Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 05 December 2018

Well, we certainly seem well into the month.  Seems like July was just last week.  Wish it still was.  The weather outlook definitely seems to be wintry for the next 10 days, or so my app says.  Still have more than two weeks until the "official" beginning of Winter, but I guess the winds and such didn't get the message.  So we are looking at more than a few days with the so-called "high" being below the freezing point.  Definitely not my every dream come true.  I note that some of our one-time home areas, in the mid-South or even the Deep South, are and have been experiencing temperatures well below what is normal for that area this time of year, more along the lines of what the "averages' are for here.  But then our temps for the last month have been well below the long-term averages and several records (in the wrong direction in my opinion) have been set.  Come on May!!
Might possibly get "up" to 32° today.  Maybe.  Snow on the ground and more falling.  Ice during the night, LOTS of traffic tie-ups: even had a police cruiser stuck on the ice in a feeder route for the local 3-digit Interstate.  Staying in today if at all possible.

We have a "day off" from watching the Little Guy Next Door.  His mom doesn't work today.  In fact, we're next tasked with that on Saturday, but then we get both the kids all day long:  Niece and Nephew's Wife do these craft shows, selling hair bows, tutus, etc. to turn a few dollars, and being in such a situation with two active kids for 7 hours plus setup and teardown time and travel back & forth is more than they want to do.  So we get the two next door.  During the summer a couple times we had all four of the great nieces and great nephews, but we could stick them outside to run around and bounce on the trampoline, etc.  Not with snow on the ground as there is right now.  So we'll have the two of them all day.
Is it too late for me to sign up to be a hermit monk?

Those who know me at all realize that my mind "works" (to the extent that it does), in some weird ways that even I find odd sometimes.  Weird dreams, weird random thoughts, odd things that strike me as funny or tragic or sad or whatever.  Unusual tastes, at least in this part of the world.  Wife too, sometimes: we're a matched set.  This morning, she was checking out a report of a gruesome homicide down in Louisiana, and one of the investigators being quoted had a name that strikes me as an odd one.  Now, trust me, living around half the country as I have, with contacts that extend literally around the world, I've heard some strange names.  But when you get down around the bayous of Lousiana and the delta area around southern Mississippi, or the mountains of West Virginia - Virginia - east Tennessee, parts of Georgia, you hear some names that aren't often found in Rhode Island, Maine, Ohio, or Oregon. 
The detective was named "Odom".  Unusual, right?  Again, in areas like that with a heavy concentration of Cajuns, some downright interesting names can frequently be found.  So, being the "weird" people that we are, we just had to look up the name.   Cajun, right?  No.  Not at all.  Not even close.  OLD English, Anglo-Saxon (pre-Norman conquest) name from around Lancastershire.  So, probably, that name was one that's found in family lines like so many others.  Might be interesting to go back and trace the family's movements from England to the New World and thence to the swamps of Louisiana.
The movements of people, going back centuries, to create the world in which we live, including you or your next-door neighbors, is an interesting one.  Wife's ancestors, the ones from Italy and Sicily, came from a world in which everyone on a street might well be, probably in fact, be cousins or the like.  Very insular, very settled, very much into "this is the way we do things". 

So unusual thoughts are "normal" for me.  Sorry.
And a song came into my mind this morning in the pre-dawn hours.  As mentioned, I have come to like what is sometimes called "southern gospel" music.  One person I admired is the late Dottie Rambo.  "Tears Will Never Stain The Streets Of That City".  Means something to me.

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Hosea 9

1Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.

2The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.

3They shall not dwell in the Lord's land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.

4They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord.

5What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the Lord?

6For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.

7The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.

8The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.

9They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.

10I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baal–peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

11As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.

12Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!

13Ephraim, as I saw Tyre, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.

14Give them, O Lord: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

15All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.

16Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.

17My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

Hosea  10

1Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.

2Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.

3For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; what then should a king do to us?

4They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

5The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth–aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.

6It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

7As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.

8The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

9O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.

10It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.

11And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.

12Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

13Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

14Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth–arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.

15So shall Beth–el do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

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Just as a reminder, every year this site goes through the entire Bible.  Sometimes I comment.  Sometimes I don't.  As a rule, I do not comment at all upon the Revelation.  Others have tried, quite a few in fact.  Some in direct contradiction of each other.  I'll avoid the matter: the Lord has given me no insight and I'd prefer to remain on the sidelines.  But I do recommend that we all prayerfully meditate upon the text.  The Lord wanted it to be available to us for reasons of His own, and we need to act accordingly.

Revelation 5

1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

14And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.