242 Pentecost 17: Stop the Spark, Prevent the Fire
“You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” ~ Psalm 116
Stop the Spark, Prevent the Fire
James 3 paints vivid metaphors about the tongue’s immense power, likening it to a ship’s rudder, a spark that ignites a fire, and a source of fresh and bitter water. These images go beyond mere moral warnings, uncovering deeper truths about human nature and society. The events of this past week illustrate how the power of the tongue—through technology, politics, and diplomacy—is shaping the world, either guiding us toward redemption or fanning the flames of division.
Developments this week in AI involved the growing use of monitoring disinformation and the rise of AI-driven features on dating apps, designed to help users craft more appealing profiles and messages.
The tongue as a small spark capable of igniting a forest fire. All tools, when designed to control, are potent forces that reshape societal narratives.
Got your Peacemaker, anyone?
As we’ve seen with social media and algorithmic censorship, the line between fresh and bitter water blurs when powerful technologies control public discourse. The question remains: will these digital “tongues” steer us toward clarity, or will they sow greater confusion and division?
This is to say nothing of the even greater divide AI-driven profile projections will created between the picture and the person.
Who Are You?
Rhetoric can both bless and curse. Politicians shape us by shaping our stories, using words to manipulate public perception. The tongue steers entire societies. For unity, or for division? For envy, or for peace?
“I am for peace. But they are for war.”
Words are reality. Tame the fire. Put to rest the shame.
He is risen.
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
R.J.M.F
Thunderdome 2024
Donald Trump is safe and well after a second attempt on his life. Secret service agents spied a gun barrel sticking out of shrubs on the boundary of Mar-A-Lago’s golf course, near where Trump was playing yesterday afternoon. A man was fired upon by agents but fled in a car. He was soon apprehended and taken into custody. (The Guardian)
Debate: A bumper crowd tuned in to watch the big (and likely, only) debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The consensus seems to be the V.P. Harris won the night, with Trump baited into talk of crowd size and who has the most exciting rallies. While both candidates wandered from facts, Harris took the prize for the amount of lies but she was not fact-checked. It is possible that V.P. Harris could have left the stage and left Trump to debate moderators who were hostile throughout the broadcast, challenging him at every turn. (Moderator Linsey Davis said they did not want a repeat of the Trump-Biden debate where “statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by [anyone].”) Albert Mohler pointed out, this was not really a debate: “There is no serious exchange of ideas. There is no serious engagement of worldview.” In the end, it may be that the night made no difference whatsoever. People seemed to like what Trump said, but neither candidate saw a huge change in their support, according to polls.
A Georgia judge has dismissed three more charges against Donald Trump in the Fulton County election interference case. The move has reportedly weakened the case, as it included the only “clear statutory crime” levelled against Trump. (National Review)
During a recent interview, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi concluded that about 30% of Republicans will never be “inclined to support” the Democrat agenda because they have a “different orientation” towards “women, people of colour, LGBTQ etc”. Some have compared the statement to Hilary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comment from 2015 – it does seem similarly insulting. But what stuck us is that Pelosi assumes the other 70% are up for grabs. We need to ask Jesus to grant repentance to more of our countrymen, that they would love God’s law and not shun it. We need to also do the work of evangelists, speaking the Gospel and giving a defense for the hope that we have. (Fox via YouTube)
Births, Deaths and Marriages
During the presidential debate last week, Kamala Harris and also the moderators, scoffed at Donald Trump’s suggestion that denying care to babies who survived abortion is part of the Democrat’s radical stance. Moderator Lindsay Davis asserted that no state allows babies to be killed after they are born. However, Trump recounted the infamous example from former governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), who said in the 2019 that if a mother requested an abortion as she was delivering her baby, the decision about whether to resuscitate the child after birth would be up to the “woman and her doctor”. Factcheckers said that Governor Northam was giving a hypothetical outcome for a rare and difficult situation. But V.P Harris has consistently voted against “born alive” protection bills, which would guarantee life-saving treatment for the survivors of abortion. Democrats continue to insist that late-term abortions are not happening, yet a couple of pro-life activists posing at mothers in late stages of pregnancy called abortion mills and found no resistance. They posted their calls online. As demographer Lyman Stone has pointed out, if even a tiny share of abortions are late term, it is still a horrific amount of children killed. (Susan B Anthony, AP, Not the Bee, Not the Bee)
