Saturday, January 14, 2012

Fears Rise Israel May Attack Iran

The rumors of war continue to build.  Now we have U.S. army chief heading to Israel....maybe to try to stave off an imminent attack?


Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday for talks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, and other senior defense and intelligence officials.
The visit comes as the United States attempts to coordinate with Israel on the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities, and to determine Israel's intentions with regard to a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Ahead of Dempsey's visit, the Wall Street Journal published statements by senior American officers who said the United States had increased preparations for a possible Israeli attack on Iran. They also said the United States has refreshed plans for defending American installations in the Middle East in the event of a retaliation by Iran.
One senior officer told the Wall Street Journal that the United States' concerns regarding a possible Israeli attack on Iran were increasing.
According to the Wall Street Journal, both U.S. President Barack Obama and Panetta have conveyed messages through quiet channels to senior Israeli officials regarding the serious implications of an Israeli attack on Iran. They also reportedly told Israel it should allow more time for sanctions on Iran to take effect.
In the meantime, the United States is preparing for various scenarios following an Israeli attack on Iran, senior American officials reportedly told the Wall Street Journal. These include an attack by Shi'ites in Iraq on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. There are currently 15,000 U.S. citizens in Iraq.

Pretty serious stuff...no doubt.
Remember to keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

Nine Nations Downgraded


As you recall in 2011 the USA lost its AAA credit rating.  But because of all the bad news coming out of Europe the USA was deemed the "least-worst" place to invest...so money kept pouring into U.S. Treasuries.  The bad news for USA seemed to run off us like water off a duck's back.

But how long will that continue?  Who knows....but with nine nations getting further downgraded in the past few days, maybe the USA will continue to benefit from being the "least-worst" place to park your cash.

The Standard & Poor’s rating agency downgraded nine European countries Friday, confirming that the continent’s efforts to contain a debt crisis that also threatens the fragile U.S. recovery have come up short.

What began as excessive debts in countries such as Greece steadily evolved into concerns about unsustainable spending in Italy and the financial strength of France, spawning a contagion that threatens to unravel the eurozone and could hit American exports and the financial sector.

S&P concluded that the political agreements and combined $1 trillion in potential bailout funding reached at a December summit were not of “sufficient size and scope to fully address the eurozone’s financial problems.”

Just as it stripped the United States of its top AAA rating in August, the credit agency knocked France and Austria one notch to AA-plus.

Ratings for Italy, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus tumbled by two grades. Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia were also downgraded, but, in a positive sign, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands kept their triple-A ratings.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71427.html#ixzz1jRzsCTDV

One thing we know for sure...when this whole system of debt comes tumbling down, the world will have no choice but to come up with a global currency which will need to be administered by a global central bank.  When that happens, we know the Antichrist can't be too far behind.

Our blessed hope is that all of us who have the Holy Spirit indwelling us since accepting Christ's offer of salvation...will be gone from earth before all this happens. 

How much longer Lord?




Friday, January 13, 2012

Tim Tebow's Role Model

There was a great article in the Wall Street Journal about one of Tim Tebow's role models.  For those of you who don't follow sports, Tim Tebow is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos and is very vocal about his relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have you heard about the quarterback who won the Heisman trophy and led his University of Florida Gators to a national championship? The multisport athlete, Florida's USA Today Football Player of the Year as a high-schooler? The son of a pastor who always put his faith before football, even while playing in the National Football League?

Of course we're talking about Danny Wuerffel, who has served as a powerful role model for a certain Denver Broncos quarterback currently making news.

Mr. Wuerffel and Tim Tebow didn't know each other well growing up 13 years apart, but Mr. Tebow's parents made it a point to introduce the two more than a decade ago, while Mr. Wuerffel was still playing at Florida. Both players' families understood that football provided a platform that could be used to talk about the most important thing in their life—their faith. Their attitudes mirrored that of C.S. Lewis, who reasoned that "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

Such mentoring by Christian men is one of the most inspiring and least understood stories in sports. Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy has been lauded—and criticized—for his work with individuals like Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback jailed for running a dog-fighting ring. Yet Mr. Dungy, the author of a book on mentoring, realizes that he gets just as much benefit from the experience. As the Proverb says, "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

This week all eyes will be on Tim Tebow in the AFC divisional playoffs. Few will be watching Danny Wuerffel, though, as he continues to fight for the disenfranchised in pockets of poverty in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida. But the crowds are irrelevant: Both men have always played for an audience of One.

Must read article here;  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204409004577156544191436170.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Remember friends, people don't dislike Tim Tebow because he gives thanks to God...because god can truly be anything you want him to be.  They dislike Tim Tebow because he gives thanks to his savior Jesus Christ....and that offends lots of folks.

