We got back pretty late last night/this morning, so I woke up close to noon. My brother and dad were away at a chess tournament in stockton for most of the day, so I spent the day at home with my mom. After DTs and some other things I needed to do, I started working on projects for school due this week.

I found out the zoom lens I bought a couple days ago has a problem with blurring at 300mm. Canon released a service notice acknowledging the problem a year or two ago, and today I arranged for my lens to be fixed. They're going to provide free shipping both ways and a free repair of this problem, even though I don't have a warranty card or receipt. Nice.

Most of the pics today were taken with the 70-300mm. A couple of the last ones were taken with a 50mm.

Cal lost the Big Game against Stanford today. Football is crazy this year.

Devotion time questions:

Jeremiah 3

Consider the analogy of a wife who is not only unfaithful, but a “brazen prostitute” with “many lovers” who “refuses to blush with shame.” What about God’s nature is revealed from the fact that this is how he feels toward Israel’s betrayal of him?

This shows the depth of God's mercy and love. Sodom and Gomorrah sinned in this way, and God dealt judgement upon them, destroying them by raining down fire and brimstone. With Israel, God is merciful, and punishes them by withholding rain.

Israel's actions were also sufficient grounds for divorce according to the rules in place back then, yet God still calls Israel back to him again and again, patiently enduring all of Israel's offenses towards him.

Why are the words of the people of Judah so offensive in light of their ways? Why is it difficult for these kinds of words to produce true repentance? What does this teach me about the need to confess my sins plainly in repentance?

They claimed God was their father with their mouths, but lived worshiping idols and Satan as their father. Though they were wicked and lovers of idols, they tried to maintain a false faithful appearance towards God. These words could not produce true repentance, for words were all they were. The words were not from the heart because, if they were, the Israelites would have fled from idolatry and returned to God faithfully with their hearts and in the way they lived their lives. True repentance needs to be followed by a striving to not recommit the confessed sin.

Reflect on God’s statements “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done?” and “I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not.” What does this say regarding God’s heart towards me when I persist in sin?

God is displeased when he calls us back to him, but we refuse and persist in the things that he desires for us to abandon.

Reflect on God’s plea for the people to repent and return even while they were brazenly prostituting themselves.

God was merciful towards them, as he has been towards me, pleading with his people to repent of their sins when they fully deserved to be abandoned for destruction. Though we have all commited sins that merit divorce from God, it is he who is loving and faithful in reconciling the relationship.

What is God’s promise and vision in the midst of seemingly insurmountable sin? How can I draw hope and give thanks because of Jesus the Good Shepherd (v. 15) and because God will bring about this kind of complete spiritual restoration? (See Rev 21.)

He promises to gather them from where they were scattered to, and mercifully receives those who return. He promises to set leaders above them who guide them in wise and godly ways.

God is powerful and merciful, taking us from a state of insurmountable sin and saving us through the blood of Jesus Christ. With Jesus, we have hope to conquer was was previously unconquerable by our own means.

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Mark 10:27

How much can I identify with the sentiments behind the words “the idolatrous commotion on the halls and mountains is a deception” and “shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our father’s labor?”

Thoughts omitted here.