TGBC and No. 16

Although it's a mixed blogpost this morning, deserves top billing the El Greco painting of Saint Paul perhaps leaving Attalia or arriving in Syrian Antioch to complete his (with Barnabas) first missionary journey. Together with the wonderful painting, reading the story and seeing the map (scroll down) will help me keep the story separate from Luke's stories of Saul who is called Paul's other adventures. 

As it is though, I already knew the story, so what I learned that you already knew is that one centimeter equals (rounded) four-tenths of an inch. This is important to me, having read that the world's oldest spider died at 43 years of age. She was a trapdoor spider and her name was No. 16, a lovely name in its own right. 

Her picture is horrifying, how big do these monsters grow to? One online article says they may grow to 4 centimeters: WTH do I know though, is that a foot long? No, turns out it's 4 x .4 = 1.6 inches. It also said they are sometimes kept as pets but that only experienced spider handlers should do so as they are very aggressive and move lightning fast. Scrolling down, the same article said they are very shy, nonaggressive spiders, harmless to humans, though the bite may sting rather bad. A bad sting and cardiac arrest are harmless? Since when ? Back to the obituary though, No. 16 was a female trapdoor spider who lived in Western Australia and she did not die of old age, but was murdered. By a large wasp. These wasps force their way past the trapdoor and into the burrow, where they sting the spider and lay one egg on her. The wasp hatchling then eats the paralyzed spider alive. I'm so sorry I read this.

Acts 14:21-28

The Return to Antioch in Syria

 After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch. There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, ‘It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.’ And after they had appointed elders for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.