Posted in strange noise, Uncategorized, windsor hum

Strange Hum infuriates Canada, tells US to do something about it

Posted on by elizabethprata

An article appeared in the Wall Street Journal today about the strange hum annoying Windsor Ontario. The article notes that the strange hum coming from Windsor is driving nearby Canada crazy. Americans apparently cannot hear it. It has been described as a very sharp, consistent rumble sound. The Canadians want something done, and it is causing a diplomatic fracas. What is noteworthy is not only the fact that the noise exists, and not only that the noise is loud enough to interfere with normal life…but that the article about it appears in America’s most conservative paper. AND that the diplomats are fussing over it. Pretty remarkable.

I have written specifically about the Windsor hum in August 2011, with a follow up in September 2011. I have written about the hums around the world in general many times. I’ll review what they could mean below the news. But first, the WSJ story:

Canadians Make a Racket Over Mysterious ‘Windsor Hum’
Unexplained Noise Spurs Diplomatic Fracas At Detroit Border; Americans Can’t Hear It
Last month, Bob Dechert, a senior aide to Canada’s foreign minister, was dispatched to Detroit with an important diplomatic mission: To stop a highly annoying noise. The so-called Windsor hum, described as a low-frequency rumbling sound, has rattled windows and knocked objects off shelves in this border community just across the Detroit River from the Motor City. Locals have said it sounds like a large diesel truck idling, a loud boom box or the bass vocals of Barry White.”

Barry White? Stop for a LOL moment. The journalists must have had a blast writing this. Ahem. To continue.

“Windsor residents have blamed the hum for causing illness, whipping dogs into frenzies, keeping cats housebound and sending goldfish to the surface in backyard ponds. Many have resorted to switching on their furnace fan all season to drown out the noise. Even weirder, Americans can’t seem to hear it. Canadians find that suspicious—especially since their research suggests the hum is coming from the Yankees’ side—and accuse U.S. officials of staying silent over the noise.”

Those damn Yankees!

“The government of Canada takes this issue seriously,” Mr. Dechert said after his recent fact-finding trip, which included a visit to a heavily industrialized area on the American side of the river that some Canadian scientists believe is to blame for the hum.”

I can’t figure out why the Americans cannot hear the noise.

“The sound has been plaguing Windsor residents on and off for two years. Last May, a particularly loud eruption shook Windsor resident David Robins as he watched the National Basketball Association playoffs. The room began to vibrate with a loud throbbing noise. Mr. Robins hit mute, fearing he had gone overboard on volume. But the noise persisted. Stepping outside, Mr. Robins said he found the “entire neighborhood pulsating.” “To be honest, I was scared,” he said.”

Now that IS scary. There is more at the link.

I explored the concept of the Windsor Ontario strange noise here, from the aspect of spiritual warfare ramping up and showing an example of a verse from the bible.

I explored the strange noises here, from the aspect of the verse in Jeremiah that ‘A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth.’

Now I’ve said before that there will be supernatural events happening in greater visibility as we approach the rapture, because afterwards will be total supernatural, visible, all the time. The inexplicable will occur on a normal, daily basis. In advance of that, the supernatural (or inexplicable, if that makes you more comfortable) will happen more frequently even though we haven’t been raptured yet.

I’ve also said, however, that just because something is currently inexplicable, it doesn’t mean it always will be. The strange noise may turn out to have a normal explanation.

However, there are a few things that speak against that. First, it has been going on for only two years or so. The industrial area across the river has been in existence for so much longer, so one would wonder why the noises began relatively late. Secondly, the officials brought in seismographs and tested for tectonic activity. The noise must be persistent pervasive, and annoying enough to persuade officials to take such an action.

One thing I noticed in the article is that the witnesses say it is getting louder. That is the most interesting thing of all. HuffPo noted back in January that it is escalating.

As for noises, descriptions of them pervade the bible. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 we read of the rapture, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”. In that verse we read of a shout, a voice and an instrument. Noise.

In Revelation 4:5 we read, “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” In this verse we read of thunderings and voices.

Isaiah 6:4 we read of Isaiah’s vision of heaven and the voices of the seraphims shouting holy, holy, holy were so loud they moved the posts of the doors.

There are many more such examples of noises heard by the visionaries and apostles throughout the Old Testament and the New. We’re drawing closer to the time of the end. The veil between our physical dimension and God’s physical dimension is lifted bit by bit, waiting for the final moment when it tears and there is an irruption into the world of demons, supernatural events, angels, and spiritual warfare made visible. We praise our Savior for making the word of prophecy sure (2 Peter 1:16-21). We praise Him for alerting us to the times and the events he foretold by His book, written out of time and given to us who dwell inside time. We praise Him who will lift us out of time at His will and bring us to the eternal.

