Revealing God's Plan. Christmas Is NOT For Kids. What Do You Do With Your Time? Update.

For "Scripture Sunday":

Revealing God’s Plan.

Did you know that God has a set of holy days for you to be keeping—and that Christmas and Easter aren’t among them?

Largely ignored by the world, these holy days reveal the incredible plan of God and teach us what He has in store for every man, woman and child who has ever lived. This series of 10 short videos will explore that plan and what it means for you.

Discover the Feasts of the Lord Video Series

"God has a plan, and you’re part of it. Videos include “Revealing God’s Plan,” “Somewhere to Belong,” “Hope Remains” and “From Here to Eternity: The Journey of a Lifetime.”"

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Christmas Is Not for Kids

"When we really analyze Christmas traditions, we discover they teach children lessons that lead them in the wrong direction. Christmas traditions focus heavily on children, but they actually teach many negative character lessons. Discover why Christmas is bad for your kids
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Even though Christmas is technically celebrated on Dec. 25 by the majority of the world, people start preparing for it months in advance. Shortly after Thanksgiving children start sending letters off to Santa Claus, who also starts appearing in stores and malls. Parents start shopping for presents on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and may start setting up Christmas trees and lights around the same time. Most popular Christmas traditions revolve around children.

There are many problems with Christmas, which we explain in detail in many of our materials. But many people will counter those reasons with the excuse: “But it’s for the kids!”
Well, here is a proposition that may be surprising: Christmas is not for kids.
Christian parents should keep in mind the instruction to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). When we really analyze Christmas traditions, we discover they teach children lessons that lead them in the wrong direction.  

Four reasons Christmas is not for kids

1. Christmas teaches children it’s okay to lie.

While children should be taught about the birth of Jesus Christ, it shouldn’t be taught alongside a holiday based on many lies about His birth. You can learn about those lies in our article “The Birth of Jesus.” Simply put, if children are taught about Christ’s birth from Christmas, they are being taught a totally inaccurate story of what really happened and when it happened!

But the facts of Christ’s birth aren’t the only lies surrounding Christmas. Christmas traditions emphasize the story of Santa who lives at the North Pole, of elves who make toys for him and of flying reindeer that help him deliver toys to the world’s children in a single night. These are all myths—lies!

Parents teach these lies while also expecting their children to be truthful. They fail to see that “harmless” lies teach children that some lies are acceptable. Instead of teaching myths, it’s much healthier for parents to teach what God says in His Word about lying and why it is forbidden in the 10 Commandments. When parents actively teach the values of truth and honesty, it doesn’t make sense to teach the various Christmas myths.

2. Christmas teaches children greed and selfishness.:

Complete article at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/blog/christmas-is-not-for-kids/
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What Do You Do With All Your Time?

"Our time is our life, and how we spend it shapes our character, our happiness, our success and our future. How does God want us to spend our time?

We may not feel like it, but people today have more free time than ever before. For most of human history, people had to spend almost every waking moment providing food, clothing and shelter for themselves and their families. It is still that way in much of the world.

Yet, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Labor, Americans over the age of 15 average more than five hours of free time a day. That’s almost a third of the time we’re awake! And, according to the same report, most of that unprecedented leisure time is used for entertainment: television, surfing the Web, video games and so on.

Free time: a blessing or a curse?

The way some people use their free time gets them into trouble. Geoffrey Chaucer, in the 14th century, is credited with being the first to say, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” The more modern expression that someone has “too much time on his hands” usually indicates he’s done or is going to do something stupid or wrong.

It’s important to carefully consider how we use our free time and on what we should spend it. Our lives are composed of time, so how we spend our time is how we spend our lives. How does our use of free time affect us? Are there leisure activities a Christian should avoid? Does the Bible give any guidance on how we should use our free time?

What entertains us, changes us"

More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/change/christian-conversion/what-do-you-do-with-all-your-time/

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Update:

With Jay working elsewhere most of the time, not much has been done to the repairs in the guest house.

My granddaughter, Michelle came to visit me on Friday evening and brought her lovely old Sheltie with her.  He was her late mother's dog, and he goes everywhere with Michelle.  It was good to see them again.

On Thursday and Friday I made a big dish of oven-roasted veggies and another dish of roasted zucchini and garlic for the church potluck.  The pastor's wife was all better so she took care of most of the potluck, but I still helped her.

The Bible readings were Gen.47:28-50:26, 1 Kings 2:1-12, Matt.8:5 and 2 Tim. 4:6-8.  The Teaching was about the Day of Yahweh (God), and how we should all be prepared.

This was the first Sabbath in three weeks that I had been able to stay in the chapel and hear the Teaching.  It is piped into the kitchen/dining hall, but someone always came in to help me and would start talking so I couldn't concentrate on it.

A guy who I have hired before helped me today and we pulled up parts of the floor in the guest house attic.  This is so that we can run another electrical circuit into the new kitchen.  There is an empty space in the breaker box, so that will be used.  Kitchens always need more than one circuit!!

With Live Writer not working, I am still writing there, but copying and pasting into Blogger.  I will be so glad to get my computer back, maybe I can use Open Live Writer then.  This back-up computer keeps on freezing up, though I have managed to list some stuff, and sold some items on eBay and Craigslist though, and that is mostly why I have a computer in the first place.
 

It was good to be working inside as it was raining all day.

When Was Jesus Born? Hasty Judgment. Update.

For "Scripture Sunday";

When Was Jesus Born?

"Did His birth occur on December 25th? Can we even know when Christ was born? And, should we really be celebrating His birth?

December 25th is universally celebrated as Jesus Christ’s birthday. Around the world Christians celebrate the season and the day by giving gifts, being with family and friends. Even for those who aren’t Christian it’s a season of joyous celebration.

So when was Jesus born? Let’s find out. And join us on Beyond Today as we explore the many issues surrounding the question: "When Was Jesus Born?"

When was Jesus Christ of Nazareth born?
Every year, we hear Christmas carols all about the baby Jesus in the manger and the winter wonderland associated with His birth. If we look at our calendar, chances are, right there on December 25th, it says Christmas Day. The birth of Jesus Christ is said to be the reason behind the season. But of course every year people worry about the fact that Christ is not in the season. But was Christ actually born on Christmas Day - on December 25th? It’s not as clear and simple as our calendars would suggest.

If we look into it, we find that December 25th wasn’t always considered Jesus' birth date. Joseph L. Sheler of U.S. News & World Report , wrote in an article entitled, "In Search of Christmas":
"Lacking any scriptural pointers to Jesus' birthday, early Christian teachers suggested dates all over the calendar…Clement who was an early church father, he picked November 18th…A man named Hippolytus, another early father, he "figured Christ must have been born on a Wednesday…And then there is an anonymous document believed to have been written in North Africa around the year 243 A.D. which placed Jesus' birth on March 28th." (Joseph L. Sheler, U.S. News & World Report , "In Search of Christmas," Dec. 23, 1996, p. 58).


