Two moons can be seen in the night sky on 27 August, a day the Whole World is waiting for......... ....
Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will
cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles off planet Earth.
Be Sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 AM It will look like the earth has 2 moons.
The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Why doesn't the Lord grant us everything we prayed for?
Someone once posed this question to me 'why doesn't the Lord grant us everything we prayed for?' some years ago and I tried to explain but the answers given were not accepted. The argument was centered on this - that since the Father did not spare His Son but sent Jesus to die for us, how can He not give us everything? if He had already spared His most precious possession, how difficult is it for Him to grant mere men's requests?
Obvious, the confusion lies in Romans 8:26-27 and recently I read an excellent explanation of these two verses from "The Letter to the Romans - The NEW Daily Study Bible" by the late William Barclay. On page 131, he said. "Paul is saying that, because of our weakness, we do not know what to pray for, but the prayers we ought to offer are offered for us by the Hly Spirit. The New Testament scholar C.H. Dodd defines prayer in this way: 'Prayer is the divine in us appealing to the Divine above us.'"
In his book, he explained that there are two very obvious reasons why we cannot pray as we ought. We cannot pray aright because
1. we cannot foresee the future. We cannot see a year or even an hour ahead; and we may well pray, therefore, to be saved from things which are for our good, and we may pray for things which would be to our ultimate harm.
2. in any given situation we do not know what is best for us. We are often in the position of children who want something which would be bound only to hurt them; and God is often in the position of parents who have to refuse their children's requests or compel them to do something they do not want to do, because the parents know what is good for them far better than the children themselves.
Wow, when I read that I was relieved because that is exactly how things should be. To his readers who argued with him, Paul wrote in Romans 9:20-21,
v20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'"
v21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
So the moral of the story - the Lord wants us to have the best and He will not short-change His children. So go ahead and give thanks for whatever He gives us.
Obvious, the confusion lies in Romans 8:26-27 and recently I read an excellent explanation of these two verses from "The Letter to the Romans - The NEW Daily Study Bible" by the late William Barclay. On page 131, he said. "Paul is saying that, because of our weakness, we do not know what to pray for, but the prayers we ought to offer are offered for us by the Hly Spirit. The New Testament scholar C.H. Dodd defines prayer in this way: 'Prayer is the divine in us appealing to the Divine above us.'"
In his book, he explained that there are two very obvious reasons why we cannot pray as we ought. We cannot pray aright because
1. we cannot foresee the future. We cannot see a year or even an hour ahead; and we may well pray, therefore, to be saved from things which are for our good, and we may pray for things which would be to our ultimate harm.
2. in any given situation we do not know what is best for us. We are often in the position of children who want something which would be bound only to hurt them; and God is often in the position of parents who have to refuse their children's requests or compel them to do something they do not want to do, because the parents know what is good for them far better than the children themselves.
Wow, when I read that I was relieved because that is exactly how things should be. To his readers who argued with him, Paul wrote in Romans 9:20-21,
v20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'"
v21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
So the moral of the story - the Lord wants us to have the best and He will not short-change His children. So go ahead and give thanks for whatever He gives us.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Blood-Slurping Bacteria - Klebseilla
I met up with an old friend on Tuesday afternoon August 5 for afternoon coffee and she shared an amazing testimony that happened in her life.
Back in 2005 when the property market was taking a nosedive because of economic conditions, she found herself working doubly hard to keep pace with her expenses because prices fell to half what they were previously. She ended up working almost round the clock trying on her own strength to make ends meet. One day towards the end of that year (or was it in early 2006?), she fell very sick and had to be warded in the ICU. The doctors found that her liver was being attacked by a type of bacteria that simply loves to drink up all the blood that they could find and when they found the source in the liver, they stayed there and had a feast. According to her doctor, the name of that particular bacteria is "Klebseilla" and is actually in each and every one of our bodies; the difference is that they may be dormant in some but active in other persons like cancer cells are present in everyone's body. I have added the short description of this bacteria which I found in the on-line encyclopedia.