If you are worried about these things coming upon the earth, and there will be worse coming, so much worse that men have heart attacks upon looking at them (Luke 21:26), then be saved now. Believe that Jesus is the man-divine son of God, come to seek and save the lost and by His sacrificial act of shedding blood as the holy and pure sacrifice acceptable to God made the way for us into heaven. Believe He was crucified, was buried and rose on the third day by the power of God. Believe He is the substitution for taking on our sin and God’s wrath. If you understand that your sins are very real and make God very angry, confess them to your Lord, and Jesus will forgive you.

In the WSJ article they said that the noises are “no laughing matter.” They aren’t. The one man said that the noise was scary. They are. Because if they presage something worse, that something is so petrifying that people drop dead on the spot. And if you draw your last breath before you know Jesus as savior you will enter the eternal as His enemy and dwell in the Lake of Fire. Please repent now.

“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”(Mark 1:15)

Posted in Uncategorized

I had a peace about it. Not.

Posted on by elizabethprata

How do you make decisions? Someone asked me the other day how I decide things. I realized I have fallen into using the Christian-ese lingo. One of the phrases I caught myself using is “I was led by God to…”.

When I say it I know that I mean that “I decided to…” I should just say that.

Other people wrestle with a decision for a long time, and unable to intuit the correct course of action, they pray and receive an impression. Or they put out a prayer rug or fleece and get a sign via internal urge.

I’ve never done those things (I have prayed but not been led by an impression, or at least when I felt an impression, or had a leading thought, I did not base my decision on it.) A lot of times my internal impressions are likely from satan, lol.

Other times I hear people say, after they ‘were led’, “I know it is from God because I had a peace about it.” I always used to wonder about that, because I rarely have a peace about my big decisions. I have certainty. But not peace. It is scary to move half a country away…to start a new job…to make new friends…to leave your home church. It is nerve-wracking to witness to a hostile person. I rarely have peace about those things. But when the time comes to do them, I am certain, and thus, I do them.

Jonah had peace about his decision to flee God’s will. He actually curled up in the bottom of the boat and went to sleep, while the crew was being tossed and throwing freight and ballast over to save the ship. Having peace about a decision is not a reliable indicator. Ananias and Sapphira likely had peace about their decision to withhold some of the proceeds of the sale of their real estate, at least, they did it without a second thought and Sapphira calmly lied to Peter. But that peace was not the right kind of peace either. (Acts 5)

I was always troubled by these things, fearing maybe I wasn’t ‘doing it right’ with regard to my decision making. Then I heard this question put to John MacArthur- “What is your perspective on the belief that the Holy Spirit leads us by nudging us or whispering to us or giving us dreams, things like that?”  and he answered this way:

JOHN: Well, I think the Holy Spirit does lead us but there is no way to perceive that that’s happening. Right? … I don’t have a red light that goes on on my head and it goes around and around and around when the Holy Spirit’s leading. I don’t know when the Holy Spirit’s leading. I don’t know when I’m just following my impulses or my desires or whatever. I have no mechanism to know that. But in retrospect I see that. And I categorize that in the providences of God.”

“I just put that in the providence…my life is just one amazing act of divine providence after another, after another, after another, after another, after another, every single day of my life unfolds in ways that are so well planned by the divine mind that I…I’m in, you know, a sort of exhilaration day after day after day over what happens in my life. So I don’t know when the Spirit is leading at the time. The Spirit is leading…I can say, “You know, I think I ought to go preach over there.” I do that every day, you know. Friday they brought like, I don’t know, a big list of people who want me to come and speak and what did I do? Did I, you know, begin to go into some kind of mantra and say, “Ohm….” And see if I can induce the Holy Spirit to know what to do? No. I just look at it and say, “Well, I can’t do that. I don’t think I can do that. That wouldn’t be a priority. Maybe I should do that. And you know what happens if I just am open and want to do God’s will, it’s amazing how in retrospect I can look back and say, “Wow, it was absolutely critical that I be there because look what happened when I got there, and this happened and that led to this, and this led to that.” That’s how my whole life has unfolded. So there’s no mechanism that we possess that tells us at the moment when the Holy Spirit is leading us and in some supernatural way. But that in retrospect we will be able to discern by the providences of God that unfold.”

Right! In your decisions, do right by Jesus and do right by our family, and moving forward by logically weighing evidence and proceeding with maturity, and God will take care of all the rest. I look back on my decisions and they have all been good. Either they were wrong but made good by God or they were good and He was leading me but I didn’t have the advantage of having whispers or impressions to know that at the time. His providence!

“Divine providence is the means by and through which God governs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. This includes the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human birth and destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8).” (source)

Gary Friesen said in his book, Decision Making and the Will of God— “Impressions are real; believers experience them. But impressions are not authoritative. Impressions are impressions. Inner impressions are not a form of revelation, so the bible does not invest impressions with authority to function as indicators of Divine guidance. Impressions are real. Believers experience them. But impressions are not authoritative.”

