November Life and Thoughts

As I wrote here three years ago, I usually think of death in November.  But this year is different.  Life is abounding!  Above is a miniature rose that i discovered blooming on our rose bush last week when I went out to do the pre-winter trimming.  In November!  Maybe that is common in warmer climates, but around here, November is the first of several drab months.  The leaves have all fallen off the trees or are a dull, brown color, hanging onto the tree as long as possible.  The grass is brown or yellow.  Even the weeds stop growing.   But we have flowers this year.  Not only the roses, but violets and daisies.


Another thought: In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we read of Jesus being our High Priest, yet He was of the tribe of Judah.  The tribe of Levi was the priestly tribe, so the Jews would not accept Jesus as a priest.  The other day, I was reading Luke 1, about Elizabeth and Mary.  Luke tells us that Elizabeth was a relative of Mary's, and that she was a descendant of Aaron, the first priest.  So, by extension, Jesus was a relative of Elizabeth, so He part Levite and of Aaron's family, so He could indeed claim a priestly position.

Are people really so stupid?

I haven't verified this, but it is funny. We got this in a recent email. 

UNKILLED  HAMBURGER MEAT 

Note To All Hunters: This is from a  San Francisco   newspaper:

To all you hunters who kill animals for food, shame on you; you ought to go to the store and buy the meat that was made there, where no animals we harmed.

I'm still here

I’m still here, just not as active on this blog as I thought I would be.  Life is busy, time seems short, but all is well.


Some tidbits:

• Our granddaughter will be a big sister in June.
• I like the fact that the World Series has two teams that are not from New York or Los Angeles.  Of course, I don’t really care who wins it this year.  
• I am glad that election day is this week.  Not that I am that excited about voting, but the ads will finally cease!  Every year they get worse.  With all the politicians seeming not to like the negative ads, you would think they could tell their supporters not to air them.
• School this year is going fast.  Not that I am complaining, mind you.

Since I really do not have much to say, I might as well end this.  Thank you for taking a few seconds to stop by.  Please leave a message so I know you were here.

Take no thought

This morning, I read from D.M. Lloyd Jones on the Sermon on the mount. The chapter dealt with Jesus’s statement at the end of Matt. 6 about our “little faith”. Lloyd Jones says we all have faith, but most Christians fall into the “little faith” category, because we don’t take Jesus at his word. We believe on Jesus for salvation, but do not trust him for our daily lives. We worry about “what we will eat, what we will drink and what we will wear,” when He has promised to provide all those things for us. Not that we do not work and earn our living, but that we do not worry (”take no thought”) over these things. That thought gives me comfort, as I listen to the other teachers all worked up about what the new contract will be, whether we will get a raise or what will happen to our pensions (Illinois is millions behind in pension payments). I know my Heavenly Father will provide my every need because He said He would.

Questions from a reader

This comment was added to the kitchen post below.  Since it has nothing to do with the post, I am making it a separate post.  Here it is:

Peter your Christian. Can I ask you a question personally? Is it against Christianity to marry another race and if your parents do not agree with the person that you're with is that a sin because it violates one of the 10 commandments? I not as religious as I should be but maybe someone with your faith can fill me in... thanks in advance.. Paul 

Paul- I love honesty in questions.  The first one is a yes, you can ask.

Secondly, no, it is not a sin to marry another race, or a person from another race.  You probably are thinking of the Old Testament, when Israelites were forbidden to marry non-Israelites.  This was for religious reasons, as the “Gentiles” did not follow the Mosaic law and worshiped other gods.  As New Testament Christians, we are not to marry outside of the faith, but the faith is open to anyone from any race in any nation.  So a white from America can marry a black from Africa, as long as the two are believers.

Now, if the parents oppose the marriage, the couple should refrain until something can be worked out.  I have known couples that waited, and the parents changed their minds.   It is always good to honor the parents. However, if the reason the parents oppose is not based on Christian principles, then there ate allowances for the couple to marry.  But there is no set rule.  Many variances in Christian practice are cultural or societal.  What we do in the US may be something an African or Chinese Christian would not do, and vice versa.  And by the same token, I know of some Americans who would frown on interracial marriages because of where they live.

