“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people…religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” Linus from Peanuts.
Author: lenbilen
Retired engineer, graduated from Chalmers Technical University a long time ago with a degree in Technical Physics. Career in Aerospace, Analytical Chemistry, computer chip manufacturing and finally adjunct faculty at Pennsylvania State University, taught just one course in Computer Engineering, the Capstone Course.
Psalm 27, of David. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Judges 19, The Levite’s Concubine, Gibeah’s Crime, probably the most gruesome story in all the Bible. The Bible is honest and tells it as it was, totally wicked.
Judges 20, Israel’s War with the Benjamites. Another horrendous chapter.
In Judges 21 they had killed nearly all so the Israelites had to find wives for the Benjamites. The book of Judges ends fittingly: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
“Art and architecture have a unique ability to help us connect across our differences and bring people together in important ways,” posted U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. “Thinking of the people of Paris and praying for every first responder trying to save this wonder.”
No, Ms Omar, it is much more than that, rather
What nearly destroyed Notre Dame;
historical artworks for some.
Not the fall of the steeple,
God’s church is the people
the Cross stands for all who will come.
Yes, the cross still stands as it did when, as U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar so famously quoted “Somebody did something at 9/11”
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1)
For Muslims, atheists and humanists the cross is an offense since it is to them the stench of death. But to us who believe it is the symbol of redemption and new and eternal life in Christ. If they were not pricked in their hearts when they see the cross they would not be offended.
He died on the cross at Ground Zero.
We have only one risen hero.
But the fools do “diss” grace,
stay condemned, cannot face
The truth in The Cross at Ground Zero.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (St. John 3:16-17)
Top: The original location where the iron cross was found.
Middle: Intermediate location for the Iron cross.
Bottom: The final place for the Iron cross near the 9/11 museum.
These were the final words of Governor Sarah Palin after a successful week anchoring “On Point” with the One America News.
Governor Palin is a true servant. Her parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, worked at the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, New York in January and February 2002 as part of a federal Department of Agriculture program.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Heath said he and his wife had worked to keep sea gulls and rats from scavenging the human remains in the debris. Mr. Heath, then 70, a retired science teacher, and Mrs. Heath, then 68, a retired secretary, had worked for the Agriculture Department for 15 years. They travel around the world dealing with “nuisance” animals like rats and bears.
“A lot of people just didn’t like the job, it was kind of a morbid thing,” he said of the work at the landfill. “But I thought it was part of history.”
Judges 15, Samson defeats the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass.
Judges 16, the telling of Samson and Delilah and how he finally got captured. In his death Samson slew many more than when he lived.
Judges 17, the telling of Micah’s Idolatry.
Judges 18, as the Danites had failed to take their allotted land from the Philistines they wandered around and finally settled in Laish and renamed the city Dan. Micah’s idols leads to no good.
Psalm 25, of David. “Unto Thee, o LORD do I lift up my soul.”
Psalm 26, of David. A Psalm where David asks God to judge him on his merits based on faith.
Judges 12, Jephthah’s Conflict with Ephraim where they killed people based on their accent. After that three more people, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon led Israel.
Judges 13, bad times for Israel for forty years. Then comes the Birth of Samson.
Judges 14, Samson starts out great, but then he takes a Philistine Wife.
Today there are only two chapters to read, read Luke 24 carefully and rejoice over it!
April 14:Luke 24, Judges 10 (click on the chapter to begin reading)
Luke 24, this is it, the Resurrection, the most important event in the Christian calendar! Two dejected disciples meet someone on the Road to Emmaus, then Jesus appears to the Disciples. The Gospel of Luke ends with the Ascension.
Judges 10 Things go from bad to worse with Tola, Jair and Jephthah as leaders and Israel is oppressed again. They finally repent and get rid of their false gods.
When I was a little boy is Sweden my father had a dear old friend that was so in love with birds and they with him that he had a great horned owl that came down and sat on his shoulder when he called. I was only three years old at that time, but the sight of this giant bird coming down from the big spruce tree is a sight I will never forget. Since then I have always enjoyed watching birds, normally soaring hawks, but especially eagles, rare as they may be.
