Saturday, 24 August 2019

17 years old Israeli Teenage girl killed as Two other Wounded in Samaria 'Horrific' Terror Attack

Lod resident Rina Shenrav, 17

Lod resident Rina Shenrav, 17, succumbs to mortal wounds caused when explosive device detonates as the family was visiting the Danny Spring near Dolev. Shenrav's father, 46, and 19-year-old brother rushed to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem in serious condition. PM Netanyahu calls security consultation, says Israel "will find these heinous terrorists. We will strike our enemy down."


JERUSALEM, Israel - an enormous search is underway on Friday when a teenaged girl was killed while her father and brother seriously hurt in an explosion close to a water spring by the Dolev settlement community in the West Bank.

Rina Shnerb, 17, was critically wounded and pronounced dead on the scene after paramedics worked desperately to save her life. Her father, Rabbi Eitan, 46, and brother Dvir, 19, were evacuated in a military helicopter to Hadassah Ein Karem hospital.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin identified grieved the teen's death and asked for prayers.
"This was an [despicable] attack against innocent individuals going about their daily lives in peace," he said.


Israel Defense Force on Twitter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to pursue and apprehend the "abhorrent terrorists."
Paramedic Shlomo Perl was one of the first people to treat the family.

“When we arrived at the scene what we saw was horrifying," he said "We saw 3 injured laying on the ground. A 46-year old man, fully conscious, had sustained injuries to his upper body. Next to him was a 20-year old man with injuries to his upper limbs and upper body and a 17-year old teenager with multi-system trauma."

"We administered initial medical checks and provided them with life-saving treatment including stopping injury and medications. We evacuated the 46-year-old and 20-year-old man via the MICU and evacuated them to a military chopper that landed nearby, which took them to the hospital" Perl added.

The Israel Defense Forces said the explosion was "a serious terror attack", the Times of Israel reports. Security services say a suspicious vehicle fled the area after the explosion.

An army spokesperson said an improvised explosive device killed Shnerb and injured her father and brother. Investigators determined the device was planted in the spring earlier and was set off when the family approached it.

Meanwhile, the military is looking for whoever is responsible.

"IDF soldiers are searching the area," the military said.
Israeli officials do not know if a terror group is responsible for the attack or if the perpetrators acted independently.

Medical Response Team

The attack occurred at the Bubin spring, a well-liked hiking spot in Israel.

Last Friday, a Palestinian terrorist rammed his car into two Israeli teens outside the Elazar settlement community. One of the teens was critically injured.

The terrorist was shot dead at the scene.

Mohamad Torokman Security forces and emergency medical personnel were at the scene of the suspected IED bombing near Dolev on Friday after initial reports of the explosion were received, and a large contingent of security forces fanned out in the area following reports of a car that was seen driving away from the scene of the blast.

Security forces were sweeping the area for suspects, with a focus on the area around Ramallah.


President Reuven Rivlin on Twitter


















Residents of Dolev were under orders from security officials to remain indoors and report any suspicious activity.

In an interview to Channel 12 News, Habayit Hayehudi MK Moti Yogev, a resident of Dolev, described the spring as "full of life" and flowing water all year round, even in the summer.
Yogev said that hundreds of Israelis visit the spring, as well as the many other springs throughout Judea and Samaria, on Fridays and holidays. Israelis who visit the area are usually instructed to arm themselves and inform security forces of their destination.

"But the Arabs show up and bring death to a place full of life. No Jew has ever attacked an Arab there," Yogev said.

Israel must strengthen its deterrence by strengthening settlements, Yogev said.
Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, spoke to Israeli media at the scene of the attack and called on Israel to apply sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.


News Source 

Monday, 8 July 2019

Why does God allow earthquakes?

Key Scriptures Romans 8:18-23 and Luke 13:4-5

Earthquake Aftershock

If we have an openness and are willing to learn, we can come to recognize the voice of God with assistance from those who are familiar with the divine voice from their own experience. On the other hand, we should understand that it is in Satan’s best interest to make an inherent mystery of God’s word coming directly to us. In this way, the power of God’s specific word for our lives can be hindered or lost. Without qualified help working alongside our desire to learn and readiness to cooperate, God’s direct word may remain a riddle or a game of theological charades.

This is generally the condition of the church today, I suspect. This would explain why there is such great confusion and difficulty about what it really means to walk with God.

As a father, yesterday I wonder if I failed yesterday.

We had a nice rolling earthquake as we were watching a movie. 100 or so miles away, it must have really rocked and rolled. But for us, it was a long drawn out thing, enough to cause us to wonder what was coming next.