Well, would you look at that? Time says abortion activists and trans activists are finding “common cause” – “bodily autonomy.” (Time)
All babies in Illinois will soon be screened for a rare genetic creatine disorder. One family has campaigned for years to have a GAMT test added to the heel stick test administered to newborns, arguing that outcomes are better with early diagnosis. (NBC Chicago)
Crime and Punishment
Two whistleblowing I.R.S. agents who testified that the agency had been instructed by higher-ups to overlook Hunter Biden’s tax evasion, are suing his legal counsel for libel. (Just the News)
New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned his position last week. Several officials in Mayor Eric Adam’s administration have had their homes raided and phones seized during a federal investigation into corruption. (NBC)
A senior enlisted officer on the littoral combat ship, Manchester, installed a Starlink dish on the vessel so her chief’s mess could “check sports scores, text home and stream movies”. Gold crew were given access while at sea, putting security in jeopardy. (Navy Times)
A California man has been charged with intentionally setting a fire which contributed to the devastating San Bernardino Line Fire. (WNG)
Two Nigerian men have been charged with “sextortion” of American teenager who took his own life after being duped into sending lewd images of himself. Jordan DeMay killed himself just 6 hours after being convinced he was speaking with a girl his age on Instagram. (BBC)
Coming to America
Investigative reporter James O'Keefe says he has obtained leaked Army documents which show that members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang have established a presence in Brooklyn, Bronx, and Williamsburg, NY. Meanwhile, a hotel in Texas which has been occupied by TdA will be cleared out by police, according to reports. As we understand, the property was not approved for occupancy when the gang moved in. (ZeroHedge, Epoch Times)
Oregon’s DMV has admitted to helping illegal immigrants to register to vote. (Not the Bee)
And that nasty business in Ohio:
Politics
New polls show that young women to continue to shift in a liberal direction on many issues, especially abortion and climate. On gun laws, race relations and other hot button issues, they were also less moderate than previous decades. Pollsters conclude that education, political events and news coverage cannot account for the gradual increase in the liberalizing attitudes of women, but social media might. “The fact that young men have resisted the liberal label despite becoming more liberal in many of their specific views supports the idea that a peripheral factor is influencing how young women, but not young men, define their politics.” (Gallup)
Anti-racist luminary/grifter, Robin Di Angelo has been caught out by new Matt Walsh mockumentary. (Not the Bee)
The Digital Age
America First Legal (AFL) has released documents from a 2021 meeting between U.K. and U.S. governments which sort to address how to rein in covid “misinformation”. But A.F.L. argue that the covid playbook is being used to censor speech across the globe. (Reclaim the Net)
A.I. appreciators are bedazzled by a new creation using Midjourney and Runway Gen. “Le Baie Aréa” is a parody sitcom trailer starring Joseph le Bidone and Don le Trompette. (TRBDRK via YouTube)
Sorry we’re late today. Monday is almost done, but you can never be too complacent!
Money, Markets and Jobs
An amended U.S. regulatory overhaul called the Basel Endgame (which makes it sound very exciting, eh?) will increase the minimum capital reserves major financial institutions to have on hand in the event of litigation. After outcry from industry executives, the amount was revised from 19% down to 9%. (CNBC)
Boeing has been hit with another blow, as machinists and other union members initiated strike action. Workers at factories in Washington, Oregon and California say they are willing to hold out forms long as necessary to secure a 25% wage increase over four years. The strike should not affect commercial flights, according to reports. (BBC, CBS)
Former President Donald Trump has pledged to eliminate taxes on overtime wages if he is elected to the White House in November. (Just the News)
How far does $100 go state by state? (Visual Data)
Cryptocurrency scams cost Americans $5.6 billion last year, with schemes often reaching victims through social media. “Americans of all ages can be a target of such scams, and should be extremely cautious when presented with investment opportunities from people they’ve never met in real life.” (AP)
The European Central Bank has cut interest rates by a quarter point, citing cooling inflation and sluggish growth as reasons for its second cut this year. (CNBC)
Religion and the Church
