Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 21 December 2017

Once again, the first order of business is the Song(s) of the Day.
Both of these came into mind last evening, and have remained.  No, neither one is closely associated with Christmas carols or Nativity scenes.  That's OK, both of them are appropriate year around, and put my mind along some paths.  More on that below.
So

• Since Jesus Came Into My Heart
• Anyone want to argue that this one is appropriate all the time.
• Not looking for responses, but, really, when was the last time you heard this in church (or sang it yourself) and saw looks of joy on the faces of those around you?  When?  How long has it been?  Have we lost our first love, as is warned of in the Revelation?

I Have Decided To Follow Jesus  

• There is quite a story behind this, one worth knowing.  And, considering, privately, would we have done as well?  Would we?   Or would we have sought some sort of compromise in order to "fit in" and be "peacemakers" (and save our own lives, and the lives of our family in the process)??  There are, today, all around the world, fellow believers facing this issue.  In India, still, as mobs of Hindus attack (with government support at the very highest levels).  In China, and North Korea. In EVERY land and place infested with the demon-worship of Islam.  And, increasingly, in places once thought to be Christianized.  Like the UK.  Like Sweden.  And Norway.  And Mexico.  And Germany.  And ..... and even in parts of the United States.  Not "just" in Dearborn.  On a whole raft of college campuses.  In some companies one dare not openly proclaim Christianity nor Christian doctrines or stances.  
• another version here, with some graphic scenes of grisly reality

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Today is the official first day of Winter.  Booo!!   The astronomers tell me that the "day" portion of the 24 hours will be 9 hours 11 minutes.  Tomorrow, that will be increased by a whole second!  Whoopee.  But it's progress, however slow, back to a better part of the year.  Three months from now, that will have increased to 12 hours of "day", which is better.  And three months thereafter, the "night" portion will be roughly what our "day" portion is today.
The worst weather of the season is generally a full month distant.  And that's on the average, with substantial potential for year to year variation.  Our most recent home in the South will see 64° today.  The one before that, 61°.  The one before that, 69°.  All of them better than our "high" of 40.  But I've seen worse.

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

Our Old Testament passage for today is chapters 6 and 7 in the book of Micah, completing it.

Micah 6

1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. 2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. 3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. 4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD. 6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 9 The LORD's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? 11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? 12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. 14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. 15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine. 16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Micah 7

1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. 2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. 3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. 4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. 5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. 6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house. 7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. 8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. 10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. 11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed. 12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. 13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. 14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things. 16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. 17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee. 18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

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

The New Testament portion is chapter 12 in the Revelation.
This is more pretty wild stuff, with lots of what I view as symbolism.  For my whole life, I've been hearing all sorts of theories about the various symbols, in this passage, in the entire Revelation, and in other prophetic works such as in Daniel.  Some of those theories sound pretty good,  but so so some of the others that are completely at variance with them.  I truly do not know.

Revelation 12

1 And 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: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And 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. 5 And 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. 6 And 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. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And 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. 12 Therefore 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. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And 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. 15 And 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. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And 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 -- Wednesday, 20 December 2017

First order of business: the 'song of the day'.  Another one that came to me during the night, and is always ALWAYS appropriate.  'Lord, I Need You".  Any disagreement on this?  I just can't do this, not on my own, not even close.  And all God's people said "AMEN"!

Quiet, so far anyway.  Wife slept in late, and has been mostly in the recliner under multiple blankets and a cat ever since.  I made a run to the laundromat and used their dryers, so now we have towels and such for another week or so.  She'd wanted to go on a shopping run this afternoon, but it's after noon now, and I doubt she'll be up to it today.   So the current plan is to try for tomorrow morning.  Earlier, she was "freezing" cold.    A few minutes ago, she started throwing off the blankets, now feeling "hot".  When, due to having no thyroid gland any more, you have a temperature tolerance of roughly +/- 2.5°, this sort of thing is normal.  Or, at least, it's our version of "normal".  Most of us don't think of our body's ability to, within limits, respond to variations in air temperature as a blessing.  And don't give thanks for it.  Until it's not there any more, in which case it's a bit late.  There are a lot of things that we take for granted, and should not.  I'm guilty too.

Right now, she's having a late lunch I made her of chicken noodle soup with saltines and a glass of Tang.  It might help her sore throat, and gets something warm into her system.  Worth a try.

