Thursday, December 19, 2013

Thu Dec 19th Todays News

Left wing argue using abuse. Often, they will lay down a few false statements and then build on them. So, a lefty arguing about politics in Australia, with the recent change of government, might say they hate Tony Abbott and are disgusted by him. They will say he isn't popular and he hates poor people. They will say he wants to make workers get paid less and rich people to get paid more. But the reality is very different to what they claim initially, and so an attempt to dispute any of their false assertions results in them back tracking to "You can't trust any of them." In fact Mr Abbott is a compassionate, friendly man. He is trying to improve the economy so that all prosper through honest work. It is pragmatic to encourage savings and investment because that drives growth. On the other hand, ALP politics is driven by hate and envy with a touch of cynicism. The ALP agenda is to tax poor working people and reward rich union leaders. So it is worth reading Blair's column on Van Badham's tweets. I ask my self the question "So how do others feel about a left wing party like the ALP moving to make anti semitism legal? Does that ever turn out well?" 
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Hatches
Happy birthday and many happy returns Gerald Ě GrechEris WittmannLam Nguyen , Tony Pham , Peter Au  and Kevin Smith. Born on the same day, across the years, along with
Matches
Despatches
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community channel
New Vid! The Types of Friends You Shouldn't See Movies With http://youtu.be/gJM2wyWVKWQbecause there's always one of them...
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DESCENT OF VAN

Tim Blair – Thursday, December 19, 2013 (1:07pm)

Normal people don’t worry much about appointees to the Human Rights Commission. In fact, normal people can’t evenname any HRC appointees.
And then there is the Guardian‘s Van Badham, for whom the HRC appointment of Tim Wilson is an event equal to Princess Di shooting JFK during 9/11. Let’s follow Miss Badham’s desperate emotional journey as she struggles to cope with the terrible news:

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In other words, if he isn’t a veteran of the whining industry he has no business on one of the left’s precious little worry lobbies.

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These are universal rights. They apply to everybody.

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A leftist hears the words “freedom of speech” and understands them to mean “unfettered hatred”. Interesting.

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Tell it to your leftist mates in the anti-Jew club, Van.

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You just know where this is heading.

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Yep. Van’s gone the full Hitler.

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Now she’s hit the grieving phase.

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The “white space” of rage? RACIST. Apparently all of this distress led to a great crying fit:

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If the term wasn’t associated with masculine gender constructs that diminish the oppression of women, you’d almost think Van was hysterical.

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More grief. Van’s in turmoil. But next she discovers a smoking - or dripping, in this case - gun. Wilson once tweeted the quite reasonable view that water cannons be turned on Occupy deadbeats:

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This actually shows up Wilson as a weak moderate. A genuine conservative would have called for the deployment ofChewplosive™ acre-clearance detonation mints.
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HAWTHORN FOLDS

Tim Blair – Thursday, December 19, 2013 (5:58am)

Please enjoy Bernie’s Magic Moment. Some notes:
• The presence of Brad Rowe and Saverio Rocca indicates to AFL experts that this short film was made in 1994. Then again, the film’s credits also indicate this.
• Clearly, the broadcast game is at Victoria Park and not at the MCG. Artistic licence.
• The pizza boy is future Kevin Rudd advisor Rhys Muldoon.
• It is true that we Collingwood supporters can influence results by ironing. It’s just that we don’t iron very often.
• Why wasn’t he actually at the game?
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TEACHER TAUGHT

Tim Blair – Thursday, December 19, 2013 (5:45am)

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ANGRY KITTY

Tim Blair – Thursday, December 19, 2013 (5:41am)

Suppose you’re a baby Sumatran tiger, born in a fancy zoo. Everything is sweet for the first 12 weeks. You’re the centre of attention. Cuddles galore! And then your handler decides – in freezy November – that it’s time for a swimming test:

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Someone isn’t happy. And that zoo might not be so fancy after all.
(Via fearless reporter Leafy, floating at the scene)
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TRAPPED IN A MADHOUSE

