Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 18 July 2014

It's impossible to not be concerned about yesterday's shoot-down of an unarmed passenger plane traveling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur.  Nearly 300 people aboard, all dead.  and it seems passing strange that this is the second major airline catastrophe this year involving Malaysian Airlines.  Not sure I'd be willing to board one of their planes, ever.   Lots of speculation over the questions of who did it, how, and why?  I don't know the answer.  Someone has reminded me of a little incident about a hundred years ago, the Lusitania, an incident that the vile Woodrow Wilson uses as a reason to involve the US into World War One.  Whether this could have similar results is not yet known.  My uninformed guess is that the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine had gained access to some fairly sophisticated Surface to Air Missiles, and used one.  The choice of route is also coming under scrutiny, normally such flights skirt war zones.  Don't know.  This may not turn out well for the rest of the world.

And it's been a "day" so far for us as well.  Dear Wife came down ill, or "more ill", yesterday evening.  A bladder or even a kidney infection is likely to blame, and she also had a very bad reaction to a new med that the neurologist had prescribed for intense headaches that are part of her very severe migraine episodes.  She began getting into real hallucinations, not "just" the weird lights and pain that are part of her "regular" migraine episodes.  The nausea accompanying the infection was no help; she decided to sit in a hot bath for a while, and promptly threw up, IN the bathtub.  Threw up about six more times during the night.  So we called the Primary Care doc's office this morning, got her in 40 minutes later, which included getting her up and dressed (and me too) and managing a 20 minute trip through an area I call "the Red Light District", since the dolts running the town have managed to  have both dreadful streets, and also lights that seem deliberately arranges so that you stop at ALL of them.  We very nearly did.  Made it on time.  Just.  And doc prescribed Cipro for the infection, and arranged restart on some existing meds whose refill limit had been reached.  I brought her home, put her to bed, had a cup of coffee and one of yesterday's leftover muffins, and drove the 20 minutes (in the opposite direction as before, and through another Red Light District) to go to pharmacy. Doc office had promised to call in the refills Real Soon Now.  Well, "Real Soon", like its cousin "Right Away", seems be be capable of various interpretations.  In this case, 'right now" meant just as I was entering the pharmacy, some 90 minutes after we'd left the doctor's office.  So I puttered around near the pharmacy for about an hour,   Finally got the pills, stopped and bought a tub of cottage cheese and some chicken soup for her and came home.  Of such things is our life these days.

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Old Testament reading -- Psalms 25, 26, and 27. Psalm 27 is a favorite, and there is good music to go with it.  I've sung this in several choral groups in several states, wish I could do so again.

Psalm 25 

1	Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
2	O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3	Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4	Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
5	Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
6	Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
7	Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.
8	Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9	The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10	All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11	For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12	What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13	His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14	The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15	Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16	Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17	The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18	Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19	Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20	O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
21	Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22	Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

Psalm 26 

1	Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
2	Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
3	For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
4	I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5	I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
6	I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
7	That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
8	LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
9	Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
10	In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11	But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.
12	My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.

Psalm 27

1	The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2	When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3	Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4	One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
5	For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6	And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
7	Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8	When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
9	Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10	When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
11	Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12	Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13	I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14	Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

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New Testament passage is verses 17-38 of Acts chapter 20.

Acts 20:17-38 

17	And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
18	And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
19	Serving the LORD with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:
20	And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
21	Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
22	And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
23	Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
24	But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
25	And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
26	Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27	For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28	Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29	For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30	Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31	Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
32	And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
33	I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
34	Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
35	I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
36	And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
37	And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,
38	Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.