Earlier, I sat in laundromat reading an overdue library book, Max Lucado's "In The Grip Of Grace".  Highly recommended.  But the library is practically around the corner, and I had to return it.  And pay the fine for 8 days overdue.  Book had hidden under some other stuff on the headboard of the bed.  I used to read in bed a lot, but our current arrangement in bedroom has very poor light for reading.  So does living room.  Best place to sit and read is at the breakfast table, which is fine.  Gives a place to set your coffee mug.    But I am way behind in my reading.  Way behind.  Not good.


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

Our Old Testament reading is chapters 4 and 5 in the book of Micah.
Yes, there will be judgment and pain.
But, then .....
Note verse 2 in chapter 5.

Micah 4

1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. 5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. 6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

Micah 5

1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. 6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. 7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. 8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. 9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. 10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: 11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: 12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: 13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. 14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. 15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

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

The day's reading in the New Testament is chapter 11 in the Revelation.
You may recognize verse 15 from Handel's Messiah, the Hallelujah Chorus 
Yes, what a day that will be.   (sniff).  And, again, all God's people said "Amen!"

Revelation 11

 

1 And 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. 2 But 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. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And 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. 6 These 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. 7 And 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. 8 And 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. 9 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And 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. 12 And 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. 13 And 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. 14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15 And 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. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, 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. 18 And 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. 19 And 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.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 19 December 2017

And another day dawns.  Well, that was several hours ago that it did, but now I'm back at it.

Fun day, of course.  Thankfully, the Social Security check that we live on hit the bank this morning.  The phone bill was overdue, the gas bill was overdue, and they've been paid.  Wife sent me to the nearby grocery store to pick up a few items on "sale" that will be a big part of our diet for the next month.  And I was able to get some gas, finally.  (When I left the house, the gauge said just over 1/4.  Two miles later, or so, it was a gnat's eyelash above E.  Not good).  Set the pre-pay for $40 (21 gallon tank, remember).  It took $32.  They refunded the remainder.  So we have some gas, anyway, and a questionable fuel gauge.
Niece next door told us we could use her clothes dryer, rather than haul half a ton of wet clothes to the laundromat.  So I started laundry when heading to grocery, two done and one in washer now.  Another load in the dryer now with one other over there waiting.  And at least two, probably three more loads to go.
And, more fun.  Problem with the washer, the little "dogs" that cause the upper part of agitator to turn are, suddenly, worn out.  Cheap to buy, and I replaced them about 5 years ago, so doable.  But a delay in getting them, that's the issue.  But we shall get through it.  Both my grandmothers used a washboard when my parents were growing, and thought they "were in tall cotton" when they acquired wringer-type washers.  Which my mom used for most of her life.  So it's not so bad, better than beating things on rocks and hanging long johns out on a line in sub-freezing weather.

Dear Wife has just gone next door to "watch" the great-niece and great-nephew while she heads out to her part-time job.  Her husband will be a bit later than normal (normally home by 6:30 or so) so Wife will have the urchins for a few hours.

I've been thinking on some things (gasps of astonishment, I know).
In the Old Testament readings for several months now, we've been going over prophecies of judgment, doom, and disaster in response to the sins of the nation and the rulers thereof.  Some of those sins are given in detail. and sound all too much like what goes on in our nation and culture as well.  No, America is not Israel nor Judah.  But, while history doesn't necessarily repeat itself, it often rhymes, as one sage put it.  A culture that. like ours, has rotted from within, can't survive forever.  It can't go on.  And, if it can't go on, at some point, it will stop.  Not good.
I have, unfortunately, enough imagination and awareness to have a glimpse of what that could mean for the world, and the neighborhoods and daily lives of people around us, and for our own descendants.  It's not a pretty sight.  And it would take less than you realize, believe me.

