Revelation 21
The New Jerusalem
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 So he took me in the Spirit[b] to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. 12 The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.[c] 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick[d] (according to the human standard used by the angel).
18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones:[e] the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.
22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil[f] will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Revelation 20
The Thousand Years
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit[a] and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
The Defeat of Satan
7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.
10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The Final Judgment
11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave[b] gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Psalm 148
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! 2 Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! 3 Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! 4 Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds! 5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being. 6 He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, 8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,[a] wind and weather that obey him, 9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, 11 kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, 12 young men and young women, old men and children.
13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! 14 He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones— the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord!
Let all that I am praise the Lord. 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. 5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. 7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. 9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem,[b] throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!
Lift my burdens today Dear Abba.

Here are some great pictures James took in San Miguel this summer. Check them out on his slideshow and be awed.
http://www.lonepinevideo.com/gallery.html

Article from AARP
La Vida Cheapo
By Barry Golson, March-April 2004
For 600 bucks a month, retirees in Mexico can live in a three-bedroom home, with a gardener. For a cool thousand...well, you won’t believe it
Page 1 2 »
GUADALAJARA
On a balmy afternoon in Guadalajara, my wife, Thia, and I are relaxing with Janet Levy in the garden of her rented stucco home in a quiet, leafy part of the city. A former assistant to the chief executive of a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization, Levy, 69, settled in Guadalajara in the early '90s—and life since then, she says, has been nothing less than grand.
For starters, there is her standalone three-bedroom house with a maid's room, the kind that might rent for $2,500 a month in an upscale D.C. suburb. "I pay $600 a month," she says. "And that includes the gardener." Levy points out that Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam's Club, and Blockbuster all have stores in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, with a population of 5 million. So when she's not puttering in her garden, Levy can indulge in American-style shopping.

