I was somehow sidelined into this thought this morning, during a reflective time with God. Why are Friday nights and Saturday nights almost always associated with partying, letting one's hair down, getting drunk, having a good time, going out, meeting mates, going clubbing etc?
Is it really because it is the weekend? or is there something else? Something spiritual?
Satan, was a fallen angel. He was once known as Lucifer. He was the head of worship. He was worship. He loved to worship God. He loved to worship for worshipping. He began to worship himself and this led to his downfall and to the whole realm of sin and seperation from God.
God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest and also a day of celebration, a day of worship dedicated to God for who he is and what he has done for us. The Israelites and the Jews celebrate the Sabbath from twilight of Friday through to twilight of Saturday.
We brits and the rest of the world consider our Sabbath to be on a Sunday. That is the day we set apart specifically, historically and traditionally as the day for worship and celebration. Yet this leaves the gap. The original Sabbath and its spiritual connotations were regarded highly by God and by his ordained rules. These still apply, but now the fallen Lucifer has taken over the 'gap' in our lives. The worship is still there, the celebration is still ringing around the world, but it's not to God, but to the devil and to carnal desires. Music, love, lust, drunkeness, debauchery, orgies, violence, anger, hatred are all prevalent when people lose self control. The heady mix of alcohol, laughter and drugs makes for an interesting evening of escapism, which is becoming increasingly popular in our culture today. It's the devils scheme for making people worship themselves and him. Little do they know that when they are set out to have a good time, do they fall under the spell of the deceiver.
Satan still wants people to continue the sabbatical pattern of worship, but to worship anything else but God, the father and creator, as he originally ordained.
Next time you go out to have a good time, think of the reasons as to why, and then think how you can change that why to be more effective for God.
Showing posts with label Sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sin. Show all posts
We need to pray
Panorama will show this this week. These guys are serious yet have got everything wrong. We need to pray for these people that they will see the true light.
BBC NEWS World Americas Row over Scientology video
BBC NEWS World Americas Row over Scientology video
The Parenthesis of ... (Sin)
In the beginning God…
Had a plan to create the earth and populate it with people who would worship him as their creator and take delight in his creation of the animals and the plants, the trees, the mountains, hills and seas around them, plus the myriad of stars above. Perhaps also to interact with God on a more personal level and to worship alongside his angels, just as he had a relationship with Adam in the beginning.
God placed man in the Garden of Eden where there was a whole variety of species awaiting his delight and there was the tree of life.
(Then came sin…..and seperation of man and a 1/3 of angels from God. Through sin, God had to readjust his plan, and send his son to die so that man could be reconciled to God once more and the pain of seperation and death would be dealt with once and for all, by binding Satan up and evicting him in to the lake of fire. This plan took man through many phases and many generations, from two people (adam & eve) through to today, where 6 billion people are living on the earth, and over time whoever knows how many have lived and died in the earth, perhaps 10 – 12 billion over the generations).
God planned a definitive time for all things to come to a head, to judge and to overcome the sin that caused his creation to go astray. God gave man time to try to overcome sin themselves but instead are destroying the very planet they live on, and creating technological advances which they claim can match those of God (or even transcend them).
The earth will be laid bare. Bare rock. No green grass, trees, plants, animals, people. A new earth. Seedlings will begin, life begins. Lichens and moss. This spreads, young plants will grow and these will spread. Over time the green grass will be renewed and be fresh and pleasing. This will be the new earth. Heaven, where men will dwell to worship God. On the earth there will be a city. The new Jerusalem, where God will dwell amongst man. The tree of life will be there and men will worship God forever. The city will be 12000 stadia long on each of its four sides – 1500 miles long x 1500 miles = 2.25m sq. miles
The people of God in their new bodies will be forever young, forever worshipping the magnificent creator and praising him for his new creations which he will do for us to take delight in once again and never will there be any more sin or death or all of the evil that is associated with it for God in his glory will be the ultimate for whom we run to when he extends his open arms and walks with us upon the lush green grass in the garden.
Had a plan to create the earth and populate it with people who would worship him as their creator and take delight in his creation of the animals and the plants, the trees, the mountains, hills and seas around them, plus the myriad of stars above. Perhaps also to interact with God on a more personal level and to worship alongside his angels, just as he had a relationship with Adam in the beginning.
God placed man in the Garden of Eden where there was a whole variety of species awaiting his delight and there was the tree of life.
(Then came sin…..and seperation of man and a 1/3 of angels from God. Through sin, God had to readjust his plan, and send his son to die so that man could be reconciled to God once more and the pain of seperation and death would be dealt with once and for all, by binding Satan up and evicting him in to the lake of fire. This plan took man through many phases and many generations, from two people (adam & eve) through to today, where 6 billion people are living on the earth, and over time whoever knows how many have lived and died in the earth, perhaps 10 – 12 billion over the generations).
God planned a definitive time for all things to come to a head, to judge and to overcome the sin that caused his creation to go astray. God gave man time to try to overcome sin themselves but instead are destroying the very planet they live on, and creating technological advances which they claim can match those of God (or even transcend them).
The earth will be laid bare. Bare rock. No green grass, trees, plants, animals, people. A new earth. Seedlings will begin, life begins. Lichens and moss. This spreads, young plants will grow and these will spread. Over time the green grass will be renewed and be fresh and pleasing. This will be the new earth. Heaven, where men will dwell to worship God. On the earth there will be a city. The new Jerusalem, where God will dwell amongst man. The tree of life will be there and men will worship God forever. The city will be 12000 stadia long on each of its four sides – 1500 miles long x 1500 miles = 2.25m sq. miles
The people of God in their new bodies will be forever young, forever worshipping the magnificent creator and praising him for his new creations which he will do for us to take delight in once again and never will there be any more sin or death or all of the evil that is associated with it for God in his glory will be the ultimate for whom we run to when he extends his open arms and walks with us upon the lush green grass in the garden.
The 4th Horse - Revelation 6
UN Report Exclusive: Climate Change Impact More Extensive than Thought - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
The above link to DER SPIEGEL's report on Climate Change makes interesting reading, particularly when read in conjunction with Revelation chapter 6, where it describes the Seals and in particular the 4th Seal which reveals the 4th Horse, a pale horse whose rider is called Death and he is given power over 1/4 of all the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts.
1/4 of the earth by sword - Islamism is growing ever popular and 1/4 of the countries on the earth now fully claim they are islamic, and there are representatives of islam in almost every other country, so we could argue that 1/4 of the world's population may base their religion beliefs on Islam.
The link above indicates that global warming is on an alarming increase, and by 2050 they estimate that 20% - 30% of all species (including humans?) will be killed off due to the effects of global warming to cause rising sea levels, eradicating low lying lands and islands, freak weather patterns, destroying the hiterto natural pattern of life and causing animals to seek food elsewhere around the planet and thus affecting their breeding rates and populations which also directly affect us for use of food sources and by attacks as certain animals may develop wilder characteristics in the chase for food and attack anyone in their way.
