Today's Readings and Stuff == Sunday, 07 January 2018

COOLD!  Here!!

Yeah, brother in law came by yesterday  (with sister-in-law) to look at our plumbing situation (going on a week now with no water).  To prepare, I'd gone to gas station, bought $10 in diesel fuel, dragged nephew's torpedo heater over and, fueled, started heating the air in our crawl space.  Good preparation?  Yes, I guess.   Sufficient?  No.  When they got here, we tried to pull aside that PVC that blocks (we hope) wind intrusion, animal intrusion, etc. in the space.  Only to find that stuff in that area was frozen so solid that we couldn't gain access.  So ,,,,  I went around to the other side, the opening I had that torpedo heater blowing into.  Pulled it out, leading to a shower of sparks when the housing touched the  outside faucet.  NOT a good thing.  I unplugged the torpedo (it has a blower, you see) and pulled it out.  Tried to wriggle around inside.  No can do.  Not enough space to do so.  And it appears that raccoons, opossums, and an army of feral cats had been active -- most of our sub-floor insulation, including what I'd installed this last summer, was torn up and laying on the ground.  Which, in turn, explains the cold floors and drafts.  NOT good, and nothing I can do about it until Spring at least.    So....  Jim will try to come back Tuesday or Wednesday, when the air temperature is predicted to be in the upper 30's at least, so hopefully the frozen sections will be accessible.

So, no water, still.  I went next door and lugged about 14 gallons over, in various buckets and pitchers.  Lets me heat some water on stove and wash some of the dishes at least.  Some.

This is not turning into a great year, and we're only a week into it.

So we're frozen in and staying home today.  Not even venturing out into the frozen wilderness to attend church worship services.  Yes, that cold.
Now, we have been assured that despite last night's dalliance with temperatures around the -10° mark, today may see a near-tropical +23°!  And a low of +21°, which would be a good bit nicer than our recent "high" temperatures.  And possibly hit 50 on Thursday.  It would be nice to be able to get at stuff and fix the water issue at least.  The torn-down insulation, well,it will have to wait until Spring, at least.  And even then .....  this place is showing its age.  It's been pretty cheap to live in (necessary in our circumstances), and Wife really needed to be back around the area she regards as "home" and around her family.  With niece and their kids next door, and much of the rest of the family nearby, she has that.  But if this place continues to deteriorate faster than we can mend, we'll be needing a fallback.  The emotional strain would be tough on, and most places that we could afford (barely) aren't pet-friendly.  Cats don't bark, which is a plus, but it's still an issue.



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Our study today is chapters 13 and 14 in the Genesis.
Abram, who will later be known as Abraham, is one of those Biblical characters whose life and walk with the Lord led to things that affect each of us and our world to this very day.
But there is much else here.  It is here, for example, that we see the first (but not last) mention of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Here we meet Melchizedek.  He, incidentally was king of Salem.  Salem is now known as Jerusalem, an axis of interest to this very day.   His name will pop up several times later in the Bible.

Genesis 13

13:1		And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
13:2		And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
13:3		And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
13:4		Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
13:5		And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
13:6		And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
13:7		And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
13:8		And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
13:9		Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
13:10		And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
13:11		Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
13:12		Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13:13		But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
13:14		And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
13:15		For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
13:16		And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
13:17		Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
13:18		Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

Genesis 14

14:1		And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
14:2		That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
14:3		All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
14:4		Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
14:5		And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
14:6		And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.
14:7		And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.
14:8		And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
14:9		With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
14:10		And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
14:11		And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
14:12		And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
14:13		And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14:14		And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
14:15		And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
14:16		And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
14:17		And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
14:18		And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
14:19		And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
14:20		And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
14:21		And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
14:22		And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
14:23		That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
14:24		Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 06 January 2018

Good Saturday is wished to all.
Well, we're experience a truly odd manifestation of "global warming" here.  Sub-zero lows, and daily "highs" barely above zero.  Truly cold.  Now, the weather prognosticators have told us that this next week on the calendar will be far better, far warmer (or, at least, less cold) with several highs well above the freezing point.  If and when that happens, it will be most welcome.  55° would be even more welcome, but that is likely to be well in the future.

It's -2° here right now, a potential "high" of +5 or so.  Our incoming natural gas line is freezing up: we have enough flow to keep our gas fireplace going, but barely.  And we have already called the Emergency Services for the gas company.  They've been pretty good, really, and we appreciate them greatly, but one suspects that on a day like today, they may be getting more than a few calls for service.  So no idea how long they'll be.  Temperature inside here is above 60° still, so I have an electric space heater going and it's pointed at Wife in her recliner under several blankets.  We've both been through worse.  MUCH worse.   (Of course, we were both a good bit younger at the times).
But the "day" part of our 24-hour cycle is to be 9 hours 20 minutes, with tomorrow picking up another 64 seconds.  Progress, and gaining speed as well.  LONG way until official Spring, of course, and even longer until decent weather.