Guide to Mexico Vacation Hotspots
Frequently Asked Questions About Retiring to Mexico
The 15 Best Places in the U.S. to Reinvent Your Life
AARP.org Trips and Travel Channel
Levy is also keen on Mexican health care, which, as we find, is a popular topic among expats. Though U.S. citizens living in Mexico are not covered by Medicare for doctors' visits and medical services (unless they travel back to the U.S.), the national insurance program is available to foreigners and costs about $300 a year. There is private insurance as well, at prices considerably cheaper than in the U.S., though costs have been rising.
As for hospitals, Levy informs us that Guadalajara boasts several excellent facilities, including Hospital San Javier (which has a branch in Puerto Vallarta), Hospital del Carmen, and Americas Hospital. The custom in Mexico is for a family member or friend to stay at the hospital with the patient. Many doctors speak English, but most nurses don't, so some Americans take a Mexican friend who can translate.
Levy says Americans she knows, many on modest incomes, pay for medical expenses out of pocket, because fees and lab costs are so reasonable. They'll use insurance only for major procedures. "I've had back surgery and my gall bladder out, and the care was excellent," she says. Virtually all drugs except controlled substances are available without prescriptions. "I pay $40 an office visit," Levy says. "And did I mention how nice it is to sit and really talk to a doctor?"
Why are we in Guadalajara? Well, after 30 years with only a few weeks off each year, my wife and I both suddenly found ourselves between jobs. Ordinarily, I'd have done what I've done in the past—immediately hit the pavement in search of work. But this time it struck me: What's the hurry?
So, while we're not ready for retirement ourselves, having just skittered past the midpoint of our 50s, we thought we'd use the extended downtime to travel and check out possible places to settle.
We had another reason for traveling south of the border: to see what it would cost. According to my research, something like half of the people in my generation haven't saved enough to retire comfortably. Meaning, if we hope to kick back in the lifestyle to which we've become accustomed, one of three things will have to happen. We'll have to either a) save a lot of money fast or b) win the lottery.
Or, alternatively, we could move to Mexico. I'd read a few of those how-to-retire books that claim you can live in Mexico on $400 a month, with all the frijoles you can eat, and my skeptical reaction was, "Oh, really?" So, I checked some other sources and found that, while our own lifestyle would take a considerable hit if we tried to get by on $400 a month, the cost of living well in Mexico can be quite low indeed. Our curiosity was piqued.
Barry Golson's book Gringos in Paradise was published in November 2006. Visit our Books channel to read a review and an excerpt.
As for the language barrier, I retain a ragged fluency in Spanish, having lived in Mexico for a few years as a child. Thia speaks only the Spanish she's picked up from restaurant menus. In other words, we were about as proficient as most American couples considering a move to Mexico. We charted a course through a "retirement belt" that stretches from central Mexico to the Pacific coast and is an increasingly popular destination for thousands of Americans seeking to settle in sunnier climes and less expensive venues. The plan was to meet, chat with, and generally poke our noses into the lives of retirees.
We make Guadalajara our first stop because the State Department estimates that more than 50,000 Americans live in the area. We find a lot to like about what guidebooks call the "most Mexican of cities," not least of all its graceful architecture, matchless Orozco murals, and extremely friendly and accommodating citizens. We spend several days sightseeing, listening to street corner mariachis, and antiquing and boutiquing in the arts-and-crafts suburb of Tlaquepaque. We eat well, with dinners for two—including appetizers and a cocktail apiece—rarely topping $25.
We are surprised to learn, therefore, that the majority of American transplants no longer settle in Guadalajara proper. Instead, retirees generally head south to the Lake Chapala area, about 45 minutes away by car. "The city once was a draw for retirees, but no more," says Michael Forbes, a trim, transplanted Brit in his 40s, over a breakfast of huevos rancheros. Forbes is the editor of western Mexico's most widely read English-language weekly newspaper, The Guadalajara Colony Reporter, and has witnessed the routine: "People come down and look around, but 95 percent of them head elsewhere. Lake Chapala, with its year-round temperate climate and all those like-minded people, can seem like a paradise."
Janet Levy disagrees. She likes Guadalajara's many fine museums, the symphony, the big-city life. "I'd get bored at Lakeside," she declares, using the name Americans have given the large expatriate colony around Lake Chapala. "Why, there are people there who never even come into Guadalajara." This is the first volley we witness of the popular retirement sport—putting down where other retirees live.
We decide to scope out Lakeside for ourselves.
Guadalajara scorecard (on a scale of 1 to 10)
Looks 7 (lovely downtown);
Charm 6;
Culture 9;
Shopping 10;
Medical facilities 9;
Other Americans 2 (not so many as we expected);
Wow factor—wonderful nighttime plaza life.
Thia's review: "Big city, love the shopping, but not being able to speak Spanish can be frustrating."
Barry's review: "Nice place to visit, shop, and see doctors, but not to live in."
LAKESIDE
We pack our bags and taxi south to Lake Chapala, a $30 ride. The view as we approach is breathtaking—a 50-mile-long lake, no urban haze, all sun and hills and marshes. Idyllic, but looks can be deceiving: the lake is polluted by industrial waste upriver. Where once there was fishing and water sports, the lake is now a view, nothing more. There have been ongoing efforts to clean it up, including a hands-around-the-lake protest several years ago, but significant results seem a long way off.
The retirement zone comprises two communities along the lake, a few miles apart: the funky, more Mexican village of Chapala, where gringos and locals live mostly side by side, and Ajijic (pronounced ah-hee-heek), where many Americans and Canadians live apart from the natives in pricey gated communities. Ajijic straddles a highway strip whose shop signs are half in English, half in Spanish, but the town does have its Mexican charms: a few blocks in from the main highway, for instance, you'll find small plazas, quaint churches, and solemn donkeys pulling carts.
Our guide at Lakeside is Ruth Ross-Merrimer, 69, an irrepressible dame with a sardonic wit. A Californian who worked in documentaries, Ross-Merrimer has lived here for 20 years and has reported on the social scene for several local English-language publications. She has also self-published a novel called Champagne and Tortillas, which pokes satirical fun at a retirement community not unlike Lakeside. She can be tart about the goings-on around the lake, but also boasts about the amateur theater, the October concerts, and the opera season, as well as the charity work done by the gringo population, which includes a large number of Canadians. "Some people do live in gated bubbles," she says at the lively Ajijic Grill, where we meet. "But most had enough of an adventurous spirit to move to Mexico in the first place. They were doers, and they pour a lot of that energy into local charities. It's either that or Margarita City."
Whether you move to Guadalajara, Lakeside, or elsewhere in Mexico, Ross-Merrimer advises, be prepared for culture shock. "The two cultures have opposing attitudes toward wealth, death, time, and taxes," she says. "Americans tend to flaunt their wealth. Mexicans shield it, sometimes behind walls with spiked glass. Americans consider death the end of life; Mexicans consider it a part of life. Americans obsess about time; Mexicans are casual about it—and that's understating it, honey. Americans pay their taxes without protest; Mexicans put them off or ignore them."