Plants and crops will be affected as the temperature warms and desertification spreads northwards and southwards and a distinct lack of rainfall over much of the lands means that crops will fail and there will be more famines which would not just affect those in poor Africa but may affect North Americans and Europeans since they consume most of the world's supply of foodstuffs and these will become scarce necessitating a change in lifestyle which most would deem to avoid if at all possible.
High ground will become a precious commodity as sea levels rise and those living in flood plains and low lying areas will likely lose their dwellings.
Imagine 1/4 of the earth's population. If by 2050 it is 7+billion then that would equate to 1.75 billion losing their lives.
If global warming continues then the rains may stop. They were not known before the time of the flood. Perhaps the earth will resort back to pre-flood conditions where everything was tinder dry and rain was not known. Then God will destroy the earth this time not by a great flood, but as he says in many passages, by fire. The vegetation will be tinder dry and we already know the devastation that forest fires can cause, as in Australia at the end of 2006. A forest fire on a global scale will destroy the earth and everything in it.
The above link to DER SPIEGEL's report on Climate Change makes interesting reading, particularly when read in conjunction with Revelation chapter 6, where it describes the Seals and in particular the 4th Seal which reveals the 4th Horse, a pale horse whose rider is called Death and he is given power over 1/4 of all the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts.
1/4 of the earth by sword - Islamism is growing ever popular and 1/4 of the countries on the earth now fully claim they are islamic, and there are representatives of islam in almost every other country, so we could argue that 1/4 of the world's population may base their religion beliefs on Islam.
The link above indicates that global warming is on an alarming increase, and by 2050 they estimate that 20% - 30% of all species (including humans?) will be killed off due to the effects of global warming to cause rising sea levels, eradicating low lying lands and islands, freak weather patterns, destroying the hiterto natural pattern of life and causing animals to seek food elsewhere around the planet and thus affecting their breeding rates and populations which also directly affect us for use of food sources and by attacks as certain animals may develop wilder characteristics in the chase for food and attack anyone in their way.
Plants and crops will be affected as the temperature warms and desertification spreads northwards and southwards and a distinct lack of rainfall over much of the lands means that crops will fail and there will be more famines which would not just affect those in poor Africa but may affect North Americans and Europeans since they consume most of the world's supply of foodstuffs and these will become scarce necessitating a change in lifestyle which most would deem to avoid if at all possible.
High ground will become a precious commodity as sea levels rise and those living in flood plains and low lying areas will likely lose their dwellings.
Imagine 1/4 of the earth's population. If by 2050 it is 7+billion then that would equate to 1.75 billion losing their lives.
If global warming continues then the rains may stop. They were not known before the time of the flood. Perhaps the earth will resort back to pre-flood conditions where everything was tinder dry and rain was not known. Then God will destroy the earth this time not by a great flood, but as he says in many passages, by fire. The vegetation will be tinder dry and we already know the devastation that forest fires can cause, as in Australia at the end of 2006. A forest fire on a global scale will destroy the earth and everything in it.
Is God younger than you?
We had a guest speaker in our church (an ozzie), and he said something which seems on the outside fascinating.
When the devil caused sin to enter our world the period of aging began and now we take it as normal that we have our allotted time of three score and ten (70 years) or there abouts (on average) to live out our lives.
We know from the bible that people pre-Noah's time lived far longer, i.e. Methuselah lived 969 years.
It was not God's original intention that we grow old so quickly. This is a cause of sin in our lives.
Jesus says let the children come to him.
God wants us to have a simple faith in him. To believe him and trust in him without us complicating things and making provisos or ifs and buts, but just to trust him, like a child simply trusts its parent without question.
My child trusts me even though he has often no clue what I am doing. I say to him, come we are going out in the car, and he tags along because a) he enjoys going out in the car, b) because he enjoys being with me, whereever I go and whatever I do.
This is how God wants us to be.
Could it be that we age to become older than God? That God is an eternal child in simplicity and without complication? He sets down the rules and he never changes. There are no provisos. No ifs and buts with God. He wants us to simply love him and trust him. His rules are there to keep us close to him, like we tell a child not to wander off or stick their grubby fingers in the electrical sockets. Those rules keep them safe and God's rules are designed to keep us safe in him.
That's all he wants folks........
When the devil caused sin to enter our world the period of aging began and now we take it as normal that we have our allotted time of three score and ten (70 years) or there abouts (on average) to live out our lives.
We know from the bible that people pre-Noah's time lived far longer, i.e. Methuselah lived 969 years.
It was not God's original intention that we grow old so quickly. This is a cause of sin in our lives.
Jesus says let the children come to him.
God wants us to have a simple faith in him. To believe him and trust in him without us complicating things and making provisos or ifs and buts, but just to trust him, like a child simply trusts its parent without question.
My child trusts me even though he has often no clue what I am doing. I say to him, come we are going out in the car, and he tags along because a) he enjoys going out in the car, b) because he enjoys being with me, whereever I go and whatever I do.
This is how God wants us to be.
Could it be that we age to become older than God? That God is an eternal child in simplicity and without complication? He sets down the rules and he never changes. There are no provisos. No ifs and buts with God. He wants us to simply love him and trust him. His rules are there to keep us close to him, like we tell a child not to wander off or stick their grubby fingers in the electrical sockets. Those rules keep them safe and God's rules are designed to keep us safe in him.
That's all he wants folks........
Age of Methuselah
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live to the age Methuselah did? In Genesis 5 v 27, the bible states that he lived for 969 years. Longevity in those days was the norm. Imagine if Methuselah had been born 900 years ago in Britain. The year 1107. As he grew up what would he have witnessed? What events would have been key in his memory? Born into medieval Britain, witnessing the change of Kings and wars with scotland, the collapse of the Roman empire, the rise of the protestant church and the beginnings of the methodist movement, Queen Elizabeth 1 and her wars with spain and france, the civil war - would he have been a roundhead?, the conquering of the new worlds of america and the exploration and expansion of the British Empire to boast the Empire is such that the sun never sets upon it, and then man's almost nihilistic destruction beginning at the start of the 20th Century leading through until today.
He'd be saddened by the fact that 800 years had gone by where yeah there were battles and unrest, poverty and decline, power and victory, but never had there been near total destruction as there is nowadays on a almost global scale. The skirmishes he'd witness as a young man would have affected perhaps two villages and their fields, perhaps upto 300 men each; now its two or more countries with 3 million people at stake
How he would now feel the need for the hunger of God. He would know man needs God so much now than ever before. Even the dark days of the civil war do not account for anything like the dangers we see on our streets.
Methuselah did actually live in a similar time. An unlawful and uncivil society, keen on getting their own way and doing what they wanted and wishing to live lavishly against the rules of God and morality. Society was then at breaking point.
What happened?
God intervened and through Noah decided he would save the human race, but at a cost to everyone else who were all drowned in the flood.