Tim Blair – Thursday, December 19, 2013 (5:32am)

Energy companies, among many others, have long been spooked by climate alarmism. Now, as Tony Thomasobserves, those companies might be wising up: 
It must be a tipping point in the climate debate when a senior Shell executive notices something odd about the green activists with whom he has been consorting.
David Hone, Shell UK’s Melbourne-born “senior climate change adviser”, went to an academic conference on “radical emission reduction strategies” in London on December 10-11.
He concluded that he had fallen among eco-idiots wanting to remould society from the ground up. 
Do read on.
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SOAK SHOCK

Tim Blair – Thursday, December 19, 2013 (5:30am)

Mark Steyn sends a prayer
God save us from the bedwetter Left. 
Amen to that, especially when the dampeners are hitting Steyn and the National Review Online with vile lawsuits. Donate here to join the fight.
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PULLING WOOL

Tim Blair – Thursday, December 19, 2013 (3:30am)

David Thompson reviews the colossal scope and profundity of Australian performance art.
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The Left exposed: enemies of free speech, inciters of hate

Andrew Bolt December 19 2013 (7:12am)


Tim Wilson is a gay man who supports a form of gay marriage and should be a darling of the Left.
But here’s the problem. He also supports free speech.
Cue the vicious hate.
And cue a signature of the modern Left - a collective effort to abuse and cow him with a Hate Tim Wilson Day:
A day to denounce, fling hate at, and generally express our contempt for Tim Wilson, the new freedom commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Note another hallmark of the Left - the hypocrisy. This mass hatred is organised by someone whose job is to promote tolerance:
Timothy James Scrivens
Vice President, chair of education committee and Disability equity officer. at Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association
No honour. No shame.
(Via Catallaxy Files.
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That’s the trouble right there: Human Rights Commission denies freedom commissioner freedom to speak

Andrew Bolt December 18 2013 (8:07pm)


The president of the Human Rights Commission says new freedom commissioner Tim Wilson, who plans to campaign for free speech, is actually not permitted to speak out unless she and her fellow commissioners agree. 
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Night's Lights
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4 her
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Marinel Pretzles
Boxes of lindt chocolate from work. Don't know what to do with all this....
It is perfect as Christmas wrapping, but the Christmas experience is diminished if it isn't filled correctly .. 
.. wait! wait! I've seen this .. a model leaps out at an NRA meet saying "From my cold dead hands" while carrying an Uzi. - ed
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Five reasons why Matt Smith was born to play the Doctor: http://bbc.in/JrVJRI (as argued byAnglophenia)
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CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Anti-Socialist Stooge David Ball Condemned
PYONGYANG (KCNA) — With the people clamoring for justicethe organizing committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly announced that David Ball will meet the serious punishment of history.
The era and history will eternally record and never forget the shuddering crimes committed by Ball, the enemy of the party, revolution and people and heinous betrayer of the nation.
These crimes will be admitted to, following which hurrahs for the Workers’ Party of Korea and socialism will reverberate far and wide.
Ball let the decadent capitalist lifestyle find its way to our society by distributing all sorts of pornographic pictures among personal confidants. Ball led a dissolute, depraved life, squandering money at every stop.
Ball is a traitor to the nation for all ages, who perpetrated anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of our party and state and the socialist system.
Ball is a hooligan bereft of any personality as a human being,does not know even elementary diplomatic etiquette and lacks diplomatic abilityand will find that their desperate moves will be smashed.
Ball systematically rallied ex-convicts, those problematic in their past careers and discontented elements around him, and ruled over them as sacred and inviolable being.
Ball worked hard to put all affairs of the country under control, massively increasing the staff of the department and organs under it, and stretch Ball’s tentacles to ministries and national institutions.
All facts go to clearly prove that Ball is a thrice-cursed traitor without an equal in the world, who had desperately worked for years to destabilize and bring down the DPRK. The hateful and despicable nature of these anti-party, anti-state and unpopular crimes will be fully disclosed in the course of the trial. No matter how much water flows under the bridge and no matter how frequently a generation is replaced by new one, the lineage of Paektu will remain unchanged and irreplaceable.
No one in the world can stand in the way of the army and people who are advancing single-mindedly united around supreme leader Kim Jong Un under the banner of great Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.
Citizens may discuss the trials in the official committee forum or denounce a friend using the form below.