If a person looks to their impressions, whispers, or nudges, then they are looking to something that is not only NOT authoritative, but is deceitful and corrupt!

Gary Gilley states,  “Psalm 19 teaches us there are two sources of revelation, from nature (vv. 1-6) and from Scripture (vv. 7-14). The “general revelation” of nature, while speaking boldly of the glory of God, still has serious limitations. Romans 1:20 confirms that nature is capable of revealing to mankind the eternal power and divine nature of God; therefore even those who know nothing of Jesus Christ are without excuse when they reject God. But general revelation is incapable of exposing a multitude of things including Jesus Christ, the Cross, grace, eternal life and on and on. For such things we need the “specific revelation” of Scripture. …”

There is general revelation by nature and specific revelation by the bible, and nothing in between like impressions, urgings, or whispers.

Even the famous evangelist George Whitefield “mistook fancy for faith and imagination for revelation” when going forward by impression rather than scripture. He had prophesied that his pregnant wife would bear a son, and that the son would grow up to become a famous preacher. Whitefield did have a son, but unfortunately the child died at 4 months old. That is when Whitefield told Jonathan Edwards that he mistook fancy for revelation. (source, book Jonathan Edwards, by Iain Murray, pp. 240-42)

Precious brethren, inner impressions are bubbling up through our fleshly filter of putrid sin, a sin nature, and corruption. Ick! Who would want to make a decision based on that muck! I refute the logic and the method of Bill Hybels’ whispers, especially when Hybels says “Without a hint of exaggeration, the ability to discern divine direction has saved me from a life of sure boredom and self-destruction.’ In [Hybels’ book] The Power of a Whisper, vision is cast for what life can look like when God’s followers choose to hear from heaven as they navigate life on earth. Whispers that arbitrate key decisions, nudges that rescue from dark nights of the soul, promptings that spur on growth, urgings that come by way of another person, inspiration that opens once-glazed-over eyes…”

Mike Feazell said it better, much better when he said,

“Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy the godly freedom to say: “Lord, I’ve got several paths before me, and based on all the facts as I understand them, here’s what I think I should probably do. Please have mercy on me as I enter into this. As you well know Lord I know I am often a moron. I know that in my need You have always been there. And I know you’ll see me through this too. Just please don’t make the bumps If there’s something I’m missing here, would you show me before it’s too late? And if I miss the cue, then please have mercy on me, a sinner and a frequent dumbbell. And one more thing, if this is a trap door instead of an open door, would you mind not letting go of my hand until I get back to where I ought to be? Thanks. Amen.”

Don’t look for a sign or a whisper or a nudge or urgings. Trust God. “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9). Even though you can’t hear or tell He is directing you, He IS. Appealing to your inner impressions is the same as appealing to yourself. His providence has you in the palm of His hand…therefore trust!

“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Psalms 16:8)

Posted in kings, Obama, oppress, power

Stuck with Pharaoh, we long for Solomon

Posted on by elizabethprata

I notice a pattern in the news stories about American politics. At the risk of being too America-centric with respect to applying prophetic indicators, let me say for the record that though the news excerpts below are about the American President, this by no stretch means that these indicators are absent from other global rulers.

Indeed, we have seen what fury the people participating in the Arab Spring/Days Of Rage wrought on Libya’s Qaddafi, Egypt’s Mubarak, and other rulers in Africa and the Middle East. We saw how nervous the kings of Bahrain and Jordan became during that revolutionary time. The Bahraini king even gave a large sum of money to each family in his kingdom to calm them down and to buy time. We see the population’s discontent with the (sexual) excesses of Italy’s Berlusconi, and that France’s Sarkozy, while apparently not as excessive or oppressive, will possibly lose his runoff election this weekend due to the faltering economy.

That said, I have noticed, as you no doubt have noticed, the US leadership veering drunkenly toward excess of spending, of regulation, and of uncaring attitude toward the people. You have heard, no doubt, of the unfortunate plethora of stories where bureaucrats close down lemonade stands, rip up front yard gardens, stop garage sales. Yet those in power like Michele Obama take 17 vacations in three years and seems to have forgotten the concept of public service. But they sure do remember how to have date night. Rep. Pelosi co-opts military airplanes for trips back home. Obama parties like it’s no tomorrow.

The bible has much to say about leaders who fail to honor God and help the people. The bible is replete with events, warnings, and punishments of kings and rulers who oppress the people they are supposed to govern wisely.

Verses like this one in Leviticus 19:13 are echoed throughout the pages of the Scriptures: “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.”

But the leaders, kings, and rulers of today continue to seemingly prosper, while pressing their thumb of power ever deeper into our lives and ripping out what valuables they can to continue to support their lavish and wanton spending. Though it is bad now, this kind of power abuse will be rampant in the Tribulation because the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit will cease His restraint of sin, and it will blossom like mold on a gushy banana. (Revelation 18:3- “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”)

James 5:4 says “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.” Revelation 6 shows the poor working all day for a loaf of bread but in Revelation 18 the ultra rich continued their trade in ivory, spices, furniture, even the souls of men throughout the Tribulation.