Thia and I meet a wide range of retirees over the next several days. We see gorgeous homes, landscaped with all of the dazzling garden foliage the climate encourages ("Stick a clothespin in the ground here, and it'll grow," says Ross-Merrimer). And while we didn't collect data in a formal way, we were struck by how consistently retirees spoke of the reasonable cost of living in Lakeside compared with where they'd lived before. Here are a few of the comments we recorded. On housing: "A house that costs $600,000 in Phoenix might cost $300,000 here." On taxes: "Real estate taxes in a New York suburb can run $12,000 a year for a house this size; here they're $67." On utilities: "Gas and electricity are $600 a month in Chicago; here it's $100." (Electricity in Mexico is expensive, but at Lakeside, there's little need for air conditioning.) And finally, on amenities: "A maid in New Jersey, if you can afford one, can be $100 a day. Here, it's $5 to $10 a day."
In Lakeside, as in other Mexican retirement havens, you can live as cheaply or as extravagantly as you've a mind to. Karen Blue, who at 52 "chucked corporate life" in San Francisco's Bay Area to settle in Ajijic in 1996, runs seminars for newcomers to the area with her business partner, Judy King, 59, who unlike Karen needs to work for a living. They also host a helpful subscription website for people thinking of moving to the Chapala area.
Blue and King join us for lunch to talk about life in Lakeside for those without fat pensions or golden parachutes. Our first question: "Can Americans live comfortably here on their Social Security checks?" The answer is an unqualified yes.
"Truth is," says Blue, "there are lots of respectable homes you can rent for about $600, and then you add maybe $100 for a gardener and maid—which makes for a very competitive housing package, no matter what your financial circumstances." Adds King: "I actually know a fair number of people who do it on less than that. They've looked around, gotten a decent little place for $350. They may not go out to eat much, they eat more tacos than steak, but they have a very nice life here. So, yes, you can live here on your Social Security check."
On our last day in Ajijic, we gather at a lush garden home with several transplanted residents, including retiree John Bragg, 69, and his wife, Mary, 57, Californians who moved to Mexico 11 years ago. I mention to John that we are planning to visit legendarily arty San Miguel de Allende next. "Oh, I'd never live in San Miguel," says Bragg, engaging in the ever-popular sport of bashing other retirement havens. "The town is filled with Texans. You can't even go to a bar and hear any Spanish. Some blond lady's gonna come up to you and say, 'Y'all must be new in town. Wouldn't you lahk to go on a house tour?'"
As it happens, one of the first people we'll meet in San Miguel is a lady who runs—you guessed it—house tours.
Lakeside scorecard
Looks 7 (for the vista);
Charm 4 (some nice plazitas);
Culture 5 (October concerts and ballet);
Shopping 2 (but Guadalajara, 9, is not far);
Medical facilities 2 (ditto);
Other Americans 9 (lots of them);
Wow factor—all sorts of personal services, from tai chi classes to assisted living facilities.
Thia's review: "No need to worry about speaking Spanish here, but kind of suburban."
Barry's review: "Nice folks, but not where I'd settle. Can't get over that pretty lake no one swims in."
SAN MIGUEL
The colonial silver town of San Miguel de Allende is the crown jewel of central Mexico. It boasts cobblestone streets, pastel-washed doors, art galleries nestled in every other nook, an enchanting main plaza known as El Jardin, and the Parroquia, a spired, fanciful-gothic confection of a church located in the center of town, whose bells toll at utterly unpredictable hours.
Although somewhat remote (the nearest airport is in León, an hour and a half away), this town of 70,000, which is home to an estimated 2,500 American retirees, scores high on the jet-set buzz meter. Little wonder. The restaurants are first-rate, shopping is an extreme sport (the streets are packed with art galleries and shops selling ceramics, folk art, and antiques), and the music spilling from the town's restaurants and cafés sometimes suggests a university town on perpetual fiesta.
We meet Jennifer Hamilton, a 62-year-old Audrey Hepburn look-alike, in her airy, elegant apartment just off the Jardin. Another transplanted Californian, who has lived in San Miguel for 12 years, she gives tours of San Miguel's fanciest homes, a Sunday afternoon event that draws as many as 400 gawkers at a time.
While Hamilton enjoys talking about the multimillion-dollar mansions up in the hills, she also speaks frankly about the drawbacks of San Miguel not described in the travel brochures. "It's not a little village anymore," she says. "The streets are crumbling from the weight of the tourist buses. Good homes are expensive; utilities go up every month. I'm worried that the town will price itself out; I don't want it to become only for the very wealthy and the Mexican poor. There are still tin hovels tucked between fabulous homes. Water's giving out, too. Something will have to be done." She pauses, smiles. "But I still tell people to come down here to live. There's so much to do here!"
The town's chief arbiter and critic, Archie Dean, agrees. Author of the indispensable The Insider's Guide to San Miguel, the 66-year-old Dean is a gangly, fedora-wearing, knapsack-carrying New York State native who spends his days walking the streets, stopping at restaurants and cafés to sample fare for the next edition of his book. When he arrived in 1990, he says, San Miguel was a relatively primitive town where phones were scarce and shopping limited. "Now we're all connected," he says, referring to cybercafés, cable TV piped in from the States, and direct-dial long-distance phone calls. He contradicts the notion that only rich retirees can afford the town. "There are apartment rentals at every price, from $300 to $5,000. You can live well for as little as $700 a month. And I know a lot of people living here on modest fixed incomes."
For those expats possessing the wherewithal, San Miguel's cosmopolitan charm and arty ambience can also translate into opportunity. On the leafy patio of the Casa de la Cuesta, a charming bed-and-breakfast a few minutes from the plaza, we chat with owner Bill LeVasseur, 59, a former advertising executive who lived and worked in Mexico when he was younger and returned with his wife, Heidi, an artist, in 1994. Owning a B & B was not in their plans. "We were retiring," he says, "not thinking about a new business or anything."
Nevertheless, the LeVasseurs crunched their numbers and decided that the home they'd begun building in San Miguel could be enlarged and turned into a home away from home for tourists. LeVasseur says that an income of $50,000 a year assures a retiree of a good life, "including eating out two or three times a week." The couple have three grown sons in the States, and in addition to traveling back home themselves, occasionally they send "plane tickets for the kids and grandkids" to come to Mexico.
The LeVasseurs tell us they considered retiring to other places in Mexico but decided San Miguel was the place for them. "Sure, some people like their condos in Puerto Vallarta, but the heat there in the summer is unbearable and they've got mosquitoes as big as blackbirds. They've got McDonald's and Taco Bells, and we sure don't. Life is more authentic here."
Sounds like our cue to move along—to Puerto Vallarta.
San Miguel scorecard
Looks 10;
Charm 7 (points off for the traffic and McMansions);
Culture 10;
Shopping 8;
Medical facilities 6;
Other Americans 7 (more points subtracted for some obnoxious wealth flaunting);
Wow factor—a world-class language school, ditto the restaurants.
Thia's review: "I'm leaving my heart here and coming back someday."
Barry's review: "Love it too, but I'm not a mountain guy. I like the ocean."