Marines Urinate on Dead Taliban

Of course the headlines are all a buzz about the video that shows U.S. Marines peeing on some dead Taliban fighters.  The morning news shows seemed excited to show the video.

I wonder why the morning news shows aren't as excited to show the Taliban executing women for learning how to read?  Or why they don't show the Taliban beheading anyone who doesn't subscribe to their religious beliefs?  Or why didn't they publicize the story about how the Taliban chained a man to 4 motorcycles and ripped him into quarters right in front of his family and dragged his body all over town?  Why??  Because he was teaching women to read.

Do you think it would make any difference if we learned that these dead Taliban fighters were responsible for killing these Marines friends one day earlier?  Or what if they had raped some little girls or boys before the marines took them out and sent them directly to meet Allah??

I watched a WWII documentary last night that talked about how the Russians gang raped thousands of Polish women, then saw the horror of concentration camps where millions were tortured and killed, then watched how U.S. soldiers executed German soldiers who were caught wearing U.S. uniforms....

But we are going to have a conniption fit about urination???  Did you know that urine is sterile??  That's right...it is cleaner that drinking water!!

Here is some of the nonsense; http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57358864/marines-reluctant-to-talk-in-video-probe/

Those of us who want to sit on our easy chairs back in Minnesota and cast judgment on the men who are in the front lines of war...should really think long and hard before we do.

If these soldiers, who are reportedly highly trained special forces soldiers, are brought up on charges of war crimes...I hope that all of us get out of our easy chairs and protest.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Persecution is Coming

Many of us are aware that persecution of Christians is on the increase all over the world.  They are being harassed and killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Egypt, China, North Korea, etc....  But will this persecution ever come to America?

We don't know if persecution will ever reach that level here in America before the rapture. But we do know that signs of persecution are coming...and they may start with people harassing us because of their claims of our intolerance of sexual actions and religious beliefs.  Specifically, they want us to embrace the gay lifestyle....and if we won't, then we may be singled out for not jumping on the bandwagon of celebrating gay perversion....or be labeled as "homophobes"... which will certainly one day be a criminal offense.

Check out what I just received on the prayer request of our local church;

1/12/2012 The senior high students will be up against a very difficult situation next week. There will be a day of celebration for the RAVE (which stands for respect, value, everyone) group and one of the events will be for all of the students to show their support for all of the homosexual students by wearing rainbow ribbons. So, are they gay haters if don’t wear the ribbons, and… if they do… Your youth staff needs wisdom and prayer from our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. A good portion of our youth staff and sr. high students will be at Adventurous Christians on retreat this weekend, so ask God to use this time to prepare the kids for His glory.

SO maybe this is how it all begins?

Bethlehem to Host Anti-Israel "Christians"

Here is a disturbing article that shows you just how clueless some who profess Christ really are.

Next March, the Bible College in Bethlehem will host dozens of US theologians, activists and ministries for the “Christ at the Checkpoint 2012 Conference”.

It is to be a major religious and political event meant to demonize Israel and to support the Palestinian Intifada against the “ethnocentric” Jewish State.

The impressive range of Christian theologians and pastors from many churches located in the United States make the gravity of the upcoming conference clear.

Samuel Rodriguez, President of the US National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, is a speaker.

Also attending are popular US preacher and “spiritual adviser” to Bill Clinton, Tony Campolo, and President of the World Evangelical Alliance and Asia Evangelical Alliance, Sang-Bok David Kim.

Two of the conference organisers, Stephen Sizer and Sami Awad, adamantly defended the Gaza flotilla sent in May 2010 by the Turkish terror group IHH.

Another speaker, Ben White, has shared a political platform with Azzam Tamimi, who has endorsed suicide bombings against Jewish civilians in the past.

In the last few months we have seen an increase of attacks on Israel by many Christian denominations. While the United States is home to millions of Christian supporters of Israel, these are anti-Jewish Churches which are more closely attached to global public opinion, European bureaucracy, the media industry, the United Nations and various legal forums.

In fact, the “Bethlehem Call” manifesto, which serves as platform for the Bethlehem 2012 Conference, has just been published on the websites of the Would Council of Churches, the Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ.

The Bethlehem Call defines Israel as an “illegal regime” and a “crime against humanity”, it promotes “international boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns” against Israel, labels the more neutral Churches as “accomplices in crimes against humanity” and attacks Christian Zionism as “a crime and sin as defying the core of the Gospel”.

Here;  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151576

Many will ask, "How could this be possible?  How could Bible reading self-proclaimed Christians not understand that Israel is a key player in the Last Days and that blessings and curses still apply?"

