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Blazing Like a Torch

Having commented on the looming environmental catastrophe in the Gulf in my most recent post, the blog was seemingly incomplete. Some sense of troubled awareness lay deep in my subconciousness. My alarm was set at 3:00 a.m. this past Monday. At 2:50 I was already awake contemplating the five hour drive to the project office in Tennessee. Many things can pass through the mind of the wayward traveler during these early morning hours on I-65. I was recalling the news of the explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon, the eventual sinking of this $350,000,000.00 offshore exploration drilling rig (photo attached was taken from the internet and source was not indicated), and the days following with media speculation of this event surpassing the Exxon Valdez spill in the Prince William Sound of Alaska. We love the Emerald Coast of the United States and the real threat of ruin from the continuing uncapped wellhead is heavily burdening my family. Traveling to the beach as often as possible all seasons of the year, we enjoy fishing, viewing the abundance of marine life, and relaxing on some of the whitest sands on earth. During the drive it finally dawned on me that I have studied scripture with unprecedented parallels to the potentially unsurpassed marine disaster. I feel a sense of urgency and invite you to continue reading the following:

The apostle John wrote of a Holy Spirit inspired vision in Revelation 8:10-11 "Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter." (NKJV) When this prophecy becomes fulfilled, the world will be in the period of the Great Tribulation. This writing is not to imply that we are in this period today because this is not the case. The bible also teaches in I Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." This event is the Rapture. Many years ago I surrendered my life and asked the Lord Jesus Christ to save me. I know what I know: I am a child of God. I believe in the inerrant, infallible Word of God. I will not be on the face of this earth at the onset of the Great Tribulation.

My friends, surely you are cognizant of the days we are now living. Wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes occurring daily. It is written "Blessed is he that readeth, they that hear the words of the prophecy of this book, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand." Revelation 1:3 (KJV) I am thankful that I was not called to be an evangelist and certainly am not attempting to become one today. I am thankful more so for having been given the opportunity to work in places of quiet isolation. "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. If you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, I urge you to evaluate your destiny in eternity today. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..." Revelation 3:20 You were born with a soul to live forever. There are only two alternatives: accept the gift of enternal life through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on a cross at Calvary or eternal separation from God the Father. Hell is a real place of unimaginable sorrow and despair - a great chasm where no man can cross. An Atlanta pastor teacher once stated in his sermon about Hell, "Not believing in Hell is like standing on the beach with an approaching tital wave and stating I don't believe in that huge wave." I have not lived a perfect life, not even close. Those of you who know me personally realize that I am rebellious in my nature. This remains an ongoing battle within. I can say with certainty that having rededicated my life back in '01, the Lord has never failed to meet me in times of my greatest need. I invite you to seek the Lord Jesus Christ today!

OIL - Storm on the Horizon

The nation has recently been awaiting news of the completion of the first of three concrete and steel 100 ton "containment domes" constructed by BP in an all or none effort to corral the 5000 barrel per day wellhead leak south of the Mississippi River delta in the Gulf of Mexico. The photo attached was taken with my cell phone last summer in Orange Beach, Alabama just minutes before a super cell thunderstorm ran us indoors. Friends on the beach this past weekend forwarded photos of containment booms which had been deployed just off the beach that were washed ashore in 8' breakers from strong southerly winds and astronomical high tides. Hopefully, these have been replaced. In my opinion, booms will offer little defense if the wellhead leaks are not contained very soon. The spill will overrun protective booms in moderate surf. In reality, Orange Beach can be cleaned up by hauling off contaminated sands and new sand will be pumped back to the beachhead. The catastrophic damage will be to the abundant marine ecosystem, especially in the estuarine ecosystems of Mississippi and Louisiana. Dr. Guy Harvey stated in an advertisement on Island T.V. last year, "this Gulf is one of the most prolific in the world." So, what is the point of this posting? I confess that I own a gas guzzling Superduty four wheel drive pickup and will always because my lifestyle involves farming, hunting, and offshore sportsfishing. I need a larger truck today with a more powerful engine! Just this past weekend I towed a trailer with 10,200 pounds of agricultural lime to spread on a field. I am heavily dependent on refined crude oil, i.e. gasoline. I will always budget to purchase fuel for my truck, and in reality, at any cost. The petroleum industry in this nation has such an enormous lobby, fuel alternatives are unlikely in my lifetime. Technology exists for nuclear powered vehicles. However, profitability of the petroleum industry is extreme to the extent that the industry can afford to perpetuate itself at all costs. If gasoline reaches $4.00/gallon as a result of the spill, something else in my budget will have to go. I will never believe that an electric engine that will fit under the hood my my truck will tow a John Deere tractor on a tandem axle dual wheeled trailor. Besides, I like the roar of a large V-8 engine and will never become acclimated to the whine of a weak battery powered oversized golf cart engine. As Pres. "W" exclaimed, America is "addicted" to petroleum based fuels. I will not be registering for "rehab". Bring on a nuclear fusion nacelle for my truck with 1000 horsepower output and I'll definitely give it a shot. This is not my attempt to post random mundane satire, and in my nature, I am only interested in TRUTH. The truth is this is the American way. Oil exploration is not going to cease in the Gulf of Mexico, Chukchi & Beaufort Seas north of Alaska, or the Atlantic seaboard recently opened for lease. Historically, the U.S. has been "knee-jerk" reactive with new policies following major catastrophic events and we should expect more intensive environmental impact studies and tighter controls on the petroleum industry. Who will pay the tab? The consumer at the gas pump.