Aldrich Lloyd Talonding & James Bucong Live @ The Ellen Degeneres Show = 9/12/13
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Be Perfect - What did Jesus mean?
A compilation
Be perfect,* therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.—Matthew 5:48 NIV
If someone told us we have to be perfect … yikes! How do we do that? But that is what Jesus is telling us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” With the exception of Jesus, no one is perfect, nor will ever be perfect, so what does Jesus mean?
To be perfect in what Jesus is saying doesn’t mean to be flawless as we would use the word “perfect” today. It means that we fulfill the purpose for which we were created. For example, if I take my pen and begin writing a letter, you may ask me, “How is the pen?” I would say, “It’s perfect.” What I mean is that the pen does what it’s supposed to do. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a cheap pen or an expensive one. It may be chipped, bitten, and half full of ink, but it’s perfect for the purpose for which it was made. It only matters that it works.
When Jesus says, “Be perfect,” He is asking us to be what God created us to be. We were created to be in the likeness of God’s moral image, so that our lives express something of the moral character of God.
We are perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect only to the measure in which His character is being displayed in us. We cannot do this by imitating God, but only by expressing [Him] in us and through us. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul says “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” In other words, in this life we will never fully achieve the moral character of God, but that is the end purpose for which the Spirit of God is at work in our lives.
Perfection is about being what God created us to be, and when Jesus said, “Be perfect,” He is saying that despite our failures, sin, and brokenness, we allow God to manifest His character in us, bringing us to an ever-increasing likeness of His moral image.—Charles Price
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.—Psalm 18:30 NIV
I am involved in each moment of your life. I have carefully mapped out every inch of your journey through this day, even though much of it may feel haphazard. Because the world is in a fallen condition, things always seem to be unraveling around the edges. Expect to find trouble in this day. At the same time, trust that My way is perfect, even in the midst of such messy imperfection. … As you trudge through the sludge of this fallen world, keep your mind in heavenly places with Me. Thus the light of My presence shines on you, giving you peace and joy that circumstances cannot touch.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy1
I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.—Isaiah 41:13 NIV
The whole of the Sermon [on the Mount] is framed within Jesus’ announcement that what his fellow Jews had longed for over many generations was now coming to pass—but that new kingdom didn’t look like they had thought it would. Indeed, in some ways it went in exactly the other direction. No violence, no hatred, no anxious protection of land and property against the pagan hordes. Rather, a glad and unworried trust in the creator God, whose kingdom is now at last starting to arrive, leading to a glad and generous heart toward other people, even those who are technically “enemies.” Faith, hope and love. They are the language of life, the sign in the present of green shoots growing through the concrete of this sad old world, the indication that the creator God is on the move, and that Jesus’ hearers and followers can be part of what he’s now doing.
That is the context within which Jesus says perhaps the most remarkable thing of all: be perfect, because your heavenly Father is perfect. The Greek is teleios [completeness]. You must be people of the goal, people of genuine humanness, people who are “complete.” It’s the same word which, in Matthew’s version of the story of the rich young ruler,2 Jesus said to the young man: in effect, “If you want to be ‘complete,’ teleios, then go and sell your possessions, give to the poor, and come and follow me.” … And we note that in each case the “perfection” in question consists not of a long list of hard moral commands dutifully obeyed but of a character formed by overflowing generous love.—N. T. Wright
This life will never be perfect. You’ll never be perfect while you’re in this life. The only things that can be perfect are the things I give: perfect peace as you let go of concerns about yourself and hang on to Me; perfect fulfillment as you express your trust in Me by letting Me do through you whatever I know is best; and perfect faith that even though you falter and fail, you trust in My unconditional love that will never fail to hold you close and turn everything for good.
Perfection in this life is an impossibility. If you could be perfect, you would have no need of a Savior. Like a child depends on his father to do what he cannot, this very lack of perfection draws you to Me and Me to you in love.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part will be done away.—1 Corinthians 13:10
“For by grace are ye saved through faith.”3 But it's all by faith. “Now we see in part, then we will know even as also we are known.”4 Now we know in part, then we will know completely.
By faith you’re saved, and it's as good as done. In fact, it was finished on the cross. In fact, it was finished before the world was ever founded, before creation, by Christ “slain before the foundation of the world.”5 Preordained by God, foreordained, predestinated that you’d be saved if you'd believe by faith. But if this were your full salvation, if your salvation were really complete now, it would not be true salvation, because you’re still on this earth and your body still suffers from the Curse and sickness and hunger and weariness and even death.
We’re talking now about the full salvation, the complete salvation, and you won’t becompletely saved, physically as well as spiritually, till Jesus returns. You’re saved now only by faith and you’re certainly saved spiritually, although even spiritually you’re not perfected yet. Even in spirit today you have your problems and ups and downs with your wife or your husband or your children or your father and mother, and you have problems. So you’re not perfected yet.
