Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 14 March 2015 "Pi Day"

ok, I can't let it go past that today's date can be rendered as above, or as 3/14/15 or, in this case, as 3.1415.  The latter is, of course, the numeric representation, familiar to math geeks and engineers everywhere, of the value of pi to four places.  If you want to carry that forward a bit -- and under that attitude that anything worth doing is worth over-doing, then this morning at 09:26 and 53 seconds, then the representation can be extended to 3.141592653, which is the numeric value to 9 places, which is sufficiently accurate for most all calculations for those who need to punch in an actual value rather than simply call up a pre-defined one  As I go back to a time when slide rules were still used, and their use was taught in the more advance high school classes, I can remember when most had a location the corresponded to pi, and it was A Great Thing when the early pocket calculators had a key that brought it up to however many places TI or H-P had it.
It's not one of the great things to commemorate, but it's not the worst either.  As a geek, I claim my right and duty to do so.

We had one of those Command Performance things today.  Wife's great-nephew had his 8th birthday party, and we had to go.  (to delineate the thing, Dear Wife's sister had, by a previous marriage, two kids: the niece that lives next door, and a nephew.  Nephew married a previously-divorced women, has one daughter by her and a son he acknowledges as his, though there was some overlap in the relationships, and I'm not certain what a DNA test would reveal.  But he's a neat kid, and they were hosting a birthday party in a local roller skating rink as their house is too small for a large gathering.  So we went, a sort of great time was had By All, and we ate pizza and a cupcake.
And then came home.

The exertion and all of that wore Dear Wife out, and she is lying in bed under a pile of blankets.  While the thermometer shows us in the 40's outside, which is a great improvement from the "highs" in the -teens we were seeing a week or so ago, but it's made the air really damp, and it "feels cold" even to me.  She's under four blankets and I've kicked the heat up, perhaps that will help.

And, as ever, the melting snow is leading to flooding.  The combination of generational poverty and remarkable levels of corruption in the area have resulted in ghastly issues of stormwater drainage and therefore streets, bridges, basements, and the like are being flooded, which in turn does more damage to the already terrible roads.

.And while we've had several days of relatively nice temperatures, meaning above freezing (FINALLY!!)., we still have piles and piles of snow on the ground, so this isn't going to be over any time soon.  It does look terribly depressing.  We drove to the birthday thing past miles and miles of flooded fields, flooded woodlands, dead-looking trees, under gray and dismal skies.  Tonight will probably have temperatures below freezing, and that is likely to be the case for the next week or two.  Yes, I know that the Equinox is almost here and all that, but in this part of the nation that does not translate to warm weather, sunshine, green grass and singing birds.  It's just a date on the calendar, of primary interest to astronomers and weathercasters and such.  Warm weather, truly warm, is likely to be at least another month if not longer. There has been snow in April before in this area.

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The Old Testament passage here is chapters 23, 24, and 25 of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 23

1	He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
2	A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
3	An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
4	Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
5	Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
6	Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
7	Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
8	The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
9	When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
10	If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
11	But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
12	Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13	And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
14	For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
15	Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:
16	He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.
17	There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
18	Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
19	Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
20	Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
21	When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
22	But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
23	That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
24	When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
25	When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing corn.

Deuteronomy 24 

1	When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
2	And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.
3	And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;
4	Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
5	When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
6	No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge.
7	If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.
8	Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
9	Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.
10	When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
11	Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.
12	And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
13	In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.
14	Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
15	At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
16	The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
17	Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:
18	But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
19	When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
20	When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
21	When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
22	And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Deuteronomy 25 

1	If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
2	And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
3	Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.
4	Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
5	If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.
6	And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
7	And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
8	Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;
9	Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.
10	And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.
11	When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:
12	Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.
13	Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
14	Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small.
15	But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
16	For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
17	Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
18	How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
19	Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

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The New Testament passage is verses 51-72 in the 14th chapter of the Gospl of Mark. 
Jesus has been seized by soldiers and hauled before the religious authorities.  Most of the apostles ran like rabbits.  Peter followed, at a distance, and tried to maintain anonymity.  Didn't totally succeed in that, and in the process, denied Christ.  Three times.  And then the rooster crowed.  Just as Jesus had said.  Peter went out and wept.  He was not the last one to deny Jesus, and we should weep also.

