What Killed The Dinosaurs? Go Around. Wisdom Versus Knowledge. Drop the Load. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

What killed the dinosaurs?

“What killed all the dinosaurs? What are dinosaurs? Why don’t we find any today?

Huge Sauropod dinosaur leg bone. Compare to the author’s 6’4″ handsome husband!

“Over the years there have been several theories for what killed the dinosaurs and why we don’t really find them today.  Was it an asteroid impact? Was it climate change?  “What killed the dinosaurs?” is a history question, so let’s go back to the reliable source of history that we’ve talked about – the Bible. The global flood, i.e., “Noah’s Flood”, in Genesis covered the whole earth and all the land-dwelling creatures not on the ark died. Since dinosaurs lived on land, they must have died in the flood. As mentioned in the previous article about rocks, fossils, and the age of the earth (read here), many of the rock layers were created during the global flood, including fossils of some of the creatures that died during the flood.

So, the global flood is what killed most of the dinosaurs. Noah did take some on the ark (see full article), so a few dinosaurs did survive the flood. However, the climate after the flood was very different and probably made it difficult for these creatures to survive. Additionally, looking at dragon legends, the ones that remained were probably pests that humans fought and killed in the following years.  What killed the dinosaurs? Several factors – the global flood, changing climate, and humans.

Didn’t dinosaurs evolve into birds?

Archaeopteryx fossil. Photo from pixabay

The idea that dinosaurs evolved into birds is very popular right now. First off, there are a bunch of problems with the idea of evolution as a whole. One type of creature turning into a different type of creatures simply has not on record. You can read more in last week’s article about evolution. Next, looking at the anatomy of a theropod dinosaur (those like T. rex and velociraptor that are thought to have evolved into birds) presents a lot of problems for the way birds breathe and walk.

Then, or course, is the issue of feathers. Feathers are very, very, very different from the scales we find on reptiles – they are very complex and function more like a hair than like scales. There is fossil evidence of skin impressions from many dinosaurs showing scales (even recently discovered on T. rex). The famous “missing link” fossil between dinosaurs and birds, archaeopteryx, is an extinct bird – very clearly not dinosaur. The true identity of “fossil proto-feathers” is still hotly debated among paleontologists. Even many scientists who accept evolution don’t agree with dinosaur-to-bird evolution. To top it all off, fossil parrots, loons, and other birds have been found buried in the same rock layers that we find dinosaurs in. Even the lowest (relatively oldest) dinosaur-containing rock layers have bird footprint fossils.

In conclusion, dinosaurs are marvelous creatures created by God just a few thousand years ago. We don’t see dinosaurs around anymore because of the global flood, changing climate after the flood, and humans fighting these dragons. No, those birds you see in your back yard are not descendants of a dinosaur. Be sure to come back next week as we conclude this series of articles on Creation basics!”        Excerpts from: http://creationclues.org/2018/03/03/what-happened-to-the-dinosaurs-creation-basics-5/   By Sara J. Mikkelson (Bruegel) is a young woman dedicated to bringing glory to the one and only God (the LORD, Yahweh, of the Bible) in all that she does.

For Further Study, Creation Clues: Bone Mix  Behemoth Burial Grounds Tackling Pterosaurs  Making Mosasaurs  Dinosaurs that Defy Millions of Years  Living Fossils Series  Tip-Toe Tracks

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Go Around 

   

“There are times in life when stubbornness, ego or vanity will push us into forcing an issue or putting great effort into something that only amounts to little.

Krists Luhaers/Unsplash

Sometimes the best thing to do is to take the other path.

Farmers who had a tough time plowing their fields had an old saying: “Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.” There are stumps and then there are stumps. Some may be worth the effort, some may not. Knowing the difference can save a lot of grief, and having good tools can make a difference.

Jesus gave some good advice when He said that we need to count the cost of projects or things we are facing (Luke 14:28). Sometimes the best thing to do is to take the other path. That is how Abraham solved his trouble with Lot. He told Lot to make a choice and rather than have strife, Abraham would simply go the opposite way (Genesis 13:9). Abraham knew God would bless him wherever he went. When you go around the “stump” for God, hold His hand.”

From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/go-around

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Wisdom Versus Knowledge    

“Wisdom can be found anywhere God chooses, whether we hear it or not.

Rod Long/Unsplash

God’s Word offers direction for the times we lose our way on the road of wisdom. Ask for wisdom and observe the fruit borne from that request.

Is it possible that as worldly knowledge increases, wisdom decreases? Humanity has accomplished much and has many clever sayings, such as “knowledge is power.” But it’s a spiritual paradox of sorts.

Let’s consider Scripture. Standing amidst an assortment of pagan altars, Paul stood up at Mars Hill and said: “Men of Athens, I see how very religious you are in every way” (Acts 17:22). Paul spoke to them at their spiritual level. He didn’t look down his nose and walk away. He didn’t say, “Your idols are outrageous and need to be destroyed.”

He may have screened his thoughts and practiced diplomacy. Paul found a way to tell them some good news about his merciful, all-powerful God, using a sliver of wisdom he found among these knowledgeable Athenians: “I found an altar where you worship with the words written on it, TO THE GOD WHO IS NOT KNOWN. You are worshiping Him without knowing Him. He is the One I will tell you about” (Acts 17:22-23).

Wisdom can be found anywhere God chooses, whether we hear it or not: “Wisdom cries out in the street; she utters her voice in the markets” (Proverbs 1:20). We may cry out in prayer for understanding and seek it as treasure, but Scripture cautions about misplacing our focus on knowledge: “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

God’s Word offers direction for the times we lose our way on the road of wisdom: “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). Communication and signs are navigation tools. Ask for wisdom and observe the fruit borne from that request. “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly” (Proverbs3:18).

Connecting the dots on this spiritual treasure-seeking quest will help us stay on target for the heavenly wisdom of James 3:17 and our true, living God.”

From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/wisdom-versus-knowledge

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Drop the Load

“Many people carry loads that are heavy, but invisible.

If we carry our concerns and worries from the previous day into today, we will have an ever-heavier load to carry.

These invisible heavy loads are thoughts that burden us with anxiety, fear and concern. There could be thoughts of revenge and records of hurts we may have suffered. These inner loads are heavy only to you. “It does not take a very big person to carry a grudge,” someone noted. But the one carrying it may find their life changed and the joy they could have had curtailed. “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; it only causes harm” (Psalms 37:8). Most of that harm impacts the one carrying the load, but all those associated with him are affected.

Jesus advised His followers to stop worrying about tomorrow or things they could not change—there are plenty of things a person needs to be concerned with without adding some extra (Matthew 6:34). If we carry our concerns and worries from the previous day into today, we will have an ever-heavier load to carry. There are some parts of the load that we must bear, but things like grudges, anger or attempts to retaliate are ones that we do not need. Drop them, and your load will be lighter.”      From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/drop-the-load

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Update:

Zack got one coat of paint on one side of the 15-light door in the mini-house, and we did a few other odd jobs. 

Chris and I took the van to Pete’s auto repair shop in Conroe as he has got it inspected for me in other years.  But he said that his scanner would not give him a good code for why the engine light is on.  So we picked it up and I took it to a larger shop. They scanned it, free, and said it is one of the 3 oxygen sensors and that they didn’t have time to fix it until the following Wednesday, (for $220). 

As I was driving it back to Willis, the engine light was off, so I thought that I would get it inspected.  It passed everything, except they said that the computer had been reset and that I had to drive it for 100 miles within 2 weeks, and then they would inspect it again.  I set the trip to zero, and wondered how I was going to rack up 100 miles in two weeks.  I didn’t have to worry about that, the engine light came back on in only 18 miles. 

