187 Too Old for Coffee (Deut 34)

I'm getting old.
Well older.
Obviously we all are, but it's how you find out that is buggin' me at the moment.
There's my hair, well my lack of it.
My son has just rubbed the top of my head and commented gleefully about the scarcity of growth.
(Him seeing I was blogging about my lack of hair may or may not have been a trigger. Grrrr)
And it's just not the top of my head that's a magnet to my offsprings' comments.
My eyebrows are, weirdly, growing.
Or is that growing weirdly, into some freaky mutant mad hattery sticky out eyebrowy things.
Annn-oooyyy-ing.
My stubble is gone from "salt and pepper" to "salt and oh my goodness what's that?"
My knees aren't keeping up with my treks up and down the stairs.
My hip can get proppy if I sleep in an odd position.
But worst of all.
Far worse.
My body can't cope with coffee after 6:30 at night.
I mean, it likes it.  It wants it.
It really, really wants it.
But if I dare, my eyes won't close before 1 maybe 2 the next morning.
Darn.
Because it can mean that on some nights, say, like tonight.
If I go out and get home later, like tonight.
I can't have a lovely, refreshing, awesome warm drink of coffee.
And my brain goes all gooey and fails at putting two thoughts together.
Sometimes struggles putting one thought together.
Oh, the pain and suffering.
I may have to try decaf.
It can't really come to that.
Can it?
Maybe I'll try tea.


Or never go out again past 6:30.

Deuteronomy 34
Well, it's taken about a year.
So many starts and restarts, but I'm finally at the end of Deuteronomy.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
I was getting a tad weary of trying to remember how to spell Deuteronomy.
I hope I never have to type Deuteronomy again.

Moses was 120 when he died.
There was nothing wrong with him.

v7 "His vision was undimmed an his vigour unabated."

But it was time to die.  He saw the land, the promise from the mount.
He knew who would take over.
He had fought.
He had debated.
He had led.
He had sacrificed.
He had done all he could.
And while it could be viewed as a failure, one entire generation was lost.
The hope is there for the lessons to be learnt by this new group.
It's something we can and should take from this story of wandering.
The hope to learn something from a hopeless situation.
The hope to recover.
The hope for something more beyond the lost years of wandering in the desert.

186 Frozen Tomatoes (Deut 33)

It would seem my office fridge has more mysteries than hidden choccie treats.
Today, I delved inside it's shelves for lunch.
Oh, tomatoes.
Didn't I get those a week ago?
Or longer?
They seem ok.
Not manky.
They seem firm.  Really firm.
Perfect.
Until............................
I try and slice one.  It seems tough.  Maybe it's my blunt knife.
Let's try a serrated blade.
Nope.
THE TOMATO IS FROZEN SOLID!
Like a rock.
How does that even happen in a fridge?
How does that even happen in the DOOR of the fridge.
I checked an orange that was sitting next to the tomato.
Fine.
Cold.
But not even close to freezing.
I guess that's one for you science weirdo's wizards.

I ended up with just cheese on my toast.
Nice.  But not tomato.

Deuteronomy 33
A final blessing.
Individual recognition.
Another confirmation of protection and direction.
Yes, another, again.
Just in case it gets missed.
It will.
But, anyway.

There is no equality in the blessing.
Yet there is fairness.

185 BeTwix and Between (Deut 32)

I was scratching around the other day looking for something to finalise an unusually meager lunch.  Luckily I was able to find a long forgotten chocolate bar at the back of the fridge.
Now I have no idea how long it was there.
I can't remember buying it.
I'm the only one with access to the fridge.
It was just there.
I should have investigated the expiry date.
So far, so good.  It must have been ok.
Anyway, you guessed it, I ate it.
Hence my relief at "So far, so good."
And it was awesome!!
Just to top off the experience, I had a glass of milk.
Full cream.
Straight from the fridge.
Magical.
But that's where things went a little bad.
Perhaps I was more peckish than normal due to feeling a tad under the weather.
Not quite the deadly malaise "Man Flu"
But close.
So very close.
And the milk made it, well, oh so much worse.
The cloggy, gluggy masses that kept overflowing my throat after that glass full of white gold were disturbing.
And the cough.
Oh my goodness.  Like some kindergarten glue and stick table gone mad.
All afternoon long.
Hack, hack, gag, swallow, urgh, cough, hack, swallow, breathe, hack, gurgle, hack, cough..........
Apart from that though, it was rather enjoyable.

Oh, it was a Twix. Almost one of my very favourites.
And now one of yours.
I'm sure.

Deuteronomy 32
How hard would this last day of Moses be?
He has worked so hard for this group of people.
He has argued with God.
He has argued with his brother.
He has argued with the people.
He gave so much.
He lost so much in a fit of frustration.
Now he walks up a mountain to die.
In sight of everything he has fought and argued for.
Hard? Maybe.
Just? Maybe not.
Real? Definitely.
Consequences are there all the time.
For doing right.
And for doing wrong.
We rarely question the consequences for doing the right thing.
While we would probably question every single time we are confronted with a consequence for doing wrong.
A bit of a shame, because there is so much more to learn and grow in these times.

