Happy Thanksgiving

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. -Abraham Lincoln, 1863

Thanksgiving is, of course, a civic rather than religious holiday, but it has roots in a faith in a generous God. Here are a couple of Thanksgiving MOCs - Clancy's feast by Josh Wedin and Zerves' variation on set 10090. I hope all my readers have a wonderful day tomorrow, whether you are in the US celebrating this as a holiday or not. I'll probably be away from the computer for a couple of days, and then once December starts I'm sure that Christmas-themed creations will start appearing.

Flying butresses

The Colossal Castle Contest over at Classic-Castle is bringing out lots of church builders. Shmails built some flying buttresses for the 'technological advances' category. Flying buttresses allowed for the construction of much taller and grander cathedrals and became a hallmark of gothic architecture.

Funeral of Roland Kingsley

Entries are starting to arrive for the Colossal Castle Contest 7 over on Classic-Castle. For this blog, let's take particular note of the 'religious life' category. Here is RichardAM's Funeral of Roland Kingsley.

Sunday's sermon at Notre Dame de la Carce

Entries are starting to arrive for the Colossal Castle Contest 7 over on Classic-Castle. For this blog, let's take particular note of the 'religious life' category. Here is 74louloute's Sunday's sermon at Notre Dame de la Carce

Medieval wedding

Entries are starting to arrive for the Colossal Castle Contest 7 over on Classic-Castle. For this blog, let's take particular note of the 'religious life' category. Here is Nanuck95's medieval wedding.

Breakfast Television

Janey Red Brick recently appeared on Breakfast Television, a morning news program in Canada. This was a great public display of our hobby, and I've previously blogged Janey on my other blogs for her vignettes and microscale MOCs, but I'm noting her here for her MOC of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.



The FSM's first appearance was in a 2005 letter from Bobby Henderson to the Kansas State Board of Education, using satire to object to the teaching of Intelligent Design theory in public schools. The FSM has since become a sort of internet icon among skeptic and atheist groups, having some fun with the whole idea of organized religion.



On Flickr, Janey has more photos from her appearance on Breakfast Television.

The Church of Fremont

John Cooper, of Fremont, Nebraska, built a >huge LEGO church. According to the newspaper article in the Fremont Tribune, this project took three years:

* The main sanctuary is six feet long and seats 400 people ... well, perhaps Legos-size folks. It is tiled, includes tiny pews and hymnals and four organs. There are walkways along the sanctuary. And there’s a large dome with a cross.
Oh, and there’s a music room, of course.
* The lighted bell tower, which is a little over three feet tall, took almost a year to complete.
* On the south end of the L-shaped structure is a fellowship hall with a basketball court and stage. A guest who peeks through the skylights can also see a tiny piano and trumpet on the stage.

Cooper is music and worship director at a local Lutheran church, which helps explain his inspiration, though from the article it seems that the LEGO church is his own design, and not based on the church he is a member of. Sadly, the Coopers are moving into a new home, so this church has already been disassembled. But now the bricks are ready for the next project.



Sorry about the photo quality. This is a screencap of a slideshow of four photos on the Fremont Tribune website. It does not appear that Cooper posts anyplace like Brickshelf or Flickr, though the article mentions that he did use Bricklink to get the bricks.

Creations for Charity

There is no GodBricks content to this, but it's a great cause and, heck, this is my blog. A number of LEGO builders have gotten together to create Creations for Charity (headed up by Nannan Z). You can buy original MOCs by great LEGO builders, and all proceeds will go to buy LEGO sets for underprivileged kids - these will be distributed via Toys for Tots. I highly suggest you give this a look. All major faith traditions recognize a duty to help those who are less fortunate, and in the western world we often see the Christmas season as a time to particularly focus on that need (there, I got in some relevance to this blog after all).

LEGO Book

DK Publishers recently released a boxed set: The LEGO Book, all about the hobby and another about minifigs (celebrating their 30th anniversary). One of the coolest aspects of the book is the inclusion of creations by LEGO fans, including the previously blogged recreation of the Cologne Cathedral by Jürgen Bramigk.



I apologize for the quality of the photo. This was cropped from a snapshot I took with my phone. Follow the link I gave above to a full gallery of great photos of this cathedral.

Ordo Fratrum Minorum

Matthew 10:9 - "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts." In 1209 Francis of Assisi was so impressed by a sermon on this passage that he took a vow of poverty. The power of his example and sanctity of his life brought others to him, and eventually Pope Innocent III formally sanctioned their order. Still today, Franciscans are one of the best known religious orders within the Catholic Church, and they still hold to Francis' original teachings about poverty. Naneto presents this representation of a Franciscan friar. Btw, this scale of building is called Miniland, as this is the type of model you see in the Legoland theme parks. For more about this style of LEGO building, see one of my other blogs, MinilandBricks.

Contest time!

Classic-Castle is a website focused on the LEGO Castle theme. The annual Colossal Castle Contest VII was just announced, and one of the categories is 'religious life.' The Church, of course, played a huge role in medieval society, and this category challenges entrants to show that in LEGO form. I'm a judge in this contest, so I'm sure there will be lots of great monasteries, cathedrals etc. to report on this blog. This contest is open to anyone who wishes to enter, so all readers of this blog should try their hands.

Luther's Rose

Chris Wunz made a mosaic of Martin Luther's seal to commemorate Reformation Sunday.



Quoting Chris, who was quoting Luther:

In Luther's words"

"From the wilderness of Koburg Castle
8 July 1530

Honorable, kind, dear Sir and Friend!

Grace and Peace in Christ!

Since you ask whether my seal has come out correctly, I shall answer most amiably and tell you of those thoughts which now come to my mind about my seal as a symbol of my theology. There is first to be a cross, black, and placed in a heart, which should be of its natural color (red), to put me in mind that faith in Christ crucified saved us. For if one believes from the heart, he will be justified. ["For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." --Romans 10:10] Even though it is a black cross, which mortifies and which also should hurt us, yet it leaves the heart in its natural color and does not ruin nature...that is, the cross does not kill, but keeps man alive. For the just shall live by faith, by faith in the Savior. ["This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.'" --Romans 1:17]

Such a heart is to be in the midst of a white rose, to symbolize that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. In a word, it places the believer into a white joyful rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy as the world gives. ["I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." --John 14:27] Therefore, the rose is to be white, not red, for white is the color of the spirits and of all angels. ["..an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightening, and his clothing was as white as snow." --Matthew 28:2b-3 and "She saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying." --John 20:12]

This rose, moreover, is fixed in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that such joy in the Spirit and in faith is a beginning of the future heavenly joy. It is already a part of faith, and is grasped through hope, even though not yet manifest.

And around this field is a golden ring, to signify that such bliss in heaven is endless, and more precious than all joys and goods, just as gold is the most valuable and precious metal.

May Christ, our dear Lord, be with your spirit until the life to come. Amen."
Martin Luther

Semper Reformanda!!!