On Monday, Luna, my Siamese foster was picked up by my SPCA boss, Kenya, and taken to her house overnight so that she could be taken to the vet Tuesday morning.  They had to verify that she is indeed already spayed, and get her next shots. Then Kenya put her in the Habitat at Petco.  The next day, Wednesday, Chris and I were going to get my van from Pete’s when Chris got a call from the Habitat that Luna was having a seizure again.  We rushed there and picked her up.  Chris dropped me off at Pete’s and took Luna to my house while I took the van to the larger shop.  When I got home, Luna was fine and as loving as always.  So it is either the shots or being confined in a small spaces that sets off the seizures.  Kenya is going to pick her up again next week and keep her under observation with a camera. She is going to trade with me,  I will be getting a gray boy cat who was saved from a foster mother’s home that caught on fire on Tuesday.  Three of the critters, 1 dog, 2 cats died in the fire, but this cat, and two others were saved and treated for smoke inhalation. 

Puddin’, my other foster cat, is so happy to be home from the Habitat that she hardly leaves my side, and is tolerating Luna being in the house. At first she swore terribly (a sailer would blush) anytime she saw Luna, but now she has calmed down to a growl.  By the 17th., I have to get her used to being around other cats as she has a potential adopter who already has a cat.  Luna and Puddin’ sleep on my bed with me, but not near each other. Maybe Puddin’ will like the new cat better? 

I have trained Puddin’ some “catiquette”, or cat etiquette. She doesn’t get on counters or the dining table, she comes when called, that gets two treats, and if she comes on her own, that’s one treat.  Of course, she has me trained, too, she lets me know when she wants her canned food, and comes to get me when she thinks it is bedtime. The changing of the clocks will probably confuse her tonight.

When I took Zack to the local food pantry, he was given two batches of beets,  and a package of ground bison, which he promptly gave me.  Some people don’t know what’s good, or what’s good for them.  I put the beets in a big pot, boiled them, skinned them and I will have a great time eating them in different dishes.  I have some brown rice soaking, ready to cook it in a crockpot, and cooking it in the beet water will give the brown rice an interesting hue.  Who says you have to stick to the conventional recipes?  I find cooking in a crockpot gives my kitchen smoke alarm some rest.  If I cook food on the stove, I often forget about it, until it reminds me.

The ground bison was cooked with some chopped onion, and as I had an abundance of potatoes, I cooked and mashed them, too.  What did that make?  A Shepherd’s Pie, of course, though I had to add a pound of grass-fed ground beef to make it enough for the church potluck.  I took some beef gravy for the pie, and a cut up cantelope, too. We also had chicken alfredo, tamale pie, beef pie, etc., lima beans, broccoli and other veggies.

The Bible readings were Exo. 30:11-34:35, about the Altar of Incense, the golden calf, the second pair of tablets of stone inscribed with the 10 Commandments, the seventh day the Sabbath, and the Feast Days being days of rest, 1 Kin. 18:1-39  and 2  Cor. 3:1-18.  The Teaching was more about what Martin Luther’s Reformation has done for us.  The people now had translations of the Bible in their own languages. The pilgrims had came over here with the Geneva Bible, as the King James version was so new.

After I had helped clean up the dining hall kitchen, I went to the nursing home to see Claudia, who is still hanging in there.  The weather this week has been variable with air conditioning needed one day, and heat the next day.

Why Does God Heal Some People But Not Others? Do Tragedies Happen Because God Is Punishing People? Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”: but it is now Monday, as I had company.

Why Does God Heal Some People But Not Others?     

“Why would God ever choose not to heal a person? Isn’t health and wholeness in this life what He wants for us?  

Joshua Rawson Harris/Unsplash

Our present lives with all their trials and suffering should be viewed as a training ground. Preparing us for a future that is bigger and brighter than anything we might enjoy in our present physical lives.

Our Creator can and does heal people. But not always. Many times God deliberately chooses not to heal.

Why would God ever choose not to heal a person?

Isn’t health and wholeness in this life what He wants for us?

Does He withhold healing because we have sin we haven’t repented of yet?

Or is it because we lack faith?

Or is it because we have simply not asked?

Any of these factors can, and often do, lead to a situation where healing is withheld. But what about situations where none of these is a factor? Consider Paul’s prayers for his own healing 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. God’s reasons for answering “no” were not because of sin in Paul’s life or some lack of faith. God said “no” because He had something much bigger and much better in mind for Paul that could only be achieved through perseverance in suffering.

For believers, that bigger and better goal God has in mind is to be transformed into a new type of person who thinks and acts like Jesus himself (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:12-15). That transformation is what makes us fit to receive God’s gift of eternal life. If we were to receive that gift of eternal life without having first undergone this transformation in the way we think and act, eternity could end up being a very unhappy place.

God’s purpose was that Paul be moved towards this goal through physical suffering. Even in this physical suffering, Paul was following the example set down before by Jesus Himself (Hebrews 2:10).

As with Paul’s life, our present lives with all their trials and suffering should be viewed as a training ground. Preparing us for a future that is bigger and brighter than anything we might enjoy in our present physical lives.

Why then does God choose to heal some people?

We cannot possibly know all the reasons why God chooses to heal or not to heal. However, two broad categories shine forth in the Scriptures:

1. God heals because He is compassionate. He desires to act with kindness and gentleness towards human beings. In the greater world around us human disobedience, indifference and disbelief often disrupt the flow of His compassion.

2. God heals to demonstrate His power to perform works in this world (John 9:2-3). He often heals for the purpose of building and strengthening newly forming belief in Himself, either in the person being healed or ones looking on.

By contrast, Paul’s strong faith was tested and strengthened when he was required to persevere through the trial of not being healed.

Only God, who knows the heart, can properly assess a person’s life. Only God can know whether to heal or not heal will best move the person forward toward His goal of building the mind of Christ in them. His deep desire is that we learn to trust Him in all things including matters of healing.

To more fully explore what God’s Word has to say about the larger questions related to human suffering in this world, our free Bible study guide Why Does God Allow Suffering? is a good place to continue learning.”        From: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/why-does-god-heal-some-people-but-not-others

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Do Tragedies Happen Because God Is Punishing People?

“There are select examples in the Bible of God enacting divine punishment on individuals, cities or nations as a whole; however, Jesus Christ clearly taught that everyday tragedies are not the result of people being particularly sinful or evil (Luke 13:1-5).    

   Niels Smeets/Unsplash

Following God is a matter of our eternal salvation that does not free us from all physical dangers, trials or harmful accidents.

God’s direct intervention and punishment, as described throughout the Bible, is the exception rather than the rule. This is due to His supreme patience (Psalms 103:8) motivated by His love for us and desire to reconcile us to Himself for salvation. The Bible teaches that God’s wrath is preceded by a warning so that people have the opportunity to repent (Amos 3:7), as opposed to the many tragic occurrences that strike daily and without warning throughout the world.

Jesus Christ spoke directly on the topic of accidents, natural disasters and even persecution as it relates to a person’s sin. In Luke 13:1-5, He gave two examples of people who suffered—some who had been slaughtered by Roman officials, and others who died when a large tower suddenly fell and landed on them. He pointed out that these people who died were not “worse sinners” than those in the same town who were unharmed, but instead He taught that “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” This speaks to the reality that all people are under the same penalty of sin, which is death, unless we repent and follow God.

Conversely, even those who follow God and keep His commandments will sometimes suffer or die in tragedies. Of these, the scriptures teach that this is not divine judgment, but that “time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Following God is a matter of our eternal salvation that does not free us from all physical dangers, trials or harmful accidents.

Sin is the root cause of all death, disease, suffering and corruption in the world today. The cumulative destructive effect of sin that is in the world leads to death by illnesses, accidents, natural disasters and other tragic events that are completely unconnected to our own actions. While “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), often those who experience a tragedy are not receiving the direct punishment of their own sin. There are many cases when people do suffer as a direct result of their sin, but this does not require divine intervention. For example, adulterers will suffer emotional damage in their marriages with the additional possibilities of sexually transmitted diseases or retribution from the other person’s partner, but this type of “punishment” is simply cause-and-effect.

