Threats or manipulations?

As you may note, it was just a few days ago that I posted the ‘Iraq’ entry below. Since then, a video of Bin Laden that was apparently created sometime in 2002 has surfaced, and today  a report on CNN.com that goes like this has appeared: 

Report: Al Qaeda may use Iraq operatives to hit U.S.
Al Qaeda will try to tap its resources and capabilities in Iraq in its efforts to exact another terrorist attack on U.S. soil, according to a top government intelligence report released today.

I’m not sure what to make of this. I’m not sure I believe it. I want to believe it in a way, because I want to trust my country, I want to trust the current administration. On the other hand, this information could be seen as another attempt to prop up the war in Iraq and associated efforts. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me that Al-Qa'ida would start with the threats just as the American people and much of the American government are leaning toward getting out of Iraq. On the other hand, our current administration is on the ropes regarding the war and staying the course, and this kind of media could just cause the American people to take pause and reconsider ending the so-called war in Iraq.

A global economy...

It surely started out all about the money. Companies discovered that they could farm out their product manufacturing to third world countries and by getting the cheap labor etc, could make significantly more profit. That’s capitalism. Then comes greed and the desire to sell as much as you can and make as much money as possible as quickly as possible. Well, if Korea agrees to sell our products, then we are likely going to have to agree to sell theirs. Now we have international free trade and the competition is fierce. Now farming out things to be produced by other countries isn’t just for the money…it’s to survive. Now if we can’t get cheap labor…we can’t compete.

It kind of reminds me of an illicit drug user. At first, the drug maybe makes a person feel extra good. They want more. Eventually, though, they NEED the drug, and it doesn’t even feel as good anymore. They become dependent on it, and though it may become less desirable, there is no way around the fact that they are addicted.

Is it time for America to check into rehab or is it too far gone?

Iraq...

I don’t know what the best answer is concerning the ‘war’ in Iraq. I think I do know that those who are making the big decisions for al-Qa'ida may be pretty cunning. In the media, I’ve heard supporters of President Bush and proponents of the war use the fact that there have been no further attacks on USA soil as a sort of justification for continued support of the war. That’s only one angle, though. I think it’s quite likely that the primary reason we have had no other attacks on our soil is that al-Qa'ida knows that would just unify the American people and would cause them to be more committed than ever to staying the course in Iraq and wherever else necessary. You really don’t want to tick off a majority of Americans. I think the Taliban learned that lesson. So, al-Qa'ida seems to be trying to get us to lose our resolve primarily through what amounts to the murdering of innocent people. There have been many troop losses as well, but nowhere near as many as Iraqi citizens. al-Qa'ida’s statement seems to be, if you want us to stop murdering innocent people, or creating the chaos that is responsible, get out of Iraq and stay out of Muslim countries in general. al-Qa'ida’s methods seem to be working as many politicians and voters alike are losing their resolve.

The greatest gift...

Most parents love their children and want the very best for them. I once heard a preacher (Keith Daniels) ask the question…what is the greatest gift you can give your children? I found his answer to be simple logic and yet profound. Answer: That the parents have a happy marriage. Do you love your children that much?

Just how good is God?

For once in my life....I didn't ask the generic God for help...but rather...made a simple request..."Jesus, save me." Immediately I felt an infilling and knew something miraculous had just happened. That was followed by a vision. I found myself laying before a large light (100' or so tall)...shaped like a candle flame but not flickering. The light was not bright, but was an approachable light. I remember thinking...it's God. Then I thought...how do I feel...do I feel condemned? No. Don't ask me how...but at that moment I decided to reach out and touch Him. What I discovered was that God was indeed perfect love....there was no darkness in him. He was beautiful beyond words because of this love. I thought to myself...what would I do for a God like this? Anything. In His presence, my life was inconsequential. What mattered was that someone as absolutely precious as He was...would continue. I remember thinking during this vision...if God asked me to jump off of the empire state building...and told me that I would perish forever in doing so...that I would still happily do it for Him and without hesitation! Without even a second thought. At this juncture I was literally dancing and prancing around Him...with great joy and in sheer delight.

1Jo 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Psalm 63:2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Ex 33:19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Musings on demon possession...

1Sa 16:14 ¶ Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.
1Sa 16:15 Saul’s attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
1Sa 16:16 Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better."

1Sa 16:23 Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

1Sa 18:10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand
1Sa 18:11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I’ll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.

Mt 12:43 "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
Mt 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
Mt 12:45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

Luke 8:29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Luke 9:39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.

Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
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I’ve been trying to understand the whole demon possession routine. From the above scriptures, it would appear that at least some of the time, they come and go. They don’t necessarily take up permanent residence.

In the natural world, the strong survive, and the weak are the ones that are preyed upon. I’m considering that it might work similarly in the spiritual realm. Possibly, evil spirits target and possess (even temporarily), the weak. Those that can’t reason well, have let bitterness have it’s way, or have other limitations or temptations that make them more susceptible and/or receptive.