For whatever reasons, we have perhaps a sense of what we imagine "justice" looks like.  In a retail sense, perhaps that is true.  There are penalties, known ones, for everything from overstaying a parking meter to murder for hire, and quite a lot in between.  What does justice and judgment against a culture look like?  Well, we have some records, some  pretty awful stuff, when the descendants of Jacob went astray.  Can we expect better?  Keep in mind the verse or verses that I sometimes refer to as being the scariest ones in all the Bible:  "My Name is blasphemed daily among the heathens, because of you!".   Not quite what we want to hear, is it?  No, not at all.
Go back to the theories of justice.  The retail level, against an offending individual or small group, we understand I think.  What happens when an entire nation or culture is under the Lord's judgment?
Inevitably, in such a case, there is a lot of what I sometimes call the "splash effect".  When the dam breaks, the good are swept away, just as are the wicked.  That makes us uncomfortable.  One of the oldest cries in human history is along the lines of "why do the 'righteous' suffer?".  Sometimes, there just is no good answer.  And perhaps, sometimes, the righteous suffer because, while personally righteous (and that is a rabbit I don't want to chase right now), they ceased (or refused, or failed) to be salt and light in their world.  It happens.  I'm guilty, certainly. 
Ray Vanderlaan  pointed out something that we sometimes overlook in this matter.  Our timeline is too short.  Suffering in this life does not necessarily imply the Lord's eternal condemnation.  Look, for example, at the martyrs.  Look at the episode we call "Herod's slaughter of the innocents".  Look at the experiences of Job.  And, clearly. look at the Crucifixion.  Those martyrs were in Paradise that very day.  What scares us,  rightfully perhaps, is that we fear that such a reception is not to be ours, that we are suffering for unconfessed sins or the like.  And, likewise, church members are all too prone to judging their fellows, imagining that the tribulations another member suffers were their just desserts.  I've seen it,  perhaps you have too.  Sometimes, close up.
I have believed my whole life that I will hear the Trumpet.  I believe it today.  And, yes, I could be wrong.  I could die a "normal" death, as others have for centuries.  That's OK.  He has a plan.  But, likewise, I can't , I dare not, be blind to the sufferings of others, and should not be.

Thoughts for the day.


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

Our reading portion from the Old Testament today is chapters 1, 2, and 3 in the book of Micah.
To break a rule of mine, I will quote from Wikipedia on the text

It records the sayings of Micah, whose name is Mikayahu,(Hebrew: מִיכָיָ֫הוּ ) meaning "Who is like Yahweh?",^[2] an 8th-century B.C. prophet from the village of Moresheth in Judah (Hebrew name from the opening verse: מיכה המרשתי).^[3] The book has three major divisions, chapters 1–2, 3–5 and 6–7, each introduced by the word "Hear," with a pattern of alternating announcements of doom and expressions of hope within each division.^[4] Micah reproaches unjust leaders, defends the rights of the poor against the rich and powerful;^[5] while looking forward to a world at peace centered on Zion under the leadership of a new Davidic monarch.

Micah 1

1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the LORD from his holy temple. 3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. 4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. 5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? 6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. 7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. 8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. 9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. 10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. 11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing. 12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem. 13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. 14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. 15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. 16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

Micah 2

1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. 2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil. 4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields. 5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD. 6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. 7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? 8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war. 9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. 10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. 11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people. 12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. 13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.

Micah 3

1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment? 2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; 3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron. 4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. 5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. 6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. 7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. 8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. 9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. 10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. 12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

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

The day's New Testament passage is chapter 10 in the Revelation

Revelation 10

1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:  

2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,  

3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.  

4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 

5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,  

6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:  

7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.  

8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.  

9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.  

10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.  

11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 21 December 2016

Middle of the week now.  Time is flying by.  The year is nearly gone, and I for one have little to show for it.  Except regrets for missed opportunities and wasted days.  Not a good feeling.

Last night was the longest night of the year.  We are now, officially anyway, into the Winter season.  90-some days until Spring, and the worst weather of the year is before us.  Some part of me believes that the Lord created Spring and Summer, but that the Devil crept in and created Winter. OK, it's not in the Bible.  Neither is the gravitational constant.

Heading out in a few minutes to take care of some business.  Wife's one specialist doctor has moved.  Physically, to be sure, from an office in the next town over to one in the next county south of that, and towards the edge of even that one.  But also, from one "doctors group" associated with one (remotely-owned) chain of hospitals, to another "doctors group" associated with a quite different chain of hospitals.  That's bad enough.  But we are also moving our Medicare Advantage from one carrier to another in about 10 days.  And,  Wife has refills that need to be done NOW, yet when the doc moved, her records, oddly, did not.  So now we have to make a journey to sign -- AGAIN -- some documents that some pettifogging clerk has misplaced or something, so that she can get the refill on a medicine that keeps her alive a little bit longer.
I do not wish to hurl curses and imprecations.  Truly.  But I am certain and sure that there is a reserved oven rack in Perdition for every single person who stuck the nation with Obamacare and the like.  A pox and uncontrollable flatulence, painful rectal itch, and halitosis be upon them all.


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

Our Old Testament reading for today completes the journey through Micah, with chapters 6 and 7.

Micah 6

1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. 2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. 3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. 4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD. 6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 9 The LORD's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? 11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? 12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. 14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. 15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine. 16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Micah 7

1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. 2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. 3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. 4 The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. 5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. 6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house. 7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. 8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. 10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. 11 In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed. 12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. 13 Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. 14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things. 16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. 17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee. 18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

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

The reading from the New Testament is chapter 12 from the Revelation.

