Thursday, April 28, 2011

Deadly Storms Pound Georgia, 13 Killed



Updated: Thursday, 28 Apr 2011, 10:19 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 27 Apr 2011, 8:26 PM EDT

By MYFOXATLANTA STAFF/myfoxatlanta

ATLANTA - Deadly storms and tornadoes that ripped through Georgia Wednesday night and early Thursday have killed at least a dozen people and has prompted Governor Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for several counties in the the state.

The governor has declared a state of emergency in Bartow, Catoosa, Coweta, Dade, Floyd, Greene, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Spalding, Troup and Walker counties.

State officials say at 11:30 a.m., the governor will arrive in Ringgold in Catoosa County. He is expected to assess damage there by helicopter.

Crystal Paulk-Buchanan of GEMA says the Red Cross is operating three emergency shelters: one in Catossa County at Ft. Oglethorpe High School, one in Dade County at the First Baptist Church of Trenton and one in Walker County at the Walker County Agricultural Center.

State and local officials are reporting 13 deaths in the state, but officials are concerned that number may rise as the brunt of the storm moves through the state.

Emergency officials said over 100 people have died in five states as a result of the storms which moved across the south, including 131 in Alabama and 13 in Georgia. Crystal Paulk-Buchanan of GEMA told FOX 5 News that there were at least seven fatalities in the hard-hit area of Ringgold and two fatalities in Dade County.
Brian Robinson with the governor’s office spoke to FOX 5 said two of those fatalities were in Dade County and the other in Floyd County, and there was a possibility the death toll will rise after as search and rescue efforts continue in several areas across the state. The State of Emergency currently covers Chattooga, Floyd, Dade and Walker counties, with more expected to be added to the list.

Robinson said GEMA had been preparing for this storm for days by coordinating with local governments to help coordinate response efforts.

The severe weather started during the morning hours on Wednesday with Floyd County getting the brunt of the first wave. Emergency managers there reported four people injured from the storms. That number would rise during the day as they received a second and third wave. Officials said they surveyed over 150 homes and over a dozen businesses were initially damaged.

Travel through the Rome area was hampered with over 30 road closures.  Both Shorter University and Berry College canceled evening classed because they had no power, something that was problem for a number of residents.

GEMA reported hospitals in Floyd County experienced windows blown out, but no one was injured as a result.  A few of them had to go onto generator power for hours while power crews rushed to restore power.

Just to the south in Bartow County, emergency workers were busy all day trying to clean up damage caused by the passing storms through the county.  They report about 5,600 people were without power as a result of damage in the area.  Schools in Bartow County were closed for Thursday.

Dade County was one of the hardest hit in the second wave of storms which moved into Georgia.  Emergency managers there said two people were killed and dozens were rushed to area hospitals. They said the bulk of the damage was in the city of Trenton, where FOX 5 crews described many structures as being “flattened” when they first arrived early Wednesday evening. Rescue crews were working into the night searching for people who were still missing hours after the initial storm. Their efforts were continually hampered by several waves of warnings following the initial assault. GEMA reported an elementary school in the area sustained some roof damage, but no one was inside at the time.

Officials in Dade County suspect a tornado hit Trenton, but say that has not been confirmed.

Spalding County reports two fatalities. Officials say the severe storms tore a mobile home from its foundation and tossed it nearly 500 feet. The two victims -- a male and a female -- were found near the mobile home. Several areas in the county were also damaged.

Deputy EMA Director Betty Martin says two people were killed in the Lamar County town of Barnesville when storms passed through early Thursday morning. Four people are also reported missing.

Bartow County emergency officials say they believe a tornado may be to blame for damaging a line of houses between the Adairsville and Snow Springs. Search and rescue operations were underway after they received reports of people possibly trapped in some of those homes. A spokesperson with the GEMA told FOX 5 that rescue teams were dispatched to homes in the Crows Springs area to help people out of their homes which were damaged by wind and falling trees.

The oddest storm damage report came out of Pickens County, where about 100,000 chickens got loose after four chicken houses were destroyed. Officials believe they might have had two or three tornadoes rip through the county. The storms destroyed mobile homes and blocked roads for hours.

