Jan 14 - Joseph is born

So today Rachel is upset that God is not providing her with children from Jacob but Leah, Rachel's sister, is having all kinds of kids through Jacob that she gives Jacob her maid to sleep with and bear a child then another. Well the battle goes on so Leah now stops having children so she gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Zilpah presents him with a son then another. One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben, one of Leah's sons, found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother. Rachel meets up with Leah and says "I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes." So that night Leah becomes pregnant with her fifth son for Jacob, then a sixth and a daughter. God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers she had had a son named Joseph for she said, "May the Lord add yet another son to my family." All Jacob wants to do is be set free from Laban and take his family back to his home country. Of coarse Laban has other plans but with God's help Jacob ends up with large flocks of goats despite Laban's attempts to keep him from having any.

This week in Matthew Jesus gives instructions to his 12 apostles. Specific instructions on how to enter cities and villages and what to do when they get there and when they leave. He forewarns them that they will be handed over to the courts, flogged with whips in synagogues and stand trial before governors and kings because they are Jesus followers. "When you are arrested, don't worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking - it will be the spirit of your father speaking through you." I think we have that blessing sometimes it's just a matter of being open to receive it before we open mouth and insert foot:) I'm getting better, when it happens now it's usually just the front part of the foot, it used to be right to the ankle.

It's officially the 15th but I'm sneaking back into this post because I completely missed talking about the Psalm last night. To sleepy with all the baby stuff going on it didn't register:) Psalm 12:1-2 "Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! Neigbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts." The world is like a big bowl of gumbo. It's different everywhere you go yet full of good people and meatheads. It's awesome to see so many rally for Haiti and their devistation with monies, time and other resources and on the other side you see these rediculous bonuses going to CEO for driving companies into the ground so they can buy their penthouses. Bernie scams people out of billions of $$$ while others give millions to help create a better world. Just makes me wonder what goes through peoples minds when they take something they know they don't deserve or lie to someone to better help their personal agenda.