We're Baaaack!

Hi!


Well, vacation is over now.  Very sad!  I wasn't able to keep up with the last blog post, but really, I did cover the most exciting things that we did.  The Henry Ford Museum was not as good as I remembered, and there was a large section closed off for remodeling and setting up a new exhibit.  There were what seemed like a million kids running amok everywhere.  (Scroll down to see a few pics from the Museum--click on the photos to see a full-sized image.)  We ate at the Weinermobile restaurant in the museum, and it rained the whole time we were in there (which made it a good day for touring a museum).  It rained hard until just north of Toledo, where it cleared up and became sunny and warmer, then the sky turned that dark blackish-blue color off to the west as we stayed just ahead of a very strong line of storms that was heading through the area.  We watched it build the whole way home, saying, "I'm glad we're going to miss that!"  But not long after we arrived home, the storms had built up to include our town, and we were inundated by very large hail, and some hail chunks were the size of tennis balls.  It destroyed the siding on the north side of our house, damaged our roof, broke a skylight in our shed, and took out a few landscape lights.  Thankfully, we had parked both vehicles in the garage, so there was not any damage to them.  After the storm, we ventured out and saw that we were among the fortunate--many homes had broken windows and torn screens, and any vehicle that was parked outside during the storm resembled a golf ball.  Many vehicles had shattered windshields and/or windows.  The storm was so astounding that I grabbed my camera and took video of the hail during the storm, but sadly, I can't get any of them to load onto the blog!  I think the files are too large.  So, I loaded them on YouTube--click here for the first video, then click here for the second video, taken a few minutes later.  The audio doesn't quite do it justice, but it gives you an idea of what it was like.  Neither of us has ever seen hail like that before, and hopefully we will never see it again.  Can you imagine what it was like in Old Testament Egypt during the plagues, when the hail was on fire??

Chair that Lincoln was assassinated in from Ford's Theater.

Wartime Correspondence from George Washington.

Dymaxion House.  Only two were built in the world, and both were used to rebuild this as a walk-through exhibit.  The entire structure is suspended from a central column, like the frame of an umbrella.  Remarkably stable!

Henry Ford believed that one day people would have their own private planes, just like they had their own private vehicles.  The plane was his prototype.

I can't help but wonder if this unbelievably wild weather we've had this spring is indicative of God's wrath.  I wonder if it is a sign of End Times, and I wonder if it is punishment for the way that America has turned her back on God and everything that our forefathers created this country to be--which includes being a nation under God.  We heard an interesting sermon on Sunday based out of the book of Micah, specifically Micah 3:1-12.  I don't think that I've ever read anything out of Micah until now, but wow, it sure seems to apply to today.  It's a lengthy passage, which is why I've chosen not to type it out, but if you want to read it, click on the link above and see the parallels of then and today.  Those of you reading this are probably of the same opinions on morals, principles and politics as I am, or at least similar; we didn't vote in the current administration.  But the majority did vote them in, and the majority is why we might well be considered no longer under God's providence and protection.  We seem to no longer be Israeli allies, and that has never been the case before!  Of course, you and I know the importance of having Israel as an ally.  Sadly, the rest of the world does not understand or care.  For this reason, we must pray without ceasing for God's forgiveness for this country, even though we (collectively as a country) are to blame now.  I think it's fairly certain that we have not seen the last of terrible storms, violent earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and so on--I really think that we are seeing the birth pains spoken about in Matthew 24:4-8: " Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pains."  Thankfully, believers in Christ have nothing to fear!