Wednesday Bible Study: Hebrews Part IV

 

After the dire warning of the last chapter, you might think that the Hebrews found themselves well and truly warned.  But our author knew of at least one more misconception- and it was one so pervasive, the Apostles had suffered from it, too:

Act 1:6  So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 

How many times did He have to tell them, "My kingdom is not of this earth"?  And yet, these Hebrews also labored under this misconception.  And that comes across when the author spends most of this chapter on the subject of rest:

Heb 4:1  Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 

Heb 4:2  For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 

Heb 4:3  For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest,'" although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 

Heb 4:4  For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works." 

Heb 4:5  And again in this passage he said, "They shall not enter my rest." 

This may seem a little scattered to our minds, but let me make it linear.  WE have a promised rest, God's rest, to enter.  We enter it by belief in Jesus, as against the unbelief we discussed last chapter.  Those who were in unbelief would NOT enter that rest, and this is where their misconception started.  They saw that the original refugees from Egypt had failed to enter the Promised Land.  They assumed that the 'rest was entering the Promised Land, because:

Jos 24:13  I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.' 

And:

Jos 1:14  Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 

Jos 1:15  until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise." 

They thought the rest was in this world.  But they missed the part about "MY rest", as in 4:4,  For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."   God was talking about a rest, a reward, not of this world.  The author drove this home with simple math:

Heb 4:5  And again in this passage he said, "They shall not enter my rest." 

Heb 4:6  Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 

Heb 4:7  again he appoints a certain day, "Today," saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." 

Heb 4:8  For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 

Heb 4:9  So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 

Heb 4:10  for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 

Both the phrase "They shall not enter my rest" from Psalm 95, and the "Today" passage, also from it, were written down hundreds of years AFTER Joshua had lived.  If the rest God was talking about had been the physical entering of Canaan, these would have been unnecessary.  So now the goal posts were set far ahead, from this world into the next.  They were now, officially, cut adrift from all they had known before.  And being human, that would give them two options to think on.

First: If this world means nothing, and we're not bound by Moses or under the thumb of angels, we can do what we want.  This is the reaction of the flesh, and probably most of us, on realizing what they had, might react in this direction.  Thus, the author reminds them of the awesome power of God:

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

Heb 4:13  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 

And to our western eyes, we might have put the previous verse next:

Heb 4:11  Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 

So now, we must find a different way to that obedience than what we have done before.  We can't trust in angels, Moses, Joshua.  How do we get there? The second action, therefore, would be despair.  And the author had that covered as well:

Heb 4:14  Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 

Heb 4:15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

This is a big tie-it-all-together verse for me.  If you remember my last trip through Proverbs, I explained how I saw Christ as Understanding there.  Not only is He understanding in the concept of helping us learn about God, He is understanding in the concept, as the ads say, that He gets us. All of us.  And He has both spiritually and physically connected us to God, thus He is the triple bond drawing us to that rest.  As much as the last chapter sounded a death-knell for those of the unbelief, this one ends on the bright, clear peal of faith:

Heb 4:16  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

Trader Joe's #1s

 

I saw an article about Trader Joe's supermarket (which we don't have where I am- OOOPS, I guess we do have one in town after all!) and their 15th annual customer's choice survey winners, and I thought it might be fun to look at them.

Their first overall most favorite item: Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips.  That would get a big "ICKK" from me, but whatever.  Tucked in between two flavors of dumplings in the runner up list was something called Kimbap, which apparently is Kim (seaweed you roll up) and Bap (rice you roll up in it).  I'm guessing the Asian community is well served here at TJs.

Beverages were topped by something I actually like- Spiced Apple cider.  I don't know as the rest of the list is a big favorite, and #5- Non-Dairy Brown Sugar Flavored Oat Creamer- I'm not sure even qualifies as a beverage...  Their top cheese is goat cheese, which ain't too bad. Wine-soaked Toscano is second, followed by Burrata (think creamy mozzarella).  Burrata gets a spellcheck squiggle- it thinks I mean 'bureaucrat'.  Uh, no.

Top produce?  

Of course!  Followed by "Teeny-tiny avocados", and Honeycrisp apples.   The top appetizer is creamy spinach/artichoke dip (which I will bequeath to Popeye).  Now I like #4 (Greek Spanakopita), but I had to wonder about #s 3 (Parmesan Pups) and 5 (veggie bird's nests). Puppies and bird's nests not on my menu...

At last some normalcy at breakfast with -believe it or not- hash browns.  However, we know which way the crowd leans when we see #2 (Chocolate croissants) and #4 (Double-chocolate croissants)...Lunch, however is back to Asian with a parade led by butter chicken with basmati rice.