Officials in Meriwether County were busy checking a hotel, nursing home, and several neighborhoods including two mobile home parks for serious damage and possible injuries.  Schools in Meriweather County were closed for Thursday due to the damage.

A fire station was destroyed along with 10 homes after reports of a tornado touchdown. Crews worked to clear the roadways of trees and other debris left behind.

Authorities in Troup County were working widespread power outages in addition to downed trees and damaged homes.

Polk County officials believe a tornado might have moved through the area damaging up to 25 homes in the Jackson Chapel Road and Mountain Home Road areas. It took crews hours to clear blocked roadways and check damaged areas.

A similar situation in Walker County, where about 65 homes were damaged and 30 were destroyed.  Emergency managers reported a tornado was to blame. They opened a shelter for those displaced at the Walker County Agriculture Center.

At least two other counties opened shelters ahead of the storm. Hayes Elementary School in Kennesaw also opened their doors overnight to residents of nearby Castle Lake Mobile Home Park. Paulding County was also asking residents who needed a secure place to ride out the storms to call a hotline, but they were able to close the shelter around 11:30 p.m.

The storm also toppled tractor trailers at the KIA plant in West Point. Worker Jon Hazel says employees have been told to go home for the day so the damage can be assessed and cleaned up.

Georgia Power crews were working well into the evening trying to restore the over 78,000 customers statewide who lost power the height of the storm.  A spokesperson told FOX 5 they are working through the night as the weather permits and when conditions are safe.  As of 5 a.m., they only had 54,000 customers in the dark, mostly in northwest Georgia.

EMCs of Georgia are reporting about 17,000 customers are without power, mostly in the counties under the State of Emergency declaration.

The FAA reported flight delays across the Southeast as the line of storms moved through Wednesday. Several flights to and from Alabama at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport were canceled following the report of several extremely strong tornadoes hitting the state. Most flights were able to get in or out of the airport before the brunt of the storm passed over the runways. Some airlines will be working to catch up on a handful of canceled flights on Thursday morning.



Please help these families and others who have been in the paths of these storms lately if you are able by praying and/or donating to the American Red Cross or contacting a local city hall to find out how you can help.  Thank you.


Tornado Destroys Home of Kelly Crawford of Generation Cedar--Please Donate to Help their Family


Dear Readers, we need you to pray for Kelly Crawford of Generation Cedar.

We have heard that they just lost their home, and their parents home, due to a terrible tornado passing through. Apparently they had taken refuge in a neighbors basement with a few families. Praise God that they are okay and pray that the Lord would comfort them, strengthen their faith and provide during this difficult time.

We are taking donations to help their family.
If you would like to send something to help, you many donate any amount here:







PLEASE use the share buttons below to share this on Twitter and Facebook or post about this on your blogs so we can get the word out to help them! Please spread the word at your churches to pray for them as well.

P.S. For those of you who don't know, they also just had a new baby this past week.


A note from Kelly's brother:

This is Chris Liverett, Kelly's brother. I am in Colorado.

I wanted to thank you for your heart of service and willingness to BE the body of Christ global. Please pray for comfort along with any donation. I spoke with her briefly last night. Their were 4 families in their house, in the lower portion when the tornado hit. Total devastation to so many homes and families.

Please pray that Kelly and her family can grasp the hope and Love of our amazing God during such times.

My emotions erupted when I saw this post and realized the reality of what I have been telling her. "God is able and ready to provide over and above what we can imagine"

Thank you in advance.

*****UPDATE*****

Kelly just posted an update with a picture of their home,

click here to read it.

*****UPDATE*****

Another article and a video of the Crawford home and family can be found HERE.


*****UPDATE*****


Ways to Help

This is Kathy updating for Kelly.
I am sitting with her right now, she is staying with an elder’s family from our church (can I just say, if you do not have a GOOD church…FIND ONE?!!!)
Many people are wanting to help, which is beautiful and Biblical. Right now there are a lot of feet on the ground working tirelessly. There are supplies coming in which is a HUGE blessing! For those of you that would like to give there is an account set up HERE.
You are also welcome to send gift cards to my PO Box. I will get them to her and this will be a good way to help so they can use the funds where most needed asap.
Kathy Brodock
PO Box 455
Oneonta, AL 35121
Thank you from all of us. God is good all the time.