The gap between the rich and poor continues to grow even now, the rulers increasingly deaf to the cries to stop spending, and the love of many even in the faith waxes cold for the brother. (Matthew 24:12). Our governments are increasingly interested in the peons like us rather than solving the problems we elected them to solve. They regulate us to death and scurry off to enjoy a sexcapade or a luxurious vacation and have forgotten how to govern righteously. We are plagued with Pharaohs and enduring a famine of Solomons.

“A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding, But he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.” (Proverbs 28:16).

Take this example of unhealthy governmental interest in a person’s private life:

Blogger faces jail time over nutrition blog
“It’s the sort of story you expect to come from a third world superstitious kleptopcracy – yet it happened here on American soil, in North Carolina, thanks to good old fashioned state-level bureaucracy. Reason Magazine brings us the bizarre and senseless story of a Steve Cooksey, a former diabetic who put himself on the popular “Paleo” diet and decided to tell the world about his experiences, only to have the North Carolina Board of Dietetics and Nutrition (yes, that exists) come down on him: This past January the state diatetics and nutrition board decided Cooksey’s blog — Diabetes-Warrior.net — violated state law. The nutritional advice Cooksey provides on the site amounts to “practicing nutrition,” the board’s director says, and in North Carolina that’s something you need a license to do. Unless Cooksey completely rewrites his 3-year-old blog, he could be sued by the licensing board. If he loses the lawsuit and refuses to take down the blog, he could face up to 120 days in jail. The board’s director says Cooksey has a First Amendment right to blog about his diet, but he can’t encourage others to adopt it unless the state has certified him as a dietitian or nutritionist.”

Government is protecting us from our opinions. How thoughtful. Or this terrible example:

Barack Obama attempts to intimidate contributors to Mitt Romney’s campaign
“Try this thought experiment: You decide to donate money to Mitt Romney. You want change in the Oval Office, so you engage in your democratic right to send a check. Several days later, President Barack Obama, the most powerful man on the planet, singles you out by name. His campaign brands you a Romney donor, shames you for “betting against America,” and accuses you of having a “less-than-reputable” record. The message from the man who controls the Justice Department (which can indict you), the SEC (which can fine you), and the IRS (which can audit you), is clear: You made a mistake donating that money. Are you worried?”

“Richard Nixon’s “enemies list” appalled the country for the simple reason that presidents hold a unique trust. Unlike senators or congressmen, presidents alone represent all Americans. Their powers—to jail, to fine, to bankrupt—are also so vast as to require restraint. Any president who targets a private citizen for his politics is de facto engaged in government intimidation and threats. This is why presidents since Nixon have carefully avoided the practice. Save Mr. Obama, who acknowledges no rules. This past week, one of his campaign websites posted an item entitled “Behind the curtain: A brief history of Romney’s donors.” In the post, the Obama campaign named and shamed eight private citizens who had donated to his opponent. Describing the givers as all having “less-than-reputable records,” the post went on to make the extraordinary accusations that “quite a few” have also been “on the wrong side of the law” and profiting at “the expense of so many Americans.”

Rather than knowing that they exist to lead, to govern, to inspire, to serve, the President and other rulers today oppress, indict, and steal. Nice, Obama. Nice. Yet is his own house in order? No.

Secret Service scandal: ‘Party’s over, boys'”
The Secret Service scandal involving prostitutes in Colombia has brought new orders about personal behavior – no more carousing. On some trips, agents will even have chaperones.”

Now think about this for a second. The Secret Service men who are trained to devote their life to the highest official in the land, who define self-sacrifice by committing to hurl themselves in front of a bullet, have to be chaperoned like two year olds in a candy store so they won’t hurl themselves in front of a prostitute? Whatever happened to self-possession?

“For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a narrow well.” Proverbs 23:27
“For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.” Proverbs 11:14
“Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.” Proverbs 26:23

Blue-collar voter resentment building over Obama vacations?
“Blue collar Democratic voters, stuck taking depressing “staycations” because they can’t afford gas and hotels, are resentful of the first family’s 17 lavish vacations around the world and don’t want their tax dollars paying for the Obamas’ holidays, according to a new analysis of swing voters. …McLaughlin handled blue collar and Catholic voters in Pittsburgh on April 3 and Cleveland on March 20. He found that they are very depressed about the economy and feel that their tax dollars are being sucked up by both the rich and those living on government assistance.”

The bible says of kings, “But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.” (Deut 17:16-17).

The Deuteronomy verse expressly forbids kings to excess. Barnes Notes says “Excess is forbidden. Vast accumulation of treasure could hardly be effected without oppression; nor when effected fail to produce pride and a “trust in uncertain riches” 1 Timothy 6:17.” Kings were forbidden to use their office to heap up riches for themselves.

