Two signs

 The Christian Church in the USA has been rocked in the last few weeks by two events that I have been trying to understand.  And God has given me a word for each.  The first was by far the one I struggled with the most.  This past week, the Southern Baptist Convention removed Saddleback Church (founded by 'Purpose Driven Life' guy Rick Warren) from their roster over their ordination of women as pastors.  This has been coming for a while- it started just before Warren himself retired  in June of 2021 and continued through the ministry of his hand-picked successor, Andy Wood.

As I prayed for guidance, God gave me a key- but I had to work through where to put it.  He told me, "Think of Deborah." We'll come back to that.  But first, I had to identify the problems.  First off, I had to ask: is the SBC rule a good thing or a bad thing. Second, I had to ask: did Saddleback act in a way that deserved expulsion.  And third, what exactly did Paul mean when he started the controversy with this verse:

1Ti 2:12  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

And really, I had to do it in that order to make it make sense.  First then, the rule.  The SBC had let (according to some sources) let Saddleback play fast and loose with some lesser rules- a) because they were open to SOME interpretation; and b) because Saddleback is a leviathan of a church, second biggest in the SBC, I believe.  But the flaunting of this rule was a step too far.  In the end, they can justify the rule, to an extent, and Saddleback didn't want to play by the rules.  Thus, whether the rule is a hill to die on or not, the SBC did right by the rules Saddleback absolutely disregarded.

Which brings us to a second point.  When Warren announced the ordinations, he did it unilaterally.  You heard nothing about him going to the SBC to discuss it; you heard nothing about him explaining his conviction it was the right thing.  Curiously, I went on the Saddleback site and found no evidence that they even HAD female pastors.  I went there because I wanted to see how they used these ladies.  My church has female pastors in charge of various ministries, BUT not in any of the overall leadership positions.  It took me outside sources to figure out that some of these women indeed took the pulpit- including both Warren's and Woods's wives.  BUT, apparently, not in a leadership position, because deacons and elders were all male, according to the website.

So, did they break Paul's stricture- and does MY church? I have to apply the Kalko Rule- look at the surrounding verses for context.  And there is a LOT of context here.  For one thing, Paul is instructing Timothy how to run a church.  What consists of teaching, or exerting authority?  Paul himself lauded women teaching in the very next letter to Timothy...

2Ti 1:5  I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

As well as the fact he had no problem in Priscilla's taking the lead in instructing Apollos...

Act 18:24  Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.
Act 18:25  He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Act 18:26  He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 

Next, look at the phrasing in the original verse- "I do not permit".  While this doesn't mean he wasn't speaking in the Spirit, is it forbidding Timothy to do so, or just suggesting why he might not want to?

Here's where the story of Deborah comes in.  She was a prophetess- she spoke God's word to the people.  She judged Israel- which meant she had SOME authority, despite the fact she was under the authority of a husband herself (and wouldn't that have been an interesting family dynamic?).  But I think why God drew me here was in the calling of Barak...

Jdg 4:6  She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, "Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, 'Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.
Jdg 4:7  And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand'?"
Jdg 4:8  Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go."
Jdg 4:9  And she said, "I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

God did NOT give Deborah command of the army- He had her call Barak to the command.  And when he demurred unless she came, it didn't change God's plan one bit.  The army was still routed, Sisera still died for his blasphemy- BUT Barak dishonored himself.  Applying this, I think God meant for a church to be like the one I am in- where women can give a word, can order some things- but overall command must be by men.  Does this condemn the SBC?  Not necessarily. Does it condemn Saddleback? Maybe.  I told Laurie, "I think God sometimes makes things ambiguous so that we'll search Scripture for the exceptions."  I'll let you judge.  But, I will add one thing: the people who condemned Saddleback made a point of condemning other women who have spoken from the pulpit, including Ann Graham-Lotz.  If you have ever listened to her, her messages do nothing but ooze love for Jesus.  How can that be wrong?