(Via: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Where did “Easter” get its name? Where did the concept of an Easter egg and bunny originate?

NOTE: This is not condemning anyone's practice of taking eggs and traditional "Easter" traditions and using them to mean something else. That is not my place, regardless of my convictions on the matter. God knows the heart. I just believe that every decision we make should be an educated one, based on the Bible and not the traditions of men, so I present this article for the sole purpose of detailing the ORIGIN of the traditional Easter symbols and such, so that each individual may confirm or make their decisions according to the guidance of the Spirit. Purely informative. Take it for what it is and go as you please. You do not have to justify your actions to me, and I would like to avoid any unnecessary quarreling over the matter. If you have issues about the article, just remember that I didn't write it, so don't take it out on me. :-)

As a family, we do eat yummy jellybeans and the other candies and goodies offered at this time of year. My dad buys plastic eggs with candy in them for the kids, and we do not shelter them from the imagery of this time of year, but as for Resurrection Sunday and the week leading up to it, we keep the focus about Jesus, apart from eggs, bunnies, and such.  The Easter traditions are of no real concern to us, and we do not seek to make them so. Our children will never be taught that there is an Easter bunny, and we don't dye eggs or anything. That is simply our personal family convictions and preferences. <3

~With love, Brandy <3



The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term “Resurrection Sunday” rather than “Easter” when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection.

Ancient origin

Most reference books say that the name “Easter” derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not long after the biblical Flood.
Copyright, Eden Communications. All rights reserved. Photographer: Paul S. Taylor.
The Flood was a divine judgment sent on mankind after evil had become all pervasive and all people everywhere were totally unresponsive to God. The Bible says that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5, NKJV). It is not difficult to imagine that life must have been almost unbearable at this time in history. God gave humankind a second chance by preserving the righteous man Noah and his family (a total of 8 people).

After the Flood, Noah had a talented, but evil, great-grandson named Nimrod (Genesis 10:6-10) who rebelled greatly against God. The Bible says that he was “a mighty one”[1] Jewish tradition indicates that Nimrod was a tyrant "who made all of the people rebellious against God."[2] It is evident from history that Nimrod was not only a political leader, but also the lead priest of a form of occultic worship.[3]

King Nimrod, Queen Semiramis (Easter), and Tammuz (the “reincarnated” Nimrod)

Nimrod built and organized major cities. The Bible notes that these included Babel, Asshur, Nineveh and Calah (Genesis 10:10-12). If you know anything about ancient history, the mention of these places may send shivers up your spine. For these were cities of great, almost unimaginable practices and perversion.

When Nimrod eventually died, the Babylonian mystery religion in which he figured prominently continued on. His wife Queen Semiramis saw to that. Once he was dead, she deified him as the Sun-god. In various cultures he later became known as Baal, the Great Life Giver, the god of fire, Baalim, Bel, Molech, etc.


“Later, when this adulterous and idolatrous woman gave birth to an illegitimate son, she claimed that this son, Tammuz by name, was Nimrod reborn.”[4] Semiramis “claimed that her son was supernaturally conceived [no human father] and that he was the promised seed, the 'savior'” - promised by God in Genesis 3:15. “However, not only was the child worshipped, but the woman, the MOTHER, was also worshipped as much (or more) than the son!”[5] Nimrod deified as the god of the sun and father of creation. Semiramis became the goddess of the moon, fertility, etc.
 
"In the old fables of the Mystery cults, their 'savior' Tammuz, was worshipped with various rites at the Spring season. According to the legends, after he was slain [killed by a wild boar], he went into the underworld. But through the weeping of his mother… he mystically revived in the springing forth of the vegetation - in Spring! Each year a spring festival dramatically represented this supposed 'resurrection' from the underworld.[6]
Thus, a terrible false religion developed with its sun and moon worship, priests, astrology, demonic worship, worship of stars associated with their gods, idolatry, mysterious rites, human sacrifice, and more. Frankly, the practices which went on were so horrible that it is not fitting for me to speak of them here.
 
