We hear a lot about runaway global warming and how awful the world is getting due to evil CO2. We hear a lot about it when we have bad bushfire seasons and drought as we did last year. Not so much in cooler, wetter years. Almost none at all in Covid years!
So how much is the planet warming? Here is the “money quote” from the article below:
The linear warming trend since January, 1979 remains at +0.14 C/decade (+0.12 C/decade over the global-averaged oceans, and +0.18 C/decade over global-averaged land).
Yes in 100 years it will be just 1.4 degrees warmer. And Governments are spending trillions of dollars on “decarbonising”, companies and individuals are paying higher electricity prices and taxes to stop the globe warming by an almost imperceptible amount over 100 years.
The Version 6.0 global average lower tropospheric temperature (LT) anomaly for September, 2020 was +0.57 deg. C, up from from the August, 2020 value of +0.43 deg. C.
The linear warming trend since January, 1979 remains at +0.14 C/decade (+0.12 C/decade over the global-averaged oceans, and +0.18 C/decade over global-averaged land).
For comparison, the CDAS global surface temperature anomaly for the last 30 days at Weatherbell.com is +0.38 deg. C.
With La Nina in the Pacific now officially started, it will take several months for that surface cooling to be fully realized in the tropospheric temperatures. Typically, La Nina minimum temperatures (and El Nino maximum temperatures) show up around February, March, or April.
It’s not the first time former lighthouse keeper Mark Sheriff has seen something try to scale the walls of a lighthouse — but it is perhaps the cutest.
Key points:
Lighthouse keeper Mark Sheriff said he spotted the koala climbing the lighthouse one night after coming back from a swim
The koala climbed to the top and made its way inside where Mr Sheriff was able to capture it
Mr Sheriff returned the koala to nearby bushland
On his way back from a night-time swim during a recent stint doing maintenance on Smoky Cape lighthouse on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, he spotted a koala making its way up the lightning conductor.
“I thought, ‘OK, that’s really interesting, that’s sort of something different’,” he said.
Mr Sheriff, who was a keeper at this lighthouse 30 years ago, said humans had tried before but the conductors were not normally strong enough to hold the weight.
A visit to the lantern room
He decided to act as spotter for the furry animal as it scaled the building, but soon realised it was going to get inside.
The koala climbed the lighthouse’s lightning conductor.(Supplied: Mark Sheriff)
“I looked up and he’s gone all the way up the top,” Mr Sheriff said.
“I had the lantern room door open because I’d been working up there and I could hear a bit of a ruckus so I went up there and he was trying to climb the walls of the lantern room.
“I just stood in the lantern room, which is quite a beautiful place, it’s very quiet … we hung out there for a couple of revolutions, and then I walked back out down the spiral stairway.”
‘He had a lovely smell’
He soon returned the koala, which he named Pat after his mother, to the nearby bushland.
“When I grabbed him he was a bit sort of like ‘Woah, what are you doing buddy?'” Mr Sheriff said.
“He let me take him all the way up to the forest.
Mr Sheriff said one thing he remembers about the koala is its smell.
“He had a really lovely smell,” he said.
“You know how horses have their scent, well koalas have got their scent, it was cool.”
All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
Observation
Since God loves us, we ought to love one another, for this brings full expression to God’s love for us.
God has given His Spirit as proof that He lives in us. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is the Son of God has God living in them.
As we live in God, our love becomes more perfect. Perfect love casts out all fear because fear has to do with fear of being punished. If we fear then it shows we have not experienced God’s love.
God has given us this command- if we love God then we must also love our christian brothers and sisters.
Application
If we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, then God is living in us and we are living in God.
Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God is not just about words- it is about expressing heart- felt conviction that stems from relationship.
Paul says something similar in Romans: “if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
If we believe this with our heart, then it is a sign to us and to others that God is living in us. When we come to Jesus and confess that He is our Lord, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, comes and resides in us.
As John describes repeatedly in this letter, the result of this is that we love God and love other christians. Love is the fruit of relationship with God, and it is the sign of it.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for loving me. Please grow your love in my heart so that I can love other people with your love. Amen.
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:14-15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:14-15
“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”
Paul now returns to his prayer. In verse 12 he said : “ In him (that is, Christ) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” This is the reason that he can kneel before the Father to pray. This prayer starts in verse 16.
God is our Father. He has revealed Himself as a Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The term Father is not just a theological term. Father is a relational term.
Jesus knew God as Father, as “Abba” a term of intimacy. For Jesus the name Father was not a theoretical term but an expression of deep love.
We call God Father for many reasons.
Firstly, it is an expression of love. God is love, and He loves the whole of his creation including human beings who have rebelled against His authority. God continues to love us despite our actions towards Him.