Later in life I got gloriously saved and started reading the Bible, and one verse from the prophet Isaiah stands out :Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
I am now at the stage in my life where walk and not faint seems pretty good, but following what goes on in the world is still exciting, even watching the birds.
The big talk is fighting climate change, and the prevailing political belief is that rising CO2 levels is its major cause, so no expense is spared to find renewable energy in the form of wind power, but at what cost?
The Eagle has landed in aerie
on top of a windmill – that’s scary.
Doesn’t know she will die,
whacked right out of the sky
from rotating blades unawary.
The idea of wind farming is to create sustainable energy.
Will the population of eagles and other large birds be sustainable?
They like to build their aeries on top of wind turbines, the highest structure in their territory.
It is estimated that the total bird kill by the year 2030 is going to be 1 million three hundred thousand birds. And that is if the Green New Deal is not implemented.
Is the large bird population sustainable even now?
This is a crane killed by a wind turbine blade. In parts of Ohio they have forbidden the turbines to run at night to protect a rare bat.
The allowable yearly limit for killing bald eagles by wind turbines was upped from 1100 to 4200 on Jan 17 2017, still under the Obama administration. The allowable limit for golden eagles is still 0. If the bird-kill exceeds the allowance, heavy fines are imposed, but that is just the price of producing clean energy. in 2013 Duke energy paid a 1.9 million dollar fine for killing 14 golden eagles and 149 other protected birds.
If you as a person poaches an eagle egg, see this picture
And it takes energy to produce energy. The cost of de-icing the average airplane is $1500. And that is without the helicopter.
And I am not sure about the former.
But there are potentially better solutions: The vertical wind turbine:
It has a somewhat lower efficiency than conventional wind turbines, but can produce electricity for about 4 c per kWh, so all is not lost. They do not kill birds, and can be made to function with wind speeds of up to 70 mph.
Today there are only two chapters to read, read Luke 23 carefully and meditate over it!
April 13: Luke 23, Judges 9 (click on the chapter to begin reading)
Luke 23. This is it, the second most important day in the Christian calendar. Jesus is on trial before Herod and Pilate. Pilate is trying to wiggle out of sentencing Jesus by setting one condemned free on Passover. The crowd chooses Barabbas over Jesus, so Jesus is sentenced to be crucified. On the cross Jesus says the famous “Seven Last Words”, then he dies and is buried before sundown.
Judges 9. The Bible tells it as it is, warts and all. So is the story of Abimelech’s Conspiracy and the parable of the trees. All the evil led to Abimelech’s Downfall. A take home from this chapter is his last words, after his skull was cracked by a millstone, dropped by a woman. “Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him.”
April 12: Luke 22, Judges 8 (click on the chapter to begin reading)
Luke 22. Judas agrees to betray Jesus, it is Passover so Jesus eats the Last Supper with his disciples, after which they go to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays. While there Jesus is betrayed, arrested and taken to the house of the high priest. While waiting outside Peter disowns Jesus three times before the cock crows. Jesus is interrogated during the night and before daybreak they have heard enough.
Judges 8. Gideon Defeats the Midianites, it is getting complicated but read it anyhow. After the great victory Gideon makes an Ephod from the Ishmaelites’ golden earrings and this becomes a snare to them all. Finally Gideon dies and immediately after that the Israelites falls back into idolatry, worshiping Baal.
Luke 21, there is giving and there is giving. Jesus teaches a lesson about the widow’s two mites. Then he tells about the signs of the times, the end of the age, the destruction of Jerusalem, the coming of the Son of Man and finally the parable of the fig tree.
Judges 6. Things are going bad for Israel, the Midianites oppress them, God calls Gideon, Gideon is reluctant but after speaking with the Angel of the LORD Gideon destroys the altar of Baal. God wants Gideon to defeat the Midianites but again Gideon is reluctant, so he demands the sign of the Fleece. God provides the sign, so in
Judges 7 eighty-two thousand men gather to fight. God says that is too many, reduce their number, and in two steps they are whittled down to Gideon’s Valiant Three Hundred men. With that army and God the Midianites are defeated.
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 