The answer is really quite simple.  If you are a person who believes that the entire Bible is true including even the difficult parts that are hard to understand....then you are a "literalist" and you will understand the significance of Israel and the major role they play in God's plan of working salvation.

On the other hand, if you believe that the Bible has large parts of it that are made up by men or are simply analogies meant to help us understand the mindset of these ancient people....then you can dismiss all the parts about Israel, blessings and curses and you can firmly begin to believe that any blessings reserved for Israel are really meant for all people on earth....it's that old, dangerous belief called, "replacement theology"....dangerous to Jews, Israel and to Christ followers who believe this false doctrine.

And there are a bunch of these folks who are soon meeting in Bethlehem.

Let's be in prayer for these folks that the God of Israel, Isaac and Jacob will reveal the Truth of His Word to this entire conference.

Hat tip to Tom F.

Another Iranian Nuclear Scientist Assasinated

In a move right out of a James Bond movie....a black motorcycle pulled alongside a car carrying nuke scientist involved with Iranian program, stuck a magnet bomb to the side of the car then sped off and detonated it using a remote control killing the scientist and passengers.  This was not the first time this method had been used.

Of course you have to wonder if Israel is behind this?

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and his driver Wednesday, reports said. The slayings suggest a widening covert effort to set back Iran's atomic program.

The attack in Tehran bore a strong resemblance to earlier killings of scientists working on the Iranian nuclear program. It is certain to amplify authorities' claims of clandestine operations by Western powers and their allies to halt Iran's nuclear advances.

The blast killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, state TV reported. State news agency IRNA said Roshan had "organizational links" to Iran's nuclear agency, which suggests a direct role in key aspects of the program.

On Tuesday, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz was quoted as telling a parliamentary panel that 2012 would be a "critical year" for Iran — in part because of "things that happen to it unnaturally."

"Many bad things have been happening to Iran in the recent period," added Mickey Segal, a former director of the Israeli military's Iranian intelligence department. "Iran is in a situation where pressure on it is mounting, and the latest assassination joins the pressure that the Iranian regime is facing."

Defiant Iranian authorities pointed the finger at archfoe Israel.

Here;  http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-kills-iranian-nuclear-expert-122304552.html

Of course if I was a betting man I would also bet that Israel is behind this.  And why not??  Isn't this a better way to wage war against a regime that has announced it's plans to destroy you??  Isn't a few guys on a motorcycle killing a few key players A LOT less invasive than flying hundreds of bombers dropping hundreds of bombs and igniting a full on war??

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Implosion or Revival?

 
Author Joel Rosenberg sent out this email today.  Pretty serious stuff.   He seems to agree with what we have been saying...mainly that there isn't a politician in either party that is going to be able to save us.  If America is going to be saved it will take the supernatural hand of God.  We need a Holy Spirit revival.

(Washington, D.C., January 10, 2012) -- Are you praying (even fasting) today for America, for Israel and for the nations of the epicenter? Are you praying specifically for the Lord to raise up leaders who will get America back on the right track economically, spiritually and morally?

I just finished writing and editing a new non-fiction book entitled, "Implosion: Can America Recover From Our Economic and Spiritual Challenges In Time?" Lord willing, it will be published in June. But I need to begin talking about the message now because the issues are too important to wait. In the book, the most difficult I've ever had to write, I argue that America is not simply in decline; we are actually headed for collapse -- an implosion -- unless we make fundamental and sweeping changes soon.

Yes, we need strong, principled leaders with deep convictions who will return us to the Biblical principles that our Founders wove into the Constitution. But even in the best case scenario, even if we elect the right people who are serious about making major reforms in Washington and have a track record of results, they will not be able to save this country alone. We need so much more -- we need the Lord to rescue us, to have mercy on us, before it's too late. We need a series of spiritual revivals to break out in every region of the country to wake up a slumbering Church and reinvigorate pastors and lay people to preach the Gospel, make disciples, plant new churches, and care for the poor and needy with great boldness, courage and compassion. We saw God do this in America in the early 1700s with the first Great Awakening. We actually saw God do this again in the early 1800s with the Second Great Awakening. Now is the time to plead with the Lord for a Third Great Awakening.

USDA Closes Hundreds of Offices


It's a conundrum....on the one hand we want to REDUCE GOVERNMENT and cut spending....but on the other hand we want the government to guarantee that EVERYTHING IS SAFE.

