PLASTER OF PARIS

PLASTER OF PARIS

Friday, July 27, 2018

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

  Don’t know about you, but I’ve always suffered and enjoyed curious inclination. The suffering involving controlling the distracting appetite in order to fulfill responsibilities; the enjoying being when I bite and discover bits of interesting information.

  While reading I ran across “plaster of Paris” and my curiosity hungered to know more.

  As a small boy doing hand casts, ash trays, and other child art, I thought it new. Using it for repairs when older I knew it wasn’t discovered when I was a tyke. With a brief web search I was surprised that it was used in Syria and Anatolia 90 centuries ago and that Egyptians used it as mortar and plaster in monuments and pyramid. Later, the Greeks even figured out how to make light windows out of it!

  But that’s not how the versatile compound received the name presently in use.

  Beginning Wednesday, September 2 and finally dying down Friday, September 5, 1666, a great fire destroyed Old London as it swept thru uncontrollably. In alarmed reaction, the King of France mandated, with enforcement, that all wooden houses in Paris be plastered over as protection against inferno. And so we have yet today the generic trade label “plaster of Paris”. Imagine the uproar today if our president mandated all wooden houses be plastered over.

  Such curiosity exercised results in nothing more than knowledge of trivia, right?

  Well, that’s how it was for me until after age 27; up until my becoming new creation (2Cor.5:17) with the mind of Christ (1Cor.2:16b), such was intellectually stimulating and discussion equipping, and at times used in one-upmanship ego games. After my personal John 3:3 renewal, I see plaster of Paris, Scots of yore striving to make a better feather stuffed golf ball, who really is or is not Irish, et al, not as mere trivia but thru different eyes . . . seeing all connected to man’s struggles for sense, direction and survival in a tumultuous confusing world.

  Then there’s “trivia”, the word originally meaning basic education for undergraduates studying grammar, rhetoric and logic; now meaning nice or fun to know, not essential foundational information.

  Many things change, some are plastered over with gypsum, others get plastered with green beer, but thankfully that which is eternal and indispensable never alters, Lord Jesus Christ being the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb.13:8) 

EBB4

Advisement: Valsartan is generic Diovan. Recently some batches have been found contaminated and should not be taken. To investigate call 1-800-616-2471 Option #1 to check on your manufacturer (Mfg.).