After a quick tour of the body and bath aisle (Brazil body butter), we go to snacks where we know that lime- and- chili concoction waits at the top.  All but one of the remaining entries (Patio potato chips at 5) are corn based.  My sweet treat shock was to see Kringle on the list.  This pastry we got a taste for whenever guests from the Wisconsin plant would stop by, as they are immensely popular up there.  Alas, they CLOSED our Wisconsin plant (which WAS corporate headquarters) a couple months back, so we look to be kringle-less in the future.  The top was Sublime brand ice-cream samwiches.

They also have a hall of fame for items that got picked so many times they just coronated them so someone else could have a turn.  These include the store brand Mandarin orange chicken, store brand dark chocolate peanut butter cups, store brand peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets, store brand "unexpected cheddar" (creamy with a hint of Parmesan), and (vegan) soy chorizo....

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Now if I were voting for what I'D have best in our local Kroger, it would look like this: Beverage: if we forget for a moment my type 2 and subsequent sugar no-no- it would be a toss between Fairlife Chocolate milk and Naked Juices Blue Machine (which is sugar free but $9 for a sizable bottle).  As it is, Pepsi zero.  My top cheese would be a Murray's Raclette or triple-creme brie.  Produce would be banana; appetizer? Well, I eat it for a meal, but technically I could go with Authentic Asia shrimp wonton Dim Sum tray.  Bed and bath, whatever.  Just hand me the Suave shampoo and conditioner.  Snacks (as in salty) I like Lays white cheddar Poppables; sweet treat, well I have found a plethora of sugar-free chocolates, headlined by Atkins Crunchilicious bars (an every week purchase- think Nestle's Crunch bars without the sugar).

Well, hope this was entertaining; on the bright side, now I can case the Murray's stand for bureaucra- I mean, Burrata.

Martin update

 I am much better, thank you.  Whatever garbage this round was started letting loose of me Saturday morning, though it took some time to build up any strength.

Good news #1:  I did get an M10 in, just not the post.  So you won't have to put up with a long winded explanation of missing weeks like last year at this time, lol.

Good news #2- we actually had a 10-hour day at work today!  Although the prospects of a 40-hour week are about as thin as Cornstalk Man, every little bit helps.

Why this is quick:  I wasted too much time tonight, in addition to studying for the very hard Hebrews 5 post for next week.  Plus, I am involved in #Healthyfaithchat on Twitter (sue me, Elon!) and I needs must go pay attention.  Hopefully, I'll rattle the cage tomorrow with something nobody really needs to know.

We interrupt your regular programming...

 ...to let you know I have been a bit under the weather- there will be NO M10 show this week.

Wednesday Bible Study: Hebrews part 3

 

So the first two chapters, we overthrew the idol of the gnostic angels.  But things aren't always what they seem, and there were two more things they- and perhaps, we- fail to recognize always.  And one was an idol they didn't realize- the idol of Moses.

By the teachers of Judaism, Moses was the 'final authority'; and over time, his actual words began to supplant the Word that stood behind them.  The author would have to bring them TO Christ by bringing them PAST Moses:

Heb 3:1  Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 

Heb 3:2  who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 

Heb 3:3  For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses--as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 

Heb 3:4  (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 

Heb 3:5  Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 

Heb 3:6  but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. 

So once again, without destroying the person behind the idol, the author begins to tear the idol around him down.  He admits to both Jesus and Moses being faithful, but- 

Heb 3:3  For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses--as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 

Jesus- 'the Builder of the House"- gets the greater honor.  If they are going to understand Jesus, they will have to get it through their heads that He IS God- and they have got to get Moses out from in front of Him.  You see, they had always had an aversion to being one-on-one with God...

Exo 20:18  Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 

Exo 20:19  and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." 

And so Moses gradually became the idol that 'represented' God- much as the Catholic concept of Mary has today.  Despite the fact that God- and Moses- said:

Exo 20:2  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 

Exo 20:3  "You shall have no other gods before me. 

Exo 20:4  "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 

Exo 20:5  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 

Exo 20:6  but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

This command goes beyond physical idols to anything that stands between us and Christ.  And for many, Moses had become that.  In case they missed the first analogy, the author reinforces it...

 Heb 3:5  Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 

Heb 3:6  but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. 

And that analogy they COULD grasp.  Now actually facing Jesus, they had a choice to make:

Heb 3:7  Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, 

Heb 3:8  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness...

Once again, the author loops back to Scripture they knew well- Psalm 95- to show them what they needed to do.  In effect, he showed them the second thing Moses had in common with Jesus- they rebelled against both of them.  The simple message of the second part of our chapter.  But now, the author had to make it real to them.  They had to grasp WHY the people had rebelled- and the consequences thereof.

Before I started typing, I was led to read today's section of my 'afternoon reading'- I'm now going back through Deuteronomy.  And what I saw ties in perfectly.  Praise God, for a Bible that so elegantly backs itself up!  The final lesson for today involves the last word of our chapter today:

Heb 3:16  For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 

Heb 3:17  And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 

Heb 3:18  And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 

Heb 3:19  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. 