Secondly, God our Father seeks to draw us up to spiritual and relational maturity. In biblical times, a father was expected to shape his children to be like himself. God desires that we become like Him in our character and our desires.
Thirdly, God our Father disciplines us when we go astray. In Hebrews 12:7 we are told, “Endure hardship as a discipline; God is treating you as sons.” The Father disciplines His sons and daughters to perfect their character.
Fourthly God delights to pour out blessings on us. This is not contrary to the previous point, but balances it. Our Father does not dole the bare minimum to keep us alive. No, He provides what we need and more. He pours out all kinds of blessings because it pleases Him to make us happy .
In many cultures, the family takes the name of the father not of the mother. Paul is saying here that God gives His name to His family.
A name often says something about a person’s lineage. The name Smith in the past was associated with blacksmiths. Certain names might be associated with the aristocracy or with lesser classes.
To be named for our heavenly Father means that we are part of His family, related to him through the blood of Christ.
To be saved is to be a part of a family that has members right around the world and in heaven as well. This is a family that literally will never die out.
We are named with the name of Christ- Christian. We share the family name and should grow into the family likeness.
To be in the family of God means that we are members of a royal family. We are heirs of God’s Kingdom, princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses in God’s realm.
Key points in this verse
Paul kneels in prayer to the Father, confident of his access to the throne
God is our Father. This is a relational term
God loves us with unfailing love
God wants to mature us and He uses both discipline and blessing
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:13. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:13
“I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.”
Paul’s imprisonment is part of God’s plan to make known the mystery, the wisdom of God, the plan of salvation. God is in control of all things, and so even Paul’s imprisonment is in God’s plan.
For this reason, Paul says the Ephesians should not be discouraged.
We can imagine that some christians might be asking why God would allow Paul to suffer like this. Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, so why would God have him locked away?
We know now, with the benefit of hindsight, that Paul wrote several of his letters during his imprisonment. We could argue the New Testament would be somewhat smaller without Paul’s suffering.
We also know from Acts 28:30-31 that for two years of house arrest Paul welcomed many visitors and boldly proclaimed the gospel to them.
Despite his suffering, Paul was not sidelined. He was not prevented from continuing the ministry that God had prepared for him.
So Paul tells us not to be discouraged when things don’t go the way we expected.
God will prevail, and nothing can stop the gospel. What is important is that we seek to be faithful in whatever task the Lord sets before us.
We need to be mature also in our understanding of suffering. Many people do become disheartened because of their own suffering or that of others. They fail to understand that God always turns every situation to our own spiritual growth .
Our culture tells us that we deserve to be happy, that we should expect a fulfilled life, and that nothing bad should ever happen to us. While this is an appealing myth, it is complete rubbish. People get sick and die. There are acts of violence and abuse everyday. Disasters befall whole communities and nations .
Suffering is not an interruption to the good life. It is part of the process of growing to spiritual maturity .
Children don’t like it when their parents say “No” to their requests. They cannot understand why the parent puts them through painful medical or dental procedures. It hurts when they are smacked for running onto a road .
The suffering and pain that we go through in life serve to shape and strengthen our spirits. We are forced to hold on to the fact that God loves us and that this painful experience is, in some way that we cannot comprehend, for our own ultimate good.
We must not lose heart then, when we, or the people we love, go through painful times.
Paul describes his sufferings as being “for you” and “for your glory.”
Paul is aware that God uses suffering for God’s purposes, and that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28). This suffering that he is going through will make him stronger in his own faith and trust in the Lord.
Paul’s sufferings, therefore, are for the Gentiles because he will be a better apostle for the Gentiles through his suffering. This then is for them and for their glory.
As a pastor, I know that the relatively light sufferings that I have experienced have taken me deeper into the Lord. They have also given me greater empathy for those who go through severe or extended periods of suffering. In that sense, my own suffering is for them as well as for me.
Key points in this verse
We must not be discouraged by suffering- our own or others whom we love.
Suffering should draw us closer to the Lord and deepen our faith in him
God will prevail, even if we cannot see it
Suffering is not an interruption to the good life, but a part of God’s plan to bring us to maturity
Our suffering can help other people and bring glory to God
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
The last quality in this list of characteristics of the presence of the Holy Spirit is self-control.
Self-control is the ability to restrain our actions under stress or provocation.
It can cover a whole range of areas from sexual sin to rage to addictions.
The man or woman of God is not to be easily derailed from responding to other people, to temptation and to life circumstances. That is not to say that we have to control our emotions and never show feelings. Emotions are good things, but our reactions to them are often not good.
Self-control is the ability to say “No” when our body or heart says “Yes’. It is the ability to take a pause to think things through, to pray, to ask “What would Jesus do in this situation?”
It was self-control that enabled Joseph to resist Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39).
It was self-control that enabled Jesus to say “No” to satan in the wilderness.