The bible says God will intervene again. This time not by flood but by fire. We humans didn't learn from the first lesson and the devil has made God seem totally unimportant in this world of personal freedom, gain, TV and PCs, where all of our attention on God has been directed elsewhere, so that now God is a little less than a picture on a wall, a dusty book hidden under glossy magazines, a gold effigy hung on a chain for good luck; a book from the past hidden in a darkened cupboard long forgotten behind the bright lights of a plasma screen.
Man is causing damage to the world. The boulder rolling down the hill can no longer be stopped. It's momentum gaining speed as it heads down to flatten and destroy.
Only God can now save us.
Jesus Christ is the key. Look to him and believe and you will be saved.
Man cannot be saved by Noah again. His time is gone.
Now the world is the stage for Armageddon. Beware for your time is soon up. In the twinkling of an eye, it will come to pass and you will question yourself as you see the burning flames of hell and wonder where your time is gone and wonder why in the end it was all for nothing. Meaningless.
You have your chance. Take it now before it is too late. Jesus is waiting for you with his arms open wide. Go to him before you sink below the flames.
He'd be saddened by the fact that 800 years had gone by where yeah there were battles and unrest, poverty and decline, power and victory, but never had there been near total destruction as there is nowadays on a almost global scale. The skirmishes he'd witness as a young man would have affected perhaps two villages and their fields, perhaps upto 300 men each; now its two or more countries with 3 million people at stake
How he would now feel the need for the hunger of God. He would know man needs God so much now than ever before. Even the dark days of the civil war do not account for anything like the dangers we see on our streets.
Methuselah did actually live in a similar time. An unlawful and uncivil society, keen on getting their own way and doing what they wanted and wishing to live lavishly against the rules of God and morality. Society was then at breaking point.
What happened?
God intervened and through Noah decided he would save the human race, but at a cost to everyone else who were all drowned in the flood.
The bible says God will intervene again. This time not by flood but by fire. We humans didn't learn from the first lesson and the devil has made God seem totally unimportant in this world of personal freedom, gain, TV and PCs, where all of our attention on God has been directed elsewhere, so that now God is a little less than a picture on a wall, a dusty book hidden under glossy magazines, a gold effigy hung on a chain for good luck; a book from the past hidden in a darkened cupboard long forgotten behind the bright lights of a plasma screen.
Man is causing damage to the world. The boulder rolling down the hill can no longer be stopped. It's momentum gaining speed as it heads down to flatten and destroy.
Only God can now save us.
Jesus Christ is the key. Look to him and believe and you will be saved.
Man cannot be saved by Noah again. His time is gone.
Now the world is the stage for Armageddon. Beware for your time is soon up. In the twinkling of an eye, it will come to pass and you will question yourself as you see the burning flames of hell and wonder where your time is gone and wonder why in the end it was all for nothing. Meaningless.
You have your chance. Take it now before it is too late. Jesus is waiting for you with his arms open wide. Go to him before you sink below the flames.
It's downright Criminal
So, according to Speigel Magazine, a poll from people of Europe (35,000) were asked about the state of life and criminality in their country and what has affected them from break ins and car theft to muggings and sexual crimes.
They conclude that the UK and Ireland are the worst countries for crime in Europe (which I can well understand) and that London has 50% more crime than New York or Istanbul.
I think this is down to education and society and in the UK society is more a breakdown point than anywhere else in Europe.
So hold on to your hats and car keys, until you are in Finland, as this is one of the safest.
They conclude that the UK and Ireland are the worst countries for crime in Europe (which I can well understand) and that London has 50% more crime than New York or Istanbul.
I think this is down to education and society and in the UK society is more a breakdown point than anywhere else in Europe.
So hold on to your hats and car keys, until you are in Finland, as this is one of the safest.
Is our life our choice or is it God's?
Did we choose to live?
Was it our choice to be born?
When did we realise we were born? During our first memories? More likely,when someone, whether our parents or a teacher made us realise the process of our birth into life and our life for the future and how our life up until that age of realisation is documented either by stories, photos, certificates etc.
Our realisation that somehow we had started living in our world began when it became a fascination of how we could then live in it. Planning for our future through education and relationships; finding out what drives us, whether it be money, love, career, attention, fame or reputation.
If it wasn't our choice to be born, is it really our choice to live, and how we live?
Yes, and no.
Is it our choice whether to continue living or to die? Yes.
Is it our choice when we die? Yes and no.
Obviously we choose our time to die if we want to commit suicide, but then sometimes that may not work, and chances happen that people survive their attempts.
Does this mean God is in ultimate control, even if we think we may take our own life at the time we choose?
Yes.
God allows us to choose our paths in life, who we develop relationships with, where we live, what we do for work, whether we are successful or poor. So as we steer our lives, we may believe we are holding the wheel, yet God is standing behind us navigating and warning us to steer in the right direction, according to his plan and purpose for our lives.
What of those who don't believe in God? God is still in control yet allows people to get into all sorts of scrapes and trouble with the choice of accepting Satan as the one who navigates their lives for them.
Is it God's plan for people to be murdered? Or killed in vehicle and plane accidents? Yes, often God allows disasters to befall man because of man's sin.
What choices do I have to make?
Firstly, believe in God and his love for you.
Believe in Jesus Christ who died to save your sins. Jesus conquered death and rose again victorious. He took away the sting of death.
Believing in God gives God direct control of our lives and our destiny
And he will still allow you choices, yet if you are humble and allow him to control your thinking every day, then that destiny will become as God has originally purposed for you.
God chose you to be born. He chose you to live, lavishing his love upon you, and he will lift you up to sit on the right side of Him when he so fulfills the purpose of your life on earth. Our life is not destined to be the only life we know. It is but a stepping stone to eternal life with God himself in his beautiful heavenly mansion, with streets paved with gold, where we will worship the Lord, forever and beyond even then.
Will you do that?
K. S White
6/12/04
Was it our choice to be born?
When did we realise we were born? During our first memories? More likely,when someone, whether our parents or a teacher made us realise the process of our birth into life and our life for the future and how our life up until that age of realisation is documented either by stories, photos, certificates etc.
Our realisation that somehow we had started living in our world began when it became a fascination of how we could then live in it. Planning for our future through education and relationships; finding out what drives us, whether it be money, love, career, attention, fame or reputation.
If it wasn't our choice to be born, is it really our choice to live, and how we live?
Yes, and no.
Is it our choice whether to continue living or to die? Yes.
Is it our choice when we die? Yes and no.
Obviously we choose our time to die if we want to commit suicide, but then sometimes that may not work, and chances happen that people survive their attempts.
Does this mean God is in ultimate control, even if we think we may take our own life at the time we choose?
Yes.
God allows us to choose our paths in life, who we develop relationships with, where we live, what we do for work, whether we are successful or poor. So as we steer our lives, we may believe we are holding the wheel, yet God is standing behind us navigating and warning us to steer in the right direction, according to his plan and purpose for our lives.
What of those who don't believe in God? God is still in control yet allows people to get into all sorts of scrapes and trouble with the choice of accepting Satan as the one who navigates their lives for them.
Is it God's plan for people to be murdered? Or killed in vehicle and plane accidents? Yes, often God allows disasters to befall man because of man's sin.
