elizabethprata

Obama’s message to Israel- I’m not listening

Posted on September 24, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Obama finds the world too noisy. Like a defiant child with fingers in his ears, he goes LA LA LA to Israel as Israel says ‘the world will change when Iran gets the bomb…’

Tonight on the news magazine program 60 Minutes, Obama said

“When it comes to our national security decisions — any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people. And I am going to block out — any noise that’s out there,” Obama says, according to AFP.

Isn’t that special. Our strongest ally in the most hostile part of the world is…noise. But will that classy and professional “I’m not listening” approach work when Iran bombs US?

Iranian general threatens pre-emptive strike against Israel, attacks on US bases
“In circumstances in which [the Israelis] have prepared everything for an attack, it is possible that we will make a pre-emptive attack,” he said, according to a translation posted on the website of the Egyptian daily, Al-Ahram. He added that Iran would also attack US bases in the region, saying that the ensuing military engagement would “turn into World War III.”

Pray to God that we can bear four more months of Obama or four more years- whatever God’s plan is. Pray for our troops on bases in harm’s way. Pray for the world, especially if Iran gets the bomb. And I think they will. Pray for the rapture!

creation, end time, praise

Simple praise moment

Posted on September 23, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Colorfully gorgeous fall morning! God’s creation testifies to His glory! (Romans 1:20)

I got the idea from Chris Rosebrough. (website) Thank you brother for the simple praise to the Lord! Ripple effect, pay it forward!

bible, jesus, judgment, rob bell, satan

Back to Basics: Who is Satan?

Posted on September 23, 2012 by elizabethprata

Satan is real.

He was God’s covering cherub, the highest of the high, and the most beautiful. (Ezekiel 28:14-17). This means he is an angel and therefore a created being under God’s sovereignty. The eternal clash between good and evil is not one of equal opposites, but one of rebellion of a created being against an uncreated, holy God. (Isaiah 14:13-14)

We hear satan’s actual voice three times in the bible. Once in Genesis 3:1-5 when he is talking with Eve in the Garden of Eden. There, he insinuated to Eve that God is not good enough to her by not letting her have all the fruit of the Garden. The second time we hear him speak, it’s in heaven to God about Job. (Job 1:7-11). There, he told God that God was being too good to Job. The third time is when satan tempts Jesus. (Luke 4:1-12). In that scene, he used several the schemes in his arsenal (temptation of the body, temptation of power, temptation of testing God) and when he failed, he went away until another opportune time. (Luke 4:13).

These scenes tell us that satan has many schemes in his bag of tricks, he is not hesitant to use them against people, or Jesus or even GOD, and that he never quits.

Satan is mentioned in the Gospels twenty-nine times. And twenty-five of those times, Jesus is the one talking about Satan. Satan is mentioned in seven Old Testament books and every New Testament book.

Satan is a real person. He is not allegory, a metaphor or a figment. If you believe he is an allegory or figment or just an evil force, then you destroy the integrity and truthfulness of every NT book, each Gospel, a quarter of the Old Testament, and the character of Jesus. It is not possible to disbelieve satan is real but also believe the rest of the bible is truthful, historical, prophetic, and the word of God.

Satan is not in hell. He is not the ruler of hell. So where is he? He is roaming up and down upon the earth. (Job 1:7, Job 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8). Satan is the prince of the air. (Ephesians 2:2). Satan is in heaven accusing the brethren. (Revelation 12:10; Job 1:6). God has granted limited and temporary sovereignty to satan, for he is the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4). From this we see that satan has been granted much latitude by God on earth, the air and in heaven.

Satan is busy! He is accusing the brethren, roaming the earth, fighting the holy angels, sowing tares among the wheat, polluting the doctrine. He is wreaking devastation and destruction. (John 10:10). And much more!

What is satan’s destiny? When satan rebelled in the primordial past, God prepared hell for satan and his angels. (Matthew 25:41). There will be no offer to repent and no opportunity to come to salvation. The devil and his angels’ futures are fixed. (John 16:11). Meanwhile, God uses their evil for His good and glory.

