Another Year - But Little Has Changed

We are now a week into the new year.  The cold has descended upon us here in Minnesota as it has to so many in our country.  Classes were canceled today because of excessive windchills - in the minus 25 to minus 40 degree range.  The risk of frostbite to little folks certainly was not worth having a day of school.  So, although the sun is shining, the winds are howling and the temperatures will soar to about a minus four today.  But, such is January in Minnesota.  As one old-timer told me on Sunday, "These are the days that make us hearty." 


I want to report on several news items that you might have missed this year.  The first is an article from the Independent Paper.  The article, written by Steve Connor, can be found at: www.independent.co.uk/news/science/exclusive-threeparent-ivf-treatment-to-be-legal-within-weeks.  "Controversial regulations effectively legalizing so-called 'three-parent' IVF babies are expected to be debated and voted on by MPs before the general election, and could even be passed within weeks. ... Mitochondrial donation uses genetic material from the eggs of two women, combined with the sperm of a man, to produce IVF embryos that are free of serious mitochondrial diseases, which currently affect about one in every 6,500 children.  Supporters argue it will help women carrying mutations in their mitochondria - the tiny 'power packs' of the cells - from passing on the inherited conditions to their children, as the 37 genes of the mitochondria are inherited maternally."  Was it God's original intent that a child have three biological parents?  Read Genesis 1 and the answer is very obvious.  One man and one woman were to create a family.  This story is just another reminder of how far down the slippery slope of moral degeneration we have come. 


A second article, written by J.J. Green, can be found at: www.wtop.com/national-security/2015/01/al-Qaida-threatens-use-undetectable-bombs-u-s.  "Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is warning Americans that they've been working long and hard on a new tool to attack the U.S.  In the latest issue of the terror group's Inspire electronic magazine, an individual called the AQ Chef was quoted as saying they developed a bomb in 2009, but 'the brothers in the external operation committee did not give us the green light until recently.'  AQ Chef indicates that lessons learned from failures in past assassination attempts and plots to attack U.S. airplanes and buildings have fed the development of a new generation of what it calls 'undetectable' bombs."  The article then quotes former TSA Administrator John Pistole, who said, "What gives us greatest concern are the non-metallic improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that can go through a metal detector."  Perhaps one of the most alarming statements in the article was this: "AQAP (Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula) is betting a wave of lone jihadist attacks taking place worldwide will be sustained.  So the organization is promoting a new strategy for attacking the West - developing individual extremists who act alone."  Don't intend to frighten you, but there are people in our world whose lives are bent on the destruction of others.  But I remember Jesus saying that "in the last days, evil will grow worse."  And we certainly see it proliferating at an alarming rate, even within our own country.


A third article was published by the Middle East Forum - by the way, this is an excellent website, one that I highly recommend.  It was written by Raymond Ibrahim, one of their principal writers.  You can find the article at: www.meforum.org/4951/egypt-sisi-Islamic-thinking-is-antagonizing.  Friends, this is a very important article, featuring a report on a speech given by Egyptian President al-Sisi on New Year's Day.  Ibrahim reports: "Among other things, Sisi said that the 'corpus of [Islamic] texts and ideas that we have sacralized over the years' are 'antagonizing the entire world'; that it is not 'possible that 1.6 billion people [reference to the world's Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world's inhabitants - that is 7 billion - so that they themselves may live'; and that Egypt (or the Islamic world in its entirety) 'is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost - and it is being lost by our own hands.'"  I am not certain why the American media did not report this amazing speech.  We have long asked for moderate Muslims to step forward and speak out against the radicalization of Islam.  And, when the President of Egypt does just that, it is ignored.  Al-Sisi is not turning from his Islamic practice.  He is just saying that there was a need to think of the impact radicalized Islam is having upon the world.  This may have been one of the most courageous acts of an Egyptian since President Sadat went to Jerusalem and addressed the Knesset in 1979. 


One final article attracted my attention, quite possibly because 8 weeks from Friday I will be leading another tour to Israel.  And I am hoping that we can stop at this site while in Jerusalem.  The article can be found at: www.foxnews.com/science/2015/01/01/archaeologists-say-theyve-located-possible-site-trial-Jesus.  "Archaeologists in Jerusalem say they may have uncovered the remains of Herod the Great's palace, the site where the trial of Jesus Christ may have taken place prior to his crucifixion. The Washington Post reports that the remains are being opened to the public through tours organized by the Tower of David Museum, which is located close to the site."  If we can squeeze this into our itinerary, I will be sure to let you know of what we see there.


2015 has started much like 2014 ended.  There are new faces in Washington, but business seems to proceed there as usual.  The police whose lives are put on the line every day, now find themselves targets for those who oppose anything that has the stamp of government upon it.  Life is filled with heart-ache and disappointments.  But praise God, Jesus Christ never disappoints.  Jesus Christ calms the troubled spirit.  Jesus Christ replaces despair with His joy.  Oh to trust Him more in 2015.