Mark 14:51-72

51	And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:
52	And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
53	And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
54	And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
55	And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
56	For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
57	And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58	We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
59	But neither so did their witness agree together.
60	And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
61	But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62	And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63	Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
64	Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
65	And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
66	And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
67	And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68	But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
69	And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
70	And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71	But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
72	And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 13 March 2015

A bit better here.  A bit.  Quiet around the house:  Dear Wife has gone off with niece from next door to spend time with nephew's wife, making cupcakes.  Seems nephew's son has a birthday party tomorrow, our presence is required and expected, and they've decided that for young kids, cupcakes are more practical than a standard cake.  They may have that as well, I don't know.  So I'm home with a computer and three cats, most of which are hiding, which is A Good Thing:  the one was stalking through the house YELLING All.Night.Long, which is not conducive to a good night's rest. And I did not get a good night's rest, didn't get to sleep until nearly dawn.  That cat is going to become an Outside Cat once the weather breaks fully.  I'm not mean enough - quite - to toss him out in the snow, as he's not acclimated to it and in fact has never really BEEN outside.  This will be a learning experience for him.  Anyway, not that I'm up and about, he's hiding and quiet.  Figures somehow.

We still have piles of snow around here.  Supposed to hit 50 degrees here today shortly, but the snow had a real head start on the warmer weather and we're probably a good week or more away from seeing the ground.  50 degrees in the day, but 28 at night will not help the process.

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The Old Testament passage today is chapters 20, 21, 22 of Deuteronomy.  Moses is trying to be certain he gets it all out before his time is complete.  After this, Moses dies, Caleb and Joshua come to the fore, and the passage across the river into the Promised Land can begin.

Deuteronomy 20

1	When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
2	And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
3	And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
4	For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
5	And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
6	And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.
7	And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.
8	And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.
9	And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.
10	When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
11	And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.
12	And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
13	And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
14	But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
15	Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16	But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
17	But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
18	That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.
19	When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:
20	Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

Deuteronomy 21

1	If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:
2	Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
3	And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;
4	And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
5	And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:
6	And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
7	And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8	Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
9	So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.
10	When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,
11	And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
12	Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
13	And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
14	And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.
15	If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:
16	Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:
17	But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
18	If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
19	Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20	And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21	And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
22	And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
23	His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Deuteronomy 22

1	Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
2	And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.
3	In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.
4	Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
5	The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
6	If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:
7	But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
8	When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.
9	Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
10	Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
11	Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together.
12	Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
13	If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14	And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:
15	Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:
16	And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
17	And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
18	And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
19	And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
20	But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:
21	Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
22	If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
23	If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24	Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
25	But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die.
26	But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbor, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
27	For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
28	If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29	Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
30	A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt.

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The New Testament passage is verses 26-50 of Mark chapter 14.  The Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus' arrest.  We refer to Jesus as the Christ, which means "the anointed one".  And anointing can mean a lot of things, but one of those things it means is that someone who has been ceremonially anointed with olive oil.  We see some of that even today in churches who practice the anointing of the sick or anointing as part of an ordination ritual.  But the word "gethsemane" actually means 'olive press', the means by which harvested olives were pressed down to get the oil.  I've not seen that, but I have seen the methods by which apples are pressed to get cider and I suspect the principle if not the exact methods, have much in common.   It's no fun for the olives or the apples, and it wasn't fun for Jesus either, but this is why He came.

Mark 14:26-50

26	And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
27	And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
28	But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.
29	But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.
30	And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
31	But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
32	And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
33	And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
34	And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
35	And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36	And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
37	And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
38	Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
39	And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
40	And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
41	And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42	Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
43	And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
44	And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.
45	And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.
46	And they laid their hands on him, and took him.
47	And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
48	And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?
49	I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.
50	And they all forsook him, and fled.