It was self-control that enabled Stephen to pray forgiveness for his persecutors (Acts 7).
It is self-control that enables an alcoholic to say “No” to a beer with a mate, but yes to cola.
It is self-control that enables someone to say “No” to chocolate.
It is self-control that enables us to resist the urge to retaliate when someone insults or assaults us.
Self-control can be nurtured by spiritual discipline such as fasting, but like the other fruit of the Holy Spirit, it grows over time as we seek to live in fellowship with God, and let Him direct our paths. Unlike the other fruit, it is experienced in a moment of testing rather than over an extended time.
This morning I woke to the astounding news that biologists have discovered that the populations of frogs in areas “devastated” by last summer’s bushfires have rebounded, including some “threatened” species.
This follows earlier reports that koalas, snakes and other animals are doing OK despite “literally billions” of deaths last year. Also platypuses in the Peel River aren’t doing too badly now that the drought is over.
Amazingly, glow worms in the Blue Mountains that were thought to have been wiped out are doing well, having sheltered in a disused railway tunnel – ironic that, given that in modern times the greenies would not allow that tunnel to be built because it would be a threat to the environment, and probably the exact same glow worm population.
My favourite example is the giant pink slug which lives in the Mount Kaputar National Park, near Narrabri. It was only discovered 20 years ago, but the usual climate worriers panicked that the slug had been destroyed by fires. Surprisingly, the slug which has weathered droughts, bushfires, torrential rain, earthquakes, plagues of locusts and other natural disasters despite our total ignorance of its existence, managed to survive this event.
So this morning, after my usual outburst of “What is wrong with these people?”, I worked it out.
The pseudo-scientific discipline called ecology is founded on two fundamental doctrines:
The natural ecosystem is very complex, with many interacting species, and so it is potentially fragile as the disappearance of one species may cause the system to collapse.
People are always bad for the environment.
In actual fact, natural ecosystems are very resilient because they are complex. They can self-correct as different parts of the system adapt to change.
That is why bush environments regenerate after fires and droughts. They have been doing it for thousands of years without the assistance of humans.
The other factor that is generally ignored is that everything was created by an infinitely wise creator. He designed Australia with a warm, dry climate and the slugs, frogs, koalas to suit that climate.
Strangely, God is better at being God than people are.
Dear children, let us not merely say we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
Observation
The message we heard from the beginning is we should love one another. Love for our christian brothers and sisters shows we have God’s life. Anyone who hates another person is a murderer at heart and does not have God’s life in him.
Jesus showed us real love by giving up His life for us. So we should give up our lives for others. If we have enough money to live well, we should share with a brother or sister in need.
We must believe in the name of Jesus, and love one another as He has commanded us.
Application
One of the unexpected features of the internet age has been the rise of tribalism on social media. It seems that the more we are connected, the more we feel the need to identify with a particular group.
Some groups are happy to welcome and endorse people as long as they toe the party line. When someone expresses an opinion contrary to the correct position, the mob descends with virtual pitch forks and harries them until they recant.
Christians are not to be like this. We are to love one another with genuine love. We must not love one another in words alone, or merely in theory. Love must be practical.
So we must continue to love people when it is not convenient or when they say things or do things a little outside our comfort zone.
John gives the example of someone who has enough money to be comfortable. They must have genuine compassion on those who are struggling financially.
Our love for one another must be like God’s love to us. It must be unconditional, unfailing, giving, costly.
We are the people who embrace the unlovely and the different ones. We are the people who hang in there with people through their struggles and challenges. We are the people who love because God first loved us,
Prayer
Father, your love for us is ever lasting. Help me to love the people around me and to be as consistent in that as you are. Amen.
The proposed appointment of Charles Moore, ‘Mrs Thatcher’s Vicar on Earth’ to head the BBC along with Paul Dacre, the left’s idea of what Lucifer might be like, as head of Ofcom, shows Boris has not lost his touch. These appointments, along with Brexit, will have consequences that will be with us long after Covid 19 is a footnote in history.
With the coincidental arrival of Laurence Fox’s anti cancel movement the two appointments should spell the demise of wokery, its works and its pomps. The success of a revolution depends on the electorate feeling they now have ‘permission’ to think thoughts which yesterday were considered utterly wicked.
Fox is that rather rare species, a film star who is not a political empty head, and the ‘halo effect,’ (people find it hard to resist believing that good looking people are not good) will ensure his success. He has already raised £5 million in donations. Let’s hope he makes wise use of it.
These events also spell the end of the ‘Boris has lost it’ myth. Emanating from Whitehall, this rumour is designed to have Boris ejected from office by the end of November latest, in order that a Remainer Tory can take his place and agree to the Brexit talks being extended by 12 months.
By the end of that period nothing will remain of the original agreement, and we will be a full colony of the EU.
