Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Bible Belt UFOs - yeah... really? So?
Residents of a rural Texas town
are convinced they have seen
concrete evidence
that THE END is near...
Let's analyze this now:
Stephenville, Texas
is a farming community
and Our Saviour
Did Come into this world
in a cold stable
- a manger to be precise...
Thus, The Lord Would
Give A Sign, A Demonstration
to such a remote place.
It is The Lord's kind of place!
And He Loves the most humble -
not the most fastidious!
The setting is thus right
(what did you expect -
a Divine display on Wall Street?
Godly fireworks in Tinseltown?
Not the appropriate spots for it,
no!)
Alas, the "sign" itself is not.
Unidentified Flying Objects
are simply so "not pious" objects!
What can I say,
I simply don't think that
if, in this day and age,
if we were to get deemed
worthy enough to GET
a "sign",
that it would be a U.F.O.
Maybe some other
astronomical
phenomenon
- but not a cigar-shaped
allegedly "alien" craft
and not a flying saucer
shaped one either!
For the record,
I also do not believe that
in 1917, at Fatima, Portugal,
there were any U.F.O.s
either -ever- there.
NOT EVEN to serve
as a limo service
to Our Lady - no.
Not even that.
I do not entirely reject
the (remote) possibility
that there would be life
on another planet,
somewhere...
Wasn't there a recent
"earth-like planet"
discovery reported,
in fact...?
And, as Einstein said so well,
science without religion
is as lame as religion
without science
can be blind...
(I paraphrase...!
The exact words are found
on an early luminous blog
entry - as well as on
my chunk of MySpace!
But I digress...!)
Nonetheless,
alien lifeforms
are hard to "write into"
God's Plan...
There could be a role
for intra-terrestrials
to play, though...?
Extra-T's -
I dunno!
But that is not my concern
neither today
nor on this blog
(TLB Prime!)
Rather, I'll veer back
towards my ever
luminous goal
with the very name
"Stephenville"
which makes me think,
obviously,
of Stephen!
Stephen who?
Glad you asked!
After all,
it has to be someone
mighty special
to get a town named
after his person...!
(Although,
truth be told
right here and now,
I doubt it is
the same Stephen
at all...!)
Back in the years
2002-2004,
Stephen R. Clark
surveyed the
Christian communities
looking for true tales,
testimonies,
some witnessing
of the power of God
and some faithful
good souls
to also testify
of their ever-ebullient
always fervent
Belief in Christ
and The Word.
I contributed
to some of those
literary projects.
They were, indeed,
collective works
in many ways
written into the category
"Inspiration/Self-Help"
as it was to be labeled...
I always questioned
the "self-help" part,
somewhat...
For, even if it is true
that we should
"help ourselves first
and then Heaven
will help us too",
the very act of
PRAYING
is asking for help -
ASAP!
Praying can be seen
as "self-help"
(just as reading
inspirational
material
and The Good Book
assuredly is)
but it really, truly is
nothing more
than calling for
Heavenly Attendance!
Divine Intervention!
The equivalent
of dialing 911
straight to Paradise!
But enough digressions -
onwards with the goods!
In 2005,
the fruit of all that labor
was released
by Adams Media.
It was titled
"Christian Miracles"
and subtitled
"Amazing stories of God's
Helping Hand
in our everyday lives".
And, around page 230,
you'll find the miracle
that tells of both
the power of prayer
as also of the power
of FAITH
that I submitted
out of the kindness
and generosity
of my heart.
It was somewhat
shortened and reworded
most likely by
Stephen himself
(lest it was by
his literati boss,
James S. Bell)
but the basic account
remained the same
and it went like this:
Nearly every year,
Luciano Pimentel's father,
Senhor João Jacinto,
developed kidney stones.
He would suffer
excruciating pain
until he was able
to pass them.
And he regarded this
as fortunate -
for many of his
friends and kins
had to have surgery
to remove their
kidney stones.
In September of 1991,
João Jacinto
had an especially
bad round of stones.
"We found out later,"
says Luciano,
"that he passed one
of the biggest stones
he'd ever had.
He was in terrible pain
for hours upon hours.
And drenched in sweat
from this ordeal.
As hours passed,
we fully expected
to have to take him
to the hospital."
"Then, my mother,
Senhora Maria Adelina,
prayed fervently
that God would
touch Dad.
She prayed that
the stones that
he was suffering from
would pass soon,
and that he would
never again
be afflicted with
this pernicious
problem.
As she prayed,
Mom felt compelled
to put her hands
on Dad's lower back.
He was laying
face-down on their bed,
squirming and
writhing in pain."