In the particular cases of God’s wrath found in the Bible, God acted in response to extreme conditions of depravity, and the result was complete and utter devastation on a scale that is far beyond the natural disasters or local tragedies that we experience today. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah illustrates this point, where only Lot and his two daughters survived. Again in the flood of Noah’s day, only eight people out of the entire world were spared. The Bible does teach God’s future judgment and wrath on the earth, but this is not merely to punish sin—it serves the dual purpose of breaking down the corrupt institutions of the world and raising up His righteous Kingdom under the rule of Jesus Christ and the saints (Romans 8:22-23; Revelation 11:15).

For more information on the cause of death, pain and suffering in the world—and God’s solution to sin for all mankind—please see our free study aid, Why Does God Allow Suffering?  From: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/do-tragedies-happen-because-god-is-punishing-people

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Update:

It’s been two weeks since I picked the van up from the repair shop and it has started each time, so the new ignition switch is working.

Zack and I have made some progress in the mini-house.  All the door jambs are stained to match the trim, but one door jamb was painted an ivory color, so the best way to take the eye off it was to paint it the same color as the stain.  He sanded the painted door jam, so that the paint would adhere better.  The 15-light-door that is between the rooms was taken down, filled and sanded, as it will be painted too.  Home Depot mixed up some paint the same color as the stained trim from a sample of the trim.  We did get the door jam painted, but then we ran out of time.

We also had to do the first mowing of the new year, and that old mower started up at second pull, can’t beat that.

On Sunday, my SPCA friend Chris took me with her to pick up my little foster cat, Puddin’,  from the Cat Habitat at Petco, I just couldn’t wait to see her again.  She is so happy to be home that she has hardly left my side, except when someone comes to the door, then she makes a beeline for under my bed.  She was just too timid to ‘sell’ herself to the potential adopters at Petco.

My youngest son, Kevin, 48, arrived Sunday so I spent as much time as I could with him, as he lives in Florida now.  I guess it is a “son thing”, he ate quite a bit and did two loads of laundry while he was here. 

For the church potluck I made some Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix that I had been given into a veggie-based stuffing with sautéed onions, celery, grated carrots and spices.  I had a roll of ground turkey, but I didn’t want to make the usual turkey meat loaf with it, so I added spices to make it taste like turkey sausage and made it into an Impossibly Easy Pie.  https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/product-recipes/bisquick-recipes/bisquick-impossibly-easy-pie-recipes.  It was deemed ‘delish’!   We also had a meat/bean casserole with a cornbread topping, beef and noodles dish, lasagne, home-made mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, green salad, etc, and lots of veggies including my favorite, Brussel Sprouts.

The Bible readings wereExo. 27:20-30:10, Eze. 43:10-27, Heb. 13:10-17, and the Teaching was about the Foundations of Doctrine.

After church I went to the nursing home nearby, and visited Claudia, Jay’s Mom.  She is just wasting away lying there.  I tried to see if there is anyone who can help her get her strength back by helping her exercise each day.

A World Where Weinstein’s “MeToo” Couldn’t Exist. “Liar, Liar, Plants for Hire”. Slaves of Sin. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

A World Where “MeToo” Couldn’t Exist

“For weeks now, victims of sexual harassment have been sharing their “MeToo” stories. The Bible promises a world where those stories will never happen again.

Sometimes I like to play a game called “What If We Just …?”

It’s a pretty simple game. Here’s how it works: Sometimes, when I come across a passage in the Bible where God tells us to do something, I ask, “How would the world be different if we all just did that one thing?”

The answer is almost always, “It wouldn’t fix everything, but things sure would be a whole lot better than they are now.”

Take the Eighth Commandment. How would the world change if no one stole anything ever again? A lot of insurance salesmen would be out of a job, for starters. We’d be less worried if belongings went missing—in a world with no thefts, things would only be misplaced. We’d be a little more trusting and a little less worried about being defrauded or scammed by a con artist.

You can do the same mental exercise with the other commandments. What if we lived in a world where no one lied? Where no one murdered? Where everyone honored his or her parents? Where everyone kept the Sabbath day holy? Imagine a world where any one of those things is true, and you’ll see how one little rule, universally obeyed, could really change things.

Weinstein and #MeToo

“What If We Just…?” is a fun game, but it’s also a sad one—because at the end of it, you have to come back to a world that frequently ignores all of God’s commandments (and not just the 10 big ones). You have to wade through depressing news story after depressing news story of things that never would have happened if people would just do the thing God said to do.

Consider the millions of stories reflected in the #MeToo hashtag.

Millions upon millions of women have made it clear that sexual harassment is pandemic.Last month, as allegation after allegation of sexual assault came out against movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actress Alyssa Milano suggested on Twitter, “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

Within hours, #MeToo was everywhere. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram—over the next few weeks, women around the world took to social media to identify themselves as victims of sexual assault and harassment. Overnight, #MeToo offered a staggering sense of scale:

Weinstein is not an anomaly. Millions upon millions of women have made it clear that sexual harassment is pandemic. It’s a serious problem in the workplace, in universities and even at home. For so many women, it’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “how often.”

Missing the point

How did we get here? How did we end up in a world where so many women (and even some men) have to deal with being degraded or violated—a world where the victims are often too afraid or too embarrassed to speak out?

Whenever this topic comes up, a lot of well-meaning people have asked a lot of well-meaning questions that have entirely missed the point. These questions tend to put the blame at the feet of the victims: What was she wearing? How was she acting? What part of town was she in?

If we’re trying to get to the heart of the problem, then those are the wrong questions. Is there a discussion worth having about how God expects His people to dress and behave? Yes, absolutely. But are those the real reasons men assault or harass women?

No.

Men who mistreat and abuse women do so because something in their mind is sick and twisted. That’s the reason.

The heart of the problem

Let’s play a quick round of “What If We Just …?” This time we’ll plug in the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

How would obeying that verse change the world?

At first glance, the scope seems limited—at least until we consider the true depth of that commandment.

Jesus explained to His disciples, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

The Seventh Commandment isn’t just about what we do with our bodies; it’s about what we do with our hearts. It’s about where we’re looking and why. It’s about the places we let our minds go.

Now imagine a world where no one lusted after anyone. Where both men and women looked at each other with respect for their value as human beings and not as objects to be desired, used and discarded.

Would the #MeToo campaign have a reason to exist in a world like that? Would stories like the Harvey Weinstein scandal exist in a world like that?

No, they wouldn’t. They couldn’t. If we just obeyed that one single commandment, there would be no need for anyone to post their #MeToo stories. There would be no need for women to fear being violated or humiliated by strangers and coworkers. We wouldn’t need to be having this discussion at all.”                      Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/a-world-where-metoo-couldnt-exist/

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There’s a Proverb for That: Liar, Liar, Plants for Hire*

“The research into how much we all lie to one another is as prevalent as it is condemning. When it comes to lying, the book of Proverbs is not impressed.

People have been lying to each other for thousands of years. Evidence? A wisdom book written nearly 3,000 years ago addresses the consequences of, and God’s disgust with, lying.

“That’s pants on fire, Patrick*”

In the sophisticated and biting social commentary found within an episode of the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, the humorously dim-witted Patrick Star skewers the familiar rhyme about dishonesty by instead saying, “Liar, liar, plants for hire.” When corrected by the momentarily uppity SpongeBob, Patrick then retorts, “Well, you would know, liar.”