Although it is difficult to determine the first time anyone celebrated December 25th as Christmas Day, historians are in general agreement that it was sometime during the fourth century. Now this is an amazingly late date. Think about it! What this means is that Christmas - which most consider Jesus' birthday - wasn’t observed by the Roman church until about 300 years after Christ’s death. Christmas cannot be traced back to either the teachings or the practices of the earliest Christians. That sounds almost impossible, doesn’t it? But it’s true
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So why did the Roman church adopt Christmas Day as the time to celebrate Jesus' birth? The reason His birthday is celebrated now, at that time, is because religious leaders of the day wanted to give a pagan festival a name change and to make it easier for pagans to convert over to Christianity.
Listen to this quote from the Encyclopedia Americana which makes it very clear:

 "In the fifth century, the Western Church ordered it [speaking of Christ’s birth] to be observed forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol [who is the sun god], as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ’s birth existed" (1944 edition, "Christmas").
More at: https://youtu.be/XiVgLInIRJ4
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Hasty Judgment

"Judging others based upon what they look like is a common human nature trait. It's also an erroneous one. What does God base His judgments upon?

"My family and I were gathered around my mother's bedside when a young man who worked for the convalescent center entered the room. My wife tells the story far better than I could; here's what she wrote:

"As soon as he stepped into the room I formed an opinion of him. The young man had long hair pulled back in a ponytail. A large metal ring protruded from one ear. His body, though covered with a white lab coat, seemed to me thin and weakly.

I imagine you've formed an opinion of him just from this description.
Without looking in my direction he approached my mother-in-law's bedside.
"How are you today, Thelma?" he asked in a pleasant, cheerful voice that somehow didn't go with the perception I had formed of him.

Of course Thelma wasn't at all well. She had come to the convalescent center with the knowledge that her days were numbered. Her kidneys had failed and she was slowly dying. It was small wonder, then, that she had complaints. As I watched the young man listening patiently to her list of woes and trying as best he could to alleviate them my perception of him changed.

Here was a young man who genuinely cared about people. He did not have a prestigious job. In fact, he probably got paid little for his labor. Yet he was putting his whole heart into what he did, trying his best to ease the discomfort of those whose lives were drawing to an end."

I had much the same first impression of this young man. My wife and I didn't realize that when we judged this young worker because of his appearance we were failing to follow God's instruction found in John:7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

We made a mistake. Yet it's a mistake we've all been guilty of at one time or another. Judging others based on what they look like is a human trait that's hard to rid ourselves of. Of course, part of the reason we make hasty judgments is because sometimes they work; sometimes a person does reflect their character in how they look. In this particular case, however, we were able to see our mistake and changed our opinion of the young worker.

How often, though, do we make lasting mistakes because of outward appearance? Such mistakes can harm relationships, and if we voice or act on our judgment, it can negatively effect how others view the person we've judged.

The Bible tells us repeatedly that God is not a respecter of persons. He shows no partiality. Yet it's so easy for us, as physical human beings, to look on the outward appearance and decide what a person is like inside. Showing partiality to some while disdaining others.

There are six direct statements in the Bible that say that God is no respecter of persons, and I'm sure there are many more indirect statements. If we are to reflect God's character doesn't it follow that we too should show no partiality?

Let's look at James:2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. and see just how serious God views this matter, "but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors." That's pretty serious.

In 1 Peter:1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:  we can see how God judges a person.  This scripture shows us how we should be behaving in our dealings with others
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God has one set of rules for everyone. He judges without partiality. You'll find in Colossians:3:24-25[24] Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.[25]But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.  That slaves and masters receive the same reward and the same punishment. God doesn't look at human status. God judges us according to what we do, with what we have.

God looks on the heart and our willingness to serve others (1 Samuel:16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.).

If you read Galatians:3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

We know that in the world things don't usually work that way. Studies show that teachers, even female teachers, show partiality to the boys in their classes, calling on them more often than they do the girls. An attractive young woman gets faster and better service at the store than does an older person. We've come to expect that sort of treatment in the world today."

More at: http://www.ucg.org/character/hasty-judgments/  
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Update:     Late again as this is Wed. 23rd. Dec. !!

I haven't been able to download 'Open Live Writer' because I am old fashioned and just have Windows XP. So my main computer is with one of the elders from the church who is going to try to install Windows 7 on it. I don't like change, but more and more I am forced into getting rid of my old familiar XP.  This is my back-up desktop, and it is better than nothing.  That is all I can say about it!!.  So I write this in Live Writer, and then copy and paste into Blogger.  Then I have to re-insert any pictures.

Jay helped me last Sunday.  One job we did was to cut a hole in the sewer line going to the main sewer so that we could put a clean-out in it.  We found out that the line still has a lot of root growing in it,  so I'll have to rent a machine again.

Jay has had me helping on the job that he is doing.  He is taking the old masonite (cardboard) T 1-11 siding off a double wide and put the new chipboard T 1-11 on it.  This means removing the windows, re-taping them with butyl putty tape and refitting them over new siding. These are very large windows, so it takes two people.  Once they are removed, one of my jobs is to clean off all the old putty tape and put on the new, then help hold and level the window so that Jay can screw it into place.

That would be OK, but he is never ready to go when he says he will be, so I have to help him by loading their dishwasher and fixing his Mom's breakfast, etc.  Then we have to load all the tools and compressor in my van.  So I spend a lot of my time working, but not at the job site.

On Saturday, the Sabbath, Jay didn't go to church again, he was hungover, so I went on my own.  The pastors wife's van was out of commission so the pastor came with one of the elders.  There was no more room in the car as that elder works out of his car, so the wife couldn't come to church.  Anyway. she still wasn't feeling so great from her bout of double pneumonia.  I was volunteered to take care of the potluck again.  I took oven-roasted yellow squash and onions, and a sweet potato salad which I had made on Thurs and Friday.    Then I cooked several other frozen veggies and warmed up an chicken enchilada dish, and some other Tex-Mex food.    We also had a ground lamb meatloaf which was very good.


Still very confusing weather for late December.  Another 80 degree day!!

When Was Jesus Born? Part 3. The Bible Says When Jesus Was Born. Update

For "Scripture Sunday", I know, it's is late.

Live Writer and I are having a problem.  So I will have to add the pictures when I get this sorted out.

