Today's Readings and Stuff ----- Tuesday, 28 July 2015

another day .....................

Took Dear Wife to the Physical Therapy session this morning.  This is located in the nearest town (we live about 1-1/2 miles from the city limits) in a building in a plaza, the building used to be a large movie theater, now defunct like so many others.  Part of that building is a cut-rate grocery, the other half is a medical "complex".  The physical therapy group is there, so is wife's bone doctor, so is a big x-ray, ultrasound, etc. diagnostic center.  So, as of a couple months ago, is our primary care doctor.  Seems these days, in large part "courtesy" of the abomination known as Obamacare, physicians are more like well-paid employees, not independent professionals with their own practice.  It has a few advantages for us, discerning the "in-network" and "out of network" people is pretty easy and the data transfer between the various specialties has been pretty good, at least from our viewpoint.  With an extraordinarily complex case such as Dear Wife's, that gets to be critical, actually a life-or-death situation quite quickly, as it has on several past occasions.
But we recently got word that our Primary doctor, Dr. S., is leaving this place.  Actually, he's simply moving to the next city over, an extra 10 miles or so, and getting into another "doc-in-a-box" situation, or so it appears.  Might be one with a bit more freedom for him, not certain.  We came out of the therapy section towards the center admin area, right by the outside door, and saw his top nurse /PA on the phone with someone.  We waited until she was done, then check that Wife's appointment at the end of next week is still good (it is, she'll be about the last of his appointments), and let her know we are thinking hard about following him to his new situation.  She'll be going over there with him, which would be helpful.

All that ate about 2-1/2 hours, not including travel time.  We came home, she ate a little, then she crashed on the recliner for about 2 hours while I tried to be quiet.  Makes it impossible to do much around here, and it was 88 degrees outside, VERY hot for here.  So I sat quietly and read and surfed.

Such is our life these days.

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The Old Testament reading today is Psalms 53, 54, and 55

Psalm 53

1	The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
2	God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
3	Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4	Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
5	There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
6	Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalm 54 

1	Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.
2	Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3	For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.
4	Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
5	He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.
6	I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.
7	For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.

Psalm 55

1	Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
2	Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
3	Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
4	My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
5	Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6	And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
7	Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
8	I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
9	Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10	Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
11	Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
12	For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
13	But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
14	We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
15	Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
16	As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17	Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18	He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19	God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20	He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
21	The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
22	Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23	But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

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The New Testament passage is verses 26-44 of Acts 27.  Paul is on his way, under guard, to Rome, there to appeal to Caesar.  And, in so doing, to spread the Gospel in a new area and at Rome's expense as well.  The seeds he will plant there grew, and we see the results even today, nearly 2000 years later.  Not bad!!  But in the meantime, he' s having to deal with the here and now, and in this case, that means being on board a small ship in the Mediterranean Sea in a horrible storm that ends in the destruction of the ship.  Talk about opposition!!

Acts 27:26-44

26	Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
27	But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
28	And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
29	Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
30	And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
31	Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
32	Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
33	And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
34	Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
35	And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
36	Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
37	And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
38	And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
39	And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
40	And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
41	And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
42	And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
43	But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44	And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.