Copyright, Eden Communications. All rights reserved. Artist: Paul S. Taylor.

It was at Nimrod's city of Babel that a towering structure was first built in defiance of God as part of their Satanic religion. Archaeological evidence indicates that this was a spectacular pyramid-shaped structure (ziggurat). The Bible tells us that at this time there was only one language in the world and that most of the world's population centered in this area and participated in this religion. It was evident to God that all mankind would soon degenerate into a level of evil that would parallel that of the pre-Flood world. For humanity's sake, something had to be done to slow and frustrate this organization of an evil one world, tyrannical government.

God confused their language, so that they could not understand each other (Genesis 11:7). (This is the ultimate source of the world's many languages.) As a result, many people moved away from the area in groups according to their particular new language. Most, if not all, of these people carried their evil Sun-God-based religion with them. They continued to worship the stars and practice all the other ungodly rituals of their religion. Some also continued to build pyramids reminiscent of the Tower of Babel as part of this mystery religion. Today, we can still find remnants of these throughout the world (e.g., Iraq, South America, Central America, Egypt, Burma).

Babel was the origin of an idolatrous system that swept the world. The Bible says of her, “Babylon… the nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged” (Jeremiah 51:7). The Bible often speaks of the Satanic religions which came from her. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus "witnessed the Mystery religion and its rites in numerous countries and mentions how Babylon was the primeval source from which ALL systems of idolatry flowed.[7] Austen Layard said “that we have the united testimony of sacred and profane history that idolatry originated in the area of Babylonia - the most ancient of religious systems.”[8]
 
Basically, almost every vile, profane and idolatrous practice you can think of originated at Babel with Queen Semiramis, the Mother Goddess and Nimrod. As the people scattered from Babel with their different languages, they, of course, used different names for Nimrod (Tammuz) and Semiramis. Some called the Mother Goddess “ISHTAR” (originally pronounced “Easter”).[9] In other lands, she was called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre. Other names for Semiramis, the Mother Goddess include: Wife of Baal, Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven.[10] The Mother goddess was frequently worshipped as the goddess of fertility - and as a sort of Mother Nature and goddess of Spring and sexual love and birth. She was also worshipped as a mediator between god and man.

Sexual orgies and temple prostitutes were often used in her worship and in attempting to gain her favor.

The Easter Rabbit or Hare

Easter Bunny and Eggs

The rabbit is well known as a sexual symbol of fertility. In various parts of the world, religions which developed from Babel also associate the rabbit with periodicity, both human and lunar (Egypt, China, etc.). As you may remember, the Mother Goddess Semiramis (Easter) is associated with the Moon. In other words, the Easter bunny symbolizes the Mother Goddess. Annual Spring time fertility rituals are associated worship of the Mother Goddess and Tammuz, the reincarnation of her husband Nimrod.

The Easter Egg

Most children and families who color or hide Easter eggs as part of their Resurrection Sunday tradition have no knowledge of the origin of these traditions. Easter egg activities have become a part of Western culture. Many would be surprised and even dismayed to learn where the traditions originated.

“The egg was a sacred symbol among the Babylonians. They believed an old fable about an egg of wondrous size which was supposed to have fallen from heaven into the Euphrates River. From this marvelous egg - according to the ancient story - the Goddess Astarte (Easter) [Semiramis], was hatched. And so the egg came to symbolize the Goddess Easter.”[11]

The idea of a mystic egg spread from Babylon to many parts of the world.[12] In Rome, the mystic egg preceded processions in honor of the Mother Goddess Roman. The egg was part of the sacred ceremonies of the Mysteries of Bacchus. The Druids used the egg as their sacred emblem. In Northern Europe, China and Japan the eggs were colored for their sacred festivals.[13]

The egg was also a symbol of fertility; Semiramis (Easter) was the goddess of Fertility. The Easter egg is a symbol of the pagan Mother Goddess, and it even bears one of her names.

Summary and Conclusion

“Easter” is simply one of the names of a woman who mightily deceived the world and whose religion has caused untold suffering and misery.[14] She was clearly an enemy of Christianity, and her son Tammuz was an anti-Christ, a false messiah that ultimately deceived millions.


