Power Shifts in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Auschwitz: 70 Years Later. Killing Off the Monarchs. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

Power Shifts in Yemen and Saudi Arabia

"In the same week Yemen’s president resigned and the king of Saudi Arabia died. How will this alter U.S. influence in the Middle East and impact the region?"

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and U.S. Ambassador Joseph Westphal on June 27, 2014 (U.S. State Department photo).

"On Jan. 22 Yemen’s President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his parliament stepped down as Iran-backed Houthi militiamen surrounded his presidential palace. Then, on Jan. 23, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah died.

Before these two events, both Yemen and Saudi Arabia were considered strong American allies. In the volatile and radical Middle East, they have been seen as examples of moderation and stability. But as new leadership emerges, will the U.S. lose either (or both) of these allies and influence in the Middle East?

A power shift in Yemen? and What lies ahead for America’s influence in the Middle East?"

Complete article at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/power-shifts-in-yemen-and-saudi-arabia/

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Auschwitz: 70 Years Later

"A survivor called this death camp "the world's biggest cemetery". Do we remember and have we learned the lessons?"

4-5 min Video: http://youtu.be/5nfSmGEilew

Darris McNeely:  "You see the sign over the entrance to this camp? It says, “Arbeit macht frei” – “Work makes free”. It’s the deceptive sign, famous, over the entrance to the German concentration camp in Warsaw called Auschwitz.

Today (January 27, 2015) marks the 70th anniversary that Russian troops entered the camp and liberated the surviving Jewish members of  this particular death camp which is one of the most famous of the many that the Nazi Germans conducted during World War II and the infamous Holocaust, where more than six million Jews lost their lives during that time.

World leaders are gathered there today. Yesterday, many survivors came in and were there, and many for the first time coming back into that camp since they were teenagers and barely survived with their lives in the horror of what was taking place at that particular time."   More at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/conflicts-and-war/auschwitz-70-years-later

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Is the Sabbath Relevant for Christians?

"Have you been told that Sabbath observance has been abolished? It's time you learned the biblical truth.  Well today, let's look at what the Bible actually says about the Sabbath. We'll also talk with a pastor and other Christians about this subject as we explore "Is the Sabbath Relevant for Christians?""

Our first point then: The seventh-day Sabbath was created by God at creation.

The Sabbath is included in the Ten Commandments, but it was "created" long before God visited Israel from Mount Sinai. This understanding is vital if we are going to have a proper definition of the Sabbath.

How do we know that the actual Sabbath day hasn't been lost to history?

Well the answer to this problem is very simple. The Jews, and the other 12 tribes of Israel, were given the Ten Commandments and led by God to their homeland. Eventually, the Jews were removed from their homeland and scattered around the world.

Today, many centuries later, you can travel across the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East and find Jewish synagogues. And every place you go, Jewish people observe the seventh-day Sabbath on the day we call Saturday. (Just like Jesus did)  The Sabbath day isn't lost to history. The actual Sabbath day has been passed on from generation to generation in the Jewish community.

There is no legitimate controversy on what is the Sabbath day of the Bible."

28 minute sermon video at: http://youtu.be/C2oCoFAzOqQ    Complete transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/christian-living/sabbath-relevant-christians

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It's Helped Kill Off 91% of Monarch Butterflies, and You Likely Eat It Every Day

"A PBS documentary covers the amazing 2,000-mile migration of Monarch butterflies from Canada to the highlands of Mexico.

The North American Monarch butterfly population has fallen by more than 90 percent as their primary food source and breeding habitat are decimated by glyphosate.

Your help is urgently needed to help save the Monarch butterfly; specific action steps are provided.

Milkweeds that used to abundantly line the Monarch’s flight path have been largely eradicated by modern agriculture.  Not only are chemicals killing the milkweeds, but prairies are being replaced by cornfields, and roadsides are being mowed where milkweeds previously grew wild.  Nearly a billion pounds of Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup is dumped on fields and our lawns each year."    More at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/31/glyphosate-monarch-butterflies.aspx

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Update:

Not much to tell really.  The weather was cold in the mornings and warmed up by the afternoons.  We had a 6 hour power outage, so I am glad that it wasn't cold that day.  My foster dog and cat knew something was different and both were uneasy until the lights came back on.  They couldn't understand why their "Mom" was wearing a headlamp, listening to the radio, and reading her Bible, instead of turning on the lights, at the computer and watching TV.  I had been wanting to find time to read the apocryphal books the Maccabees for quite a while and there wasn't much else to do.

Jay was still working in Galena Park, so I went shopping by myself on Wednesday.  I did snag a few bargains at the thrift shop and grocery store.  Ray's back was hurting, so not much got done until today.

Jay had a day off from Galena Park, so he came and we finished the ceiling in the greenhouse extension that is in front of the storeroom.  This also extends that attic.  The window is half of an 8' patio door, so it is very big.  That is a small opening transom window over the storm door for ventilation.  Some plants had been put in there a month ago, and they didn't even know that we had a few freezing nights!

Ray put the rest of the screws in the joists and hangers.  So it is done, finally.

This is the outside. It is just a small addition to the storeroom, which is adjacent to the guest house, but it will make a big difference.

Yesterday, Jay wanted to go to church with us, but the man took him to Galena Park again.  Ray met me at the church, as he had coffee with his sister first.  We both arrived early so that we could greet and talk to the others as they arrived.  One carload couldn't make it from Montgomery (TX), their wheel bearings went out on the way.  Another family from Grangerland couldn't make it either.

So Ray was elected to do one of the Bible readings.  Judges 4:4-5-34.  There are a lot of names in there which are hardly pronounceable, but he made it!  The other Bible readings were Psa. 145, 147 and Exo. 13-17:10.  The teaching was "What Does It Take For God To Get Your Attention?" There were many quotes from the Old and New Testaments where God has had to get  people's attention to show them the way they should choose to go.

The potluck was great even though we were missing two of the elders, their families, plus the other people that ride with them.  I made a Twice-Baked Potato Casserole, minus the bacon of course, and some cut up baked Cinnamon Apples which all went down well.

Another great Saturday.