Think about it....we want to make sure that Ford Fiesta cars don't blow up...and we want someone to check it out when they do.  We want to make sure there are no terrorists on airplanes, no guns in schools, no dangerous pesticides on our apples, no feces in our fish, no worms in our burgers, no lice in our sweaters, no stink bugs in our basements, no hoodlums on our corners, no prostitutes standing on our corners, no oil companies drilling into our ground water supply, no pornography piped through the TV and radio airwaves, no rabies in dogs, etc., etc......   In short we want our world to be safe, but we are sick of paying for the millions of people that are required to check all this stuff out.

Today the headlines are telling us that the USDA is closing 200+ offices.  I will put some of the major info in bold and you see if this doesn't point to some foreshadowing of future "issues".

The U.S. Agriculture Department announced Monday it will close nearly 260 offices nationwide, a move that won praise for cutting costs but raised concerns about the possible effect on food safety.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the goal was to save $150 million a year in the agency's $145 billion budget. About $90 million had already been saved by reducing travel and supplies, and the closures were expected to save another $60 million, he said.

"They wiped out the entire Midwest," said Lorenz, whose office handles all federal inspections of meat, poultry and egg products in Minnesota, Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming.

"Our workload is at record highs, we have less money and fewer people and work to do and we tried to address how do you do that without interrupting service," Vilsack said in a phone call from Honolulu, where he was speaking to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Colin Woodall, a spokesman for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which represents more than 147,000 ranchers nationwide, applauded the USDA for trying to save taxpayers' money in tight economic times but also expressed concern about food safety.

"We can't say this is all great news because some offices will be closed," he said. "We have to make sure we have the process in place to keep food safe."

"Over the long haul, we believe farmers and ranchers across the country will be better served by the choices we made," he said.

But that was of little consolation to California cotton growers mourning the loss of the 80-year-old agriculture research station at Shafter, which solved many of the industry's pest and fungus issues.

Calcot, a growers' co-op that sells more than a million bales annually, had lobbied officials to keep the center, which lately has been working to address fusarium wilt, a soil-dwelling fungus that attacks cotton plants.

"This is going to be to the detriment of the U.S. cotton industry and ultimately the world because so much research there has benefited growers everywhere," Calcot spokesman Mark Bagby said.

So when the cotton crop gets over run with some new fungus....who do we want to fix it?....THE GOVERNMENT.
And when an E Coli outbreak kills 5 people eating ground beef...who do we want to solve it....THE GOVERNMENT.
And when the wheat crop begins to fail from some strange pest.....THE GOVERNMENT.
And when a jet falls from the sky and we want an answer....THE GOVERNMENT.

Friends, I will remind you that farming is VASTLY different that it was 50 years ago when everyone had an uncle or brother who was farming a few hundred acres and had 40 cows, 20 hogs, and 50 chickens.  Today's agriculture operations are thousands of hogs, turkeys, cows, chickens and fish all raised in very tight quarters that rely on antibiotics being pumped into them 24 hours per day just to survive.  The crops that we raise are all genetically modified to produce the most bushels with the least amount of rain and require enormous amounts of fertilizer....but they are also VERY susceptible to some strange fungus blowing in and wiping everything out.

The Bible tells us clearly to expect famine in the Last Days.  So who will be around in the USDA to solve the next huge fungus outbreak or swine flu outbreak that will threaten the nation's food production and safety?

Good question.


It's Becoming a 'Fat Tail' World


The world is becoming more volatile.  It is becoming more difficult for folks to make normal calculations about what to expect in the near future.  The investment world has a name for the possibility of experiencing extreme outcomes...they are called 'Fat Tails'.

Such unpredictability speaks to an uncomfortable possibility of extreme events. "Fat tails"—the technical term for the extremes of an outcome distributionare risks for any global system that loses its anchors. Economies and markets function differently, companies and households feel unsettled, and policy measures become; less effective.

He goes on to say;

Every year has elements of unpredictability, but what's in play in 2012 goes far beyond the usual risk of policy slippages, unexpected election outcomes and geopolitical hotspots. This is also about the global economy losing important anchors.

With European economic fragmentation no longer totally unthinkable, expect even more people around the world to opt for "self insurance," thereby sucking growth oxygen from the global economy. We already see this in companies' preference for holding record levels of cash on their balance sheets, not because they like earning virtually no interest income but because they want lots of assurances of safety and freedom of action.

In such a world, prudence is the name of the game, and patience will likely be rewarded. To paraphrase Will Rogers, investors are well-advised to worry first about the return of their capital and second about the return on their capital. In doing so, they should exploit the flexibility that comes with cash and make prudent allocations to instruments that pay positive real returns, including high-quality municipals, bonds issued by countries with solid balance sheets, and the debt and equity of global companies with iron-clad cash flows and debt dynamics.

