Posted on 08/25/2011 12:58:54 PM PDT by Gritty
There are times you just have to wonder.
A hurricane that appears to be taking dead aim at both Washington DC and Wall Street?
Gee, I wonder if there's an embedded message in there somewhere? After all, insurance companies do call these sorts of events "acts of God", right?
So..... as we all prepare if we're in the to-be-impacted area, let's remember a few things:
•Small changes in path matter. They're also unpredictable. I was ready to "bug out" for Ivan, and decided to stay literally at 5:00 PM the night it came in. Why? Because had the path been about 40 miles east of where it was, I would have been a good 5' underwater at my home. As it was the right decision was to stay; we had to battle rising water and succeeded in keeping it out of the house. Barely. But I live in a relatively-lightly-populated area. If you're in a big city and it looks like Irene might get you, get out. There's only one thing worse than getting stuck in a hurricane with your house disintegrating around you, and that's being in a 2-million-car-long traffic jam with the water rising rapidly. In a hurricane it is not that the wind blows, it is what the wind blows, and sometimes the "what" includes objects like trees and Volvos.
•If you're not prepared by now, you got trouble. You've either got 48 or 72 hours before it's on top of you, and 12 hours less before the weather starts to seriously deteriorate. Oh yeah, all the plywood and other essentials will be sold out within 200 miles by now. If you're not prepared now stop reading this Ticker and get off your ass or suffer the consequences. Time's up.
•If you want to be a hero (or do something stupid) at a time like this, please make sure your next-of-kin's phone number and name is written on your chest in permanent Sharpie marker first. It will make it possible to notify the person who has to come pick up your body. Seriously. There's always someone who tries to do something "heroic" - or just plain stupid - during these storms and a good percentage of the time they die. Save the ME time in analyzing dental records and use the Sharpie...
*snip*
If He does not allow it, why is there a world full of it?
Of course He allows it. He must allow it because God is in control of everything. Satan does not run around totally unchecked. His power is not unlimited.
Just because God permits something to occur does not mean He’s happy about it. Of course it does not. He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to the cross for billions of peoples’ sins. He allowed that to occur. Was He happy that had to go that way? If there was any other way do you not think God would have not have done it? Just because He allows something doesn’t mean He’s happy that some people will suffer.
Do you realize that through personal suffering there have been people that have come to believe in God? That for these people it may have been the only way they would have, and God knew that? What kind of God would God be if He spared these people a little pain now, but they wound up not knowing Him, separated from Him for eternity? What if they needed to go through something personally unpleasant, but wound up believing in God, and would spend eternity with Him?
I’d take a little pain now for an eternity free of pain, with God. Knowing I am a sinner (and saint) at the same time, I know that I will deal with adversity in the world, my body will wear out, I will die, and God will allow this to happen. I could also die in a car crash tomorrow, that God knows will happen, and doesn’t prevent. I will die one way or the other. Because there are consequences to my sin. I know He still loves me and I know He promised to save me if I believe in Him and what He’s done for me - paying my sin debt in full.
You keep saying “Not my God” - I am afraid your God isn’t the God of the bible, then. He disciplines His own. God is able to bring good out of all things, to those that love Him.
We seem to have introduced a sort of cognitive dissonance on this thread.
I prefer our tack.
Save me! I'm outta here.
I wouldn't presume to know, tho there are surely those who think they do !
Here's my standard reply when finding I've insanely wandered into a religious thread:
.. cuz it makes about as much sense as anything else, with an equal claim on a pipeline !
..."No loss known, no loss experienced, I always say," said a man on your behalf.
"That's the trouble with life," added another man, "someone else is always speaking for you,"
as he grimacingly rolled his eyes upward in his head,
as though indicating that he was referring to his own head.
So he skipped a stone.
Read up on covenants...And how God will not break them.
You can start there.
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