Page 1 2 »

Revelation 14
The Lamb and the 144,000 1 Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
3 This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 They have kept themselves as pure as virgins,[a] following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering[b] to God and to the Lamb. 5 They have told no lies; they are without blame.
The Three Angels 6 And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”
8 Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”
9 Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10 must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”
12 This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”
The Harvest of the Earth 14 Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man.[c] He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.” 16 So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.
17 After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles[d] long and as high as a horse’s bridle.

DENTAL HOLIDAYS ABROAD
Dental holidays 'may be cheaper'In the US alone, half a million people a year are travelling abroad for medical care, according to reports.Budgeting travel, accommodation and expenses along with the cost of treatment can still be more cost-effective than relying on local health care, claims the National Public Radio (NPR) website.It cites the Journal of Financial Planning as estimating that for some treatments, patients could save between 50 and 95 per cent of the US cost.Josef Woodman's book Patients Beyond Borders advises those looking to save money on dental care to explore Costa Rica, Mexico or Hungary, reports NPR.He explains that "most countries are known for a particular category of treatment".Those travelling with a medical tourism agency should always do independent research, warns NPR, suggesting that some may only be interested in the financial gain rather than healthcare.Around 60,000 Britons searched the internet seeking information on dental holidays duringOctober, a 50 per cent increase on the month before, reports the British Dental Health Foundation.
If you are interested in going to Mexico here is somewhere to start.
http://www.nucleodental.com/indexEnglish.html

Bookmark Using:
Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUponMore Dentistry abroad storiesDo your homework before going abroad for dental work »Government Dental Insurance for U.S. Kids »Considering travelling abroad for dental treatment? Know the facts before you travel! »Dental tourists 'need the most work' »Travel insurance 'crucial for cosmetic dentistry abroad' »Cosmetic dental work 'a third of the cost in Hungary' »

December 20
Haggai 1:1-2:23Revelation 11:1-19Psalm 139:1-24Proverbs 30:15-16
21
Zechariah 1:1-21Revelation 12:1-17Psalm 140:1-13Proverbs 30:17

22
Zechariah 2:1-3:10Revelation 13:1-18Psalm 141:1-10Proverbs 30:18-20
23
Zechariah 4:1-5:11Revelation 14:1-20Psalm 142:1-7Proverbs 30:21-23

24
Zechariah 6:1-7:14Revelation 15:1-8Psalm 143:1-12Proverbs 30:24-28
25
Zechariah 8:1-23Revelation 16:1-21Psalm 144:1-15Proverbs 30:29-31

26
Zechariah 9:1-17Revelation 17:1-18Psalm 145:1-21Proverbs 30:32
27
Zechariah 10:1-11:17Revelation 18:1-24Psalm 146:1-10Proverbs 30:33

28
Zechariah 12:1-13:9Revelation 19:1-21Psalm 147:1-20Proverbs 31:1-7
29
Zechariah 14:1-21Revelation 20:1-15Psalm 148:1-14Proverbs 31:8-9

30
Malachi 1:1-2:17Revelation 21:1-27Psalm 149:1-9Proverbs 31:10-24
31
Malachi 3:1-4:6Revelation 22:1-21Psalm 150:1-6Proverbs 31:25-31



2009 Calendar

Support the ministry of OneYearBibleOnline.com with a purchase of our 2009 Calendar.
Click For Details!

Psalm 139
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! 20 They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. 21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? 22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

People are going solar right here in North Carolina. Three cheers for the Angyal's in Gibsonville, NC.

Featured Producer – Contributed by Andrew and Jennifer Angyal in Gibsonville, NC

We have installed a 3kW interconnected solar residential system along with a solar hot water system on our farm in northeast Guilford County. Both have operating well now for over two years, but it took several years of careful planning and consultation with several solar contractors before we decided what we needed and where to install it. We had always been intrigued by the potential of solar energy and had wanted to install a solar system in our home. We had been without power through several hurricanes and ice storms and did not want to be without the power to use our well, or have power and hot water for the house. We were put off by the economics of solar power until North Carolina passed its 35% solar tax rebate, the federal government offered a 10% tax rebate, and NC Green Power came into existence. There also were design and technical issues to be resolved, beginning with where to put the panels and whether to be on or off grid.
We have a seventy-year old farm house with an original metal roof shaded by large trees to the southwest, so it did not make sense to install panels on the house roof. After ruling out a ground or pole installation, we decided to mount the panels on the south-facing roof of our garage, a separate building about one hundred feet from the house. First the garage had to be enclosed, since it was an open tractor shed, and finished with a separate utility room for the inverter. We started the project as an off-grid installation, but after going on the Guilford solar tour and meeting our contractor, Tom Honey, we decided on a grid-connected system. The failure of our electric water heater three years ago made the installation urgent, so we installed an 80 gallon REEM-Richmond solar water heater with electric backup until the solar hot water panels could be installed. Then we had to dig a 100’ trench from the garage to the house to accommodate the pipes and electrical conduits. Tom Honey installed a two-panel indirect glycol/antifreeze system using 4’ x 8’ Chromagen panels.
Then our solar PV system was installed, consisting of fifteen GEPVp-200 watt panels mounted on UniRac solar mounts, two Outback PS2 power systems and MX60 charge controllers. We were hooked up to Duke Energy using the Small Customer Generator Rider (SCG) and connected with NC GreenPower. We use eight Deka 8L16 6 volt batteries for backup storage in case of a power outage. Our system produces on average about 11.5 KWH per day and has reduced our power bill by about two thirds, as well as generating over $300.00 per year in income. In the spring and fall we often net out with no power bill at all. So far we have been very satisfied with both of our systems, which have been trouble free. Our only maintenance is to top off the batteries every six months.

Four Jewish brothers left home for college, and they became successfuldoctors, and lawyers and prospered. Some years later, theychatted after having dinner together. They discussed the gifts that they wereable to give to their elderly mother who lived far away in another city.The first said, 'I had a big house built for Mama.'The second said, 'I had a hundred thousand dollar theater built in the house.'The third said, 'I had my Mercedes dealer deliver her an SL600 with a chauffeur.'The fourth said, 'Listen to this. You know how Mama lovedreading the Torah and you know she can't anymore because she can'tsee very well. I met this Rabbi who told me about a parrot that canrecite the entire Torah. It took twenty rabbis 12 years to teach him.I had to pledge to contribute$100,000 a year for twenty years to the temple, but it was worth it.Mama just has to name the chapter and verse and theparrot will recite it.. The other brothers were impressed.After the holidays Mom sent out her Thank You notes. She wrote:Milton Bubelle, The house you built is so huge. I live in onlyone room, but I have to clean the whole house. Thanks anyway.Marvin Main Shene Kinde, I am too old to travel. I stay home, Ihave my groceries delivered, so I never use the Mercedes...and thedriver you hired is a Nazi. The thought was good. Thanks.Menachim Tataleh, You give me an expensive theater with Dolbysound, it could hold 50 people, but all my friends are dead, I'velost my hearing and I'm nearly blind. I'll never use it. Thank you forthe gesture just the same. Dearest Melvin, You were the only son to have the good sense togive a little thought to your gift. The chicken was delicious. Thank you!