Read more at Boing Boing

Support the Juche Idea!
Follow Rob Beschizza on Twitter
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Probably the best sunset I ever got to photograph... It was a splendid night. — at Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
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Holly Sarah Nguyen
I have been called a lot of names through out life, as we all have, the difference is now I deflect the intent and implication behind the name calling. I aim to not take it personal, breathe in, breathe out, and continue moving forward. xx
John Tran but but.. saying No is negative..
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Michelle Malkin
A&E suspends Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson; Katie Pavlich, others rip ‘crap’ decision ==>http://twitchy.com/2013/12/18/ae-suspends-duck-dynasty-star-phil-robertson-katie-pavlich-others-rip-crap-decision/
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The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. | Atlas Shrugged
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Sarah Palin
Free speech is an endangered species. Those “intolerants” hatin’ and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us.
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energy drinks don't replace sleep - ed 
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An elderly man in Oklahoma calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce; 45 years of marriage... and that much misery is enough!" "Dad, what are you talking about?" the son yells. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old dad explained. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!". Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls her elderly father immediately, and screams at him, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, you hear me?" she yelled as she hung up the phone. The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay", he says, "it's all set. They're both coming for Christmas and paying their own air-fare."
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www.theage.com.au
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/renewable-energy-target-faces-cut-by-abbott-20131218-2zlgs.html
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Graphic statements? - ed
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Democrat excess is pathetic - ed
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www.news.com.au
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www.news.com.au
.. it is unlucky the Democrats have white house? - ed
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www.news.com.au
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Not a threat .. Obama's administration just doubled in size .. ed
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It is wrong to reward his abuse - ed
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Diamond Imports
Another beautiful Diamond Engagement Ring we recently finished for a client http://www.diamondimports.com.au/
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Lol, they signed off on it - ed
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Say goodbye, my own true lover … ed
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www.news.com.au
There may be driver fault, but there is also certainly planning fault too. - ed
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He was a significant loss .. ed
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www.israpundit.com
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www.israelnationalnews.com
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Irwin Graulich
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR SHABBAT, SATURDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 2014

"Where Was God During The Holocaust?"

On Shabbos, 1/25/14 at Temple Hillel in North Woodmere, NY, Irwin Graulich, well known speaker and writer, will be Scholar-In-Residence and deliver his now famous lecture, "If God Took The Jews Out of Egypt, Why Didn't He Take Them Out of Europe?"

Services begin at 8:45am and Mr. Graulich will speak at the end of services in the synagogue. After the lecture, there will be a lovely luncheon and Q & A period with Irwin. The public is invited.

Temple Hillel
1000 Rosedale Road
Valley Stream, NY 11581
516 791-2114

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blogs.timesofisrael.com
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www.jewishpress.com
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MICHAEL BEN-ARI:

Warning (resident)!!!

Please do not be indifferent. Share and Spread this letter

Hello Dear Michael Ben-Ari,
I live in clty of Holon, and recently we have a problem that Arab building workers harass and attempt to rape women, both religious and secular.

A few days ago there was a senior event in my neighborhood which was attended by 38 seniors. An Arab worker tried to rape a woman and she was screaming. A religious man was nearby praying and heard her screams. The man punched the Arab, the police came and following an investigation allowed the Arab to leave.

They are also peeping into my neighbors showers because it's old buildings and able to see in the window.

People don't know what to do. Almost certainly that Amalek is living here illegal, at least some of them.