Within minutes
after his wife's prayer,
João Jacinto got up
and went to the
bathroom.
Painfully, but finally,
the large stone passed
and relief, at last,
washed over him.
Says Luciano,
"Since that day,
Dad has never again
had a kidney stone.
Not a single one,
and this without
changing his diet
one iota.
The Lord Jesus Christ
heard Mother's prayer
and granted Father
a permanent cure
for that ailment."
Aye, I admit -
there was a slight
rewording and
embellishing
performed
right here and now
by MOI!
:)
Thus, if you pick up
the book cited above
(there are many more
miracles to read about)
the version you'll see
there will differ a tad -
just a tad...!
And now -
to my point!
This is all to say that
if we get "signs" -
they will not be"supra-
spectacular"
they will be everyday
things, such as the one
I recall right there...
Signs that God Does Exist.
Signs that Faith
sure will be rewarded.
Signs of a very
different order...
No objects in the sky.
No circles in your crops.
No missing time
or missing cattle
that turns up later
in very bad shape...
None of that
is a "sign" -
not from God anyhow,
it isn't...!
We should not expect
the End of Times
to be announced
by a bunch of UFOs!
Haven't you read
The Word, folks?
Especially you,
proud residents of
the Bible Belt
of America...!
The Word Says
(very clearly,
I might add!)
that the End shall come
like a thief in the night.
No warnings.
No fireworks.
No hoopla.
When everything is so calm
that you could hear a bug
fly...
THEN
you can consider THAT
a true "sign"...!
Mark my words
on that...!
+++
Labels: book excerpt, Christian Miracles, Stephenville
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Residents of rural Texas town abuzz over dozens of reported UFO sightings
Mon Jan 14, 7:12 PM
By Angela K. Brown,
The Associated Press
STEPHENVILLE, Texas - In the farming community of Stephenville, Texas, nightfall usually brings clear, starry skies.
But these days, residents are abuzz over reported sightings of what many believe is a UFO. Several dozen people - including a pilot, county constable and business owners - insist they have seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast.
Some even reported seeing fighter jets chasing it.
While federal officials insist there's a logical explanation, locals swear that it was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane.
They also said the object's lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane.
People in several towns who reported seeing it over several weeks have offered similar descriptions of the object.
Machinist Ricky Sorrells said friends made fun of him when he told them he saw a flat, metallic object hovering over a pasture behind his Dublin home.
But he decided to come forward after reading similar accounts in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.
"You hear about big bass or big buck in the area, but this is a different deal," Sorrells said. "It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I'm not crazy."
Sorrells said he has seen the object several times. He said he watched it through his rifle's telescopic lens and described it as very large and without seams, nuts or bolts.
Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting.
Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.
"I'm 90 per cent sure this was an airliner," Lewis said. "With the sun's angle, it can play tricks on you."
Officials at the region's two air force bases - Dyess in Abilene and Sheppard in Wichita Falls - also said none of their aircraft were in the area last week. The air force no longer investigates UFOs.
"People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is afraid it's the end of times," said Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot who said the object he saw last week was a mile long and half a mile wide (about 1.6 kilometres long and 800 metres wide.)
"It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts," Allen said.
One man has offered a reward for a photograph or videotape of the mysterious object.
About 200 UFO sightings are reported each month, mostly in California, Colorado and Texas, according to the Mutual UFO Network, which plans to go to the 17,000-resident town of Stephenville to investigate.
Fourteen per cent of Americans polled last year by The Associated Press and Ipsos say they have seen a UFO.
Erath County Const. Lee Roy Gaitan said that he first saw red glowing lights and then white flashing lights moving fast, but that even with binoculars could not see the object to which the lights were attached.
"I didn't see a flying saucer and I don't know what it was, but it wasn't an airplane, and I've never seen anything like it," Gaitan said. "I think it must be some kind of military craft - at least I hope it was."
...
Mon Jan 14, 7:12 PM
By Angela K. Brown,
The Associated Press
STEPHENVILLE, Texas - In the farming community of Stephenville, Texas, nightfall usually brings clear, starry skies.
But these days, residents are abuzz over reported sightings of what many believe is a UFO. Several dozen people - including a pilot, county constable and business owners - insist they have seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast.
Some even reported seeing fighter jets chasing it.
While federal officials insist there's a logical explanation, locals swear that it was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane.
They also said the object's lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane.
People in several towns who reported seeing it over several weeks have offered similar descriptions of the object.
Machinist Ricky Sorrells said friends made fun of him when he told them he saw a flat, metallic object hovering over a pasture behind his Dublin home.
