Today's verse

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Jeremiah 23:5 (KJV)

Reading list

Badge of Infamy, by Lester Del Rey.

Today's verse

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Isaiah 11:1-10 (KJV)

Today's verse

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Genesis 49:10 (KJV)

Reading list

The Door Through Space, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Today's verse

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Micah 5:1-2 (KJV)

Today's verse

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

Today's verse

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)

Jesus' birth is predicted by the prophet Isaiah.

Today's verse

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Matthew 13:45-46 (KJV)

Today's verse

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

Matthew 6:20 (KJV)

Today's verse

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

Psalm 146:3 (KJV)

Today's verse

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

Psalm 36:5 (KJV)

Today's verse

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:36 (KJV)

Reading list

Cancer Ward, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

Today's verse

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:7 (KJV)

Reading list

Questions of Truth, by John Polkinghorne and Nicholas Beale.

Today's verse

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Psalm 147:4 (KJV)

Reading list

Postmark Ganymede, by Robert Silverberg.

Today's verse

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalm 24:1 (KJV)

Today's verse

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:12-19 (KJV)

Today's verse

O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:2 (KJV)

Reading list

Hothouse, by Brian Aldiss.

Today's verse

Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32 (KJV)

Reading list

Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis.

Today's verse

Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.

Psalm 56:1 (KJV)

Reading list

The Luckiest Girl in the School, by Angela Brazil.

Today's verse

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 (KJV)

Immigration

Yesterday my wife and I went to San Antonio for her citizenship interview. This has been a long process, and we are thankful it is over. Praise God for removing all barriers and knocking down all obstacles so that my wife may become a US citizen! Bwana asifiwe!

Today's verse

The word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.

Psalm 33:4 (KJV)

Today's verse

I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

Leviticus 26:12 (KJV)

Today's verse

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Romans 8:22 (KJV)

Today's verse

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:36 (KJV)

Update on Asia Bibi

Asia Bibi's health is said to be "good".

Key quote:

Good news has recently been released concerning Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, a mother of five who is on death row for blasphemy. Her only “crime,” offering water to her Muslim co-workers from the same cup out of which she, a Christian, had drank.

Due to the overall volatility of the situation, rumors of Asia Bibi’s declining health began to surface around the internet in October of 2014. These rumors claimed that Asia Bibi was vomiting blood and was having difficulty walking. Similar rumors appeared in June of 2015 claiming that Asia Bibi’s health was so terrible that she might not live long enough to be executed.

Fortunately, these rumors were recently debunked by her attorney, Saif-ul-Malook, after he visited her in the Multan prison. Malook was contacted by several foreign news agencies claiming that his client’s health was worsening. When Malook and Asia Bibi’s husband visited her to verify the reports, they said she looked healthy and normal, but asked her if she had suffered from any serious illness. According to the World Watch Monitor report, Malook said that, “Asia has totally denied she ever suffered any serious illness since 2009 in prison.”

Praise God!

Read Asia Bibi's own words.

The online petition calling for mercy for Asia Bibi can still be found here.

For those who do not know who she is, here is the story about Asia Bibi's unjust imprisonment and death sentence for "blasphemy" against the Prophet Muhammad.

Please pray for Asia Bibi and her family. Also, please pray for those who are risking their lives to free her.

Reading list

Gifted Hands, by Dr. Ben Carson.

Today's verse

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1 (KJV)

Today's verse

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7 (KJV)

Today's verse

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 (KJV)

Today's verse

There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)

Today's verse

The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

Psalm 29:4 (KJV)

Today's verse

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psalm 34:8 (KJV)