Unbelief.  We might see this as 'the opposite of belief'.  As in, "I don't believe you."  But it is MORE than that.  Think about it; why do atheists (many of them, anyway) fight us so hard over OUR belief? It is more than just I don't believe.  And Deuteronomy shows its true face:

Deu 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 

Deu 7:10  and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. 

And...

Deu 9:6  "Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. 

As well as what we've already read...

Heb 3:8  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness...

It's more than not believing- remember, these are people with whom Moses dealt, who had SEEN the Red Sea split, saw the manna fall, saw Korah and Dathan consumed.  These are people with whom Jesus dealt, who had seen the loaves multiplied, the dead raised, the blind given sight.  They could not be honest with themselves and say God wasn't real, that Jesus wasn't the Messiah.  They were stubborn, they hardened their hearts, and looked on God with HATE.

They would not just be unable to enter heaven.  They would be REPAID.

M10 show week #104

 

Elvis:  Okay, so that was a jolly trick ya played on me last week...

Oh, don't be sore.

I'm not... 'ceptin' my knees.  I'm too old ta be hidin' unner a desk that long!

Points for will power!  Anyway, here, you do today's show.

Can I have a co-host?  Like I do fer you?

Sure, have at it!

Hey, Noodle!  We're on!

N:  Sir, my name is Nardole: N-A-R...

E: We ain't got time fer that, my little billiard ball o' music!  Play the new song!

N:  Might I at least have a look at the set list... ah.  Coming in at #9, a gentleman whose real name is Skye Kothari, recording under the nom-de-plume of acloudyskye, with this week's sole new song on the M10....

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E: Technically, ya did a great job.  personality-wise, son, yer dry as a September fart!

N: I fail to see what the month of the year has to do...

E:  Never mind that!  We gotta set the Wayback Machine ta 1966...

N: "Wayback Machine"? 

E:  Good grief, son, ya never watched Mr Peabody an' Sherman?

N: Er, I'm afraid not...

E:  Well, step back fer a minit, I got work ta do.  Go gimme a Nesbitt's Orange, while I...

N:  A which?

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N:  I'll.... see what I can do...

E:  So's in 1966, The top single here wuz ... really?  On the week I do the show?  The Beatles an' We Can Work It Out.  The top rock in Australia wuz... really?  AGAIN?  The Beatles an' We Can Work It Out, with a double a-side a Day Tripper, which was #15 here by itself this week.  An' I suppose Canada had... nope, they had an outfit WE used ta call the Wrecking Crew, but on the label here they wuz the T-Bones, an' No Matter What Shape Your Stomach's In, which started out as a Alka Seltzer commercial, haw!  It was #11 this week in the USA, an' hit #27 in Australia, which is kinda surprisin' considering what happens on the Song Chris Woul'na Turned Off.

N:  Sir, your Nesbitts...

E: God bless ya, son!  Now here, do this bit while I refresh...

N: (Sigh) Now Chris found 9 songs on this week's list of 1966.  He chops it down to 3- just why, I don't know- and here are the results:

Third on his list is a song that peaked at #1 here, #2 in Canada, and #3 in Australia- nicely symmetrical- Simon and Garfunkel's The Sounds Of Silence, #2 on this week's Cashbox chart.

Second, a song that was just coming onto the chart at #85 this week.  It would hit #1 here, and #7 in Canada, as well as number... well, that's odd, it didn't chart in Australia!  Anyway, it was The Mamas And The Papas with California Dreaming.

E: Son, loosen up.  Ya don' haveta capitalize "and the".

N: I thought we were trying to make the pretense of this being a live recorded show?

E: Just go on, boy!  An' he wonders why I call 'im, "Noodle".

N: And Chris's #1 song he wouldn't turn off- It had peaked at #3, and was at #21 this week.  In .. oh, wait, that's odd... Apparently it didn't chart in Australia OR Canada!

E: So that means ya better fetch 'em a video...

N:  Certainly!  Here are the Four Seasons...

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E:  Not bad, little buddy!  That just leaves us with the rest a this week's M10... 

N: I suppose you'll be wanting me to do that...

E: Nah, September fart, remember?  Go see if the commisary has any more PBBs...

N: "PBB"?

E: Peanut butter an' banana samwiches! Now git!

9 and 8 flip this week- Levitation Room an' Heaven to 9, TCH an' Pretty Lady at 8...

7, down 4, Juliana Hatfield an' Sweet Is The Night...

6, down 2, boygenius an' Cool About It...

5's across the board- weeks on, last week, this week- fer Built To Spill an' Carry The Zero...

4, up 3, Thousand Foot Krutch an' Saint Asonia with Let The Sparks Fly...