In the bible, there are hapless kings, apathetic kings, and kings who not only do not believe and who are sinful through and through, but who actively campaign against God. Pharaoh was such a one. Jezebel was such a one. Ahab was one too. The progression of evil kings always got worse. The next generation was worse than the one before, and so it is today. We started with Washington, Jefferson, Adams. We end up with Nixon, Clinton, Obama…

“Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed–and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors–and they have no comforter.” Ecclesiastes 4:1

So what shall become of them? Amos 5 & 6 speaks to the Day of the Lord when He deals with the unrighteous rulers who oppressed the people. They “… trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.” (Amos 5:11).

“You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambsand fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.” (Amos 6:3-7)

Of these Amos versesJohn MacArthur teaches, “God really indicts the rich, not because just they’re rich, but because they have become rich at the expense of the poor.”

As for us brethren, especially those in either civic or ecclesiastical positions of leadership, “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6). The word sober there in Greek is nepho, “to be sober, unintoxicated” refers to having presence of mind & clear judgment, enabling someone to be self-controlled.

Apparently at the highest levels of power self-control is a thing of the past. That is what makes the Christian stand out as light and salt. (Mt 5:13-16)

Posted in Uncategorized

Anti-bullying speaker bullies Christian teens at event

Posted on by elizabethprata

Anti-Bullying Speaker Curses Christian Teens
“As many as 100 high school students walked out of a national journalism conference after an anti-bullying speaker began cursing, attacked the Bible and reportedly called those who refused to listen to his rant “pansy assed.” … Savage was supposed to be delivering a speech about anti-bullying at the National High School Journalism Conference sponsored by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. But it turned into an episode of Christian-bashing. “I thought this would be about anti-bullying,” Tuttle told Fox news. “It turned into a pointed attack on Christian beliefs.”

It gets worse from there. If you want to read what Mr Savage said and how it was responded to by his sponsoring organizations, click on the link.

What is sad for me is that this was a forum for teen reporters. Teenagers…mocked, bullied, and called names, by an adult. Rather than being ashamed of his behavior in front of children, rather than apologizing for his screed that offended teens, Savage hurled scorn on them as they left and was supported by his organizations, needling the kids as the ones in the wrong and for failing to stay because “it’s important to be able to listen to speech that offends you”…

I know this verse from Ephesians 6:4 is targeted to actual fathers and their biological/adoptive children, but I dare to say we can widen it to apply here, even as a warning in general:

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”.

 “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” (Colossians 3:21)

 Is Mr Savage a father? An Uncle? Would he feel satisfied knowing someone had entered a place where children were gathered, including his own, and hurled insults directly at them for their beliefs?

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10

Posted in bp oil spill, deepwater horizon

Deepwater Horizon and the deformed Gulf Shrimp

Posted on by elizabethprata

My favorite dinner used to be a cold beer and chilled Gulf shrimp with cocktail sauce. My favorite place to eat this dish used to be Florida, preferably Naples or Key West. I no longer drink alcohol and now it seems I will no longer eat Gulf Shrimp.

Remember the BP Macondo Well/Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion that occurred two years ago this week? It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

Source: Wikipedia

The oil gushed into the Gulf for three months, spilling about 5 million barrels of oil into the blue waters of the Gulf,  and still seeps today. Now that’s got to affect the marine life, wouldn’t you think? Despite assurances that it wouldn’t? Of course. Shrimp in particular are first indicators of ecosystem shift. In other words, if something bad is happening, it’ll show up in the shrimp first.

Gulf shrimp this season are showing up eyeless, with tumors, deformed and toxic. Read more here and here. With photos. Pass the tofu, please.

Posted in fukushima

Fukushima: one year later

Posted on by elizabethprata

Speaking of ecological disasters, how is Fukushima Daiichi doing? After the 9.0 mega-earthquake and devastating tsunami off Japan last March, the nuclear reactor at Fukushima prefecture was damaged. It had equipment failure, nuclear meltdowns, and radiation and cesium release. It was the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl, and some say that Fukushima is worse. Let’s follow up with how the reactor is doing.

Huffington Post reports today: “More than a year after a tsunami swamped the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plants, the radiation peril continues — reactor 4 is teetering on the edge of collapse, which would force the evacuation of one-third of Japan’s population. The meltdown at Fukushima parallels the meltdown of the US economy.”

And it is far from over, reports HuffPo. “More than a year after the Fukushima nuclear power disaster began, the news media is just beginning to grasp that the dangers to Japan and the rest of the world are far from over.”