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www.jpost.com
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http://www.israellycool.com/2013/12/18/israel-dayan-and-hogwarts-occupied-with-territories/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Israellycool+%28Israellycool%29
www.israellycool.com
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NO GA-NAUGHTY LIST FOR YOU: If you send me ONE 36 count box of Hershey's for Heroes with a brief note of thanks for defending the Jewish State!

THESE SOLDIERS DESERVE SOME HERSHEY'S FOR HEROES!!
I need 1,000 Hershey's for Heroes accounted for BEFORE JAN. 5TH! Just looking for commitments with solid numbers. 

HERSHEY'S FOR HEROES (Please LIKE & ACT):
https://www.facebook.com/HersheysforHeroes
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<This was originally shared with me by David Brown. Here is my answer.

Now that I've had the opportunity to read the article I find it very interesting. Christmas today isn't the holiday it was in years past. It has become very commercialized and it's all about the gifts. Unfortunately many Jews and by extension Jewish children have no idea what Chanukah is all about. Many have been given the idea that lots of gifts and a Chanukah bush are the in thing. To a certain extent it's just like comparing Halloween to Purim because of the costumes. Let the Christians have their Christmas. Our children have to be taught unequivocally that Christmas is not our holiday. We Jews have a remarkable history filled with meaning and tradition. We must teaching them from the cradle with kindness and hope.>
www.virtualjerusalem.com
I have no problem with secular administration. Faith is personal and I don't like it when the state tells me I should have a certain faith. The arguments people employ are unsettling to .. were gay marriage to be legal I would not do it .. there are lots of things I don't do which are legal. As a Christian, I respect Chanukah and those following observances related to it, but it would be hypocritical of me to demand that of Jews for Christmas. For me, Jesus would have observed and followed Chanukah practice .. the scripture which advises me to be offensive to others and behave in a superior way I cannot find .. ed
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unitycoalitionforisrael.org
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unitycoalitionforisrael.org
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www.algemeiner.com
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This is a sequence showing a "Lebanese mother and son" who were supposedly the targets of an Israeli air raid into Lebanon. The story that accompanies the photos says that the mother would die in her son's arms. Too bad it is all a lie designed to create anger and indignation and foster hatred towards Israel. As you will see in the middle picture, the "mother" and "son" proudly show off their fake photo. How many newspapers and news agencies will write about Arab propaganda lies?
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sultanknish.blogspot.com
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by Adam Levick
As we noted in a post yesterday, the Guardian's Harriet Sherwood evidently believes - contrary to all evidence - that Palestinian terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) are rare.>

http://cifwatch.com/2013/12/18/murdered-israeli-fails-to-evoke-the-guardians-sympathy/
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Send 'Warm Winter' Care Packages to IDF soldiers, CLICK HERE if images do not display
Keep Israeli Soldiers Warm this Winter
Israel has been hit with a massive
winter storm, the most severe in over 150 years!
Due to frigid weather conditions, there has been a huge increase in requests for extra-warm clothing for IDF soldiers.
This is a special opportunity to share blessing, joy and winter warmth with Israeli soldiers who risk their lives to protect the citizens of Israel.

Winter Care Packages include
fleece jackets, hats, gloves and neck warmers.
There are many needy soldiers, including lone soldiers, without families that can provide vital winter items.
YOU CAN HELP: Join us in sending 'warm winter' care packages to our beloved Israeli soldiers in need.
Include a personal note of support and appreciation to IDF soldiers who are out in the cold fighting against terror and helping others in need.


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HonestReporting's Israel Daily News Stream: Everything You Need to Know About Media Coverage of Israel and the MidEast

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Michelle Malkin 5
Hi everyone! Here's the MichelleMalkin.com newsletter for December 18th. Enjoy!

From the Blog

While America sleeps: The crony Obama donors in charge of DHS

Dirty Harry Reid sabotaged the filibuster, and now the Democrats are running wild in Washington. Mark my words: We all will pay a price. Thanks to Reid’s crony-coddling rule change, unqualified stooges will manage the Obama Department of Homeland Security. It’s a bundler’s world, and we’re just living in it. God help us...

