Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 29 November 2014

Wow.  The week has flown by, and I have remarkably little to show for the journey.  Dear Wife has been sick, almost constantly horizontal, since we got back from the brief Thanksgiving Day dinner at her nephew's place.  Says she's feeling a little bit better, but "better" is not the same as "good".  And she does not feel "good", even by her standards.    Lousy.
How lousy?  Well, this morning, 10-12 was calling hours for a cousin of her mother's who was a murder victim last week, with service at noon conducted by one of the Mormons in the extended family.  She was too sick to go, really too sick to do much of anything.  They've scheduled a candlelight vigil at the home of the deceased for Sunday evening, and I much doubt she'll be able to be there for that either.  Which does not help her emotional state, and that in turn does her physical condition no particular good. 
Beloved Elder Daughter called earlier, she's in the middle of a move.  She's been a English, as in ESL, teacher at a city school in the midwest.  The treasonous illegitimati that are running out country right now arranged to dump several thousand ILLEGAL ALIENS into that area just at the start of the school year.  She's been dealing with tatted-up gangbangers, some with gray hair, some pregnant, virtually all of them illiterate even in Spanish, and several who didn't speak Spanish either.  After being hospitalized TWICE for diseases conveyed by the unvaccinated invaders, and receiving death threats from them, she's quitting.  Now.  Out of medical isolation, and moving.  She and husband have a small house about two hours from the apartment she's been camping in -- they'd planned to sell the house and move back together in her apartment.  Now, nope.  Not much choice.  Incidentally, the school system she was in couldn't do much to help her:  they were, by virtue of the lousy dictators in Washington, prohibited from suspending, expelling, or arresting these ILLEGAL ALIENS.  Something about "disparate impact" or some such pack of lies.
Makes it very hard to be nice.  Very hard.
We know, personally, a fair number of people who immigrated to this country.  Dear Wife's father was born in Europe.  Younger Daughter's mother-in-law is an actual legal immigrant (now citizen) from the interior of Mexico.  Neither of my parents spoke English at home before going to school as kids.  And I have for more than 40 years dealt with people literally from all over the world, from Korea and Okinawa and Indonesia, to Guatemala, Ireland, Finland, Egypt, Nigeria, Israel, Lebanon, Greece, Poland, Rumania, Russia, Ukraine, and even the Armenians.  I'm not opposed to immigrants in theory.  Invaders are another matter, and  that is what these are.  Aiding and abetting that invasion is the act of a Benedict Arnold, not an American patriot.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 41 and 42 in the writings of Ezekiel.  I remind you that this was during the time of the Captivity, a judgment upon the people when they decided to be like the nations around them, when THEY did not take the limits of the land seriously.  The ignored the border and became homogenized.  Wasn't supposed to work like that.  The results of that were Not Good, not fun to go through.
And yet, the Lord had not abandoned them.  Or we wouldn't have this account, and we would not have the New Testament at all either.  In many ways, the very existence of these prophecies is also a message of hope, an assurance that there will be a future.  Whatever they were going through, and by all accounts, some of those things were rough, there was light on the other side of the cloud.  Good reminder for us as well.

Ezekiel 41

1	Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle.
2	And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits.
3	Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits.
4	So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place.
5	After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side.
6	And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house.
7	And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.
8	I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits.
9	The thickness of the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was five cubits: and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within.
10	And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side.
11	And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about.
12	Now the building that was before the separate place at the end toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits.
13	So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long;
14	Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits.
15	And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court;
16	The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, cieled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows were covered;
17	To that above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure.
18	And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces;
19	So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about.
20	From the ground unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple.
21	The posts of the temple were squared, and the face of the sanctuary; the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other.
22	The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD.
23	And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.
24	And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door.
25	And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without.
26	And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.

Ezekiel 42

1	Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north.
2	Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.
3	Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery against gallery in three stories.
4	And before the chambers was a walk to ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north.
5	Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.
6	For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground.
7	And the wall that was without over against the chambers, toward the utter court on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits.
8	For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits.
9	And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court.
10	The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building.
11	And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors.
12	And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them.
13	Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.
14	When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people.
15	Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about.
16	He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
17	He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about.
18	He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed.
19	He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed.
20	He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.

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The New Testament reading is the first chapter in the 2nd Epistle of Peter.