It’s easy to slip up and lie occasionally for a variety of reasons, even when we strive to be truthful. There are the so-called “little white lies” to make sure we don’t hurt someone’s feelings. We also have the whoppers to get us out of trouble when scared. Then there are the lies that have just enough truth in them for us to justify them as not actually being lies. The common thread? Our nose and seared conscience grow with each one we let slide.

It’s very hard for the truth to set us free when we twist, abuse, distort, neglect and run away from it (John 8:32). If those who love and practice a lie are not welcome inside the gates of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:14-15), there must be a pretty good reason to stay truthful. And, yes, there is a proverb for that.

Proverbs and implications

1. Proverbs 12:22: “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” 

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/theres-a-proverb-for-that-liar-liar-plants-for-hire/

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Slaves of Sin or Slaves of Righteousness?

Romans 6:15-16

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

The apostle Paul, after describing in Romans 5 the incredible sacrifice of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of our sins and make possible the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, saw the need to explain more fully.

We can do nothing to “earn” forgiveness or eternal life, but that doesn’t mean that God wants us to continue sinning. Obviously if God hates sin so much that He requires the death penalty for sin, He does not want us to go back to doing it. Sin causes pain and suffering and death. Obeying God’s law produces right relationships and life.

Paul points out that humans must choose whom they will serve: either sin leading to death or obedience to God’s good and righteous law, which leads to being right with God. Those are the only two choices; and as God said long before, He wants us to choose obedience and “choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:16-19).

For more about sin and God’s law, see The 10 Commandments for Today”

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Update:

My little timid shy foster cat, Puddin’, came home for the holidays, so the other cat that I am taking care of, “Flower”, whose house drowned in Harvey, had to spend the week in my grooming room because she doesn’t like other cats.  She took it like a trooper, but was so glad when she could come back into the main part of the house and sleep on my bed when Puddin” went back to the Cat Habitat at Petco. 

Puddin’ was so happy to be here at home, and I loved having her.  I cried when it was time for her to go, but she doesn’t belong to me, she is an SPCA foster cat and they paid for her medical bills and everything.  Anyway, at my age, how can I offer her a “forever” home?  She doesn’t show well in the Habitat, and won’t come out of the little ‘cave’ to entertain potential adopters, so she will probably be back home when her time is up at the Habitat.  We were hoping that being there would help her get over her shyness.  The Petco employees and customers love to play with the Habitat cats through the plexiglass.

The chiropractor worked on my back twice, but it has been out for such a long time, and now that I am getting older it is more difficult for it to snap back into place.  My back is a little less sore after they massaged it, and my knee doesn’t hurt as much, so we are making progress.

For the Sabbath church potluck I made Angus Ground Beef and Brown Rice. Then it took most of one afternoon to peel, dice and roast all kinds of veggies, zucchini, celery, carrots, onions, bell peppers, sweet and white potatoes, but they are soooo good roasted, that it was worth it. Then because of the time of the year I took some seasoned black-eyed peas. 

The pastor’s wife was sick again, and the elder who usually helps with the kitchen wasn’t there either, so I had to do everything myself, but it went OK, and everyone was happy with the spread.  There was also lasagne, chicken bites and veggies.  Several folks took the left-overs home with them, so they must have liked it.

The Bible reading were Gen. 44:18-47:27, about Joseph’s kin coming to him in Egypt, Eze. 37:15-37:28 and Eph 2:1-10.  The Teaching was “The Nature of the Messiah”, but as usual it was difficult to concentrate on it as I was trying to get the pot luck together in the kitchen.

Now I have acquired a lovely 6 months old spayed Siamese kitten who needs a good home. It was heart wrenching to see the little girl give up her kitten due to allergies.

We are expecting a batch of freezing weather, so I have been going around checking the covers on the long trough of aloe Vera plants, pipes, etc. getting ready for the next few days.

Would Jesus Celebrate Christmas? Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate It? Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Would Jesus Celebrate Christmas?

“People around the world celebrate Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25. However, this date held no particular significance to Jesus Himself. But other days did.

Some people believe it is okay to celebrate holidays originally rooted in paganism because they have now been Christianized. But is God okay with this?

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For millions of Christians around the world, the only time of the year they go to church is Christmas and Easter. These are sometimes called CEOs (Christmas and Easter Only attendees).

According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, only 20 percent of American Christians actually attend church on a weekly basis. (The number is even lower in Europe.) Many churches report that their attendance nearly doubles on Christmas, and there is a significant spike in Google searches for “church” in late December.

Why do people who normally don’t go to church show up on Christmas?

Well, only those people can really answer that, but it’s likely because they see it as a special celebration of Christ’s birth, so they want to do what they believe honors Him.

But consider this question: Does Christmas hold the same significance to Jesus Himself?

Missing from the Bible

To answer any question about Jesus Christ, our first (and really only) logical source is the Bible—particularly the four Gospels and the later writings of His contemporaries. When you study those documents, it’s striking that the most prominent celebration associated with Christianity is totally absent. Nobody—not Jesus, not Peter, not John, not Paul—gives any hint that he had ever celebrated Jesus’ birth in December (or any month).

Some people believe it is okay to celebrate holidays originally rooted in paganism because they have now been Christianized. But is God okay with this?  That is not to say that the Bible doesn’t talk about Jesus’ birth, but it actually gives very few details about it. It is only covered in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Mark and John never discuss it). But if you read Matthew 1-2 and Luke 2 closely, you discover there are only a few verses that directly discuss the actual day of His birth (Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7-16). The rest of these sections describe events that surrounded His birth, but did not actually occur on the same day.

What is typically called “the Christmas story” inaccurately squeezes almost all the events described in Matthew 2 and Luke 2 into one single day in late December.

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/christmas/would-jesus-celebrate-christmas/

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Would Jesus Celebrate Christmas? 

“If Christ is truly the reason for the season, would He celebrate Christmas today?

Markus Spiske/Unsplash

We can’t put Christ back in Christmas, as many seek to do, because He was never there in the first place. Misguided people put Him there. What does that mean for us?

Most Christians assume that Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day. Most also accept that Christmas traditions like a brightly ornamented tree and a red-suited Santa are acceptable ways of honoring our Savior. Does your Bible agree with these assumptions? There’s one way to prove it: Check your Bible and the many secular sources about Christmas.

Historical and biblical evidence clearly proves that Christmas is a pre-Christian festival. It’s not biblical, and it’s not of God. Ironically, the early Catholic theologian Origen repudiated as sinful the very idea of keeping the birthday of Christ ( The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., 1910, vol. 6, p293).

The inarguable fact is that Christmas isn’t supported by your Bible. There is one quintessential question that remains: Would Jesus Christ participate in the observance of Christmas? And if He wouldn’t, why not?

Was Jesus born on Christmas Day?

The first question to ask is whether Jesus was even born on the traditional date of Dec. 25. Luke’s Gospel records the event: “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:7-8). No mention of date so far. And does this scene fit with a winter birth?

Alexander Hislop wrote in his book The Two Babylons: “There is not a word in the Scriptures about the precise day of His birth, or the time of the year when He was born. What is recorded there implies that at what time … His birth took place, it could not have been on the 25th of December.

“At the time that the angel announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks by night in the open fields. Now, no doubt, the climate of Palestine is not so severe as the climate of this country [England]; but even there, though the heat of the day be considerable, the cold of the night, from December to February, is very piercing, and it was notthe custom for the shepherds of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fieldslater than about the end of October. It is in the last degree incredible, then, that the birth of Christ could have taken place at the end of December” (1959, pp. 91-92).

Continued at: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/would-jesus-celebrate-christmas

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Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate It

“It seems strange to ask should Christians celebrate Christmas, since it’s named for Christ. But was He born December 25? Does He want us to celebrate it?

Christmas seems the most Christian of holidays, even taking its name from Christ. So why wouldn’t Christians celebrate Christmas? Could it be that Christ was not born on Dec. 25? Could it also be that every year many articles are written in newspapers about the pagan origins of this holiday?