50 Shades of Waste: Gov’t spent nearly $1 million on romance novel studies

The government has also spent well over a half million dollars to buy “likes” on Facebook, because the billions spent on Obamacare sure isn’t getting them enough “likes” elsewhere...

More From the Right Side of the Web

Michelle's Top Tweets

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And ... Our Hate Tweet of the Day

Malkin Hate Tweet 121813 01
Well, this tweet has been diagnosed. And it needs help.
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Charles Dickens
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Events[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Holidays and observances[edit]

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““Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),” Luke 1:68-70 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"Rend your heart, and not your garments."
Joel 2:13
Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common. Men will attend to the most multiplied and minute ceremonial regulations--for such things are pleasing to the flesh--but true religion is too humbling, too heart-searching, too thorough for the tastes of the carnal men; they prefer something more ostentatious, flimsy, and worldly. Outward observances are temporarily comfortable; eye and ear are pleased; self-conceit is fed, and self-righteousness is puffed up: but they are ultimately delusive, for in the article of death, and at the day of judgment, the soul needs something more substantial than ceremonies and rituals to lean upon. Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven.
Heart-rending is divinely wrought and solemnly felt. It is a secret grief which is personally experienced, not in mere form, but as a deep, soul-moving work of the Holy Spirit upon the inmost heart of each believer. It is not a matter to be merely talked of and believed in, but keenly and sensitively felt in every living child of the living God. It is powerfully humiliating, and completely sin-purging; but then it is sweetly preparative for those gracious consolations which proud unhumbled spirits are unable to receive; and it is distinctly discriminating, for it belongs to the elect of God, and to them alone.
The text commands us to rend our hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble: how, then, can this be done? We must take them to Calvary: a dying Saviour's voice rent the rocks once, and it is as powerful now. O blessed Spirit, let us hear the death-cries of Jesus, and our hearts shall be rent even as men rend their vestures in the day of lamentation.

Evening

"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds."
Proverbs 27:23
Every wise merchant will occasionally hold a stock-taking, when he will cast up his accounts, examine what he has on hand, and ascertain decisively whether his trade is prosperous or declining. Every man who is wise in the kingdom of heaven, will cry, "Search me, O God, and try me"; and he will frequently set apart special seasons for self-examination, to discover whether things are right between God and his soul. The God whom we worship is a great heart-searcher; and of old his servants knew him as "the Lord which searcheth the heart and trieth the reins of the children of men." Let me stir you up in his name to make diligent search and solemn trial of your state, lest you come short of the promised rest. That which every wise man does, that which God himself does with us all, I exhort you to do with yourself this evening. Let the oldest saint look well to the fundamentals of his piety, for grey heads may cover black hearts: and let not the young professor despise the word of warning, for the greenness of youth may be joined to the rottenness of hypocrisy. Every now and then a cedar falls into our midst. The enemy still continues to sow tares among the wheat. It is not my aim to introduce doubts and fears into your mind; nay, verily, but I shall hope the rather that the rough wind of self-examination may help to drive them away. It is not security, but carnal security, which we would kill; not confidence, but fleshly confidence, which we would overthrow; not peace, but false peace, which we would destroy. By the precious blood of Christ, which was not shed to make you a hypocrite, but that sincere souls might show forth his praise, I beseech you, search and look, lest at the last it be said of you, "Mene, Mene, Tekel: thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."
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Today's reading: Obadiah 1, Revelation 9 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Obadiah 1

Obadiah’s Vision
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom—
We have heard a message from the LORD:
An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”—
2 “See, I will make you small among the nations;
you will be utterly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks
and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.
5 “If thieves came to you,
if robbers in the night—
oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?

Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 9

1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them....
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Advent-Header-2011
Welcome to the fourth week of Advent!

We begin each week of Advent with a series of short readings from Scripture to help focus your thoughts on the meaning of Christmas. Some of the devotionals later in the week will reflect back on these readings, which include passages from the Old and New Testament, including Psalms and the Gospels.