During the time since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, satan has been allowed latitude in each of the three spheres of earth, air and heaven. However, midway through the Tribulation, he will be thrown out of heaven and access will no longer be granted to him or his angels. Perhaps satan thought he would be able to go on like this forever. God’s patience is longsuffering, but it does have an end, and satan gets tossed. He and his angels will be furious and will wreak that fury on the population of the earth. Woe to them! (Revelation 12:7-17).

At the conclusion of the Tribulation, satan will be thrown into the abyss and locked up for 1000 years. When 1000 years is over, he will be let out for a little while to foment one last, short, rebellion. (Revelation 20:3; 8). After that time he will be thrown into the lake of fire, the place prepared for him in the primordial past. His angels will be thrown there too, (Revelation 20:10) along with every person who followed him. (Revelation 20:15).

To all the precious brethren, fighting and strong or struggling and weak: he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. We need not fear satan, but we do need to appreciate his capabilities and thus rely on the Holy Spirit more than ever. And to the lost: make no mistake, satan is real.

Rob Bell casts aspersions on the Holy Word. In his infamous book, “Love Wins“, Bell wrote about hell and by definition, satan,

“‘A staggering number of people have been taught that a few select Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It’s been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.’ “

Oh, woe to those who disbelieve Jesus’s words about future judgment for sin and His word to John in Revelation about the Book of Life. If your name is not written in it, you will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever.

Mr Bell believes love wins: and he is right, it does. Look at the cross! God’s love of humanity- expressed through Jesus- triumphed over evil and sin and death! (Colossians 2:13-15). However, Mr Bell believes love and holiness are mutually exclusive. They are not. Holiness wins too. (John 9:39). All one needs to do is look at the lake of fire- the place prepared for the devil and his angels, and all those who follow satan. (Matthew 12:30-32). Unless you believe in Jesus, you are actually following satan by default. When you die, you will follow satan right into the Lake of Fire.

Now for some encouragement to the brethren:

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31).

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Thanks be to God for Jesus!

Those are a few facts about satan. As always, read the word for yourselves to see if these things are true.

bozra, jews, sela, tribulation

"Petra By Night" – from The Jordan Times

Posted on September 23, 2012 by elizabethprata

The Jordan Times:
In Petra, visitors find more than one way to explore a world wonder
by Muath Freij |
Sep 22, 2012 | 22:59 Updated: Sep 22, 2012 | 22:59

‘Petra by night’ is one of many different ways tourists can see the archaeological wonder in a different light (Photo by Muath Freij)

PETRA — On donkeys, on foot, by day or by night, Petra offers many perspectives from which to observe its archaeological treasures and natural beauty. Speaking to The Jordan Times on a recent visit to the Kingdom’s most famous tourist attraction, visitors from around the world all had different stories to tell about what struck them most about their experience there.

For Paul Scanlon, an Australian who was visiting Petra for the first time with his wife, the most memorable moment was riding a donkey up and down the steep, rocky mountains to get to the monastery.”Riding the donkeys to go to the monastery was scary and exciting at the same time,” he told The Jordan Times. His wife Kathryn, on the other hand, said seeing Petra at night was the highlight of her visit.

“It was so beautiful to go through the Siq, which was lit up with candles,” she said. “What I liked most was the bedouins singing and playing flutes and other traditional instruments. Also, it was really beautiful and generous that the bedouins served us tea, which was really delicious and wonderful.”

Her husband agreed, adding that the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of Petra by night was something to behold. Every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, the entrance to one of the new seven wonders of the world is open to tourists after dark for a special programme called “Petra by night”.

Visitors walk through the Siq, their path lit by rows of candles, to the treasury for a candlelit concert of folk tunes played on traditional instruments by bedouins from the area.