Senator Wyden of Oregon recently visited the area. He sent the Japanese Ambassador a follow-up letter. Though the tone of the letter is polite, this news headline says it like it is:

Senator Wyden: Fukushima Worse Than Reported
“Japan, with assistance from the U.S. government, needs to do more to move spent fuel rods out of harm’s way at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said U.S. Senator Ron Wyden on Monday. Wyden, a senior Democratic senator on the Senate Energy committee, toured the ruined Fukushima plant on April 6, and said the damage was far worse than he expected. “Seeing the extent of the disaster first-hand during my visit conveyed the magnitude of this tragedy and the continuing risks and challenges in a way that news accounts cannot,” said Wyden in a letter to Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan’s ambassador to the United States.”

One official from Japan is also being blunt.

“Japan’s former Ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Mitsuhei Murata, was invited to speak at the Public Hearing of the Budgetary Committee of the House of Councilors on March 22, 2012, on the Fukushima nuclear power plants accident. Before the Committee, Ambassador Murata strongly stated that if the crippled building of reactor unit 4—with 1,535 fuel rods in the spent fuel pool 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground—collapses, not only will it cause a shutdown of all six reactors but will also affect the common spent fuel pool containing 6,375 fuel rods, located some 50 meters from reactor 4. In both cases the radioactive rods are not protected by a containment vessel; dangerously, they are open to the air. This would certainly cause a global catastrophe like we have never before experienced.” (source)

The amount of Cesium-137 laying around in pools “would destroy the world environment and our civilization. This is not rocket science, nor does it connect to the pugilistic debate over nuclear power plants. This is an issue of human survival.”

An extinction level event. The conspiracy theorists would feel vindicated over that.

Posted in sun

Sun UFO: what WAS that thing?

Posted on by elizabethprata

SOHO watchers spotted something near the sun the other day. LiveScience opens their article about it like this:

“UFO hunters have spotted a curious object near the sun in a new NASA image. It is, in the words of a blogger for the website Gather, “what looks like a metallic, jointed spaceship with a gigantic extension, perhaps a boom arm, anchored off its lower end.” The YouTube video drawing attention to the object has quickly made its way to discussion forums and the tabloid press, and many seasoned UFO believers are calling it a definite “spot.””

I’ll get back to the LiveScience article after a minute. Here is the UK Daily Mail’s treatment of the sight (UK Daily Mail is more tabloid and thus less restricted in their willingness to theorize and use hyperbole)

“A strange object flying close to the sun looks unnervingly like a huge, metallic ‘mothership’ familiar from Hollywood blockbusters. The picture was released by Nasa’s sun-watching Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, known as SOHO – and has become an immediate cult hit on the internet. … ‘The unidentified flying object, which bears no resemblance to anything ever spotted near the Sun, somehow manages to withstand the blazing heat thrown off by solar flare activity and the incredibly high temperatures emanating from nuclear fusion generated on the surface of the star. What is it?’ asked the site.”

An enlargement of the object makes the enormously
large UFO look like a ship straight out of a Hollywood movie
Above, UK Daily Mail included a movie fictional alien spacecraft to compare

‘There is no way this object is merely vapour, as the shape of it is rigidly straight and grooved and appears to be manufactured in some way,’ says the UFO fan site. ‘Also, there seems to be some intelligent design involved. It’s beyond human engineering to create.’

the LiveScience site has an explanation: “According to Nathan Rich, lead ground systems engineer in the NRL’s (US Naval Research Lab] solar physics branch, the “spaceship” is merely a collection of streaks left by cosmic rays, charged particles from space, which whizzed through the camera’s sensor, or CCD, as the image was taken. “The streaks in question are consistent with energetic particle (proton) impacts on the CCD, something which is apparent in just about every image,” Rich told Life’s Little Mysteries.”

Ah! So it’s lens flare. Conspiracy theorists will get a kick out of that.

Posted in patient zero, pestilence, zombie apocalypse

Midway Airport: Twitterverse, Patient Zero and the Zombie Apocalypse

Posted on by elizabethprata

I’ve been watching a situation blossom for the last 20 minutes. The first tweets came over the boards from @SteveGrzanich, afternoon anchor/reporter @WBBMNewsradio, @CBSChicago. Steve tweeted

— Stand by for breaking news… we’re about to go to Chopper 780 for a situation developing at Midway Airport.

–Delta Airlines flight lands at Midway and is surrounded by fire department personnel. Potential health emergency.

–Chopper 780 says fire crews have surrounded the Delta Airlines flight but crews have not boarded the flight and no one is coming offw/passenger.

–The Delta flight at Midway is under quarantine. A source says the flight may have originated in Africa.

–Patient has been in flight for 24 hours according to source…who says the patient has a rash.

–Centers for Disease Control responding.

–The passenger on the Delta flight at Midway may have changed planes in Detroit.

–We’ve identified the flight…it’s Delta 3163. Chopper 780 images show plane with door open and surrounded by ambulances.

–Door on the Delta Flight had been open…it’s now closed. UPDATE: @CDC confirms to @WBBMNewsradio it is investigating “contagious situation” on Delta flight 3163.

The patient was removed and after one hour the entire quarantine appears to be over.

