A short ride this morning and discovered that Bohena Creek is still running across the road. I didn’t think to take a photo. Might have to take another ride later to do that. 😊
Today’s Bike Ride
Month: December 2021
Quote for the Day
True conviction takes place when God clearly shows you your sins and invites you to repentance. Guilt, on the other hand, is satan’s weapon to keep you from learning to live consistently as a Christian. Guilt drives you away from God, not toward Him. Terry Law
Creation.com:What’s a billion years between friends?
by Lucien Tuinstra
Published: 9 December 2021 (GMT+10)
The extinction of the dinosaurs is typically said to have been about 65 million years ago (mya),1 but 66 mya has also been suggested.2 During my dinosaur presentations I inform the audience, but I don’t amend my slides. After all, what’s a million years (in this case around 1.5 %)?!
In other public talks, I discuss the big bang timeline, starting ~13.8 billion years ago. This is more than one billion years off from the age of the universe taught in the mid-nineteen nineties, of some 15 billion years (actually 8%).3 But what’s a billion years?!
The Bible’s timeline is unchanging (e.g. 1 Peter 1:25), like its Author; ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8). The word of God reliably teaches a creation around 4,000 BC. Therefore, building your worldview on Scripture is a sure thing—your source does not keep changing. Not so with an evolutionary view, where new discoveries often seem to throw the prevailing (long age) view, for the timing of this or that aspect of history, under the proverbial bus. No need to worry though, for adherents can simply alter some previously believed interpretations in order to keep the narrative alive. Three recent examples of this are given below.
1. How can a star be older than the universe?
A spanner has been thrown in the works for those who believe the universe is 13.8 billion years old. Why? Apparently there are stars over 14 billion years old. You might wonder, “If the universe is 13.8 billion years old, how can a star be more than 14 billion years old?”4
Click here to read the rest of this article
The Light Of The World
I have just undergone my third IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatment for dry eye syndrome.
Dry eye syndrome is generally caused by the meibomian glands failing to produce the oil that stops the tears from evaporating. Every time you blink, your tear ducts send a drop of water while the meibomian glands (located at the top and bottom of the eye) send a spray of oil.
The IPL treatment basically consists of a wand sending a single flash of intense light around the outside edges of the eyes, and then 15 minutes inside a mask that emits light that seems to my untrained eyes several times brighter than the sun on a dry day. It is a very relaxing experience.
After that the optometrist presses the glands to see what they are doing. Apparently my eyes produce high quality oil and lots of it.
Four treatments are supposed to give you up to 12 months relief, before a booster is needed.
IPL is also used as a cosmetic treatment for skin that has patchy pigment, unwanted hair removal and wrinkle smoothing. Not only can you see better, you look half the age!
This all reminded me of Jesus’ words “I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5). Light has all kinds of healing properties, as well as bringing clarity and insight. We cannot see in the dark, but when the lights are on, everything is revealed.
Who wouldn’t be attracted to the light? People who love the deeds of darkness more than the light, people who prefer sin rather than righteousness.
The one question that all people will be judged by is this: Do you love Jesus or do you prefer the dark?
Reflection on Philippians 4:4-9
Scripture
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!
Observation
We must rejoice always in the Lord. We are not to worry about anything, but instead pray to God and thank Him for all that He has done.
Finally, we are to fix our thoughts on what is true, honourable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. When we think about things that are excellent and praiseworthy, then the God of peace will be with us.
Application
How can we rejoice always? Everybody has bad days, so how can we rejoice then?
I often think of Job, who lost his family and his wealth in a single day. His response to this terrible loss was, ” I came naked from my mother’s womb, I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the Name of the Lord.”
The key to surviving tough times with your integrity intact ,is to determine beforehand that you will rejoice, no matter what happens.
This does not mean that we ignore or suppress our emotions. They are important and need to be acknowledged. But like Job, we must look to the big picture, and recall that all that we have comes from God, and we are stewards of His blessings not owners of them.
Prayer
Lord, I choose to rejoice. I praise you for your great love for me. Thank you for sending Jesus to rescue me from sin. Please help me to rejoice in you on every occasion. Amen
Today’s Bike Ride
Managed to get out for a ride, despite being under the influence of a cold. Speed was down a little bit, but enjoyed the ride.
Quote for the Day
You do not have to give satan a place in your life. You have the power to not sin, because you have been given the name of Jesus to successfully resist the devil. Terry Law
Reflection on Isaiah 12:1-6
Scripture
With joy you will drink deeply
From the fountain of salvation.
Observation
In the day when the Messiah comes, Israel will sing praise to the Lord. His judgement has given way to salvation. He was angry, but now He comforts His people.
God has come to save us. He is our strength and song. We will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation.
