21 February 2015

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 21 February 2015

last Saturday in February.  Hallelujah!!  Would like to see the very end of all of this snow and ice and cold.  And I have confidence that this will happen.  But not today, probably not this week or the next few weeks either.
We were eagerly seeing, earlier in the week, some weather forecasts of a break in the horrible, record-breaking cold.  Well, we have that today.  Sort of.  What accompanied a rise in temperature has been a not-so-nice snowstorm.  Looks like we'll get an additional accumulation of five (5) inches or so.  That on top of what we've already accumulated on the ground.  It's been snowing, and snowing, and snowing, with no break in the weather, no thaw, to allow some of it to melt off.  So the drifts are beginning to be impressive in height.  Color me unhappy.
And we're immobile on top of that.  Car ain't going anywhere.  I tried to start it again today, no good.  Pulled battery, put it on charger, it said 55%, which should have been enough.  Took it to 100%, reinstalled it, cleaned terminals and such, no good.  Nada.
Pastor at church I've been visiting called out of the blue, offered to haul me somewhere if I needed.  I needed a real soon refill on a BP med, was down to one pill.  And we were out of cat litter, which with 3 cats is not a trivial thing.  So he came by, drove me to the Big Box store where I picked up the refill waiting for me, and the cat litter.  We had a nice and badly needed talk on the way, and I appreciate the kindness.  And he's arranging for me to be picked up in the morning.
Trying to reach some people by phone.  I have a cousin that, for all practical purposes, I've not seen since the 1970's, part due to the life I was living in the 70's and 1980's in part from being living FAR out of the area from that point until just recently.  So I'm trying to reconnect, with limited successes.  Which translates into "none".

Better days are coming, I have faith.  The time frame I don't know.

=============================================
                   =========================================

The Old Testament reading today is chapters 5 and 6 of Numbers. 
Sounds odd and weird and just plain odd.  But the Lord thought it important.

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:
3
Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.
4
And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.
5
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6
Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;
7
Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.
8
But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.
9
And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.
10
And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
11
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
13
And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;
14
And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
15
Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
16
And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:
17
And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:
18
And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:
19
And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
20
But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:
21
Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
22
And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.
23
And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:
24
And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.
25
Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:
26
And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
27
And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
28
And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
29
This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
30
Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
31
Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
3
He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
4
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
5
All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
6
All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.
7
He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.
8
All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.
9
And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.
10
And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
11
And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.
12
And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.
13
And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
14
And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,
15
And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings.
16
And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering:
17
And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.
18
And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
19
And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven:
20
And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.
21
This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.
22
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23
Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
24
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.




=============================
                =======================================

The New Testament reading is verses 1-20 in the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Mark.


1
And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2
And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9
And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10
And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14
The sower soweth the word.
15
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.



20 February 2015

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 20 February 2015

the next-to-last Friday in February.  That doesn't buy us much so far as improved weather is concerned but I guess it's a milestone of sorts.  Last night hit around 13 below, tonight's low is said to be +4 which is progress of a sort, I guess.  We're supposed to have a brief, a very brief respite, from the horrible cold tomorrow and Sunday.  That will be accompanied with snow storms.  Thanks a bunch.  The visible light "day" today is supposed to be 10 hours 51 minutes, picking up about 2 minutes 37 seconds per day.  At this rate, we should cross the 11 hour mark by the end of the month.  I am beyond being weary of the cold and snow and dreary skies and all that goes with that.  We go days without sticking our heads out of the door except to get the mail or, on a few days a week, go next door so Dear Wife can "watch" the Beloved Great Niece.  We pretty much huddle around the fire, drink coffee, read and surf, and have the TV news on in the background.  Not much excitement.
But I ate last night and had a warm bed, was able to breathe freely and no one is shooting at my right now.  It's a blessing, many people would give a lot for what I unfortunately take for granted.

Better times are coming I believe.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
==========================================================

The Old Testament reading is chapters 3 and 4 of the book of Numbers.  More of the setting of patterns that, in some ways, continue to this day, a few thousand years later. Not bad.