What choices do I have to make?
Firstly, believe in God and his love for you.
Believe in Jesus Christ who died to save your sins. Jesus conquered death and rose again victorious. He took away the sting of death.
Believing in God gives God direct control of our lives and our destiny
And he will still allow you choices, yet if you are humble and allow him to control your thinking every day, then that destiny will become as God has originally purposed for you.
God chose you to be born. He chose you to live, lavishing his love upon you, and he will lift you up to sit on the right side of Him when he so fulfills the purpose of your life on earth. Our life is not destined to be the only life we know. It is but a stepping stone to eternal life with God himself in his beautiful heavenly mansion, with streets paved with gold, where we will worship the Lord, forever and beyond even then.
Will you do that?
K. S White
6/12/04
Is Linfen really to blame?
Link: www.itv.com/news & click on the "big meltdown"
Watching the reports streaming in from Antartica and the worry from the reporters and scientists regarding the speed with which the Antartic ice is melting, is it right and fair to blame China and cities like Linfen in china where coal production is at a premium, producing steel for the construction and vehicle industries?
It is like the speck and the plank syndrome. We see a speck in china's eye, ignoring the plank in our own.
Britain and Europe and the USA have all been through the process we termed the industrial revolution. While we were smogging the air with our coal and steel plants and London was doused in permanent smog, China was still a farming community with virtually no hope of finding its wealth. They watched as Britain, Europe and the USA, and it's neighbour Japan developed its toys and fashioned its wealth. China could only stand by and wonder.
Politics did not have much to do with it. It is knowledge and technology and learning.
We have now learnt. We went through the phase. Did Britain care about greenhouse gases when they were producing cars etc? Nope!
Did the USA care? Nope!
Even if they knew. Even if people were aware 100 years ago that the emissions from factories and vehicles and production were damaging the environment no one paid attention. Local environments and eco systems were damaged but no one cared. Think of the brown field sites. The toxic waste dump sites. The pollution in rivers and seas.
Now though. Now we don't produce anything as much as we used to and our factories have turned into shopping malls and our green vehicles are being produced elsewhere, we feel it is right to blame those people producing goods for our markets and our over-consumerism for the damage effecting the environment.
We blame China now, although the gases from 100 - 200 years ago have had to have landed somewhere. We produced Ozone holes, but China didn't blame us.
Guys. It is our fault. China is only producing vehicles and steel goods and other goods simply because they have a cheap labour force. It is investment from Britain, Europe and USA which is assisting China in sprouting these industries and products and are developing themselves. Yet what happens when China become developed and demand high wages and high quality products and lower emissions etc. Where will be get the goods from so we can go shopping?
Africa? Then the cycle starts all over again!!!!
No. Our hunger for consumerism is fueling the environmental damage.
Also, as God has made our planet and our environment, he is fully able to sort it out, if it means that he'll protect us, for he promised never to flood the world again.
Also, natural cycles of heating and cooling periods around the earth over time always continue.
Also, I think God has let us produce damaging effects on the planet because we can see what our sin is doing to our lives. God is allowing us to choose sin. We do have a choice. We can choose God and godly living. Not being greedy. Being content. Loving our neighbours instead of producing arms to destroy them.
Antartic Ice may melt, but God wants you to melt your heart towards him too.
Watching the reports streaming in from Antartica and the worry from the reporters and scientists regarding the speed with which the Antartic ice is melting, is it right and fair to blame China and cities like Linfen in china where coal production is at a premium, producing steel for the construction and vehicle industries?
It is like the speck and the plank syndrome. We see a speck in china's eye, ignoring the plank in our own.
Britain and Europe and the USA have all been through the process we termed the industrial revolution. While we were smogging the air with our coal and steel plants and London was doused in permanent smog, China was still a farming community with virtually no hope of finding its wealth. They watched as Britain, Europe and the USA, and it's neighbour Japan developed its toys and fashioned its wealth. China could only stand by and wonder.
Politics did not have much to do with it. It is knowledge and technology and learning.
We have now learnt. We went through the phase. Did Britain care about greenhouse gases when they were producing cars etc? Nope!
Did the USA care? Nope!
Even if they knew. Even if people were aware 100 years ago that the emissions from factories and vehicles and production were damaging the environment no one paid attention. Local environments and eco systems were damaged but no one cared. Think of the brown field sites. The toxic waste dump sites. The pollution in rivers and seas.
Now though. Now we don't produce anything as much as we used to and our factories have turned into shopping malls and our green vehicles are being produced elsewhere, we feel it is right to blame those people producing goods for our markets and our over-consumerism for the damage effecting the environment.
We blame China now, although the gases from 100 - 200 years ago have had to have landed somewhere. We produced Ozone holes, but China didn't blame us.
Guys. It is our fault. China is only producing vehicles and steel goods and other goods simply because they have a cheap labour force. It is investment from Britain, Europe and USA which is assisting China in sprouting these industries and products and are developing themselves. Yet what happens when China become developed and demand high wages and high quality products and lower emissions etc. Where will be get the goods from so we can go shopping?
Africa? Then the cycle starts all over again!!!!
No. Our hunger for consumerism is fueling the environmental damage.
Also, as God has made our planet and our environment, he is fully able to sort it out, if it means that he'll protect us, for he promised never to flood the world again.
Also, natural cycles of heating and cooling periods around the earth over time always continue.
Also, I think God has let us produce damaging effects on the planet because we can see what our sin is doing to our lives. God is allowing us to choose sin. We do have a choice. We can choose God and godly living. Not being greedy. Being content. Loving our neighbours instead of producing arms to destroy them.
Antartic Ice may melt, but God wants you to melt your heart towards him too.
The Two Cups - Final Chapter
© KSW 31/3/99
In the places I was wet, the stickiness had run off. I put my hand to my mouth and tasted the medicinal taste of the familiar red liquid. I realised I could escape and I dragged myself to another door. Getting up, as though my legs had gained sudden strength, I walked quickly through the building and out into another alley. This led to other countless alleys. I was lost, confused but still alive. I came across a gang of men in one alley who were eating. They offered me some, which I saw was part of a human body, a clean human body! Beyond them I saw the street or so I thought. I screamed and charged through. One of the men lunged at me half-heartedly so I easily dodged him and tumbled into the street. The flames were glowing to my left. People walked about the street, however the roadway itself was totally clear. The traffic flowed no more however neither did the people walk on the roadway.
I drank from another cup of the dark syrup, but this caused so much pain, I crumpled into a heap on the ground. My body wracked with the pain. My legs felt as though the flesh was dropping off them. One passerby hooked the toe of his shoe in the small of my back and heaved me into the gutter to lie there with the rest of the frail and the dead. A lion paused and gnawed my leg. I couldn’t feel the pain but my fingers found a stick which I used to beat the lion until it walked to the next body.
After what seemed an eon I crawled onto the pavement because I knew I needed to get away, anywhere but here. I moved into the roadway. This wide empty space was where I at least could move along calmly without getting jostled. Directly ahead was a building I recognised . I fixed my eyes on it and walked steadily towards it.