Book Review -- "When God Met a Girl" by Andrew Snaden

When God Met a Girl, Andrew Snaden. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=Gr9iFeXoVFAC
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I got this for review yesterday.  I enjoy doing these, but had fallen far FAR behind on my obligations to that endeavor, really for more than a year.  My apologies.
First and foremost, this is HIGHLY recommended.  I picked it up late last evening and could not put it down.  I intend to go through it, again, more slowly this time, later today perhaps.  But it is very definitely worth the read.
The author is not a theologian, not a pastor, not a graduate of the seminary of your preference.  But then, you'd be hard to find many of the apostles who had that sort of credentialism behind them.  I certainly don't either.  But, as the saying is, "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called" and that is certainly true of this author.  I don't offhand know of too many other writers of Christian literature whose day job is as an accountant / controller in industry.  I've spent many years fighting with such, and had reason to doubt the Christian status of most.  But he's an example.
Many of the people we call heroes of the Faith, are not people you would expect.  We see the demon-possessed, shepherds, fishermen, hookers, tax collectors, and such.  Including accounts of those who had not -- knowingly -- been looking for Jesus and the healing only He could provide.  In many cases, these were people he met along the way, seemingly by chance (though I don't believe in coincidences), and others that it appears that He was seeking out.  Some of the great testimonies of the Faith, whether in Scripture or not, come from those who met Him and were ever afterwards, changed.  As many of us have been.
The emphasis in the book is on women.  Women, in that age and culture, like so many even today, were of little account.  Yes, I know about the Trojan War for the return of Helen of Troy, and some of the issues in other places.  But women were considered to be of little worth or account.  Jesus thought otherwise, and I think His vote carries some weight, OK?
The author here highlights some of those encounters, highlights and explains some of what was going on behind the scenes, and shows application to our life today.
To repeat, HIGHLY recommended. 

Today's Readings and Stuff - Thursday, 12 March 2015

we've been out of the loop for a few days, sorry.  I hope to backfill, but we shall see.

Listening right now to the TV news regarding the helicopter that went down taking Marines and Army National Guard troops to their death.  To the horror of my pacifist extended family, I married into a family with extensive military involvement and history, and this news hits hard.  Chances are that we will discover that we know someone who knows someone who is connected to one of those killed in the crash.  So it is not remote to us.

We are having another day above freezing here.  Now, we still have high piles of snow and ice on the ground, though I have cleared most of it from the drive, walkway, steps, and deck.  But at this rate we'll be a good week or more before the snow drifts are gone.  The area has a weird history of having actual blizzards on St. Patrick's day, which is in just a few days, and while the official forecast doesn't indicate such as likely, We.Shall.See.  We have seen it come out of Nowhere in some past years.

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The Old Testament reading for today is chapters 17, 18, and 19 of the book of Deuteronomy.  As we've said before, this is essentially Moses' last sermon and plea to the people.

Deuteronomy 17

1	Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
2	If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
3	And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4	And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
5	Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
6	At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
7	The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
8	If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;
9	And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment:
10	And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall show thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:
11	According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12	And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
13	And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
14	When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
15	Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
16	But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17	Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
18	And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
19	And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
20	That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Deuteronomy 18

1	The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.
2	Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
3	And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.
4	The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
5	For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever.
6	And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose;
7	Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD.
8	They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.
9	When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10	There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
11	Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12	For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13	Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
14	For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
15	The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
16	According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17	And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18	I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19	And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
20	But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21	And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
22	When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Deuteronomy 19

1	When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;
2	Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
3	Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.
4	And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
5	As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
6	Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
7	Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
8	And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
9	If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
10	That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
11	But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
12	Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
13	Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
14	Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
15	One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
16	If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;
17	Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
18	And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
19	Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
20	And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
21	And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-25 in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Mark.
This is in the period that we sometimes call Holy Week, the period between Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and the Crucifixion.  We're closer to the end than to the beginning here, this is approaching the event we call the Last Supper, their celebration of the Passover meal.  This was a very intense period, and later, as the Apostles looked back, had to be even more so.  And should be for us as well.

Mark 14:1-25

1	After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
2	But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
3	And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4	And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5	For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6	And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7	For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
8	She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
9	Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
10	And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
11	And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
12	And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
13	And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
14	And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
15	And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16	And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
17	And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.
18	And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
19	And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?
20	And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.
21	The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
22	And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
23	And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
24	And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
25	Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.