But the time’s coming when “the spirits of just men will be made perfect.”6 You haven’t been perfected yet in either spirit or body. So you’re really only saved by faith. Butlook up, for your redemption draweth nigh!7 Then you’ll be totally saved, not only by faith but in body, soul, and spirit, completely perfected, and whole and redeemed, redemption of the body as well as the spirit! “The spirits of just men made perfect.”—Bodies made perfect and eternal and no longer subject to the Curse or the ravages of disease or weariness or hunger or faintness or needing sleep.
That’s the kind of redemption He’s talking about! “Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” He is saying that your real final redemption is drawing nigh.—David Brandt Berg
* Following are the definitions of the word teleios used in the New Testament forperfect:
to make perfect, complete; a) to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end
to complete (perfect); a) add what is yet wanting in order to render a thing full, b) to be found perfect
to bring to the end (goal) proposed
to accomplish; a) bring to a close or fulfillment by event (of the prophecies of the scriptures)
Published on Anchor January 2014. Read by Bryan Clark. Music by Michael Dooley.
1 Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson, 2004).
2 Matthew 19:21.
3 Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV.
4 1 Corinthians 13:12.
5 Revelation 13:8.
6 Hebrews 12:23 KJV.
7 Luke 21:28 KJV.
Be perfect,* therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.—Matthew 5:48 NIV
If someone told us we have to be perfect … yikes! How do we do that? But that is what Jesus is telling us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” With the exception of Jesus, no one is perfect, nor will ever be perfect, so what does Jesus mean?
To be perfect in what Jesus is saying doesn’t mean to be flawless as we would use the word “perfect” today. It means that we fulfill the purpose for which we were created. For example, if I take my pen and begin writing a letter, you may ask me, “How is the pen?” I would say, “It’s perfect.” What I mean is that the pen does what it’s supposed to do. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a cheap pen or an expensive one. It may be chipped, bitten, and half full of ink, but it’s perfect for the purpose for which it was made. It only matters that it works.
When Jesus says, “Be perfect,” He is asking us to be what God created us to be. We were created to be in the likeness of God’s moral image, so that our lives express something of the moral character of God.
We are perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect only to the measure in which His character is being displayed in us. We cannot do this by imitating God, but only by expressing [Him] in us and through us. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul says “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” In other words, in this life we will never fully achieve the moral character of God, but that is the end purpose for which the Spirit of God is at work in our lives.
Perfection is about being what God created us to be, and when Jesus said, “Be perfect,” He is saying that despite our failures, sin, and brokenness, we allow God to manifest His character in us, bringing us to an ever-increasing likeness of His moral image.—Charles Price
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.—Psalm 18:30 NIV
I am involved in each moment of your life. I have carefully mapped out every inch of your journey through this day, even though much of it may feel haphazard. Because the world is in a fallen condition, things always seem to be unraveling around the edges. Expect to find trouble in this day. At the same time, trust that My way is perfect, even in the midst of such messy imperfection. … As you trudge through the sludge of this fallen world, keep your mind in heavenly places with Me. Thus the light of My presence shines on you, giving you peace and joy that circumstances cannot touch.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy1
I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.—Isaiah 41:13 NIV
The whole of the Sermon [on the Mount] is framed within Jesus’ announcement that what his fellow Jews had longed for over many generations was now coming to pass—but that new kingdom didn’t look like they had thought it would. Indeed, in some ways it went in exactly the other direction. No violence, no hatred, no anxious protection of land and property against the pagan hordes. Rather, a glad and unworried trust in the creator God, whose kingdom is now at last starting to arrive, leading to a glad and generous heart toward other people, even those who are technically “enemies.” Faith, hope and love. They are the language of life, the sign in the present of green shoots growing through the concrete of this sad old world, the indication that the creator God is on the move, and that Jesus’ hearers and followers can be part of what he’s now doing.
That is the context within which Jesus says perhaps the most remarkable thing of all: be perfect, because your heavenly Father is perfect. The Greek is teleios [completeness]. You must be people of the goal, people of genuine humanness, people who are “complete.” It’s the same word which, in Matthew’s version of the story of the rich young ruler,2 Jesus said to the young man: in effect, “If you want to be ‘complete,’ teleios, then go and sell your possessions, give to the poor, and come and follow me.” … And we note that in each case the “perfection” in question consists not of a long list of hard moral commands dutifully obeyed but of a character formed by overflowing generous love.—N. T. Wright
This life will never be perfect. You’ll never be perfect while you’re in this life. The only things that can be perfect are the things I give: perfect peace as you let go of concerns about yourself and hang on to Me; perfect fulfillment as you express your trust in Me by letting Me do through you whatever I know is best; and perfect faith that even though you falter and fail, you trust in My unconditional love that will never fail to hold you close and turn everything for good.