Just outside it, I was handed another cup of syrup which I drank almost automatically but I did not expect its consequences. The sweet taste was comforting but I doubled up in severe pain once again and I fainted.
I came to and found myself back in the gutter. A large vehicle stood stationary a few metres away and a terrible growling noise was emanating from it. The back of it was open and it looked as though it was on fire. What I saw horrified me. Two men were picking up the bodies out of the gutter and throwing them into the back of the vehicle. These men were street cleaners and the fire was a furnace. There were just four bodies between them and me. I attempted to move however my legs were trapped. Someone lay on top of me. They took away the body lying on top of my legs and I lifted my head and rolled onto the pavement. I continued to roll across the pavement and into the building ahead bursting through the door.
I was back in the familiar room with the two cups in the centre, but this time two people were standing beside the cups. The one next to the black cup beckoned me to him. He shouted promises that I would be well and wealthy once I was rid of this sickness. He told me it was only an initiation sickness and that if I was to become better, I would need to drink the syrup every hour for just the next few days then all would be well. The black cup looked enormous, as though it had grown.
The other person held a ladle of the clear liquid and simply called my name. I rolled towards the cups. I wanted both but they would not let me and made me choose. In my fuzz I knew the syrup was the cause of my sickness, of the cramps and blindness and disability and I thought of the street cleaners just outside. I knew I had had too much of the syrup. I reeked of it. I rolled towards the other cup, took the offered ladle and drank its contents as though refreshing water. Strength returned to my limbs. I stood up, reached over the rim of the cup, but in my haste, I fell into the cup. After the initial panic, I stood and saw that the stickiness had gone. There was no pain and I was fit and whole again.
I climbed out of the cup and ran around the room in delight. The two people had already left the room. I stepped outside and stopped. I saw the same street but the people were different. They called me by name. They jostled me and beckoned me to join them. The roadway shone like pure gold. The buildings sparkled like diamonds in the sun. The harsh traffic noise was replaced by a gentle softer noise emanating from all areas. It was singing. The people were singing. All the wild animals had disappeared, but there were different creatures about, some with many eyes. I looked about but I could not see any cups of either syrup or the strawberry drink, but I noticed that a few were carrying the black cups about trying to offer them to any willing takers. I turned and looked back the way I had come. The two cups had grown out of the building. They were gigantic and now were labelled. The glass cup was the larger by far. It looked as though it would topple its contents onto the street. The label read LIFE. The black cup read SIN.
Suddenly the glass cup did topple. Its contents spilt into the black cup however. The earth shook and the darkness of the black cup became lighter. I watched it as the clear liquid poured into the cup, watched the syrup disappear and saw the cup become transparent and like glass. The label fell off it and then it cracked. The crack became larger and the liquid spilt down in to the street. It flowed like a tremendous river down the golden roadway. The cup of sin broke into pieces which flowed along with the torrent. Those carrying the syrup were overwhelmed by others, their cargo discharged into the roadway and then allowed to join in with the others who were now dancing, singing, celebrating. I walked, danced and jumped along with the crowd following the torrent into the noonday sun.
The Two Cups - Chapter Three
© KSW 31/3/99
I felt sick once again. My stomach was now hurting badly. Pain travelled through my intestines. My body felt as though it was on fire, but my head seemed to me as though it floated two metres above my body.
This side of the street was as bad as the other. In a window was a cup of the black syrup and below it was one containing the red liquid. I seemed to see them together although no one touched the clear drink but chose the black liquid all the time. It seemed everyone was hooked on it. Through the window people were sitting around drinking and watching a show. The show was crude, where the human body was flaunted in various ways. I wanted a drink but did not want to go in. As I stood there, I was jostled by many as they passed by, some wandering openly why I was not moving. I made a quick decision, grasped a dead animal out of the gutter and flung its body through the window so I could grab the two cups and walk off without having to go in and ask anyone about them. I drank them both greedily, the strawberry after the syrup. Suddenly I was awake. I felt no pain anywhere. I could see clearly. This made me stop in my tracks and observe the street more closely. The people were bizarre and deformed and they wore rags as well as being covered in the syrup and dust. The animals looked vicious. Even the small ones seemed menacing. The vehicles were an endless streak of noise and images as they sped by. The sky was becoming darker.
I reached a doorway and pushed in off the street away from the noise and the images. In the room where I found myself, there were a few tables and chairs but all were unoccupied. Set on the tables were more cups of the syrup. I licked my lips, took two and drank again. Some of the liquid slipped down my chin and onto my clothes. The pain was severe this time and the cramps were almost unbearable. My head became lightheaded again. A group of men came in from another room. They beckoned to me to join them and offered me more to drink. I noticed through the increasing bleariness a solitary clear cup high on a shelf, but I chose the syrup and drank with my new found companions. I could not feel, I could not think, I could not see much, but I drank and drank. The liquid covered my hands and face, my body and arms and was totally sticky which was I found made it difficult to move. The floor was sticky. In fact everything was sticky. Pain shot through my body into legs, arms, head and neck.
Eventually I managed to leave the room and hobbled back into the street, but was dragged into another doorway. Here, people were naked and wrapped around each other, covered in the syrup. I was astounded but was harried into joining in. Through my weakness I offered little resistance and started enjoying myself.
When the party was over, I found myself dragged back out into the street. I was hallucinating now. My mind a whirr of bizarre images. Squinting my eyes I saw in front of me a normal human girl with no deformities and whose clothes were clean that meant they had none of the sticky syrup or the dust of the street on them. She was holding a bag and walked into a building. Another stepped out of a vehicle, stopped at the curbside. She looked at me and smiled but walked into the building as well. The building was large and very old. I followed them through the door and saw there were a group of these people emptying the contents of their bags into clear cups. They offered me some, but I declined. The taste of the strawberry drink made me sick. I saw a cup of the syrup on the floor and took that instead. Those in the room started to tell me something. I think they were trying to stop me from drinking it, but I was too quick. The syrup touched my lips and I immediately hit the floor, my head spinning. That was strong almost pure.
One of the girls walked out into the street, to fetch another bag from the vehicle, but as she turned back to the door, she was grabbed by some men and was dragged down an alley. I jumped up and followed them. One held a cup of syrup and forced her to drink it. They poured the bag of clear liquid onto the ground. The girl immediately wanted more of the syrup and started laughing. Soon she was covered in the sticky syrup and the men were laughing around her. They walked back into the street, past me, and to the stopped vehicle, where they started to vandalise it and destroy its contents and its ability to move again.