Even religious people who celebrate Christmas have written about this topic. Consider this history from the Grace to You website: “The decision to celebrate Christmas on December 25 was made sometime during the fourth century by church bishops in Rome. They had a specific reason for doing so.

“Having turned long ago from worshiping the one true God and creator of all things, many early cultures in the Roman empire had fallen into sun worship. Recognizing their dependence on the sun’s yearly course in the heavens, they held feasts around the winter solstice in December when the days are shortest. As part of their festivals, they built bonfires to give the sun god strength and bring him back to life again. When it became apparent that the days were growing longer, there would be great rejoicing.

“The church leaders in Rome decided to celebrate Christ’s birth during the winter solstice in an attempt to Christianize these popular pagan celebrations. For the most part their efforts failed to make the people conform, and the heathen festivities continued.”

Many people today want to put Jesus back into Christmas, but the fact of the matter is that He was never in Christmas in the first place. Dec. 25 was a polytheistic festival based on myth.

Is adopting pagan customs acceptable to God?

So, what is a Christian to do with this knowledge? Should Christians celebrate Christmas? In December 2007 AP reporter Tom Breen quoted Clyde Kilough, who is now a minister in the Church of God: “It’s common knowledge that Christmas and its customs have nothing to do with the Bible. … The theological question is quite simple: Is it acceptable to God for humans to choose to worship Him by adopting paganism’s most popular celebrations and calling them Christian?”

The Bible reveals that God does not want humans to worship Him in the same manner as the pagans worshipped their gods. Therefore, based on what the Scriptures disclose, we believe God and His Son are not pleased with Christians celebrating Christmas.

God explicitly warned ancient Israel against incorporating pagan customs into their worship of the true God.

“When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’

You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).

Later, Jesus Christ pointed this out to a devoutly religious group, the Pharisees, in Mark 7:6-9: “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men. … All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.”

What’s wrong with the traditional nativity scene?

Christians should also understand that the Bible itself reveals that many of the traditional nativity scenes are not biblically accurate either.

Notice Luke 2:8-11: “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”

One commentary states that, “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).

Another study source 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” (The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary, 1971, note on Luke 2:4-7).

Concerning another aspect of nativity scenes, Joe Kovacs, author of Shocked by the Bible, wrote, “You won’t find three wise men showing up at the manger when Jesus was born.”

This statement is based on what we read in Matthew 2:1, 11: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. … And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

The Bible does not list how many wise men were there, and they came into the house (not manger) where they saw the young Child. So, the traditional story of three wise men coming to the manger is just not found in the Bible.

We have to realize that just proclaiming something to be Christian does not make it so, no matter what our traditions have been or what rationalizations we may employ!

For instance, over the decades, parents have told their children about Santa Claus. The problem is—he does not really exist, nor does he have a workshop at the North Pole. Where in the Bible does God excuse us for lying—especially to our children?

Some also believe that there should be no problem with gift giving at this time of year. However, in his book 4,000 Years of Christmas: A Gift From the Ages (1997), Episcopal priest Earl Count ardently relates historical connections between the exchanging of gifts on the 12 days of Christmas and customs originating in ancient, pagan Babylon. He also shows that mistletoe was adopted from Druid mystery rituals and that Dec. 25 has more to do with the ancient Roman Saturnalia celebration than with Jesus.

How do I tell my relatives?

So, should Christians celebrate Christmas? After examining the subject, many come to the conclusion that they should not. Many then ask, “Okay, then how do I tell my relatives and family that I will no longer be celebrating Christmas?” We recommend explaining in a kind way that you cannot in good conscience continue to observe a holiday not authorized in the Bible. If they ask about giving gifts, you can respond that there are plenty of other opportunities throughout the year for honoring loved ones with gifts.

Some relatives will accept that decision and some may not understand; so it is better not to try to change their beliefs lest they get upset. Many who recognize the nonbiblical origin of Christmas try to avoid getting into a discussion about the issue unless someone asks why. We try to follow the principle in 1 Peter 3:15: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” If someone wants to know more, it is certainly fine to explain the pagan origins of this holiday and God’s command for us not to worship Him in a similar manner.

The members of the Church of God, (which sponsors this website), do not get involved in Christmas observances. Instead, we are told to honor Jesus Christ on the anniversary of His death (not His birth). See 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. Jesus Christ reminded His disciples (as they ate the bread during the New Testament Passover) to “do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

Jesus was born as our Savior, but He is also coming again as the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:15-16). The millennial reign of Christ will then begin on the earth. This prophesied event is pictured by and emphasized during the annual Feast of Tabernacles, which occurs during each autumn in the northern hemisphere (Leviticus 23:33-35). Christ told His disciples to keep this feast, as He observed it as well (John 7:2, 14, 37-39). So, instead of celebrating the Christmas holiday, a Christian should be celebrating the annual commanded festivals of God.   You can learn more about these festivals in this section on how God’s holy days reveal His plan of salvation.”    Does it matter which holidays we celebrate? Find the answers in our free booklet. Download now.

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/christmas/

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Update:

Zack brushed some more Kilz and paint on the new wall dividing the living room and bedroom, so Jay installed the jam for the door.  He was going to hang the door, but found out that he had cut the hinges on the wrong side, so that will have to be wood puttied and redone.  He also cut too much off the bottom of this 15-light wooden door, so an inch will have to be added to the bottom and an inch cut off the top or it will look funny.  Golly, I can’t take my eyes off him for a minute.

Ray went up on the mini-house roof and fixed a place where it wasn’t lapped right, so that should stop that leak.  I watched him this time, from the little look-out up there.   He also blew the pine needles off the roofs of both houses, so Zack had to rake them up and burn them. 

Jay went with me into Conroe for my doctor appointment as I get this sharp pain in my left arm, and my left knee hurts me at night. The doctor’s assistant saw me, and told me some bull about the arm pain being due to the judo chops that I received on my neck 50 years ago!  Twaddle !!!   Then she said that my knee looked arthritic, and to put Bengay or similar on it. That night I rubbed some analgesic cream on my knee but it didn’t seem to make any difference.  Only I forgot and touched my eye before I washed my hands, and that did make a difference,  it stung like crazy ! 

Two more kittens have been adopted out of our Cat Habitat at Petco, another foster-mom’s “Inky” and my little “Tux”, so that just leaves “Marble” out of the four kittens that I rescued.   He is a quiet, loving little guy.

One day I spent quite a bit of time cooking some rare vegetables that were given to me.  Have you ever seen Japanese Purple Skinned White Sweet Potatoes, or purple and white carrots from Trader Joes?  We don’t have a Trader Joes around here, so I hadn’t seen them before.   The purple carrots were roasted in butter, and they shank down, but were good, so I put them in a tiny crock pot to take to the church potluck just so that everyone could have a taste.  Some people ate seconds of them, then others just didn’t like the look of them…”purple carrots - Oh, no”!  That was mostly Jay who doesn’t like anything except steak, and hardly ever eats any veggies.

I read that the white sweet potaoes are drier than yellow ones, so I steamed them.  Then I didn’t like the skin so I took it off.  But I still didn’t know what to do with them, so I cut them up into little pieces with my French Fry cutter, covered them with some of the turkey broth that I had made, and put all that in the fridge overnight while I decided what I was going to do with them.  The next morning I got out my immersion blender and whipped the white sweet potatoes with a bit of parsley and butter. They were very popular at church, even though when cooked, they had a green tint, which might have been the parsley and Upland Cress that I put in there.  

The great amount of yellow squash that I had bought and been given, was sliced thin with a mandolin, sauteed in a big pot, some milk added, seasonings and cheddar cheese, and I called it Cheesy Yellow Squash.  It was nummy and didn’t last long either. 