II Peter 1

1	Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2	Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3	According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4	Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5	And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6	And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7	And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8	For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9	But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10	Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11	For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12	Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
13	Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
14	Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
15	Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
16	For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17	For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18	And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19	We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20	Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21	For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 28 November 2014

yesterday was, well, a day.  Up and making up "stuff" for the Grand Gathering for Thanksgiving.  One of the good/bad things about our current situation is that Dear Wife's immediate family is pretty close by.  Niece and her husband and child are right next door.  Her Sister and her husband live a few miles away, and nephew and his wife and kids are about two blocks from them, and they hosted the thing.  A couple of family friends came along, they don't live too far off.  So we had 13 people gathered around. 
It was a nice family get-together.  But no words of thanks, no prayers, no nothing.  My late mother-in-law was a fierce and profane atheist, raised her kids the same way.  Fortunately, Dear Wife was mentored by some godly relatives, so she and I are the "odd" ones.  Perhaps they are our immediate mission field.  After all these years, we've made no progress that I can see.
Anyway, a relatively good time was had.  We got there around 11, ate slightly after noon, were heading for the door at 2:15.  Which was OK:  nephew and wife had to go to HER parents for a second meal, and niece and  her husband had to go to HIS parents for a second meal.  We came home, put stuff away, proceeded to veg out.  The Big Deal runs on the shopping wars are not for us and we don't have the money anyway.
Then, well, another thing.  I haven't made a big deal of it, but a family connection on Dear Wife's side was murdered last week.  71 years old, stabbed to death in his own home where he lived alone.  Hit hard, and the police have been hard at work at it.  Not a great thing to happen around the holidays.
But shortly after we got home, I checked web site for a local TV station, and caught a "breaking story", to the effect that an arrest has been made in the case.  Seems that a great-nephew, out of prison only a few months, has been arrested in the case.  Good work on someone's part, but it does rather cast a pall on the holiday.  So, Saturday morning, we will be going to calling hours at a local funeral parlor, and right after noon a service will be held in that same location.  Officiating will be another relative, a minister (or whatever they call them) in the local LDS group.  Some of Wife's family are atheists, some are Episcopalian, a few Jewish, and some Mormon.  I think there might be a few Roman Catholics in there and perhaps one or two Orthodox of some variety as well.  Only in America.
Anyway, that will occupy Saturday for the most part. And there is a candlelight vigil set for Sunday evening outside the home of the deceased.  Wife hopes to be well enough to attend.  We shall see.
She wasn't doing well after we got home yesterday, and we are in the midst of a snow event.  So we shall see.  The "high" today is predicted to be 30.  The high Sunday is predicted to be 53.  Quite a change, and perhaps the temps and fronts going through have something to do with her malaise.
Holidays can be tough.  But you probably knew that already.

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The Old Testament reading is chapter 40 of the writings of the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 40

1	In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.
2	In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.
3	And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
4	And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.
5	And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
6	Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad.
7	And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.
8	He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.
9	Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.
10	And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.
11	And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.
12	The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
13	He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.
14	He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.
15	And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.
16	And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.
17	Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.
18	And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.
19	Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.
20	And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.
21	And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
22	And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.
23	And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.
24	After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.
25	And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
26	And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.
27	And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits.
28	And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;
29	And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
30	And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.
31	And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.
32	And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.
33	And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.
34	And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
35	And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;
36	The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.
37	And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.
38	And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.
39	And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.
40	And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.
41	Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices.
42	And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice.
43	And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
44	And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.
45	And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.
46	And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him.
47	So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.
48	And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.
49	The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.

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The New Testament reading is the 5th chapter in the first epistle of Peter, completing this.

I Peter 5

1	The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2	Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3	Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
4	And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
5	Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6	Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7	Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8	Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9	Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10	But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11	To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12	By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
13	The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
14	Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 27 November 2014 Thanksgiving Day

Still in a cool spell here.  Dear Wife's birthday was Tuesday, but, with her new found and severe wheat allergy, couldn't even come up with a birthday cake.  I bought some pumpernickel bread at the day-old bread store and she tried a piece of it.  And then we both spent yesterday feeling poorly and horizontal under blankets.  And it could be that, or the general malaise she suffers from or just something going around.  I didn't feel real good myself, so it may be the latter. 
Today is Thanksgiving Day.  We are scheduled to go over to nephew's place (Wife's Sister's son) to meet everyone for the Great Occasion.  Will have several kids there, a 2, a 3 and a 7 year old.  Great Stuff.  Hopefully nothing bad will happen, sometimes they're on the verge of it for long stretches.  ah, well.