If you are Christian, it is not difficult to discern the bizarre deception and confusion that Satan has successfully orchestrated. For example, notice the embarrassing irony in these traditions which are practiced innocently by most people. They are repeated year after year, because they have become traditional and their origin is unknown to many.
  • On the day commemorating Christ's resurrection, Americans roll decorated eggs on the White House lawn and pretend the Easter rabbit hid them. The same ritual is practiced at some Christian churches.
  • “In Lancashire [England] on Easter eve boys and men have been in the habit of touring the towns and villages as 'Pace-eggers' begging for eggs before performing the 'Pace-Egging' or Pasch (i.e., Easter) play.”[15] 
  • In Greece each person in a group bangs his red EASTER EGG [not knowing that it is symbol of the Goddess] against the eggs of all the others present in turn, saying 'Christ is risen,' and receives the reply 'He is risen indeed.'"[16]
The seductive symbols of ancient ungodly religions inspired by Satan have been incorporated into people's everyday lives, even to this day - continuing to obscure the truth of God .

One might wonder if there is a better way for Christians to celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection, the most important of all Christian holy days. In retrospect, it seems obvious that it would have been a better witness to the world if Christians had not attempted to “Christianize” pagan celebrations - adopting the name “Easter” (Ishtar/Semiramis) in remembrance of Christ. Jesus has been obscured by painted eggs and bunnies. Attention has been shifted away from spiritual truth and toward materialism (clothing, products and candies with the wrong symbolism). Stores merchandise the name of Easter (not “Resurrection Sunday”) and sell goods that have nothing to do with Christ's death and resurrection. Christians naively use symbols and practices that unknowingly perpetuate ancient anti-Christ traditions - symbolic customs followed by the same religious cults that inspired the destruction of great numbers of Christians and Jews. Is the Devil laughing at us?

Many church bodies recognize the problem and make every effort to keep the focus of Resurrection Sunday totally on Jesus Christ and the Good News that He brought.

Further information…

Thursday, April 21, 2011

A Christian Response to Earth Day

Vision Forum Ministries
A Special Invitation
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For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse
(Romans 1:20)