While it was going on, it took precisely 10 minutes for someone to tweet about the zombie apocalypse, and another 5 minutes for Patient Zero to be mentioned. [“Zombie Apocalypse– intimately tied to the conception of the modern zombie is the “zombie apocalypse”, the breakdown of society as a result of zombie infestation, which has emerged as a prolific subgenre of apocalyptic fiction”].  Mentions of the movie Contagion were made. Ubiquitously. And someone else tweeted “This is legit scary” and he is right. It is pretty scary.

We know that the Tribulation will come with all kinds of horrors. Jesus said, “There will be pestilences.” (Luke 21:11). Some won’t be revealed as a horror until it is too late. Someone could pass a contagious disease and not know it until it appears as a rash as this case apparently did. However in this case CBS is saying that the passenger had bug bites, not a communicable disease. [I know that there are many people who will refuse to believe what a government agency says regarding a situation with potentially communicable disease…because, they say, the government will lie to prevent panic…but I simply report the news from the authoritative sources and leave the rest up to you].

How will pestilence begin when it DOES begin? A flight from Ghana and a patient with a rash…who’d changed planes in Detroit? It is a likely and logical scenario. When it does begin, it will probably begin just like that. And it is scary.

Revelation 15 shows us the final plagues. “Chapter 15 is introductory and prepares the reader for the execution of the judgments described in chapter 16. They are first described as the seven last plagues and then as seven bowls full of the wrath of God (vs. 7; 16:1). These seven plagues will chronologically bring to an end the ordered events of the Tribulation judgments in a dramatic crescendo. The plagues described here are extremely severe and occur in rapid succession, which adds greatly to their severity. The plagues are culminated by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the final phase of Armageddon. The purpose of chapter 15 is a vindication of God’s holiness. It shows these judgments stem from the holiness of God and the perfection of His plan.” (bible.org)

But Jesus protects His bride and will remove us before judgments fall. And you know, the zombie apocalypse is not far off from the truth. Those who are not in Jesus are the walking dead, dead in their sins (Col 2:13, Eph 2:1). They’re not dead bodily, but spiritually…and when we are in Christ He makes us come alive. (Eph 2:5). I’m alive in Christ! Are you?

Posted in Uncategorized

Morning praise

Posted on by elizabethprata

I live in a pretty area, one that the Lord led me to 6 years ago. He asked me to leave all I had ever done, all the people I had ever known, and all the scenery that I had ever seen, and move to Georgia. I said “OK.”

I drive through pretty areas on my way to work. I pass a barn, and pastures, and see cows and colts and foals and lambs. I see green fields with waving hay and eagles and heather and pine trees. It is quiet and there’s little traffic. If there are 4 cars at the four-way stop sign it’s a jam. I sing and pray and praise Him the entire way. Every day.

He chose to re-make my life for me here. It is a better life than I would have had if I had remained, I see that now. He knows what is best. Bless You, Lord. May Your will be done.

This morning, I was thinking the thoughts I write below. I hope you sing and pray and praise Him for all His works in the world and for what He does in your life, too. He is wonderful gracious, and loving. He is our Savior and our God.

The seasons He ordained progress their rounds in the calendar
The birds gather food…how much more will He provide His children?
He causes the supernovas to explode, and the gnats to fly.
He causes the sequoias to grow, and amoebas to divide.
He is greater than all that is in the world.
Let praises of His holy name ring throughout
the universe from end to end.
And even then, He is greater than all.
Posted in end time, homosexuality, sin

Backsliding Baptists muddy waters of gay marriage issue

Posted on by elizabethprata

Dr. David P. Gushee’s bio on Wikipedia states he is an historian, ethicist, public intellectual, and professor dealing primarily with ethical issues and Christian thought. Gushee is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, and was formerly the Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy and the Senior Fellow of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Christian Leadership at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Gushee also serves as the president of Evangelicals for Human Rights, an organization advocating for an end to torture, especially that sponsored by the United States government. Additionally, he is a columnist for Christianity Today and the Associated Baptist Press.

For all that, here is some news about something he said and did recently- this is from the Associated Baptist Press–

Gushee: Covenant best model for sexual relationship
“The co-convener of a conference on sexuality and covenant said April 20 that long-term committed relationships are the best model for Christians struggling to make sense of changing morals about sex.”

Don’t get excited. It sounds good. But it is not good. Read on.

“I believe that covenant is a, if not the, single best way that has emerged in the great Christian tradition to talk about what we are supposed to do with our sexuality, and for that matter, our relationality,” said David Gushee, an ethics professor at Mercer University, co-sponsor with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of the April 19-21 conference at First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga.”

Still don’t know why I’m disappointed? He hasn’t said MARRIAGE yet. Read on.

“Gushee defined covenant as a “voluntarily entered sacred pact between two persons and between those two persons and the God to whom both are committed.” OH NO! Why, you ask? Because he said ‘two persons’. Not “man and woman.” Read on:

“Gushee said he doesn’t think the main issue facing the church today is which groups of people are to be viewed as eligible to make covenants. “The main issue is to rescue the very practice of covenant before it disappears forever, not only in society but in our own house,” he said.”