When Was Jesus Born? Part 3

Luke 2:8

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
One commentary states, “As these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields. On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, note on Luke 2:8).
The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary agrees: “These humble pastoral folk are out in the field at night with their flock—a feature of the story which would argue against the birth (of Christ) occurring on Dec. 25 since the weather would not have permitted it” (1971, note on Luke 2:4-7).
For more about why Jesus Christ’s birth could not have been Dec. 25 and how it came to be celebrated that day, see our article “Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate It?”"
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Christmas Was Stolen from Pagans!!

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Does The Bible Say When Jesus was born

"If Jesus Christ wasn’t born on December 25, does the Bible indicate when He was born?

The biblical accounts point to the fall of the year as the most likely time of Jesus’ birth, based on the conception and birth of John the Baptist.  Around the time of The Feast of Tabernacles.
Since Elizabeth (John’s mother) was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived (Luke 1:24-36), we can determine the approximate time of year Jesus was born if we know when John was born. John’s father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah (Luke 1:5). Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June 13-19 in that year ( The Companion Bible, 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200).

It was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a child (Luke 1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (Luke 1:23-24). Assuming John’s conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John’s birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus) brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus’ birth."  At the time of The Feast off Tabernacles.

Video and Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-television-program/when-was-jesus-born
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Update

A very late update.  Been very busy here with a sewer problem here at my house.  When Johnnie and I built the first part of the house we had installed a clean-out, but the contractors who finished this house didn't, so we were digging in the front yard trying to find the sewer.  Finally pulled the toilet in the master bath and rented a sewer machine.  Jay took time off from his job and ran it down the hole for me.  A root had grown into the sewer pipe between my house and the central sewer.  That caused back ups in both bathrooms and the utility sink in the workshop, so I had a lot of disinfecting, mopping and laundry to do.  Then on Sunday, I picked Jay up again  and we shampooed the carpets.  Hadn't been done for quite a while, so that seemed a good time to do it.  Trying to get everything put back in place took most of the evening so that is why I didn't post then.

The guest house repairs are slowly coming along.  Jay is working somewhere else right now, so I am paying anyone who isn't working elsewhere to help.  Some of them weren't any good, so I know why they aren't working!!  A crazy gal who lives down the street has been helping me with some sheetrock taping and floating. 

We had taken out one window, as that is where the fridge will be and added three windows, two little 'portholes' in the side of the future kitchen, and one wide one in the future bathroom.  Also took out a tall window and replaced it with a wide one over where the kitchen sink will be at the front of the house.  There is a great view all the way down the road from that wide window.  So that did make some repairs to the sheetrock necessary.

The little kitchen windows will be between the top and bottom cabinets.  Just little 'portholes' to see out on that side and into the adjacent greenhouse.
Then Jay needed help on the job he was doing, so I have spent some time down there.  Any other free moments I have been listing stuff for sale on eBay and Craigslist.  I have been making a lot of turkey bone broth, too!





The pastor and his wife have both been sick so I was asked to take charge of the potlucks the last two Sabbaths.  I am able to stay in the chapel for the first part of the services, then I have to put the food in the oven to warm up.  So I don't get to hear all the Teachings, even though it is broadcast in the kitchen/dining hall.


Typical Texas December…  First we had some freezing nights and then it is in the mid 70's during the day.

Thanksgiving: More than Turkey and Football !

 

Happy Day to Y'all !

 

 

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National Day of Mourning

The plaque reads, in part:  "To [Native Americans], Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture.  Participants in national Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today...It is a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience.  Erected by the Town of Plymouth on behalf of the United American Indians of New England."

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Funny Thanksgiving Joke

"A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York the day before Thanksgiving and says:
- “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.

- “Pop, what are you talking about?” the son screams.

- “We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer,” the father says. “We’re sick of each other, and I’m sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her.”

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone:
- “Like heck they’re getting divorced,” she shouts, “I’ll take care of this,”

She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her father:
- “You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?” and hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife:
- “Okay,” he says, “they’re coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way.”"

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GN Commentary: Thanksgiving: More than Turkey and Football! -

"Thanksgiving is about more than turkeys and football. It's a day dedicated to our Lord and Creator. As we approach the holiday this year, let's remember and acknowledge Him, and His role in our national blessings.

How sad to have forgotten the virtues enunciated by 16th president Abraham Lincoln, who in 1863 emphasized gratitude, humility, and reverence in his famous proclamation.

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

That was over 150 years ago.  If it was true then that the people of this nation had forgotten God, is it not even more true now? And is it possible that Almighty God, the One who gave such bounty and blessing to the United States, is now in the process of removing that blessing?

If so, ought we not to rededicate ourselves and humbly acknowledge Him this Thanksgiving festival, and ask that in His mercy and kindness He would not withdraw those blessings from us?"

Please watch this 3 minute video: https://youtu.be/SXSuBCgzBjQ"

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May you have a good, thankful and meaningful Thanksgiving Day.

When Was Jesus Born? Part 2. Cause and Effect. Beyond Ruts. Update

 

For "Scripture Sunday": 

When Was Jesus Born? Part 2

"Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

The vast Roman Empire was a structured and expensive government, and this census was “organized to facilitate the collection of taxes” (NKJV Study Bible). In an agrarian society, both tithes and taxes were collected shortly after the fall harvest when the farmer would have sold his crop. Collecting taxes in the winter or any other time is not very effective.

Also, since such a census required people like Joseph to travel back to their ancestral home, it is unlikely the census would have been conducted in the winter time when travel was difficult. This is but one more hint in the text that Jesus Christ’s birth did not occur on Dec. 25. Though the Bible does not give an exact date for His birth, it seems clear that it could not have been in the winter.

For more about why Jesus Christ’s birth could not have been Dec. 25 and how it came to be celebrated that day, see our article “Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate It?”" by Mike Bennett

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Cause and Effect in Prophecy

"Deuteronomy 28:1, 15

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. …

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. …”

Bible prophecy, and the Bible as a whole, teaches us the principle of cause and effect. Obeying God’s good and beneficial laws ultimately leads to wonderful blessings. Disobeying—sinning—ultimately leads to the horrible curses described in Deuteronomy 28.

This is a sure and certain principle—there are predictable consequences to our actions, physically and spiritually.

So why does humanity so easily forget this inevitable truth? Because under the sway of Satan, we have learned to postpone some of the bad consequences, and Satan has used his enormous powers of deception to make the bad look good and the good, bad. He tricks us into thinking there are shortcuts—that we can escape the consequences.

But God wants us to take the long view—to see through the deception to the ultimate reality. He gives us His laws and Bible prophecy so we can see what will cause suffering and what will cause real joy and happiness. Choose life!

For more about the purposes of Bible prophecy, see “Purpose of Prophecy.”"

