Exp God – Sept 25, Believing God’s Love
[16] We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1Jn 4:16 NLTse)
…The greatest truth in all of Scripture is this: God is love…
…God loves you, not because you deserve His love, but because His nature is love. The only way He will ever relate to you is in love. His love for you gives you an inherent worth that nothing can diminish…
…Without a clear understanding and acceptance of God’s love for you, you will be disoriented to Him and to what He wants to do in your life. If you will accept God’s love, however, you will be able to return love to God as well as to others… [19] We love each other [ Greek We love. Other manuscripts read We love God; still others read We love him.] because he loved us first. (1Jn 4:19 NLTse)
Assault Weapons Are Not The Problem
http://left-coast-pundit.com/2013/01/27/20130126.aspx?ref=rss
…Only 2.6% of the murders in the U.S. in 2011 were committed using rifles, and many of these were in the hands of police officers who had to stop a criminal. Looking at the raw numbers, you are more than twice as likely to be killed by someone using their bare hands than by someone using a rifle. But it gets even more strange…your odds of being beaten to death with a blunt object are 1.5 time more likely, and your chances of being stabbed to death are more than twice as likely. Applying the logic of the Left, we should be outlawing people with big fists, baseball bats & steak knives before we start going after rifles.
| Weapons | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2011 % of Total |
| Handguns | 7,398 | 6,800 | 6,501 | 6,115 | 6,220 | 49.1% |
| Rifles | 453 | 380 | 351 | 367 | 323 | 2.6% |
| Shotguns | 457 | 442 | 423 | 366 | 356 | 2.8% |
| Other guns | 116 | 81 | 96 | 93 | 97 | 0.8% |
| Firearms, type not stated | 1,705 | 1,825 | 1,828 | 1,933 | 1,587 | 12.5% |
| Total firearms: | 10,129 | 9,528 | 9,199 | 8,874 | 8,583 | 67.8% |
| Knives or cutting instruments | 1,817 | 1,888 | 1,836 | 1,732 | 1,694 | 13.4% |
| Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.) | 647 | 603 | 623 | 549 | 496 | 3.9% |
| Personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) | 869 | 875 | 817 | 769 | 728 | 5.7% |
| Poison | 10 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 0.0% |
| Explosives | 1 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 0.1% |
| Fire | 131 | 85 | 98 | 78 | 75 | 0.6% |
| Narcotics | 52 | 34 | 52 | 45 | 29 | 0.2% |
| Drowning | 12 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 0.1% |
| Strangulation | 134 | 89 | 122 | 122 | 85 | 0.7% |
| Asphyxiation | 109 | 87 | 84 | 98 | 89 | 0.7% |
| Other weapons or weapons not stated | 1,005 | 999 | 904 | 872 | 853 | 6.7% |
| Total | 14,916 | 14,224 | 13,752 | 13,164 | 12,664 | 100.0% |
…BTW…my definition of gun control means using both hands.
UPDATE: On average, there are 375 people struck by lightening each year. So, you are more likely to be struck by lightening than you are to be killed with a rifle.
Exp God – Sept 19: Evil, Good and Good, Evil
[20] What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. (Isa 5:20 NLTse)
It is Satan’s practice to convince people that what God calls good is actually evil and what God declares evil is, in fact, good….Despite the absurdity of Satan’s logic, he continues to deceive people into doubting what God has clearly said…
…We, too, will face the temptation to call something good that God has declared wicked. We may be persuaded that we can accomplish more good by lying than by telling the truth. We may claim that we are mobilizing Christians to pray for someone in sin when, in fact, we are spreading gossip… We will also be tempted to call evil that which God declares is good…
Exp God – Sept 13, Prayer Is Preparation
[2:1] On the day of Pentecost * all the believers were meeting together in one place. (Ac 2:1 NTLse)
….The purpose of prayer is not to convince God to change your circumstances but to prepare you to be involved in God’s activity.
The fervent prayer of the people at Pentecost did not induce the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Prayer brought them to a place where they were ready to participate in the mighty work God had already planned….
…The day of Pentecost arrived…Prayer had prepared the disciples for their obedient response…
…Prayer is designed to adjust you to God’s will, not to adjust God to your will. If God has not responded to what you are praying, you may need to adjust your praying to align with God’s agenda. Rather than focusing on what you would like to see happen, realize that God may be more concerned with what He wants to see happen in you.
[4] Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. [5] John baptized with * water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ( Ac 1:4-5 NLTse)
[15] During this time, when about 120 believers * were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them. [16] “Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. [17] Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.”
[18] (Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines. [19] The news of his death spread to all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”)
[20] Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’ *
[21] “So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus– [22] from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”
[23] So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. [24] Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen [25] as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” [26] Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. ( Ac 1:15-26 NLTse)
5 Crazy New Man-Made Materials That Will Shape the Future
From <http://gizmodo.com/5-of-the-craziest-new-man-made-materials-893364032>
…
Aluminum Bubble Wrap
..A team of engineers from North Carolina State University have developed a new form of aluminum bubble wrap, which they claim could revolutionize packaging and protective equipment.
