grafted in and on the journey

Post Holiday Greeting Grafted In Readers, Do you feel like you are in the middle of two holidays? You are. Currently, Hanukkah is ongoing. Christmas occurred on December 24 and 25 in the west. New Years Eve and New Years Day occur over the weekend in the west. The eighth day of Hanukkah is very early next week also. We probably find ourselves reflecting, thinking, wanting to nap, wondering can we return to normal, wanting to live on the wild side, be done with words, be done with events, just read a book, view a movie or television program, have this moment and what it contains pass. Whatever the annoyance and our perceived quick fix I found a quote by writer Monica Johnson, on brainyquote.com that I like. It fits her and all of us: Regret is not a proactive feeling. It is situated in disappointment, sorrow, even remorse. It merely wishes things were different without an act to cause a difference. However, repentance is different. Repentance is an admission of, hatr...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Are you about ready to settle down for a long winter's nap if you live on the side of the equator where December 21st issues in the season of Winter, today? You're not alone! No, not depressed but glad we are having temperatures that will be slightly above freezing for the next few days. To our friends in the UK, Happy Summer, enjoy those "barbees and outdoor activities." You deserve to have this season of fun! I titled this post with the generality, Come What May, and one of those things is the end of the year top stories, top songs, top memories, and of course top words. In the US, The Merriam Webster Dictionary publishers chose surreal as their word of the year, but the Oxford English Dictionary went with post-truth. I will cite a portion of their definition here: "Relating to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion..." Being an election "era" where debates went on fo...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Monday, December 5, 2016, in my corner of blog land. Temperatures remain mild and somewhat wet where I live, but we could get a couple meters of snow later this week! It is nearing winter and of course, snow time here. This morning, I composed a Letter To The Editor of one of our local newspapers that I would like to share with you. There is a considerable amount of writing that many in the western church still ignore that puts a positive light on the Jewishness of Yeshua. My letter, less than 200 words is in question format, and challenges pastors, priests and all of us as persons of faith to consider thanking our ancestors for the heritage we have as believers and Christians. This is my post today. If you wish to copy and share it, be my guest! --------- Dear Editor/Reader: Where is the little town of Bethlehem? For religious observance of Christmas, can clergy stand in front of their congregations and publicly thank the Jewish faith fo...