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Beyond Ruts

An Amazing Fact: The distance between train-track rails, better known as the U.S. railroad gauge, is an odd 4 feet, 8.5 inches. Why? Because that’s the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the U.S. railroads.

But why did the English build them that size? Well, the first rail lines were built by those who built horse-drawn tramways, and they simply used the same gauge. And they used that gauge because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools used for building wagons—which use that wheel spacing.

But why did the wagons use that odd wheel spacing? If they tried to use any other spacing, the wagons wheels would break because they did not fit in the old road ruts. So who built these old rutted roads? The first long-distance roads in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. And the ruts? They were first made for Roman war chariots—and they used the 4 feet, 8.5 inches measurement. They were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.

But why that width? They were made to be just wide enough to accommodate the back-ends of two warhorses. Alas, the influence of old ruts tends to live on forever. The writer of Hebrews warns us about the perils of not moving forward in our Christian lives. “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1). The word “perfection” can mean “fullness” or “maturity.”

As we choose to walk with Jesus every day, we will grow and develop. We will not follow old paths without making sure we know and understand those ways. Practicing a tradition might seem right, but if it does not square with the Bible, we might be doing something only because “that’s the way we’ve always done it before.” That’s how train track rails were once laid. So ask yourself, “Am I going down the right track?”
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 2 Peter 1:5"

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Update:

Well, it's back to just Jay and me working on the guest house.  Mostly we have been concentrating on digging and sinking barriers to keep the rain from getting under one end of the guest house.   The water could not dry out very quickly as the Property Owners Assoc. haven't been cutting their hedge and that might have contributed to the floor rotting.  The guest house is on the corner, so the hedge is theirs.  Since they let that hedge grow as tall as the house there has been no sun to dry anything out. 

We bought 12 ft' long Hardie planks (cement boards), which just fit in my van, dug trenches right outside my fence, then also right up against the house and inserted the Hardie planks, on edge, for barriers.  Some places we installed 8" wide and others 12" wide.  To test if we were getting anywhere we put little scraps of used sheetrock under that side of the house in different places to see if they would get damp.  That's one advantage of not having screwed the new floor down yet, we can see what is going on under it.  We had a real gulley-whomper that even flooded the road below me, but our first completed section didn't show any signs of damp.  More thunderstorms are expected later this week, so we hope to get it all done before then, so we can test it.  When we are satisfied, we will put down the sub barrier and screw down the floor.

Jay went to church with me.  Then as we were giving a ride to another lady we had to re-install one more seat in my van.  Usually we only have the two front seats so that we can carry plywood and sheetrock.  Jeff, our guitarist was away on a filming job, so there were tapes for the music.  We were having  Thanksgiving dinner for the potluck.  

Usually there is cornbread stuffing, but I don't eat corn of any kind because most of it is genetically modified with Round-Up and sprayed with other chemicals.  There are others in the congregation who I knew wouldn't eat it either.   http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/sweetcorn/ and http://gmo-awareness.com/resources/glyphosate/.  So I made some stuffing for the very first time, but with Ezekiel Sesame Bread, (no flour, made from sprouted seeds and grains) and homemade chicken bone broth, onion, celery, raisins, etc).  Everyone said that it was good.  I also made a custard with some Mexican cinnamon cookies embedded in it.  I was given the carcass of the organic turkey to make bone broth.

The Bible readings were Psalms 92 and 100, Gen. 28:10-32:3, Hos. 12:13-14:9, and John 1:43-51.  The teaching was about The Image of God.

It was cold with a chilly wind, so I was glad that I had taken an extra sweater to wear and a jacket to loan out to another cold soul.  There weren't very many there, but we all had a happy, joyful and blessed time, fellowship and a great day.

Fulfilled Prophecy: Jesus Born in Bethlehem. When Was Jesus Born? Part 1. Jesus’ Jewish Heritage. Update.

 

Belated, but for "Scripture Sunday." 

Fulfilled Prophecy: Jesus Born in Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:4-6

"And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

The New Testament records dozens of Old Testament passages that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. (The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume 1, lists more than 100 such Old Testament passages on pages 1037-1040.) Matthew includes four quotes about Christ’s birth and young life, including this one.

Jealous and paranoid, King Herod was greatly disturbed when the wise men asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2).

Herod realized that they were talking about the coming of the Messiah (Christ in Greek), and he asked the religious leaders what the Bible prophesied about the coming of the Messiah. They accurately pinpointed the prophecy about Bethlehem in Micah 5:2  "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past."

(Ephrathah, or Ephrath, is the ancient name for the town of Bethlehem, in Judah, in the southern part of the land of Israel.)

Though Herod was willing to turn to Scripture to try to find the One he felt threatened by, he was not willing to recognize God’s power and authority. In fact he tried to thwart God’s plan, first through deceit, then through a terrible act of mass murder, killing all the male children from age 2 and under in the area of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). This was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15 and depicted in Revelation 12:4 where Satan, the dragon, was ready “to devour her Child as soon as it was born.” But Christ was protected from this onslaught, as we will see.

You can find more background about these events in the article “The Birth of Jesus.”"

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When Was Jesus Born? Part 1

Luke 1:5

"There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

The Bible does not tell us exactly when Jesus Christ was born. The closest hint, found in this verse, seems to point to Christ’s birth in the fall of the year.

What’s the connection? Verse 36 shows that Jesus Christ was born about six months after John the Baptist was born. And John the Baptist would have been conceived nine months earlier (15 months before Christ’s birth), shortly after his father Zacharias had received a message from an angel while serving at the temple.

When did Zacharias serve at the temple? One source says he probably served one-week stints around mid-May and mid-November. (E.W. Bullinger uses the dates June 13-19.) King David had divided the priests into 24 courses, of which the division of Abijah was the eighth (1 Chronicles 24:10). These divisions each served a week at a time, so that each division served two weeks at the temple each year according to the sacred calendar, in addition to the festivals.

A number of commentators lean toward a May or June date for Zacharias’ meeting with Gabriel. Adding 15 months to that would put Jesus Christ’s birth in perhaps August or September. (If Zacharias met Gabriel around November or December, Christ’s birth would have been in perhaps February or March.)

Either way would not support a Dec. 25 birth date.

For more about why Jesus Christ’s birth could not have been Dec. 25 and how it came to be celebrated that day, see our article “Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate It?”"

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Jesus’ Jewish Heritage

Matthew 1:17

"So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

The genealogies of Matthew 1 and Luke 3 give context to the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who also was the descendant of Abraham and David. Both David and Jesus were of the tribe of Judah (verse 3), the tribe promised the scepter—the symbol of rulership (Genesis 49:10). As Jesus said, He was born to be a King, and He will rule all nations in the Kingdom of God (John 18:37; Revelation 11:15).