So too on the second thing I referenced- the revival at Asbury College.  As I've tried to learn about it, I've heard blessings on it and condemnations of it.  Those condemnations are drawn from some dubious questions:  Was this a scheduled event, not spontaneous as claimed? What about the clearly false teachers that have shown up? And my main question, a question I put on a friend's FB post as late as yesterday- where is the fruit? On the other side, I have heard from the heads of Bott Radio about the conversions, the preaching of the Gospel, and the glowing reports from a missionary friend I trust with my life.  Knowing I was starting to debate this, too, God sent me another word: "Think of David."

2Sa 6:14  And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.
2Sa 6:15  So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
2Sa 6:16  As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.
2Sa 6:17  And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

2Sa 6:20  And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!"
2Sa 6:21  And David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD--and I will make merry before the LORD.
2Sa 6:22  I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor." 

Having been a member of an SBC church, I can tell you they'd poo-poo the dancing too, for the same reason Michal did.  But the lesson here is, DON'T judge how God will move in one person different from another. DON'T question where the fruit is- remember what Jesus said...

Joh 3:7  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Joh 3:8  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

And as for the false teachers, I can offer this bit of wisdom from myself and Misty- you can't run in freedom through the tall grass, without having to pick off some ticks afterwards.

M10 show week #60

 

Elvis: So what'd ya order us for dinner?

Actually, I'm cooking.  I was looking at Italian, and said to myself, "I have tortellinis and tons of sauce, so..."

Mmm.  Sounds edible!  So what's the news this week?

Well, the news is, I've been sloppy at recordkeeping, and I just noticed that our 200th #1 song has hit the top- and is on the way down!

Oh, nice job. Hey, where ya goin'?

I gotta watch the water, unless you want to eat a bowl of steam...

Waitaminute!  Laurie ordered KFC today an' din't say a word!

You can fight that out with her.  Put up the week's debut while I look into the food!

Yeah, sure, at #10, somethin' Chris heard on the radio this week from 2021- it's by Imagine Dragons...

 

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Say, that was purty good!

The song or the tortellini? 

Both!  So what's the no-turn-off song this week?

So, this week we're in 1989, and I don't honestly see a TRUE  no-turn-off tune, but there is a pretty-close one... there's a definite big always-turn-off song at #7- Edie Brickell's What I Am. I wonder, when she meets her Maker, she'll see HIM as a 'smile on a dog'.

Who cares whut a chick who thinks dogs can't smile thinks, anywho?

Couldn't have said it better myself!  Four spots below is where we come within inches of a no-turn-off tune- at #11 this week in '89...

 ...Mike Rutherford of Genesis with his Mechanics, and The Living Years!!!

Now, we look at that former #1 that was our 200th all time #1, a feat that took us 388 weeks to accomplish- which means  27.6% of M10 songs HIT the top!  Probably much less than that for Cashbox, which took 552 weeks to go from the opening of Martin Era 2.0 (AKA May 14th, 1955) to their 200th #1 in the stretch, on December 11th, 1965, when the top spot was claimed by....

...the Four Seasons with Let's Hang On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, whut WAS our #200?

Well, the 100th song to hit #1 here on the M10 was The Dig's You're Not Alone, and the CB ME2.0 100th #1 was Ray Charles with Hit The Road, Jack in October of...

HEY!  That ain't what I asked!

Ok, son, let's let you figure it out!  This week's M10 contains just 2 former #1s... which would be...

Morrissey's Rebels Without Applause, which falls to #9, a four spot drop... and...

...Wet Leg's Angelica, which falls this week to #4.  And I'll tell you which one it is....

Finally!

...right after I do the rest of the ten!

Tennis moves up 2 to 8 with Forbidden Doors...

So too Maneskin and Tom Morello with Gossip at 7...

The Heavy Heavy drop from 3 to 6 with Guinevere...

Cafune up one to 5 with Reconsider...

The Arcs are up 1 to #3 with A Man Will Do Wrong...

Linkin Park's Lost, which debuted at the top on the Billboard alt chart, 38 on their main chart, and at 6 on Radiowavemonitor, goes from 7 to 2 here this week... 

And the new #1 here- the 201st #1 of the M10...

...Lauren Daigle and Look Up Child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All right, enuff with the clownin'!  Gimme a hint!

All right, the 200th #1 of the M10 has this line...

I don't know what I'm even doing here

I was told that there would be free beer...

