2018 October 20 Saturday

2018 October 20 Saturday in Liberty Hill and Austin, Texas

57° and overcast at 3:30 a.m. No. I did not intend to be up at that time of the morning. It was either a guilty conscience it more likely a full bladder that roused me from my slumber. Since I was awake, I worked on this morning's MUSINGS©. I eventually went back to sleep and slept 'till after eight.

No rain in the forecast for today. But that doesn't mean that it isn't wet. The puddles (our moat) still has lots of water and the trees are still dripping.

[caption width="2581"]

The Handbell Choir presents amazing performances, ringing a series of small- to large-sized handbells with different tones to create beautiful melodies and harmonies. The resonant sounds originated from ancient bells created in the late 1600s. Handbells are not hard to learn and ability to read music is not required.[/caption]

The annual Harvest Fest was busy for such a gloomy day. We (the choir) sang from 10:30-11:00.

The choir.

Lunch at China Spice. Not a large selection but good. The hot and sour soup was too spicy for me ... and that's unusual.

We watched Tate's football game. There were some very good passes and catches. Unfortunately they were by the other team.

I got a shot of the sky that was almost a sunset. That's as close as I've seen lately

G'nite y’all!

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TESTED

MUSINGS - October 19, 2018

TESTED

Mark 7:24-29
And rising up, he went from there to the area of Tyre and Sidon. And entering into a house, he intended no one to know about it, but he was not able to remain hidden. For a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit, as soon as she heard about him, entered and fell prostrate at his feet. For the woman was a Gentile, by birth a Syro-Phoenician. And she petitioned him, so that he would cast the demon from her daughter. And he said to her: “First allow the sons to have their fill. For it is not good to take away the bread of the sons and throw it to the dogs.” But she responded by saying to him: “Certainly, Lord. Yet the young dogs also eat, under the table, from the crumbs of the children.” And he said to her, “Because of this saying, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

I'll admit that this encounter with and insulting dismissal of this Greek woman has always bothered me. It seems so ... so un-Messiah-like. He who came to save everyone* from every time, shouldn't turn away anyone who earnestly seeks him. Previously he had placed no restriction on whom he healed. He had saved the life of the servant of a Roman soldier**, forgave the Samaritan woman at the well,*** and crossed the sea to cast demons from a foreign man.****

This woman comes to Jesus with high expectations because of the good things she has heard about him. Indeed his fame has spread so that, evern though he intended that no one knew he was there, he was constantly sought for. He came to seek the Lord. But the lost also come seeking him.

She falls before his feet and begs for her daughter's release from the demons who attack her. And he dismissed her with a word often used by the Jews against non Jews, "dog". It is equivalent to a more modern term "S.O.B." Why these hateful words from this loving man?

Take note the he didn't not say he would not have grant her petition. He only said, "First allow the sons to have their fill."

She wisely heard his words and responded, feed the children first but remember that the dogs must also be fed. To her credit, she did not demand to be moved to the front of the line but only asked to be heard in her turn. Because she humbled herself, her daughter was healed. He had tested her and found her faith sufficient.

There are times I take my wants and needs to the Lord and don't immediately receive an answer. Perhaps it is because "I'm determined to have things, but I can't get what I want. I quarrel and fight. I don't have the things I want, because I don't pray for them. When I pray for things, I don't get them because I want them for the wrong reason--for my own pleasure. (personalized from James 4:2-3) And sometimes maybe I don't receive because my faith is being tested like the woman in our scripture reading was tested.

*1 Timothy 4:10 and Acts 27:22-31

**Luke 7:1-10 Z f

***John 4:4-10

****Mark 5:1-15

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All content (except quotations) © 2018 Thomas E. Williams

GIGO

MUSINGS - October 18, 2018

GIGO

Mark 7:14-23
Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and try to understand! Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It's what comes out of a person that makes him unclean. Let the person who has ears listen!"

When he had left the people and gone home, his disciples asked him about this illustration. Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand? Don't you know that whatever goes into a person from the outside can't make him unclean? It doesn't go into his thoughts but into his stomach and then into a toilet." (By saying this, Jesus declared all foods acceptable.) He continued, "It's what comes out of a person that makes him unclean. Evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, cursing, arrogance, and foolishness come from within a person. All these evils come from within and make a person unclean."

Remember that this is a continuation of the events that began at the beginning of this chapter when the Pharisees accused the disciples of being unclean because they didn't wash their hands before they ate.

GIGO* is programmer slang that means if the input data is flawed, them the output will also be flawed. The same principle applies in logic. If the original premiss is flawed themy the conclusion will be flawed.

The Pharisees premiss was that a person could become spiritually unclean by not following the strict observance to cleanliness and dietary laws. Jesus declared this to be a case of GIGO*. It is what is in the mind and heart of a person that makes them unclean. Proverbs 23:7 echos this thought. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

Maybe we all needed to check out lives for GIGO*.

*Garbage In Garbage Out

Visit my daily blog. https://rvingfulltime in be be all ofwithtomandella.com/

And my sermons blog http://thomasewilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1

All content (except quotations) © 2018 Thomas E. Williams