3, up 3, TCH again, an' Heartbeat, It's A Lovebeat...

2 an' holdin', an one point away from bein' the first act ta hit M10 Superstardom (200+ points) on just 3 songs, Real Estate an' Water Underground...

An' this week's #1 yet agin...

....Juliana Hatfield an' Showdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

N: Sir, I'm afraid I have bad news...

E:  Now what, Noodle?

N: (singing) Oh yes, we have no bananas, we have no bananas today-y-y-y....

Wednesday Bible Study: Hebrews 2

 

Since the topic of the angels continues into the second chapter, I thought perhaps we should get an idea of what we're dealing with.  From Wiki:

Evidently from works such as the Apocryphon of John, the Ophite Diagrams, On the Origin of the World and Pistis Sophia, archons play an important role in Gnostic cosmology. Probably originally referring to the Greek daimons of the planets, in Gnosticism they became the demonic rulers of the material world, each associated with a different celestial sphere.[6] As rulers over the material world, they are called ἄρχοντες (archontes, "principalities", or "rulers"). As with ancient astronomy, which thought of a sphere of fixed stars, above the spheres of the seven planets,[7] beyond the spheres of the evil archons (Hebdomad), there were the supercelestial regions which a soul must reach by gnosis to escape the dominion of the archons. This place is thought of as the abode of Sophia (Wisdom) and Barbelo, also called Ogdoad.

"Archons" were basically equivalent to 'angels' in the Hebrew mind of the time. You can note the names "principalities' and 'rulers'- names Paul uses to describe the ranks of angels.  "Barbelo" was in this theology the highest of the 'emanations of god"- in their minds, only Spirit was good, all matter was evil. 'God' manifested in increasingly lesser 'emanations', one of which were the archons, who developed matter and flesh.  Ogodad was the concept of there being seven emanations, or 'heavens'- where we get "Seventh heaven" from.  The author here had to debunk all this 'seemingly logical' crap from their minds BEFORE he could get to his main point:

Heb 3:1  Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession...

So this week, we look at the three points he presses home about angels- and Jesus- this time.

I.Angels didn't have the last Word- or the Best

Heb 2:1  Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 

Heb 2:2  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 

Heb 2:3  how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? 

Yes the word of God's angels was reliable- it was reliable when one threatened to kill Balaam, it was reliable when Mary conceived.  But the author goes on to explain the layers of info the Hebrews had that were greater:

-Declared by the Lord (as at Jesus's baptism and on the mount of Transfiguration)...

-Eyewitness testimony of the Apostles (both these from the rest of 2:3)

-Signs, wonders, and miracles, performed both by Christ and His followers (first part of v4)

-And the gifting of the Holy Spirit, coming at Pentecost (Last of v4).

All of these should have been of greater weight than the testimony of angels.

II. Angels didn't get to run things

Think of this:

 Gen 1:26  Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 

From the beginning, man had dominion over the earth- not angels.  Remember the last line of last chapter?

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? 

So the next section of our chapter starts with:

Heb 2:5  Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 

And yet, angels were certainly more POWERFUL than man...

Heb 2:6  It has been testified somewhere, "What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 

Heb 2:7  You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 

Heb 2:8  putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 

So, though man seemed less than angels, it was to men that God subjected everything.  This was a direct connection between man and God- so much for the seven 'emanations'. (BTW the "somewhere" was Psalms 8:4-6.  On the sidebar, I think this might be a clue that neither Paul nor Peter wrote this, as neither one ever phrased their many Scriptural quotes thus.  But, that's just me.)  But this was just the start, because, as the author said, we don't SEE that subjection yet- not since Genesis.

Heb 2:9  But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 

Now, He connects the prophecy of Psalms 8 to Jesus, who- though God- was made 'for a little while lower than the angels', for the purpose of bringing salvation.  And that means, despite the Gnostics, He had to take on flesh:

Heb 2:14  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 

Heb 2:15  and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 

III.  You don't see angels getting saved, do you?

The final blow to the Gnostic doctrine comes when the author shows everyone the PRIORITY of men over angels:

Heb 2:16  For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 

Heb 2:17  Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 

Heb 2:18  For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. 

But wait, how do we KNOW God didn't help angels?  Well, first we have this... 

1Pe 1:12  It was revealed to them (the prophets) that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 

So the Gospel is what we are talking about, something angels 'long to look into'- because they don't comprehend it, because they don't receive it.  Also...

2Pe 2:4  For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 

And...

Jud 1:6  And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day-- 

Angels don't get second chances.  And logically, why should they?  We have gotten second chances through Christ, because we act through faith in what we haven't seen- the angels were IN HEAVEN, and yet disobeyed.  They knew the truth of God, and turned away anyhow.