THAT sounds like YOU...

Nope, it was Wet Leg's Angelica who was the 200th #1!  See ya next time!

Wednesday Bible Study: Ladies Night Part 11

 

I have read through Ruth many times, did studies on her book more than once, and I don't think the beauty of this love story ever hit me as it did this time.  Perhaps, because it is the first time I saw it through Naomi's eyes.  In a lot of ways, I see the Book of Job in this- people losing everything, and getting so much more back from God.

So let's thumbnail the story again.  Naomi is married to Elimelech, and they have two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.Now there was a famine in the land, and Elimelech, not being a rich man like some of his relation (stay tuned), moved the family to Moab in hopes of things getting better.  I'm guessing they didn't; the Boy's names translate to "sick" and "failing". Still, they lasted long enough to attract a pair of sweet Moabite girls for wives- Ruth and Orpah.  But sometime after that, before any children were born, the specter of death caught up to them.  After 10 years- and I don't know if that was ten years from coming there or not, the commentators are too busy bashing Elimelech for moving to Moab in the first place, and second on their radars is the fact the boys married foreign women- first Elimelech, then the boys, died.  Dad may have died before the boys married, (see Ruth 1:3-4), but the story remains the same- it was down to Naomi and her daughters-in-law.

Now here's where we really pick up our story.  These 'evil, foreign' daughters-in-law begged to stay with Naomi, but Naomi was wallowing in her misfortune:

Rth 1:10  And they said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people."
Rth 1:11  But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?
Rth 1:12  Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons,
Rth 1:13  would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me."

Orpah, eventually, listened, but Ruth stayed on with her, pledging herself to Naomi in one of the Old Testament's most beautiful passages...

Rth 1:16  But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Rth 1:17  Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you."

So back came Ruth and Naomi- and as yet, it hadn't dawned on Naomi that God had just replaced a son with a daughter.

Rth 1:19  So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, "Is this Naomi?"
Rth 1:20  She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Rth 1:21  I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?"

So they arrive at the start of the Barley harvest.  And as neither of them have a means of support, Ruth decides to go a-gleaning, hoping someone might hire her, or at least allow her to get food enough to keep them going.  She happens into the fields of Boaz, who is a rich relative (though she doesn't know it at the time), but poor in one aspect- despite his age (he makes mention of the "younger men" who are his harvesters), he seems to have no wife or child.  This was another attempt of Satan to disrupt the line to Jesus; and here I see the love of God so clear, that He would reach into pagan Moab for the means to defeat the devil's plans.  And here's where I have the biggest problem with the idea that Naomi's family was cursed by the marriages- Boaz's own father, Salmon, married the harlot from Jericho, Rahab, who came into the community after Jericho's fall.  God was ALWAYS grafting the Gentiles into the Jewish olive tree.

So Boaz sees her, finds out who she is, and not only grants her to glean, but gives her other special treatment.  When she asks why, Boaz tells her:

Rth 2:11  But Boaz answered her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.
Rth 2:12  The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" 

So back to Naomi she goes, and Mom knows that God is working on blessing them all for the first time:

Rth 2:20  And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" Naomi also said to her, "The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers."

Now God has slyly revealed his plan to Naomi; and she allows Ruth to continue to get to know Boaz through working in his fields.  You see, she worked from the start of barley harvest to the end of wheat harvest- three months, give or take.  It's then that Naomi tells Ruth to 'make her move':

Rth 3:1  Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?
Rth 3:2  Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.
Rth 3:3  Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
Rth 3:4  But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do."

This needs a smidgeon of translating.  "Seeking rest for you" meant that it was time for Naomi to do the 'fixing up' thing, as rest for Ruth meant marriage to Boaz. "Uncovering his feet" was a sign of submission; like a valued servant might, she was to cover herself with the covers at his feet.  Like I said, Naomi knew what God had in mind, plus, she suspected Boaz was ready to act as their redeemer.  This meant that the fields that Elimelech once worked, and were sold to someone else, could be redeemed by a close relative; it also meant he would, as redeemer, have to marry Ruth and raise up sons for Mahlon.  That Naomi was right was shown by Boaz's response:

Rth 3:8  At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!
Rth 3:9  He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer."
Rth 3:10  And he said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.
Rth 3:11  And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.
Rth 3:12  And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.
Rth 3:13  Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning."