We still have no water. Brother-in-law came by last night and is supposed to come back right after lunch today.  He's far more knowledgeable on piping issues than I am.  Lord willing, we will determine what to buy to fix our broken pipe(s) so that we can get flow going again.  This has been going on for most of this week, and it has been no fun whatsoever.  Now, with temperatures hovering around the zero point, we may decide to hold off on the actual work until after the weekend, a point in which the temperatures should be a bit less severe.  I'll know more by this evening.  I hope.
Getting all the necessary items will be an issue, mostly from a money standpoint.  We have floated a "payday loan" for $200 to, we hope, get the needed stuff.  Extended family gave us a nice gift as well, which will certainly help.  And I was able to go next door yesterday afternoon and take a hot shower, the first one I'd had in the better part of a week.  Not only badly needed, but downright therapeutic too: helps the sinus clear, among other things.  I suspect that I smell better now as well.


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Our reading today is chapters 11 and 12 of the Genesis.
No sooner are we past the account of Noah, then we skip forward in time a distance, and are at the account of the tower of Babel.  The attitude that they had didn't die out with them.  Many of us have, at one time or another, sought to build a monument to themselves that will outlast them.  I've been guilty of that, certainly.  Some may recall the poetic work Ozymandias, or be familiar with the statues on Easter Island.  Or perhaps, mansions and palaces.  All tributes to self or to the clan.  At this stage of life, I see the all too evident similarities to a dog "marking" his territory.
But it is here that we first begin to see the account of Abram.  Not the last of that.

Genesis
Chapter 11

11:1		And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
11:2		And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
11:3		And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
11:4		And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
11:5		And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
11:6		And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
11:7		Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
11:8		So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
11:9		Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
11:10		These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
11:11		And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:12		And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
11:13		And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:14		And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
11:15		And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:16		And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
11:17		And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:18		And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
11:19		And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:20		And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
11:21		And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:22		And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
11:23		And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:24		And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
11:25		And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
11:26		And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27		Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
11:28		And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
11:29		And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
11:30		But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
11:31		And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
11:32		And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Chapter 12

12:1		Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
12:2		And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
12:3		And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
12:4		So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
12:5		And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
12:6		And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
12:7		And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
12:8		And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
12:9		And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
12:10		And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
12:11		And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12:12		Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
12:13		Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
12:14		And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
12:15		The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
12:16		And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
12:17		And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
12:18		And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
12:19		Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
12:20		And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 05 January 2018 w/correction

The Deep Freeze continues.  Not only here, but across the midwest and northeast USA.  And, one hears, it's affecting Britain as well.  Among other things, flooding in places like Rhode Island, with cars immersed in frozen "ponds".  Snowfall as far south as central Florida is anticipated.  A snowfall this last 24 hours of six to ten inches in New York City!  And tomorrow night, we are expecting a low of around -13°.
Niece's husband brought that torpedo heater over when he came home for lunch.  Ran it for about 3-1/2 hours, and at the end started to get a little bit of flow to the cold water taps in the bathroom and kitchen sink, and at last some refill water to the toilet.  Being cautious, I filled two 5-gallon buckets and every pitcher I could find, for "just in case".   By around 7 p.m., we started to get some cold water flow to the shower/tub.  No hot water, none whatever. 

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for some reason, an important paragraph or two did not get saved and published.  I have no idea why, but this is not the first such case.  I'm trying to recreate it as best as memory permits.
No, we do NOT have water.  ANY water!  At all!
Last evening, I heard an "odd" sound in the wall against/beneath our little eating table.  Sounded like water.  Now, the point at which the water from the utility enters our hovel is right outside that outside wall there.  I groaned, put on coat, grabbed flashlights, and went outside.  Pulled some of the trim out of the way, and observed water pouring out.  NOT good.  Obviously, we  have some cracked/broken pipes/lines somewhere near there.  I checked, while in this mode, and verified that the "heat tape" power on indicator was glowing, so yes it was on, or at least was plugged in.  No alternative but to cut the flow.  Our plumbing is incredibly primitive, which in general translates to "almost no local shutoffs".  And what THAT means is that I had to turn off the main valve to the place.  So, now, we have NO water at all.  Nary a drop from the taps.  Fortunately, yesterday I had filled two 5-gallon buckets to provide "flush" water, and about 3.5 gallons of water in various pitchers, so we do have some reserve.  But that's it.
We're always very tight on money, and this sort of thing is a Very Big Problem.
I had intended to do some plumbing work here in the Spring, and now have a crimping tool and a few crimp-type connectors.  A few.  the lines (not pipe, generally, this place is "plumbed" with PEX primarily, with hard PVC for drains), not.  We set up one of those "payday loans" last night, and when that $200 loan goes through we'll attempt a trip to a nearby hardware joint and acquire some of that 3/4" PEX.  Weather is supposed to break Sunday afternoon and be relatively decent next week (comparatively, I mean, that being above freezing for several days) which is probably when I'll start on this.  So I'll be going next door to fill  buckets and pitchers until then, with no good alternative.