So at this point, the author has shredded the Gnostics' game plan.  Now that myth was dispelled, he (or she; I've seen it suggested that perhaps Priscilla was the writer) was ready to talk about facts- and 'Consider Jesus.'

A lazy world

 

Today I got the latest e-mail from Sony announcing the end of PlayMemories- the tool I use to download my pictures and fix their unfixables.  As of February 29th (which is a thing this year), I'll have to rely on the cumbersome, annoying, and un-adjustable direct download to the computer.  I bet they could have asked people to pay to use it- I certainly would have.  But no, let's just flush it all down the toilet, because we're LAZY.  In their defense, they DO give you something to click on to download your pics on the site to your computer (which I thought they already were), but... you get to the penultimate step, and you get "The server has timed out" and shuffled off to a PlayStation ad.  Lazy.

So, I don't know if I'll still have MY pictures come March, or how much I'll bother to fight with this 'new system' I'm being forced into.  In the end, I'm lazy too, and learning how to do this (which I tried back when they first announced this day was coming) is a right pain.

I can't fix this with money, i.e. new camera or computer.  The money is just too tight.  Last weekend, in a burst of my own laziness, I speculated on taking today off as my Swiss hockey team, Servette, is playing on TV in a few moments. After I sobered up gave it some thought, I rejected the idea as I need no more reasons to be lazy.  However, because of our "wonderful" economy (Thanks again, Joe), our work is at a point where 6 people of our crew just got laid off, Boss says he's not looking for things to get better till at least March, and the prospect of not having to find me something to do today put a gleam in his eye.  So, I'm getting ready- sorta- to watch my guys get clobbered in the Champions League semis, while in the meantime Laurie takes Misty to an impromptu drs appointment to see if her current symptoms denote a UTI.  It just keeps getting more fun.  Add to that our lovely weather (Currently 5F, or -15 for you in the Celsius world), and today's just a gas.

But, I digress, I was ranting about lazy.  I see another example was Uber has shut down their semi-independent booze-delivery wing, Drizzly.  Not tried to sell it off, do something productive with the assets, just flip the switch.  I'm told in the article that a motivating factor may have been that Drizzly's info got hacked.

Three years ago.  

And no one said a word or did a thing for two of those three years.  Lazy.

About our work, I don't know that this is an example of lazy.  Out of our entire list of Tracker boats for me to cut this week, starting at 10 AM, I had 81% (13 out of 16) cut by the time we left at 2:30.  With pauses for recuts, long talks, and a meeting to explain the layoffs to everyone.  And this sucks, because it gets you in a 'no-pressure' mindset and you begin to drift into 'milk-it' mode.  I don't like 'milk-it' mode anymore.  I'm not real fond of 30-hour weeks, either.  Our boss has tried shifting the heaven/earth axis to get things better.  But it is what it is.

Throwaway workers, throwaway jobs.  Throwaway websites that even a modicum of effort could reap benefits.  What's the answer?  "Well, anyone who WANTS a lay-off, just ask".  Go on the dole, pull money out of my right pocket to fill my left.  Yeah, I'm bitter.  4 years ago, with the "Big Orange Meany" as President, we couldn't get fabric in the building fast enough.  We were proud when 50 hours got enough done we didn't have to work Saturday.  Uncle Joe took 4 years to make it so we are now slower than we've EVER been in 11 years of working this job.  Even Obama didn't fubar things as bad as they are now.  Then you see paid shills come on Twitter saying that the Biden economy is creating so much wealth, so many jobs, and you just want to cry.  That people can be This. Damn. Stupid.

Sigh.

Now, mind you, I'm not a Trump cultist.  But he didn't let touchy-feely woke pie-in-the-sky crap stop us from doing business.   Frankly, at 5F I'm in favor of global warming.  Global warming means I can feel my feet, rich people are buying boats, and gas is back down to where prices can come down.  Upset with that take?  Go complain to Delhi, Djakarata, of Beijing, where the real carbon emissions come from.

I'd better wrap this up before I get any further into politics, which I told myself I wouldn't do here anymore.  Best to just go lazy down on the couch, watch my game, ponder if March WILL be any better, whether I'll still have pictures then, worry what's up with Misty, and growl at my team as they give up another one.

My lovely Friday Morning

 

Friday morning looked already to be a hectic day.  I had 2 appointments, and a major winter storm was approaching.  After getting my opening duties done (Bible, bathroom, Misty, etc), I settled in to look at the morning round of e-mails.  Wouldn't come up.  Tried again rinse ring repeat, no dice.  So I sent a message to my sister: "Happy birthday, o ancient one". Got back: "You're that far behind, slick".  Think she missed the "not", but whatever.  Tried e-mail again, it would load the screen, show you the list of 'em, but you couldn't open them.  If you tried long enough, it would stop showing them, but would tell you:

Unable to connect to mail server. Possible reasons: The mail server is (temporarily) down or there are network connection problems. Please try again in a few minutes.