After the performance, a bedouin tells stories about the culture and folklore of the Nabataeans, the people who built the ancient city and passed some of their heritage on to those who live in the area today. For some visitors, learning about the history of the city and its significance is an important part of the Petra experience.

Claudgia Bertinato, a tourist from Brazil, decided to hire a guide to show her around the city. Although hiring a guide was a bit expensive, she said, it was well worth the price. “I preferred to get a guide because I wanted to learn more about Petra and its history. Also I did not research Petra before coming, so I wanted the guide to clarify more about it. My guide was really helpful and he even took photos of me,” she told The Jordan Times while walking with her guide.

Bertinato added that she preferred to walk throughout her tour of the city, rather than taking the horse-drawn carts and donkey rides on offer, because she wanted to go at her own pace and see every detail. “When you go fast or use a carriage, you miss things. I did not want to miss any sight in this beautiful city.”

——————–end article—————-
Petra is more than a world wonder, it is a place God intends to use, as scholars conjecture based on biblical evidence, to hide His people while the Tribulation is going on.

Just imagine when this glorious, ancient city place will be lit by candles by a million or so Jews who have fled there at the Holy Spirit’s urging and the word of Jesus, (Mark 13:14) who will then be supernaturally nurtured by God throughout the remaining three and a half years of the Tribulation! (Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14-16).

birdsong, dawn chorus, end time, new jerusalem

Imagine the dawn chorus in heaven

Posted on September 22, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I love the pre-dawn. It is quiet and cool and dark but the light is coming, and already is.

I live in an area which is fairly rural, and there is not much traffic. Though I live on a major artery in the county, there isn’t enough traffic even during the day to really bother me. However, in the pre-dawn, there is none at all. I can hear from afar off the dogs bark, cows moo, occasional owl screech, an early rooster…

At about 6 am there is always one bird. From out of the darkness, suddenly, there will be a happy series of chirps. He is loud, and the sound is joyous to me. Not to anthropomorphize too much, but the bird really does sound happy. The piercing, lengthy call sounds like he is waking up his brethren. Perhaps it is an ovenbird.

After the first bird goes first, then in a few moments the dawn chorus begins. The dawn chorus is a worldwide event. At Cornell, they wrote, “The dawn chorus is one of the most conspicuous vocal behaviors of birds, and one of the least understood. Near sunrise, birds often sing more loudly and vigorously than they do at other times of the day.”

I like to think they are thanking their Creator. He knows them, and I like to think they know their Creator back. God says, “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” (Psalms 50:11). We know that all creation groaneth in travail until now, (Romans 8:22). They groan…do they sing in joy as well?

Birds suffer for man’s sin, (Genesis 6:7; Jeremiah 12:4; Ezekiel 38:20;Hosea 4:3). The bible says they flee away when calamity comes as well. (Jeremiah 4:25; Jeremiah 9:10)

Yet they sing:

10You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. (Psalm 104:10-13)

Imagine the ‘dawn chorus’ in heaven! Birds will sing all the time because there is no dusk and no dawn, only day! (1 John 1:5, Revelation 21:25).

I believe that in heaven when He brings His bride to her place and presents our dwelling place to us, our rooms will not have screens on the windows. Because why would they? No biting insects or animals will creep in and harass us. All creation will be reconciled to its Creator and there will be no reason to have bars or screens to keep things out, or in. Maybe a bird will swoop in to my room and sing in joy at the perfection of the Creator and gladness to be part of it, and I will join. Together we are all groaning now, but the Day will come when we will all sing in joyous praise to the One who made us. Birds too.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the first bird each morning, knowing that before the day’s groaning begins, there is joy in creation among the created.

love of money, service

Botched Spanish Fresco becomes international sensation

Posted on September 22, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Botched Spanish Fresco Becomes International Sensation

“It turned a small church in Spain into an international laughing stock: a badly restored fresco of Jesus Christ that ended up looking like strange-looking monkey. But the awful work of art also did something else: it turned the Misericordia church into a tourist attraction, with hundreds of tourists flocking to Boria, a small town in Spain, to see an artwork gone wrong. And the church has even tried to cash in on its new-found infamy – it charges visitors 1-Euro to see the botched painting. The distorted image then began appearing on T-shirts and cellphone covers, coffee mugs and wine labels. It became an icon used to sell products around the world.”

“Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), completed in 1930, made headlines last month after Gimenez, a parishioner of the church, decided to restore it to her former glory. The 80-year-old parishioner instead turned the fresco of Christ wearing a crown of thorns into a disfigured, overweight she-man with a double chin and no beard.”

Now she has hired lawyers to see if there is copyright infringement on “her” work. “If she has rights, said lawyer Antonio Val Carreras Rivera, Gimenez could pursue payments from those using the image to sell products, although whatever she earns would go to charity.”

Call me skeptical, but if she wanted the money to go to charity she could refrain from hiring lawyers and do without the entire legal brouhaha altogether and let the church simply donate directly from what they take in.

This is the kind of thing I’d mentioned last night about people going C-R-A-Z-Y. The human behaviors of sacrifice, humility and others-centeredness has turned into ‘I want to make a buck and I’ll run over the next guy to do it. I have rights ya know!’

Paul warned Timothy that in the last days there would be godlessness. When a society is without God there is a demonstrable decline in human behavior. That is just how it is. Jesus said so in Matthew 24:12, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” It is a causal relationship. The word lawlessness in Greek means both illegal, and sinful behavior.

Godlessness in the Last Days

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Paul said “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4). In lauding Timothy, Paul said of others, “For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:21). The Pharisees loved money. After they heard Jesus tell the parable of the dishonest manager, they sneered at Him, and the verse in Luke 16:14 directly says they sneered because they loved money.

Instead of being grateful for the unexpected windfall, instead of using the attention to talk of charitable needs in the community, instead of simply pointing to Christ and sharing the Gospel, the issue has become a fight over personal rights and money.

The fresco fight reminded me of the times, because it is prophesied we will be constantly tempted to act in our own interests. We need to always put Christ first. He came to serve, not to be served. (Matthew 20:28). I need to remind myself of that frequently, so I am not making myself an exception in this post. If we are slaves in Christ, and we are, (1 Corinthians 7:22) we have no rights- except the privilege to fulfill what He gives us to do. This is loving others, even our enemies, humility in thought and deed, and selfless service.

end time, krakatau, lake of fire, paracutin, volcano activity

Volcanoes this week

Posted on September 22, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Volcanoes are completely fascinating. Of all the hits I receive on this blog, by far the highest are always earth-related. An earthquake, volcanic explosion, or unusual geo-physical event like a ‘river turning to blood’ will draw the most people the quickest. They are looking for answers I suppose. And why not? We feel in our human puniness that the earth is large and stable. When the earth is shook in some way, demonstrating that it is not, people scurry to find answers that will offer some kind of stability.

I hope that they find the true answer, which is Jesus. He is the stability.

“my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.” (2 Samuel 22:3)

“For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,” (Isaiah 25:4)

“To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Paricutin in 1943, the town obliterated. Source

I’m fascinated by volcanoes. As an elementary student I remember reading about the Volcano in the Cornfield (Paricutin) that was suddenly born almost under a Mexican corn farmer’s feet. Paricutin is our continent’s youngest volcano. LOL, that was the first time I got a clue that the earth is not solid nor stable, and that anything could happen at any time.

They will play an important role in the UN-creation during the Tribulation. If you see the 7 days of Genesis 1 as God creating the world, then view the 7 years of the Tribulation as His orderly uncreation, a dismantling as it were. Genesis and Revelation are bookends of God’s human and heavenly creation and the story of our capacity to sin and His response.

I’ve mentioned before that the sun becoming black as sackcloth in Rev. 6:12 is from the ash spewed into the atmosphere from one or many volcano eruptions.

This week there has been a lot of interesting volcano news.