An old friend of about 40 years' standing messaged me with an offer to "camp" there.  Wish I could, but it's more that an hour's drive from here.  Can't take the cats.  One nephew and his wife, the same thing, they live a good half-hour drive from here (right by the church I grew up in).  Same thing.  And Niece relies upon Wife to "watch" the kids a few days a week and there's not a good fall-back.  So I guess we'll try to stay put if at all possible.
This is NOT fun.

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Looking forward to the coming week and the predicted break from this horrible cold.  If only it would remain in the 30's (or above) for the rest of the season.  Not likely of course, but a person can hope.

Gas company guy came by early yesterday afternoon.  Same guy had been here Wednesday night until nearly 02:00 dealing with our frozen gas line.  He came by yesterday, being in the area (they cover a HUGE area) to check on the heater/battery pack he'd installed during the night.  To discover that the battery pack had failed, so he had to replace it.  We appreciate him, and the whole crew, but this is getting a bit tiresome.  Especially in this horrid cold weather.  Not good at all.


Older daughter and her husband had their 10th wedding anniversary last week, the last week of December.  I sent congratulations and all that, got no response whatever.   We did hear that they'd taken a trip to California, probably to Disneyland.  They'd gone their on their honeymoon.  I never had anywhere like the money that would have been needed to take them when they were kids, and I think she holds it against me.  I guess.

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Our day's reading in the New Testament is chapter 5 in the Gospel of Matthew.
The Sermon on the Mount.  Good stuff!

Matthew 5

5:1		And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
5:2		And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
5:3		Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:4		Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5:5		Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
5:6		Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
5:7		Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
5:8		Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
5:9		Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
5:10		Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:11		Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
5:12		Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
5:13		Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
5:14		Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
5:15		Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
5:16		Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
5:17		Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
5:18		For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
5:19		Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
5:20		For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
5:21		Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
5:22		But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
5:23		Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
5:24		Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
5:25		Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
5:26		Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
5:27		Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
5:28		But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
5:29		And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
5:30		And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
5:31		It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
5:32		But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
5:33		Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
5:34		But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
5:35		Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
5:36		Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
5:37		But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
5:38		Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
5:39		But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
5:40		And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
5:41		And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
5:42		Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
5:43		Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
5:44		But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
5:45		That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
5:46		For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
5:47		And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
5:48		Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

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 Our reading in the "poetry" section for today is Psalm 5

Psalms 5

5:1		Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
5:2		Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
5:3		My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
5:4		For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5:5		The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
5:6		Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
5:7		But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
5:8		Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
5:9		For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
5:10		Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
5:11		But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
5:12		For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

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Our reading in the Old Testament is chapters 9 and 10 of the Genesis.

Genesis 9

9:1		And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
9:2		And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
9:3		Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
9:4		But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
9:5		And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
9:6		Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
9:7		And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
9:8		And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9:9		And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
9:10		And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
9:11		And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
9:12		And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
9:13		I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
9:14		And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
9:15		And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
9:16		And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
9:17		And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
9:18		And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
9:19		These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
9:20		And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
9:21		And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
9:22		And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
9:23		And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
9:24		And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
9:25		And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
9:26		And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
9:27		God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
9:28		And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
9:29		And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Genesis 10

10:1		Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
10:2		The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
10:3		And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
10:4		And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
10:5		By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
10:6		And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
10:7		And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
10:8		And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
10:9		He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
10:10		And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
10:11		Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
10:12		And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
10:13		And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
10:14		And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.
10:15		And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,
10:16		And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
10:17		And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
10:18		And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
10:19		And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
10:20		These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
10:21		Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
10:22		The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
10:23		And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
10:24		And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.
10:25		And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.
10:26		And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
10:27		And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
10:28		And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
10:29		And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.
10:30		And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
10:31		These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
10:32		These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thrusday, 04 January 2018