Revelation 12

1 And 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: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And 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. 5 And 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. 6 And 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. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And 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. 12 Therefore 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. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And 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. 15 And 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. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And 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 -- Tuesday, 20 December 2016

The alarm went of at 05:45.  The temperature here is a cozy +14 degrees, which is probably the "high" for the day.  Dear Wife is to "watch" the Little One today, but we also have a whole bunch of errands that MUST be run today.  Many of them dealing with the incompetence and sloth of others.  It was ever thus, but it will be a challenge.

Yesterday was nice, but bittersweet.  Sister and her husband live a good way from here, come through town about twice a year.  I am granted about an hour, twice a year.  Better than nothing but not exactly close.  So we meet at a nearby donut shop near the Interstate ramp as they prepare to end their trip.  And wife was too sick to come along.  We had an OK time, drank some coffee, ate a donut, promised to try to do it again in July.  So much for the year.

The news is full of the latest terror attack in Germany, the  Muslims of course.  And an assassination in Turkey of a Russian ambassador, by a Muslim police officer in service of Islam.  Somehow, it i s being  blamed on the West.  Ready for WW3??


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

The Old Testament reading is chapters 4 and 5 of Micah.  Minor prophet he may be called, but he had major messages to bring, and did.  Not sure it did any good, then at least.

Micah 4

1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. 5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. 6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

Micah 5

1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. 6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. 7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. 8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. 9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. 10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: 11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: 12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: 13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. 14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. 15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

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

The New Testament reading is chapter 11 of the Revelation

Revelation 11

1 And 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. 2 But 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. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And 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. 6 These 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. 7 And 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. 8 And 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. 9 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And 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. 12 And 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. 13 And 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. 14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15 And 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. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, 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. 18 And 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. 19 And 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.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 19 December 2016

A cozy 10 degrees here.  But that's a +10°, not a -10°, which is a very large difference.  I know which is worse.  In about an hour, our intention is to drive to nearby donut shop (DD) to make the twice-per-year meetup with my sister and her husband.  They are both on staff at a very liberal christian college in central Virginia, and graciously consent to spend an hour with us twice per year.  Roads being ice covered and treacherous, getting back on their way with a possibility of arrival before full darkness hits, makes good sense.  I do love my sister, and her husband is o.k.  Married more than 25 years now, no kids, which in their case was wise.

I am reminded that in just two days, we will --  Lord willing -- encounter to Winter Solstice, the first day of Winter and the shortest day (of daylight) of the year.  The Vernal Equinox, the first official day of Spring, will be 90 days in the future.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that the Solstice does not equate to a return of warm breezes and sunshine and all that.  Hardly.  Not in these parts, at least.  The worst of the cold is, probably, before us.  In this area particularly, which has some "odd"  things that go on.  For example, the St. Patrick's Day Blizzard.  St. Patrick's Day in 2017 is on Friday, the 17th of March, almost the same day as that above mentioned Vernal Equinox (Monday, March 20, at 06:29).  Yet, in this area in particular, there is a HEAVY expectation, born out of years and years of experience, that this very day will have a very heavy snowstorm.  Calling it a blizzard is probably a bit much, but there certainly have been significant snowfalls on that day, quite often.  So, as I said, weather predictions for this area over the next 3-1/2 months are not likely to encourage shorts and flip-flops.  Quite the contrary.  As a result, we expect at least 3, probably 4. more months of cold and snow and gray skies and all of that.
I hear the term "seasonal affective disorder".  That probably translates into "hates cold and snow", which doesn't sound like a "disorder" at all, it sounds like good sense.

Now, I realize full well that kvetching about the weather is pointless, though it's one of those age-old behaviors of humankind..  I realize that when you get above, say, the 36th parallel of northern latitude, weather will get cold in the winter.  Here it's worsened by the presence of the Great Lakes, providing moisture to the prevailing winds coming out of Alberta, Canada.  Hence, snow in quantity.  Yes, it's pretty much built in.  But having lived below that 36th parallel for quite a number of years, I have some nice memories of NEVER seeing snow, and others of rarely seeing it.  I liked that a lot better.