But he decided to come forward after reading similar accounts in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.
"You hear about big bass or big buck in the area, but this is a different deal," Sorrells said. "It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I'm not crazy."
Sorrells said he has seen the object several times. He said he watched it through his rifle's telescopic lens and described it as very large and without seams, nuts or bolts.
Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting.
Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.
"I'm 90 per cent sure this was an airliner," Lewis said. "With the sun's angle, it can play tricks on you."
Officials at the region's two air force bases - Dyess in Abilene and Sheppard in Wichita Falls - also said none of their aircraft were in the area last week. The air force no longer investigates UFOs.
"People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is afraid it's the end of times," said Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot who said the object he saw last week was a mile long and half a mile wide (about 1.6 kilometres long and 800 metres wide.)
"It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts," Allen said.
One man has offered a reward for a photograph or videotape of the mysterious object.
About 200 UFO sightings are reported each month, mostly in California, Colorado and Texas, according to the Mutual UFO Network, which plans to go to the 17,000-resident town of Stephenville to investigate.
Fourteen per cent of Americans polled last year by The Associated Press and Ipsos say they have seen a UFO.
Erath County Const. Lee Roy Gaitan said that he first saw red glowing lights and then white flashing lights moving fast, but that even with binoculars could not see the object to which the lights were attached.
"I didn't see a flying saucer and I don't know what it was, but it wasn't an airplane, and I've never seen anything like it," Gaitan said. "I think it must be some kind of military craft - at least I hope it was."
...
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS NEWS STORY
*
No Photo Available.
Don't come down on these people for believing it could be signs of end of times. Why wouldn't you believe in End of times (revelations) if you are a believer in the Bible? I think its plausible and I think the people that believe with blind faith what the media tells them are more ignorant than those that believe in blind faith what the bible tells them. Why uphold the status quo? How do you know there aren't UFO's?
POSTED BY: Me on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:43 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Pchief......Urantia...???? Animal,vegetable,mineral or disease?
POSTED BY: lobwedge_50 on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:39 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Perhaps we are just a speck in space but it is OUR speck in space....If the reports are true, and the ET's are here, WHY are they here and WHY are our governments going to such extreme measures to keep the truth hidden?
POSTED BY: no one on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:39 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Why is believing in "end of times" idiotic if you are a Christian? Don't pretend to be politically correct by saying "christianity is great, but" Either you believe in the Bible or you don't. Either you believe in talking snakes and end times or, you're not a christian. This is the truth. You can not pick and choose what sounds credible in the bible and what doesn't. Either you are a believer by faith or not. Most of the stories in Christianity are pretty hard to believe actually.
POSTED BY: Me on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:38 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Learn about Urantia We would be some of the rare planets to create life on its own, which is really lest than 5% of all life bearing planets in this universe. That protects us from direct interventions from them, unless we are really screwing up... Technically we are a under observation only, do not panic.
POSTED BY: Pchief on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:33 AM -0500
1 - 5 of 91 | More...
More?
Maybe some other time!
:!
Post a Comment
*
No Photo Available.
Don't come down on these people for believing it could be signs of end of times. Why wouldn't you believe in End of times (revelations) if you are a believer in the Bible? I think its plausible and I think the people that believe with blind faith what the media tells them are more ignorant than those that believe in blind faith what the bible tells them. Why uphold the status quo? How do you know there aren't UFO's?
POSTED BY: Me on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:43 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Pchief......Urantia...???? Animal,vegetable,mineral or disease?
POSTED BY: lobwedge_50 on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:39 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Perhaps we are just a speck in space but it is OUR speck in space....If the reports are true, and the ET's are here, WHY are they here and WHY are our governments going to such extreme measures to keep the truth hidden?
POSTED BY: no one on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:39 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Why is believing in "end of times" idiotic if you are a Christian? Don't pretend to be politically correct by saying "christianity is great, but" Either you believe in the Bible or you don't. Either you believe in talking snakes and end times or, you're not a christian. This is the truth. You can not pick and choose what sounds credible in the bible and what doesn't. Either you are a believer by faith or not. Most of the stories in Christianity are pretty hard to believe actually.
POSTED BY: Me on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:38 AM -0500
*
No Photo Available.
Learn about Urantia We would be some of the rare planets to create life on its own, which is really lest than 5% of all life bearing planets in this universe. That protects us from direct interventions from them, unless we are really screwing up... Technically we are a under observation only, do not panic.
POSTED BY: Pchief on WED, JAN 16, 2008 02:33 AM -0500
1 - 5 of 91 | More...
More?
Maybe some other time!
:!
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