Pope Francis has been touring in south east Asia, including Singapore, Indonesia and Palau New Guinea. Almost half of East Timor’s population turned out to see the pontiff. But the main astonishing thing was comments made by Francis who said, “every religion is a way to arrive at God.” Defenders of the Pope’s statements pointed out that the Catholic catechism teaches that there is “light” and goodness in other faiths, but it is dialled down to draw heathens to the true light. While liberals always like to take the hard edge off the exclusivity of Christianity – the narrow way – is it any less jarring to suggest that “all your religions are actually leading to my god?” (Not the Bee, CruxNow)
Speaking of checking in with liberals…Religion News Service reports that polyamory has a place in the church as its societal taboo fades. You knew this was coming: “Love is love is love.” (RNS)
Arts, History and Sport
Weird flex.. There’s a TikTok trend of photographing your airport baggage scan tray. But passengers holding up the line to arrange their things artfully is probably provoking travel rage… (Peta Pixel)
The Empire State Building has honored James Earl Jones. The late actor once said recording a reading of the Bible was his favorite project. (Empire State via X, PJ Media)
Every man and his horse takes part in the World Nomad Games. (Euro News)
The commuters who swim to work from Europe to Asia. (DW via Facebook)
Quite Lindy: The oldest trains you can still ride today. (Explore)
Last week in history:
1814 Francis Scott Key writes the U.S.’ national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". (Britannica)
1940 Teenagers discover the Lascaux cave paintings. (History)
2002 A 72 year-old Buzz Aldrin punches a moon-landing skeptic in the mouth for getting up in his grills. (History)
2008 The Large Hadron Collider fires up. (CERN)
Health, Medicine and Food
Orange mouse good? Stanford researchers have turned the skin of mice transparent using a common food dye (yes, the one used on Doritos). The technique may allow doctors to discover internal issues without radiation side effects from usual imaging technologies. (Stanford, USA Today)
Deli meat company, Boar’s Head has announced it will close its Virginia plant indefinitely after listeria in its products claimed 9 lives and made many more consumers sick. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had suspended the facility’s operations in July after multiple food safety violations were discovered. (NBC)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 for use as a hearing aid. (Tech Crunch)
The World Health Organization has approved a vaccine for monkeypox. (The Hill)
From the Mad☧Tank
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Hearts and Minds
We found a very interesting essay on fear. Poet and essayist, Elisa Gabbert ponders why “we crave small doses of terror”. People love horror movies, roller coasters and doing scary stuff. Is it a practice for real life situations? Is it the feeling of being alive and in control of your destiny? Is it just that we can easily find food? With plenty of calories, “your body can afford the stress”: “Our brains have more energy than they know what to do with.” Gabbert focuses on the way “fun fear” is a way to escape everyday life, but within limits we set. “It’s a kind of game, a finite engagement with fear, which offers both the pleasure of playing and the pleasure of winning.” She ponders whether too much ease may be detrimental: “How strange, that life can seem pointless once survival is mostly a given…You might say that comfort is the source of anxiety.” (The Believer)
The backlash against the backlash: The “trad wife” trend sprung up in response to power girl boss trope that was being promoted to young women. Feminists have warned of the “dangers” of a woman not setting herself up financially or becoming dependent on her husband. But the tradwive phenom has been attacked by more conservative types too for its emphasis on hyperstyled lives – using Hamburger Helper would likely be seen as a fail. While the main picture of a tradwife comes in the form of influencers online, but the vocation of wife and mom is about “loving the actual people in your actual home, not the ideal people in your ideal home. It’s about providing a nourishing retreat from the pressures of the world, and giving and receiving grace as lavishly as it’s been given to us.” (Psychology Today, Mockingbird)
God’s Green Earth
Amish farmers have debuted the “first new horse-drawn combine created in some 60 to 70 years” at the 30th annual Horse Progress Day. (Ambrook Research)
A father-son start up is aiming to build a bot which will make wheat silos safer. (The Hustle)
Like something out of a horror movie: Japanese eels that have been eaten by fish, can escape through the gills by working their way out, tail first. (The Guardian)
Antarctica’s amazing “finger of death” freezes everything in its path. (BBC via YouTube)
Yes, lemurs have two tongues! (IFL Science)
Science
Elon Musk now controls nearly two thirds of all active satellites, according to reports, due to the growth of his Starlink network. This revelation has bothered critics who think that represents too much control in the hands of one man. Musk also came under fire last week for potentially breaking a 50 year-old treaty. SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn operation was the first privately-operated space walk and “space safety“ advocates say the mission was a violation of the Codl War era’s Outer Space Treaty. (The Independent, Al Jazeera)
