Christmas: Do Not Be Afraid

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy for all.  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.  And this will be the sign—  you will find an infant, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those of good will.”

Luke 2:10-14


"Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God.   I will strengthen you;  yes, I will help you;  yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."

Isaiah 41:10

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Dead Reckonings

“What shall I say about this generation?  John the Baptist did not drink wine, and often went without food, and you called him mad.  And I, the Messiah, both eat and drink, and you say that I am a glutton and a drunk, and am friends with the worst sort of sinners.   The truth of you will be known by your works.*

Matt 11:16-19


"An old woman came down this way,
She had no bread left to eat they say,
The bread was gobbled by the corporate men,
And she fell in the gutter in the cold and rain,
And was never hungry again."

Bertolt Brecht, Liturgie vom Hauch, 1927


There are those contentious and disorderly people, who engage in useless speculation and deceptive talk, and focus on divisive points of dispute... All things are good to the pure of heart, but to these corrupt and disbelieving controversialists nothing can be good, since both their minds and and their hearts are corrupted. They may say that they know God, but by their actions they deny Him, being corrupt and disobedient, and of no use for any good purpose."

Titus 1:10,15-16


"How terrible it will be for those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute what is bitter for what is sweet and what is sweet for what is bitter!"

Isaiah 5:20

There will be the December stock option expiration next week.

Stocks popped intraday on the news of the 'trade deal' with China, and then sold back off after it was revealed to be less of thing that represented, repeatedly. Sell the hype.

Gold and silver moved back higher, as the Banks seemed to falter a bit in their short selling campaign.

Gold in particular is coiled, and if it breaks out, may rise quickly with a great deal of energy.

Ordinary people do not easily lie about significant things, directly and openly; they are not so bold and brazen. They do at least know shame.

But they so often are tempted to repeat and pass around the lies of others, often notorious liars, saying, 'who can know what is truth? I am merely passing this along. Make up your own mind.'

They do it because it pleases the darkness of their soul, to spread these falsehoods, to satisfy their anger and bitterness.  And they pass along things that are so shockingly false and mean-spirited,  even to their own friends and children, that they are like a slow poison for innocent minds. And they think themselves blameless because they did not say it, or strike the blow with their own hands!

There was an ostentatiously observant man who did this sort of thing to win some senseless religious argument that he kept raising.  And when called on the blatant use of an obvious falsehood he said, 'what is truth?'  

He quoted Pilate, with the words with which the Roman procurator condemned the very truth itself.  For the sake of some petty point of religion!  This is where the overly sly use of deceptiveness leads us.  It corrupts our very judgement and perception. 

Do not allow yourself to be given over to this sort of temptation and deceptive wickedness.  If we could see some of the things we do through God's eyes we would hide yourselves in shame.

Remember to feed the least of His creatures, the birds and the animals. And be mindful of the hearts of those you meet, encouraging them with a kindness and a smile.

Have a pleasant weekend.

The Pandemic of 1918

"Besides replicating very quickly, the 1918 strain seems to trigger a particularly intense response from the immune system, including a ‘cytokine storm’ – the rapid release of immune cells and inflammatory molecules.

Although a robust immune response should help us fight infection, an over-reaction of this kind can overload the body, leading to severe inflammation and a build-up of fluid in the lungs that could increase the chance of secondary infections.

The cytokine storm might help to explain why young, healthy adults – who normally find it easier to shake off flu – were the worst affected, since in this case their stronger immune systems created an even more severe cytokine storm."

BBC, Why the Flu of 1918 Was So Deadly

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Markets Reverse on 'Breakthrough' in US-China Trade

Yet another breakthrough in the ongoing trade dispute with China.

It certainly was a nice suprise for the markets, especially for those who knew about it in advance.

UK election coverage starts at 5 PM here after the voting stations close. Very sensible.

The exit polls there are indicating a Tory majority, which indicates for Brexit sooner rather than later.

That should be interesting to watch.

Have a pleasant evening.