Let’s tell the whole world about what the Lord has done. Let us rejoice in the Lord.
Application
As in Zephaniah3, the emphasis in this passage is about joy. When we recognise the great love of God, we come to Him with joy and happiness.
When I first came to see who Jesus is, there was so much joy in my heart! I drank deeply at the fountain of salvation.
Many people do not drink deeply, or even at all.
Many walk right past the miracle of grace totally unaffected.
Some people take a sip and count themselves saved. They never really give themselves entirely to God. It’s a prayer or a ritual.
But some of us understand this is a fountain that you get right into – head, shoulders, whole body, soaking in the refreshment of new life in Christ.
God is a mighty waterfall bringing life and energy to all who come under its influence.
Drink deeply!
Prayer
Father, I received your salvation now. I drink deeply of this grace. Soak me and transform me, Lord. Amen.
Jo Nova: Clots may be caused by sloppy procedure
Apparently it’s not the AZ vaccine causing the blood clots but the way some injections are injected..
From Jo Nova
Myocarditis, clots, may be caused by sloppy injections straight into a vein
All the vaccines are supposed to be Intra-muscular (IM), not Intravenous (IV). But a needle going into a muscle can sometimes end up in a vein. So fergoodnesssake, why aren’t we taking the 10 extra seconds to do an injection properly and reduce some of the worst side effects?
Anatomy varies. In an accidental IV injection the dose will be dropped straight into the blood supply, and within minutes will be spread throughout the body, potentially ending up in tissues like the heart, ovaries, or pancreas, where it is not designed to go. If heart cells, for example, make the virus spike and display it on their surface, it’s quite understandable if our immune systems think that look foreign, and generate a reaction. That’s myopericarditis.
Spread the message about “aspiration”. This used to be standard practice for most IM injections but has been dropped over the last couple of decades.
To aspirate, a nurse would put the needle in, then briefly pull back on the syringe. If the end of the needle is in a blood vessel that brief suction will pull blood into the chamber. If that happens the whole syringe, needle, everything should be retracted and tossed in the bin.
Two studies now suggest that accidental IV injections may be responsible for increasing the risk both of myocarditis and blood clots.
A study in mice by Can Li showed that the mice injected “IM” did not develop myocarditis, only the mice injected intravenously did. The markers of cardiac inflammation were also raised.
The histological changes of myopericarditis after the first IV-priming dose persisted for 2 weeks and were markedly aggravated by a second IM- or IV-booster dose. Cardiac tissue mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, interferon (IFN)-β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α increased significantly from 1 dpi to 2 dpi in the IV group but not the IM group…
Bizarrely, some were arguing that myocarditis is only a 1 in 50,000 thing and aspirating slows vaccinations, and thus it might be worse to aspirate when it makes no difference to 49,999 people. I’m guessing most people would think it was 10 seconds well spent.
It’s encouraging that the second paper seems to have figured out the reason for the rare but deadly TTS clots. These are a problem especially with the Astrazenica and Johnson and Johnson vaccines which are adenovirus vaccines. The riskiest time is 5 to 24 days after the first dose when antibodies may form against Platelet Factor 4. The paper, Baker et al, suggests the vaccine leaks out through minor capillary injuries. But neither that, nor the theory about a lack of aspiration explain why the second dose is not just as much a problem. The paper doesn’t mention injection technique, but it seems odd, if the problem is the vaccine leaking out through damaged blood vessels, why it wouldn’t be so much worse with a poorly done injection.
For those who like to see it explained in a video, check out John Campbell. And here regarding the latest news on the clots.
Judging by comments around the traps, people who want an aspirated injection may need to work in advance to find a nurse who knows how it’s done and is willing to do it.
h/t David Maddison
TTS = thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome
REFERENCE
Can Li et al (2021) Intravenous Injection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA Vaccine Can Induce Acute Myopericarditis in Mouse Model, Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciab707, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab707
AstraZeneca uncovers what’s triggering blood clots after its jab: Vaccine acts like a magnet and attracts platelets which body mistakes for a threat and attacks, The Daily Mail
Baker et al (2021) ChAdOx1 interacts with CAR and PF4 with implications for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, Science Advances • 1 Dec 2021 • Vol 7, Issue 49 • DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl8213
Link https://opentextbc.ca/clinicalskills/chapter/6-8-iv-push-medications-and-saline-lock-flush/
Link https://trthub.com/do-you-really-need-to-aspirate-2018-update/
Quote for the Day
He could have come as a warrior, a king, or an entrepreneur. But Jesus came to model Sonship, and to reveal God’s Fatherhood, to a world of spiritual orphans. Even today, this is the revelation most sorely lacking. Terry Law
New Life Narrabri 