First off, God's sense of humor- "and behold, a woman lay at his feet!"

Second, v9 is Ruth's clear (to Boaz) declaration that she's asking for him to marry her.

His answer in 10 shows how lovely this story really is- with three months to check out men both younger and more handsome than himself, she focused on him.  However, there is a fly in the ointment- a nearer kinsman with a closer claim.  But now, Boaz shows the extent of HIS love by making a deal with that nearer kinsman- who wanted the fields, but not at the cost of splitting his revenues with Mahlon's heirs.

So let's backtrack through this to see why Naomi went from bitter to Joyous.  She started being cared for by a poor husband; she ends being cared for by a rich son-in-law. She starts out with two sickly sons; she ends with a new son and daughter, and a grand kid!  And that?  After complaining that she wasn't able to present any more children for the daughters, even if they were willing to wait, in the end, she gets this:

Rth 4:14  Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!
Rth 4:15  He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."
Rth 4:16  Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.
Rth 4:17  And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

You catch that?  Despite what she told Ruth and Orpah, "a son has been born to Naomi!" Not to mention the part about Ruth 'being better than seven sons'. Everything she lost, she gained back many times, and better. Ruth, after losing a sickly husband, got one who was strong, wealthy, and loving, and gave her a son. Boaz, who had waited on the Lord's plan all these years, goes from bachelor to to great-grandfather of Israel's greatest king. God rewarded faithfulness with so much love, it's hard to fathom.

And one more thing:  God confirmed it was no accident, in the praises the people at the gate heaped on Boaz and Ruth at their betrothal:

Rth 4:11  Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem,
Rth 4:12  and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman." 

 

Realize that the two houses they compare him to are not only the founding of the Houses of Israel and Judah, but the two other times Satan tried to disrupt the line to Jesus, and failed.

Martin World News

 

So we have a collection this week of silly stories (from my POV) and stupid headlines from around the world.  Let's start... oh, here-

Copenhagen Post- Answering our own question

Sometimes, you just have to appreciate the placement of news articles- and here's an example...

Yep, if ya wanna shut down hooliganism, just drug 'em up, eh?  I apologize for the faint font, but a) all people in Denmark are 20/20, b) Ey, Ink is expensive, or c) my computer blows.

 

Christian Post:  I might have a clue

This is a headline:

Pamela Anderson says she wanted to be a nun: ‘I don’t know what happened’

Marrying Tommy Lee probably was a detriment to that career choice...

 

BBC: "Did I do that..."

So this was an "iconic sculpture" a glass dog that looks like a balloon dog, worth $42,000, by Jeff Koons...

   ...and this is said sculpture now, after an older female art collector bumped its podium...

Remind me to do my arts and crafts in, say, iron...

The Moscow Times: Can't beat the price

Here's the headline... 

To Stay or to Leave? How 9 Major Western Brands in Russia Responded to the Ukraine War 

Within said story, I had to laugh at Nissan...

Nissan handed over its business to state-owned entity NAMI for just 1 euro ($1.08) and the deal gives Nissan the right to buy back the business within six years. “We have found the best possible solution to support our people,” Nissan head Makoto Uchida said in a statement at the time.

 I wonder if that 1 Euro price is the buyback price?

 

Japan Times: A little obvious, here...

This is a headline only chuckle...

Is the Chinese balloon threat overblown?

 

Pravda: I couldn't have read that right...

Another headline only, but I can only explain it as another glittering example of Russian alternate realities...

A fair question to Putin: Why does Russia support the Kyiv regime?

About as dumb as Republicans not wanting to support Kyiv because Hunter Biden did...

More Copenhagen Post: I smell something off...

This is both the headline AND the story...

Cow about that! Danish researchers find new key to greener agriculture

You might think this story is... well, manure.  But the truth is, instead of joining the climate changers in just whining about it and wanting to remove my burger from my hand, they are working on a cattle-feed additive that can cut the methane in cow farts by up to 30%!  If it works, it will also be given to elevator riders and Wal-Mart customers.  Misty's already ordered a case for me...

