Much Ado About Nothing? Global Warming

Has anybody seen the Al Gore movie concerning global warming? It certainly is a source of "entertainment" to observe the reactions of those who have seen it. That drama (the reactions of people) could be aptly titled, "Much Ado About Nothing". I am not saying that global warming is "nothing", but my main question is: What caused the glaciers to melt? There were no cars back then. And as for those people saying we just need to plant more and more and more trees, I think they need to take a drive in the country. A terrific blog on this subject (which got me motivated to post on it myself) is: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/y_answrs_team?p=6393#comments. The opinions are all over the place - as is the spelling skills of the bloggers. All of this hullabaloo over global warming is like the big hullabaloo people made over the Power Rangers when they first came out as well as the Pokemon Card fad. People blamed the Power Rangers when their little "darlings" beat up some innocent child. Many Christians sounded the clarion call to beware that Pokemon Cards would turn your innocent child into a wrekless gambler and cause them to steal or fall into the occult. Really, it just seems like people want something to "be afraid, be very afraid" about. Anyway, we know the earth is a living organism. All living organisms grow and change. Why do we think the earth should not change?

Diamond-studded Pacifiers?!!

What a combination of news this morning. I am reading a book called, "Purifying the Prophetic" by Loren Sandford, which is wonderfully refreshing in its call to the Church to leave its search for self fulfillment. He so accurately makes clear the distinction between prophecy which is from God and that which is from a persons own human spirit. This is SO important. As he points out, that since human beings with are spirit-beings, that spirit in them enables any person to sense what is in another persons heart. Some people are practiced in it and do it well. Then they sometimes reflect back to others what they have sensed, and the people think that they are really spiritual and what they are saying is coming from God, when it is really from their own spirit. The line of distinction between God's Word and words generated from our own human spirit blurs the difference between true Godly prophecy and witchcraft or "psychic" powers. How to tell the differenc? One difference is to note whether the person speaking becomes exalted and considered "gifted" or "special". Attention is drawn to their ability. Another difference is whether or not the words they speak "reflect our own desires", or do the words "plant a desire" in us that was not there, or "tear down" things in us that hinder our dependency upon God. And finally, check our hearts to see if there is a desire for self-fulfillment through what we hear. This desire can be on the side of the speaker as well as the hearer. Does it make us feel "spiritual"? Does it lead to self-exaltation? Loren Sandford puts it so well. He says, "Ability to hear from God carries with it a sense of importance in the eyes of men.. It grieves me that I so seldom hear a believer express a longing to be a servant."

What has this got to do with Diamond-studded Pacifiers? I happened to turn on the morning news and heard the report that Brad Pitt and Angelina's daughter has been given a diamond-studded pacifier. I wondered how among such ludicracy any person could resist the temptation to think that they are truly "special". It would be difficult to remain humble and dependant upon God only for our strength while people around us exalt us. Not long ago, the "prosperity" message presented by churches fostered the idea that monetary wealth was a sign of God's blessing. There certainly are scriptures that tell us that prosperity is from God. But how carefully we ought to tread upon the grounds of prosperity. The Bible speaks of the "deceitfulness of riches" for a good reason. Movie stars are in a tough position because of the "exalted" "self important" lives they lead. Of course, you don't have to be a movie star to desire adulation from others. It is part of human nature. We must always check our hearts to see who is king. As a Christian, the Words of God in Scripture are our Diamond-studded Pacifier which brings us peace and calm in the midst of storms. The Word of God and the Spirit of God brings us peace that passes understanding. We must come as a child, pure in heart and free from desire for self exaltation to partake in the riches of God's "Diamond-studded Pacifier".