It's not "just" the lousy weather, it just accentuates an area that is depressing enough in itself.  This area was once a moderately prosperous industrial area.  People moved here from all over the world.  Within a 25-mile radius of where I sit, I can find Amish (my cousins) who came here from Switzerland and the Palatinate, escaping horrible religious persecutions from the Lutherans, Calvinists, Russian Orthodox, and a few Roman Catholic officials.  Here are groups whose ancestors came from Poland, Hungary, Austria (my late father-in-law), Ireland, Wales, Corsica, Spain, Lebanon, Egypt, Russia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Norway, Finland, Sicily (my late mother-in-law's parents), Italy, Syria, Rumania, Ukraine, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Slovakia, and others.  They worked the mines, the worked the steel mills, they worked the farms, and the rail roads and the barges and the trucks, they ran the restaurants and groceries, they had children in the schools and supported the churches and synagogues.  That was "then".  Seems like centuries ago.  Now?  Now I drive past rows of closed factories and stores.  Past empty buildings that once housed schools and churches.  Past weed-covered lots where houses stood, once.  Now gone.  Entire streets being erased from the city maps so they don't have to do upkeep on the water and sewer lines or the fire hydrants.  Some being repurposed as "urban farms".  Others being -- clandestinely -- planted with marijuana, or providing venues for cockfighting operations and the gambling associated with them.  Or where bodies are too often found, bearing marks of violence, or of a drug addiction with one too many overdoses of heroin or the like.  Where prostitutes ply their trade behind a bar or "party shop".  Where generational alcoholism is common, as is fetal alcohol syndrome.  Or the spectacle of "crack babies' is not a rarity.  Where hope is a stranger.  With the gray skies and cold overshadowing all of it.
This is what I see all around, daily.
Both issues are beyond human remedy.  Perhaps we are called to be instruments  of the Lord's work on the matter, but I don't see which way to move.  And am as powerless to address the human issues, as I am to remedy the lousy weather.  Depressing.  

This was a quiet weekend here.  Had ice storms come through Saturday night, made the region a sheet of ice.  We stayed home, stayed in, matter of fact.  In the late afternoon, Dear Wife trundled across the back yard to her niece's place so as to 'watch" the great-niece as the parents went off to a company Christmas party.  Little One is now 4, as of Saturday.  When we made the Great Move, she was just about to turn 1 year old, couldn't walk or talk.  Now she runs and jumps all over, talks non-stop.  Not terribly well, but about what you expect from one that age.  It is neat, I confess, to watch that development, remembering those days with our daughters, so many years ago.

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

Today we open another of the "minor prophets", Micah.  Chapters 1, 2, and 3.
I confess that I had long slid through this without a great deal of attention.  That was wrong.  That was very wrong.  There is a great deal here to "chew on". 

Micah 1

1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the LORD from his holy temple. 3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. 4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. 5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? 6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. 7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. 8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. 9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. 10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. 11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing. 12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem. 13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. 14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. 15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. 16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

Micah 2

1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. 2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil. 4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields. 5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD. 6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. 7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? 8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war. 9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. 10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. 11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people. 12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. 13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.

Micah 3

1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment? 2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; 3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron. 4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. 5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. 6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. 7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. 8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. 9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. 10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. 12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

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

The evening's reading is chapter 10 of the Revelation.

Revelation 10

1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. 8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 21 December 2014

gray and dreary here.  Wife still sick.  Came home from church, got detailed to make a pharmacy run and did.  Picked up NINE of hers.  One needs OK'd by doc tomorrow (heavy duty pain killer). 
Half the crowd at church this morning has, recently had, or feels like coming down with the "creeping crud" that is going around, including the pastor.  The little "shake everyone's hand"  section was deleted with disease prevention in mind.  Fine with me.
Got e-mail from sister and brother-in-law, they're in town for a few days, want to get with us in the morning before heading back to central Virginia.  Saw them for an hour during the July 4th break, another hour over last Christmas.  Outside of those, and the funerals for our parents, we've rarely been in the same state since around 1988.  Not by design, but stuff happens when you live all over the U.S. as we have.

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

The Old Testament reading today is chapters 6, 7 of the book of Micah.

Micah 6

1	Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
2	Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.
3	O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
4	For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5	O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.
6	Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
7	Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8	He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
9	The LORD's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
10	Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
11	Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
12	For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13	Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
14	Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
15	Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
16	For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Micah 7 

1	Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
2	The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
3	That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
4	The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
5	Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
6	For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
7	Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8	Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
9	I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
10	Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
11	In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed.
12	In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
13	Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
14	Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15	According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.
16	The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
17	They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.
18	Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
19	He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20	Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

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

The New Testament passage is chapter 12 of the Revelation.

Revelation 12

1	And 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:
2	And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3	And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4	And 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.
5	And 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.
6	And 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.
7	And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8	And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9	And 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.
10	And 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.
11	And 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.
12	Therefore 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.
13	And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14	And 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.
15	And 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.
16	And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17	And 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.