Perfection in this life is an impossibility. If you could be perfect, you would have no need of a Savior. Like a child depends on his father to do what he cannot, this very lack of perfection draws you to Me and Me to you in love.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part will be done away.—1 Corinthians 13:10
“For by grace are ye saved through faith.”3 But it's all by faith. “Now we see in part, then we will know even as also we are known.”4 Now we know in part, then we will know completely.
By faith you’re saved, and it's as good as done. In fact, it was finished on the cross. In fact, it was finished before the world was ever founded, before creation, by Christ “slain before the foundation of the world.”5 Preordained by God, foreordained, predestinated that you’d be saved if you'd believe by faith. But if this were your full salvation, if your salvation were really complete now, it would not be true salvation, because you’re still on this earth and your body still suffers from the Curse and sickness and hunger and weariness and even death.
We’re talking now about the full salvation, the complete salvation, and you won’t becompletely saved, physically as well as spiritually, till Jesus returns. You’re saved now only by faith and you’re certainly saved spiritually, although even spiritually you’re not perfected yet. Even in spirit today you have your problems and ups and downs with your wife or your husband or your children or your father and mother, and you have problems. So you’re not perfected yet.
But the time’s coming when “the spirits of just men will be made perfect.”6 You haven’t been perfected yet in either spirit or body. So you’re really only saved by faith. Butlook up, for your redemption draweth nigh!7 Then you’ll be totally saved, not only by faith but in body, soul, and spirit, completely perfected, and whole and redeemed, redemption of the body as well as the spirit! “The spirits of just men made perfect.”—Bodies made perfect and eternal and no longer subject to the Curse or the ravages of disease or weariness or hunger or faintness or needing sleep.
That’s the kind of redemption He’s talking about! “Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” He is saying that your real final redemption is drawing nigh.—David Brandt Berg
* Following are the definitions of the word teleios used in the New Testament forperfect:
to make perfect, complete; a) to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end
to complete (perfect); a) add what is yet wanting in order to render a thing full, b) to be found perfect
to bring to the end (goal) proposed
to accomplish; a) bring to a close or fulfillment by event (of the prophecies of the scriptures)
Published on Anchor January 2014. Read by Bryan Clark. Music by Michael Dooley.
1 Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson, 2004).
2 Matthew 19:21.
3 Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV.
4 1 Corinthians 13:12.
5 Revelation 13:8.
6 Hebrews 12:23 KJV.
7 Luke 21:28 KJV.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Israel Summons European Ambassadors to Complain
By Isabel Kershner, NY Times, Jan. 17, 2014
JERUSALEM—In the latest diplomatic confrontation over Israeli settlement building, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of Israel took the unusual step of summoning four European ambassadors on Friday to complain about what he called their countries’ “perpetual one-sided stance against Israel and in favor of the Palestinians.”
The ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy and Spain were called in a day after Israel’s ambassadors to those countries were summoned to hear protests about settlement building in areas the Palestinians view as part of a future independent state. Israeli officials described Mr. Lieberman’s step as a counterprotest.
This was the first time that Israel had summoned European ambassadors as a group over such an issue. The Israeli protest was delivered by the Foreign Ministry’s acting director general, Nissim Ben Shetrit.
Mr. Lieberman said in a statement that the European position was “unacceptable and gives rise to the feeling that they are only looking to place blame on Israel.”
Last week, the Israeli government published plans to build 1,400 housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. It was the latest in a series of settlement announcements in recent months, intended partly to compensate right-wing members of the government for the release of groups of long-serving Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The prisoner releases came as part of an American-brokered deal for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last summer.
The settlement announcements have infuriated and embarrassed the Palestinian leadership. Washington has condemned them as unhelpful to peace efforts.
Most countries consider Israel’s settlement building a violation of international law governing occupied territory. Israel argues that the territory is disputed.
The diplomatic frictions with Europe capped a week of Israeli-American tensions over the peace process after contentious comments attributed to Israel’s hard-line defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, were leaked to the Israeli news media. Mr. Yaalon reportedly called Secretary of State John Kerry’s push for a peace deal an “obsession” and derided American security proposals. Mr. Yaalon later apologized for any offense caused and Mr. Kerry said he would not let “one set of comments” undermine the peace effort.
JERUSALEM—In the latest diplomatic confrontation over Israeli settlement building, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of Israel took the unusual step of summoning four European ambassadors on Friday to complain about what he called their countries’ “perpetual one-sided stance against Israel and in favor of the Palestinians.”
The ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy and Spain were called in a day after Israel’s ambassadors to those countries were summoned to hear protests about settlement building in areas the Palestinians view as part of a future independent state. Israeli officials described Mr. Lieberman’s step as a counterprotest.
This was the first time that Israel had summoned European ambassadors as a group over such an issue. The Israeli protest was delivered by the Foreign Ministry’s acting director general, Nissim Ben Shetrit.
Mr. Lieberman said in a statement that the European position was “unacceptable and gives rise to the feeling that they are only looking to place blame on Israel.”
Last week, the Israeli government published plans to build 1,400 housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. It was the latest in a series of settlement announcements in recent months, intended partly to compensate right-wing members of the government for the release of groups of long-serving Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The prisoner releases came as part of an American-brokered deal for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last summer.
The settlement announcements have infuriated and embarrassed the Palestinian leadership. Washington has condemned them as unhelpful to peace efforts.
Most countries consider Israel’s settlement building a violation of international law governing occupied territory. Israel argues that the territory is disputed.
The diplomatic frictions with Europe capped a week of Israeli-American tensions over the peace process after contentious comments attributed to Israel’s hard-line defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, were leaked to the Israeli news media. Mr. Yaalon reportedly called Secretary of State John Kerry’s push for a peace deal an “obsession” and derided American security proposals. Mr. Yaalon later apologized for any offense caused and Mr. Kerry said he would not let “one set of comments” undermine the peace effort.
“Judge Not”- Just What Did Jesus Mean?
I wanted to write a little on the
subject of not judging which seems to be a phrase often used today against any
who have religious convictions.
Jesus is quoted in the famous Sermon on the Mount as saying, “Judge
not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) People use this verse to justify
the politically correct doctrines of the moment. We are told we need to have
tolerance of behaviors that for hundreds of years were considered sins such as;
homosexuality, swearing or cursing, abortion, devil and demon worship or
witchcraft, euthanasia, bestiality, etc. Today we are admonished to accept the
behavior of others and “judge not.”
However, a simple reading of the rest
of the paragraph (Matthew 7:2-5), we can see that Jesus was criticizing the
hypocritical religious leaders for the manner in which they were passing out judgments.
In John 7:24 Jesus says, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge
righteous judgment.” God told his
prophet Samuel when seeking a replacement for the disobedient King Saul, “Look
not on his countenance or his height of statue because I have refused him, for
the Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the
Lord looks on the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)
But how do we as modern day believers
judge righteously and look on the heart? Are we to put on some special glasses
which will give us help to look into the heart, soul and mind of others? The
answer is simply, yes, we are. God has given us His glasses for He has told us
to put on the mind of Christ. Jesus when questioned what the most important
commandment was said, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind and love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37,
39) Today, when we talk about God’s commandment, we usually mean doing unto
others as we would want others to do unto us. But we forget the first part of Jesus’
answer which admonished us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Without
first loving God, we will never be capable of doing the second part, loving our
neighbor as ourselves.
Paul admonished the Corinthians, “The
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5) It’s interesting that in
the Portuguese “casting down imaginations” is translated as “destroying
arguments.” In other words we should defend the faith in a manner that we
destroy the arguments lifted up against Christ.
Jude also expresses the
importance of “earnestly defending the faith.” (Jude 3) While Peter states, “But sanctify the Lord God
in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks
you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15) Here
we see the same principle of loving the Lord first and spending time with Him
and His word in order to be able to give an answer to the unbeliever looking
for answers. Paul goes on to say, “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but
be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those
that oppose themselves….” (2 Timothy 2:24, 25)
Jesus said, “The words I speak unto
you, they are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) ) The author of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Jesus told his disciples, “Now
you are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3)
Reading, studying, meditating, memorizing God’s word has a cleansing affect on
our spirits and gives us discernment.
David said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin
against Thee.” (Psalm 119: 11) God’s
word is the standard by which we judge all things. But we need to “study to
show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Because as Jesus taught
and showed, the word needs to be ministered in love and mercy. The letter
kills, but the spirit makes alive.
Too often God’s word has been
ministered by the letter in self-righteousness which only causes others to fall
away from the faith. This is why Jesus so harshly condemned the self-righteous
religious leaders which ultimately led to his death on the cross.
Please do not neglect the reading of
God’s word, the Bible. It is food for your soul and will gives you strength for
the everyday battles of life. Paul admonished, “But I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ,” (2 Corinthians 11:3) “For we
are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11) Don’t let the enemy of your soul keep you from
God’s word. You desperately need the spirit food it contains. If you need help
in understanding what you are reading search out a reliable Christian friend
who you trust and whom you feel comfortable with and ask him/her to help you.