I looked at my feet. The spilt clear liquid ran into the gutter from the alley. The alley floor seemed clean. Perhaps my eyes were behaving peculiar. A man walking by stood on the liquid trail and slipped as though on ice. A body in the gutter around which the liquid pooled began to move. The man revived, got up and walked away. I could not comprehend it. How could this be? The liquid flowed further out into the road and the traffic began at first to quiver and then as the vehicles ran over the liquid there was a sideways slip with one of them and they began to career over the roadway, crashing into each other, crumpling up, and some careened over the pavement into people and into buildings. I dodged back into the alley. A vehicle crashed straight into the mouth of the alley and burst into flames. This caused a chain reaction with those on the road behind it. The flames became intense like a furnace. I could hear people screaming as they disappeared into the flames and I soon realised why. The sticky residues of the syrup along the walls of the buildings and the alley flared into an intense flame. In my daze, I knew I had to escape, but I sat on the ground doubled up in pain. I saw that the spilt liquid was still there under the flames, neither evaporating nor burning. My legs would not move, so I dragged myself up the alley using my hands which were sticky like glue. I found a doorway and slipped into it just before the flames passed over my head. The heat was now intense and I was very thirsty. To my relief there were more cups of syrup stacked in a corner. There were people in the room but they were looking out of the window at the front and laughing at the carnage in the street. I lay on the floor too weak to move, too numb to care any longer. I had a drink and I was happy. I heard laughter again and realised it was me.
The flames were now in the room. I know. I could hear them but I could not move. A shelf on the wall above split and fell down. There were three bags on the shelf which burst as they hit the floor. I was covered in a liquid. I opened my eyes to see the flames and saw that I was soaked.
I felt sick once again. My stomach was now hurting badly. Pain travelled through my intestines. My body felt as though it was on fire, but my head seemed to me as though it floated two metres above my body.
This side of the street was as bad as the other. In a window was a cup of the black syrup and below it was one containing the red liquid. I seemed to see them together although no one touched the clear drink but chose the black liquid all the time. It seemed everyone was hooked on it. Through the window people were sitting around drinking and watching a show. The show was crude, where the human body was flaunted in various ways. I wanted a drink but did not want to go in. As I stood there, I was jostled by many as they passed by, some wandering openly why I was not moving. I made a quick decision, grasped a dead animal out of the gutter and flung its body through the window so I could grab the two cups and walk off without having to go in and ask anyone about them. I drank them both greedily, the strawberry after the syrup. Suddenly I was awake. I felt no pain anywhere. I could see clearly. This made me stop in my tracks and observe the street more closely. The people were bizarre and deformed and they wore rags as well as being covered in the syrup and dust. The animals looked vicious. Even the small ones seemed menacing. The vehicles were an endless streak of noise and images as they sped by. The sky was becoming darker.
I reached a doorway and pushed in off the street away from the noise and the images. In the room where I found myself, there were a few tables and chairs but all were unoccupied. Set on the tables were more cups of the syrup. I licked my lips, took two and drank again. Some of the liquid slipped down my chin and onto my clothes. The pain was severe this time and the cramps were almost unbearable. My head became lightheaded again. A group of men came in from another room. They beckoned to me to join them and offered me more to drink. I noticed through the increasing bleariness a solitary clear cup high on a shelf, but I chose the syrup and drank with my new found companions. I could not feel, I could not think, I could not see much, but I drank and drank. The liquid covered my hands and face, my body and arms and was totally sticky which was I found made it difficult to move. The floor was sticky. In fact everything was sticky. Pain shot through my body into legs, arms, head and neck.
Eventually I managed to leave the room and hobbled back into the street, but was dragged into another doorway. Here, people were naked and wrapped around each other, covered in the syrup. I was astounded but was harried into joining in. Through my weakness I offered little resistance and started enjoying myself.
When the party was over, I found myself dragged back out into the street. I was hallucinating now. My mind a whirr of bizarre images. Squinting my eyes I saw in front of me a normal human girl with no deformities and whose clothes were clean that meant they had none of the sticky syrup or the dust of the street on them. She was holding a bag and walked into a building. Another stepped out of a vehicle, stopped at the curbside. She looked at me and smiled but walked into the building as well. The building was large and very old. I followed them through the door and saw there were a group of these people emptying the contents of their bags into clear cups. They offered me some, but I declined. The taste of the strawberry drink made me sick. I saw a cup of the syrup on the floor and took that instead. Those in the room started to tell me something. I think they were trying to stop me from drinking it, but I was too quick. The syrup touched my lips and I immediately hit the floor, my head spinning. That was strong almost pure.
One of the girls walked out into the street, to fetch another bag from the vehicle, but as she turned back to the door, she was grabbed by some men and was dragged down an alley. I jumped up and followed them. One held a cup of syrup and forced her to drink it. They poured the bag of clear liquid onto the ground. The girl immediately wanted more of the syrup and started laughing. Soon she was covered in the sticky syrup and the men were laughing around her. They walked back into the street, past me, and to the stopped vehicle, where they started to vandalise it and destroy its contents and its ability to move again.
I looked at my feet. The spilt clear liquid ran into the gutter from the alley. The alley floor seemed clean. Perhaps my eyes were behaving peculiar. A man walking by stood on the liquid trail and slipped as though on ice. A body in the gutter around which the liquid pooled began to move. The man revived, got up and walked away. I could not comprehend it. How could this be? The liquid flowed further out into the road and the traffic began at first to quiver and then as the vehicles ran over the liquid there was a sideways slip with one of them and they began to career over the roadway, crashing into each other, crumpling up, and some careened over the pavement into people and into buildings. I dodged back into the alley. A vehicle crashed straight into the mouth of the alley and burst into flames. This caused a chain reaction with those on the road behind it. The flames became intense like a furnace. I could hear people screaming as they disappeared into the flames and I soon realised why. The sticky residues of the syrup along the walls of the buildings and the alley flared into an intense flame. In my daze, I knew I had to escape, but I sat on the ground doubled up in pain. I saw that the spilt liquid was still there under the flames, neither evaporating nor burning. My legs would not move, so I dragged myself up the alley using my hands which were sticky like glue. I found a doorway and slipped into it just before the flames passed over my head. The heat was now intense and I was very thirsty. To my relief there were more cups of syrup stacked in a corner. There were people in the room but they were looking out of the window at the front and laughing at the carnage in the street. I lay on the floor too weak to move, too numb to care any longer. I had a drink and I was happy. I heard laughter again and realised it was me.
The flames were now in the room. I know. I could hear them but I could not move. A shelf on the wall above split and fell down. There were three bags on the shelf which burst as they hit the floor. I was covered in a liquid. I opened my eyes to see the flames and saw that I was soaked.
The Two Cups
© KSW 31/3/99
CHAPTER TWO
I sat trying to find an explanation as to what the two liquids could possibly be. I looked at the cups now towering above me. The one containing the clear liquid was actually transparent, like glass. I could see the far wall through the cup. The other cup was matt black in colour and was wider .
My tongue longed once again for more of the sweetness. I stood and gathered a double portion of the syrup into my mouth. I climbed on to the handle to reach further into the cup, but in no time I was lightheaded once again and my stomach cramps became much worse than the first time around. I could not get away however and was totally hooked on the taste. My eyes bulged at the amount of syrup to be had in the cup and I laughed aloud in ecstasy.
