It seems like weather people the world–over get no respect.
From Times of India, a Delhi daily (13 October), comes the following: “Farmers threaten to lock Pune IMD office for ‘wrong’ monsoon forecast.” The farmers are charging that the meteorologists were in bed with the seed and pesticide manufacturing companies and “wrongfully inflated the monsoon forecast” which cost the farmers big–time. And it wasn’t just for this year—it happened in 2017 resulting in a loss of Rs 2.5 lakh (about $3,392—I’m guessing that’s per farm). Because of the losses they plan a “visit” to the premises of the weather people. Will they come armed with weather maps and charts chanting mathematical algorithms? Police are on alert.
Now that’s a first for me. I knew the weather people relied on weathervanes, balloons, maps, satellite images, Doppler, and observations of what the weather was doing elsewhere and is now blowing in. And we all know that track record is not the best. How could it be with all the variables and the chaotic nature of the atmosphere (which is another way of saying they haven’t completely figured out God’s design in all of this). But to conspire with an entire industry and purposefully make wrong predictions—that’s just not right. That would be like my good friend and Mayor of Cape May, Chuck Lear, sliding an envelope full of green–backs under the doors of Philly meteorologists for them to declare there will be no rain, zero precipitation every weekend at the beach next summer. And if there is—it’s liquid sunshine.
Jesus was often challenged by the religious leaders. On one occasion they asked Him to show them a sign from Heaven (Mt. 16:1). His reply was not what they expected or wanted. He gave them a first century meteorological standard: red sky at night—fair weather; red and threatening sky in the morning—stormy. But then He hit them with: “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times (vs.3).
Although much study goes into becoming a meteorologist and I doubt very seriously that any are in bed with the seed or pesticide industry or even my mayor friend, the real challenge is being able to interpret the times in which we are living. We need to be like the Issacharites who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do (1 Chron. 12:32).
Doesn’t take much insight to realize that we are in troubling times—times that demand urgency in us sharing our faith with our Nathanaels (friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, etc.). The night is coming. Time to wake up!
We vs. I
Dan Allen
2/23/2022
Going to Hell
Dan Allen
12/14/2021
Stay Away from the Meatloaf
Dan Allen
11/6/2021
A Dog Leading the Way
Dan Allen
7/27/2021
The Speed–Breakers of Life
Dan Allen
7/10/2021
High School Reunion
Dan Allen
4/8/2021
"Skin, it's the thing that's in"
Dan Allen
3/13/2021
Emerging from a Covid Cell
Dan Allen
2/20/2021
'Twas The Real Night Before Christmas
Russell T Allen
12/17/2020
Christmas Catalogs
Dan Allen
11/14/2020
Cancel This!
Dan Allen
10/3/2020
Don't Judge By Its Cover
Dan Allen
9/8/2020
Our Plans Trumped by God
Dan Allen
9/5/2020
We Fall Down
Dan Allen
8/5/2020
Battle with a Bug
Dan Allen
7/13/2020
Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out
Dan Allen
7/3/2020
Setting the bar too low
Dan Allen
6/25/2020
Good is Evil, Evil is Good
Dan Allen
6/9/2020
Misguided Freedom
Dan Allen
6/4/2020
A Preaching Nightmare
Dan Allen
5/9/2020
Restaurant and/or Church Possible
Dan Allen
5/2/2020
A Good Dose of Cloistering Going On
Dan Allen
4/15/2020
So, Where is God in All of This?
Dan Allen
4/14/2020
I Finally Learned How to Wash My Hands
Dan Allen
4/13/2020
Fire Truck - Glory Train
Dan Allen
4/16/2019
Some Sins Seem to Do More Damage
Dan Allen
4/16/2019
The Canopy is Gone
Dan Allen
12/15/2018
Brushing Teeth with Iced Tea
Dan Allen
11/5/2018
Never in Danger, but Could Have Been
Dan Allen
11/4/2018
Another Festival
Dan Allen
11/3/2018
Cow Town
Dan Allen
11/2/2018
Dressing Down
Dan Allen
11/1/2018
#MeToo
Dan Allen
10/25/2018
All Alone Among 1.35 Billion People
Dan Allen
10/24/2018
Does Anyone Know What Time It Is?
Dan Allen
10/23/2018
Time To Be Spiritual Weather Forecasters
Dan Allen
10/22/2018
Words Change . . . But Someone Gets the Final Word
Dan Allen
9/4/2018
To Cremate or Not to Cremate
Dan Allen
7/15/2018
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Dan Allen
7/4/2018
I Finally Caught a Foul Ball . . . Sort of
Dan Allen
6/8/2018
I Can Only Imagine
Dan Allen
6/1/2018
Do Panhandlers Have Regulars
Dan Allen
4/8/2018
Can't Good Dogs Go To Heaven?
Dan Allen
4/3/2018
At the Taj . . . in pictures only
Dan Allen
1/24/2018
Cold, But Warm Inside
Dan Allen
1/22/2018
Don't Remove the Plastic
Dan Allen
1/12/2018
Put Your Big Boy Pants On
Dan Allen
1/9/2018
In the Spirit . . . or not?
Dan Allen
1/3/2018
You Could Cut It With a Knife
Dan Allen
1/1/2018
Personal Message Boards
Dan Allen
11/24/2017
Men Acting Badly, err Should We Say---Horribly!
Dan Allen
11/18/2017
History of Bible Fellowship Church of Ephrata
Dan Allen
8/29/2017
Large Crowd Diversion
Dan Allen
6/19/2017
Bikes, Bikers, and Trying New Things
Dan Allen
6/18/2017
Lessons from T-Ball for Churches
Dan Allen
6/17/2017
Authenticity of and in Jeans
Dan Allen
5/11/2017
Don't Let Me Fall
Dan Allen
4/22/2017
Have We Lost the "Awe-factor," Wonderment?
Dan Allen
4/21/2017
Bumped - Not Bumbed
Dan Allen
4/13/2017
Go Fly a Kite
Dan Allen
1/18/2017
What's In Your Bag?
Dan Allen
1/17/2017
Cultural Faux Pas
Dan Allen
1/13/2017
The Three Hour Trip Ends Up 23 Hours
Dan Allen
1/12/2017
Walking Headrest Cover
Dan Allen
1/9/2017
The Gift that Keeps Giving
Dan Allen
12/17/2016
Let's Keep Things in Perspective
Dan Allen
8/1/2015
I've Got the Nine
Dan Allen
6/26/2015
God Often Works in Mysterious Ways
Dan Allen
6/5/2015
I'm From Negadelphia
Dan
3/24/2015
Positive Spin
Dan Allen
2/16/2015
