FYP finished! Now exams...

Probably the next post will be after the exams - the next four weeks are going to be intense. I would love to tell all about our amazing time in Ballymena with the lovely saints of the CPRC, but that will have to wait.

I'd also love to tell about the next lecture in Limerick that is coming up, but that too will have to wait. See details on the Limerick Reformed website. The important thing is that you didn't need to be at part one to get a lot out of part two. Sounds like it will be superb and very encouraging. It's really crazy that the very same issues that were dealt with in the Reformation by men like Calvin (by God's mighty grace), are just as bad, if not worse today. May God help us.

Now, to the subject of this post, I finally finished my FYP last thursday and handed it up on Friday. I took a breather last weekend again, and now I feel ready and rejuvenated to tackle the coming weeks head on - for the glory of my Saviour and my God.

Next few challenges are six essays to prepare and memorise for the exams, and some lecture notes to catch up on. But then, I'm finished college. Weird. I hope that I will seek first the Kingdom of God in all my study and whatever work I have to do.

- Sam W.

Listen to the Bible - not feelings.

Things have been really tough going recently. I don't really understand why, apart from the general reason - my many sins, especially my lack of faith. At times, I am in awe of the cross, and then I lose sight of it and get stuck in rut staring in horror at my depravity.

Has Christ not set me free? How then can I not give Him the praise He deserves? Can my wickedness be so deep that I fail in some many things to honour Christ above all? I know the answers to these questions - scripturally, logically. I believe the answers, but how often my actions do not match my beliefs! How quick is my heart to run after the things which cannot satisfy and which profane the name of my Saviour!

But I am comforted, when I recall, and when I bring to mind (oh, what glorious miracle!), the words of my Saviour. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." I remember that it is impossible to serve God and Mammon, and I am in no doubt as to who Christ serves with all His heart and mind and soul and strength - His Father. And I am in no doubt as to the Father's love for the Son!

What despair I would be in if Christ had not preached to me the Gospel and loosed my from my bonds! How devoid of all hope I would be if Christ was not my Saviour. As it is I struggle to overcome feeling down now and again. If not for Christ, I would have no weapon with which to strike against my constant enemies - the world, the flesh, and the devil. If my own feet were to support me, I'd be groveling in the dust with the serpents. But Christ is my Rock who makes me to stand. How glorious a thing it is, that the ground on which I stand does not depend on myself! The only light I can see is that Christ is the all-sufficient Saviour - He will not leave me nor forsake me.

How I long to see Him more clearly, and yet how often I struggle to even find such a longing in me! Why do I not hate wicked apathy as I ought! But Christ will keep me waiting for His deliverance - His rod and staff will guide me down the narrow path. I have no strength of myself - of that I am certain. It seems that the people in the world have plenty of strength, they struggle and succeed in the world, yet I struggle to struggle, and often don't struggle. Yet how much more motivation I have, than they. They live to please themselves, I live to serve Christ who saved me, and yet their perseverance and dedication puts me to shame. And is my longing to be rid of this old man, also selfishness and pride, rather than love for my Creator? A lucid moment is very precious.

I've not been working on my final year project for college as much as I ought to have been. I should have been finished weeks ago. Now I've had the deadline extended and I wonder will I even meet that target. And I tell myself not to get stressed - and depressed. I remind myself of Romans 8:28. I imagine the possibility of failing utterly and tell myself that it wouldn't be the end of the world. And then I feel like it would be. But what business has a Christian to listen to himself - especially a Reformed Christian. Scripture alone is our authority. We must listen God, and not ourselves, for we are filled with lies - our old man in the image of that father of lies, Satan.

I've been keeping up to date with http://www.creation.com/ and they've really been pumping out some great articles. I wanted to share a great quote (not an endorsement) from Louis Berkof:

"Since the entrance of sin into the world, man can gather true knowledge about God from His general revelation only if he studies it in the light of Scripture"

I ended up sharing a few thoughts that have been running through my head for weeks instead though, which is fine. Funny how it came around to a very similar topic - the authority of Scripture. I also need to remember their sufficiency, that same sufficiency of the Holy One who breathed them. May we rest in Him and give Him glory - for He is worthy.

Is the climate-deniers position credible enough for a convincing April fool's joke?

See recent April fools joke on RealClimate.org:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/04/farewell-to-our-readers/

Samuel Watterson Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation. 1 April 2009 at 5:07 PM

What I find most hilarious about this post is the number of people who were momentarily fooled by it. (I wasn’t, knowing how deeply committed these authors are - at least to their position if not always the data…)

Isn’t the idea of a good April’s fool gag that is it is convincing enough to fool some people? Makes me wonder whether daring with this wasn’t conceding that the “contrarians” might just have some credibility… Perhaps this gag was a bit too far after all.

--

Of course, I believe that term "climate-deniers" is more suited to the legends at RealClimate.org. The fact is that the proxies and methodologies used for historic reconstructions have not been verified by cross-examination with modern records, and the studies resulting from these do not match the historical documentary evidence. The Little Ice Age was very cold, and it was not so cold before it. Are we now warmer than before the Little Ice Age? Do we know? What significance would it have if we were? Documentary evidence indicates that at least the Northern Hemisphere is not as warm as it was.

Is our climate stable or unstable? Is it's instability so bad that a 0.01% change in the atmospheric composition (that roughly represents the increase in CO2 possibly due to human activity) could irreverisibly disrupt it? First we ought to remember who designed it:

"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."
- Isaiah 45:18.

And then let us remember the unconditional promise of the Sovereign Lord:

"And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
- Genesis 8:21-22.

Of course this doesn't rule out disruption of the climate system by human activity altogether, but it does set boundaries and limits on it. We ought also to remember the terrible woes that are promised as this present evil age draws to its close. As Christians, we look for the city that has foundations, and the new creation - the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ when He will bring fiery vengeance on those who obeyed not the gospel and loved wickedness, while we who by His grace were called, we dwell with Him. And He will be our God, and we will be His people, and He will wipe every tear from our eyes.

So what is the obsession with trying to prove global climate change caused by human activity - first, a global problem requires a global solution, second, human pride loves that sense of self-importance, that if the climate is awry, we are not only responsible, but can save ourselves too. Wonder at the glory of man! He can save himself from every distress! Not even global climate change will stop his progress! But he is godless, his glory is his shame, and his progress is towards hell.

- Sam W.