QUARANTINE BLOG # 535

September 16, 2021

What was the first skyscraper to be built in New York City?  I dismissed the Empire State Building, and thought it must be the Chrysler Building (the one King Kong chose for his defensive perch against the airplanes – “It was beauty that killed the beast”).  Wrong.  The first skyscraper in the Big Apple (when it was just a little tree) was the Tower Building.

The accepted architectural definition of skyscraper is a building with a steel skeleton structure – vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame.  Previously, masonry walls were the load bearing walls of a structure, and that limited the height to which the construction could reach.  

The lot which Architect Bradford Gilbert chose for his building was 108 feet deep, but the building had only 21.5 ft of frontage on Broadway.  A conventional design would have left little room on the ground floor, so Gilbert came up with a new idea.  The resulting structure was 128 feet in height, and 11 stories high.  Completed in 1899, by 1913 the Tower Building was virtually empty, and was sold and demolished.

The next iconic skyscraper, the Flatiron Building, was built in 1901.  Its story tomorrow.

👉  Several QBs ago, we featured the Wife Carrying World Championship.  Well, if you thought that was strange, to paraphrase Al Jolson, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Castrillo de Murcia, Spain has a Baby Jumping Festival which takes place 60 days after Easter.  The Baby Jumping Festival is a baptismal ceremony wherein babies who were born over the last year are absolved of sin.  The religious custom dates back to the early 1600s.  Men dressed in traditional “devilish” clothing terrorize the crowd before running down the street and jumping over the babies who have been carefully laid out on pillows.  No injuries have been reported, but the Catholic higher-ups frown upon the ritual.

Next up, the International Hair Freezing Contest in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.  Described as a “fun winter celebration,” every February participants dunk their heads in the Takhini Hot Pools and then create frosty hairdos by shaping their locks as they freeze in the cold air.  Temperatures in the area can reach below -22° Fahrenheit, at the time of the contest.  Winners receive a small cash prize.  There is said to be “stiff competition.”

Or perhaps you’d like to compete in the World Toe Wrestling Championships in Wetton, Staffordshire, England, UK.  First held in the 1970s, it was born out of the desire for the UK to have its own championship in some type of sport.  Just like arm wrestling, two people go up against one another in each match, which is won by the best of three.  Players can only take part in the tournament after a thorough toe examination by a qualified nurse.  I guess contestants can be disqualified for excess toe jam.

👉  After those three events, the following “Blackouts,” and “QB Smiles” may appear tame and rather serious.

Blackouts

QB Smiles 

👉  Today’s close, “That Verse before ‘All Things’” is by John Upchurch

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12).

I’d rather live a Philippians 4:13 type life – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” But that verse before it always gets me. I’d rather jump right into the “doing all things through him who gives me strength” without slogging through the “content in any and every situation” part. The second verse makes for such great posters, but now, when I read it, all I can think is “whether living in plenty or in want.”

Talk about a buzzkill.

But God’s plans come in a larger size than my earthly satisfaction. He wants my sanctification, my being-made-more-like-Jesus-ness. He wants me to see that His riches don’t come with dour-looking presidents or expiration dates or limited warranties. They aren’t earned by the sweat of my brow. Instead, His riches come pouring down in my contentment.

Paul told Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6), and he’s driving at the same thing here in Philippians. “Strength,” according to the world, boils down to laying claim to the most stuff – power, model spouses (emphasis on the plural), houses, and influence. But those who think that way can never be content no matter the situation. When their “strength” disappears, they wilt. Some do whatever it takes to get back to where they were; some end up in rehab; and some see no reason to live. Some strength, huh?

Jesus doesn’t play by our rules, though. His Beatitude bunker busters make that pretty clear (see Matthew 5). The weak, the poor, the hungry – those are the ones who receive the treasures. You see, Jesus does want us to get to Philippians 4:13, but to do that, He has to demolish our strongholds by taking us through Philippians 4:12. We’re strong through Him only when we’ve learned to clear the detritus of what we think we need in this world and see Him for the all-sufficient treasure that He really is.

We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. But to get to that point, we have to learn satisfaction in His “all things,” the plans He has for us. That’s because it’s His strength, not ours.

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