The door to the room suddenly opened but no one entered. Perhaps it was the wind. I slid off the handle onto the floor. My head was screaming and wanted to depart from my body but I stumbled to the door and out into the street. Now I was floating. This syrup must be intoxicating. I did not recognise the street but people seemed to know me. Some called out my name, some started walking beside me. Others jostled me and others beckoned me to follow them into alleys off the street or into the many doorways. There were people and animals crowding the pavements, some of the people were sleeping either in the doorways or in the gutter beside the road. There were all types of animals. Some of them wild, out of place here in the street, because I associated them as belonging in a jungle. There was an endless stream of traffic on the road. Vehicles of all types passed by, but in one direction only. The road was hedged in by buildings of various styles and sizes. The crowds were milling in any direction and I was simply dragged along by the swell. A fracas broke out suddenly in front of me. It seemed to be over an animal which stood next to a man. The animal was bloated and blood dripped from its mouth. The accuser produced a long slim object and in no time his opponent was on the floor and the animal was lying beside him. Wild animals suddenly convened from all directions and in a quick frenzy tore the flesh off the animal and devoured it. They left the man alone. I was sickened and needed a drink, fast. I turned around to return to the room with the two cups, but I could no longer see it. It should have been a short distance behind me but all I saw was the street. I looked around again and saw on a table a small black goblet. I lunged for it and knew it contained the same syrup. I drank quickly lest anyone should see me and start a commotion. It was a huge relief, but due to the excitement of the street scene I had put the pain to one side of my feelings. On a shelf near the table was a glass goblet containing the strawberry drink but I left that alone.
When I turned, I tripped over the man lying prostrate on the pavement. His body was still but his eyes suggested he was alive, even though they told that he was going through some inner torment. His flesh was putrefying. His wound was infested. I wanted a closer look but someone lifted me clear of him and another dragged him into the gutter to lie there with a lot of others. I searched the gutter for signs of life but many bodies had one of more limbs missing, were shrivelled up, or had bloated stomachs. Some were too decomposed or grotesque to look at. My head swam with a thousand emotions raging through it.
I staggered to a doorway and was immediately pulled inside and a cup of the black syrup was thrust into my hands. This was remarkable. How could they know I needed a drink of this again? I drank the cup until no more of the syrup remained and looked about. In the room was a table upon which lay an animal I couldn’t recognise. About fifteen people stood or sat in the room and at times poked or prodded the animal with instruments of torture. It screamed but the people laughed and carried on with the prodding. I protested at this business and they looked at me dumbfounded and then started after me holding their instruments menacingly. They looked very evil. As one lunged for me, I stretched out my hand, found his neck and squeezed with all my strength. He fell to the floor and did not move. The others laughed at this and they all tried to lunge at me. I bolted out of the door and into the road, into the traffic. I could not see anything. The noise and the wheels and the vehicles roared on by. Nothing stopped or even slowed down. I cannot say how, but I managed to reach the other side of the road without being seriously hit. I had bruises on my arms but I considered myself fortunate because my followers were hit by the vehicles, flung to the ground, ran over countless times, their bodies breaking into pieces.
The Two Cups - Chapter One
© KSW 31/3/99
Ahead of me were two cauldrons or enormous cups, larger than any cup I had seen before. They seemed to be the only objects in the room in which I was standing. The room was square and its only light came from one window, high upon the wall opposite the door through which I had entered. I sniffed an aroma I could not recognise. Strong, sweet, yet tinged with an odour like rotten vegetables.
The cups sat in the centre of the room, next to each other. I went up to them and looked over the tops which were almost as high as I was tall and I had to stand on tip toe.. The cup on the left was filled to the brim with a dark, thick liquid and looked like syrup. The cup on the right was filled to the brim with a clear, red liquid. It was so clear the bottom of the cup was visible. There was a drop of liquid on the rim of this cup which I scraped up with the tip of my finger and tasted it. I screwed my face up as the liquid tasted almost medicinal. It was like a medicine I had as a child and was flavoured strawberry.
I moved across to the other cup again and took some of the syrup from the rim. The droplet was sticky, like honey but the taste was phenomenally amazing. Far sweeter than honey, in fact than anything I had ever had tasted before and it smelled like fresh baked cake. The sweetness was not overpowering or unpleasant, such as something that would shoot warning signs through your brain to warn you about it being bad for your teeth. It was a melt-in-your-mouth texture which seemed to evaporate as it slid down the throat. I immediately wanted more and therefore grabbed a handful of the syrupy liquid and swallowed greedily. As I licked my hand I began to look around the room seeking something with which to use as a scoop so I could get more of this liquid without making my hands totally sticky. Finding nothing about I went to the cup of the strawberry liquid and using my hands scooped some of the liquid into my mouth. The syrup had made me thirsty and this looked as though it would quench my thirst. The stickiness had disappeared as if I had washed my hands under a running tap, however the medicinal taste was still there and it made me heave.
I wanted some more of that very tempting sweet syrup. This was quickly becoming an addiction. I contemplated looking for a scoop outside but I could not wait that long until drinking even more of the strange dark liquid. I took several handfuls but then felt a slight twinge in my Stomach. It was a sharp pain but it happened just once. Perhaps it was a muscle spasm after having to reach over the rim of the cups to get to the liquids. Now I felt lightheaded but not sick. In fact I was happy. This syrup was amazing, brilliant. All the tastes I had ever wanted were rolled together and I was fantastically delirious. I couldn’t stop, not now and attempted to drink a huge amount. I could not focus properly, my head was beginning to swim about, my legs felt weak and numb and now my stomach hurt even more. The pain was lasting longer. What was happening to me? It must have something to do with one of these cups, but which one? I had drunk a lot of the syrup and my hands were covered in the stuff but not so much of the strawberry drink. I turned to the other cup grasping for its rim. The soft, free flowing liquid ran through my hands as I drank and down my arms but through my bleary eyes, I noticed it washed the sticky syrup off my hands. After a few sips my head cleared and I became stronger. It seemed almost immediate. My pain disappeared. Pity the taste was so disgusting.
Ahead of me were two cauldrons or enormous cups, larger than any cup I had seen before. They seemed to be the only objects in the room in which I was standing. The room was square and its only light came from one window, high upon the wall opposite the door through which I had entered. I sniffed an aroma I could not recognise. Strong, sweet, yet tinged with an odour like rotten vegetables.
The cups sat in the centre of the room, next to each other. I went up to them and looked over the tops which were almost as high as I was tall and I had to stand on tip toe.. The cup on the left was filled to the brim with a dark, thick liquid and looked like syrup. The cup on the right was filled to the brim with a clear, red liquid. It was so clear the bottom of the cup was visible. There was a drop of liquid on the rim of this cup which I scraped up with the tip of my finger and tasted it. I screwed my face up as the liquid tasted almost medicinal. It was like a medicine I had as a child and was flavoured strawberry.
I moved across to the other cup again and took some of the syrup from the rim. The droplet was sticky, like honey but the taste was phenomenally amazing. Far sweeter than honey, in fact than anything I had ever had tasted before and it smelled like fresh baked cake. The sweetness was not overpowering or unpleasant, such as something that would shoot warning signs through your brain to warn you about it being bad for your teeth. It was a melt-in-your-mouth texture which seemed to evaporate as it slid down the throat. I immediately wanted more and therefore grabbed a handful of the syrupy liquid and swallowed greedily. As I licked my hand I began to look around the room seeking something with which to use as a scoop so I could get more of this liquid without making my hands totally sticky. Finding nothing about I went to the cup of the strawberry liquid and using my hands scooped some of the liquid into my mouth. The syrup had made me thirsty and this looked as though it would quench my thirst. The stickiness had disappeared as if I had washed my hands under a running tap, however the medicinal taste was still there and it made me heave.
I wanted some more of that very tempting sweet syrup. This was quickly becoming an addiction. I contemplated looking for a scoop outside but I could not wait that long until drinking even more of the strange dark liquid. I took several handfuls but then felt a slight twinge in my Stomach. It was a sharp pain but it happened just once. Perhaps it was a muscle spasm after having to reach over the rim of the cups to get to the liquids. Now I felt lightheaded but not sick. In fact I was happy. This syrup was amazing, brilliant. All the tastes I had ever wanted were rolled together and I was fantastically delirious. I couldn’t stop, not now and attempted to drink a huge amount. I could not focus properly, my head was beginning to swim about, my legs felt weak and numb and now my stomach hurt even more. The pain was lasting longer. What was happening to me? It must have something to do with one of these cups, but which one? I had drunk a lot of the syrup and my hands were covered in the stuff but not so much of the strawberry drink. I turned to the other cup grasping for its rim. The soft, free flowing liquid ran through my hands as I drank and down my arms but through my bleary eyes, I noticed it washed the sticky syrup off my hands. After a few sips my head cleared and I became stronger. It seemed almost immediate. My pain disappeared. Pity the taste was so disgusting.
Saint Nick too
Yes, Saint Nick is alive and kicking all throughout Germany. All of the children know who Saint Nick is and what he does, but there is one condition. Clean shoes. All children must put their shoes out for the visitor to fill them with his delights, but woe to the ones who do not clean them prior to putting them out. Saint Nick will look upon them in disdain and may even pass by a pair of dirty shoes.
I write this on the eve of Christmas. A time of expectant children waiting for Santa Claus to come and fill their stockings or entire ground floor of bedroom, (depending on your outlook), and children must have a good heart or be on good behaviour to receive a gift from Santa.
The two stories are interlinked through the eons of history and the interpretations and distortions of culture and media, yet there is more.
We celebrate the birth of Christ and we know that he was willing to give us a gift. The gift of eternal life. We don't need to be good or clean our shoes, yet we need to repent, and ask Jesus for forgiveness for all the wrong we have done. Jesus will fill your heart and make as new and you shall have joy in knowing that God will welcome you as a child into his arms.
Merry Christmas.
I write this on the eve of Christmas. A time of expectant children waiting for Santa Claus to come and fill their stockings or entire ground floor of bedroom, (depending on your outlook), and children must have a good heart or be on good behaviour to receive a gift from Santa.
The two stories are interlinked through the eons of history and the interpretations and distortions of culture and media, yet there is more.
We celebrate the birth of Christ and we know that he was willing to give us a gift. The gift of eternal life. We don't need to be good or clean our shoes, yet we need to repent, and ask Jesus for forgiveness for all the wrong we have done. Jesus will fill your heart and make as new and you shall have joy in knowing that God will welcome you as a child into his arms.
Merry Christmas.
Ice
I was reading an article this week. Don't ask me where from as I don't name sources, (apart from the fact I can't remember!). It concerned our body's ability to cope with the differing climates throughout the world. Medical boffins agree that our bodies are best suited for warm, temperate climates, rather than the cold ice and snow.
There are only a few differences (apparently) in degrees between what is good for us and what is not. Look at the following:
24C - top range of comfort
21C - recommended living room temperature
Less than 20C - death risk begins
18C - recommended bedroom temperature
16C - resistance to respiratory diseases weakened
12C - more than two hours at this temperature raises blood pressure and increases heart attack and stroke risk
5C - Significant risk of hypothermia
This is why in winter so many elderly and poorly people suffer so much. Checking the weather around the world today indicates some great temperature extremes in just the northern hemisphere. Winnipeg - 18C, Chicago -4C, San Diego +25C. Moscow +2C, Kiev -4C, Athens +21C.
What happens to the elderly in these towns? Our UK govt reports that they won't increase the fuel allowance for the elderly this year despite rapidly rising fuel costs, which then eat further into their meagre pensions, forcing some to withgo food just to keep a little warm.
God made us and created us to inhabit the Garden of Eden, a warm, temperate place, where no rain fell, yet was watered out of springs from the beneath the earth.
When sin entered the world and man was forced out from the Garden of Eden, and as sin grew exponentially, the came the first rains (Genesis 6) and also began to form the ice and the permafrost in the polar regions. I believe that Ice was not intended to be present on the earth. Imagine there being no cold climate, no frost to scrape away from our windscreens, no snow to clear from our paths, no skiing to watch or take part in. Our bodies cannot survive for long in the cold, yet there are those who dwell in the cold lands, the eskimos, for example, and the odd alpine skier!
Next time you shovel snow off your path, ask yourself, did God ever intend me to do this? It is clear the power of the effect of sin on our world.
I'll see you after I've moved to the mediterranean!
There are only a few differences (apparently) in degrees between what is good for us and what is not. Look at the following:
24C - top range of comfort
21C - recommended living room temperature
Less than 20C - death risk begins
18C - recommended bedroom temperature
16C - resistance to respiratory diseases weakened
12C - more than two hours at this temperature raises blood pressure and increases heart attack and stroke risk
5C - Significant risk of hypothermia
This is why in winter so many elderly and poorly people suffer so much. Checking the weather around the world today indicates some great temperature extremes in just the northern hemisphere. Winnipeg - 18C, Chicago -4C, San Diego +25C. Moscow +2C, Kiev -4C, Athens +21C.
What happens to the elderly in these towns? Our UK govt reports that they won't increase the fuel allowance for the elderly this year despite rapidly rising fuel costs, which then eat further into their meagre pensions, forcing some to withgo food just to keep a little warm.
God made us and created us to inhabit the Garden of Eden, a warm, temperate place, where no rain fell, yet was watered out of springs from the beneath the earth.
When sin entered the world and man was forced out from the Garden of Eden, and as sin grew exponentially, the came the first rains (Genesis 6) and also began to form the ice and the permafrost in the polar regions. I believe that Ice was not intended to be present on the earth. Imagine there being no cold climate, no frost to scrape away from our windscreens, no snow to clear from our paths, no skiing to watch or take part in. Our bodies cannot survive for long in the cold, yet there are those who dwell in the cold lands, the eskimos, for example, and the odd alpine skier!
Next time you shovel snow off your path, ask yourself, did God ever intend me to do this? It is clear the power of the effect of sin on our world.
I'll see you after I've moved to the mediterranean!
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