grafted in and on the journey

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is November 28 in my corner of blog land, still 2017. In about one month, cold and related seasonal conditions will be rampant in my area as is the case with the onset of the winter season. The Mayo Clinic newsletter, Housecall, recently had an article about the different types of thermometers, mostly digital. Briefly, there are pacifier thermometers that are best used with very young children who might use pacifiers. One thing to note is that to get an accurate temperature, the pacifier thermometer has to be in the child's mouth for at least three minutes. There is also a digital thermometer for the armpit, mouth, and rectum. It is strongly suggested to have two thermometers if one is going to be used for recording rectal temperature, and the other for oral or mouth temperature. Evidently, temperature recordings from the armpit are the least accurate. Current Book Reading I am currently reading "The Centurion's Wife" which i...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is October 17, a cool day with temperatures in the mid 50s or mid teens Celsius, in my corner of blog land. I just ran across an interesting article about apologies. Did you know that several types exist? This article is copied here from the grammar site, www.grammargirl.com. It's good mental and Spiritual health to not only practice forgiving, but also apologizing when necessary. I share this post: ------- If you follow this apology template step by step, it will helps you explain clearly what you did and understand how you affected someone else. Rather than having you fill in the blanks, it helps you find the words to say what you really mean. By Samantha Enslen, read by Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl October 12, 2017 A picture of a woman who might need to write an apology letter. OK, let’s admit it. None of us really likes to apologize when we’ve done something wrong.  In fact, the ways we avoid apologies are so common they’ve been gi...

Hello Grafted In Readers! Yep, the exclamation point means this is going to be a special post. I'll start with the good news! **** The anthology, "Waiting For Messiah" is about to be released on Smashwords.com in E-book format. Smashwords – Waiting for Messiah – a book by David Russell https://www.smashwords.com › Fiction › ReligiousResult details Discover the Messiah in a different way with this collection of stories about Christ from a Messianic Jew point of view. Smashwords – About David Russell, author of 'Waiting for Messiah' https://www.smashwords.com › Fiction › ReligiousResult details This is the biography page for David Russell. ... Books. Waiting for Messiah by David Russell. Pre-release—available September 13, 2017. Price: $3.98 USD. Six authors including me, created 12 stories and one free-verse poem set at the beginning of the Common Era, and imagine what it was like for some Bible persons to have encountered Messiah Yeshua, Christ Jesus....

