Sabbathlounge

Obelisks

But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven away, in order to reside in the land of Judah— the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah— and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord ) and went in as far as Tahpanhes. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, “Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the Jews; and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and get Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne right over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them. He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those who are meant for death will be given over to death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword. And I shall set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will depart from there safely. He will also shatter the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.”
Jeremiah 43:5-13

Do You Have Your Ears On?

Do you have your ears on?
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Names of God Bible (NOG)
4 Listen, Israel: Yahweh is our Elohim. Yahweh is the only God. 5 Love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Fatherhood Part 2

Proverbs 22:6 Names of God Bible (NOG)
6 Train a child in the way he should go,    and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.
Proverbs 3:11-12 Names of God Bible (NOG)
11 Do not reject the discipline of Yahweh, my son,    and do not resent his warning,12 because Yahweh warns the one he loves,    even as a father warns a son with whom he is pleased.
 
Joshua 24:14-15 Names of God Bible (NOG)
14 “Fear Yahweh, and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only Yahweh. 15 But if you don’t want to serve Yahweh, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve Yahweh.”

Fatherhood Part 1

Proverbs 3:11-13 Names of God Bible (NOG)
11 Do not reject the discipline of Yahweh, my son,    and do not resent his warning,12 because Yahweh warns the one he loves,    even as a father warns a son with whom he is pleased.
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom    and the one who obtains understanding.
 
Proverbs 1:7-9 Names of God Bible (NOG)
7 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge.    Stubborn fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Listen to Wisdom
8 My son,    listen to your father’s discipline,        and do not neglect your mother’s teachings,9             because discipline and teachings                are a graceful garland on your head                    and a golden chain around your neck.

Take Time To Smell The Roses

Reflections after spending some time at an older person's home watching the birds. 
 
Matthew 6:25-34 Names of God Bible (NOG)
Stop Worrying
25 “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?
26 “Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
27 “Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?
28 “And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. 29 But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 30 That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
31 “Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. 33 But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
34 “So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Valentine's Day 2019

So where did Valentine's Day come from?
"Later, Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. But the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love."1.
Exodus 20:2-6 Names of God Bible (NOG)
2 “I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.
3 “Never have any other god. 4 Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. 5 Never worship them or serve them, because I, Yahweh your Elohim, am El Kanna. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. 6 But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.
 
Deuteronomy 12:31 Names of God Bible (NOG)
31 Never worship Yahweh your Elohim in the way they worship their gods, because everything they do for their gods is disgusting to Yahweh. He hates it! They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.[a]
Source Text
"The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day"
1.  https://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day
 

Holy and Set Apart

Deuteronomy 14:2 Names of God Bible (NOG)
2 You are people who are holy to Yahweh your Elohim. Out of all the people who live on earth, Yahweh has chosen you to be his own special possession.

Pearls Before Swine

Matthew 7:6 Names of God Bible (NOG)
Don’t Throw Pearls to Pigs
6 “Don’t give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces.