Tuesday 23 August 2011

IGNORING THE WARNINGS


IGNORING THE WARNINGS

Listen to this description of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine:

"There were two electrical engineers in the control room that night, and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is they were 'playing around' with the machine. They were performing what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment. They were trying to see how long a turbine would 'free wheel' when they took the power off it.

"Now, taking the power off that kind of a nuclear reactor is a difficult, dangerous thing to do, because these reactors are very unstable in their lower ranges. In order to get the reactor down to that kind of power, where they could perform the test they were interested in performing, they had to override manually six separate computer-driven alarm systems.

"One by one the computers would come up and say, 'Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!' And one by one, rather than shutting off the experiment, they shut off the alarms and kept going. You know the results: nuclear fallout that was recorded all around the world, from the largest industrial accident ever to occur in the world."

This city, which formerly had 55,000 people, is now largely abandoned.

The instructions and warnings in Scripture are just as clear. We ignore them at our own peril, and tragically, at the peril of innocent others.

Taken from: 
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/deut--9--choose-wisely-bobby-scobey-sermon-on-discipleship-121779.asp
 

Monday 15 August 2011

Greg's blog: Some inspiration for anxious times from FDR's Inau...

Greg's blog: Some inspiration for anxious times from FDR's Inau...: "This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only ..."

Some inspiration for anxious times from FDR's Inaugural address 1933

This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself——nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.

More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.
The money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.
FDR’s Inaugural address 1933



Exert from: "The Only Thing We Have to Fear ..." http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear--gary-harrison-sermon-on-anxiety-128162.asp


Friday 5 August 2011

Greg's blog: Illustration on struggles

Greg's blog: Illustration on struggles: "ILLUSTRATION: “Cocoon” The cocoon of the Emperor moth is flask like in shape. To develop into a perfect insect, it must force its way thro..."

Illustration on struggles

ILLUSTRATION: “Cocoon”

The cocoon of the Emperor moth is flask like in shape. To develop into a perfect insect, it must force its way through the neck of the cocoon by hours of intense struggle. Entomologists explain that this pressure to which the moth is subjected is nature’s way of forcing a life giving substance into its wings. Wanting to lesson the seemingly needless trials and struggles of the moth, an observer said, "I’ll lesson the pain and struggles of this helpless creature!" With small scissors he snipped the restraining threads to make the moth’s emergence painless and effortless. The creature never developed wings. For a brief time before its death it simply crawled instead of flying through the air on rainbow colored wings! (By the way.....the struggles of childbirth...i.e., the child squeezing through the birth canal are also a God designed way of forcing liquid out of the newborn’s lungs.)Sorrow, suffering, trials, and tribulations are wisely designed to grow us into Christlikeness. The refining and developing processes are oftentimes slow, but through grace, we emerge triumphant.



http://www.sermoncentral.com/Illustrations/SearchResults.asp?sitesearch=csp-keyword--grace&sscat=illustrations&keyword=grace&ScriptureBookA=&ScriptureVerse=&TopicID=0&since=0&x=56&y=15&Category=

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Greg's blog: Heavenly Embassy

Greg's blog: Heavenly Embassy: "I recently heard the story about a young married couple. The Groom wanted to do something special for his new Bride so he planned something ..."

Heavenly Embassy

I recently heard the story about a young married couple. The Groom wanted to do something special for his new Bride so he planned something special for her. The plan was – after their reception – he would drive them two hours to a special destination where they would spend a glorious evening together.
So, they got in their car, he set the GPS and away they drove
SEVEN hours later, they reached their destination.
Exhausted, they settled in… and then left on a short errand.
And it took them another hour to find their way back.

What happened? 
Their problem was that they depended entirely upon their Navigation GPS to find their way to their destination. And, apparently their system worked off of pre-loaded maps. Unfortunately for them, their destination wasn’t on any of those maps.
Their GPS couldn’t help them, and since they depended entirely on that system they became hopelessly lost and totally without a clue as to where they were headed.

APPLY: Ephesians 2 tells us that God has pre-loaded His GPS with a map that tells you exactly where you and I are and where we’re headed.

Ephesians 2:6 says 
“…God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”


http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/heavenly-embassy-jeff-strite-sermon-on-encouragement-159211.asp