Thanksgiving Day, when we are, I hope, reminded that a constant attitude of giving thanks, and seeking to bless others, are essential qualities in life.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 38 and 39 of the writings of the prophet Ezekiel

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Ezekiel 38

1	And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2	Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3	And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4	And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5	Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6	Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
7	Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8	After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9	Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10	Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11	And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12	To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13	Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14	Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15	And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16	And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17	Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18	And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19	For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20	So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21	And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
22	And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23	Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 39

1	Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
2	And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3	And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4	Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5	Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6	And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7	So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8	Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
9	And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
10	So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.
11	And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12	And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13	Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14	And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15	And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16	And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
17	And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18	Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19	And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20	Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21	And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22	So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.
23	And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
24	According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
25	Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
26	After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
27	When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
28	Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29	Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 4 in the 1st Epistle of Peter.

I Peter 4 

1	Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
2	That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
3	For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
4	Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
5	Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
6	For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
7	But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
8	And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
9	Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
10	As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11	If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12	Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13	But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14	If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15	But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16	Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17	For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18	And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19	Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 26 November 2014

mid-week now.  Colder than it had been for a few days, will be cold again today and tomorrow and Friday as well.  Predictions are that by Saturday we should see a "warming" trend.  Warming, as in "all the way" up to a "high" of 44 and even 53 by Sunday.  With Monday being a "high" of 39.  It's about the norm for this area at this time of year, but I really do miss the Deep South where Sunday and Monday should hit 72 degrees and the coldest they expect for the next 10 day is 37.  Coldest.  We'll probably have highs around that.  I believe that there's a mission for us here, a purpose to it all.  I believe that, I do.  But I don't know what it is.
Dear Wife's Disability check hit the bank yesterday, so it was off to get groceries.  And ran by the gas station to put $35 in the tank.  Didn't fill it up, but got close.  Since we were well under 1/4 tank at the time, it was high time.  Then back to let Wife "watch" the Beloved Grand-Niece.
Should have a relatively clear schedule today.  I'm not feeling real well myself.  A "down day" is welcome.    Just trying to figure out what the "next step" is.  Really have no idea whatsoever.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 36 and 37 in the writings of the prophet Ezekiel.
You may recognize chapter 37, particularly if you remember the old song about those "Dry Bones".   So, no matter what it looks like to us, the Lord can do a mighty thing.  Nothing too big for him.  I know.  He's been there for me in some very dark times.

Ezekiel 36

1	Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:
2	Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:
3	Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people:
4	Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;
5	Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
6	Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:
7	Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
8	But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.
9	For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:
10	And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:
11	And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
12	Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.
13	Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations:
14	Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.
15	Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.
16	Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
17	Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.
18	Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:
19	And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.
20	And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.
21	But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
22	Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
23	And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
24	For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25	Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26	A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27	And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28	And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
29	I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
30	And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
31	Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
32	Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.
33	Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.
34	And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
35	And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.
36	Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.
37	Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.
38	As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 37 

1	The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2	And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3	And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4	Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5	Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6	And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
7	So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8	And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
9	Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10	So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11	Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12	Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13	And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14	And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
15	The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
16	Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17	And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
18	And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19	Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20	And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21	And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22	And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
23	Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
24	And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25	And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26	Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
27	My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28	And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

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The New Testament passage is chapter 3 in the 1st Epistle of Peter.  There are some passages in Scripture that I hesitate, nearly fear, to teach on or to comment regarding. This is one of them.  You'll see why.  There are many contentious issues within the Church.  The teaching about wives being submitted to their husbands is certainly one of them.  I can honestly say that I do not recall every hearing the first part of this passage to be the basis of a sermon.  Can you?  And certainly not one of the TV preachers, the "name it and claim it" types. 
Yet, having said that, the rest of the passage is important.  I particularly draw attention to verse 15.  "always be ready".  One of the sad truths is that most Christians, particularly in the US, have never and will never tell anyone else about Jesus and what He's done for us.  That's a sad commentary upon our spirit of obedience and what the motivational types used to call a "sense of urgency".  Are we ashamed of Jesus, or are we so unsure of our ability to be a witness to Him, that we are willing to let our neighbors go to Eternal Destruction?  Are we ashamed of the Lord?

I Peter 3

1	Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2	While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3	Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4	But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5	For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
6	Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
7	Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
8	Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9	Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10	For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11	Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12	For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
13	And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14	But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15	But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16	Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17	For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
18	For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19	By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20	Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21	The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22	Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.