Kyrios does not seem to be as much a translation of the divine name as it is a pious substitute or replacement for it, written and publicly read out of respect for God’s unique, covenant name. David Capes
Quote for the Day
Shared Paths
Quote for the Day
History cannot forgive us but only judge us. Values cannot forgive us but only judge us. But with God there is forgiveness. Glen Scrivener
Reflection on Matthew 6:9-15
Scripture
“If you forgive others who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.”
Observation
Jesus gives us the model prayer for disciples. The prayer is succinct, not like the prayers of pagans with their endless repetitions and high sounding language.
If we forgive others, we will be forgiven. If we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us.
Application
To follow Jesus is to imitate him. This should be reflected above all things in our readiness to forgive other people.
If we hold onto the bitterness of past hurts, how can we claim to be following the Lord whose last words on the cross included “Father forgive them” ?
This is easier to do for some people than others. It is also easier to do according to the level of hurt we have experienced. People experiencing violence or sexual abuse will take time to get to the point of letting go.
Regardless, the goal for christians is that we are able to forgive those who hurt us. When we do that, we know that the grace of God is in our hearts and that God’s love will also overlook our own sins.
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for your great grace towards me. Please help me to be gracious in being able to forgive others. Amen.
The not-so-sustainable EV’s that have to be written off after a scratch
Jo Nova shares another flaw in Electric Vehicles and the sustainability claims made for them:
The not-so-sustainable EV’s that have to be written off after a scratch
Save the world with disposable EV’s?
After children in the Congo have dug out the cobalt for the blessed batteries we’d hope the cars would be sustained as long as possible. Alas, apparently there is just one more design flaw on top of the low mileage, delays, expense, spontaneous fires, and the need for a whole new grid.
After a minor accident, no one quite knows how to assess the safety of the battery, so it’s easier to throw it away. That means more waste in the landfill and higher insurance premiums to cover the cost of writing off near new cars. Where are the Greens? If child slaves and emissions matter, isn’t it better to reduce consumption by saving your old car from landfill, especially if your new one might end up there as well? Reduce, reuse, recycle…
Meanwhile the UN is demanding Net Zero targets, which are not even theoretically possible, be achieved ten years sooner. Half the technologies we need are not even invented yet. Infinity-minus-ten is a number that won’t get you to work, but it powers whole careers at the UN.
h/t David and Notalotofpeopleknowthat
Scratched EV battery? Your insurer may have to junk the whole car
By Nick Carey, Paul Lienert and Sarah Mcfarlane, Reuters
LONDON/DETROIT, March 20- For many electric vehicles, there is no way to repair or assess even slightly damaged battery packs after accidents, forcing insurance companies to write off cars with few miles – leading to higher premiums and undercutting gains from going electric.
And now those battery packs are piling up in scrapyards in some countries, a previously unreported and expensive gap in what was supposed to be a “circular economy.”
“We’re buying electric cars for sustainability reasons,” said Matthew Avery, research director at automotive risk intelligence company Thatcham Research. “But an EV isn’t very sustainable if you’ve got to throw the battery away after a minor collision.”
Amazing what uncertainty can do to the value of a good car:
Allianz [an insurer] has seen scratched battery packs where the cells inside are likely undamaged, but without diagnostic data it has to write off those vehicles. …
It already costs more to insure most EVs than traditional cars. According to online brokerage Policygenius, the average U.S. monthly EV insurance payment in 2023 is $206, 27% more than for a combustion-engine model.
The Reuters team found many low mileage EV’s at salvage yards in Europe:
At Synetiq, the UK’s largest salvage company, head of operations Michael Hill said over the last 12 months the number of EVs in the isolation bay – where they must be checked to avoid fire risk – at the firm’s Doncaster yard has soared, from perhaps a dozen every three days to up to 20 per day.
“We’ve seen a really big shift and it’s across all manufacturers,” Hill said.
The UK currently has no EV battery recycling facilities, so Synetiq has to remove the batteries from written-off cars and store them in containers. Hill estimated at least 95% of the cells in the hundreds of EV battery packs – and thousands of hybrid battery packs – Synetiq has stored at Doncaster are undamaged and should be reused.
It’s just another bump on the road to Renewable World that shows that no one really cares how “clean-n-green” anything is. Your emission of CO2 are irrelevant, it’s only the power, control and profits that matter.
Today’s Bike Ride
Another near perfect morning. Nice ride to Haire Drive. #cycling #Narrabri
Reflection on Matthew 6:1-8
Scripture
“Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him.”
Observation
We must not do good deeds to impress people. Instead, we should give to charity quietly and without fanfare. Do things privately and not for the accolades of men.
When we pray, we don’t do it as a show of piety. Instead we should go to a quiet place to be alone with the Father.
When we pray, we should not go on and on, as if God is impressed by our long-winded prayers. He already knows what we need before we pray.
Application
If God knows what we need before we ask Him, one night ask, “What is the point of prayer?” And if God is sovereign, then all prayer does is let God do what He was already going to do anyway.
Prayer is really for our benefits rather than God’s. When we pray, we are admitting that we cannot do anything and that we are totally dependent on God.
When we pray, we allow God’s Spirit to replace anxiety with peace, fear with expectancy.
When we pray, we do not bend God’s will to conform to our desires. We bend our desires to conform to God’s will.
When we pray, then we are offering ourselves up to God to be used by Him. I express my concerns to Him, and sometimes He tells me what I should do about them.
Above all, prayer is meant to be a two way conversation with the Lord. It is not it is not about dumping a list of demands, but listening for the for the still small voice of God’s Spirit.
Prayer
Lord, please teach me how to how to pray. Allow my prayers to become a means of deepening my friendship with you. Amen.
Today’s Bike Ride
Culgoora Road called me today. I was so engrossed in the joy of riding that I forgot to take a photo. #cycling #Narrabri
Quote for the Day
There are many factors at play in what has been dubbed “cancel culture”. Certainly, social media plays a role in the ways it turbocharges our outrage. But the existence of the outrage in the first place is a matter of the heart. It arises when enlightened souls feel compelled to enlighten others who are lost in the dark. It’s fundamentally an evangelistic zeal—there’s a preacher inside us all. You don’t need to be a churchgoer to feel it. Glen Scrivener
Reflection on Matthew 5:38-48
Scripture
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say, ‘Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! “
Observation
Jesus continues to push home His points about addressing the state of the heart and not just obedience to the law.
So He says that the principle of eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth must give way to a new law in which we do not resist evil people. We should go further than the law demands.
Rather than loving your neighbour and hating your enemies, Jesus says we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. When we do this, we are like our Father who gives sunlight and rain to evil and good people are like. Even tax collectors are kind to their friends.
Application
There is no law in the Old Testament that says we may hate our enemies if we love our neighbours. Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to teach that we have to love people who might not be our natural friends.
Jesus tells us to do the opposite of what the world teaches and our natural inclinations want. To be a true follower of Jesus means that we learn to love people who are nasty or violent towards us.
This is hard, and in our own abilities it is impossible. But as christians we are connected to the Father, the God who is love. He will give us grace to forgive and to love our enemies
Prayer
Lord Jesus, these words are hard to accept. Please give me grace to love those who hate me. Amen.
New Life Narrabri 