The scientists take a thin sheet of aluminum, then use a studded roller to form small indents in the sheet. Unlike its polyethylene counterpart, these voids are then filled with a foamed material like calcium carbonate, before being sealed with another flat sheet of metal. The result: a series of bubbles that absorb masses of energy, weigh 30 percent less than regular sheet metal, and yet are nearly 50 times stronger. It’s easy to make, not too expensive—and could soon be used in everything from shipping containers for fragile goods to bike helmets…
Titanium Foam
…By saturating a humble polyurethane foam with a solution of titanium powder and binding agents, it’s possible to force the metal to cling to the shape of the simple foam and then vaporise the underlying structure away. The result is a titanium lattice in the shape of the original foam, which can be heat-treated to tweak its material properties.
The exact properties depend on the porosity of the foam, but the results are strong and—most importantly—incredibly light. In fact, the material is just perfect for replacing bone: it has incredibly similar mechanical properties and, because it’s porous, new bone can grow and around its structure, truly integrating the implant within the skeleton…
Graphene Aerogel
…this graphene aerogel snatched the title of the world’s lightest material just a few of months ago—with a density lower than that of helium and just twice that of hydrogen at 0.16 mg/cm3. This stuff practically floats.
The material was actually created using a new technique which involves freeze-drying solutions of carbon nanotubes and graphene to create a kind of carbon sponge. The resulting material is both strong and elastic, as well as incredibly light; it can even absorb up to 900 times its own weight in oil. When—or if—it becomes affordable, that means it could be used to mop up massive oil spills with ease, or even as an incredibly efficient version of humble old insulation.
Artificial Spider Silk
… a Japanese startup called Spiber has been working out how to produce it synthetically. It’s managed to decode the gene responsible for the production of fibroin in spiders, which is they key protein used to create the super-strong strands of silk.
Having cracked that key component, the company has gone on to create bioengineered bacteria that can make silk extremely quickly—and the company can create a new type of silk in just 10 days, from scratch to to finished product. The bacteria feed on sugar, salt and other micronutrients, and quickly produce the silk protein—which is turned into a fine powder, spun and processed to create fibres, composites, solid block… anything. A single gram of fibroin produces 5.6 miles of silk…
Molecular Superglue
…researchers from the University of Oxford has created a molecular glue inspired by Streptococcus pyogenes—the flesh-eating bacteria.
They considered a single protein from the bacterium—the one it uses to bind to human cells—and from there developed a molecular glue which forms covenant bonds when it comes into contact with a partner protein. The bonds it forms are so strong that, when researchers tested a sample, the equipment used to measure the strength broke before the glue did. All that remains is to develop ways of incorporating the proteins into other molecular structures in order to create insanely strong, selective glues.
From <http://gizmodo.com/5-of-the-craziest-new-man-made-materials-893364032>
Exp God – Sept 10, God Remembers
[2] “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the LORD says: “I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness. (Je 2:2 NLTse)
Even when our hearts grow cold toward God and our devotion to Him weakens, His love remains steadfast. We may forget God, but He remembers us.
God was concerned because the people of Judah had allowed their hearts to drift far from Him. …God reminded them of the love they had once had for Him, so that the memory might rekindle feelings of devotion and their hearts might return to Him.
If you do not guard your heart, you will grow cold in your love for Christ…You may not realize how far you have drifted from God until you contrast the love you are expressing to Him now with that of earlier days.
God has not changed. He is the same Person you gave your heart to when you became a Christian …
[6] “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. [7] Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ (Mal 3:6-7 NLTse)
Researchers claim ‘almost instantaneous’ quantum computing breakthrough
… researchers at Oregon State University have been plugging away at a low-cost, faster alternative for the past three years: tiny quantum devices called metal-insulator-metal diodes, or MIM diodes for short. Silicon chips involve electrons traveling through a transistor, but MIM diodes send electrons “tunneling” through the insulator in a quantum manner, such that they appear “almost instantaneously” on the other side. …
…giving the scientists another method for engineering quantum mechanical tunneling. With MIIMs, super fast transistor-less computers could be around the corner. The Oregon researchers aren’t bold enough to put a date on making any of this happen outside of the lab…
Exp God – Aug 26, Redeeming the Time
[15] So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. [16] Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. (Ep 5:15-16 NLTse)
…A fool makes unwise choices with his time. With every new opportunity that comes along, the fool chases off in a different direction, not questioning whether that is the best choice. The loudest voice gains his attention. At some point the fool discovers to his dismay that he has squandered the investment of his time…
…Foolishly spending your time in sinful or wasteful pursuits can cost you and others dearly…
…Time is a precious commodity. Be sure to invest it wisely.
Exp God, Aug 23 – Victory One Step at a Time
[22] The LORD your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you. (Dt 7:22 NLTse)
…God taught His people to trust Him step by step. He gave them only as much responsibility as they could handle at one time…
…God will not totally change your character at once when you become a Christian. Rather, He will lead you through a process…
…God will not take shortcuts…and will take as long as necessary to produce lasting spiritual growth in you…
…He will lead you at a pace that fits your present character and His purposes for you.