1: 8

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 

- Exodus 1: 8

Source:

JPS Tanakh 1917

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing all a healthy and prosperous 2023! Blessings!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! Blessings!

On Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah to all. Yes, tonight is the first night of eight. I am a unity kind of guy. Hence, the name of this blog. I believe everyone can celebrate Hanukkah. I think Jesus, who was a Jew, was also a unity and inclusive guy. After all, Jesus did say: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people[a] to myself (John 12:32).” Of course, this idea has sometimes been taken out of context. The story of Hanukkah can be found in the deuterocanonical books (which some Protestant denominations refer to as the Apocrypha) of First and Second Maccabees. But, enough about my views. In this post I am sharing an article on aish.com by Rabbi Ken Spiro. The article is titled: What Hanukkah Is Really About. I hope you enjoy reading. Click on the following link.

What Hanukkah Is Really About - Aish.com

References:

Bible, NRSVUE

https://aish.com/what-hanukkah-is-really-about/

South Sudan's education challenge

A recent feature story from the World Council of Churches caught my attention. It was about a current challenge in the education system in South Sudan. The article states "South Sudan churches are playing a significant role in the country’s education, but food shortages are keeping millions of children out of school.” The story gets more in-depth when the following stats are provided:

The situation is critical in the world’s youngest nation, where more than 2.8 million or more than 72 percent of the children are not in school. For those who attend school, three-quarters start morning classes with empty stomachs, while a quarter find no food when they return home. More than 4.5 million children in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF (oikoumene.org).

Humanitarian assistance is needed. Read more at the following link. Blessings!

South Sudan education gets a boost, even as food shortages keep children out of school | World Council of Churches

Reference:

https://www.oikoumene.org/news/south-sudan-education-gets-a-boost-even-as-food-shortages-keep-children-out-of-school

The empathy alarms

Yes, there are many who did the soup kitchen thing 5 years ago and are still sounding the empathy alarm. Of course, that's fine if you don't use it to judge others. Jesus, however, supposedly said the following.

“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (Matthew 6:2-3) ….

I would assume we all catch Jesus’ drift on this. Obviously, keeping it quite on acts of charity is probably the best route. This isn’t saying not to be charitable, but it is saying don’t be like hypocrites when doing so. 

Hope you enjoyed reading. Blessings!

 

 

Reference:

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

On American resilience

We often hear that Americans are very resilient. The most catastrophic thing could perhaps happen to us, and we seem to shake it off, and move on soon after. That's seemingly true; however, I think there are other possible factors which create that appearance.

Americans, also, work very hard. We are always on the go. In a way, this fact justifies our economic prosperity. The thing is we seem to barely have time for much. Sometimes I think that podcasts and audio books are so popular these days because it's something we can do or cram while commuting to and from places of work or school. I am not saying we don't read, but we probably don't have much time. And reading is exceedingly important. I believe reading more really well written material helps us write better ourselves, plus it's a very much needed brain exercise, especially as one ages. A close friend says that a person who doesn't write well, probably can't think well either. Back to resilience, however.

I don't doubt we are really that much resilient. I believe we just don't leave much time in our day for much else. Sometimes we barely get enough sleep, and sleep deprivation isn't good for our health. Of course, pharmaceutical companies and those who work for them probably don't mind. I am just writing down my thoughts, but I think we may need to slow down a little bit. Perhaps we should, as they say, stop and smell the flowers, or at least look at them. Maybe we should try to attend church, mosque, or temple, at least once a week, if we don't have that practice. I am just tossing out ideas. You can go to the park or beach and meditate...whatever works for you. I am done here, but think about it. Blessings!