There are waters to swim in and wondrous things to behold through reading and studying
God’s word. Come on in. The waters are great. You won’t be disappointed.
Pressão Versus Estresse —Qual é a Diferença?
Jesus falando em profecia
A vida é cheia de desafios e pressões. Mas uma certa pressãozinha não é ruim se lidar com ela devidamente. — Às vezes, quando sei que é necessário e que você consegue administrar, até permito que encare mais do que só uma pressãozinha. Os diversos desafios e a resultante pressão que permito na sua vida servem para ajudá-lo a se expandir, crescer, e aprender lições importantes. E podem ajudá-lo a produzir mais do que normalmente.
Por outro lado, como já percebeu, certos tipos de pressão não lhe fazem bem. O Meu jugo é suave e os fardos que lhe peço para carregar são leves. A pressão pode lhe fazer bem ou mal, dependendo de sua procedência, de quem a exerce e de como você lida com ela. Se uma certa pressãozinha positiva pode lhe fazer bem, por outro lado o que você tem sentido é muito mais do que isso, é um desgaste, um estresse. E estresse não faz bem.
Sempre que se vir diante de um desafio, prova ou dificuldade, ou de algum outro tipo de pressão intensa, desejo que essas coisas o ajudem, não o prejudiquem. E elas o ajudarãose lidar com elas da maneira certa. Se essas pressões e dificuldades a mais o fizerem reconhecer melhor os seus limites e fraquezas e como resultado o deixarem mais dependente de Mim e você se empenhar em trabalhar mais junto Comigo, logo o fator Romanos 2:28 ficará evidente em cada situação. Essas provas não ocorrem com o propósito de arrasá-lo, deixá-lo estressado, muito menos fazê-lo sentir vontade de desistir ou de tentar. Ocorrem para ajudá-lo a crescer e ficar mais forte no Meu Espírito.
Se, ao enfrentar exigências na sua vida e trabalho (tanto as dificuldades rotineiras como as inesperadas), Me deixar colocá-lo sob uma pressão positiva, mas logo Me devolver a pressão, lançando sobre Mim as suas ansiedades e pedindo que Eu o unja, então poderei lhe dar o que for preciso para superar e ajudá-lo a realizar o trabalho. Sei que falar é fácil, mas fazer é que são elas, pois exige disciplina e fé. Mas, por outro lado, disciplina é algo que você pode aprender, como, por exemplo, ter a disciplina de Me deixar operar através de você mais plenamente em vez de agir na sua própria força.
Algumas pressões procedem de Mim e outras não. As que provêm de outras fontes seriam expectativas irrealistas que você assume por livre e espontânea vontade. Às vezes, mesmo que Eu permita as pressões por algum motivo, você não lida com elas da maneira certa. Não se apoia em Mim como deveria, não passa tempo Comigo nem Me deixa ajudá-lo a levar a carga que sei que você consegue carregar com a Minha ajuda. Daí surge um imprevisto ou você começa a ter alguma batalha e, em vez de agir como lhe pedi, cai automaticamente no programa de “obras próprias”. Já vai logo arregaçando as mangas e se esforçando, puxando, empurrando para conseguir colocar a carga nos ombros e ir em frente, aos trancos e barrancos, por conta própria
A sua motivação é sincera, só que o seu modo de agir é errado, porque se esforça o máximo possível para fazer as coisas e fazê-las bem. Quer ser uma bênção e sentir que está produzindo, por mais difícil que pareça. E se convence, sinceramente, que depois que terminar, depois que retirar os impedimentos e obstáculos maiores e cumprir as metas, depois que tiver cuidado de todas as coisas importantes e mais difíceis, aí vai parar e tomar um tempinho Comigo e voltar a fazer as coisas “do jeito certo.
Em vez de recorrer para Mim logo no começo para ver qual a Minha perspectiva, você se sente tão pessoalmente responsável que não tem tempo para agir em oração como sabe que deveria. E, como não para o suficiente para lançar seus cuidados sobre Mim, essas pequenas pressões vão aumentando, se ampliando e ficando exageradas na sua mente, até se tornarem uma fonte de frustração e batalhas, e então você começa a se sentir desgastado, depois desencorajado e, por fim, avassalado.
Quando trabalha assim, até mesmo um montinho de nada lhe parece uma montanha enorme, muito maior e mais difícil de ser escalado do que é na realidade. E então começa a sentir como se estivesse preso na areia movediça sem conseguir sair do lugar, só se afundando naquela lama.
É preciso existir uma certa pressão, caso contrário não se produz muito. Mas não quero que você se sinta tão mal a ponto de não conseguir seguir adiante porque se sente sobrecarregado e estressado.