I’ve pondered that these evil spirits possess individuals quite possibly for a number of reasons.

1. It could be that they like to torment the individual…that they enjoy causing grief or even destroying the one they inhabit.
   
2. It could be that they possess an individual so that they can attack others through the one possessed (whether physically or verbally). It could be that they (the spirits) target certain individuals in an effort to deter them in their prayers and/or efforts….to attempt to weaken their resolve or faith.
   
3. For other forms of pleasure.
   
4. All of the above.
   

I’ve considered that the best approach in dealing with someone that appears to be possessed would be to temporarily place them in seclusion (ie a safe/padded quiet room of some sort). It would seem that removing interaction would be beneficial to both parties...or all concerned. The spirit would be limited in it's ability to attack others that way (whether verbally, physically, or spiritually), and would not be able to cause as much damage to the one possessed (as there would be very little physical contact or need for physical restraint).

Sheer speculation...

After the events of 9/11 there was a time when I was prompted to consider this scripture:

Lu 21:20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.”

Now I realize that most biblical scholars associate this scripture with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD. I do, too. I have found, though, that it may also point to another event. Depending on your exegesis of all the scriptures that relate, it would appear that other major events, including the second coming of Jesus would/could follow shortly thereafter. Those other events didn’t happen in 70 AD or soon after. Therefore, I’ve had to consider other scenarios.

After 9/11, the USA was bombing Afghanistan and going after the Taliban and al-Qa'ida. At some point, it looked as if Israel might follow the USA’s lead and start doing its own bombing of its enemies. I don’t think the USA was too thrilled by that proposition. At that point, a thought came to mind. What if Israel offended the USA by its actions, and lost its support? An extreme example might be that Israel used a nuclear bomb. That might effectively polarize the nations is such a way that indeed, all nations would be against Israel. Pretty scarey stuff.

I have a healthy fear of God. I don’t plan on being part of the ‘against’ Israel group. I can see living in a nation that takes a stand against Israel…but not me personally. Am I in favor of the use of nuclear weapons? Not at all. Could I condone such an action? It wouldn’t be easy. Could you?

Chronic homelessness...

I hate to see anybody homeless. Though I have never personally experienced it, it sounds absolutely horrible to me. I don’t know what the answer for it is, though. It’s complicated because the reasons for chronic homelessness are so diverse. Some of the homeless are truly and obviously disabled and society should provide for their needs. Some of the homeless are disabled but not so obviously. Some disorders are hard to recognize/diagnose even when they exist. Some of the homeless are obvious drunks and drug addicts. How should society deal with that? Some of the homeless may just be undisciplined and lazy. The list could go on and on. The dilemma is that if the typical homeless lifestyle wasn’t pretty uncomfortable, how many more people would give up on convention (because it can be extremely hard) and jump on the wagon? I’ve heard people say that there should be government provided private housing for the homeless. I mean…if being unwilling to care for and provide for yourself just meant someone else would do it for you…that would sure take some of the drama out of the equation. I can only imagine that the homeless numbers, as well as the cost to society, would rise.

Opportunities...

When you really get down to it, life is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to invest. You can invest in the temporal and you can invest in the eternal. Self indulgence might be an example of investing in the temporal. Selflessness might be an example of investing in the eternal. Parents find themselves investing in providing for their family. This can be either temporal or eternal…depending on what they teach those children. If they teach their children the importance of investing in love and selflessness, if they teach them the importance of being a light in this dark world, then they are investing in the eternal.

Gas prices...

Caught between a rock and a hard place. Currently, we need fossil fuels. There is only so much of it and it’s located wherever it’s located. Its quantity is finite. In a capitalistic society, if you own a piece of it, you will want to make as much money as you can from it. That’s the way you do business. If the consumer uses less, the owners will just charge more for less. It’s a win/win for them. If you use lots of gas, they will make lots of money, if you use less gas, they will make even more money. Bottom line, if they can get you to conserve, they can make the most from their finite supply.

I remember the ‘energy crisis’ some years back. Lots of people cut back on electricity. Lots of people bought energy efficient lighting, heating, refrigeration, increased their insulation, etc. What happened? The cost of energy went up. Your bill went up even though you conserved. Same thing will apply with oil. For the consumer, it’s a lose/lose.

There is a balancing act, though. The oil industry has to find out just what the market will bear and still stay healthy. They wouldn’t want the bottom to fall out of the economy. If they get too greedy, that could come back to bite them. If they are smart, they also wouldn’t want to upset the powers that be. That could also come back to bite them. An economy is like a circulatory system. If that circulation is impaired, the life [style] that economy provides is impacted. Some countries might get aggressive to preserve a ‘way of life’. I can think of a few ways that countries could get aggressive. They could impose new regulations, the government could take control (like Chavez is doing in Venezuela), they could wage war against a country that is controlling oil pricing, or they could attempt to assassinate the key players.