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is August 25 in my corner of blog land. I am soooo glad to tell you our humid weather has broken like a fever! Weekend temps will be in the mid 20s C during the day, around 10 degrees C overnight. Love it! Today, we'll talk about our stomachs, bellies, guts. The Mayo Clinic newsletter, HouseCall and Science Magazine newsletter are our resources for this post. HouseCall talks about something called "Nervous Stomach." It usually is a term used when tests fail to show the presence of an ulcer or gallstone for example. You might have to suggest or ask about more testing. Anyhow the symptoms of "nervous stomach" are said to be: anxiety, bloating, changes in bowel habits, e.g. times you poop, and frequent indigestion. I was listening to the daily radio news program, All Things Considered, on Thursday, and they referenced this piece from "Science" online about a study concerning stomach bacteria and diet. I am posting ...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is August 17 in my corner of blog land. I am hoping we have thunder-showers today, cooler temperatures prevail, and the near 28 degree C temperature in our house drops to perhaps 22 C or thereabouts in the near future. I must still have thick blood, though they say as we age, we prefer warmer temps. Hmm. I want to share a health tip and a book review with you this post since Monday begins the Jewish calendar month of Elul. It is the period just before the High Holidays, and in brief, is the period where G-d invites us back to Himself from where we are or have been in those areas of life that have separated us from G-d. The health tip is from the Mayo Clinic newsletter, HouseCall. Flat Stomach When it comes to a flat stomach, diet and exercise, not undergarments, are what count. Core exercises can strengthen and tone the underlying muscles. Core exercise examples include abdominal crunches, leg-lifts, fitness ball, Pilates, and bridge poses. Bo...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Thursday, August 3 in my corner of blog land. I titled this post "Those Memories of You" for a couple different reasons: -The Sabbath this week follows a special date in Jewish History known as Tisha B'Av on which the Jewish people may observe a fast to mourn the destruction of the two Jewish temples in history. The theme for the upcoming Sabbath, (August 5) is "Shabbat Nachamu" which means Shabbat of Comfort. Isaiah chapter 40 is the Haftarah portion for this date. It starts, "Comfort you, comfort you my people." -Another reason for the title, I have two close friends who recently lost loved ones, and another friend lost a job suddenly only after being hired. Loss is a part of everyone's life! Comfort is the most appropriate to give someone in times of loss be it simply listening or just acknowledgement and presence. Turning our attention to general health, The Mayo Clinic Housecall newsletter this week ha...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is the last day of March in my corner of blog land. Tomorrow we begin April, and according to the book of Exodus, (Shemot) it is also the month of Nisan in which the Festival of Passover occurs. Biblically speaking, Happy New Year! See Exodus chapter 12. Remember, the Hebrew calendar is lunar/solar whose months start with the appearance of the new moon. As we continue our look back at faith heritage, I want to share with you this post, a short commentary from the Website www.torah.org. It is based on the reading for this week from the Torah and in particular, Leviticus 1 through Leviticus chapter 5 verse 26. This will give you a snapshot of what this book is about and the belief of the time. ----- Note from the Director Perfection In this week’s reading, we begin the third of the 5 Books of Moses, Vayikra, or Leviticus. It was undoubtedly dubbed "Leviticus" because much of it concerns the Temple services, done by the Kohanim, the Pr...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is March 27, in my corner of blog land. I titled this post, Don't Know Much About History, based on a popular song in the recent past sung by various artists, which espouses romantic love as a certainty even though the lyricist claims not to be an expert in the humanities. Recently, I learned from some discussion with others that history today focuses on the reason for events as opposed to when events occurred. When we read Bible stories, there is a school of thought called Purpose History that encourages a similar approach. It encourages us to ask: Who is the audience? What are they being told? What reaction might they have to what they're being told? What is the ultimate result of this information they have received? How would you or how do you respond to this? This removes the us versus them or minimizes it. You realize human beings were living and responding to something occurring then for some reason. For example, the last three min...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is the second day of Spring or Autumn depending on what side of the equator one is on. I am on the side favoring Spring. I love many of you on the Autumnal side though. I appreciate a couple of you who have subscribed to my blog from the UK. A few weeks ago I subscribed to the Weekly Prayer Letter by author and teacher, Joseph Shulam. He is based in Israel, and has an international ministry but this particular newsletter has been of interest. I share the content with you as it fits in our current look at faith heritage. I title this post, Looking At Words, because that is what this reflection by Mr. Shulam is largely about. I hope you enjoy and are also informed. ------- The Jerusalem Prayer List – February 23, 2017 By Joseph Shulam  – From Belo-Horizonte, Brazil We have been in Brazil for a week.  In the city of Vitoria we had the privilege of inaugurating a new congregation.  The name of the new congregation is Hesed V’Emet – Grace and Truth.  ...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is March 15 in my corner of blog land, historically known as the Eides of March. On this historic date before the common era, Roman ruler Julius Caesar was put to death as he was deemed to be too dictatorial for what several wanted from Roman rule. They wanted more leniency from Government. Several decades later, during the latter part of the first century when the Messianic believers were both consisting of Jew and non-Jew, customs and culture were being worked out. Most worshipped on the Sabbath, and many observed the "law of Moses" as it defined moral and ethical behavior toward humanity and personal regard and reverence for G-d. According to an online article titled "Understanding Acts 15" by Robert Clanton from www.auburn.edu, he notes there are two types of gentiles, non-Jews, described throughout the Bible. -Proselytes: This person is also called the "sojourner" as he might be regarded as Jewish in religion. The...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Monday in my corner of Blog Land. A taste of winter has returned to my corner or region of blog land, and some parts are anticipated to receive major amounts of snow over the next couple of days. Our previous month had several days of above normal temperatures and now we are being reminded that the season of Spring is yet to arrive. Meantime, we continue looking at faith practice in the light of Jewish heritage. Today our thoughts are courtesy of an article by Messianic Rabbi, Russ Resnik, from The Messianic Times. It is titled, Purim, Passover and the Hidden Messiah "Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Isaiah 53:1 Citing Rabbi Resnik, "The phrase, the arm of the Lord, normally describes the mighty and undeniable acts of God. It reminds us of Passover, when God revealed himself openly to Israel and Egypt by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Isaiah says that "He is one fro...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Friday, and at sunset, the weekly Sabbath will begin in our corners of the world. This has occurred each week since creation for an estimated 5771 years. As mentioned in my last post, we are going to spend a few posts looking at our Jewish heritage as persons who practice faith. It is a vast subject, and one that we can only brush against here. If you are curious and pressed for time, start by perusing Bible History Daily from the Website, Biblical Archaeology Society, or grab a copy of their magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review and read some articles inside. I was given an online membership to the Website by my family, and found a very interesting article at Bible History Daily under the Beginnings of Christianity where I would like to begin our look today. About six years ago, officials in the country of Turkey announced that through ground-penetration radar, a well-preserved large church building had been located. This church is in Laodicea,...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is February 23, 2017 in my corner of blog land. This is the last post by me as a 64 year-old blogger, as in a couple days I have a birthday! When I took the course, Developmental Psychology, over forty years ago, age 60 and over was considered elderly. Whether that has changed or not, I haven't noticed. Anyhow, today I was looking at the Mayo Clinic newsletter, HouseCall, and they had some tips on the issue of falling. This is a leading cause of injury for older adults. I paraphrase the recommendations offered. - Wear sensible footwear, no high heels, pick footwear with non-skid soles. Choose slippers that fit properly. - Keep moving. Consider walks, water workout, or a gentle form of balance exercise called tai chi. - When visiting your primary care provider, discuss what eye or ear disorders contribute to risk of falls. Review what supplements or medications are taken, especially those considered to be sedating or anti-depressant. Some adju...