Klebsiella is a genus of non-motile , Gram-negative , Oxidase-negative bacteria with a prominent polysaccharide-based capsule. Frequent human pathogens , Klebsiella organisms can lead to a wide range of disease states, notably pneumonia , urinary tract infections , septicemia , Ankylosing ...
My friend was 'living in the hospital for seven months struggling for her life and even momentarily lost it. She described how she felt herself floating towards the ceiling and she could see her lifeless body on the bed with her husband bent over and feeling sad and there was a man dressed in white (which she later found out was her doctor) standing at her bedside and discussing something with her husband. She said that she kept calling her husband by name but he did not hear her (obviously). And then she did something abnormal - she actually told the Lord that she was not ready to die but that should she be granted another opportunity, she will spend more time in His Word.
And no sooner had the words left her lips that she came back into her body and the recovery started at that moment. She later asked her husband what the doctor was telling him at that precise moment when she was trying to call him and he replied that the doctor advised that the team had done everything that they knew of and that he had to prepare for the worst. But praise be to the Lord she did not die but now lives and she is a changed person. Her outlook for life had indeed changed for the better and now she is actively immersed in the Word absorbing all that she can.
Now the most important question that needs to be answer - Klebseilla is present in everyone's body but is not active in many. Why? Because the trigger for this bacteria is actually STRESS. When a person is full of stress, his body's defence line is affected as the bacteria are awakened and they will then search out the weakest point(s) and lodge there. This was exactly what took place in my friend's life.
So my friend, leave all your worries to the Lord and do not be discouraged for discouragement is one form of stress. Put all your faith and hope in the unchanging love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who not only came to be one of us in the human race but He also came to die for our sins (our diseases and our sicknesses) and in exchange we will then rightfully inherit His divine health.
Try that today and learn to 'take no thought for tomorrow'.
Back in 2005 when the property market was taking a nosedive because of economic conditions, she found herself working doubly hard to keep pace with her expenses because prices fell to half what they were previously. She ended up working almost round the clock trying on her own strength to make ends meet. One day towards the end of that year (or was it in early 2006?), she fell very sick and had to be warded in the ICU. The doctors found that her liver was being attacked by a type of bacteria that simply loves to drink up all the blood that they could find and when they found the source in the liver, they stayed there and had a feast. According to her doctor, the name of that particular bacteria is "Klebseilla" and is actually in each and every one of our bodies; the difference is that they may be dormant in some but active in other persons like cancer cells are present in everyone's body. I have added the short description of this bacteria which I found in the on-line encyclopedia.
Klebsiella is a genus of non-motile , Gram-negative , Oxidase-negative bacteria with a prominent polysaccharide-based capsule. Frequent human pathogens , Klebsiella organisms can lead to a wide range of disease states, notably pneumonia , urinary tract infections , septicemia , Ankylosing ...
My friend was 'living in the hospital for seven months struggling for her life and even momentarily lost it. She described how she felt herself floating towards the ceiling and she could see her lifeless body on the bed with her husband bent over and feeling sad and there was a man dressed in white (which she later found out was her doctor) standing at her bedside and discussing something with her husband. She said that she kept calling her husband by name but he did not hear her (obviously). And then she did something abnormal - she actually told the Lord that she was not ready to die but that should she be granted another opportunity, she will spend more time in His Word.
And no sooner had the words left her lips that she came back into her body and the recovery started at that moment. She later asked her husband what the doctor was telling him at that precise moment when she was trying to call him and he replied that the doctor advised that the team had done everything that they knew of and that he had to prepare for the worst. But praise be to the Lord she did not die but now lives and she is a changed person. Her outlook for life had indeed changed for the better and now she is actively immersed in the Word absorbing all that she can.
Now the most important question that needs to be answer - Klebseilla is present in everyone's body but is not active in many. Why? Because the trigger for this bacteria is actually STRESS. When a person is full of stress, his body's defence line is affected as the bacteria are awakened and they will then search out the weakest point(s) and lodge there. This was exactly what took place in my friend's life.