The day beforehand, I panicked with a similar long-distance quake. I flashed back to January 17, 1994, and our apartment in Canoga Parker/Warner Center. Not far from the epicenter of the Northridge Earthquakes. That too was a longer quake, but we were closer, and the damage to our apartment and community was intense.

Here is where my failure occurs, as we tried to calm down after yesterday's rolling quake. As we talked, as I mentioned my almost moving to Arkansas after Northridge ( I would have moved anywhere after that - even Texas!) I think my fear and anxiety affected my son.

And the 12-year-old child I struggle to see as a child, (he is 5'11.5", 170 lbs and has an IQ like Einstein) got anxious. Enough so at bedtime he could relax, came into my bedroom and we talked. Plate tectonics, distance from the epicenter, fault effects, etc. And then the question...

damaged property


"Why does God allow earthquakes?"

I stumbled to remember where the Tower of Siloam passage was above and tried to show the law and the gospel in it. We need to keep our relationship with God a priority, the priority because we don't know what comes next. And while God doesn't cause the earth to groan. Thanks to Apostle Paul for that reminder - that creation is subject to God's curse, and it groans under the pressure of the sin it is subjected to! Such "groaning" God will use to remind us of the shortness of life, and that He is indeed with us.

He is there, in the darkness, in the anxious times, in the times were we shake or the ground does. in the moments where we don't get that He is, and He is with us. In the moments where our kids pick up on fear and anxiety, and we fail to be the strong, wise, shameless heroes we want to be for our kids, God is with us there.

Willard is correct, theology can often become a charade, an act we put in place when we can't find the answer. When we are as shaken as the land our in Searles Valley. (an odd connection to my home back east there) Theology and Biblical guidance must point us to the presence of God, that we walk with Him, that we depend on Him when our anxieties mount when we ourselves fail. Whether it is when we don't see what the Holy Spirit is guiding us to in scripture, or how to react to trauma or frustration.

He is there, bringing comfort and peace, love and mercy and forgiveness...


Walking with us. Even standing in the doorway, or seeking protection under a table, or sitting on a bed trying to explain what doesn't make sense, He is there! And depending on Him is the answer we need to come to and know this. God will bring us to that answer, that He is the answer.

Lord Jesus, remind us of the presence of the Holy Spirit, the comforter, in our lives. When we are full of anxiety, fear, or just don't have the answers, Lord bring us peace and help us to be a peaceful presence in others lives. AMEN!

Thursday, 27 June 2019

The Kingdom of God

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 



The kingdom of God is a central theme of the Gospels as well as other New Testament books. It is the message that John the Baptist declared in preparation for Jesus (Mt 3:2Mk 1:14-15), what Jesus taught the disciples in the 40 days between his resurrection and ascension (Ac 1:3), and what Paul is recorded as proclaiming at the conclusion of the book of Acts (Ac 28:31).

A kingdom is a place where someone has a rule or governance. The same is true of the kingdom of God. Jesus said in his prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). The kingdom of God is where God’s will is carried out.

The Old Testament theme of Yahweh’s rule and reign is another way of describing the kingdom of God. The psalmist speaks of Yahweh’s kingdom as an everlasting realm that endures throughout all generations (Ps 145:13). Isaiah declares that Yahweh will save (Isa 33:22) and speaks of a time when God will be worshiped in all the earth (Isa 2).

During the first century AD, many Jews believed that the Messiah would initiate this reign, which is based on passages like Malachi 3:1-5; Zechariah 9:9-10; Isaiah 9:1-7; and Isaiah 52:13-53:12. They also believed that the kingdom would be established through political or military means (compare Mt 26:51-53; Lk 22:47-53) - but Jesus ushered in the kingdom in a radically unexpected way. He announced that the kingdom had come upon those whom he freed from demons (Mt 12:28); he taught that the kingdom should be received like a child (Mk 10:15) and explained that it belongs to the impoverished (Lk 6:20). Jesus declared the kingdom of God as a present reality that could be experienced by those he taught and to whom he ministered.

Jesus’ teaching also assumed the kingdom was a future reality. While his disciples expected the kingdom to appear immediately, Jesus changed their expectations by telling them a parable about a ruler who had to leave before he could return to his kingdom (Lk 19:11-27). He described what good and faithful servants could do in the meantime. Paul spoke of the kingdom as something that could be inherited (1 Co 6:9-10) and that does not perish (1 Co 15:50). These examples testify to the kingdom of God as a future reality.