Late start today.  We had to call the gas company last evening, our heater, the sole source of heat in our hovel. was "whistling".  Bad sign, usually means ice choking the pipe coming from the street.  So, we called.  And, eventually, a poor guy,service crew guy, showed up.  The pipe from the street to the meter was almost completely blocked with ice, the free zone to let the gas through was no bigger around than a pencil.  The poor guy was out there in the bitter cold for a good while, and finally had it cleared enough to let us get some heat in here.  But it was pushing 02:00 when he left.  We still had some stuff to do before nodding off, so it was pushing 03:00 before we crashed.  Cats let me sleep in a bit later than usual:  usually I have one dancing on me around 05:00.  That might have led to "flying lessons" today, so she deferred for a while.  When she started the "feed me NOW!" routine, she was evicted from the bedroom and the door closed.  Which, of course, blocks any heat from getting in.  So it cooled off noticeably.  We got up, finally, fed cats, made some coffee, and I got Wife into her recliner with blankets (and an orange cat) on her for warmth.
We still have no water: the pipes are frozen, all of them.  I'd go do the thing with a hair dryer (and may yet do that) but not sure where is the best place to start and really can't afford to be replacing pipes or lines and certainly can't afford a professional.  Can't be done.  The next three days are going to be bitterly cold, with Saturday night supposedly down to -13° and tomorrow's "high" all of +5°.  NOT my every dream come true.  So, among other things, I'll have to go next door to niece's place and fill a bucket or two and some pitchers of water. 
And I was just told that they're going to lend us a "torpedo heater" this evening, but I have to run to the gas station to get some diesel fuel for it.  Fair enough.
Now, Monday is predicted to make it well into the 30's, which is above freezing and sounds downright tropical.  Compared to -13, I guess it is.  And several days NEXT week are supposed to be well into the 30's, well above freezing.  We are picking up nearly a minute of "day" every 24 hours.  So tomorrow the "day" will be 57 seconds longer than today,  Doesn't sound like much, but the first day after the solstice we only picked up one second.  Today we are up to 9 hours 18 minutes.  At some point, that will start to have an effect.  Now, the length of "day", the visible light, is important.  At least equally important is the solar angle, with the center of the more or less perpendicular sun rays moving from the southern hemisphere, where it is Summer now, to the northern hemisphere.  That is also proceeding, albeit too slowly for my liking.  I hate winter!!!
Usually, in this area, the coldest days are in February, a good month away.  Not much to look forward to, that is certain.

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The reading for the day in the Old Testament is chapters 7 and 8 in the Genesis.
Quite a story.  I do sometimes wish that Noah had forgotten to bring along ticks, lice, wasps, fire ants, and a few others.  But I guess the Lord had a reason.

Genesis 7

7:1		And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
7:2		Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
7:3		Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
7:4		For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
7:5		And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
7:6		And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7:7		And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
7:8		Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
7:9		There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
7:10		And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
7:11		In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
7:12		And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
7:13		In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
7:14		They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
7:15		And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
7:16		And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
7:17		And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
7:18		And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
7:19		And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
7:20		Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
7:21		And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
7:22		All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
7:23		And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
7:24		And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 8

8:1		And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
8:2		The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
8:3		And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
8:4		And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
8:5		And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
8:6		And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
8:7		And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
8:8		Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
8:9		But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
8:10		And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
8:11		And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
8:12		And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
8:13		And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
8:14		And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
8:15		And God spake unto Noah, saying,
8:16		Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
8:17		Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
8:18		And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
8:19		Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
8:20		And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
8:21		And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
8:22		While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

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Our reading today in Poetry section is Psalm 4

4:1		Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
4:2		O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
4:3		But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.
4:4		Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
4:5		Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
4:6		There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
4:7		Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
4:8		I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

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The reading from the New Testament is chapter 4 in the Gospel of Matthew

4:1		Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
4:2		And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
4:3		And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4:4		But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
4:5		Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
4:6		And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
4:7		Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
4:8		Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
4:9		And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
4:10		Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
4:11		Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
4:12		Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
4:13		And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
4:14		That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
4:15		The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
4:16		The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
4:17		From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
4:18		And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
4:19		And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
4:20		And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
4:21		And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
4:22		And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
4:23		And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
4:24		And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
4:25		And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 03 January 2018

Yesterday's posting had a litany of troubles.  The list was accurate, surely.  But it is not my intention to host a "pity me, poor poor pitiful me".  And, yes, I am as prone as anyone to put a whole lot of emphasis on the downsides.  But the downsides are part of life.  It's important, and we all need to keep things in proper perspective.  To focus on the important stuff. Yes, we need to focus on the important stuff, knowing that as we do we will inevitably have what I sometimes refer to as "the stone in the shoe" matters.  Yes, we will have some matters that have to be attended to, but that shouldn't take us off the track.
I was considering the troubles and sufferings of the Apostle Paul.  Look up the record in, say, 2nd Corinthians 11:

    2 Corinthians 11:23-28

– “. . . in labors more abundant, in stripes above

measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.

