Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-08-23, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012.M-T wants county council size reduced Reverend examines God’s role in disasters Landowners could be eligible for water incentives Continued from page 16 Kenya severe flooding caused flash floods and landslides across the country, killing 84 people and displacing around 30,000. Nationwide, over 280,000 people have been affected. Widespread destruction of property and infrastructure has been reported, and key activities such as farming and education have been disrupted. Meanwhile farmers in Canada are facing severe losses and have been fighting to deal with the situation. This year’s dry, hot summer has made everyone worried about food production. Where is God in all these? One presumptuous school of prophecy in the discussion of God’s involvement in natural disasters says He is not involved. They are quick to explain the situation away so that no one in our culture will think that God is the least bit unfair. These people however ignore the rebellious state of sin and the ensuing condition of sinful man. The nature of God’s perfect holiness is such that He must bring judgment upon those who have revolted against Him and refused His reconciling grace through Christ. These who are eager to speak for God say things like, “God would not do this to these innocent people” and “God would never do this because He is a God of love.” First, there is no such thing as innocent people. We are all guilty of sin. People are “sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2) and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). We have all turned away from God (Isaiah 53:6) and our hearts are “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Let us be honest, we are not innocent and our actions condemn us. We all deserve judgment and destruction but God is rich in mercy in that He gives us life. He has even provided for us in His richness of mercy the way to escape condemnation by trusting in the gracious work of Christ Jesus. Second, God does love us. This love however does not cancel out the attribute of God’s justice. His infinite love toward us extends Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins and sets Him forth on the cross to receive the judgment that we deserve (Romans 3:25). But to receive the benefits of God’s love we must receive it. All who are in Christ by faith have escaped God’s wrath but all who are not in Christ stand on their own to receive the wages of their sin (Romans 6:23). Those people who are quick in their attempts to defend God’s fairness need to remember that fair is a synonym for just. Justice is what we deserve and it is sometimes what God delivers through natural disasters. “If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?” (Amos 3:6). Another school of prophecy seems to be overly anxious to declare their knowledge of God’s purposes in natural disasters. They are quick to declare that God sent this drought, flood or earthquake or fire to get people’s attention. While this many times is the case, it is best not to be presumptuous in speaking for God regarding what He may or may not be doing. This certainly must be considered and not ignored but to speak specifically about events and their subsequent destruction must be done very carefully with much thought and prayer. The appropriate question in these times of suffering is not “did God do this?” but “how does God want to use me in this?” and “what is God teaching me through this?” We know God is sovereign and His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). He is doing things which are now more wonderful for us to understand and many times these gifts come through suffering. For some, pain is the only voice loud enough to cause them to repent. For others, we must consider the possibility of our need to repent of some sin and then serve those who are hurting with the love of Christ. Walton Bluevale Pastoral Charge has been on vacation for the entire July. During the vacation my neighbors watered my vegetables (hot and sweet peppers, sweet potato leaves, egg plants, okra and pumpkin) otherwise they would have all perished in my absence. When we resumed worship service on Sunday Aug. 5 at 9:30 a.m. everyone expressed concern over the effects that the dry, hot summer weather will have on farmers’ crops, livestock and the economic recovery. I’ve not taken statistics of hard hit farms but as I drove by, the farms in this area are relatively better than those of our neighbours in the south. They are the ones hardest hit. Among other concerns we prayed for was that Mother Nature sends rain to sustain our crops. That was just what happened. By the time the service was over at 10:30 a.m. there was pouring rain. Everyone said God has heard our prayers. Only God knows the end of the world, not man. If man thinks he/she can guess it then they have no faith in God but only in men/women. These signs are for those that do not believe in God so that they may repent and have salvation. God only knows, and not humanity about the fate of Earth. Jesus said that all those natural disasters must happen before the world ends. Continued from page 21 drinking water systems. Fifteen of the