Or:

An error occurred inside the server which prevented it from fulfilling the request

So I say, this sounds like Xfinity is down, thus I contacted DownDetector. Nope, not according to them. Oh well, time to go to my eye appointment.  Road not bad yet, but sleet is falling.  Some little bits frozen on the windshield.  I get down our street to just past the bark park- and my wiper, driver's side, flies OFF the car.  I swing into the lot, run out into the street to pick up my wiper, found the plastic pin that holds it on missing most of its head.  No time to deal with, I throw it on the seat and head to the Mall.

At this point, I'm thinking, I can just zip-tie it on when I get home until nice weather returns (which was projected to be not before next Wednesday.  So, I call Laurie- or try to- to look for zip ties I thought we still had. My phone says, "No bars, emergency use only".  What the actual, is AT&T down too?  Trying to drive with sleet on the windshield, busy Friday morning traffic, trying to watch my phone for bars.  Get a couple, try to call.  "Connecting..."  No, no you're not.  Three tries later, I get a ring!  I can hear Laurie- Laurie hears, "Hey, I se;cn,jkhrteoijhdxc.dfnlh", followed by nothing.  I slam the phone down, continue to Mall.  

I pull in at the proper door (all the way around back, of course).  Sleet/snow still coming down, wind in the 30 mph range. I have full bars now, but as I get out of the car and try to get with Laurie, I get interrupted by a couple sitting in their car: "Do you know what the latest weather report is?"  Of course I do, I had to do something while I was waiting for my e-mail to not work.  "Worst comes in the afternoon," I yelled over my shoulder as I tried calling Laurie.  Finally, get through clear.  I tell her the situation, but as I approach Pearle Vision, the phone starts breaking up again.  Three attempts at saying, "I'll call you later," I grab the door handle at PV exactly at my appointment time.

Door's still locked.

They let me in, apologizing, and I get my appointment started.  My phone makes the "You just got a phone voice message" sound- mind you, without bothering to ring- while I wait for the doc. I listen- Laurie, telling me she found some wire, and her and Misty were on their way- thanks to the garbled phone- to the bark park, where they believe I am waiting for them. "No, I'm in the Mall, waiting for the doc."

On to the appointment.  Some signs of possible Macular Degen, so she wants me to come back in 6 months.  Don't NEED need new glasses, yet.  "Baby cataracts", whatever that means.  Tells me to start eating more ( as in any) leafy greens to help my eye health.  Suggests she'll put me on supplements if I don't.  My answer: "What's a couple more pills, bring 'em on."

Call Laurie back.  Make a wasted trip around the Mall to see if they have a store that might possibly sell something to hold my wiper on.  Back to the car, thankfully the sleet/snow has stopped for the moment.  Find an O'Reilly's Auto on the way home, fix that.  So the co-pay on the eye exam plus the cost of the wiper will now just edge out the co-pay on the upcoming PT appointment- conveniently timed to hit right as the main storm has had an hour or so to dump more crap on the road.

Back home, the phone is back to functional, but not so much the e-mail.  I seem to have a lot of luck doing the Xfinity help chat on Twitter/X, so I contact them, while I ascertain the level of FUBAR on the e-mail.  Now it will give me the e-mails, even let me read them- but I can't DELETE them.

The connection to remote server http://imap-central.ge.xfinity.com was refused or timed out while attempting to connect. Please try again later.

So she has me do some stuff, logging out and in, asks me questions.  Suddenly I can't post a new message because "X is over capacity, try again later."  Several attempts later, X becomes un-capacitated, and we continue.  In the meantime, I go to DownDetector again- and this time it is full of messages cursing Xfinity's "awful service" and comparing the company to all things bright and wonderful.  About the time I mention this to my chat-helper, it all starts working again.  Or shortly after.  I was getting a bit blurry by this time.

On to the PT appointment, and the easy end of my travails. We now have literal slop, a couple inches of snow mixing nicely with an equal amount of rain.  Fortunately, my PT place is quite truly a drive around the block in a circle, so other than not slipping into parked cars, it wasn't a challenge.  What IS a challenge, I found out, is the fact that lying down, putting my hands behind my head, and pulling elbows toward each other is EXCRUCIATINGLY painful.  I love my body....

M10 Show week #103

 

So today I saw the Billboard Alt Airplay top 50 for the year...

Elvis:  Yeah, how'd it look?

I broke it down like this:

Songs I either never heard, or heard so little I don't remember hearing them: 12

Songs I heard and either didn't care for all the way to couldn't stand: 11

I heard 'em, they're okay, but not enough interest to put them in the shuffle: 12

At least made the shuffle, including my unpublished 11-15: 5

Top 6-10: 2

Top 5-3: 2

#2: 1

#1's:  New Gold (#22) and Run Away To Mars (#30).