Jesus was ethnically a Jew and grew up with a Jewish heritage. The genealogies help to link the Old and New Testaments into the unified whole that God intended. Though Jesus argued against many human traditions that had grown up around the religion of the Bible, He always showed respect for the inspired writings of what we now call the Old Testament and the laws revealed in it. This only makes sense when you consider that Christ was the “spiritual Rock” that followed and worked with ancient Israel (1 Corinthians 10:4).

For more about the inspiration and unity of the Bible, see “Who Wrote the Bible?” and “What Is the Bible?”

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Update:

After a lot of looking and phone calls, the linoleum for the new kitchen and bathroom in the guest house is finally bought.  As there would be sheetrock chunks, loose screws and stuff on the floor while we are changing out the windows, we decided to do that before we installed it.  It is a white lino with a faint grey marble look to it.  OK, so it might get dirty, but I didn't want brown.  I am used to having a light colored lino here, and it always looks clean, even if it is dirty.  Anyway, I would rather see the dirt so I can clean it, than worry about looking at a brown floor and wondering if it is dirty.  I don't clean house on any set schedule, so dirt gets cleaned when it shows !

Worker David came back and worked a couple of mornings, so he got the old tall window out of what will be the new kitchen, and the new wide window in it's place.  He even fixed the sheetrock inside, but I got a'thinkin', and realized he hadn't put any insulation in the top and bottom where the old window had been, so I unscrewed the new sheetrock and put it in myself.  The new kitchen and bathroom will both have a few modifications and additions to the wiring, so there is no sense in taping, floating or painting yet.

Jay has been hung over, but still came to work.  We got the new wide bathroom window installed where there hadn't been one before.  It goes across the outside wall fairly high up. We have also taken out the side window in the new kitchen because it is just in the way of the plans. A smaller window will be put in on that side, only closer to the front.  Then there will be room for a stove, kind of an important asset !  It should be a good view from the kitchen with these two new windows.

Jay didn't go to church with me, so I had to load the crock-pots full of chicken gumbo and brown rice by myself.  The Bible readings were Gen. 23:1-25:18, 1 Kings 1:1-31, Luke 9:57-62.  The Teaching was about Looking Further and Deeper, about studying and getting deep into the Word.

The potluck was great and everyone enjoyed the beef roast, other dishes, and pies. It seems to fall upon me to make the garlic bread when I get there.  All my chicken gumbo was eaten.  Just a little brown rice and veggies were left in my second crock pot, so I had that with some ground buffalo the next day.

Tender Mercies of the Wicked. The Can Opener. The Longhorn. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

The Tender Mercies of the Wicked?

Proverbs 12:10 "A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."

" King Solomon recognized that a righteous person will not only treat his fellow man kindly, but will also care for his animals.

 

It seems the implication is that the godly person shows more kindness to animals than a wicked person shows to other people—even on a good day. We should treat animals—and people, especially—with compassion, not cruelty.

For more about practicing kindness, see “Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness.”

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The Can Opener

An Amazing Fact: "Did you know it was 48 years after tin cans were first introduced before the can opener was invented? Until then, cans were beaten open with a hammer and chisel. The tin can for preserving food was patented in 1810 by a Londoner, Peter Durand. Only one year before, French confectioner Nicolas Appert had introduced the method of canning food by sealing the heated food tightly inside a glass wine bottle or jar. He could not explain why the food stayed fresh, but his bright idea won him a 12,000-francs prize from Napoleon. Appert helped Napoleon’s army march on its stomach while Durand supplied the Royal Navy with canned food.

But tin canning was not widely adopted until 1846, when a machine was invented that increased can production from six cans an hour to 60. Still, there were no can openers, and the product labels would read: “Cut around on the top with a chisel and hammer.”

The can opener was finally invented in 1858 by American Ezra Warnet. But the can opener did not become popular for another 10 years until it was given away for free with canned beef.

 
The well-known double wheel-style opener was invented in 1925, and the easy pop-top lid was invented in France in 1959. Since aluminum cans made their first appearance in America in 1953, some 74 million tons of aluminum cans (about 3 trillion cans) have been produced. Placed end to end, they could stretch to the moon and back about 500 times! Still, about one quarter of all cans are recycled, some 9 million cans every hour. That is good news when you consider that it takes about 200 years for a buried aluminum can to degrade.

Did you know the Bible teaches that no matter how long Christians are buried, when their graves are opened they will come up with new bodies? We are given a sample of what it will be like when we read the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus. When Christ stood before the tomb of His dead friend, Jesus asked for the stone blocking the entrance to be rolled away. Notice what happens: “Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days’” (John 11:39). The Lord does not need a
special gadget to open graves where bodies have turned to dust. At the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, the dead will rise.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first" - 1 Thessalonians 4:16

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"The Longhorn: Texas Tough"

"Traveling through the plains in Texas, you’re bound to see the unmistakable silhouette of the famed Texas Longhorn. As our state’s official large mammal, the mascot of our flagship university, and a surviving symbol of the old American West, the Longhorn is ingrained into our way of life as Texans. 

This time of year in particular, we’re reminded of their storied history. Ranchers have just finished showcasing their best stock at the annual Texas State Fair’s Longhorn Show, and in the midst of football season, the orange Longhorn silhouettes seem to be everywhere.

But only 100 years ago, Texas Longhorns were nearly extinct.

When the first cattle set hoof in the New World more than 500 years ago, they surprised the Spanish settlers who brought them by overcoming the challenging terrain and thriving. The previously domesticated cattle from Europe became tough enough to survive droughts and floods, sweltering heat and bone-chilling cold, while grazing easily on whatever land they occupied. Amazingly, the first Longhorns were even resistant to diseases found in the New World.  They lived longer and reproduced more quickly than other breeds; before long, there were millions of Longhorns roaming free, and feral herds quickly found a home in Texas.

As more European settlers made their way to Texas, Longhorns provided a stable source of meat and income no matter the conditions.  A German traveler making his way through Texas in 1848 remarked, “In Texas, cattle live for the sake of man, but in all other countries man lives for the sake of his cattle.”

Longhorns continued to thrive throughout the 19^th Century and found themselves increasingly in demand. European investors offered ranchers gold to expand their Longhorn operations, and these ranchers were even exempt from the Confederate draft because of their important role in providing food for soldiers.

But not long after soldiers returned home from the war, Longhorns began to suffer. Once trade relationships were re-established between the former Union and Confederate states, mass disease wiped out herd after herd across New England farms – except the Longhorns. Northern farmers blamed the species and began slaughtering them in masses. Sadly, what they dubbed the ‘Texas Fever’ was actually a disease carried by ticks, not the Longhorns, who were simply immune. 

