Monday, December 27, 2004

9.0 Earthquake Causes Tsunamis To Hit 9 Asian Countries, Over 20,000 Killed

Vast area reels from aftermath of deadly quake

Bodies Piled on Coasts After Tsunami Kills 22,700



DEATH CAME FROM THE SEA


"Death came from the sea," Satya Kumari, a construction worker living on the outskirts of Pondicherry, India, told Reuters. "The waves just kept chasing us. It swept away all our huts. What did we do to deserve this?"

Luke 13: 1 - 5 (King James Version)

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

I don't think that anyone who perished in this calamity expected to die that day. I didn't expect to face an 18-wheeler the other week, at which time I could have easily been maimed or perished. Everyone will die someday; that is a certainty that we can't change. What is so important is to do our best to be as ready as possible, so that when death comes, it is not an enemy but a friend.

Somebody just said to themself: "What on Earth is he talking about??"

Whether or not you believe in or accept the God of the Jews and the Christians, He exists. He has offered a way to make peace with Him and a way to spend eternity with Him after death comes. Everyone will have the opportunity at sometime in their lives to accept Him, His Son and His Holy Spirit.

Many people have been "burned" by people calling themselves Christians. Note I said "calling themselves Christians" and not "Christians." Those people are, in fact, some of the worst sinners on the planet (through hypocrisy and not living this life). I grew up knowing people like that and it drove me away from the churches for a long time...but eventually, through my longing to know REAL Christians, this God I now serve and worship sent one of them my way. That Christian witnessed to my wife about living free from sin (something not preached in too many churches) and about what the Bible says about how to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord and ultimately, how to make it "home" to Heaven.


"Our paradise turned into hell," said American tourist Moira Lee, 28, who was on Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand.




I am not a minister. I am just a Christian who cares. It's times like these when I just hope to say something that is a comfort...



...in such troubling times.

Best Wishes,
Allen

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