TICKET TO TREATMENT
A guide for Americans seeking affordable medical treatment abroad
Harry Campbell / For The Times
Medical travel
Improving quality and bargain prices are luring U.S. patients to developing countries for increasingly sophisticated procedures.
By Marla Dickerson 2:34 PM PDT, November 1, 2008
Reporting from Monterrey, Mexico -- When Andy Dijak injured his right knee playing tennis, he wasn't surprised that he needed surgery. "It swelled up like a balloon," said the 50-year-old West Lake resident. ¶ The real shocker was the price tag: $12,000 to $15,000 to repair tattered cartilage. Dijak, a creative director for an entertainment company, has no health insurance, so he started shopping for a deal. ¶ He found it in the northern Mexico city of Monterrey at Christus Muguerza High Specialty Hospital, owned by Dallas-based Christus Health. Here, the staff treated him more like a big shot than a bargain hunter. An English-speaking employee picked him up at the airport. Dijak recuperated in a private hospital room with a flat-screen television and a view of the peaks of the Sierra Madre. His surgeon recorded the operation on video and gave Dijak a DVD copy for his peace of mind. ¶ Total cost, including airfare: $4,500. ¶ "I got better care there than I would have in the United States, unless I were a billionaire," he said. ¶ Americans have long been willing to leave the country for bargain face-lifts and cut-rate dentistry. But now the availability of top-notch medical services at low cost is enticing a growing number of U.S. patients to developing nations for more sophisticated procedures. Most, like Dijak, are obtaining elective surgeries for ailments that aren't life-threatening. Increasingly, they are seeking treatment for more serious conditions, including heart maladies and cancer.Last year, 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for care, according to estimates by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a Washington-based research center that's part of the consulting firm Deloitte & Touche. Other analysts say the numbers are lower. But hardly anyone disputes that medical care, once a highly local business, is going global like never before. By 2010, Deloitte projects, 6 million consumers a year will venture outside the United States for medical treatment.


Video: Medical tourism in Mexico


International price list
Where to go to do your own research
Know before you go
The idea of jetting off to India for heart surgery might strike some as a radical way to save money. But proponents say it's a logical outgrowth of the globalization that's reshaping the industry.Already, offshore firms handle Americans' medical records and read their X-rays. Top U.S. hospitals such as Johns Hopkins have established outposts abroad. Rising prosperity in many parts of the developing world is luring foreign-born, U.S.-educated doctors home to practice in modern hospitals catering to increasingly affluent consumers.Nearly 200 institutions outside the U.S. have been certified by the Joint Commission International, an affiliate of the organization that accredits U.S. hospitals. Medical travel companies are springing up to link American patients with foreign providers eager to boost their profits.
Add a rapidly aging U.S. population and a shrinking medical safety net, and the notion of Americans looking elsewhere for treatment no longer seems such a stretch."This is going to be one of those things that starts slow and becomes pretty routine 15 years out," said Arnold Milstein, chief physician for Mercer Human Resource Consulting.The fact that 1 in 6 U.S. residents, nearly 46 million people, lack health insurance is well known. But soaring deductibles and increasing restrictions on coverage are driving even insured consumers to seek alternatives.Mark Sawko's insurer balked at paying to replace a bum knee the 50-year-old Arizonan injured back in high school. So he called a Tempe, Ariz.-based medical travel company called MedToGo. The firm arranged for him to have surgery last year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he spent $13,500 instead of the $50,000 quoted by a local orthopedic surgeon.The owner of a company that makes industrial parts, Sawko competes every day with foreign manufacturers. He sees the same thing happening in medical care."I think we're going to lose a lot of business to these other countries," said Sawko, who has returned to playing golf without pain. "I'm American, so I'd like to keep things here. But no one was going to make it affordable for me."At present, the vast majority of U.S. medical travelers are cash-paying patients such as Sawko. But analysts say that's changing fast as insurance companies and employers add foreign providers to their networks to slow runaway costs.In Southern California, insurers Aetna, Blue Shield of California, HealthNet and PacifiCare have developed cross-border programs that allow members to seek treatment in Mexico. That means cheaper premiums for employers and smaller co-pays and other out-of-pocket expenses for members."A lot of small employers have been priced out of traditional coverage," said Jim Arriola, president of Sekure Healthcare Inc., a Chula Vista, Calif.-based company whose plans cap services at a fixed dollar amount. "That same $1,000 benefit goes a lot further south of the border than it would in the U.S."Uptime Electronics Inc., a Whittier-based equipment repair company, recently began offering its 20 employees the option of going abroad for care. The company has contracted with Planet Hospital, a Calabasas medical travel coordinator that has relationships with providers in 13 countries.Large self-insured companies are doing the same. Hannaford Supermarkets, a Maine-based grocery chain, has given its 9,000 insured employees the choice of having knee and hip replacements at National University Hospital in Singapore, where such procedures can cost a third of what they do in the United States. Hannaford waives all deductibles and covers travel expenses for the patient and a companion.Other employers are offering workers cash incentives as high as $10,000 on top of free medical care and travel. It's not hard to see why. Heart bypass surgery that can cost more than $100,000 in the U.S. is generally less than $10,000 in India's finest hospitals, whose success rates rival those found in the U.S. and Europe, according to Josef Woodman, author of "Patients Beyond Borders," a popular guide to medical travel.So if healthcare in other countries is so good, why is it so cheap?Experts point to a variety of factors. Doctors' salaries and the cost of living are lower in many countries. Government-funded healthcare in some nations helps contain costs in private-sector hospitals, which don't have to shoulder the unpaid bills of uninsured patients as U.S. hospitals do. In addition, malpractice insurance is cheaper and litigation awards are significantly smaller in most parts of the world.That lighter liability burden is one reason hospitals in New Zealand can perform procedures such as hip and knee replacements for less than half the price some U.S. facilities charge. The Pacific island nation is wooing American patients by promoting its First World living standards and common language.
Single Page