2   24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I

was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

   26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of

my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in

the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

  27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in

fastings often, in cold and nakedness --

Sound like the "prosperity gospel" (lower-case intended) that is all too often proclaimed?  Not quite.  I am confident that the Lord knows our problems.  Sometimes, what they are, are preparations.  Sometimes, and I have "been there", they put us in a place that we could never have been otherwise.  And sometimes, and, again, I have experienced it, they are to protect us from something worse.   I want to be in His will, always.  If I chase my will, my desires, and ignore His, things will not turn out as I had imagined.  And He is still driving this bus, whether I like it or not.


our "song of the day" is taken from Psalm 3.    Thou Oh Lord
This is, again, a personal favorite.  It has a good bit of personal meaning to me, as the text of Psalm 8 did for the psalmist. 

Having said all of the above, we crawled out of our warm bed to be greeted with a whole +2°.  And ALL of our pipes are frozen, including the one to the toilet.  So it appears that I did well in filling a couple of 5 gallon buckets as a just in case.  They'll be used.  Supposedly going to get all the way up to 21° today.  Heat wave!   But Saturday night supposedly going to -13°!  Yuck.  Can we toss some of those "warmists" on a bonfire to warm things up?  Please??
I for one am ready, more than ready, for Spring.  
I note, by the way, that the Old Farmers Almanac, this last summer/fall, predicted an unusually cold and snowy winter.  To be mocked and belittled by all the "in" folks, including, I am sad to say, some biggies in the Southern Baptist Convention, including the lower-ranking one who took issue with my points just the other day.  Oh, well.  The SBC is, of course, hardly alone in in having people like that.  The Roman Catholics, for example, have that idiot Jesuit as pope.  The ELCA Lutherans, American Conference Mennonites, Disciples of Christ, United Methodists, etc. etc. are all on board with that fad, just like the other fads  they've been chasing in a rush to be "relevant".
None of which helps the frozen pipes, being found as far south as Tallahassee, Florida!

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Old Testament reading   ==  Genesis, chapters 5 and 6

5:1		This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
5:2		Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
5:3		And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
5:4		And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
5:5		And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
5:6		And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
5:7		And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:8		And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
5:9		And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
5:10		And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:11		And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
5:12		And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
5:13		And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:14		And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
5:15		And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
5:16		And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:17		And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
5:18		And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
5:19		And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:20		And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
5:21		And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
5:22		And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:23		And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
5:24		And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
5:25		And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
5:26		And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:27		And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
5:28		And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
5:29		And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
5:30		And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
5:31		And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
5:32		And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

6:1		And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
6:2		That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
6:3		And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
6:4		There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
6:5		And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6:6		And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
6:7		And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
6:8		But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
6:9		These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
6:10		And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:11		The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
6:12		And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
6:13		And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
6:14		Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
6:15		And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
6:16		A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
6:17		And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
6:18		But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
6:19		And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
6:20		Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
6:21		And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
6:22		Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

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Poetry reading  -- chapter 3 of the Psalms
(as ever, I strongly recommend that all of the Psalms, and really all of the passages in our "poetry" section, be read aloud).

3:1		Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
3:2		Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
3:3		But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
3:4		I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
3:5		I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
3:6		I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
3:7		Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
3:8		Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

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New Testament reading ---  chapter 3 from the Gospel of Matthew
A brief note on verse 17.  I have been told that, even today, in Jewish homes, where there is a family business like "Goldberg and Son", for example, old Mr, Goldberg is the one in charge, and son is a "go-fer".  Until Mr. Goldberg, Senior, decides it's time to hand the keys over to the son.  A gathering, perhaps a dinner will be arranged, and the other small businessmen in the set will be invited.  And, at a point, old Mr. Goldberg will stand behind his son, put his hands on his shoulders, and announce that the son is now in charge, with similar words.  Sounds a whole lot like what is happening here, does it not?

3:1		In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
3:2		And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3:3		For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
3:4		And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
3:5		Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
3:6		And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
3:7		But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
3:8		Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
3:9		And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
3:10		And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
3:11		I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
3:12		Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
3:13		Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
3:14		But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
3:15		And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
3:16		And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
3:17		And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.