A Christian Response to Earth Day

All men are religious because all men have an object of worship. All men have faith in something. In the end, men will either worship and serve the creature, or they will worship and serve the Creator. But they will worship something.
In the 18th century, many began to worship the mind. The religion of that day was rationalism. In the 19th century, this god morphed into scientism. But science failed to provide the answers to ultimate questions. The men of the 20th century looked for a more immediate solution to the problems of humanity — they chose to worship the State. This failed. Statism proved to be a harsh taskmaster. In the absence of any real solutions from rationalism, scientism, and statism, men fixed their attention on a new god — or rather, an ancient God that just needed a new facelift.
That god is the earth.
21st-century men are earth worshippers. They are sanitized pantheists. Of course, they don't call themselves pantheists or earth worshippers, but religious devotion to the material world is the essence of this modern faith.
This religious devotion to the material world as god comes in many shapes and sizes, but it has become ubiquitous in our culture. The new pantheism is at the heart of the green movement. It is reflected in the priorities of Hollywood, in the agenda of politicians, and in the curriculums of the government schools. It is found in the marketing campaign of Madison Avenue, in the reality TV shows of cable television, and sadly, even in pulpits across the nation. The worship of the creation has become a defining undercurrent in our culture, even as it is reshaping many of the cultures of the modern world.
And this is one reason why this Friday, April 22, millions of people (perhaps billions) representing the countries of the United Nations will stop to celebrate the high holy day of this religion as they pay homage to the earth God. Of Earth Day, evolutionary anthropologist Margaret Meade once explained that:
EARTH DAY is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space. EARTH DAY draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way — which is also the most ancient way — by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all parts of the earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another.
Should Christians care about the earth? Not only must we care about it, we have a holy duty to engage the earth. The difference between the objectives of biblical Christianity and radical environmentalism can be found in the religious assumptions of both groups.
Four Lies of the Radical Environmentalist Movement
With Earth Day comes billions of dollars worth of environmentalist propaganda driven by their religious worldview. Some of the themes you can expect to hear repeated this year include the following:
  1. The Earth Is Our Mother: The very expression “Mother Earth” is popular parlance in our culture and reflects the old pagan longing to worship the physical world. Modern environmentalists, with their devotion to the idea that man is just another life-form to spring from the womb of the earth on the evolutionary journey of life, speak openly about earth being the mother of man.
  2. Human Life Has No Greater Intrinsic Value Than Animal Life: The notion that man is an insignificant blip in the universe and that our planet is almost as insignificant as man is an oft-repeated concept of the modern environmentalist movement. Radical environmentalists complain about the carbon footprints of humans, and the sin of “Speciesism” — man discriminating against lower life-forms.
  3. The Greatest Crisis Facing Humans is the Despoiling of the Earth: From the media campaigns of former Vice President Al Gore, to the film agenda of Avatar, radical environmentalists want you to believe that the single greatest problem facing humanity is the environmental destruction of earth.
  4. Absent a Radical Shift in Private Practice and Public Policy, the Environmental Crisis Will Lead to the End of Life on Earth: Modern pantheists care deeply about the future. One thing is clear: Radical envioronmentalists have their own eschatology. They see the end of the world coming because of nuclear waste, global warming, the loss of rainforest in the Amazon, or any of a host of perceived environmental hazards.
Four Christian Assumptions About the Earth
  1. The Earth is Witness to the Power and Authority of God the Creator Who Alone May Be Worshipped: The Bible teaches that the very existence of the earth is a reminder to all men of the eternal power and Godhood of Christ, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20). It reminds us that as long as the earth continues, the promises of God will remain faithful (Genesis 8:22; Deuteronomy 7:9). Significantly, the Bible warns us that the consequence for man rejecting the witness of creation is that he worships creation itself (Romans 1:22-25).
  2. The Earth Was Made for the Glory of God and the Benefit of Man Who Was Made the Pinnacle of Creation and of Infinitely Greater Value than Animals or the Earth Itself: Man is the pinnacle of creation and has more eternal value than the earth or any of the creatures who live on it (Psalm 8:5). Man is not a carbon footprint; he is the image-bearer of God. This means that the most "insignificant" human life (insignificant only in the eyes of man) is of inestimably greater value than that of a blue whale, a snail darter, a spotted owl, a mountain, or a tree.
  3. The Earth Has Been Placed under Man who Has a Moral Obligation to Subdue it and to Exercise Wise Stewardship over the Earth: Man is God’s appointed steward on earth, and his core mission is to be His agent of dominion over it. Toward this end, God has placed all things under man to be used for his benefit and to be carefully stewarded and cultivated for God’s glory. “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:6).
  4. The Earth is Not the Problem: The reason why the earth suffers is because of man’s sin that has plunged the earth into judgment. Man brought death and judgment to earth. In fact, the whole creation is groaning and waiting redemption (Romans 8:22-23). Despite the righteous judgment of God on earth, He is merciful and promises the continuation of the seasons and the fundamental stability of the planet until the end of time (Genesis 8:22), at which there will be a new heaven and new earth (2 Peter 3:13).
Conclusion
All men are religious because all men have an object of worship. In the end, they will worship and serve the creature, or they will worship and serve the Creator. But they will worship something.
Earth Day, and the radical environmental movement that spawned this high holy day of pantheism, are at war with the Gospel because they perpetuate false worship. The Christian response to the idolatry of Earth Day might be reduced to this simple thought: Jesus Christ is the Creator, and He alone is to be worshipped. He created man as the pinnacle of creation and determined that humans would be the only part of creation to be made in the very image of God, and that man as the image-bearer of God would rule over the earth.
On a practical level, this means that Christians need to stop allowing the radical environmentalist movement to define the issue. We must cease from being the tail and become the head on the question of our duties, privileges, and responsibilities vis-a-vis creation. The Bible has a great deal to say about our use of the resources of the world and our relationship to the earth. Of all people, Christians who honor the Creator should have a passion for creation. We are losing the debate through subversion, silence, lack of vision, and because of the Christian community’s fear of the God-ordained, perpetually valid, creation precept called “The Dominion Mandate.” This mandate directs man is to rule over the earth, subduing it and taking dominion over it for his benefit and for God’s glory. Implicit to the Dominion Mandate is the duty of man to cultivate, wisely manage, and carefully steward the planet.
Finally, man’s problems will never be solved through the elevation of human reason, the power of science, or the interventions of the state. Nor will rescuing the biosphere of planet earth save man or ensure him a future on this planet. You cannot save the earth. But human beings can be saved. And the only hope of salvation is found in Jesus Christ — the Creator! It is this Creator through whom we live and breathe and who by the very power of His word holds the worlds together. He will someday establish a new heaven and a new earth and will bring all of His people into Glory.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Life: The First Nine Months