1

2

Next »
Save/Share

I received this e-mail this morning from Rev. Dan. I thought it was worth sharing.

A Revolution Has Come
I cringe every time I hear a parent warn a child, or a friend advise another friend, “Don’t get your expectations too high. We live in an unjust world. Bad things do happen to good people” Well, it depends. Yes, if you are referring to the kingdom of this world alone, cruel and unjust things can prevail. If, however, through the lens of faith, you include the kingdom of God, you are dead wrong. That is the Good News! That is the Christmas story!
When the Savior of the world came to earth 2008 years ago, he turned everything upside down. The world has never been the same. Each day, but especially during the Christmas season, we are given the choice to believe or not believe in that often counter-intuitive, upside down revolution.
In fact, you are being invited by the Savior this very hour to join him in the greatest movement that has ever run through history – helping the kingdom of heaven merge completely with the kingdom of this world. Talk about revolution! Through his radical, loving son, God has nothing less in mind than to redeem the whole earth, his people, and all of creation. And, you can join that movement if you’d like. Your life will never be the same if you do.
As Isaiah the prophet wrote approximately 700 years before the birth of Christ: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.” (Isaiah 9:6-7a)
Many Baby Boomers make the mistake of thinking that Jesus is a part of the establishment, status quo, and people of power. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus was the original revolutionary. He cannot be contained within a box, especially within a church structure which has become institutional and self-serving. He came to tear down the walls of anything and everything that supports worldly power apart from God. And, tear down the walls he has.
Who would have guessed that something more powerful than the Egyptian Pharaoh existed, that the Roman Empire would eventually become Christian, that the abuses of the Church would not prevail during the Reformation, that the injustices of slavery would cease, or that Karl Marx and his followers would see the day when millions of people in Russia and now China are finding greater purpose in following Jesus versus the Communist Manifesto?
God is on the move all the time, moving us closer to the establishment of his kingdom on earth.
Which injustices are bearing down on your own life? Which obstacles seem completely insurmountable? Are you wondering if there is any justice anywhere? Is your soul dying for the freedom the gospel offers? You have a choice. You can go one of two ways. The sirens of the world will invite you to join the cynics, the skeptics, those who will instruct you on how to live as a victim, be justly angry and bitter each day within the context of our fallen world which is mistaken for reality. Or, you can choose to surrender to God’s grace, join the revolution, and live each day within a completely different set of rules and with access to the same loving, forgiving power which created the world.
And to think that it all started when God chose a lowly peasant girl named Mary to be the earthly mother of his son. After being approached by the angel, Gabriel, Mary understood immediately her role in the revolution. In song back to God, Mary exclaimed: “For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble” (Luke 1:49-52).
Faith and surrender are the keys to the kingdom. Through faith we enter a completely different, beautiful world which has come and is still coming.
Within Christ’s kingdom, justice, truth and peace do reign. In Christ’s kingdom, wrongs are eventually made right, the haughty and arrogant are brought low, and the humble exalted. Indeed, we are told in Scripture that “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Could it really be that simple? Could it possibly be true that faith alone can change your view of reality, let alone your whole life, not to mention eternal destiny? Give it a try. Pray. Talk to Jesus. Deliver your anxieties and burdens to him. Christmas is not about Santa. It is about Jesus. Tell Jesus you would like to trust him with your life and your particular struggle for hope and belief that there is justice in this world. See what happens. He is dying to be in a personal relationship with you. He loves you. He wants to be the shepherd of your life. Just ask. Merry Christmas! Happy Revolution!
A Revolution Has Come
Know someone that would enjoy hearing from Dan?Do you receive Dan's emails?If not sign-up here
See where Dan has been!
