Anyone else have some thoughts on this?

Kitchen: The Final Frontier

After a long delay, the final step in the kitchen redo has begun!  We got it painted, and though it does not look professional, we are all satisfied with the results.  Now, the flooring people are here, tearing out the old carpeting and getting things ready for the vinyl floor tiles.  Last night, three of us moved all the appliances and other things out of the way.  I think an appliance dolly will be a good thing to have when the floor is done.

Stay tuned...

Bob Jennings Journal

For those who know Bob Jennings, he has a blog now, set up by his son Jerad.  He has interesting thoughts relating to his cancer and other things. Go to: http://bobjenningsjournal.com/.

Two ways to spend the "Sabbath"

I am not a strict sabbatarian.  That is to say, I do not believe that Sunday is a Christian extension of the Jewish Sabbath, as many reformed believers do.  Let me say that I respect those that hold the Lord's Day in a strict Sabbath interpretation.  My post today is not to refute such belief, but give two different stories of how people in the past spent the Sabbath.  Both are biographical, so we can say that these events did indeed happen.  The first is from Laura Ingals Wilder writing about her father's boyhood in her Little House series, so it is a simplified account for children to understand, and may have some fictional additions.  The second is from the autobiography of John G. Paton, Missionary to the New Hebrides (modern day Vanuatu), telling his recollections of when he was a boy.  Note how each shows the same day of the week in about the same period in history, following the same belief in a "Holy Day" spent in rather different ways.

When writing of her father, Wilder tells of one particular winter Sunday in his boyhood.  His father made him and his brothers sit in the parlor after dinner and wait for the afternoon chores.  They were not allowed to talk or do anything but rest.  He would sit and fall asleep.  Of course the boys could not sit still, and who can blame them?  The story proves the adage about idle minds being the devil's workshop, as the boys left the house while their father slept and took the toboggan down a very steep hill near the house.  Needless to say, they got in trouble afterwards.  My thought here is that children cannot be expected to sit around doing nothing and wasting a day, even if it is a day of rest.

On the other hand, Paton tells of his household, and how the children enjoyed the day. 

Walking to and from church (a four mile trip each way), "...we youngsters had sometimes rare glimpses of what Christina talk may be and ought to be.  They went to the church, full of beautiful expectancy of spirit--their souls were on the outlook for God; they returned          from the church, ready and even anxious to exchange ideas as to what they had heard and received of the things of life." 

Paton remembers that the conversations were not phony and "did not repel us but kindles our spiritual interest.  The talks we heard were ... not the make-believe of religious conversation, but the sincere outcome of their own personalities."

He goes on to tell how at home, his father would relate the message to his mother, who stayed home with the younger children.  They would also take turns reading from and discussing Bible passages and The Pilgrim's Progress, as well as learning from the Shorter Catechism in a way that kept the children, rather than turning them away from piety.  In other words, they didn't just sit around bored, as Wilder implies from her description.

So, how do you spend your Sunday afternoons?  Whether you follow the "Christian Sabbath" or not, biblical discussion with other saints and the family are a good idea, rather than sitting around idly waiting for "the Sabbath" to end.

Why some people trust Glenn Beck

I noticed this morning while looking at a cereal box why so many people trust Glenn Beck.  Could it be the striking resemblance to this favorite icon of Americana?

         

Of tour guides and the Good Shepherd

On a recent cave tour I was giving, there was a 10 year old girl who
followed close at my heals the whole time. It did not matter to her
that her mother was stopping to take pictures, or that the two of us
were several feet ahead of the rest. She wanted to stay with the
tour guide so as not to get lost. I was reminded of the Good
Shepherd. Jesus says His sheep follow Him and will not listen to the
voice of a stranger. Now, I was a stranger to this girl, but I knew
the way to go. Her mother was not a stranger to her, but did not
know the way to go.

The lesson: Am I listening to familiar voices that don't really know
the way? Or am I following close to the One who knows me best and is
the only Way?