Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 15 December 2018

Counting down the days to Winter, to Christmas, to 2019, and to Spring.
Today is the grand Birthday Party for next-door Great-Niece.  They make a Big Deal of it, so we are obligated to attend the Great Occasion.  There are or were some last-minute changes:  the original plan as I understood it, was to have it starting around 1:00 p.m., which is, of course, the same time as the Church Christmas Party, meaning that we couldn't go to both and had to attend the Birthday event.  So, earlier, we learned that the party is to be held after dark.  Great.  Too late now to make the changes to attend both.  So, we're leaving in just a few minutes. 
The life of a hermit monk sounds very attractive some times.  I don't know off-hand of any orders of Baptist monks.  If someone knows of one, well, it's too late now.

One of the side effects of the lives we've led, is that we've made friends and contacts with people all around the world.  Wife, for example, was born in the Panama Canal Zone in a military facility (this was before the idiot in the White House gave up the presence there).  We literally have contact with people all over the world, either traveling through or  based there.  I have one friend in Israel this moment, after a journey that had him in Japan, Viet Nam, and Cambodia.  Another is in Arizona right now, but by next week he may be in Japan or various "hot spots" in Africa.  And so forth.  Today being my birthday, I've been getting messages from all over.  Some of these people I will never see again, or at least in this life.  That makes the dynamics just a bit odd.


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Jonah 3

1And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

3So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

4And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

5So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

6For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

9Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Jonah 4

1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

4Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?

5So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

6And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

7But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

8And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

9And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

10Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

11And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 14 December 2018

A week from today begins official Winter.  As the saying goes, "the best part about winter is when it's over".  Amen and amen.

Nice out there today.  Likely to be about the last such for several months.  I keep looking at the calendar, seeing not only the onset of Winter in just a week from today, but the first day of Spring, three months afterward.  And, sadly, reflecting that tomorrow is a day of national mourning and sorrow: my birthday.  That "three score and ten" that once seemed so far distant is galloping at me with a lance lowered and pointed at my heart.  Ah, well.  Could be worse.

We've had a whole day without seeing the greats from next door.  Wife is going into something like what a heroin addict goes through when going "cold turkey".  Or at least, that's what I tell her.  We had a double dose yesterday.  We were watching the Little Guy while Niece (his mom) was helping out at the book fair at the school for several hours.
Then, last evening, we had another of those mandatory attendance things.  The older of the two great-nephews, the son of Wife's sister's son, the ones that live on the state line but on this side of it, had one of those "band concert" things at the school.  So, five pieces from the 5th grade band, then five more from the combined 6th and 7th grade kids.  So, we were there with next-door kids and the moms and the across-town kids.  Both of the dads were working 12-hour 7-7 shifts, so I was for part of it the only adult male.  Then, the great-grandfather and his current wife appeared as well.  (I don't understand lots of current arrangements, OK?   Wife's sister has been married several times as well as some truly "odd" arrangements.  But her first husband sired two kids, which I refer to as Niece next door and Nephew across town.  Then a divorce.  But his dad has kept in touch and been good to the kids, which is nice.  He ditched his own wife, the mother of my sister-in-law's ex-husband, and was present with his current wife of 20-some years.  So the two of them came, which was nice., but it's apparent that he's losing touch with the world around him and the niceties were pretty much carried out by the wife.  I said I don't understand lots of the world around me.  See why?)
It'a good that we were able to go to this and other things like it, to be a part of those kids' lives.  The stability, if naught else, that we represent is a good thing.  But I fret over the sort of impact and message that these convoluted family arrangements sends to those kids.  Such stuff may be uncomfortably common in this world, but I refuse to pretend it's OK and acceptable and, yes, something they themselves may emulate in the future.  We try, with our lives, to provide an alternate example.  Perhaps it does some good.  That young lad, that great-nephew who was playing in that band last night, is now in 6th grade.  So, in all likelihood, by 2025, not that far away now, will be leaving school and going out into the world.  One of many.  What kind of world will he inherit, and what beliefs and attitudes will guide him?   Since his parents and grandparents are anything but Christians, Wife and I may be the only window to the faith that is there for him.  And he's not alone.
That responsibility weighs heavily on me.




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Now, the book of Jonah.  Lots of us are at least somewhat familiar with the story.
Note some place names here.
For example, Nineveh.  Used to be capital of the Assyrian Empire, until it was destroyed in 612 B.C. by by a coalition of the Medes and Persians.  It is now encircled by a city you may have heard  of: Mosul, Iraq.  Still a bad place.  Right on the banks of the Tigris River, so it's part of the "Fertile Crescent" that featured so prominently in history (and is still a fertile breeding ground for trouble).  A good distance from Jerusalem.
Or Tarshish.  Lots of disagreement over that one, but the vote seems to be that it was the name of city in SPAIN!  Thought to currently be called  Tartessus, in southern Spain.   Spain is a long way from either Jerusalem or Nineveh.  Opposite direction at that.  So, Jonah had a directive from the Lord.  And promptly did just the opposite.
Bad, right?  He wasn't the last one to do so, can we agree??

Jonah 1

1Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

3But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

4But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

5Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

6So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

7And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

9And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

10Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

11Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

12And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

14Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

15So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

16Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.

17Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2

1Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly,

2And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

3For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

4Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

5The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

6I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

7When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

8They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

9But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

10And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

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Revelation chapter 12

1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

14And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

17And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 13 December 2018

Well, we had another command performance this morning.  Niece had to go to the great-niece's school to assist in the book fair.  So we got to go across the back yard to "watch" the great-nephew.  The moment she was back, I had to run Across The Line into Pennsyltucky to get a refill on one of Wife's meds:  she had actually run out of a blood pressure drug.  The doctor had agreed to phone in a refill authorization, but to get that she had to agree to an unscheduled office visit for this coming Tuesday.  So I got the meds, a small bunch of bananas to supplement one of her minerals, and trundled home for a real late lunch. 



Today, a rather different song of the day.  Can you identify with this?  I can.  For I know that, while I've walked down some very dark roads, knowing fear, despair, sorrow, and no way out, the Lord was there even if I didn't know it.  And, yes, as the song declares, someone was praying for me.  Several someones as a matter of fact.  Listen to his spoken words near the end.
Someone's Praying For Me.
Some of these songs are great and uplifting sung with other believers.  Some are very personal, meaningful declarations of what we know that the Lord has done for us, how He has and is carrying us.  Knowing as well that our situations are lifted up by other believers means much, and is one of our joys and responsibilities.

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Obadiah

1The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

2Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

3The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

4Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.

5If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?

6How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!

7All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.

8Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

9And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

10For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

11In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.

12But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

13Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;

14Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

15For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

16For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.

17But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

18And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

19And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

20And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

21And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

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the Revelation, chapter 11

1And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

4These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

5And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

6These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

8And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

9And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

10And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

11And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

13And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

17Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

19And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.