The Canberra Times:  Wait, how MUCH more?

The headline...

Smithy's beer recalled over alcohol spike

 The beer, brewed in Victoria, is listed at 4.3 per cent alcohol, meaning each 330 millilitre bottle would typically contain around 1 standard drink.

 They never said HOW much more alcohol than advertised was in the lot, but as it would need to go up 16% to match Bud Light, I really don't see the poi... oh, wait, here's the point...

Smithy's dry lager may cause illness or injury if consumer, the food safety hazard recall said. 

 

"If CONSUMER"? So, folks, don't let your Smithy's Dry Lager consume YOU, and you should be all right.

Finally, let's clean things up a bit...

Lawn Starter has put together a study that purports to give us the 'dirtiest cities in the USA'.  Rather than bore you with the whole thing, let's just look at the leaders in their categories...

Pollution: San Bernardino, California

Living conditions: New York, New York

Infrastructure: Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Consumer Satisfaction: Again, San Bernie.

Overall: Houston, Texas.

Sorry folks, no Fort Wayne in their lists.

M10 Show week # 59

 

Elvis:  I smell old man... you had Bellbottom here last week, din'tcha?

Yes we did, and he did a fine job on the Hall of Fame post.  This week, things are a little more normal...

No one else died, huh?

Well, Raquel Welch did...

No!  Say it ain't so!  I remember when she was this sweet young thing, when I wuz filmin' Roustabout...

 

Yeah, that's her... my gee-tar is pointed right at her!

 Well, she had some things to say about that, too...

 "When Elvis came around, I suddenly understood what sex is all about'. Roustabout in 1964 was my very first film in Hollywood. I was a bit player in the opening moments. Like many adolescents of the '50s, I had been completely gaga over Elvis. I saw him live in San Diego in one of his early shows. It was my first rock 'n' roll music concert ever. That was the first time that I ever conjured up what a sexy guy could be.

But when I saw him on the set of Roustabout, I was a little bit taken aback because something had changed about him. It seemed like he was more packaged. His clothes were not the same, his hair was obviously dyed now, and it was all sprayed into place. It was a little shocking to me because it was a whitewashed, cleaned-up Elvis. They took all the sex out of him!"

WHUTTT? Took the sex out??? Man, that is totally not true!  I... just had stuff on my mind...

And in your hair, apparently...

Oh, har-dee-har! 

Thankfully, they never took the sex out of her...

How old was she there?

73...

Seventy.. holy cow, she almost held up as well as me!

Yeah, in a non-bloated, clear-eyed sort of way... Anyhow, kick us off with debut #1!

Ah'll kick somethin', all right... first up is new music from Tennis, at #10...

 

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Okay, so the main site for Cashbox is still dead on arrival, but plenty of places to get their charts- IF you feel like downloading them.  Nonetheless, we do have a "song I won't turn off the radio on" for this week in 1990- and in fact, the act has two of them in the hot 100!  Now, above this week's song at #16, there was an almost but not quite at #2- Aerosmith's Jamie's Got A Gun.  Below it, there are another couple of ones I wouldn't turn off: Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire, 54 and dropping; and the Stones and Almost Hear You Sigh, 68 and climbing; plus, another hit by the band that won on the way down, which I'll let you in on later.  Also, there's an almost but not quite just underneath the winner- Tom Petty's Free Fallin' at 17 and dropping.  The other one the band has this week is dropping from 74, and it's Love Shack.  Which means at #16, our no-turner this week is... 

...the B-52's and Roam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our second debut is heart-wrenching enough, my son KC turned it off mid song!  The reason is, Linkin Park is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their lp Meteora, and have put back together a few unfinished tunes with vocals by their late leader Chester Bennington.  One of them captured his mental anguish so well, that KC had to bail on it- "It hit too close." Debuting at #7, here's on the M10 for the first time, Linkin Park:

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Man, I... I know how THAT feels....

I know you do.  That's why I give you a forum here, for all the times you needed one and didn't have it.

Thanks, bud... just thanks.