Se Me consultar a respeito de cada coisa que lhe causa pressão, e Me deixar lhe mostrar como Eu vejo os desafios que surgem, aprenderá a ter mais controle sobre a sua vida — o Meu controle sobre como se sente e é afetado pelas situações. Se Me deixar falar com você e lhe ensinar, aprenderá a avaliar tanto o seu comportamento quanto as pressões que sofre, e poderá usá-las de forma edificante para ajudá-lo a realizar o que precisa.
Você não pode permitir estresse na sua vida. Você é precioso demais para esse tipo de situação. É importante para Mim e preciso que cuide de si mesmo. Aprenda a colocar nas Minhas mãos as pressões e desafios que enfrenta e Me deixar lhe mostrar como lidar com eles.
É possível administrar — e bem — quaisquer pressões com as quais se depare na vida, se forem parte do Meu plano e se colocá-las sob os Meus cuidados. Lance os seus cuidados sobre Mim, porque cuido de você, e também Me interesso em saber como você está se sentindo. Portanto, coloque tudo em Minhas mãos — cada fonte de pressão ou frustração. Coloque tudo aos Meus pés. Leve o Meu jugo e o ajudarei a desfrutar da vida e do seu trabalho, a crescer e aprender, e fazer o que precisa ser feito.
Publicado originalmente em outubro de 2003. Adaptado e republicado em janeiro 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão H. R. Flandoli.
A vida é cheia de desafios e pressões. Mas uma certa pressãozinha não é ruim se lidar com ela devidamente. — Às vezes, quando sei que é necessário e que você consegue administrar, até permito que encare mais do que só uma pressãozinha. Os diversos desafios e a resultante pressão que permito na sua vida servem para ajudá-lo a se expandir, crescer, e aprender lições importantes. E podem ajudá-lo a produzir mais do que normalmente.
Por outro lado, como já percebeu, certos tipos de pressão não lhe fazem bem. O Meu jugo é suave e os fardos que lhe peço para carregar são leves. A pressão pode lhe fazer bem ou mal, dependendo de sua procedência, de quem a exerce e de como você lida com ela. Se uma certa pressãozinha positiva pode lhe fazer bem, por outro lado o que você tem sentido é muito mais do que isso, é um desgaste, um estresse. E estresse não faz bem.
Sempre que se vir diante de um desafio, prova ou dificuldade, ou de algum outro tipo de pressão intensa, desejo que essas coisas o ajudem, não o prejudiquem. E elas o ajudarãose lidar com elas da maneira certa. Se essas pressões e dificuldades a mais o fizerem reconhecer melhor os seus limites e fraquezas e como resultado o deixarem mais dependente de Mim e você se empenhar em trabalhar mais junto Comigo, logo o fator Romanos 2:28 ficará evidente em cada situação. Essas provas não ocorrem com o propósito de arrasá-lo, deixá-lo estressado, muito menos fazê-lo sentir vontade de desistir ou de tentar. Ocorrem para ajudá-lo a crescer e ficar mais forte no Meu Espírito.
Se, ao enfrentar exigências na sua vida e trabalho (tanto as dificuldades rotineiras como as inesperadas), Me deixar colocá-lo sob uma pressão positiva, mas logo Me devolver a pressão, lançando sobre Mim as suas ansiedades e pedindo que Eu o unja, então poderei lhe dar o que for preciso para superar e ajudá-lo a realizar o trabalho. Sei que falar é fácil, mas fazer é que são elas, pois exige disciplina e fé. Mas, por outro lado, disciplina é algo que você pode aprender, como, por exemplo, ter a disciplina de Me deixar operar através de você mais plenamente em vez de agir na sua própria força.
Algumas pressões procedem de Mim e outras não. As que provêm de outras fontes seriam expectativas irrealistas que você assume por livre e espontânea vontade. Às vezes, mesmo que Eu permita as pressões por algum motivo, você não lida com elas da maneira certa. Não se apoia em Mim como deveria, não passa tempo Comigo nem Me deixa ajudá-lo a levar a carga que sei que você consegue carregar com a Minha ajuda. Daí surge um imprevisto ou você começa a ter alguma batalha e, em vez de agir como lhe pedi, cai automaticamente no programa de “obras próprias”. Já vai logo arregaçando as mangas e se esforçando, puxando, empurrando para conseguir colocar a carga nos ombros e ir em frente, aos trancos e barrancos, por conta própria
A sua motivação é sincera, só que o seu modo de agir é errado, porque se esforça o máximo possível para fazer as coisas e fazê-las bem. Quer ser uma bênção e sentir que está produzindo, por mais difícil que pareça. E se convence, sinceramente, que depois que terminar, depois que retirar os impedimentos e obstáculos maiores e cumprir as metas, depois que tiver cuidado de todas as coisas importantes e mais difíceis, aí vai parar e tomar um tempinho Comigo e voltar a fazer as coisas “do jeito certo.
