We have sure been through a lot lately as a nation and to some extent on a local level as well. We heard about the record-setting amounts of water that Hurricane Harvey dumped on Houston and other Gulf cities and towns, mixing with petrochemicals to pollute and poison on an unfathomable scale.
We hear too about the epic floods that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people from 
Bangladesh to Nigeria (though we don’t hear enough). And we are witnessing, yet again, the fearsome force of water and wind as Hurricane Irma — one of the most powerful storms ever recorded — leaves devastation behind in the Caribbean, with Florida now in its sights.
Two major hurricanes in two weeks starting with Harvey bringing unprecedented flooding to Texas. Then it comes over our region as it is dying and drops as much as 7 inches of rain on Todd County and points eastward. 
Now with Irma pounding Florida, more than likely, its remnants will come over us with more rains. It shouldn’t be to the extent that Harvey did as far as rainfall amounts. But some places could pick up 2 to 4 inches or so.
Yet for large parts of North America, Europe, and Africa, this summer has not been about water at all. In fact it has been about its absence; it’s been about land so dry and heat so oppressive that forested mountains exploded into smoke like volcanoes. It’s been about fires fierce enough to jump the Columbia River; 
fast enough to light up the outskirts of Los Angeles like an invading army; and pervasive enough to threaten natural treasures, like the tallest and most ancient sequoia trees and Glacier National Park. So, the Western states are dealing with a disaster of its own – catastrophic forest fires. Scores of fires are continuing to burn in California, Oregon, Washington, Montana and other states.
Another problem is the smoke. For millions of people from California to Greenland, Oregon to Portugal, British Columbia to Montana, Siberia to South Africa, the summer of 2017 has been the summer of fire. And more than anything else, it’s been the summer of ubiquitous, inescapable smoke. Smoke for so long, smoke hanging in valleys, hanging around towns, going beyond the category of nuisance to being perhaps a public health threat. That is of major interest as well.
If you still have your solar viewing glasses from the eclipse, now is a good time to slap them on and look up at the sun. You’ll see two big dark areas visible on our star. These massive sunspots are regions of intense and complicated magnetic fields that can produce solar flares—bursts of high-energy radiation. You can just make them out with solar viewing glasses, but they’re better viewed through a solar telescope. These two huge sunspots are currently causing quite a bit of consternation and interest.
The solar storms they’ve sent toward Earth may affect communications and other technologies like GPS and radio signals. They’re causing amazing displays of the northern and southern lights. And space weather scientists are excited because we wouldn’t normally expect this much activity from the sun at the moment. Geomagnetic storms, like the one currently in progress, are known to wreak havoc on a range of satellite and ground-based communication technologies, as well as power grids, GPS/GNSS, and orbit predictions of satellites and space debris. We don’t yet fully understand everything that is happening. But the activity over the past few days, when the sun should be within its quietest period, shows that significant space weather events are possible at any stage of the 11-year solar cycle.
Ever since the eclipse on August 21st, many folks have been wondering aloud if these events are signs that the world as we know it is about to end. I do not know the answer. But I do know this…The Bible compares the world’s destruction like the onset of labor—the mother’s pain is inevitable and comes suddenly. The time leading up to the end is also like a pregnancy, being in labor an expectant mother is aware of ever-increasing signs of the coming birth. Her doctor might estimate the birth date; yet, even if the event should delay, she would still be sure that her baby will soon be born. Similarly, any mistaken expectations about the end do not alter the unmistakable features identifying these as “the last days.”—2 Timothy 3:1.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that these disasters have brought our people closer together. Have you noticed the protests have stopped or are no longer in the news? Perhaps we have come to realize that we are all in this together and need each other’s help. So do not live your life in fear. Work to make your part of the world better. Just my thoughts for what they are worth. Please feel free to comment and be sure to hit “like” at the bottom.
