, an award that most of the family knew nothing about until near or after his death.  
Capt. Gerald Primm
Mr. Primm greatly admired the person and works of 19th century London preacher C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), possibly above all other Christian men and preachers. He drew much strength from Mr. Spurgeon's perseverance of faith. Mr. Primm's new wife introduced him to Mr. Spurgeon not long after they married and through one book she suggested he read during a time of boredom when he wanted some good reading at a retreat. "Where can I find more books by this man?", Mr. Primm asked his bride after he finished the first book by Charles H. Spurgeon. Thus, the journey of a lifetime began. Mr. Primm even revived Sword and Trowel, a periodical Mr. Spurgeon published for many years. 

In his later years, Mr. Primm noted that his birth date, January 31, was the same as Mr. Spurgeon's date of death, and that Mr. Spurgeon's birth date, June 19, was the same birth date as Mr. Primm's sister, with whom he published the second US edition of The Mourner's Comforter.
Charles H. Spurgeon age 23 (Wikipedia)

In 1975, the book's centennial year, Mr. Primm published the first U.S. edition of C.H. Spurgeon's 1875 publication The Mourner's Comforter, seven discourses on Isaiah 61:1-3; he compiled selections from Spurgeon's works in Paradoxes, Mysteries, Riddles, and Comfort for Christians (2002), which he edited; and he co-released a new edition of The Mourner's Comforter in 2007, based on the original,, with his Acknowledgments to Errol Hulse (UK) and others. 

One of the two largest collections in the world of Mr. Spurgeon's books and other works, including consecutive editions of "Sword and Trowel," were in Mr. Primm's personal library in his home. Mr. Primm collected the works gradually during decades of correspondence and book exchanges in the U.K. and elsewhere with rare book finders and dealers. Information about Mr. Primm's C.H. Spurgeon collection may be found, in future, through the library archives office (present archivist, Mr. Jim Lutzweiler) of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary-SEBTS, Wake Forest, NC

Paradoxes, Mysteries, Riddles, Enigmas, and Comfort for Christians: A Compilation of Selected Charles H. Spurgeon?The Mourner's Comforter: Isaiah 61 ExplainedThe Sword and the Trowel; Ed. by C.H. Spurgeon

Friday, May 20, 2011

Don't Lose Your Online Writing!

This image is attributed to NASA, a government...Image via Wikipedia
This is a NASA photo that resembles 
my memory reacting to a lost blog post. 
I should have paid serious attention to the page that popped up, saying that Blogger was having some problems the day I was writing about trends of political language in Washington, DC. I should have saved the draft as a Word document. The blog post appeared to be saved. I was assured it was saved. So, I did not protect the article elsewhere, and it disappeared!

My time spent scrambling to find the document yielded no threads to pull. What was left was little bits and pieces in memory...my brain, which had to go with me to other work of the day.

I hear you wondering, Did she look in her Blogger drafts file? Did she search Word?

The answer to the first is Yes, and it's not there; to the second, ...come to think of it, I've not looked in Trash. However, the document was never named and saved. I doubt that it's there. I'll look again, though, and see if it's there. If so, I'll update here.

Protect your favorite online writing by saving it somewhere not online.

(c) 2011 Opinari and Jean Purcell {OWN}
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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Deirdre Reilly's Blend of the Day: Nello Hits the Ground Walking

Deirdre Reilly's Blend of the Day: Nello Hits the Ground Walking

(c) 2011 Opinari and Jean Purcell{OWN} posts may be quoted with attribution: (date of post, URL address of blog, post title)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

OPINION: Views Expressed by MSNBC Host I Just Do Not Get

If you "get" something, you understand it. You comprehend and maybe even sympathize or empathize. This I do not get: Rachel Maddow (MSNBC talk show host) was rumored to have urged a CNN news anchor to "come out" with personal information, i.e., homosexuality. It is important to note that Maddow denies that she named the anchor in the interview. Rumors otherwise developed quickly, yet seem so far to have not basis. Giving Ms Madow the benefit of her words, it is true that in talking with The Guardian she is quoted as saying that "if you're gay you have a responsibility to 'come out'." (Source: LA Times online/Entertainment, April 26, 2011-emphasis added.) 

Maddow is one of many that promote "going public" or "coming out" as obligation of homosexuality. Does this seem odd to you, when private information has nothing to do with quality of work, or with legalities, professionalism, or the general public's need to know? Why should personal lives and facts about them, unless illegal or criminal, be part of the workplace? Too much attention already is on news reporters as news makers, and this attitude increases the problem. Most of us do not want "personalities," we want journalists and real reporting.

In this writer's view, to try to force "coming out" with personal facts shows unprofessional approach and bad taste. Period.

Which reminds of Elizabeth Taylor, who showed better taste. She was close to homosexual actors for decades when homosexuality was hardly spoken about, even in general, in public. She was rumored to be in love with one who remained close to her until he died. Another, Rock Hudson, she befriended during the illness that caused his death. Unlike then, professions now are not lost because of private choices. When they were, however, I admired Ms Taylor for the way she remained a friend when some of her friends were "outed" by HIV/AIDS illness and treatment, or by curious, prying minds. As public attention grew in those days, often in clamorous tones, she began to speak out about HIV/AIDS and to support research efforts, openly and compassionately. Thereby, she helped many who were ill due to behaviors or due to infected blood transfusions or other causes. 

Now that I do get.

(c) 2009-2011 Opinari and Jean Purcell

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Deirdre Reilly's Blend of the Day: Helicopter Parent Quiz

Deirdre Reilly's Blend of the Day: Helicopter Parent Quiz