Here;  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203471004577140431509989506.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

I believe it is pretty interesting that this article talked about the global system losing it's anchors.

Bible readers know that the ONLY force that is holding this entire system together is the restraining power of Jesus Christ.  Without that...the whole thing would fling apart.

So as the world draws closer to The Great Tribulation it would make total sense to start seeing more "fat tails"....and even the secular authors writing in the Wall Street Journal seem to sense that SOMETHING IS GOING ON....fat tails seem to be happening every single day.

Monday, January 9, 2012

More Extreme Weather

The national news tonight was talking about more extreme weather.  In Alaska one town has had 20 feet of snow in the last 3 weeks and the national guard just showed up to help.  Also a massive, and unusual, amount of snow has shut down parts of Austria.  Next they had had video clip of snow flurries in India in a town that has never seen snow.  Meanwhile it was 50 degrees and sunny AGAIN in Minnesota which us allowing for unheard of golfing in January.

And in Texas they have been suffering through the worst drought in recorded history and today they finally got some rain in Houston....but it was TOO MUCH rain that came TOO fast.  The news showed video of cars floating down the roads in downtown Houston.

Houston roads were flooded and thousands of residents lost power on Monday after powerful thunderstorms plowed through the area, with a possible tornado damaging and shutting down a nearby mall. Several inches of rain fell in the drought-stricken area over a two-hour period. Roads rapidly flooded and drivers became stranded on major arteries that connect the city’s sprawling neighborhoods and suburbs. In Texas City, about 40 miles southeast of Houston, a possible tornado damaged the roof and wall of the Mall of the Mainland. The building was evacuated and shut. In North and West Texas, the National Weather Service said, a steady downpour will drop an inch or two of much-needed rain. Texas got an estimated 14.89 inches of rain in 2011, compared with a normal average of 29.39 inches. 

Here;  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/us/texas-much-needed-downpour-comes-with-a-downside.html

The weather folks seem to be at a loss to explain all the strange happenings that seem to be happening almost every single day.

What's going on?.....Must be global warming...oops...sorry.....meant to say climate change.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Strong Economic Data for USA

We have posted in the past about the USA being the "least worst" place to invest in this very volatile world and currently we are benefiting from this. 

The headline today is that there is so much demand for U.S. Treasury bonds that the Federal Reserve will not have to go to the auction this week and "buy" anymore.

In the past few years with the federal deficit at $15 trillion plus, and no spending cuts in sight....if the U.S. Treasury needed to come up with cash for Uncle Sam's checkbook, they sold IOU's called Treasury bonds.  If there weren't enough buyers to satisfy the supply, or if interest rates were deemed "too high" by the powers that be....then the Federal Reserve would step in with fake money and "buy" up the slack.

Now today we find out that the rest of the world can't buy U.S. Treasuries fast enough...because they are so scared of what's going on in Europe that everyone is fleeing for the safety of the USA.

Why do I have a sinking feeling that this may not end well?

Strong data damps Fed need to buy bonds: Bullard

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Signs the recovery is gaining strength suggest the Federal Reserve may not need to buy any more bonds to spur growth, a top policymaker said on Saturday.


"I don't think it's very likely right now because the tone of the data has been pretty strong" through the end of 2011 and up to now, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard told reporters after a speech at an economics conference. "We can probably wait and see for now."


The Federal Reserve cut benchmark rates to near zero more than three years ago and has bought $2.3 trillion in bonds to boost growth.


While the Fed has left the door open to further accommodation, the U.S. economy has shown signs of accelerating growth in recent months, leaving many to wonder whether the central bank needs to do any more.


Adding to a sense of pickup, the government said on Friday that employers added 200,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate eased to 8.5 percent, near a three-year low.

Here;  http://news.yahoo.com/strong-data-damps-fed-buy-bonds-bullard-015447697.html

I'm going to ask you a question;  When real estate in the USA went up by 15% in 2001 and seemed to do it every single year....was that "good" news for everybody??  Then everyone flooded into real estate and seemed convinced that it would NEVER go down.  We had people buying condos in MN for $230,000 and they are now selling for $60,000.  So when did the "good" news of the real estate boom turn into "bad" news?


In the same way, if the world seems convinced that the U.S. Government is the least risky place in all the world....is that "good" news or should this be labeled as "scary" news since you and know dang well how poor the U.S balance sheet truly is.

Is it possible we are witnessing a big MONEY TRAP that will be the final straw and the world floods into U.S. Treasuries believing they are safe (just like they did real estate) only to have something calamitous happen to the U.S. Treasury market?

I guess we better keep watching....but for now I am going to label this article "good" news.