I had several left-over Hasselback White and Sweet Potatoes, so I made them into a Twice-baked Potato Casserole.  It is not often that I take four dishes to the potluck, but I just couldn’t keep all that food in my fridge, so it was better to share it with everyone, rather than give it to the chickens.  Also, I took a loaf of Trader Joe’s Challah Bread, (Braided Egg Bread, we called it in England.), and though it wasn’t as good as the Challah that one of the ladies makes when she is here, it was very good.  We also had many other dishes, as usual.

Jay made, and took, a big homemade strawberry pie to the potluck.  He insisted that it needed a topping, so he bought some real whipping cream because I told him that we didn’t want any of that chemically laden artificial stuff in a tub, and the squirt cans aren’t much better.   He wanted to take two pies and a bunch of homemade pralines, but I told him that the congregation wasn’t into that much sweet stuff anymore.  They are trying to eat healthy, after all our bodies are a temple of The Holy Spirit who you have from the LORD.   (¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?) 1 Corinthians 6:19 New King James Version (NKJV)

Any way, Jay bet me $10 (not a biblical thing to do), that all the big pie would be eaten, but I won, even though the pie was delish.  Maybe it was because no one wanted to appear greedy and eat that last slice.   (Gambling is leaving to chance what you should trust to our Lord.  Christians should trust in the providence of God and not in "chance" to provide for them.  This is why gambling cannot be endorsed biblically.)

Even after cooking all those veggies I still had several big sweet potatoes, so I just threw them in a crockpot on High while Zack and I worked in the mini-house this morning.  We were doing some odd jobs and moving things out of there to make more working room.  The potatoes were done at lunch time but Zack doesn’t like sweet potatoes, so I have enough for myself for several days.  Then I threw a bag of Trader Joe’s Potato Medley, red, yellow and purple potatoes, in the crock pot in the afternoon.  Just wash them and throw them in, so easy.   Now I can store them in the fridge and freezer, instead of the vegetable basket where they might draw fruit-flies. 

Now, if you ever want an easy way to cope with a butternut squash, which is so hard to cut and peel, just throw it in a crock pot on low for several hours, and it will cut up nicely.  Just have the measurement of your crock pot with you, so that you will get a squash that fits in there!  One of my crock pots is oval so that is my one for butternut squash.

The Bible readings were Gen. 28:10-32:3, Hos. 12:13-14:10 and John 1:19-51, and the Teaching was more about how the Reformation and Martin Luther’s actions 500 years ago still impact us today.

  

Thanksgiving, Christmas—and Greed. Thanks For The Bees! Prayer.. With Thanksgiving. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”, Just after Thanksgiving Day:

Thanksgiving, Christmas—and Greed

“So, I can’t help but wonder, Am I the only person struck by this? I’m talking about the paradox of this time of the year, the approximately one month from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I just find it amazing!

Here’s what I’m talking about: the fourth Thursday in November, the wonderful national holiday celebrated in the United States of America—Thanksgiving Day. What’s it all about? Gratitude, thankfulness, acknowledgement of divine blessing.

Here’s what President Abraham Lincoln, sometimes referred to as the father of the Thanksgiving holiday, proclaimed back in 1863:

“The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. … No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

He then went on to “set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” He recommended “offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings.”

Isn’t that wonderful? Gratitude. Humility. Recognition of God’s merciful blessings and favor. Never mind that for far too many Americans in the 150 years since that proclamation, Thanksgiving Day has devolved into little more than “turkey day,” or a day to watch football. At least it started out right, as a day of thanksgiving.

But then the paradox. This year it didn’t even wait till “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving. For many retail establishments, it began on Thanksgiving Day itself: “Buy, buy, buy!” “Grab, grab, grab!” “Get, get, get!” Okay, so maybe it’s just because I’m a little older and bothered more by these things. Or maybe it actually is even more crass, even more aggressive this year. But this annual orgy of greed and grab seems to be more offensive and unpleasant this year even more than usual.

An example: At a Wal-Mart store in Elkin, North Carolina, fights broke out as one crazed shopper violently grabbed and shoved in a frantic consumerist push. For what? A TV set! And it didn’t even wait till the day after Thanksgiving. It was Thanksgiving night!  And this is about gratitude?

And so it goes on, just as it does every year, for one whole unpleasant month. Spend, spend and more spend. Stuff, stuff and more stuff. Grab and grab and grab—even with a little violence, if necessary. And for what? A day that supposedly commemorates the birth of the Savior of humanity, the One who gave His life for all humankind.

Leave aside for the moment the fact that Christmas isn’t even mentioned in the Bible. Leave aside the fact that it has pre-Christian origins. Leave aside the fact that it’s really a pagan festivity, baptized under the banner of Christ.

Leave all that aside, and you’re still left with that grotesque contradiction, a month ending in a holiday that supposedly epitomizes the Christian way of life, but that really seems to culminate four weeks of greed and coveting. How sad!

Am I the only one? No, I’m really glad that I’m not. Most of my friends are aware of the non-biblical roots of Christmas, and they do their best to avoid all the commercialism and ugliness of a celebration that has become little more than one giant retail binge.

We invite you to consider the true way of life—one of selflessness and outgoing concern, not of grab and greed—described in the pages of your Bible.   For Life, Hope & Truth, I’m Ralph Levy.”       From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/thanksgiving-christmas-and-greed/

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Thanks To The Bees, Food for All

         

An Amazing Fact: “Bees are very social insects, and mutual feeding seems to be the order of their existence. The workers feed the helpless queen, who cannot feed herself. They feed the drones and, of course, they feed the young. They seem to actually enjoy this social act. One bee always seems ready to feed another bee, even if that bee is from a different colony.

The bee has been aptly described as busy. To produce one tablespoon of honey for our toast, the little bee makes 4,200 trips to flowers. A worker bee will fly as far as eight miles in search of nectar. He makes about 10 trips a day to the fields, each trip lasting 20 minutes and covering 400 flowers. To produce just one pound of clover honey, the bee must visit 56,000 clover heads. Since each head has 60 flower tubes, a total of 3,360,000 visits are necessary. In the end, that worker bee will have flown the equivalent of three times around the world. And they never sleep!

The impact of the honeybee on your food goes beyond honey. This little wonder of God’s creation is responsible for 80 percent of all insect pollination; if it didn’t do its job it would significantly decrease the yield of fruits and vegetables.

Psalm 145 is a song of praise to the Creator. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). As we look at the amazing honeybee, we can join David in saying, “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works” (v. 5). When we consider the immense number of flowers it takes to make one pound of honey, it seems an impossibility, yet the Bible says, “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing” (v. 15, 16).     Thank God for the honeybee!”   
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Give us day by day our daily bread. Luke 11:3

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Continue Earnestly in Prayer … With Thanksgiving

Colossians 4:2

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. …

The apostle Paul strongly connects prayer with thanksgiving in several other memorable passages:

• “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
• “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
• “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

For more about prayer and thankfulness, see “How to Pray” and “In Everything Give Thanks.”

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Update.

We never know when we will have a sudden freeze at night, (we have already had one short 29 deg. temperature that crept up on us) so Zack and I readied the aloe vera plants for winter.  We covered up the long, long trough of them that are planted next to the hedge where they share the same underground watering system.   Then we moved all the many pots of aloe into the green house.  This year I haven’t been advertising the aloe like I should because of spending so much time working on the mini-house, so I have more pots than usual.

The county, or whoever, finally replaced the yellow caution traffic light on my corner, that the posts had became uprooted during Hurricane Harvey,  or there was so much rain that the poles just fell over.  Now it is slung from the tall main electric line poles and for the first time we have a street light at this junction.  Now the mini-house back door is always illuminated, so I don’t have to leave that porch light on any more. 