To borrow the phrase made popular by George Eldon Ladd, the kingdom of God is “already/not yet.” God’s kingdom has a dual dimension. Jesus initiated the kingdom of earth, and wherever God’s will is carried out, the kingdom is a reality. The kingdom, however, had not been fully manifested in Jesus’ day - nor has it in ours. We do not yet live in a world where God’s will is a complete reality. We feel the tension of experiencing God’s kingdom in our lives and communities before it is fully realized. We still see unbelief, brokenness, and sin, telling us God’s will is not yet fully expressed.

Many believers neglect to focus on the kingdom as a present reality. Their concern centers on the future reality of getting to heaven - but this focus can easily sever the relationship between the Christian life and the life here and now. When Jesus prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10), he asked that God would bring the experience of heaven to earth. Through Jesus, God’s reign, rule, and power are available to us today, not just in the distant future. The present reality of the kingdom of God should prompt us to examine our lives and ask what areas we have not yet surrendered to God’s rule.

On a larger level, the notion of God’s kingdom should lead us to examine both our neighborhoods and the global community and ask what lies outside of God’s desires. Where are people not being treated with the dignity and honor they deserve as God’s image-bearers?

As we anticipate the time when all things will be made fully new (Rev. 21:4-5), we can actively participate in the kingdom of God now (Mt 4:17). As we surrender to the reign of God, we will begin to experience the kingdom of God now - as God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6:10).

What questions does the present reality of God’s kingdom prompt you to ask about your community?





Cred: Bible Connection News

Monday, 24 June 2019

US Launches Cyber-Attack Against Iran

Israel was hoping for a tougher response to Iranian aggression, but hacking their computers will have to do

US launched a cyber-attack against Iranian military computer systems

On Thursday evening, the US launched a cyber-attack against Iranian military computer systems. The attack first reported in Yahoo News comes in retaliation for recent assaults on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage through the Persian Gulf with Iran along the north coast. One-third of the world’s liquefied natural gas and almost 20 percent of total global oil consumption passes through the strait, making it a highly important strategic location for international trade. More than 17 million barrels of oil pass through the region every day.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been digitally tracking and targeting military and commercial ships passing through the strait. The US military-grade cyber-attack disrupted computer and launching systems used by the Iranians to launch attacks against shipping vessels passing through the strait. Iran’s military computer systems have enabled attacks on vessels in the region for several years.

According to the report, for the past two years, the Iranian cyber forces have also tried to hack US naval ships in the Persian Gulf.

The US cyber-attack on Iranian military systems comes days after an Iranian rocket took down a US military reconnaissance drone in the area. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been calling for a tougher stance and direct military action against Iranian aggression in the region.

Real Peace is Not the Absence of Conflict

I have never liked conflict

Real peace

Like many people, I would go to great lengths to avoid it, and I fear its approaching.

Romans 12:16-18 (KJV)
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.


20   You clash with the character of one person or another…. It has to be that way—you are not a dollar bill to be liked by everyone. Besides, without those clashes which arise in dealing with your neighbors, how could you ever lose the sharp corners, the edges—imperfections and defects of your character—and acquire the order, the smoothness, and the firm mildness of charity, of perfection? If your character and that of those around you were soft and sweet like marshmallows, you would never become a saint.


I think this is, in part, because we don’t know how to understand it, and we either fight for victory, or we settle for a compromise. As a result, we are not aware of the sweetness of harmony, the true peace of living in concord, and the hope that comes from finding the true peace that happens when we reconcile.

As a result, we dwell in a time where conflict is played out strategically, in back rooms and parking lot conversations, via text messages and other social media we gather our side and are ready to go to war or run away from our opponents.

And all suffers


Living in peace with everyone is not about being liked, it is not about being popular, it is about working for true reconciliation, true unity that is not at the cost of diversity, or does it force conformity to anything else but Jesus. ANd since the Spirit is in charge of that transformation, the very clashes we, can lead to reconciliation.

Real peace is found there, not in the apparent absence of conflict.

It is a hard lesson, and to be honest, one I have refused to learn, even as I prayed for such a sense of peace to grow in my life. Yet I have begun to see it, I have watched God at work bringing together those who trusted Him enough to be honest, and desire to see Him honored more than to be proven they are right. I have seen it in those who journey together. I have seen it at the communion rail, and in the passing of the peace.

So trust God, be willing to pay the price for true peace, knowing God will help, He will be there, and the person you are in conflict may come to realize, as you do, that you are on the same journey, being drawn by God into His presence.


Heavenly Father, help us to trust and depend on you more than we fear and avoid conflict. In those situations, help us to honor you, and seek the peace that is found in reconciliation, not settling for compromise or avoidance. Give us the patience to see this happen, in Jesus name. AMEN!



Cred:

Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 209-213). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.

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