And a word for all y'all out there... don't ever let it get that desperate inside you.  There are people who care, who will help.  Just reach out.  Anyhow, you wanna get the rest of the M10?

Sure!  

9, up one, is Maneskin and Tom Morello and Gossip- which, I understand, got a mention in this week's Bible Study...

8, slipping one, is Katy Nichole and Please...

6, up two, Cafune and Reconsider...

5, down three for Morrissey and Rebels Without Applause...

4, up one for the Arcs an' A Man Will Do Wrong...

3, down one for the Heavy Heavy an' Guinevere...

2, and up 2 for Lauren Daigle an' Look Up, Child...

An' another week at the top fer...

 

 ...Wet Leg an' Angelica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They is # 31 this week on the IHeart alt charts, 32 on Billboard's.

 

On that IHeart chart, Lost debuted at #18...  Anyway, that's it for another week! 

Wednesday Bible Study: Ladies Night part 10

 

Every morning, I wake up with some song playing in my head- and a lot of times, it gets in the way of the praying I want to start the day with.  Today as I type, it actually helps out this post, because the song- if you follow my music posts, was one of this past week's debuts, a song called Gossip.  The story upcoming is essentially about gossip, and certainly this one line in the song captures what is going on in our passage...

You're not iconic, you are just like them all...

 Our story is about Miriam, a lady we only know a little about.  We know she is the eldest of the three children of Amram and Jochebed, with Aaron in the middle and Moses the baby she guided into the arms of Pharaoh's daughter. We know from Exodus 15 she was a prophetess, and between the three siblings we have in a symbolic way the trinity of prophet, priest, and king.  And there is where our problem starts, but not our story.  You see, I was struggling to get the point of the passage that God wanted, but finally He gave me a clue- run the story backwards, a technique He often uses with me.  And the whole thing became clear, because it got the unnecessary out of my way.  So bear with me as we run the story of Miriam's rebellion back-to-front.

Num 12:15  So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.
Num 12:16  After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran. 

Okay, so here we see her kicked out of the camp for seven days- and the people of Israel patiently (at least it would seem, it's one of the few passages anywhere around it in Numbers where no one is complaining!) waited for her to be restored.  Why seven days?  Because her problem was sin, and after her sin was explained/exposed to her, she needed time to reflect and repent.  Now, if you've jumped ahead behind me, you're saying, "I thought she got the boot because God made her leprous?" True, but leprosy was essentially a symbol of sin's effect on the soul, and its contagion. We move back...

Num 12:14  But the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again."
 

And what would make a father spit in the face of a daughter? Or do anything that would cast her away from him?  Rebellion.  This, at its heart, is the sin that caused this whole mess.  But consider:  God does not abandon Miriam as His daughter just because of her rebellion, but she has to be made to realize the seriousness of the situation.  Otherwise, she'd never spend the seven days contemplating repentance.

Num 12:11  And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.
Num 12:12  Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb."
Num 12:13  And Moses cried to the LORD, "O God, please heal her--please."
 

There are two points that we can address from here.  The fact that God ended up insisting on the seven days tells us that when we sin, even Moses praying for us can't shield us from the consequences of sin.  Some things we have to go through in order to learn.  Second, note that Aaron- who is involved, but not leading in, this rebellion- calls Moses "lord", a change in attitude from where the story starts, as you will see.  You see, that problem with the prophet-priest-king thing I mentioned earlier is that it caused a sense of entitlement, and that entitlement was the spark of the rebellion.  At this point, though, Aaron has switched sides apparently.

A side point, then, might be, "Why did God make Miriam a leper and not Aaron?" Well, first off, it will become obvious in a minute or two that Miriam was the real rebel- Aaron, just like with the golden calf deal, just' kinda went along with it'. Also, while Miriam could be a prophetess AND a leper, leprosy would have disqualified Aaron from the priesthood, a consequence far greater and more far reaching to Israel than his part of the situation warranted.  So a third point of this passage is- God is just in His judgments.