Hello Grafted In Readers, For Valentines Day which is February 14, I would like to feature a flash fiction story I composed titled, The Umteenth Valentines Day. Do Barry and Belinda love by letting each live their life, or do they love by doing what the market specialists advise? Any comments, please leave them after you read this. ------- The Umteenth Valentines Day David Russell Barry put his coffee cup in the sink, put on his winter jacket, stepped out into the big winter chill and began to scrape the overnight ice off the front of his Ford Torus. He thought, "I'm tired of these damned cold February mornings. The car barely starts. I always have to scrape the windows. On and on and on. Sheesh, when will it end?" These thoughts were not new to Barry. They rumbled like a train through his head on schedule every winter. They started after the first of the year, and traveled like a train with 175 cars going at a cautious rate of speed until the last one passed o...

Hello Grafted in Readers, Today is February 6, 2017 in my corner of blog land. It is my dad's 92nd birthday and also the birthday of baseball great George (Babe) Ruth. It is said of him, Babe Ruth, in 1929 he earned more money than the US President to which he responded that he did more than the US President that year. Maybe so. Dad is still living and fortunately has many of his faculties about him! This week, the Mayo Clinic Newsletter, HouseCall, has a brief article about the condition, pneumonia. It seems to be most rampant during the winter months in north America. Various organisms are the possible cause for pneumonia in humans. Pneumonia is defined as an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The lungs fill with fluid or pus. This can cause cough with phlegm or fluid, fever, chills and difficulty breathing. Medication treatment is recommended by a healthcare provider qualified to do so. In the anthology world, work continues on both the Forgiveness ...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is January 30, 2017 in my corner of blog land. Winter has returned, although in a mild form with at least an inch of snow outdoors and temps seasonal. That's fine with me. I continue reading the memoir of former US First Lady, Laura Bush, wife of former US President George Bush. She has an interesting story and background in both writing and teaching. Their twin girls are named after their respective mothers. The book is titled, Spoken From The Heart by Laura Welch-Bush. I continue to be involved with work on two anthologies. One is on the theme of forgiveness and will tentatively be released in Spring. The second, Waiting for Messiah, tentatively will be released late summer. It will feature about fifteen stories or poems centered around first century citizens of Israel awaiting the arrival of Messiah and what the wait may have been like for them. The authors are doing a very fine job at imagining likely emotions and circumstances in retellin...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Friday January 13, 2017 in my corner of blog land. For the past few days I have had a "common cold" for which there is no cure. The "HouseCall Newsletter" from Mayo Clinic though suggests some remedies to possibly make one feel less agitated during these experiences. The common cold can last for up to two weeks. I did add a remedy of my own today that I used as the title of this post; yes it is a bit high-brow I know for a mellow rock listener but hey. The folks at Mayo Clinic recommend the following remedies to not rid the cold but ease the misery of one. - Rest and hydration with water, juice, clear broth, or warm lemon water with honey. This evidently loosens congestion. Coffee, (oops), caffeinated sodas, and alcoholic drinks can make dehydration worse. - Add moisture to the air. Use a humidifier or a vaporizer. - Take Over-the-counter medications or decongestants as directed! These will differ for children and adults. -...

Hello Grafted In Readers, This is our first post of 2017, January 5, and it is cold outside in my corner of blog land. Somewhere below freezing and slightly above 0 Fahrenheit but probably in the low teens if that. Cold! I'm not as being indoors for two days settles that issue for me! There are a few topics to highlight today. -On the health front, the Mayo Clinic newsletter, Housecall, has an interesting article about sleep and weight loss. It might take a few minutes to fully wake up from sleep, especially deep sleep, because growth hormones, stress hormones, and insulin hormones get released when we are in deep sleep. Everything goes back to some type of normal. If we get fragmented sleep or poor sleep, is there really a difference, then we snack the next day and might eventually gain some weight. The hunger hormone is complaining and being passive aggressive. My interpretation from being a parent. The Mayo experts tell us to consider changing the type of pillow. Look at w...