184 The Baton is Passed (Deut 31)

So I found the second eldest child of the family, Jacob, standing in front of the fridge, door open, peering intently inside.
"What cha doing?" I enquire.
"Just looking."
"See anything you like?"
"Nope."
Now at the point I'm not expecting the miraculous appearance of a cake or roast chicken or pudding or fudge or anything similar.
But it would appear, I was the only one.
Then, as I watched the door not close, I realised.
This has happened before.
Many, many times.
As the soft light shone forth from within the white, cold keeper of cold things, I still was realising
the baton had been passed on.
From father, to son.
As it should.
It's true what they say of the circle of life.
Something, something, something Hakuna Matata, something, oh, oh, aaahhhh, aahhh, oh, something

Deuteronomy 31
Moses almost last words to the people were
"Be strong and courageous."
To Joshua
"Be strong and courageous."
Daunting words to hear.
Because the implication is..............
Well, you know, stuff's going to happen where you need to be strong and courageous.

It was a big day for Moses, the final commands from God.
He is told he will die soon.
Finishes writing the book of the law.
120th birthday celebrations.
Composes a hit song........
With the wisdom of someone of 119 years, he warns the people that their willingness to rebel against God will have a high price.
He probably told them to speak up, stop playing loud music and get off his lawn as well.
It's not in the passage, but I think you could sort of infer that it happened.
Just like that.

A new chapter is about to begin for the Israelites.
And I'm not talking about number 32.

183 The Word is Near so You can Do It (Deut 30)

I've been sucked into looking at some meme's lately.
The fact that I know the word "meme" instantly increases my coolness factor.
The fact that I think I have a coolness factor, reduces it.
Sigh. Caught in a neverending cycle of cool,not cool, cool.........................
Anyway, these meme's involve a picture of a dog dressed up like a lawyer.
A dog dressed up like a lawyer leaning over a desk, with it's paw on what looks like a legal book.
That's it.
Except for the witty remarks that have a penchant for cracking me up.

"I've been a lawyer since 2010.  That's right 14 years experience."

"You can't afford my lawyer fees?  That's ok, I'll work pro bone-o."

"So your owner played fetch with you, but pretended to throw the ball?  Sounds like a strong case for fraud."

"Maybe it's because I'm a dog.  But this case looks pretty black and white to me."

"There are a few preliminaries before I accept your case.  First of all, I'll have to sniff your butt."

Hilarious stuff.
Tears rolling down my face right now.
Ribs aching.




I guess you need to see the pictures..............................

Deuteronomy 30
v11-14 "For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. 



God won't expect you to do something you can't.
Not just what you think you can't.
Not what you don't want to do.
What you can't.
He knows better than even ourselves what we're capable of.
What we're able to do.
Which is nice to know when you are facing an impossible, make that seemingly impossible, situation.
Each situation that confronts us, we have some way to deal with it.
Provided by God.
There is that moment though when you just need to do something.
Sometimes anything will do.
Sometimes.
Even just have faith.

182 Not a False Dawn (Deut 29)

I don't even know what that means.
"A false dawn".
I can imagine it now.
The sun rises gloriously, it's rays peeking out over the sleeping hills.
(The real big mounds of dirt and rock hills, not us)
Just as the flowers get ready to burst forth into beautiful blooms,
Just as the rooster struts out to sing out his melodious call........
The sun stops yells a random "gotcha"
And sinks back into darkness for another 20 minute shut eye.
A faint "back soon" can almost be heard above the collective "huhs?"
Anyway if that is a false dawn, this isn't it.

Man, now I feel all vampirey or something.
I think my skin is becoming pale.
I long for tomato juice.
My thoughts are getting too odd and I haven't even started to write what I wanted to.
Sigh.
And I really could do a tomato juice now.

I have missed this process.

Deuteronomy 29
The end of this chapter talks of the anger of God towards those who deny him.
Those who saw the miracles from Egypt and still deny him.
Who are stubborn.
Proud.
The punishment is hard.
The punishment is swift.
Yet the early parts of the chapter show that anger doesn't equate to not caring.
Disobedience has a consequence.
Always.
Yet is is not a sign of lack of love or care.
The Israelites had to wander for 40 years because of their lack of belief in God. But, God cared for them through this process.
Nothing wore out.
Not sandles.
Not clothes.
Wait. What!
Not sandles????
Walking in the wilderness.
For 40 years.
Not the sandles.
Grosby eat your heart out.

God's love is unquestionable.
God's care of His people, then and now, is also unquestionable.

Well, I guess you could actually question it.
If you wanted.
But the answer would be.......... Yes He does.

181 A Restart and Who Knows..... (Deut 28)

Exactly what the title suggests.
It's been a long time. Too long.
But nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Cliches, smiches (said smeeshays because I can't do the thingys above the letters to make them sound different)
Onwards.

One of the accomplishments I longed to develop as a teenager was to ride my bike with no hands on the handlebars. I was able to accomplish this with no small degree of skill.
If I do say so myself.
Often riding many streets with my arms folded, balance intact.
I was reminded of this watching a cyclist ride along Margaret Street last week.
Keeping up with the traffic, cruising with grace and poise.
I was also reminded that when I used to do it, I did so in the absence of round abouts.
To his misfortune, this particular cyclist did not.
His balance didn't cope too well, I'm afraid to say, negotiating the slight bends :)

Deuteronomy 28
The difference between obeying and being disobedient.
The blessing versus the opposite of blessing.
But I don't believe the blessing is the biggest reason to obey God's commandments.
Why you are obedient comes into play.
The end result isn't a good enough reason.
It's some incentive for sure. But if it's the only one, the longevity of obedience could be questionable.
Obey God because we want to.
Not because we have to.
This would truly bring prosperity and reward.
Because it is then neither a task to be remembered or a penalty inducer if you have an "off" day.
A bit like blog writing ;)

A positive motivation outguns a negative one.
God has spelled it out, yet without a heart that pursues God, it will fail.

If you haven't seen my stuff before, have a look back through if you like.
It's mostly rubbish.
But there may be stuff of interest.
Maybe