31 March, 2013

Easter 3-31-13




He is Risen Indeed !!!! Alleluia!!!!

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
By: Latin carol, 14th cent.
Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly king, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured; Alleluia!
Now above the sky he’s king, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
Praise eternal as his love; Alleluia!
Praise him, all you heavenly host, Alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!

29 March, 2013

Good Friday


The Good Friday Gospel

John 18:12-19:42

12So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him.
13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. 15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.
28Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)33Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.
19Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” 8Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 13When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.”
16Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus;17and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.
19Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
38After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

24 March, 2013

Bliss or something close to it

I took a much needed trip to see some friends. I rode up with them and took the train back from Fresno to Bakersfield and the Amtrak thru bus to Union Station. At Union Station I picked up the LAX Flyaway bus which took me to the airport where my family met me. 
A wonderful trip. Too short. This is that wonderful time before the tourists come in droves. 



 Someone is not happy Mommy is going bye. 
 The sand beach at our friends relatives cottage. Water level is low. 
 You can see how high the water was and it's still low. 
 Wawona Lodge getting ready to open for vacationers.
 Driving in the Sierra Foothills
 This lightning struck tree has been standing there for nearly 20 years. 
 Looking at the magnificent Yosemite Valley. 
 More of the same.
 Half Dome with snow on it's top. 
 Me at the lookout. 
 A distant view of Bridal Veil Falls
 Bridal Veil Falls
 The stream flowing beneath Bridal Veil Falls
 Bridal Veil Falls
 Upper Yosemite Falls 
 Ancient Rock that is still moving
 Upper Yosemite Falls
 Lower Yosemite Falls
 The bottom of Lower Yosemite FAlls, with people scrambling on the rocks
 Lower Falls rest area
 Lower Falls 
 The California Mining and Mineral Museum, which was closed
 My evil twin at the Mariposa Fruit and Nut Company
 Flowering Trees in Oakhurst
A deck looking off into the 3/4 acre yard. 

14 March, 2013

A sermon

I got jumped on yesterday on FB for posting about the Roman Catholic Church and the new pope, I was defending my daughter who later took the post down. So I posted this on my page. Agree or not, I am entitled to my beliefs. 




To answer a question that was asked of me, I believe that the most vile of criminals and miscreants who reach the moment of death with the name of Christ on their lips are saved.

I believe that no one but God knows how long creation took, a day in the sight of the Lord is not what we call a day. I do not believe that humans and dinosaurs existed together. believe that science is created by God 
and who are we to question his infinite wisdom and glory.

I believe that the Lord offers salvation to all and it's our choice to believe or not to believe. I believe in openness to all and that a loving God would turn no one away.

I believe that it is a woman's right to chose what is best for her and her life. I don't believe that men have the right to dictate that to any woman, no matter where. Abortion is a decision made between a woman and God. It is not a choice that is lightly made by most. Standing on a corner with photoshopped signs yelling at people doesn't solve the problem. Where are those people when the mom they convinced to have the child has no means of support, can't afford food and supplies, babysitting so she could have a job? And the white GOP representatives are planning on cutting money that would affect the poorest among us while leaving the richest to get richer on the backs of the middle class.

I believe that the priests or teachers in a position above children/young adults who committed crimes against children should not be quietly hidden away in monasteries to repent their crimes or moved to another school. They should be tried to the full extent of the law and those who hid them in plain sight should be deal with as accomplices.

I believe that Jesus Christ associated with sinners daily and did not exclude anyone. I believe he taught love and compassion over all. I believe that Jesus Christ is infinite in his love for all as are the other members of the trinity. I also believe that he turned the water into wine at the wedding in Cana, not grape juice.

I would be very disappointed in a church that excluded someone from communion because they are in a different synod. I find the fact that the MoSynod chastised the pastor of the church in Newtown CT for participating in a multi faith service of remembrance particularly heinous. Churches that practice exclusion because someone uses an NRSV, NIV, or other translation in lieu of the KJV make me see red.

I do not judge people by their sexual preference. I have too many friends who I would have to exclude from my life and it would be that much to much for me.

So this is my sermon. I am a person who is fallible. I don't live up to what God expects of me daily, but I know that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ saves me. 

13 March, 2013

Away away away I go.





I am escaping from the rat race for a few days. I am going to Oakhurst, CA which is in the gold country. I hope to be able to go into the Yosemite Valley and visit Bass Lake. I will be riding up there with my hosts, and the take the train home from Fresno. I will be on the train till Bakersfield, where I get an Amtrak Thruway Bus which will take me to Union Station. 





Then I will re enter the rat race of LA by taking the Red Line to the Blue Line to the Green Line and be delivered about 2 miles from home. This should be an adventure. 


So there will be no news from the ranch from Saturday till Wednesday night. 

Peace!!
da bunny

10 March, 2013

Gonna see a comet tonight= Updated

So the errant spouse says will you go to the shore tonight to see the comet COMET PAN-STARRS ?

Why not? So we'll go to the Esplanade lean against the car and see if we can see it at twilight. 

I remember seeing the Hale Bopp comet over the empty sky of the Arizona desert. That was a thrill. 

I hate daylight savings time. My internal clock does not like it. 


da bunny and her butt pillow dog

Did not see a comet. Too much haze. We did however see this:









07 March, 2013

Winter Storm Warning.. or so they say.

There's sun and the palm trees are winding in the wind. Doesn't feel like rain, but there are grey clouds offshore and it could bring rain. Usually it's north or south of us. It doesn't rain on the righteous you know.......(quickly looking outside to see if an angel with a flaming sword is coming for me)..

Things around the ranch are about normal. We sent out feelers about adopting a female GSP but so far no cat tolerant ones in our age range. Considering our cat would beat the crap out of any dog she didn't like, even at age 15, we'll bide our time.

I've no words of wisdom today. I feel like there is an elephant sitting on the right side of my chest. A long hot shower and perhaps a touch of Vicks might be the thing. No coughing just a feeling that my chest is full. Where's that suction?

I may be going away in the middle of the month. Drive up and take the train back. Flying is 4x the train fare. Actually you only take the train about 100 miles and then you get on a bus for the remainder. If I leave early enough then I can take the metro train all the way back to the neighborhood. I only need a backpack for my clothes. 2 pair of shoes. A chance to see Yosemite in the spring. Sounds good to me.



Life is ok. Not perfect but not total suckage either. 

Peace. 
da bunny