Merry Christmas Everybody!

 

Oh, come let us adore Him.

Happy Belated Holidays

 

I have been severely remiss about posting lately.  Lately- as in for weeks and months.  

Here is a shot of me taken by The Handsome One to thank the in-laws for their Christmas gifts. 

It may seem strange that a festive wreath is displayed next to shelves in a basement.  Actually, it's hanging from Malcom's enclosure.

From Malcom and all of us here at Bad Dog Ranch,

The Lord bless and keep you: The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.              -Numbers 6:24-26

Christmas 2021

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.        - John 3:16 

Merry Christmas everybody!

Thanksgiving 2021

 

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.                  ~Philippians 4:6

Memorial Day

 

The Riderless Horse is an old military tradition.  A horse is led behind the casket wearing an empty saddle with the rider’s boots reversed in the stirrups, indicating the warrior will never ride again.

As we do on this day each year, we remember the men and women who died fighting for our freedom.  Let us pause with gratitude for their sacrifice.

Happy Easter

 

Have a Blessed Christmas

 

This has been a year full of uncertainty.  You know, being told you are nonessential and you will die or kill someone else if you do something nonessential or if you do just about anything without a mask on.  You know, looking for the whole story about what's going on in the world but getting only what the media decides to tell you.  There are businesses shut down, people out of work, families separated, our nation divided.

It's hard not to give in to fear and despair.  Let us remember that Jesus tells us not to be afraid.

On this Christmas Eve we remember that Jesus, the Word made flesh, was born in a humble stable.  

He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

-Psalm  112:7

Thanksgiving 2020

 

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

O come, O come, Emmanuel

Rejoice!

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Savior:  come and save us, O Lord our God!  Amen.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Memorial Day

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  -John 15:13

On this Memorial Day, we pray for those who courageously laid down their lives for the cause of freedom. May the examples of their sacrifice inspire in us the selfless love of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the families of our fallen troops, and fill their homes and their lives with Your strength and peace.

More Memorial Day prayers here.

Matthias

Today is Saint Matthias day.  He was the one chosen by the apostles to replace Judas.  Peter and the others understood the importance of maintaining the office of the twelve witnesses to Jesus. Thus, they asked the Holy Spirit to tell them which guy He wanted to fill the opening.  (Acts 1:15-26)

We don't know a lot about Matthias.  We're told in Acts that he was a disciple from the time of John the Baptist through the ascension of Jesus.  In other words, he was on the bench all along ready for the call to join the twelve.  He was eventually martyred while giving witness to The Word.

As we move through the Easter season let us remember what Jesus said to the apostles on the night Judas betrayed Him.  I give you a new command.  Love one another as I have loved you.   
(John 13:34)

Lenten Reflections

We are about half way through Lent.  It is a time to slow down and get closer to God.

We remind ourselves of what is truly important in our lives.  We cut down on or give up things like dessert or the eye candy of the internet to take more time to ponder the sweetness of Jesus.

We strive to be more charitable.  Give to those in need.  Be grateful that we have abundance to share.

We pause more often to pray.  In prayer we grow closer to God, we learn to know Him better and thus love Him better.

Yesterday was the Solemnity of the Annunciation.  We recall when Mary was visited by the archangel Gabriel.  Her response was, "behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word."  Mary was willing to do God's will.  It is a good reminder to us that God's plan is always better than ours.

Pray for us O Holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy the promises of Christ.

My Look Back at 2018

Some things I noticed.

Dogs of the milquetoast type tend to have the most menacing growl.  (Happily, Clover only uses it at play.)

Some serious and independent dogs are the ones in most need of a hug.  (Lily seems comfortable with the fact that we are on to her.)

It is hard to find part time work when you have to be home before dark.

Robert Shaw is still my favorite actor.

For the very first time in my life, I got excited over the grand opening of a store.












You get more writing done when you set a goal rather than wait for the muse to strike.  Since I've been writing a minimum of 1,000 words a day, the chapters are piling up.

Now that Henry is five years old, he lifts his leg to pee.

Finally, and most significantly, it's been a strange year largely for reasons I don't care to explain.  An important thing I've learned is I must accept that God has a better plan than I could ever come up with.  It's a blow to my notions of self reliance, which is evidently just what I needed.

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let all men know your forbearance.  The Lord is at hand.  Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 4:4-7

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Proclamation

[New York, 3 October 1789]

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

He is Risen

We need an Easter reading.
How about some Paul?

OK.  I got one.  O death, where is your
victory?  O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power
of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who
gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.

And Paul goes on to say: Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the
word of the Lord, knowing that in the
Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Alleluia

Joy to the World

The Shepherds and the Angels 

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

 And the angel said to them, "be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people, for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

- Luke 2:8-17

Did the shepherds take their flocks
with them to Bethlehem?

Probably.  Or maybe an angel
stayed with their flocks
till they returned.

I like to think the sheep got to
 come along to meet baby Jesus.

Good Friday

And being found in human form
he humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even death
on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which
 is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, and
 every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:8-11

Fluffy and George on Christmas

Let us all rejoice in the Lord,                          Today true peace
for our Savior has been born                           has come down to
in the world.                                                     us from heaven.

The Return of the JWs

The bespectacled women of middle age wearing a modest skirt and boring blouse, brought to mind an old style schoolmarm.  There could be no mistaking what she really was though.  She got out of a car stuffed with people. 

They're baaack.

Some readers may recall, some months ago, I complained that the Jevoah Witness brigade found me here at the homestead.  Frankly, I'd forgotten about the intrusion until recently when they returned.  They've ramped up their efforts, before it was only pamphlets, now there's face time.

There's a sign on the fence near our back porch that reads:  Warning Bad Dog.  Schoolmarm asked if the dogs were indeed bad.  I said, of course not...towards those who belong here.  Schoolmarm looked confused.  Then she asked if I found comfort in God.  Of course, I said.  She said my neighbors didn't seek comfort in God.  Sorry to hear that, I said.  She read a line from one of Paul's letters off of a handheld gadget.  Then she gave me a pamphlet.

A couple months later as I was carrying groceries into the house, that car stuffed with people crept up the driveway.  The Schoolmarm got out.  I'm in the middle of taking in groceries, I told her.  This will just take a moment, she said. What do you think of when you think of Heaven? 

I said, I think about that part in Revelations at the throne and angels singing Holy Holy Holy.  I also like the lion laying down with the lamb stuff.  Where's that?  Isaiah?

She didn't answer.  She read a snippet from another of Paul's letters from a handheld gadget and gave me a pamphlet.

Later, I read the pamphlet.  There wasn't much information about Heaven.  The New Testament was put in quotes.  Jesus was referred to as Michael.  Then there was a wispy description of the qualifications of some guy with a French name who apparently did the translation of the Gospels for the JW's.  It was explained that the Catholics got the translations wrong because they clouded their thinking by studying philosophy. 

When the Schoolmarm comes back, I'm going to ask about her views on philosophy and if she noticed that Paul calls Jesus Jesus rather than Michael. 

And I'll wish her Merry Christmas.