Demand continued to plummet because Longhorn meat did not produce enough tallow, or animal fat, to be utilized in the manufacturing of increasingly popular items like candles and soap. Moreover, Longhorn meat was hard to keep fresh absent prolonged refrigeration, and as a result wasn’t viable as a commercial product in the 19^th Century. As a result, by 1910, Texas Longhorns were almost nowhere to be found.

And if it weren’t for Will C. Barnes, a U.S. Army Signal Corps private turned cattle rancher, Longhorns may have continued down the path to complete extinction. After leaving the military, in 1887 Mr. Barnes led a team of U.S. Forest Service trailblazers across the west and managed to round up 27 surviving pure Texas Longhorns. In 1927, he created a protected home in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, effectively saving the breed and enabling them to once again flourish." 

From John Cornyn's Texas Times Column.

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Update:

One flooring company showed just the linoleum that I wanted on their webpage, but when I went there on Friday to order it, they couldn't find it in their samples.  When I was back in front of my computer, I called them and they finally found it.  But it is a commercial flooring and I think he quoted me a wrong price.  So still looking for lino.

Jay and I also went to some thrift shops, and he found some work shoes and shirts.  He keeps on giving his away.  He gets tired of things.

On Saturday we both went to church, and I had made a pumpkin-choc-cinnamon pie in a graham cracker crust, it was decadent, especially as I took some Redi-Whip to go on it.  There weren't many people there as the weather was bad and some come from quite a way away, like Houston.

The Bible readings were Gen. 18:1-22:24, 2 Kings 4:1-37, and James 2:14-20.  The Teaching was about God's Laws.  How every time the people disobeyed his laws and lived carnally, they were punished.  Like the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc. There are lots of laws in the Bible, including dietary laws, and they are all for our own good.

We had to dash between the raindrops from the chapel to the dining hall.  There was a good spread of food including some great corned beef.  We had fun and fellowship while eating the potluck, even though we were a small group that day.

What Does God Say About Witches and the Occult? Pet Owners Should Read This List Of Halloween Safety Tips!

 

On this Halloween:

 

What Does God Say About Witches and the Occult?

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.”

"God outlawed witchcraft and other pagan practices that appealed to the evil spirit realm for their power. To God, it was an abomination for His people to seek help from Satan and his demons. Still, the Israelites were enticed by these practices again and again.

This was not just an Old Testament concern. The new converts to Christianity also took the subject of magic seriously ( Acts 19:19 ). The apostle John also warns that those who practice witchcraft must repent or they will end up in the lake of fire—the second death ( Revelation 9:21 ; 21:8 ).

How did Western, so-called Christian nations get caught up in a holiday like Halloween that dabbles in the darkness of evil spirits, witchcraft and the occult? See our article “Halloween: Should Christians Celebrate It?”

From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/what-does-god-say-about-witches-and-the-occult/

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Considering Halloween: The Unfruitful Works of Darkness

Ephesians 5:11

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

"God’s way is symbolized in the Bible as light, and darkness symbolizes sin and evil. Many times the apostle Paul encouraged faithful Christians to avoid the darkness of Satan’s lawless thinking and evil influences. For example, he wrote, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

He also wrote to the Corinthians: “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

The custom of Halloween, derived from popular pagan festivities to appease evil spirits, is definitely a time of darkness.

Paul continues by quoting from Isaiah 52:11 , “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

God’s people are to live no longer as the ungodly do in lewdness and greed ( Ephesians 4:17-19 ). How better to describe the risqué adult costume parties and the demands for treats of the younger crowd but as lewdness and greed?

God calls on us to draw near to Him and to resist the devil ( James 4:7-8 ). Should we not resist a holiday of darkness that celebrates evil?" From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/considering-halloween-the-unfruitful-works-of-darkness/

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Every Pet Owner Should Read This List Of Halloween Safety Tips!

Wouldn't it be awful if he was scared, got out, and ran away!

"It’s almost the spookiest night of the year! While Halloween is a fun and festive time for families, it can be a stressful and dangerous night for many pets. We have put together a list of 9 Halloween safety tips that you can follow to ensure that both you and your pets can stay safe and happy this holiday!"

Read more at: http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/halloweensafetytips/

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Friday is "Preparation Day" (getting ready for the Sabbath), and as I have my food prepared for the potluck and my clothes ready, we are going to more flooring companies to look at linoleum for the guest house today.

What would you do for 10 million dollars? Halloween: Should Christians Celebrate It? Proud And Haughty. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday": even though today is Monday!!

The Inward Part

An Amazing Fact: "In a recent poll, many Americans showed extreme greed in response to the question: “What would you do for 10 million dollars?” About 25 percent would abandon their family or their church, 16 percent would walk away from their marriage, and 13 percent would allow their children to be put up for adoption.

The Pharisees were quick to criticize Jesus and His disciples for not observing their man-made rules. One of the points of disagreement was ceremonial washing. The Pharisees were ready to condemn people who disregarded their washing traditions; they thought it was a terrible sin.
Jesus responded, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39).

Appearance was everything to the Pharisees. As long as they “looked good” they were pleased with themselves. But Jesus pointed out that what is inside a person is the most important thing. The Pharisees, who made such a show of washing in a particular way, had neglected to clean their hearts. Jesus saw right through them, as He always does. He saw the greed and sin, and He knew what they really needed: generous, giving hearts."
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. Luke 11:37-41

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Halloween: Should Christians Celebrate It?

Where did Halloween and its dark and demonic themes come from? What is its relationship to All Saints’ Day, and should Christians celebrate Halloween?

Origin of Halloween

“The Celtic festival of Samhain is probably the source of the present-day Halloween celebration. The Celts lived more than 2,000 years ago in what is now Great Britain, Ireland, and northern France. Their new year began on November 1. A festival that began the previous evening honored Samhain, the Celtic lord of death. The celebration marked the beginning of the season of cold, darkness, and decay. It naturally became associated with human death. The Celts believed that Samhain allowed the souls of the dead to return to their earthly homes for this evening” (The World Book Encyclopedia, 1990, article “Halloween”).

“Many of the customs of the Celts survived even after the people became Christians. During the 800’s, the church established All Saints’ Day on November 1. … The people made the old pagan customs part of this Christian holy day” (ibid.).

Halloween: A celebration of evil

In spite of its marketing as innocent entertainment for children, Halloween remains a celebration of evil, not a fitting holiday for Christians to celebrate."

More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/halloween/

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The Day of the Lord Comes on the Proud

Isaiah 2:12

For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low. …

The Day of the Lord is the “great day of His wrath” (Revelation 6:17). Unlike human anger, God’s anger is never out of control or vindictive. But why is He angry? Because of sin—the breaking of His good and beneficial commandments. And one of the major sins, which is also a root of many other sins, is pride. The archangel Lucifer rose up in pride and rebelled against his Creator (Isaiah 14:13-14), and his attitude has permeated human society as well.