Num 12:6  And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.
Num 12:7  Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.
Num 12:8  With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
Num 12:9  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.
Num 12:10  When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

Here, God in His anger sets Miriam straight.  All Christians, all leaders, are NOT created equal.  Miriam's entitlement had grown into self-importance- a self-importance that did NOT match God's plan and hierarchy.  A truly-called Pastor is placed into leadership by God, and it's not for us, even those with great gifts, to challenge them- because by doing so, we challenge Him.  Studying this has led me to confess a sin of my own to the Lord; I'm not going to share it here, because that would be gossip.  And Gossip is the sin that made God mad in the first/last place.  Hang in there, we're almost to the start...

Num 12:1  Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.
Num 12:2  And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.
Num 12:3  Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
Num 12:4  And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out.
Num 12:5  And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 

By vv 4-5, we see the Anger of God, the anger of a Father yelling at 3 rambunctious kids, "GET OVER HERE!!!"  And in verse 1, we see why.  Miriam and Aaron were talking about Moses and his wife, not in a complimentary way.  Moses' meekness prevented him from challenging the gossip they were spreading directly- But Moses had, as Proverbs says, "a friend closer than a brother" who came to his defense.  Miriam and Aaron's entitlement drove them to question whatever decision Moses had made involving his wife.

So let's line up the questions facing us.  What was the deal with Moses and his wife?  Was this Zipporah the daughter of Jethro, whom he married before returning to Egypt? Most say no, some say yes.  By Cushite, most of us see, "black".  But was she?  Some say the word could have been applied to any of the Gentile people they were familiar with.Was she horning in on their "holy trinity?"  Maybe... I've seen some, including the Rabbinical texts, that believe Miriam was friendly with this wife, and was mad because Moses was ignoring her in doing his duties to God. Why would this situation involve 'getting a word from God', and was their a disconnect in the rebels' thoughts between  HEARING from God, and speaking FOR God?

WE DON'T KNOW!  And God doesn't tell us- because that would be GOSSIP, and that's what made God mad in the first place.  And when we get to this point, not only do we see all the points God was trying to make in clarity, but we see once again, there is a point to everything God put in His Word- and everything He left out.

P-p-p-ictures...

 Because at least one of these walks was COLD!  )Not end of the world cold like a couple weeks back, but "I should wore another layer" level definitely.

This would be the start of the "cold" walk.  But, it WAS sunny

Nice to see you too, Sol!

In the woods it's goopy

And the leaves are pretty poopy

The golf course bridge is becoming more and more imaginative

...not that Misty ever uses it

The back road was the only place out of the brisk wind, as I recall (data suggests this walk occurred on last Tuesday)

And with the cold comes doggie slowdown

Thursday I learned our fabric gets finished by Wide Receiver Mr Pu.  I did not see him in the Super Bowl, unfortunately.

Friday afternoon was much warmer...

Someday soon, the Ravine will be the new Stony Run Creekbed...

Along the edge of the woods, near California Rd... no idea why

Warm enough to wade in, apparently

Lost one of our taller dead trees at the Swamp recently

Sunday after lunch

Kinda goopy here, too

Not enough magnification to see the latest Chinese weather balloon

REALLY goopy here

Me: going slow, looking for solid footfalls.  Misty: Ey, I got 4-paw drive, full speed ahead

Checking for possible varmintage

I noticed the other day you can get a shot through 2 bridge culverts

"Oh, soooo impressive..."

M10 show week #58

 

I get the feeling that this is something we're going to be doing a lot of this year...

Burt Bacharach, who with Hal David, crafted many of our great hits of the 60's passed Wednesday at the age of 73.  When his partner Hal passed in September of 2012, Time Machine did a huge post which included the top 30 biggest hits they had- it's worth a look, go here to read it. I will add to this, the pair added a M10 #1 song since then, when the Four Seasons hit here in March 2017 with their cover of Walk On By. In honor of him, though, I am finally going to start correcting one thing I hadn't thought about before- I'm going to start a Writer's wing on my M10 Hall Of Fame, and He and Hal will be the first entrants as I share with you today, Class # 7 of the Martin Hall Of Fame.  And here to help me, to add a distinguished air to the proceedings...

Our old friend, Horace Bellbottom, fresh from... well, where ever he's been...

Glad that you thought of me, when the word 'distinguished' was involved.