Rev. Daniel McNerney

James is interested in reading this book. What do you think?
THE DEAL by Gittlin
Posted on May 3rd, 2008
by Kevin Tipple in All News, Book Reviews, Entertainment, Literary News, Reviews
Read 989 times.
Jonah Gray is the youngest member of a four member team at Platinum Commercial Building and Land (PCBL). Located at the Chrysler Center in New York City, the company handles commercial real estate in the city. They make a lot of money and do whatever it takes to get business done. Jonah Gray continues the family tradition in real estate and is very good at it. Much like the real life Donald Trump, the fictional Jonah Gray wants everyone to know it including the reader. His ego knows no bounds and absolutely anything can be done.
Because he has the reputation of being the man to go to and his contacts are everywhere, it isn’t surprising that Andreu Zhamovsky contacts him one morning though it has been a couple of years since they last spoke. Business keeps both men busy with Andreu owning the controlling interest in Prevkos, one of the world’s most important natural gas corporations and a key player on the Russian stock exchange. He and his family are old friends dating back to the seventies and the relationship between their fathers. Andreu is family as far as Jonah is concerned but this day he wants to talk business.
Jonah agrees to meet that evening and does where Andreu announces that he has a proposal for Jonah. A massive deal that if done within the three week time table required by Andreu will create a million dollar plus payoff for each member of Jonah’s team and will be a huge real estate coup as the market rebounds after the events of September 11, 2001. Naturally, he accepts.
Huge mistake.
While he and the other members of his team work on this new project, Jonah becomes slowly involved in two secondary storylines where his partying lifestyle is a huge factor. In both cases, beauty hides sinister secrets that could easily get him killed. The question quickly becomes whether or not he can solve those issues and stay alive so that he can make the deal, which has its own issues, happen.
This second novel written by Adam Gittlin, a commercial real estate executive in New York City is clearly a case of the classic mantra “write what you know” in large part. It starts amazingly slow for a novel branded as a thriller. The first one hundred pages or so not only sets up the main storyline, they also serve to allow Jonah Gray to information dump about his lifestyle driven by excess in every area as well as the detailed ins and outs of the commercial real estate market. Full of the ominous “if only had I known” cliché worked in various ways, the book makes full use of the author’s background and grinds along at a snail’s pace as the situation regarding the main storyline is developed in great detail.
Those first one hundred pages or so also creates a main character that becomes despised. A flawed human being who could easily say the famous movie line, “Greed is good” before telling you in great name dropping detail just how good regarding clothing, dinner, and the woman he took to bed last night. Life is amazingly good for Jonah and it is only as his life begins to unravel we learn that there is another side to him. Like everything in the book, appearances are deceiving and at his core, thanks to his baptism by fire, he is a far different person than the materialistic person at the beginning of the 456 page novel.
What starts at a snails pace is more than made up for in the last one hundred pages as the reader is rocketed through a maze of pathways to a very satisfying conclusion. While this novel does suffer from information dumping and overwriting at spots throughout the novel, the last fourth of the book as things come together works with one obvious plot twist and a host of others that weren’t obvious. The result is a pretty good novel that becomes intense and well worth the time in the second half of the book.
Just try to arrange things so that you can read the last one hundred pages in one sitting as you aren’t going to want to quit once you get there.
The Deal
Adam Gittlin
http://www.adamgittlin.com/
Oceanview Publishing
http://www.oceanviewpublishing.com
2008
ISBN# 978-1-933515-13-7

Did I mention that this week when I was at Hope of Israel the cantor David Taylor said that the entire Old Testament has musical notes attached to each word. That made me think that God wants to sing His word to us and wants us to sing His word back to Him. Is that not interesting.
Also when we get to Heaven we will be singing to God often. I bet we will have perfect voices. That is something to look forward to for people like me who do not have any pitch. But the day will come when we are perfected, even our singing voices.

Revelation 7
God’s People Will Be Preserved
1 Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”
4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: 5 from Judah — 12,000 from Reuben — 12,000 from Gad — 12,000 6 from Asher — 12,000 from Naphtali — 12,000 from Manasseh — 12,000 7 from Simeon — 12,000 from Levi — 12,000 from Issachar — 12,000 8 from Zebulun — 12,000 from Joseph — 12,000 from Benjamin — 12,000
Praise from the Great Crowd
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in[a] the great tribulation.[b] They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne[c] will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

As I was reading Revelation 6 this morning it struck me that this sounds like a newscast today, especially 1-8. This is the only book of the Bible with a promise of a blessing for reading it. It is interesting that we know how the story ends. This book is definately worth investigating for those who are interested in future events.
Revelation 6
The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals
1 As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll.[a] Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
5 When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay.[b] And don’t waste[c] the olive oil and wine.”
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” 8 I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave.[d] These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease[e] and wild animals.
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters[f]—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

Psalm 133
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. 1 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! 2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. 3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.

Revelation 4
Worship in Heaven
1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit,[a] and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit[b] of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

Amos 9: 11:15
A Promise of Restoration
11 “In that day I will restore the fallen house[s] of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory. 12 And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be mine.[t]” The Lord has spoken, and he will do these things.
13 “The time will come,” says the Lord, “when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine! 14 I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine. 15 I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

Amos 5
A Call to Repentance
1 Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing:
2 “The virgin Israel has fallen, never to rise again! She lies abandoned on the ground, with no one to help her up.”
3 The Sovereign Lord says:
“When a city sends a thousand men to battle, only a hundred will return. When a town sends a hundred, only ten will come back alive.”
4 Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel:
“Come back to me and live! 5 Don’t worship at the pagan altars at Bethel; don’t go to the shrines at Gilgal or Beersheba. For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile, and the people of Bethel will be reduced to nothing.” 6 Come back to the Lord and live! Otherwise, he will roar through Israel[a] like a fire, devouring you completely. Your gods in Bethel won’t be able to quench the flames. 7 You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the righteous like dirt.
8 It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name! 9 With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all their defenses.
10 How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth! 11 You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them. 12 For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.
14 Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. 15 Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.[b]
16 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says:
“There will be crying in all the public squares and mourning in every street. Call for the farmers to weep with you, and summon professional mourners to wail. 17 There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will destroy them all,” says the Lord.
Warning of Coming Judgment 18 What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. 19 In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion— only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house— and he’s bitten by a snake. 20 Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope.
21 “I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
25 “Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel? 26 No, you served your pagan gods—Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god—the images you made for yourselves. 27 So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus,[c]” says the Lord, whose name is the God of Heaven’s Armies.
Amos 6
1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem,[d] and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help. 2 But go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed. 3 You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer. 4 How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall. 5 You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.[e] 7 Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.
8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his own name, and this is what he, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says:
“I despise the arrogance of Israel,[f] and I hate their fortresses. I will give this city and everything in it to their enemies.”
(9 If there are ten men left in one house, they will all die. 10 And when a relative who is responsible to dispose of the dead[g] goes into the house to carry out the bodies, he will ask the last survivor, “Is anyone else with you?” When the person begins to swear, “No, by . . .,” he will interrupt and say, “Stop! Don’t even mention the name of the Lord.”)
11 When the Lord gives the command, homes both great and small will be smashed to pieces.
12 Can horses gallop over boulders? Can oxen be used to plow them? But that’s how foolish you are when you turn justice into poison and the sweet fruit of righteousness into bitterness. 13 And you brag about your conquest of Lo-debar.[h] You boast, “Didn’t we take Karnaim[i] by our own strength?”
14 “O people of Israel, I am about to bring an enemy nation against you,” says the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. “They will oppress you throughout your land— from Lebo-hamath in the north to the Arabah Valley in the south.”