Consider from God’s perspective the audacity of His weak and ignorant human creation thinking we know better than God! The apostle Paul described God’s anger at men who thought themselves to be wise: “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21-22).

Paul also listed the attributes of humanity under Satan’s influence in these perilous last days: “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (2 Timothy 3:2).

A proud and haughty person cannot be taught and does not recognize the evil results of his or her way. Arrogance prevents us from learning the way that would truly bring peace and happiness. So God’s anger is for the purpose of bringing humanity to its senses, so that finally we will see clearly that His way is the best way after all and repent."

For more about pride, see “First Commandment: You Shall Have No Other Gods” and “The Pharisee and the Tax Collector.”

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Update:

Until last weekend, Jay was still working elsewhere, so progress on the guest house was slow.  There are others in the neighborhood who I could hire to help me, but they just don't want to get up in the morning and go to work!

This has given me time to advertise items that I have for sale, and hopefully help pay for all these repairs having to be done because of the damage done to the guest house.

We did get the new back door installed though.  It leads into the laundry room.  It's not finished yet, but at least it is more secure than the old one.

Jay was working on Saturday, the 18th., so I went to church by myself.  There was quite a crowd. Some folks who hadn't been for a while.

I took a red potato salad that had apple, celery and eggs in it.  The pastor's wife also made a mustard potato salad, "Great minds think alike… or fools seldom differ?" Gary brought a big crockpot of lamb, and it was delicious.

The Bible readings were Gen. 6:9-11:32, Isa. 54:1-55, Luke 17:20-37, and the message was about 'The 7 Signs of the Times' and how many Jews are beginning to believe in the Messiah, and how Israel is so important that it is mentioned in the news nearly every day.

We all had a great time fellowshipping in the dining hall, and then we all went to the house of a family in the congregation and our pastor baptized their 13 year old daughter in a small pool.  I wish that I had a picture of her face afterwards.  I took some while she was being submerged, like everyone else did, but the best shot of all was when she got out of the pool beaming from ear to ear, but we had all put our cameras away.

Then Jay finally was through with working elsewhere, and so we have really ramped up our work on my guest house.  We are working more hours a day on it.  As the existing bedroom is now going to be a front kitchen with a bathroom behind it, we had to cut some new doorways in existing walls.  One from the old kitchen into the walk-in closet, and another from the old kitchen into the new bathroom.  Then we will build a wall between the new kitchen and new bathroom. These new doorways meant re-routing existing wiring over the top of them, but a few junction boxes later, we are all electrified again.

The fiberglass shower stall with glass door out of the guest house sold on Craigslist, and so I bought a bathtub and surround from Habitat for Humanity's Restore.  The new bathroom will be larger so there is room for a tub/shower. 

Friday was another great day, I had lunch with RVing friends Arlene, Lynette and Greg at Los Pericos (The Parrot) Mexican restaurant in Willis.  We all enjoyed our food and the service there.

Last Saturday, Jay had to stay home with his sick mother so I went to church by myself again.  This time I took an egg, celery, apple, cucumber salad, which quickly disappeared.

The Bible readings were Psa. 98,99,100, Gen. 12:1-17:27, Isa.40:27-41:16 and Gal 3:15-18. The message was about 'False Doctrines and Sound Doctrines'.  We should not be deceived and really study the Bible to check up on what we are being taught. 

Another great time in the dining hall, but we were all watching the stormy weather, and even cancelled another baptism.  It was going to be held at a Jacuzzi in Montgomery, TX, but the rain stopped that for that day.

10 Commandments Hillbilly. Prophesied War in the Middle East. “The most destructive force in our culture." Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

10 Commandments Hillbilly or Cowboy.

(1) One God's all you need.

(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.

(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.

(4) Git yourself to church.

(​5) Put nothin' before God.

(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.

(7) No killin' (unless you ain't got no choice).

(8) Watch yer mouth.

(9) Don't take what ain't yer's.

(10) Don't be hankerin' fer yer buddy's stuff.

If y'all didn't git all that -- just read 'em agin!

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Prophesied War in the Middle East

Daniel 11:40

“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.”

Bible prophecy describes a key end-time conflict between a “king of the South” and a “king of the North” that is part of a chain of events leading to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Here is some of the background to this verse from our “News and Prophecy” post “End-Time Prophecy Jigsaw: The Pieces Are Falling Into Place!”

“The book of Daniel tells us that in the last days there will be an influential person ruling in the south, that is, in the Mediterranean area and generally south of Jerusalem (Daniel 11).

“Historically, this king of the South was the dynastic leader of the Ptolemies, or the Egyptian branch of the Greek Empire. The king of the South battled it out for over a century, as the Egypt-based Ptolemies struggled for supremacy against the Syria-based Seleucids, another branch of the Greek Empire. This took place in the third and second centuries B.C., after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. (Daniel 11:3-4).

“Yet this same prophecy suddenly takes a huge leap to ‘the time of the end,’ when we find a latter-day king of the South provoking and fighting against the king of the North (Daniel 11:40). …

“Daniel’s prophecy tells us that once this end-time king of the South has provoked the king of the North, the latter will swoop down on him with massive military force, and invade and conquer much of the Middle East (Daniel 11:40-43).

“Elsewhere in Bible prophecy, the king of the North is referred to as ‘the beast,’ the name assigned him by the apostle John in the book of Revelation (Revelation 13:1-10; 17:3-17). We know from history that the heart of this massive end-time power will be in central Europe. In fact, much of the history of the Middle Ages reflects the struggle for dominance between Catholic Europe and the Muslim world, a struggle destined to reappear just before the second coming of Christ.”

For more details about this prophecy, see the articles “The King of the South” and “The King of the North.”

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A Purity Plea

An Amazing Fact: The word “porn” is the fourth-highest ranked search term by children under seven years old, and the average age when a person first views porn is only 11 years old. About 40 million adults visit pornographic websites daily. It shouldn’t be a surprise that nearly half of all divorces list porn as a contributing factor.

The statistics on what some call “the most destructive force in our culture” are staggering. More than 11 million Americans have a sexual addiction. Child porn generates about $3 billion annually. At least 25 percent of all employees who use the Internet look at porn do so at work. It truly is a road to hell with broken people lying all over the place. Our society continues to wave the “freedom” banner while millions walk into slavery, looking for love in all the wrong places.

The apostle Paul does not turn a blind eye to the problem of sexual addiction. He makes a plea for purity. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter” (1 Thessalonians 4:3–6).

