Stuff -- Thursday, 24 March 2016

a decent day here.
Looking at the morning news and messages, I see further evidence of the decay of the society.  I fully expect to see the final collapse in my lifetime, meaning soon, unless we hear the Last Trumpet sound, something I've always expected.  The two may coincide of course.  Perhaps.
As evidence, I offer three items.

• plain idiocy.  Emory University, a liberal arts college in the Atlanta area that was founded by the Methodists (and followed the degeneration of that crowd), is all upset.  It seems that some anonymous person actually put some words in support of the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, on some sidewalks using chalk.  Now the little snowflakes are trembling in fear and outrage that someone  -- gasp! --- has dared to upset their little world.  See one episode of the story here.
• Or, some fellow fools at Columbia U have determined that the Belgians are the ones to be blamed for the latest outrage perpetrated by the Moslem heathens there.  Because, well, Islamophobia or something.
• and then there is the bowing of the National Football League to the wild ravings of the homosexual lobby, the so-called Lavender Mafia.  Rumor has it that some states who are cursed to have NFL franchises within their borders are having the gall to protect bakers and others from having to provide products and services (and loud cheers) to support the weirdest imaginings of the perverts, and allow them to decline to make wedding cakes in honor of homosexual "marriage".  So the NFL is clutching their pearls and threatening to smite someone with their handbags unless the state legislature recants (and, probably, enters re-education camps).  The "bread and circuses" movement going further.  See here.

 More examples may be found.


Collapse is imminent.

Today''s Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 20 December 2013

getting down to it on the calendar.  At this rate, we'll need to start writing 2014 pretty soon.  Seems as if the year vanished like a dream when you wake.  Sometimes I wonder if, when on the Other Side, our life here will have that same import, a dream barely remembered when we truly awake.  Something to think about when the day's issues seem so massive and important.  Perhaps they're not.

On the other hand,\
Just got off the phone after an hour-long phone interview with an engineering manager from a manufacturer in the Greater Cleveland  area.  We shall see. It would be a daily commute of about 80 minutes each way.  We shall see.

The Big Issue of the day seems to be the Duck Dynasty and A&E flap.  Seems that a magazine has quoted one of the principal people on the show with respect to his views on issues, homosexual behavior in particular.  The response was to essentially quote the Bible on the matter.  And now the whole thing has blown up.  How DARE anyone say anything that does not celebrate that particular perversion!!  How DARE he!!!  Well, I dare.  The Lord has made His decision on the matter.  I think that if He can set the speed of light and the force of gravity, He has rather more power in the matter than the top dogs of GLAAD or at A&E or any of the usual loudmouths. 

======

The Old Testament assignment for today is chapters 4 and 5 of Micah.  In some ways, this is much more positive than yesterday's passage was.

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 -- Saturday, 14 December 2013

this will be brief
Cold here and in the middle of a snowstorm that began in the middle of the night and is expected to last all day long, and dump around a foot of snow on us.  And Dear Wife is not doing well, I should take her to a doctor or something but -- in part due to the "collateral damage" of Obamacare -- I have left my job and we have neither money nor medical insurance.  My information is that my former co-workers are losing theirs as well, the company is seeing it as financially preferable to drop it for all. And we were part of the cohort that was using more resources than the 19-year-olds they prefer so I was being pushed out anyway.  Result is that Dear Wife is miserable and sick and there's not a thing I can do.  You REALLY don't want to know what's in my heart towards Obumble or the national Democrap Party right now.  Gets real up close and personal and yes, I'm bitter. Trying to be Christlike and charitable, but it's not easy.  The phrase "Liberal Fascism" that was the title of a book by Jonah Goldberg is one that raises the ire of many of the liberals, but the facts pretty well support his thesis.  And, people like us are just some of those eggs that some argue need to be broken in order to make the omelet of a New World Order.  Yes, I'm bitter.

I also know that a hundred years from now it won't matter and that this situation, like the rest of our lives, is in full view of the King of the Universe and that it has not escaped His attention.  And He loves us.  Doesn't make it easy.  Possible, yes.  Just.  And hoping for relief from worry and pain soon.

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

The Old Testament passage is chapters 1, 2, 3 of Amos.  This is another of the "Minor Prophets:".  The Lord chose him and sent him and that should count for a lot.

Amos 1

1	The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
2	And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
3	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
4	But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
5	I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.
6	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:
7	But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof:
8	And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD.
9	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:
10	But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.
11	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:
12	But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.
13	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:
14	But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:
15	And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD.

Amos 2

1	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
2	But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:
3	And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.
4	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
5	But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
6	Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
7	That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
8	And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
9	Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
10	Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
11	And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
12	But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
13	Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.
14	Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
15	Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.
16	And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.

