The Blended Blog: June 2022

C.H. Spurgeon's Evening Devotional

Tuesday July 22, 2025

"Behold the Man!"-John 19:5

If there be one place where our Lord Jesus most fully becomes the joy and comfort of His people, it is where He plunged deepest into the depths of woe. Come hither, gracious souls, and behold the Man in the garden of Gethsemane; behold His heart so brimming with love that He cannot hold it in-so full of sorrow that it must find a vent. Behold the bloody sweat as it distils from every pore of His body, and falls upon the ground. Behold the Man as they drive the nails into His hands and feet. Look up, repenting sinners, and see the sorrowful image of your suffering Lord. Mark Him, as the ruby drops stand on the thorn-crown, and adorn with priceless gems the diadem of the King of Misery. Behold the Man when all His bones are out of joint, and He is poured out like water and brought into the dust of death; God hath forsaken Him, and hell compasseth Him about. Behold and see, was there ever sorrow like unto His sorrow that is done unto Him? All ye that pass by draw near and look upon this spectacle of grief, unique, unparalleled, a wonder to men and angels, a prodigy unmatched. Behold the Emperor of Woe who had no equal or rival in His agonies! Gaze upon Him, ye mourners, for if there be not consolation in a crucified Christ there is no joy in earth or heaven. If in the ransom price of His blood there be not hope, ye harps of heaven, there is no joy in you, and the right hand of God shall know no pleasures for evermore. We have only to sit more continually at the cross foot to be less troubled with our doubts and woes. We have but to see His sorrows, and our sorrows we shall be ashamed to mention; we have but to gaze into His wounds and heal our own. If we would live aright it must be by the contemplation of His death; if we would rise to dignity, it must be by considering His humiliation and His sorrow.

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Monday, June 20, 2022

Wild Creatures In My Neighborhood and What if I Went to the Circus by: Cheryl Carpinello

About the Books:

Title: Grandma and Grandpa’s Tales Books 1 - 6

Author: Cheryl Carpinello
Publisher: Silver Quill Publishing
Genre: Children’s Picture Books (Ages 4 – 8)

BOOK BLURB:

Grandma and Grandpa’s Tales books 1-3 encourage early readers with fun stories
incorporating difference aspects of nature. Book 1, Wild Creatures In My
Neighborhood and What if I Went to the Circus, explores the wildlife around
neighborhoods and introduces decision-making. Book 2, Singers of Songs and The Not
Too Stubborn Humpback, explores a common, but not so common insect, and lets
readers see that being stubborn isn’t always good. Book 3, Vampires in the Backyard
and A Fish Tale, introduces readers to an extended metaphor and lets them decide if
the fish story is real.

I was able to review a pdf copy of Grandma's Tales Book 1: Wild Creatures in My Neighborhood and What if I Went to the Circus. This book would be a very good read for early readers. The story was fun and I was able to make connections with Wild Creatures in My Neighborhood as here just the other day we were driving past a golf course in town and there in the middle of the course stood three deer eating grass as if they belonged there. I live in a fair size town 50,000 +. We have a river that runs through our town and on the other side of the dyck where the golf course is the river. Also I've woken on a summer night to skunk smell outside my bedroom window. We have had raccoon in our yard as well. My husband has also spotted an owl in the tree outside our house too. The story What if I Went to the Circus is a cute tale on animals Jackson brought home from the circus, but in the end he decides that maybe his sister would be a better playmate choice. Both these books were so adorable. I can't wait to share them with my own Grandson soon.

Book Information

Release Date: Grandma’s Tales #1 (2016), Grandma’s Tales #2 (2018), Grandma’s Tales #3 (2021), Grandpa’s Tales #1 (2016), Grandpa’s Tales #2 (2018), Grandpa’s Tales #3 (2021)

Amazon Ma 1: https://amzn.to/3374bEX

Amazon Pa 1: https://amzn.to/3uHMKpA

Amazon Ma 2: https://amzn.to/3Jan0X5

Amazon Pa 2: https://amzn.to/34HGt2g

Amazon Ma 3: https://amzn.to/3wELnJj

Amazon Pa 3: https://amzn.to/3GyXTLJ

About the Author

Cheryl Carpinello taught high school English for 25 years. During that time, she worked with
numerous students who didn’t like to read for a variety of reasons. However, she discovered that
even the most reluctant readers became engaged in the classroom and in reading when she
introduced units on King Arthur and the works of ancient world writers. Upon retiring, she set
out to write fast-paced, action-filled stories in these setting to encourage young readers to read
more. Her success with readers aged 8-16 led her to reach out to the youngest of readers and
those readers just starting out. Revising stories she had written for her own children, she
created Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales for ages 4-7. Her four grandchildren's conversations
created the stories in Book 3 of this series.
Visit her on Twitter and Facebook.