Life:

The First Nine Months



The most crucial, eventful moments of your life occur in the safety of your mother's womb. Here are the major milestones* your life before birth, the first chapter in your own biography...

Early stage of fetal developmentCONCEPTION: Father's sperm penetrates mother's egg cell. Genetic instructions from parents interact to begin a new and unique individual, no bigger than a grain of sugar.

lst DAY: The first cell divides into two, the two into four, and so on.

5-9 DAYS: New individual burrows into the wall of the womb. Sex can be determined.

14 DAYS: Mother's menstrual period is suppressed by a hormone produced by child.

15 DAYS: Heart is forming; eyes develop.

20 DAYS: Foundations of brain, spinal cord and nervous system are laid.

24 DAYS: Heart begins to beat.

Developing fetus28 DAYS: Muscles are developing along the future spine. Arms and legs are budding.

30 DAYS: Child has grown 10,000 times to 6-7mm. (1/4 in.) long. Brain has human proportions. Blood flows in veins (but stays separate from mother's blood).

35 DAYS: Pituitary gland in brain is forming. Mouth, ears and nose are taking shape.

40 DAYS: Heart's output is 20% of adult's.

42 DAYS: Skeleton is formed. Brain coordinates movement of muscles and organs. Reflex responses have begun. Penis is forming in boys. (Mother misses second period.)

43 DAYS: Brain waves can be recorded.

45 DAYS: Spontaneous movements have begun. Buds of milk teeth have appeared

Position of baby before birth7 WEEKS: Lips are sensitive to touch. Ears may resemble family pattern.

8 WEEKS: Child is well-proportioned, small-scale baby, 3 cm. (1 1/8 in.) sitting up and a gram (1/3 oz.) in weight. Every organ is present. Heart beats sturdily. Stomach produces digestive juices. Liver makes blood cells. Kidneys begin to function. Taste buds forming.

9 WEEKS: Child will bend fingers around an object placed in the palm. Thumb sucking occurs. Fingernails are forming. 10 WEEKS: Body is sensitive to touch. Child squints, swallows and frowns.

11 WEEKS: Baby urinates, makes complex facial expressions, even smiles. 12 WEEKS: Child can kick, curl toes, make a fist, move thumbs, bend wrists, turn head, open mouth and press lips together. Breathing is practiced.

Newborn infant13 WEEKS: Face is prettier, facial expressions resembling parents'. Graceful movements. Vocal cords forming (but without air baby cannot cry). Sex organs are apparent.

4 MONTHS: Child can grasp with hands, swim and turn somersaults.

4-5 MONTHS: Mother senses movements.

5 MONTHS: Sleeping habits appear. Child responds to sounds in frequencies too high or low for adults to hear.

6 MONTHS: Fine hair grows on eyebrows and head. Eyelash fringe appears. Weight is about 640g. (1 lb. 6 oz.) and height 23cm. (9 in.). Babies born at this age have survived.

Teen parents7 MONTHS: Eye teeth are present. Eyelids open and close, eyes look around. Hands grip strongly. Mother's voice is recognized.

8 MONTHS: Weight increases by 1 kg. (over 2 lbs.) and baby's quarters get cramped.

9 MONTHS: Child triggers labor and birth occurs, usually 255-275 days after conception.

* Tsiaras, Alexander, and Barry Werth. From Conception to Birth; A Life Unfolds. New York: Doubleday, Inc., 2002.