Hardened hearts

They are darkened in their understanding,
alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them,
due to their hardness of heart.
Ephesians 4:18

(a late season skipper clings to a leaf / Julie Cook / 2017)

Fragility now clings to a precarious and soon forgotten leaf.
The tattered and worn wings only possess a fading splash of the colors that once were.
The winds are shifting signaling a change is imminent.
Time is of the essence.

And yet the nations have hardened their hearts.

They stubbornly ignore the signs, the warnings, the words.
They are too busy caught up in the pettiness of their times..
drunk on an illusion yet fully digested.

Their ears have turned deaf.
While smug arrogance replaces the wonderment of awe.
Fearful amazement discarded for the bravado of self.

The hand was offered.
The blood long shed
The Hope clearly promised
And still they turn away.

And the faithful cry…Come Lord Jesus, Come

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.
On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and
tossing of the sea.
People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world,
for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory. When these things begin to take place,
stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:25-28

where will you be???

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain:
either you will reach a point higher up today,
or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to
climb higher tomorrow.
Friedrich Nietzsche

(solar viewing glasses / Julie Cook / 2017)

Maybe you’ve heard,
maybe you haven’t….
there’s to be a really big event on August 21st.

I figured this out when a local realtor mailed out to the folks in our county
some funky little paper gasses advertising her reality business.

The glasses are paper things similar to what you use to get to view things in 3D.
These however have foggy looking lenses with the realtors name splashed on the sides.

I figured they were for viewing the fourth of July’s fireworks…
that is until I spotted the words “solar viewing glasses” on the inside of
the frames.

Curious I thought maybe there’s something going on I don’t know about.
A little search quickly informed me that yes, something big is to be going on…
on exactly August 21st.

A total solar eclipse will skirt across North America from Oregon to South Carolina.
It’s being dubbed “the Great American Total Solar Eclipse” as it’s isolated to
just North America, from sea to shining sea.

And you better believe the Atlanta news is already rife with the stories of where,
when and how to best view this rare occurrence.

My cousin who lives up in North Georgia, just this side of the South Carolina border, called asking if we wanted to drive up for the “show” as they are to be in
a great place for viewing.

Really?

I think those who will be in the path will be treated to about a 2 minute show
give or take.

“It brings people to tears,” Rick Fienberg, a spokesperson for the
American Astronomical Society (AAS), told Space.com of the experience.
“It makes people’s jaw drop.”

Really?

Now granted the last total such eclipse was in 1979.
Back then there weren’t fancy little viewing glasses—
just a piece of paper along with another piece of paper cardboard with a hole
cut in the middle… such that the cast shadow of the event would then show onto
the other paper…
all this for “safe” viewing lest you go blind staring at the sun.

Staring at the sun is never wise to those who treasure sight
as well as their eyes!

I think the glasses will make it all way cooler then our old school two
pieces of paper…just saying.

There will be about a 70 mile wide swarth flowing across Oregon,
Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
With reports that “Aug. 21, 2017, may be one of the worst traffic days in
national history, some NASA representatives predict”…
so they’re telling folks to plan accordingly.

Really?

Now granted I may sound a bit cynical.
And don’t get me wrong….
I love a “heavenly” occurrence just as much as the
next person.
I can get swept up in the hoopla just as easily as everybody else
when something really big is anticipated to happen.

Remember partying like it was 1999…
in 1999…
at the stroke of midnight when we went from one millennium to another???
What with all that Y2K pandemonium…
that whole ‘where will you be when the earth goes black’ frenzy???

I was on my couch….
with my husband sound asleep on one end, my son and I
watching the ball drop in Times Square on the other end…
Once the ball dropped and we still had power and the earth was still
in one piece and the 2nd coming had not come…
I sent my son to bed.

So yes, I can get just as excited.

So with all the history of eclipses now making the rounds…
Given how those in ancient times reacted to such astronomical occurrences…
as in the sky is falling Henny Penny…

Add in all the speculations from all the calculations as to what this is
now all to mean..what with this latest lining up in the heavens…
coupled by the coincidence of various dates and patterns…
What with those who are currently stock piling their prepper safe rooms…

And well….I’ve got my glasses.

