|
|
2011 Year-End Thoughts Once again the term "temple fugate" or "time flies" comes to mind as we say good bye to 2011 and hello to a New Year. 2011 was a year full of events. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot at a shopping mall near Tucson, Arizona, on January 8th. In the Middle East there was something called "The Arab Spring" as protestors in Egypt wanted President Mubarak to resign. Eventually he was forced out of power and replaced by a government more hostile toward the United States. So called Coptic Christians in Egypt have had their church buildings burned and are facing persecution. Eventually Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was forced out of power and killed in October. In March there was an earthquake registering 9.0 in the Pacific Ocean. This caused a tsunami that hit Japan. Thousands were killed by the huge wall of water as it hit their coast line. This also caused a nuclear power plant to have a nuclear incident in which radiation was released into the atmosphere. Then in March and April our country had numerous tornadoes to hit the South and Mid-west. Joplin, Missouri, was devastated as were communities in Alabama and Georgia. In May we have one preacher saying the world was going to end as Jesus would return and take the righteous to heaven with Him. He was wrong and his ministry was severely damaged. Hopefully people will catch on and quit listening to such false teachers. Also in May Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces. Thus ending the life of a man who was responsible for numerous deaths. During the summer months we saw governments in Europe face financial problems. Greece has been on the verge of bankruptcy all year as has Ireland and Spain. This goes along with our own government running in debt to the tune of 15 trillion dollars. Despite the warnings of economist and other world leaders we are still spending money as if there will be no tomorrow. In September we remembered the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. There was a memorial service at ground zero in New York City, but one thing not found there was any reference to religion or any "religious leaders" were invited. In the fall we were introduced to something called "Occupy. Wall Street." This group seemed to protest the unfairness of life as they partied it up. Eventually we saw the end of the Iraq War as our troops were forced out of the country. What 2012 offers we do not know. But what we do know for certain is that God is in His Holy temple, let all the earth keep silence, Habakkuk 2.20. There is nothing new under the sun, Ecclesiastes 1.9. One day we will face God in judgment, 2 Corinthians 5.10 and that day is nearer than it was yesterday. We hope everyone has a good year and relies on God when they face the trials and temptations of life. Dennis Tucker |