I bet we did better there than on the pop chart...

86 I didn't know, 3 I didn't like, 6 just okay (mainly re-charts of Christmas songs), 4 that hit the M10, and one -last year's As It Was- was a #1.  So, yeah.  Anyway, on we go to this week's chart and this week's set of our top songs of 2023!

20- Slow Dance, Geowulf.  The first single by Star Kendrick on her own, though still under the Geowulf name.

19- Summer Breeze, Dark Side Of Light.  Had I been "modifying the points" this year as others, this would be much higher.

18- Reconsider, Cafune.  The click-thru is a beautiful live in studio acoustic version.

17- Kansas, Whitney.  My little breath of Seals and Crofts-ian tunes....

16- Death Wish, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.  Another radio live version.  He's coming to Ft Wayne in March... but way things are going, $60 a ticket is way too hard to justify....

And now, if I'm lucky, we move on to the first of two debuts in the M10...

What's this, "If we're lucky"?

Well, last time it was a pain in the rumpus to even find a vid of these guys singing... okay, here we go- in case it's "banned in Canada like the other one, this is the Trans Canada Highwaymen covering Lighthouse's big Canadian hit Pretty Lady, at #9.... ******************************************************

Whut year is we at this week?

1967- I was in Kindergarten, and music was great!  In the US, the Monkees had #1 staked out (for the next few weeks) with I'm A Believer;  in Canada, it was the song the Monkees kept out of the top, The Royal Guardsmen with Snoopy and the Red Baron (which was stuck at 2 here). In Australia, we were beginning the run of the local boys with Normie Rowe's double sided Ooh La La/ Ain't Nobody Home, which I'll have to check out after the show.

My Song I wouldn't Turn Off netted me seven candidates, whittled down to three:

Third, and I know this sounds like sacrilege, but the Beach Boys with Good Vibrations, a #1 in all but Canada (#2)...

Second, The Buckinghams and Kind Of A Drag, #3 here, #1 in Canada, and a solid #18 peak in Australia...

And my top one- and a #1 across the board...

...Judith Durham and the Seekers with Georgie Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More of the M10 tops of '23...

15- Tile By Tile, Alvvays. Dropping off this week, just missed being their biggest M10 hit....

14- Old Man, Albert Hammond Jr. My top video of the year.

13- Forbidden Doors, Tennis.  Live on CBS Saturday Morning.

12- Follow You, Imagine Dragons.  Another fun video...

And last this week:

11- Take On Me, a-ha (acoustic).  The actual live session.

And that leaves for next week the year's top ten!  Who will join the other 8 year end champs?

Hopefully somethin' by me...

Now you KNOW that's not happening!  Kick on that second top ten debut!

Yeah, yeah.  This band got back tagether ta redo a ten year old album, with fresh takes and lead vocals by other acts.  The star has hit the the 10 once; the guest is a newly minted M10 superstar!  This is Thousand Foot Krutch, with Saint Asonia, at #7....

****************************************************************

Yow!  That's loud'n'proud!

Yes it is, and now the rest of the M10...

10- Saint Asonia's Wolf, down 2...

8- Levitation Room's Heaven, up one...

6- TCH with Heartbeat It's A Lovebeat up one...

5- Down 2 for Built To Spill and Carry The Zero...

4- Up 2 for boygenius and Cool About It...

3- Up 1 for Juliana Hatfield and Sweet Is The Night...

2- Holding, Real Estate and Water Underground...

And holding at the top...

...Juliana Hatfield and Showdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next week- the top ten songs of last year!

Wednesday Bible Study: Hebrews 1

 

In the course of my morning Bible study, I read three passages: a Psalm, a chapter of Proverbs, and a New Testament chapter.  A couple weeks back, I found myself going through the Book of Hebrews.  And I said to myself, "I remember when I started as a Christian, this was the book that taught me the most."  But now, it just wasn't sinking through with just a 'casual read'.  Fighting my way through Nehemiah, though, I didn't pay it much mind.

Until this past weekend, when I engaged in 'debate' with someone who, while holding to a defensible doctrine (though not one I agree with), did it from a bully pulpit:  "You will hear what I have to say; but I won't listen to you, because I have heard it all before."  It finally came down to me quoting a verse to show why I believed as I did, and him using the same verse to (illogically) 'prove his point'.

The purpose in telling that story is why we are going to Hebrews now- because you have to read WHAT it says, not what you WANT it to say.  A "yeah, whatever" reading of any passage can lead to you taking a "Devil's opinion" of what it says, and I realized I couldn't just stop at my own half-witted reading of Hebrews- I needed to make it make sense to me again.  So here we are.