So my friend, leave all your worries to the Lord and do not be discouraged for discouragement is one form of stress. Put all your faith and hope in the unchanging love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who not only came to be one of us in the human race but He also came to die for our sins (our diseases and our sicknesses) and in exchange we will then rightfully inherit His divine health.
Try that today and learn to 'take no thought for tomorrow'.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Our Blood Pressure
A few days ago, a friend of mine who emigrated with his family of five from Singapore to Perth wrote and said that he noticed his blood pressure had gone up recently and that it was not rational to him. The reason he emigrated there was so as to adopt a slower pace of life and in the process, enjoy a fuller lifestyle with improved blood pressure. But it was not the case for him.
You see, many people had the impression that in a society where the system had been in place, there is wide spaces to roam and people generally adopt a strict nine-to-five work habit, the pace of life should be simpler. Unfortunately they cannot be more incorrect in their reasoning.
Pressure on oneself is not dictated by the external environment but directed by one's attitude. There can be a storm outside but when we are secure in my hearts that we are not going to succumb to the external pressures, we will be able to withstand the pressure and excel. Peace can only come from within and cannot be dictated from the external.
That is why our Lord Jesus Christ emphasized to us time and again the need to "do not worry", "let not your heart be troubled", "peace", "take no thought for tomorrow, what you shall eat, what you shall wear.." In fact if you care to count all of them (in the four books of the Gospel), you will notice that those phrases and other similar ones appear 365 times so that we are reminded once each day not to worry but to trust Him to win our battles for us and we just need to rest in His finished work on the Cross. AMEN.
You see, many people had the impression that in a society where the system had been in place, there is wide spaces to roam and people generally adopt a strict nine-to-five work habit, the pace of life should be simpler. Unfortunately they cannot be more incorrect in their reasoning.
Pressure on oneself is not dictated by the external environment but directed by one's attitude. There can be a storm outside but when we are secure in my hearts that we are not going to succumb to the external pressures, we will be able to withstand the pressure and excel. Peace can only come from within and cannot be dictated from the external.
That is why our Lord Jesus Christ emphasized to us time and again the need to "do not worry", "let not your heart be troubled", "peace", "take no thought for tomorrow, what you shall eat, what you shall wear.." In fact if you care to count all of them (in the four books of the Gospel), you will notice that those phrases and other similar ones appear 365 times so that we are reminded once each day not to worry but to trust Him to win our battles for us and we just need to rest in His finished work on the Cross. AMEN.
Friday, August 1, 2008
The Rapture - What Will Happen In The End?
Recent events around the world had led many to start asking what is happening and whether what we are experiencing will get worst. Even the experts have no explanation as they are equally stumped with what to say; usually they would endeavor to venture some educated guestimate on the severity and when they think the smoke will clear but not this time. Notice that none of them would want to put his/her foot in the mouth.
Well, the Bible does have something to say about the future and I would encourage you to start going back to the Scripture and search for the answers to your many questions.
At this time, many Christians are turning to God and are looking for this phenomenon called The Rapture or as the Apostle Paul would describe it as the 'catching away of the saints' at the sound of the trumpet (read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) and then all Christians will be 'snatched away' and those left behind will see them no more.
I am providing two URLs here for you to copy and paste onto your toolbar.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVWwucp20OM
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXATog6WJFo&feature=related
I pray that you will be better informed after viewing the two videos.
Well, the Bible does have something to say about the future and I would encourage you to start going back to the Scripture and search for the answers to your many questions.
At this time, many Christians are turning to God and are looking for this phenomenon called The Rapture or as the Apostle Paul would describe it as the 'catching away of the saints' at the sound of the trumpet (read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) and then all Christians will be 'snatched away' and those left behind will see them no more.
I am providing two URLs here for you to copy and paste onto your toolbar.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVWwucp20OM
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXATog6WJFo&feature=related
I pray that you will be better informed after viewing the two videos.
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