I am in Revelation today and for the rest of the year. Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises a blessing. Read it with me a tell me what you think.

Psalm 130
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. 2 Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.
3 Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? 4 But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.
5 I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. 6 I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin.

Joel 1
1 The Lord gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel.
Mourning over the Locust Plague 2 Hear this, you leaders of the people. Listen, all who live in the land. In all your history, has anything like this happened before? 3 Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the story down from generation to generation. 4 After the cutting locusts finished eating the crops, the swarming locusts took what was left! After them came the hopping locusts, and then the stripping locusts,[a] too!
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you wine-drinkers! All the grapes are ruined, and all your sweet wine is gone. 6 A vast army of locusts[b] has invaded my land, a terrible army too numerous to count. Its teeth are like lions’ teeth, its fangs like those of a lioness. 7 It has destroyed my grapevines and ruined my fig trees, stripping their bark and destroying it, leaving the branches white and bare.
8 Weep like a bride dressed in black, mourning the death of her husband. 9 For there is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of the Lord. So the priests are in mourning. The ministers of the Lord are weeping. 10 The fields are ruined, the land is stripped bare. The grain is destroyed, the grapes have shriveled, and the olive oil is gone.
11 Despair, all you farmers! Wail, all you vine growers! Weep, because the wheat and barley— all the crops of the field—are ruined. 12 The grapevines have dried up, and the fig trees have withered. The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees— all the fruit trees—have dried up. And the people’s joy has dried up with them.
13 Dress yourselves in burlap and weep, you priests! Wail, you who serve before the altar! Come, spend the night in burlap, you ministers of my God. For there is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of your God. 14 Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people of the land into the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to him there. 15 The day of the Lord is near, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!
16 Our food disappears before our very eyes. No joyful celebrations are held in the house of our God. 17 The seeds die in the parched ground, and the grain crops fail. The barns stand empty, and granaries are abandoned. 18 How the animals moan with hunger! The herds of cattle wander about confused, because they have no pasture. The flocks of sheep and goats bleat in misery.
19 Lord, help us! The fire has consumed the wilderness pastures, and flames have burned up all the trees. 20 Even the wild animals cry out to you because the streams have dried up, and fire has consumed the wilderness pastures.
Joel 2
Locusts Invade like an Army 1 Sound the alarm in Jerusalem[c]! Raise the battle cry on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us. 2 It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears. Nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again.
3 Fire burns in front of them, and flames follow after them. Ahead of them the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. 4 They look like horses; they charge forward like warhorses.[d] 5 Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops. Listen to the noise they make—like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of fire sweeping across a field of stubble, or like a mighty army moving into battle.
6 Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with terror. 7 The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. 8 They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right position. They break through defenses without missing a step. 9 They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows. 10 The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.
11 The Lord is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive?
A Call to Repentance 12 That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. 14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before.
15 Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. 16 Gather all the people— the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. 17 Let the priests, who minister in the Lord’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord! Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’”
The Lord’s Promise of Restoration 18 Then the Lord will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land. 19 The Lord will reply, “Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. 20 I will drive away these armies from the north. I will send them into the parched wastelands. Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea, and those at the rear into the Mediterranean.[e] The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.”
Surely the Lord has done great things! 21 Don’t be afraid, my people. Be glad now and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things. 22 Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field, for the wilderness pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with fruit; fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more. 23 Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24 The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
25 The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.[f] It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26 Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. 27 Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced.
The Lord’s Promise of His Spirit 28 [g]“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. 30 And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth— blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible[h] day of the Lord arrives. 32 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the Lord has said. These will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called.
Joel 3
Judgment against Enemy Nations 1 [i]“At the time of those events,” says the Lord, “when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat.[j] There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land. 3 They threw dice[k] to decide which of my people would be their slaves. They traded boys to obtain prostitutes and sold girls for enough wine to get drunk.
4 “What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done. 5 You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and have carried them off to your pagan temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,[l] so they could take them far from their homeland.
7 “But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for everything you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the people of Arabia,[m] a nation far away. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
9 Say to the nations far and wide: “Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. 10 Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. 11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley.”
And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!
12 “Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. 13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.[n] Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people.”
14 Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. 16 The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s People 17 “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, live in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy forever, and foreign armies will never conquer her again. 18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. Water will fill the streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the Lord’s Temple, watering the arid valley of acacias.[o] 19 But Egypt will become a wasteland and Edom will become a wilderness, because they attacked the people of Judah and killed innocent people in their land.
20 “But Judah will be filled with people forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all generations. 21 I will pardon my people’s crimes, which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make my home in Jerusalem[p] with my people.”