BAD BAD BAD. He wants to ‘rescue” covenants (like God needs human help with maintaining covenants) but declines to specify who is eligible to enter them. However the bible is clear on who is eligible to enter the type of covenant he is talking about, marriage. It is a man and a woman. The Bible condemns homosexuality as an immoral and unnatural sin. Leviticus 18:22 identifies homosexual sex as an abomination, a detestable sin. Romans 1:26-27 declares homosexual desires and actions to be shameful, unnatural, lustful, and indecent. Defining “which groups” are eligible to enter sexual covenant is not a necessary endeavor for today’s Christian because it already has been defined for us. All we need to do is proclaim the truth and obey it. Failing that and instead focusing on the covenant and not the people in the covenant is a backwards approach that leaves out Jesus.

First Corinthians 6:9 states that homosexuals are unrighteous and will not inherit the kingdom of God. it stands to reason that a sacred covenental relationship between same genders would be entering a sinful relationship and not approved by God. That Gushee declined to specify that, thereby proclaiming less than the whole counsel of God, is a severe disappointment.

The Baptist Standard covered the conference this way–:

 Christians lack consensus on sexual ethics, speaker tells conference
“Christians no longer share a consensus that sex outside of marriage is always wrong and must find new ways to deal with that reality besides splitting into smaller and smaller groups over issues like homosexuality and contraception, a keynote speaker said April 19 in the opening session of a [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and Covenant co-sponsored by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Mercer University’s Center for Theology and Public Life. … David Gushee, head of Mercer’s Center for Theology and Public Life, said the university was happy to co-sponsor the event because of its long identity as a Baptist institution and interest “in promoting dialogue about an important and sensitive issue that some people would be afraid to host a dialogue about.” Gushee said his center normally deals with public policy issues, but in this case cordoned off that part of the discussion to make it easier to have conversation. He said the conference still could have implications for public policy if it demonstrates that people really can discuss a sensitive issue like sexuality constructively and with respect.”

Here is the perspective on “dialogue”. I’ve always been interested in language, and how language, particularly through media, influences the mind. How it can clarify or obfuscate. The Emergent Church penchant for insisting on ‘respectful dialogue’ is part of the tactic of obfuscation. It brings muddiness to the clarity of scripture and it is simply a defense mechanism for satan to deflect dogmatic truth.

I posted a blog entry a short while ago titled “It’s 2012 and homosexuality is still a sin” as a jab at emergent post-modern culture that says we have to get with the times and dialogue about these points to see whether they are still relevant. I have an answer for you. They are still relevant. End of dialogue.

As a result of my interest in how language is used or misused, the emergent church, and John MacArthur’s solidly biblical sermons, I’ve heard just about everything MacArthur has said or written on the subject. Here is his explanation of the tendency toward dialogue in his essay “The perspicuity of scripture“

He wrote- “A new movement is now arising in evangelical circles. Apparently, the main object of attack will be the perspicuity of Scripture. Influenced by postmodern notions about language, meaning, subjectivity, and truth, many younger evangelicals are questioning whether the Word of God is clear enough to justify certainty or dogmatism on points of doctrine. Ironically, this new movement to a certain extent ignores all the previous debates. Instead, its proponents are more interested in dialogue and conversation. As a result, they scorn and rebuff propositional truth (which tends to end dialogue rather than cultivate it) as an outmoded vestige of twentieth-century modernism.”

He’s right. Proclamation tends to shut them up. There is no debating God.

Peter said that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, (1 Peter 3:19) and the word preached means proclaimed. The Greek word is kērýssō (“to herald”) and refers to preaching the Gospel as the authoritative (binding) word of God, bringing eternal accountability to all who hear it. (Strong’s Concordance).

Do you really believe that scripture is so unclear about what’s a sin that we need to have endless discussion as to whether marriage is meant for life between a man and a woman under God or can be included to mean two men for whatever period of time as their lust brings them together? If so, do you believe that when Jesus descended to prison to speak with the demon spirits, He said “Let’s promote a dialogue about an important and sensitive issue that some people would be afraid to host a dialogue about. And I promise to be respectful”?? NO. He proclaimed GOD’s RIGHTEOUSNESS. His death & resurrection meant He triumphed over death, over hell and over sin, sin that includes homosexuality!

I’m really disappointed in the Baptist segment of our denomination that is behaving this way. Failing to stand on the word of God as authoritative and binding means one is actually standing on a house of sand. And we all know what happens when the storm comes. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Note the last line of the parable. “Great was its fall.” The Greek word defines ‘great’ as megas, “large, as in the widest sense.” Jesus is saying that unless you stand on His word as the foundation, your fall will be so great it couldn’t be any greater!