Today's Readings and Stuff --- Monday, 10 December 2018

The local news is full of a sad and tragic matter in the large town near us.  A house fire that resulted in FIVE dead children, and the mother in the burn unit in pretty bad shape.  There's nothing good about that that I can see, just a sad event.  Such fires are, unfortunately, all too common at this time of year, what with Christmas lights, old-style candles, and space heaters going.  In my long-ago life as a P.I., doing a fair amount with insurance investigators and arson people, I've been in more than one fire scene, including one that killed a friend in that same city.  I won't ever forget the odors or the setting and sights, and certainly not the weeping of those affected.  That is not a life that I miss, not one bit.  Glad I don't have to be at those scenes any more.

We had no "kid watching" duties today.  Tomorrow and Wednesday, all day long.  Such fun.  But it's OK.  Frankly, it's Wife's reason to live, about the only one these days.  The kids love her also, which is also good.  Most of the time when our kids were growing, we lived far away: the older one was 7, the younger one was 3, when we pulled far away.  Even then, they got to see Wife's mom and dad, some, and Wife's sister occasionally.  I had one brother living in another state, same for my sister.  Even my parents got to see them only a few times a year.  Not a whole lot of bonding there.  Wife and I were working all kinds of hours, and I was also trying to finish up the degree in engineering, which is quite demanding in itself.  So our kids spent too much time with paid sitters.  Not the best option, and now we can at least be part of the lives  our our great niece and great nephew next door, and some time with the other great nephew and great niece who live just a couple miles away.  Perhaps we can do some good.
Perhaps we're able to plant some seeds.  Even if we don't get to see them sprout.

So it's been a laundry day, beginning right after breakfast.  The last load, I think it's the sixth, is in the washer right now.  At least it's not like the "old days" such as my mom and dad grew up with.  I can recall my mother (with my help as the oldest kid) hanging stuff out on the line.  Even in below-freezing weather.  And grandmothers who still had washboards (at least until grandfathers died0, then at least a "wringer washer" (if you know what that means) was an acquisition in short order.  At least I didn't have to use lye soap.

Down to 9 hours 16 minutes of "day".  Losing just under a minute per day now, and the amount of loss is decreasing per day as we approach the Winter Solstice just 11 days distant.  Expecting a "high" of 34° today, compared to the average for the day of 52° which sounds much better, though the record high for the day of 68° sounds even better.  Not going to happen.  The low for tonight is predicted to be 21° which stinks: the average low here 36° which is better than yesterday's "high".  No, this is not setting up to be a nice warm mild winter.  Anything but.
We saw photos of the snowstorm that hit areas in and around North Carolina yesterday, places there were gifted with 16" of snowy "global warming".  More than we've had in total for the month of December.  Got to see the church and school closings for today in and around our home area of Knoxville, Tennessee also.  LOTS of churches had to cancel services yesterday, and quite a few schools, including several campuses of a community college, are closed today and quite a few others are on a two hour delay.  Knoxville is a good bit south of here, and while they do get snow, it's generally not much except in the mountains around Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, not down in the Tennessee River Valley in and around Knoxville.  Not quite what they wanted.
Oh, and a guy we knew with the county Baptist Association (SBC) in central Alabama was showing photos on social medial Saturday evening, photos of the SNOW on his deck and barbecue grill.  In central Alabama!
Saw news out of the area of Raleigh-Durham North Carolina.  Parts had TWICE the amount of annual snowfall quantities, or more, in one day.
More snow possible for our friends in northern and central Alabama for tonight.
Global warming all over the place.


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Amos 3

1Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,

2You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

3Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

4Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

5Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?

6Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

7Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

8The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

9Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.

10For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.

11Therefore thus saith the Lord God; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.

12Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.

13Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts,

14That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Beth–el: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.

15And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.

Amos 4

1Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

2The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.

3And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.

4Come to Beth–el, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

5And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.

6And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

7And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

8So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

9I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

10I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

11I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

12Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

13For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name.

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Revelation, chapter 8

1And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

2And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

3And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

4And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

5And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

6And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

7The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

8And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

9And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

10And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

11And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

13And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!