1
These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.
2
And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3
These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
4
And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
5
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6
Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
7
And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
8
And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9
And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
10
And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
11
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12
And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
13
Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.
14
And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15
Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
16
And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
17
And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
18
And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.
19
And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20
And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
21
Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
22
Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.
23
The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
24
And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25
And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26
And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
27
And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
28
In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
29
The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
30
And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31
And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
32
And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
33
Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
34
And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
35
And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
36
And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,
37
And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
38
But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
39
All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
40
And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
41
And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.
42
And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43
And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.
44
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45
Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
46
And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;
47
Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)
48
And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.
49
And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:
50
Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
51
And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2
Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,
3
From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
4
This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:
5
And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it:
6
And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.
7
And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:
8
And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.
9
And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it:
10
And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar.
11
And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof:
12
And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar:
13
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:
14
And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it.
15
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
16
And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.
17
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying,
18
Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites:
19
But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden:
20
But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
21
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
22
Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;
23
From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
24
This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens:
25
And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26
And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.
27
At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens.
28
This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29
As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;
30
From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
31
And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,
32
And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.
33
This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
34
And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
35
From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:
36
And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
37
These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
38
And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,
39
From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
40
Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.
41
These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD.
42
And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers,
43
From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
44
Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred.
45
These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
46
All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
47
From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation.
48
Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore,
49
According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.


===================================================
===================================================

The New Testament reading is verses 22-35 from Mark chapter 3.

22
And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23
And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24
And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25
And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26
And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27
No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
28
Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29
But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
30
Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31
There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
32
And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33
And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
34
And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
35
For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

19 February 2015

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 19 February 2015

Thursday.  Last night went down to about 5 below zero.  We have some frozen water lines as a result, despite our efforts.  Tonight is predicted to go down to around 14 below zero, and perhaps lower.  The outlook for the next 10 days is pretty bleak although by Saturday-Sunday we may, briefly, flirt with above-freezing highs.  Only to descend once more.  One keeps desperately in mind that we have only one more Sunday in February:  March is only 10 days away.  A week after that is Daylight Savings Time, and two weeks or so after that is the Equinox, meaning official Spring.  How much after that the snow and bitter cold lasts is a matter above my pay grade.
We can hope.

The car started yesterday (thank You Lord!) and I was able to run to the nearby grocery store and restock the milk and a couple more things.  Lord willing, I'll be able to run to the pharmacy and the Big Box stores (Aldi and WallyMart) and restock some other items.  We hope.  After that, well, we shall see.

And I've got cabin fever, bad.  I used to work 10+ hours a day, being on my feet most of that time and dealing minute by minute with a lot of issues that required a mix of technical acumen and cross-cultural awareness.  Now, well, not much.

==========================================
              ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Old Testament reading for today is chapters  1 and 2 of the book of Numbers.  This is, as those before, part of the Torah, the most sacred parts of the Hebrew Scripture.  And it is important for us as well.  Lots of names. lots of lists, lots of things that just don't seem "relevant".  But the Lord thought they were important, and His view seems important.  Remember along the way that those weird names were the names of real people, with all that entails.  Real hopes and fears, real sicknesses and joys and heartbreaks, sin and triumph and joy and death.  As real as you or I.  Yes, the Lord knows about the sparrows.   He knows about us too.  That means something.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2
Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
3
From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
4
And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
5
And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.
6
Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
7
Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
8
Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
9
Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.
10
Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
11
Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.
12
Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
13
Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.
14
Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
15
Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.
16
These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
17
And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:
18
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
19
As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
20
And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
21
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
22
Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
23
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
24
Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
25
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
26
Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
27
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
28
Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
29
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
30
Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
31
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
32
Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
33
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
34
Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
35
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
36
Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
37
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
38
Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
39
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
40
Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
41
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
42
Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
43
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
44
These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.
45
So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;
46
Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
47
But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
48
For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,
49
Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:
50
But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.
51
And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
52
And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
53
But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.
54
And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2
Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.
3
And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.
4
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
5
And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar.
6
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
7
Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun.
8
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
9
All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.
10
On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
11
And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
12
And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
13
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
14
Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
15
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
16
All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.
17
Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.
18
On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.
19
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.
20
And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
21
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
22
Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
23
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
24
All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.
25
The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
26
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
27
And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.
28
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
29
Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.
30
And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
31
All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards.
32
These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
33
But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
34
And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.






=============================================
             =================================================

The New Testament reading is verses 1-21 in the Gospel of Mark.

1
And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2
And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3
And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4
And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5
And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6
And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7
But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
8
And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
9
And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
10
For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
11
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
12
And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13
And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
14
And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16
And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17
And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18
And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19
And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
20
And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21
And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.