Now we don't have as much space on the new show as we had back when, so be succinct in your presentations...

I have never been one to bloviate- and by the fact I hear no giggling or twittering, I take it Mr Presley is not here...

Like I said, cramped for space. So let me start out with our first of two debuts this week- and this has a HOF tie in, as Tom Morrello's Rage Against The Machine was one of the RNRHOF's nominees this time around.  Here he is, lending a hand to Maneskin, at #10...

 

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I must say, that...group... had a different idea of 'gossip' than I...

Well, they're Italian, so... Anyway, give us some of the MHOF list, whilst I roust up our other weekly special...

...or not... I see Cashbox has gotten their page suspended once again.  Let me see if the ... nope, Alaska Jim is no longer with us, either.  Okay, so we'll be doing our "Song I won't turn off the radio" from the Billboard charts, thanks to my friends at Top40Weekly dot com, who haven't been suspended as yet... and quite frankly, other than a couple 'almost but not quites', I don't even SEE a song this week in target year 1991 worthy of the title.  So let me just give an honorable mention to Damn Yankees and High Enough at 16 on its way down and Chris Isaak's Wicked Game on the way up at #17.  Okay, Horace, the floor is yours!

All right, then... You start with the "big name" category, which is mainly designated for groups and other assemblages, and being honored this year are Soundgarden, the alternative band (though what they are an alternative to I don't...)

Horace, tighten it up, please...

AHEM, very well.  The other new member in this category is Crosby Stills Nash and Young, appropriate after Mr Crosby's recent passing.

Then we have the "Top Men" list, to which we add two who might well have been put here earlier, David Bowie and Jim Croce.

Following are a trio for our "Top Women" list- the unusual Cyndi Lauper; sweet Brenda Lee; and the lovely Miss Connie Francis.

Chris: (Looks at imaginary wristwatch)

Next is a category ill-titled "Not So Rock'N'Roll", which is horrible grammar.  Country legend Willie Nelson, is here, along with, in a nod to the lovely Miss Laurie, Christian veteran Steven Curtis Chapman...

Boy, look at the time, I better play our other debut!  Coming in at #8, their second song on this week's chart, here's Cafune...

 

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Okay, we're on the clock now, Horace...

Good heavens, man, I thought you wanted 'distinguished'?

Can you get "Distinguished in 10 words or less"?

Sigh... I shall try.  Our next category is called "Personal favorites", in an attempt to install those whose credentials might be a bit suspect.  However, the induction of Sheryl Crow to this wing rather defeats that simplistic...

HORACE!

Oh, yes, quite right. The Golden Oldies category is increased by the McGuire Sisters; the Writer's category has already been mentioned; and that leaves the other new category, M10 stars.  To catch up with the other categories in one shot, Chris has elected to, er, elect seven members into this wing:  Beach House, the Jayhawks, Lucius, Alvvays, Brooke Annibale, the Explorer's Club, and Dent May.

 

There, see?  You took out three categories in four lines of type, where the first 5 categories took you 15!

Well, when you start chopping the word 'distinguished ' down, letter by letter, until you are left with 'sting'...

Wow.  See, that's the kind of wit I brought you back for!  Anyway, I gotta make the rest of the M10 concise to a fault...

Maneskin made it a 10-9 twofer with La Fine dropping from two to 9...

Katy Nichole up one to 7 with Please...

Cafune's first hit falls from 4 to 6 with Tek It...

The Arcs blast their way from 9 to 5 with A Man Will Do Wrong...

Up 2 for Lauren Daigle's Look Up Child...

Rebels Without Applause, happy with its one week at the top, drops to 3 for Morrissey...

The Heavy Heavy up to 2 with Guinevere...

 

And the new #1 song...

 ...up from #5, it's Wet Leg and Angelica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to Attorney Bellbottom for helping out this week!

Of course!  And might I mention that it took me 235 words to introduce 20 acts in the Hall of Fame, for an average of 11.75 words per act; while you used 97 words to introduce 8 songs, a 12.125 average.

Yeah, well I estimate me interrupting you twice cut 17 words off YOUR total, which would have put you at 12.6, so you are very welcome!

Curses!  I am undone!