Dutch physicists reported they were able to control the “wobble” of a single atom’s nucleus. The result “offers prospects for storing quantum information inside the nucleus, where it is safe from external disturbances.” (Delft UT)
A new record of 19 people orbiting the earth was set recently. (Space)
A new filtration material made from cellulose and silk fiber is being pitched as a more natural way to filter out “forever chemicals” (PFAS) from water. (MIT News)
War and Rumors of War
Sources say Israel’s I.D.F. sent commandos in to Syria to blow up a secret missile facility, reportedly killed 18. Israel has also proposed giving safe passage out of the Gaza Strip to Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar in exchange for hostages. Sinwar, who was the mastermind of October 7th attack is at large somewhere in Hamas’ tunnel network. (BBC, ZeroHedge, The Hill)
Ukraine is reportedly using drones to pour molten thermite on Russian trenches. In related news, Russian leader, Vladimir Putin has said that if the U.S.A. gives the green light to Ukraine using American-supplied long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia, he will take that to mean the N.A.T.O. is at war. But as many have pointed out, he has said these things before and had opportunity to deploy tactical nukes but has refrained. Who knows if he’s keeping his powder dry or just blustering? (ArsTechnica, ZeroHedge)
Stories from Far Away
🇲🇽 Mexico’s senate has approved a plan for a “constitutional revision that will make all judges stand for election” despite weeks of protests against the reforms. The ruling party, Morena, insists that the changes will guard against corrupt judges, but critics fear the move will give corrupt officials the potential to control the judiciary. (AP)
🇻🇪 Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez has fled to Spain seeking asylum after Nicolas Maduro issued a warrant for his arrest. Gonzalez is believed to be the true winner of recent presidential elections, but Maduro refuses to allow audit of results. (CNN)
🇸🇻 El Salvador’s police chief has been killed in a helicopter crash. Director-General Mauricio Arriaza was “escorting a suspect in a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme to the capital, San Salvador”. Arriaza had been instrumental in the country’s crackdown on crime. President Nayib Bukele announced an investigation, calling the crash suspicious. (BBC)
🇦🇺 The Australian government has proposed fining tech companies if they fail to stop misinformation and disinformation being spread using their platforms. The law would involve codes of conduct regarding information which poses a “threat to the safety and well-being of Australians.” The legislation is being touted as necessary to national sovereignty, keeping citizens free from “scammers and criminals” who use the foreign-owned platforms. (New York Post, The Guardian)
🇦🇺 Australia will also trial enforcing a minimum age for using social media. “We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. In related news, Facebook has admitted scraping data from every Australian adult on its platform to train its A.I., saying that laws there did not preclude them from doing so. (CNN, ABC)
🇨🇳 China will allow wholly foreign-owned hospitals in several of its major cities, with details of conditions to follow later. (CMS Law Now)
🇨🇳 China will raise its retirement age for workers, with age for men “raised to 63 years, and for women to 55 or 58 years depending on their jobs.” (AP)
🇵🇰 Pakistan is reporting the discovery of large deposits of oil and gas in the sea floor, with claims that it may be enough to turn around the economic fortunes of the county. (Dawn)
🇬🇧 Britain’s Princess Kate says she has completed chemo and will return to light royal duties. (Hollywood Reporter)
☁️Artist sees the humor in clouds.
🐦 Blue pigeon mystifies small English town
🇯🇵10 year-old girl becomes youngest to learn how to prepare fugu
🏎️ McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris has driven a full scale Lego P1 around Silverstone (probably not at 200mph though)
Rev Fisk appeared on Lift High the Cross podcast on the vocation of pastor, young men lacking in inspiration and direction
Starfall2029 had it all: the wisdom of Solomon to tips for “adulting”. You can watch Jonathan and Meridith on YouTube or Rumble, or listen here. Show links this week:
If you missed it, Meridith put out a call for anyone who would like to make a quilt for men who stay at the Hebron Collegium. If that is something you would be interested in helping out with, please reply to this email or send a message through madpxm.com/contact.
Our disclaimer: These are some resources the Fisks have found edifying, but when dealing with human-authored texts, apply discernment liberally!
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, our support and defense in every need, continue to preserve Your Church in safety, govern her by Your goodness, and bless her with Your peace; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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