China’s Changbaishan volcano showing signs of increased activity
“The authors suggest that though Changbaishan is likely not gearing up for an imminent eruption, one could be expected in the next couple of decades.”

Volcanic activity on Spain’s El Hierro island resumes

Two volcanoes erupt in Indonesia
North Sulawesi, Lokon, and last week, Gamalama & Anak Krakatau also offered us some activity

UK Telegraph: Erupting volcano photographed from space

UK Telegraph caption- “An image taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) of a large plume of smoke, steam and ash erupting from the Sarychev volcano on the Kuril Islands, Russia. It is thought that the eruption has caused a hole to form in the cloud layer above it.”

Tim Challies and others have remarked on a video making the rounds, with Challies commenting “The Lake of Fire – This is an nearly unbelievable video (more information here). “Photographer Geoff Mackley and his crew descended 1,300 feet to the ‘lava lake’ in Marum Volcano on Vanuatu’s Ambrym Island.” I can’t help but think of Revelation 20:15.”

Mike Leake at Borrowed Light had some eloquent thoughts on the volcano video. HT to Challies for pointing us to it. I’ll excerpt a few of Mike’s thoughts.

“In response to that video Tony Reinke shared this quote from Jonathan Edwards, “”The torrents of liquid fire that are vomited from the belly of hell, by the mouths of volcanoes, shadow forth what is in hell. … If the Almighty can create something this fierce who can stand when he is bent on destruction? Only those who find refuge in the strong tower that El Shaddai has hoisted, namely the all-powerful Jesus, will find safety on that day. “

Once again, refuge is ONLY in Jesus.

fireball, ireland

UPDATED. Fireball over UK: "something" broke up…

Posted on September 22, 2012 by elizabethprata

As I was headed ot bed last night, the last piece of news I saw coming across theinternet, was that an enormous fireball was seen over the UK, mostly Ireland. Twitte rlit up with it and no one was quite sure what it was. Man-made space debris was suspected, but it was also possible that it was debris from a natural astronomical event, too. I’d posted the first news article about it, but there were not too many facts, just a reporting that it had happened:

From Universe Today-

Fireball Meteor or Re-Entering Satellite? “Something” Broke Up Over the UK on Friday
“Twitter is all abuzz with sightings of a huge fireball meteor that streaked across the skies Friday night at approximately 22:00 UTC. There are reports from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Central England.”

“I’m going to link a bunch of videos so you can check out the event from multiple angles, but I want to make a completely unscientific judgement: it kind of looks like a re-entering spacecraft. Take a look at what the Jules Verne spacecraft looked like when it came back into the Earth’s atmosphere. See how it broke up into all those pieces? And don’t let anyone fool you with this picture. It was taken about 3 years ago in the Netherlands. Phil made a similar observation, but he’s still on the fence. We’ll have to wait for someone official to tell us what it was. Did you see it? Did you get a video? I’ll give you an update as soon as I know anything else.”

Iran pulls Quds back to "neighboring states", sinkhole still getting bigger, global blasphemy law

Posted on September 21, 2012 by elizabethprata

Some news for you at this week’s end. Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Our home is in heaven, and what a day that will be! Meanwhile, there’s kids to feed and a dog to walk!

Iran’s Supreme Guide orders Quds Force to focus on neighboring states: source
“Iran’s Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei gave his instructions to the country’s Revolutionary Guard, and all its affiliated units, especially the Quds Force, to stop their activities worldwide, especially in Africa and Latin America, and to focus on the neighboring countries, Al Arabiya reported on Friday, citing a source at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The Quds Force, an elite special operations unit, is an arm of the Guard that is active abroad. The Quds Force is tasked with carrying out operations outside Iran — official and clandestine. It has several thousand members, and it is especially active in the Middle East, according to Western analysts. The source, who talked to Al Arabiya on the condition of anonymity, explained that the Supreme Guide fears a possible military strike against Tehran by Israel, on the one hand; and the grave financial effects of the international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, especially regarding the funds provided to the Revolutionary Guard and its affiliated units.”