And with all of this latest stirring over phenomenons that are out of our control…
I actually wonder….

What would happen if folks were to get this excited thinking about the coming of
our very final redemption?

What would everyone do that sudden moment the heavens parted,
and in that Eastern sky, Jesus made His presence known….

There’d be no time to get the special viewing glasses,
helping to keep eyes protected from His blinding Light…
there’d be no time to plot and plan where the best place would be for
viewing that true “Second Coming”…
There’d be no time for news stories,
not fees taken for prime viewing rights….
and of what time would there be to say “yes, Lord, I am indeed
a sinner who is in need of your saving Grace….”

So how much greater will that day be in comparison to a total eclipse
of the sun…..

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth
distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.
For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the
Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Now when these things begin to take place,
straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:25-28

Here’s the link for information regarding the eclipse:

https://www.space.com/33797-total-solar-eclipse-2017-guide.html

Unsettling signs of the times?

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:25-28

(a drone above the city center / Savannah, Ga / Julie Cook / 2016)

On a recent visit to one of my most favorite cities on this planet of ours, Savannah, Georgia, my husband and I were idly wandering the city market section of the city when something a bit unsettling literally dropped out of the sky into my field of vision.

The City Market is an eclecticly trendy little section of town located on the far north end of the historic district. It’s an area that features a variety of kitschy touristy shops, eateries and adult watering holes. It’s a pedestrian only section void of the chaotic street traffic, horse carriages, trollies and pedicabs Savannah is notoriously famous for–and it is adjacent to Ellis Square—a more modern, spartan and minimalistic square sadly void of the moss draped live oaks and colonial monuments which evoke Savannah’s true historic and southern charm.

This tourist hotspot is usually crowded day or night and is not one of my most favorite areas of the city but as it was close to our hotel, we decided to spend a little time exploring.

Now imagine my surprise when something up in the crystal blue sky catches my eye hovering about where normally I should see a passing bird flitting by…

As it takes me a minute to actually process what I’m seeing, this invader, which is hovering overhead, suddenly drops and quickly angles its way into the crowd perching directly at head level. It is now hovering over the outdoor tables where folks are gathered ordering, having lunch or simply drinking something tasty while enjoying the beautiful springlike February day.

The drone turns around, scanning the crowd as I can see its camera focusing in and out on different tables and different groups of people. I quickly look to the square to see if I can see anyone anywhere working the controls to this usurper of peace.

Then just as easily, quickly and quietly as it descended over this crowded city center, this unwelcomed voyeur rises back up into the sky, disappearing over the roof tops.

And with the visit of this uninvited guest, one must remember that Savannah is not only a charming southern town located on the banks of the Savannah River, steeped in rich Colonial, Revolutionary and even Civil War history, Savannah is home to the 3rd busiest US port.

So to have a drone drop-in literally out of the blue is a bit unsettling…and more than unnerving….

It’s one thing to be in a park somewhere watching some kid trying to maneuver and manipulate one of these state of the art toys–kind of like watching someone working the controls of a model airplane…yet it’s something else entirely when watching this science fiction come to life extension of big brother easily and readily moving in and about a very crowded city with no signs of any one manning the controlls nearby.

Why is it here?
What is it doing?
What is it up to?
Who’s flying it?
Why is it flying here in a highly touristy area?
What is it filming?
Why is it filming?
Who’s using the video and for what purpose will it be used?
And it should be noted that obviously there are no boundaries nor parameters, no getting the permission of those being filmed—making the clamoring of personal privacy a moot point.
Negating the private moments of those who are sitting at the tables trying to enjoy a meal, a day, some time… who have now just experienced a massive moment of privacy invasion…
and yet it just seems to be all ok…

National security
Military Special OPS
Breaking News coverage
Curiosity
Covert OPS
Terrorism
Spies
School project
Kids being kids
National Security

Something is inherently wrong with this picture.