My foster-cat “Puddin” never did warm up to the kittens who were here for Thanksgiving week.  She didn’t want anything to do with them. They were so sweet, purring when held, and I taught them some “Catiquette”, like not darting through doors, and not getting on tables or coutertops.  They were picked up this morning and taken back to the Cat Habitat at Petco, awaiting forever homes.  I have some of their “playthings” picked up, like torn up newspaper, little boxes that they batted around, and the cat toys, but they preferred to play with the things that they found.  Just like kids would rather play with the box than the item that came in it.  I miss them, but I am glad that they are gone, too.  Little “Tux” was a little harum-scarum, and a bundle of energy, a little too much for me, he will do well with some kids.  “Marble” was more sedate and loving, more my kind of cat.

Jay seems to be doing alright with his sobriety, so I let him work in the mini-house, but I still have to watch him like a hawk.  He nearly cut the hole for the kitchen sink right over the sidewall of the cabinet, I stopped him after about 6 inches were cut, the sink will cover it, but Zack will have to caulk the cut to make it waterproof.  Jay installed the light over the kitchen sink, then he cut and installed the frame for the little bathroom door between my bedroom and bathroom, and the rest of the wall’s trim.  He fixed a bad spot on the drop-down-door-ramp on the lawn mower shed and has been helping quite a bit.

Jay was still staying sober, and went to church with me on the Sabbath.  I told him that he is a “non-drinker”, and he needs to remember that.  At church they were so pleased to see him again, and Gary, one of the elders, complimented him right from the pulpit. 

The Bible readings were Gen. 25:19-28:9, Mal. 1:1-2:7, and Rom. 9:1-31, mostly about Esau and Jacob.  The Teaching was about Overshadowing Providence and the Almighty Guardian.

There was a great big turkey for our Thanksgiving Dinner at church.  It had been deep-fried for an hour, but when we cut into it, the dark meat was still red, so everyone had to eat around the edges.  I had made Quinoa Dressing, made with white quinoa, celery, onions, garlic, carrots, butternut squash and seasonings.  (There was another stuffing there, but it just seemed like soggy bread to me, and I don’t eat regular bread or cornbread.  Regular bread, because it isn’t made of flour anymore, just fillers, and “enriched” toxic chemicals.  Cornbread, because most corn is genetically modified with Round-Up,  unless you buy organic.)  I also made Roasted Cauliflower with black quinoa, feta and finely chopped nuts.  I also took a jar of my Homemade Cranberry Sauce, which I had strained all the skins out, (that took the most time), and I took a little crockpot of Chicken Gravy.   There was Potato Salad and Coleslaw, veggies, green salad, and several pies, homemade pumpkin and homemade apple, and some store-bought pies, too.  There was a big cake, and a pie that no-one touched, so they were frozen for another time.   

The turkey meat was divvied up and sent home with different people, but I was given the task of making the big turkey remains into bone broth.  They all know that I will bring them something good made with the broth.  It was so big that Zack had to help me break it in half this morning before I could cook it.  One half in the slow cooker, and the other half in a pressure cooker.

When I left the church my van did the same old ‘not starting thing’…no noise, just nothing.  The guys at church fiddled and fussed with it, cut and spliced wires to the Neutral Safety Switch but it still wouldn’t start, not even with jumper cables.  Finally, Gary happened to touch the steering wheel tilt handle, and it started, so there must be a problem in the steering column.

While Jay was visiting his Mom in the hospital this morning, Zack and I were sanding, caulking and Kilzing the new wall between the bedroom and living room in the mini-house, and it should be ready for paint the next working day.

Help Veterans. Memorials to Peace, Not War. Banned Bible. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

FREE to you.  Please Help Homeless and Hungry Veterans.

If you care about our veterans, maybe you could click on their site each day.  This gives them resources and doesn’t cost you a thing: 

The Veterans Site   (http://theveteranssite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/vet/home?link=VET_linktous_text )

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Memorials to Peace, Not War

“When properly understood in the context of all Scripture, the biblical Holy Days show the way to true and lasting peace.

Soldier and Sailors Monument
Indiana Division of Historic Preservation
and Archaeology

“In my town, Indianapolis, Indiana, the centerpiece of the city is a monument to the soldiers of three conflicts in the 19th century. The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is a beautiful, ornate, German-designed structure, the first one, it is said, to honor the common soldier. This memorial is only one of many in our city. In fact, Indianapolis boasts more war memorials than any other American city outside of Washington, D.C.

All over the world towns of all sizes hold some type of monument to their dead from wars past. I have seen them in tiny Czech, Italian and French villages on some of my travels. I have seen a picture of my own great-grandfathers, veterans of the American Civil War, standing in front of a newly dedicated war memorial in their hometown in Georgia. It is good that people remember those who died in war. It would be even better if nations would learn the lessons that can prevent conflict from igniting into larger wars, consuming millions of lives.

I have never counted, but I think it is safe to say that war memorials outnumber memorials to peace. One of the most famous peace statues stands outside the United Nations building in New York City. It depicts the millennial scene from Isaiah 2:4 with a man beating his sword of war into a plowshare of peace. Most would agree, what a wonderful world that would be!

In America we have two days set aside each year to remember the human cost of all our wars. Veterans Day on Nov. 11 springs from the day the Great War, World War I, came to a close. Memorial Day each May remembers the fallen from all the wars. Other countries have set aside days to remember fallen soldiers. But how many days on our calendar actually commemorate and raise a memorial to peace?

God shows us in His Word, the Bible, several days set aside to teach, honor and show the way to peace among all the families of the earth. Leviticus 23:2 calls them “the feasts of the Lord.” Seven annual festivals are listed in this chapter with seven “holy convocations,” or Holy Days, when the people of God are to assemble and worship.

These little-understood days are the only ones mentioned in the Bible as days to be kept by the faithful who seek to support the Prince of Peace—Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6). (Christmas and Easter, while commonly assumed to be biblical holidays, aren’t part of the Holy Days God commanded.) When properly understood in the context of all Scripture, the biblical Holy Days show the way to true and lasting peace.

As you read these words, many thousands of people in all parts of the world are focusing on the true worship of God on these days. The biblical Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day are rich with meaning about key events yet ahead in the world. A full explanation of these days is available in our free booklet, God’s Holy Day Plan—The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.

These Holy Days herald a time of peace at the return of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. They give a vision of hope for a time when the source of evil will be banished and the way to peace among nations will be taught. Their message shows the depth of the love of God, and the opportunity all will have to accept the saving grace of Christ. As the subject of one of this month’s articles says, we need to pray, “Thy kingdom come.”

You need to understand the days God commands the entire world to observe as memorials to the way of life taught in the Scriptures. They are the days that show the sequence of events in God’s master plan for restoring all things through Jesus Christ. And when that occurs, it will indeed be a wonderful day!”  From: https://www.ucg.org/world-news-and-prophecy/restoration-memorials-to-peace-not-war

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Another kind of battle:

God vs. Satan

“An epic battle has been going on between God and a powerful, evil spirit, Satan the devil. How did it begin? How will the battle of God vs. Satan end?

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Although we are only given small glimpses of the world prior to man, the Scriptures tell us that during this time Lucifer, one of the high-ranking angels serving before God’s throne, convinced a third of the angels to follow him in rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:13-16; Revelation 12:7-9).

Apparently, because of this great battle, the beautiful earth God had created (Isaiah 45:18) became “without form, and void” (Genesis 1:2).  Because of Lucifer’s rebellion, his name was changed to Satan, meaning “adversary.” His followers, fallen angels, became known as demons.

After refashioning the earth so it could sustain human life, God created the first man, Adam. Eve, the first woman, was created a short time later. In addition to placing them in the Garden of Eden, where they could live and multiply, God gave them instruction in the way of life that would lead to happiness and eternal life.