Deep-focus quakes at Fiji:

Two quakes occurred at Fiji that were of the deep-focus variety. Deep focus quakes are earthquakes that occur at depths where they should not be able to occur. Geologists didn’t even know deep-focus quakes existed until 1922 until HH Turner of Oxford England provided evidence that they do indeed occur. Confirmation came in 1931. It was only in the lifetime of a person in one generation that seismology was turned upside down with the evidence that quakes are occurring “in diverse places,” lol.

I’ve written about deep-focus quakes before, when several happened in quick succession in the Philippines in 2010. I’d quoted then from a scientific article:

“Geophysicists are really not certain what causes the very deep quakes, because at 640 kilometers rocks are so hot that they flow rather than snap under geological stresses. The more common, shallow earthquakes are generally created when rocks snap and fracture.” (source)

Wikipedia explains the depth levels,

The majority of tectonic earthquakes originate at the ring of fire in depths not exceeding tens of kilometers. Earthquakes occurring at a depth of less than 70 km are classified as ‘shallow-focus’ earthquakes, while those with a focal-depth between 70 and 300 km are commonly termed ‘mid-focus’ or ‘intermediate-depth’ earthquakes. Deep-focus earthquakes may occur at much greater depths (ranging from 300 up to 700 kilometers).

Here is the quake data-
Friday: magnitude 4.7, South of the Fiji Islands, 572.0 km deep
Thursday: magnitude 5.7, 35km ESE of Ndoi Island, Fiji 544.2 km deep

The sinkhole in Louisiana is still percolating and expanding. Concerned residents met last night. The emergency has been going on for four months.

Assumption group still seeks answers
“PIERRE PART — Residents and evacuees along with environmental groups and others worried about a large sinkhole, tremors and natural gas releases in the Bayou Corne area detailed on Thursday their concerns about the emergency dating four months with the appearance of mysterious bubbles in waterways.”

The movie “Innocence of Muslims” sparked violent protests his week all over the world. The subsequent publication by French media of Muhammad cartoons fueled it. Did you know that for several years now, Muslims have been pushing for a Global Blasphemy Law? Well it died (again) last year but the notion has again been revived.

The Muslim News has the story:

Saudi Arabia: World Islamic body pushes global blasphemy law
The world Islamic body signaled on Wednesday that it will revive long-standing attempts to make insults against religions an international criminal offense. The bid follows uproar across the Muslim world over a crude Internet video clip filmed in the United States and cartoons in a French satirical magazine that lampoon the Prophet Mohammad. But it appears unlikely to win acceptance from Western countries determined to resist restrictions on freedom of speech and already concerned about the repressive effect of blasphemy laws in Muslim countries such as Pakistan. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said the international community should “come out of hiding from behind the excuse of freedom of expression”, a reference to Western arguments against a universal blasphemy law that the OIC has sought for over a decade. He said the “deliberate, motivated and systematic abuse of this freedom” were a danger to global security and stability.”

A crazy thing is happening now in a small town of Haren in the Netherlands. A 16-year old girl organized a party, posted the invites to Facebook, but forgot to turn it to private. Thousands showed up to her party and a riot ensued. At least 20 people are hospitalized and riot police had to be called in from all environs to quell the violence. Even the journalists covering the riot were in turn attacked by the attackers. It still isn’t under control, the Haren mayor says. More here, and it is a really weird story.

A man has ended up in a tiger’s den in the Bronx Zoo. He had jumped the zoo’s monorail ride. No one knows why he jumped. He got his leg eaten off for his troubles.

People are acting C-R-A-Z-Y! Really! I don’t want to do a ‘back in my day’ kind of speech, but man, back in my day…people didn’t riot when they turn up uninvited to some teenager’s party, jump off a zoo ride and hurl themselves at a tiger, and riot when a cartoon is published. I never thought I’d say it but the 1960s are starting to look tame compared to all this.