Em vez de recorrer para Mim logo no começo para ver qual a Minha perspectiva, você se sente tão pessoalmente responsável que não tem tempo para agir em oração como sabe que deveria. E, como não para o suficiente para lançar seus cuidados sobre Mim, essas pequenas pressões vão aumentando, se ampliando e ficando exageradas na sua mente, até se tornarem uma fonte de frustração e batalhas, e então você começa a se sentir desgastado, depois desencorajado e, por fim, avassalado.
Quando trabalha assim, até mesmo um montinho de nada lhe parece uma montanha enorme, muito maior e mais difícil de ser escalado do que é na realidade. E então começa a sentir como se estivesse preso na areia movediça sem conseguir sair do lugar, só se afundando naquela lama.
É preciso existir uma certa pressão, caso contrário não se produz muito. Mas não quero que você se sinta tão mal a ponto de não conseguir seguir adiante porque se sente sobrecarregado e estressado.
Se Me consultar a respeito de cada coisa que lhe causa pressão, e Me deixar lhe mostrar como Eu vejo os desafios que surgem, aprenderá a ter mais controle sobre a sua vida — o Meu controle sobre como se sente e é afetado pelas situações. Se Me deixar falar com você e lhe ensinar, aprenderá a avaliar tanto o seu comportamento quanto as pressões que sofre, e poderá usá-las de forma edificante para ajudá-lo a realizar o que precisa.
Você não pode permitir estresse na sua vida. Você é precioso demais para esse tipo de situação. É importante para Mim e preciso que cuide de si mesmo. Aprenda a colocar nas Minhas mãos as pressões e desafios que enfrenta e Me deixar lhe mostrar como lidar com eles.
É possível administrar — e bem — quaisquer pressões com as quais se depare na vida, se forem parte do Meu plano e se colocá-las sob os Meus cuidados. Lance os seus cuidados sobre Mim, porque cuido de você, e também Me interesso em saber como você está se sentindo. Portanto, coloque tudo em Minhas mãos — cada fonte de pressão ou frustração. Coloque tudo aos Meus pés. Leve o Meu jugo e o ajudarei a desfrutar da vida e do seu trabalho, a crescer e aprender, e fazer o que precisa ser feito.
Publicado originalmente em outubro de 2003. Adaptado e republicado em janeiro 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão H. R. Flandoli.
Bringing Love to Life
By Maria Fontaine
The other day I heard something that touched my heart. I heard from a young woman that she had saved up money to take a course that would help her in her mission work as well as in bringing in finances. However, the Lord then laid on her heart to give a large part of this money to one of her fellow missionaries. This person hadn’t asked for the money, but the woman knew she needed it. And even more than that, she knew the missionaries needed the encouragement.
We have all experienced deep discouragement at some point in our lives. Were you ever pulled out of that discouragement by a note from someone telling you they cared, that they were praying for you, or were going to do what they could to help? Or maybe in a time of great trial you suddenly found the light breaking through and you were inexplicably pulled out of the despair you felt, and you had faith again that the Lord was going to make everything okay?—Maybe as a result of someone’s private prayer for you?
There are people around us who are struggling and who need a boost, an uplift from a friend or fellow laborer. Is it possible that Jesus is waiting on you to give, to write, to befriend, to pray for someone that He lays on your heart? This brings to mind that little chorus, “Lord, lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me. And may I bravely do my part to win that soul for Thee.” Through doing what the Lord shows us to do, we can encourage, uplift, and help others. It doesn’t have to be a lot; little is much, if God and His love are in it.
Sometimes we might feel overwhelmed by the need surrounding us, and of course none of us can help everyone that we’d like to help. But one thing that I can do, that youcan do, that we all can do, is to pray.
Most of us are almost fully occupied with the challenges of everyday life. There’s so much to think and pray about, so much to do. You might be relocating or starting a new mission-related venture, or looking for work, or putting your children through school, or struggling to keep up with all the details of life, or trying to find time to spend with your spouse or family. You might feel under a great deal of pressure already, so much so that it’s hard to think of anything but the job at hand.
You might wonder how you can help someone else, when you feel so in need of help yourself. You might feel like the widow of Zarephath, with not even enough for you and yours. Being faced with someone else’s need when you barely have enough for yourself might seem very much like Elijah’s request that the widow give what little she had to him.1
I’ve often thought about that woman and how much faith it must have taken for her to put the needs of someone else above hers and her child’s, when they were in such great need themselves. Elijah’s request must have sounded absurd and completely unrealistic. And yet it inspires me to think of how great God’s goodness is toward those who take steps of faith like that. The principle of giving what you can, even when you have little yourself, and God’s rewards for doing so, stands as true as ever.