But this couple was also given the choice of whether they would obey their Creator or choose their own path. God gave Adam and Eve the first opportunity to rule when He put all things under the feet of man, giving him dominion over the works of God’s hand (Psalm 8:4-8).

Satan attacks mankind

Though largely banished to earth with only a few exceptions when he could appear before God’s throne (Job 1:6), Satan and his demons were not ready to concede in their fight against God. Satan the devil soon brought the battle to the Garden of Eden.

Satan convinced the first man and his wife to disregard the instruction and commandments of God. They bought the lie that man can choose for himself what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. As a result of this tragic decision, sin entered the world and death entered by sin. Man cut himself off from the guidance, direction and blessings of God.

From mankind’s perspective, this began the battle of light vs. darkness, right vs. wrong, evil vs. good. Sides were drawn. Camps and philosophies were developed.”

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/kingdom-of-god/god-vs-satan/

Read more about the enemy Satan in the article “Satan Destroyed? How?”

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Banning the Mention of God in Public Life

“More and more, God is being shunted aside and banned in the public arena—particularly from schools.

In November 2012, a six-year-old girl was told by her North Carolina school that, during a Veteran’s Day program, she could not say the word God in reading a poem that honored her two grandfathers. “He prayed to God for peace, he prayed to God for strength,” the poem stated (Todd Starnes, God-less America, 2014, pp. 128-129).

School officials in southern Florida “banned a fifth grader from reading the Bible during ‘free reading’ time” (Breitbart.com, “FL Teacher Banned Bible From ‘Free Reading’ Time in Classroom,” May 5, 2014).

Good News Magazine: November - December 2014

Meanwhile, officials at other schools are on the alert to make sure that Gideons International does not succeed in—horror of horrors!—passing out free Bibles to students at school.

An e-mail memo from the assistant principal of a New Jersey middle school stated: “It has been brought to the administration’s attention that Gideons may be near our campus to distribute literature to our students … Please make sure they DO NOT step foot onto our campus at anytime. There will be added police and security presence at dismissal” (quoted by Starnes, p. 116, emphasis added). Apparently some school administrators think distributing Bibles is the big danger in America’s public schools today—to the point that police must be called in to prevent it!

In 2012, national Democratic Party leaders removed references to God from their party’s platform at their national convention. But this wasn’t popular with everyone, and as it was shown on primetime TV nationwide, a move was made to put God back in—at which point many on the convention floor shockingly booed. Yes, booed God —or at least the prospect of God having anything to do with decisions in governing the nation! How far this country has fallen from the days of the Founding Fathers.

Nationally syndicated radio host Steve Deace comments: “This ‘New Left’ is not mere liberals. They are flat-out Leftists … They are Social Reconstructionists, whose goal is to empower government to replace our Judeo-Christian ideals of liberty and morality with what amounts to Cultural Marxism … That’s why their ultimate goal is silencing the church … For the church says that God alone is God, and government is not.

“Not to mention with God out of the way, so are your God-given rights, which makes you a de facto ward of the state and not a free person. As [noted author G.K.] Chesterton once said [paraphrased], ‘Whenever the government removes the god, the government then becomes the god’ ” (“The Left Officially Declares War on God,” Townhall.com, July 13, 2014).”  From: https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/banning-the-mention-of-god-in-public-life

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Update.

Roy hasn’t been around, so the wall in the mini-house isn’t finished yet.  Zack and I have been getting ready for my foster kittens coming home from the SPCA Habitat at Petco for Thanksgiving.  The Habitat is closed for over a week to give the volunteers, and kittens, a rest.  

We don’t know how many of the four kittens will be still be un-adopted by then. They are a bit older and bigger now so I can’t just leave them locked up in cages.  They need to learn “House Etiquette”, too.  Like not getting on tables or countertops.   We have been “kitten-proofing” my grooming room so they can play in there most of the time.  It hasn’t been a grooming room for a long time, it is now my mail room where I pack and ship items sold on eBay.  We put all my packing materials, shipping stuff, and mailing envelopes in the box that my new sink came in, and stored it underneath out of the way.  They would have had a field day with all that bubble wrap, etc.  

We clamped a big piece of cardboard over the shelf where I keep the pet medicines. and put walls of cardboard so they couldn’t get behind the furniture.  I am advertising a wire 2’ x 3’ dog cage for Hans, so he is going to bring it up here so I can store some of my items for sale in it, so they can’t get to them.  I already have one dog cage full of items for sale. 

There are only two cages set up in my dog room for the kitten’s nightime, so I hope they haven’t grown too much and that there won’t be more than two kittens.  Ming was adopted and Laila has a good ap on her, so it should just leave Tux and Marble.  Marble had an ap on her, but they got a kitten from another rescue because it was cheaper.  They don’t know what they missed.  I am really looking forward to having Tux back here.  He is the sweetest, loving little guy.  He would wiggle his way into my kitchen, and Puddin’ didn’t growl at him, so I am hoping that he will be a great playmate for her.  She wants me to play with her all the time, but I am sorry, I have to work.

Zach said he likes to vacuum, so I drug out the big heavy vacuum, (I usually use the lighter one since my surgery) The big one really sucks, it would suck the tits off a boar hog!  We were really ambitious and moved the couch and other furniture, and gave the living room a good clean.  The following morning, we shampooed the living room carpet, and even vacuumed and shampooed the carpet in my bedroom.  My daughter says her hardwood floors are easier to clean, but I like my bedroom carpeted.

As I had taken pictures of some of the cottage/birdcage decor items that my daughter had brought me, and I had listed them for sale, so Zack and I packed them up in boxes and moved them out of the storage tent into the greenhouse. There is no telling when they will sell, and they could get moldy in the tent if we get another downpour.  Fortunately, I have a good stock of all sizes of boxes.  I still have more of her items to sort out, and I need to spend some time in the tent and unpack all the boxes that she brought.

One evening Hans took me to a ‘dinner’ at the church around the corner.  It was mostly processed food, something our church rarely serves.  Boxed macaroni and cheese, canned corn, canned ravioli, some prepared chicken chipolte, and really sticky-looking cake.  Just a bunch of empty carbs.  I didn’t eat much there.  I don’t eat sugar or white flour, that includes white pasta, or processed food, and I won’t eat corn unless it is non-GMO.  I also noticed how many of the folks there were rather ‘portly”, and some down-right obese.  But that is what happens if you don’t eat right.

As usual, on Friday afternoon it was Preparation Day, getting ready for church the next day.  I had bought some Bok Choy and as I had a bunch of apples I found a recipe for ‘Bok Choy and Apples’.  I cooked the Boy Choy separately, and I am so glad that I did.  Bok Choy is very healthy, and as it is sold by the head, not by the pound, I bought the largest one.  Then I found out after I had cooked it, that the larger ones are more tough and fibrous.  There was no way I was going to take that chewy vegetable to the church potluck.  Anyway, I wanted all that healthiness for myself, so I ran the cooked Bok Choy through my Magic Bullet and made it into a creamy soup, enough for a few days.  It was delish! 

As for the apples, onions and red bell peppers that I had cooked for the Boy Choy recipe,  I just added them to some chunks of chicken breast and added a chicken gravy.  So it became Chicken and Apples, and it was good.  I cooked it on the stove, and then took it to the church in a crockpot.  In another crockpot I had some Gnocchi, (Italian potato dumplings.)  There wasn’t much left over of either.

The Bible readings were Psa.100, and 95, Gen. 18:1-22:24, (about God’s promise to Abraham, and Sodom and Gomorrah), 2 Kings 4:1-37, Luke 24:31-53.  The Teaching was about Divine Favor and Grace.

There was lots of good food and nearly everyone has seconds when they are at our church potluck, it is always so good.  We have hardly any over-weight folks at our church, we can make up for our indulgence the rest of the week, and just over-eat on the Sabbath day.