If you study Hebrews chapter one, you can see not only three points the author (Whoever it may have been, because we don't know other than the Holy Spirit) was making, but also the kind of people he was dealing with.  Of course the title, and the use of Scripture, tell us that they were in fact Hebrew converts- but to what?  They apparently were lacking three things- a knowledge of the Nature of Jesus, the connection between Himself and the Father, and where angels fit in.  How do angels come into it, you ask?  In those days, one of the main ways Satan was screwing things up was through a philosophy called Gnosticism.  They believed to an extent, that since God was spirit, only spirit was holy- flesh was evil.  It caused debate on how it was that God (as Jesus) could possibly have taken on flesh, how He could even create flesh- and a corollary, that as angels were spirit, they were holy and thus to be worshiped.  Our human author was beginning by setting them straight.

His first point I'll look at is the subtle one you might miss- READ YOUR BIBLE!  By quoting Scripture to prove the connection between Jesus and the Father, and the lower position of the angels,  he was showing them that whatever the truth, it was THERE in the Bible, and theirs to read and learn.  My debater's problem (among others) was that he formed an opinion, then manipulated his reading of certain passages to fit his narrative.  Now, the author saw these converts being deceived the same way.  By quoting Scripture to explain, he showed them not only WHAT, but THAT, they should have known better.

His second point was setting the record straight about just who and what Jesus is:

 Heb 1:1  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 

Heb 1:2  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 

Heb 1:3  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 

Heb 1:4  having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 

Okay, so you see five parts here I have boldened.  First, that God had used Jesus on Earth to succeed the prophets (and angels) in the job of speaking to us.  Still waiting for a prophet?  Sorry, John was the last one- when Jesus was born as Man, the game changed.

Second, Even though Son, even though the first of the Heirs of heaven, Jesus was THERE FROM THE BEGINNING.  As John said in his gospel:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  He was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Third, there was NO DIFFERENCE between the Father and Jesus- save that Jesus also became Man.  How can this be?  I could give you MY theory, but let me answer through a passage in Revelation:

Rev 19:11  Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 

Rev 19:12  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 

See, the thought that, "in Heaven, all will be revealed" isn't quite right.  There are some things about the nature and being of God we won't EVER understand.  Nor should we.

Fourth, that Jesus had had a single task on Earth- to make "a purification for sins."  And this job was DONE.  The gnostics, much like the Catholics of today with their idea of Purgatory, believe that there is something yet for us to do to get shed of our sins.  This passage alone tells you, "No," and it is backed up in many, many places.

Fifth is the author's final point of this chapter- angels are a LONG way from being God. He uses an if-then manner to make his point, like this:

Heb 1:5  For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? 

Heb 1:6  And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." 

The first quote is from Psalm 2:7; the second, 2 Samuel 7:14; the third, Psalm 97:6-7.  "See, it's right there!"  The author ends the discussion (for today) with a simple definition:

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? 

With the word for 'ministering' and 'minister' translating to "Public servant".  To the minds of this people, that would tell them that an angel is the equivalent of a 'spiritual butler.'

Well, we (I hope) don't worship angels, so what do we get from this?  1.  Read your Bible, not as a curiosity, but with a heart for seeking God. 2. Jesus and the Father are one, in a way we might never fully understand.  And three- if something seems questionable, question it- even if it tears down "your narrative".

Monday for pics

 Mainly because:a) no earth shattering finds to share, and b) the new exercises I have to do for PT about killed my Sunday (slight exaggeration).  Anyhow, here's New Year's Day- which I somehow woke up for...

Tiny bit of snow left from last year

Ducks chillin' in the Swamp

I remember when this was part of a living tree, long ago.  Now it looks (with some imagination) like the ruins of a mountain fortress

"Oh, great, here come those two..."

"I'll pose for a change.  It IS a new year, after all."

"HEY!  Pay attention to ME!"

On the 4th, we saw something we hadn't seen all year...

"...blue sky!"

Somebody went to Sky Zone Trampoline park, somewhere by Glenbrook Mall.

"Man, the moles are awful this year..."

This is that little bitty nest at the end of the branch I tried to get before...

At least three of 'em were yelling at us.  The quiet one posed.

Misty knocks out her 4 times a year tangle #1....

Somebody played toss the log in the creek...

This is Oreo... she don't like people, but she liked Misty

One end is iced

Recent varmintage

The next day was too cold to enjoy our walk, but we did see a moose...

Saturday was icky, and we stayed home and drank Golden Monkeys...

Sunday, like I said, was a total pain-wash, but once again we are on a 4-8's schedule this week (Tell your friends to buy boat covers!), so we got one more in...

I have to put on 'fast-motion' to get Misty when she's rampaging for a walk, and those come out dark

At least the snow's gone- but it will be back tonight, followed by a full day of rain

And here we have idiots cutting up their tree and taking it to the recycle just dumping it

Moles really are out of hand this year

Pond is fully frozen over