Here are some recommended essays:

Ask for Tolerance
“If you’re placed in a situation where you suspect your convictions will be labeled intolerant, bigoted, narrow-minded, and judgmental, turn the tables. When someone asks for your personal views about a moral issue—homosexuality, for example—preface your remarks with a question…”

Weird Stuff People Do on Facebook By : Jordan Hall
Have you done any of them that are listed? LOL, I have.

Kittehs!

Interview: Photographer of World’s Cutest Kitten

Because who doesn’t need a cute kitten picture at the end of a long week?!

church, congregational singing

The Slow Death of Congregational Singing

Posted on September 21, 2012 by elizabethprata

Michael Raiter at The Briefing has a very good and interesting essay on the state of congregational singing. He wrote it in 2008 and I think the situation he raised is even more evident now. I’ll post the first third of the essay but I encourage you to read it fully. After this excerpt Mr Raiter goes on to a good biblical exposition of congregational singing. I recommend the piece.

So, how is the singing at your church?

————
It seems like genuine, heartfelt congregational singing is experiencing its dying gasps. But why does it matter and why should we care? Mike Raiter brings us back to the Bible to inject our singing with new life.

I was at a convention recently, seated near the rear of the auditorium. The music team at the front were ‘leading’ (and I use that word advisedly) and we were singing. Well, we were meant to be singing. And so I did what I’ve done quite often lately: I closed my eyes and listened to the singing. The song leaders with their microphones were clear and distinct. I could identify each of the several instruments accompanying the singers. But if you blocked out the ‘worship team’, all that was left around the building was a barely audible murmur. I opened my eyes and looked around. Most folk were either standing silently, not even making a pretence of singing, or were little engaged in the activity.

I turned to a friend next to me and commented, “No-one’s singing”. He looked at me as if I’d just observed that no-one was flying. Of course they’re not singing; we haven’t really sung here for years. Whatever was happening that morning, it was most decidedly not congregational singing. In many churches, genuine, heartfelt congregational singing has been in its death throes for some years now. So I feel motivated to write about it. Surely we should be concerned that we’ve allowed our congregational singing to come to this.

Now, I know I’m not talking about every church. And I may not be talking about your church. But I travel around a great deal. In fact, I’m in a different church on most Sundays, and it’s true of virtually everywhere I go. I can’t remember ever coming home to my wife after church on a Sunday and saying, “Now, honey, that church really knows how to sing”.
What’s it matter?

But more about that later. What’s the big deal about singing, anyway? Does it really matter if we sing well, poorly or not at all? Singing is yet another one of those topics about which Christians disagree—sometimes quite passionately. Focusing on the Old Testament, one writer concludes that “it is evident … that music played an important part in Hebrew culture”.1 His implication is clear: music was an important part of the life of God’s people before the coming of Jesus, and so it should also be important for us who live after our Lord’s first coming.

Another Christian leader, preferring to focus on the New Testament, concedes that there is a place for music in the life of the church but “it is in no way a major place”.2 He argues that singing was peripheral to the life of God’s people back in the early church, and therefore there is no basis for making it any more important in the life of the church today.

It is evident that the Old Testament gives a significant place to music. Three of its books are songs, or collections of songs (Psalms, Song of Solomon and Lamentations). In fact, one scholar claims that as much as one half to two-thirds of the Old Testament is poetry! Does this emphasis give us some clues about the place we ought to give to singing and music in church today?

But on the other hand, perhaps music and singing is like circumcision, temple attendance and Sabbath observance: it’s commanded in the Old Testament, but fulfilled by Jesus and the apostles in the New. They broadened and reinterpreted the definition of ‘worship’ to embrace a life of faith and obedience. Can we say that those who want to emphasize the importance of music for the church today are still stuck in an old covenant view of worship? Are all these things matters of Christian freedom? In Christ, you’re free to sing or not to sing, but what you are not free to do is bring music in from the margins.

So who’s right?

more at link. How is the singing at your church?