The Roman culture to which Paul wrote was sexually permissive. His challenge to instill the notion of purity in their culture would be even more relevant today.

If you struggle with sexual addiction, you need to face this ugly sin with a passion of someone going to war to conquer an enemy. Consider these three steps: Admit you have a problem, get help with accountability, and remove all impurity from your life. Make a clean break and begin filling your mind with the pure things of God. You cannot find victory on your own. Your battle is really an obsession with self. Growing in Christ is learning to live for others, not your feelings. Your choices do not affect only you, they negatively impact those around you. So choose purity and experience real freedom.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Colossians 3:5"

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Update:

Nothing much has been done to the guest house all week. On Sunday, Jay and I ripped out the carpet and padding in what was the bedroom, so that it can now be a kitchen and bathroom.  The kitchen will be entered from the living room at the front of the house.  It will be so much easier to redo the plumbing that way. The bathroom will be entered from the new bedroom which was the kitchen and bathroom at the back of the house.  There will be 15-light doors in between to give the place a feeling of space so you can see all the way through to the back windows.  The doors will have blinds for privacy.

Except I did go to Habitat for Humanity in Conroe and bought some windows, a mirrored medicine cabinet, and some narrow wooden blinds for the new windows on each side of the new front door.

Jay has been working elsewhere all week.  Then my computer has been acting up ever since I got it back from the repair shop.  I have been on the phone and online to several techs all week.  It doesn't help that I am running the old XP in my computer.

The mechanic down the street picked up my van to fix the driver's side window, it wouldn't go up or down.  If I had known how much it was going to be to fix it, I might have just left it alone for now.  The parts alone were nearly $100!!  Talk about boats being a hole in the water to sink money into, this van is the same!  But now that nearly everything is working, it is a great van.  Just what I needed, a van that can haul full 4'x8' sheets of plywood, easy to drive and easy on the gas, too.  The remote power lift-gate is a boon for me, as it used to hurt me where my chest was sawn in two for the heart bypasses, when I manually closed the other van's lift-gate.

There were a lot people that we haven't seen for a while at church this Sabbath.  Maybe the cooler weather is bringing people back to the fold.  More the merrier.

The Bible readings were back to the beginning of Genesis 1:1-6:8, Isa.42:5-43:10, and John 1:1-18.  The Teaching was about Putting on The New Man, (Eph. 2:14-18.)

The potluck was great with plenty of people chattering in the dining hall.  Some were telling about their trips to different places to celebrate The Feast of Tabernacles.  I took a chicken, veggie and barley dish in a crockpot, that I had prepared the day before.  All I had to do was plug it in when I got there.  That is to obey God's rule about not working on the Sabbath.

The weather is getting cooler, and it was a doors-and-windows-open day today.

Why Should Christians Celebrate Day Of Atonement? What is the Feast of Tabernacles? Update.

 

for "Scripture Sunday":

"Dear Friends,
What if there was a room you could only go into once a year. And what if you were the only person in the world allowed to go there!
That’s what it was like for the high priest in Old Testament times. He alone was allowed into the Holy of Holies—the room where the Ark of the Covenant was, representing the very throne of God. And he was only allowed to go there once a year. That day was called Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement. This year it falls on Sept. 23.

God included some deep lessons in the fascinating ceremonies performed on that day. But few people understand the real meaning of these rituals and what they foreshadowed. This week’s featured article explores this symbolism and shows what it means for your life today.
Bottom line: God will soon remove the source of evil in this world, and He will begin reconciling all people to Himself!
If you have comments or suggestions, feel free to let us know. I look forward to hearing from you.
With warm regards,
Mike Bennett
Editorial Content Manager

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Why should Christians celebrate the Day of Atonement (also known as Yom Kippur)?

" Long after Jesus Christ’s death, the Day of Atonement continued as an important Holy Day for the New Testament Church of God. What does the Day of Atonement mean for Christians today?

The Day of Atonement is the fifth of God’s annual Holy Days (Leviticus 23:26-32), following shortly after the Feast of Trumpets. Observed by fasting (verse 27; compare Isaiah 58:3), which means not eating or drinking (Esther 4:16), this day portrays the human race finally becoming at one with God.

At the return of Jesus Christ, Satan the devil, who now leads all of mankind astray (Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 12:9), will be bound (Revelation 20:1-3) so all humans of all nations can be reconciled to God.

In the New Testament Luke referred to this Holy Day as “the fast” in Acts 27:9.

When the meaning of the Day of Atonement is fulfilled in the future, it will set the stage for the sixth festival of God, the Feast of Tabernacles.

For more information, please read our booklet God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope For All Mankind.

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Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement

Atonement—the day of reconciliation

"The Day of Atonement pictures reconciliation between God and man. After Christ returns, one of the first steps taken will be the binding of Satan for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3). Why is this action so important?

Throughout humanity’s generations, from Eden to the present, Satan the devil has deceived all people into following a way of life that is contrary to God. He is described as the one “who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). " 

Complete article at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/day-of-atonement/leviticus-16/

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What is the Feast of Tabernacles?

"God’s plan for mankind involves restoration. The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes the restoration process.

Chronicling the activities of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, the book of John points out that when the “Feast of Tabernacles was at hand,” Jesus Himself “went up to the feast” and taught at the Temple in Jerusalem. This was done in observance of the final of three annual Festival seasons that are outlined in the Bible, particularly in the book of Leviticus.

These three seasons, the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Pentecost and the Fall Festival season, were all observed by Jesus and the first-century Church. The latter season is capped by the seven-day Festival of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day (Leviticus 23:33-36)."

Complete article at: http://www.ucg.org/what-is-the-feast-of-tabernacles

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Belated Update:

Things have been pretty busy around here the last two weeks with The Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, the Sabbath and then The Feast of Tabernacles, which isn't over yet.  Some calendars say the last day is Monday and others say Tuesday. It all depends on where you are when you see the new moon.  During the feasts we have been to churches in Willis, Conroe, Huntsville, and Cleveland, TX, and met some great folks.

Another new helper didn't work out, he wanted to work, then get high, then rest for a few days  So Jay and I are back to remodeling the guest house ourselves.  I can still do quite a lot, so I am the helper and 'gofer', and Jay does the hard work.   Jay can only work mornings, and that is enough for me too at my age.  We have pulled the carpet out of what used to be the bedroom, as it will now be a new kitchen and a new bathroom that will be accessible from the new bedroom, which used to be the kitchen and bathroom.  We also cut a hole in the wall for a pass through between the existing living/dining room and the new kitchen.  That really opened up the space and made it feel a lot larger. 

I could quote all the passages and Bible verses that we have been reading during this holiday time, but it would take up the whole page.

I hope that everyone has been enjoying the Feasts and that y'all have a great day.