Swarm of Earthquakes Rattles Rural Alabama, Reason Unclear, scientists "befuddled"; & other news

I love reading about earth changes and natural disasters. It isn't a morbid interest, I hope. It's based on my love for Genesis 1-3 and Revelation, my two favorite books in the bible. I love how they perfectly bookend one another. The Creation and the Uncreation. The earth was created by the Lord with a word and that alone is worth pondering for 3 or 50 years. And the Lord at His timing demonstrates He is in charge of it. The sun stands still, the earth opens and swallows Korah, Mt Zion quakes with peals of thunder and a glory cloud...that He can and does what He likes with His earth and universe is of endless fascination to me.

From the Flood in Old Testament times to today He still does what He likes with it, either directly or allowing satan who is the god of this world to perform his deeds within God-prescribed limits. The sovereignty of God is on display when the sun shines and flowers bloom or when floods come and people die. When events like these happen it makes me thankful to be alive and in a place where He has not yet deemed a tragedy to be performed. It also makes me remember that this earth is temporary. God will melt it and create a new one someday. (2 Peter 3:10).

Swarm of Earthquakes Rattles Rural Alabama; Reason Unclear
EUTAW, Ala. — Jun 13, 2015, 8:53 AM ET
By JAY REEVES Associated Press

Jim Sterling didn't know what had hit his 156-year-old antebellum home when an earthquake struck Alabama's old plantation region early one morning last November. Startled, he grabbed a gun and ran outdoors. In the pre-dawn chill, Sterling said, he found an odd scene: horses were galloping, cows mooing and dogs barking. "I heard a boom and felt the shaking," Sterling said. "It really upset me." More than a dozen weak earthquakes have followed in the seven months since in west Alabama's rural Greene County, and geologists are trying to figure out what is causing the seismic swarm in an area of the South more prone to tornadoes than earthquakes.

Swarm of earthquakes rattles old plantation area of Alabama, leaving seismic experts befuddled

Experts are trying to figure out what's behind a string of weak earthquakes in rural western Alabama. Records from the U.S. Geological Survey show 14 quakes have occurred since Nov. 20 in Alabama's Greene County, west of Tuscaloosa.

"Befuddled" lol.

Sinabung Volcano is in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. It was dormant for 400 years then suddenly roared back to life 5 years ago.

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung Unleashes New Powerful Burst

A volcano in western Indonesia unleashed a new powerful burst high into the sky on Saturday, sending hot ash far down the mountain's slopes, an official said. Authorities have been closely monitoring 2,460-meter (8,070-foot) -high Mount Sinabung on Sumatra, one of Indonesia's main islands, since June 2, when its status was raised to the highest alert level due to the growing size of its lava dome. Hot ash tumbled down the slopes of the mountain as far as 3 kilometers (2 miles) southeastward on Saturday, said Wendy Cahya, an official at the mountain's monitoring post. No injuries were reported from the latest eruption, he said. ... The volcano has sporadically erupted since 2010, after being dormant for 400 years. An eruption last year killed at least 17 people.

For the last two weeks, Texas floods. Texas hail. Texas tornadoes. Texas earthquakes. Texas ebola. Texas explosives. Texas can't seem to catch a break. And it's not ending. This is from today:

Flash Flood Watch extended for southeast Houston, some areas have received 5 inches already

A series of storms have moved through the southern part of the Houston metro area this morning, and three to five inches of rain have fallen from Santa Fe to Clear Lake.

Floodwater flows past the top of a sign along a bike path
near Memorial Drive in Houston, Texas, on May 26, 2015.
Aaron M. Sprecher / AFP / Getty Images. Source

May rainfall most ever in United States, especially OK and TX

In some areas of the United States, the rain in May must have felt like it was coming down in biblical proportions. Perhaps it wasn't quite that much, but it did fall in dramatic totals in 20 states and for the country as a whole, U.S. officials said this week. In 121 years of record keeping, never had an average of 4.36 inches of precipitation fallen on the contiguous United States. The number was 1.45 inches above the long-term average for the months, the National Centers for Environmental Information said. It beat the old mark by .07 inches. Three states -- Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas -- set record totals for rainfall in May. In Oklahoma and Texas, where flooding killed dozens, precipitation was almost two times the average and the most in any month ever.

Last week I began to see friends on Twitter remark that it was raining. These friends were in Arizona. Some were saying that never have they seen rain in June in 25 or 50 years of living there. Sure enough, rain in Phoenix was "quite unusual."

Phoenix sets June 5 rainfall record

Friday's rainfall was the first in 100 years that there has been any rain on June 5. The National Weather Service says the downpour was quite unusual. "It's rare because it's a dry time of the year, May and June for Phoenix are the driest months of the year on average, the average rainfall for June for Phoenix is two hundredths of an inch," said Charlotte Dewey.

Meanwhile, California is in the worst drought in 1,200 years.

State Rep Suggests Abortion Is To Blame For California Drought

Scientists are still exploring the causes of California's historic drought, but one local lawmaker thinks it might all come down to one thing: God's wrath over abortion. While speaking at the California ProLife Legislative Banquet last week, California Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R) suggested a theory that the state's worst drought in 1,200 years may be divine retribution for California providing women with access to abortions, RH Reality Check reported. ... "I believe --and most Americans believe --that God’s hand is in the affairs of man, and certainly was in the formation of this country," she wrote. "Is this drought caused by God? Nobody knows. But biblical history shows a consequence to man’s actions."

Well, she's not wrong. We can't say for sure whether this particular action or that action has a direct causal link, because we do not know the mind of God on any specific matter. But we do know His character, His promises, and the consequences of sin in a dying world. We also know His sovereignty.

One drought we know for sure will have a direct cause and will be from the promise of God will be the three-year drought during the Tribulation. Revelation 11:6 says the Two unnamed Witnesses "...have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire."

The headlines certainly use descriptive language...pummel, torment, copious...

Hail and flooding rains pummel Colorado

Severe thunderstorms brought flash flooding and copious amounts of hail to many areas of southern Colorado Thursday, and more rain is in the forecast Friday.

Baseball-Sized Hail, Tornados Torment Simla, Colorado

The town of Simla, Colorado, 65 miles southeast of Denver, experienced extreme weather that damaged property but caused no injuries.

I read that a truck carrying piglets crashed and 2,200 piglets ran away squealing into the woods. It reminded me of the demons that Jesus confronted and begged to be put into the herd of pigs instead of being sent to the abyss. They all ran hurtling down the embankment into the lake and drowned. These pigs weren't headed to the abyss but to the abattoir. They rounded up as many as they could and have set traps for the remaining piglets at large.

I don't know if trucks crashing was then on my mind or what, but suddenly for a week it seemed like trucks hauling freight were crashing all over the place.

Truck Spills Foul Chicken Guts in Alabama, Raises a Stink

Sticky Situation: Tanker Truck Overturns in NJ, Spilling Maple Syrup on Highway Ramp

Overturned truck spills load of spuds along Capital Beltway

Cattle truck spills clog Oklahoma highways with livestock

Well, that's just a bit of news from my warped perspective, lol. I hope the weather is pleasant wherever you are and that no truck crashes in your neighborhood spilling out anything smelly, squealing, or sticky. We are due to have some high heat here in Georgia in upcoming days and summer is settling in. Stay cool, stay relaxed, and stay in the Word.