This week's Scripture reading:(click here to read these passages on Bible Gateway)
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Welcome to the fourth week of Advent!

We begin each week of Advent with a series of short readings from Scripture to help focus your thoughts on the meaning of Christmas. Some of the devotionals later in the week will reflect back on these readings, which include passages from the Old and New Testament, including Psalms and the Gospels.

This week's Scripture reading:(click here to read these passages on Bible Gateway)
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FRB-Christmas-Story-BookCover-SmallReading 13: The Shepherds and the Angels

Bethlehem was ordinarily a quiet town. But on the night that Jesus was born there, something happened outside of town--something spectacular!

Luke 2:8-20
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Further Study
JUST THE FACTS
  1. Who appeared to the shepherds out in the fields? (v. 9)
  2. What did he say? (vv. 10 – 11)
  3. What happened after this angel made his announcement? (v. 13)
LET’S TALK
  1. Why were the shepherds terrified to see the angel and “the glory of the Lord”? (v. 9) How would you feel if you were camping out and saw this phenomenon?
  2. What did the shepherds do after they went to see Jesus in the manger? Why?
WHY THIS MATTERS

The story of Jesus’ birth had to be told, and the shepherds became witnesses to the indescribable miracle of the Messiah’s coming. This story has amazed people for centuries, just as it amazed the shepherds and the people they told.

POINTS OF INTEREST

2:14 The hymn of the angels is called the “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” which is the refrain of the song “Angels We Have Heard on High” that we sing during the Christmas season. The phrase “Glory to God” praises the majesty of God, who dwells “in the highest” in heaven.
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Family Reading BibleToday's reading is from:The Family Reading Bible 

Additional resources:

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A Christmas Devotional

PRINCE

And he will be called...Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6
In ancient times, princes, whether they desired it or not, often became warriors. Rulers of nations may talk about peace, but nothing is more elusive than peace. And so, when Isaiah talked about a child who would be born, a son who would be given, who would be called "Prince of Peace," it sounded like high rhetoric, wishful thinking. Could it ever possibly happen?
When you look at the life of Jesus, it hardly appears to be a life of peace. He was in constant conflict with people who had invented their own ideas about God, and with people who really didn't want God to meddle in their affairs at all. Jesus had enemies. In the end, he died a most violent death, which had been preceded by humiliating abuse. His followers were harassed and persecuted. Fishermen died as martyrs.
Yet, it is in Jesus' sacrifice that he became Prince of Peace. Only when the chief enemies of humanity-sin, death, evil-were defeated could people live at peace with God, with themselves, and with the world.
And so, yes, he was the Prince of Peace. The angel was right in saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace..."(Lk. 2:14). The apostle Paul offered a sincere blessing of peace when he said: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way" (2 Thess. 3:16).
This is the kind of prince-a ruler brand new to the world-that the prophecies had described. So when we think of Bethlehem, we must remember that it was not the stable that made this baby unique, nor the virtues of Mary or Joseph, nor the angelic presence, nor any other feature of those extraordinary days, as important as they are. The child was remarkable, because Jesus is the only prince to truly bring a lasting peace-a peace that has lasted for millennia, and will last into eternity.
Where do you need to find peace in your life at this time? Your family? Your workplace? Your inner life? We can be assured of this, God is for peace and reconciliation, and God wants to bring order where there has been chaos in our lives.
Prayer for today:
Lord, I know there will be battles in my life, and I know that some fights between what is right and what is wrong are necessary. But help me to live in the calm and confidence that you have made it possible for me to live at peace with you.
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About The Author - Mel Lawrenz serves as minister at large for Elmbrook Church and leads The Brook Network. Having been in pastoral ministry for thirty years, the last decade as senior pastor of Elmbrook, Mel seeks to help Christian leaders engage with each other. Mel is the author of eleven books, the most recent for church leaders, Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement.

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