region’s 24 lower-tier municipalities have no significant drinking water threats. There are nine municipalities in the region that have threat activities that can be significant around their wells. They are: Bluewater, Huron East, Central Huron, Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh, Huron-Kinloss, North Huron, North Perth, Morris- Turnberry and Minto. Landowners closest to municipal wells may be eligible now for funding incentives for their projects to protect drinking water, through the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program of the Clean Water Act, 2006. The stewardship program offers grants for voluntary projects by eligible landowners to reduce threats to drinking water at their homes, businesses, farms, or other properties. Some funding is available to eligible landowners in the most vulnerable wellhead protection areas for projects that may include septic or well upgrades or decommissioning, agricultural best management practices, runoff and erosion protection, fuel storage (including home heating oil), manure storage, or chemical storage and containment. For more information on stewardship financial incentives please visit www.sourceprotectionstewardship. on.ca or call 519-335-3557 or e-mail stewardship@sourcewaterinfo.on.ca Current funding requires projects to be done by mid-December, 2012 so eligible property owners are encouraged to phone or e-mail now. Morris Turnberry councillors wereunanimous at their Aug. 14 meetingin their opinion that Huron CountyCouncil should be reduced to onlynine councillors.Council passed a motionsupporting the cut from 16 to nine members after receiving a request for comments from the county regarding its notice that it plans to hold a vote at its Sept. 4 meeting on a bylaw to set the size of council at15 members.But Mayor Paul Gowing toldcouncil that at the county level hehad voted against the proposal for 15members, feeling the council shouldfollow the recommendations of thereport of George B. Cuff andAssociates Ltd. into countyrestructuring. “The motion did pass,” he said, “but Huron County paid a great deal of money to have the Cuff report brought to us. That [the recommendation for a nine-personcouncil] is the recommendation thatshould have come to the lower tiers.”A change in the composition ofcounty council must pass a triplemajority: a majority of countycouncil plus a majority of the lower-tier municipal councils that representa majority of the electors in the county. The recommendation from Cuff was that there be only one representative from each of the municipalities. Under the proposedcounty bylaw, larger municipalitiessuch as Huron East, Central Huron,Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh,South Huron, Bluewater andGoderich would have tworepresentatives. Morris-Turnberryalong with North Huron and Howickwould have only one representative.Gowing told council some councillors complained that reducing the size of county council to nine members would mean being a county councillor became almost a full-time job but he feels the otherrestructuring proposed by Cuffwould reduce the workload. He saidhe had chaired a meeting of thecommittee considering severancesunder the new rules which said itemswould only be discussed if someonebrought them up and he wassurprised at how quickly a hugeagenda had been dealt with. “I truly believe that if we get through restructuring that nine members is more than enough,” he said. The CitizenBlyth 519-523-4792 Brussels 519-887-9114 Summer Reading at its Best! THE BIRDER’S COMPANION This 200-page book is packed with information useful to people who want to understand birds: everything from what they eat to where they live, how they move, their migration, their songs and their relationship to humans. $16.95 ALL FIRED UP! Make your outdoor cooking special this summer with recipes and tips on cooking everything from burgers and steaks to fish to kabobs to whole and cut-up chicken, turkey and cornish hens. Recipes for marinades, sauces and rubs, even desserts $24.95 SUPER SALADS: Healing salads for mind, body and soul Go way beyond the idea of salad being a few greens in a bowl. Michael van Straten provides recipes to build bones and muscles, change your mood, even warm winter days. $19.95 BACKROADS OF ONTARIO Ron Brown gives information and directions to discover delightful backroads and small towns and villages across Ontario including some in midwestern Ontario. $19.95 CANOECRAFT Ever dream about building your own woodstrip canoe? Ted Moores gives comprehensive plans and tips on how to make it work. $22.95 CORN 140 recipes for cooking with corn from roasted to creamed to cooking with cornmeal: everything from corn breads and cookies to popcorn to tacos and burritos. $20.95 Check out our great selection of books at... THE DUST AND THE DEW Shakespeare writer Robert G. Irvine writes poems about everything from cattle shows to one- room schoolhouses to ancestors and small towns. 56 pages in all. $14.15 EXPLORING THE WORLD OF RACCOONS The common raccoon is among the most recognized animals in North America. Learn how native intelligence, anatomy and natural skills combine to make the raccoon one of our most successful inhabitants. $6.95 By Keith RoulstonThe Citizen