Amos 3

1	Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2	You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3	Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4	Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5	Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
6	Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
7	Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8	The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
9	Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
10	For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
11	Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
12	Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
13	Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,
14	That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
15	And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.

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

The New Testament reading is chapter 5 of the Revelation.

Revelation 5

1	And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2	And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3	And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4	And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5	And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6	And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7	And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8	And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9	And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10	And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11	And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12	Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13	And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14	And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Today's Readings -- 29 March 2010

Back at it Monday. Ack! The weekend flew by much too quickly. Dear Wife has been sick in bed since we got back from Wally World (that's Wal-Mart to you elite types) Saturday and today may be difficult. She's already missed far too much work, more in the last month than I have in the last 6 years combined, so she wants to go. We shall see. Her health is always a big concern. Lupus is like that. We are very much concerned about what happens with the little exercise in fascism known as Obamacare that has apparently been imposed upon an unwilling nation. The concept of "Death Panels" is not an abstract concept to us, it is very real and quite likely.


This morning's reading is chapters 23 and 24 of Joshua, completing this section. Tomorrow we will, Lord willing, get into the book of the Judges.

Joshua 23

1 And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.
2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.
4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.
5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.
6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
7 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.
9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.
10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.
11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.
12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

Joshua 24

1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
11 And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.
27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.
31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.

This evening, verses 27-49 of Luke 6.

Luke 6:27-49

27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Another Nail in the Coffin of the Massive Lie Called Human Caused Global Warming

If there has ever been a bigger scam, a more massive pack of lies, than 'Anthropogenic Global Warming', I am hard pressed to think of it. Socialism, of course, but the two have in fact much in common. And demon cults like Islam. Not much else.
Leading, of course, to idiocies like 'Carbon Credits', Carbon Trading, and so forth, ad nauseum. And to the crap from liars like Al Gore.

Read up on it, do please. Here is one place to begin.

Today's Reading -- 17 April 2009

Happy Friday. Late today, this business of getting home from work at 4:00 AM has thrown me off schedule on many fronts. And has not improved my disposition either.
Let me pose a question. Why are traffic signals in so many places so wretchedly done? I have a couple of routes open to me coming home. Two involve the use of one or two Interstates, the third involves driving along a couple of high-volume perimeter streets. I took the latter last night. At 3:30 AM, I and several other cars found ourselves stopped at EVERY traffic light. EVERY one. We stopped for a l-o-n-g time in front of a building that houses a big-name insurance operation, and watched the lights cycle through to let a vast crowd out of that building. Which had, of course, no cars. Likewise we had a L-O-N-G wait to let cars in and out of a shopping mall. Which has been closed for several YEARS, and in any event would have had little or no traffic at 3AM. Many, very many, more examples of this. And this is not the only place I've seen it. WHY is it so impossible for these signals to be turned OFF during off-peak hours? WHY do they not yank out, by the roots, the ones in front of long-empty shopping centers? And WHY by all the stars in the sky, do they persist in running these things strictly by timers without regard to the needs that any fool could see?
And why, pray tell, are such hideous examples of regulatory blundering so much more evident in areas that are Democrat strongholds? Is it that they really don't trust people?



This ''morning's'' reading is chapters 22, 23, 24 of 1st Samuel.

This evening's reading is verses 1 through 18 of the 16th chapter of Luke.

Liberal Fascists Anew

While this blog is primarily about Christianity and the Bible, there are other matters of interest.
I find it just a bit disturbing that certain elements within our federal government, particularly as it now constituted, have evidently decided that the citizens of the nation are the enemy. Perhaps they are right, if that is interpreted to mean the enemy of the kakistocracy. But it is disheartening to see it so clearly stated.
Michelle Malkin, Roger Hedgecock, and The Liberty Papers have posted some very disturbing, and confirmed reports.
And the actual document, produced with YOUR tax dollars, is here. Read it and weep.

Is There Something in New Jersey That Creates Idiocy?

Comes now another idiotic ruling from the East Coast Elites, this one presuming that the state of New Jersey has somehow a previously unknown power to regulate the use of a site owned by the Methodists in that area. Seems that the church (you remember all that twaddle about ''separation of church and state'', right?) exercised its right to be faithful to what what it's rules, and the Bible, teach, and to prevent the use of these facilities for fraudulent homosexual ''marriage''.
But the liberal fascists (see here) in New Jersey, like totalitarians everywhere, will leave no stone unturned in extending their slimy claws into everything.

For this we fought a Revolution? For this we fought to gain and maintain our freedoms?