The Lord does not ask the impossible; He just wants us to do what we can to love, care for, and support others—even during those times when it takes a great measure of faith and love to do so. The Lord will bless us if we will spend a few minutes in prayer for others, offer words of encouragement, or help someone in need. He doesn’t necessarily ask us to give a huge chunk of time or a big sum of money, but He rejoices when we give what we can to others. We may not have a lot, but the heart filled with Jesus’ love always has something to give.
We are privileged to fulfill His mission, which is really all about putting love into action. Part of fulfilling the mission involves teaching people to live Jesus’ words and to show His love to others. We know that one of the most effective ways to teach others to love is by being an example of love ourselves. As the old saying goes, charity begins at home. We can prove that Jesus’ words can be lived and that His love can be alive in our hearts and lives through our personal choices to support others, to give, and to bear one another’s burdens.
If we help someone in need or someone who may be weaker in health, we have let Jesus’ love come alive in us, and others will see that love manifested through us. If we are gifted at something, we can manifest our love by teaching others something that we’re knowledgeable in. As we each are attentive to Jesus’ leading concerning others’ needs, I believe that He will pour out His blessings and in turn supply whatever you personally might need.
Imagine what can be accomplished if we each take time to be aware of others in our lives who are in need and to ask the Lord what we can do to help them. Maybe we can pray for those who need help in one way or another. Maybe we can write a note or speak encouragement to those who are discouraged. Maybe we can teach someone a skill that will help them in their mission work. Maybe someone needs a place to stay, and we have an extra room to offer. Maybe a family needs someone to help them with their children while they prepare for a move. This type of assistance goes a long way.
As we do whatever we can, our own needs will be met as well. The Lord has promised, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”2 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”3
I know that God is faithful and that He cares for His own. He has given us the privilege and blessing of helping Him to do this by being His eyes, His hands, and His feet for others. Will you ask Him to show you today what you can do to care for others in need, how to be a channel of Jesus’ love and encouragement to them?
Originally published October 2010. Adapted and republished January 2014.
1 1 Kings 17:10–16.
2 Luke 6:38 NKJV.
3 Mark 9:41 NKJV.
The other day I heard something that touched my heart. I heard from a young woman that she had saved up money to take a course that would help her in her mission work as well as in bringing in finances. However, the Lord then laid on her heart to give a large part of this money to one of her fellow missionaries. This person hadn’t asked for the money, but the woman knew she needed it. And even more than that, she knew the missionaries needed the encouragement.
We have all experienced deep discouragement at some point in our lives. Were you ever pulled out of that discouragement by a note from someone telling you they cared, that they were praying for you, or were going to do what they could to help? Or maybe in a time of great trial you suddenly found the light breaking through and you were inexplicably pulled out of the despair you felt, and you had faith again that the Lord was going to make everything okay?—Maybe as a result of someone’s private prayer for you?
There are people around us who are struggling and who need a boost, an uplift from a friend or fellow laborer. Is it possible that Jesus is waiting on you to give, to write, to befriend, to pray for someone that He lays on your heart? This brings to mind that little chorus, “Lord, lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me. And may I bravely do my part to win that soul for Thee.” Through doing what the Lord shows us to do, we can encourage, uplift, and help others. It doesn’t have to be a lot; little is much, if God and His love are in it.
Sometimes we might feel overwhelmed by the need surrounding us, and of course none of us can help everyone that we’d like to help. But one thing that I can do, that youcan do, that we all can do, is to pray.
Most of us are almost fully occupied with the challenges of everyday life. There’s so much to think and pray about, so much to do. You might be relocating or starting a new mission-related venture, or looking for work, or putting your children through school, or struggling to keep up with all the details of life, or trying to find time to spend with your spouse or family. You might feel under a great deal of pressure already, so much so that it’s hard to think of anything but the job at hand.
You might wonder how you can help someone else, when you feel so in need of help yourself. You might feel like the widow of Zarephath, with not even enough for you and yours. Being faced with someone else’s need when you barely have enough for yourself might seem very much like Elijah’s request that the widow give what little she had to him.1
I’ve often thought about that woman and how much faith it must have taken for her to put the needs of someone else above hers and her child’s, when they were in such great need themselves. Elijah’s request must have sounded absurd and completely unrealistic. And yet it inspires me to think of how great God’s goodness is toward those who take steps of faith like that. The principle of giving what you can, even when you have little yourself, and God’s rewards for doing so, stands as true as ever.
The Lord does not ask the impossible; He just wants us to do what we can to love, care for, and support others—even during those times when it takes a great measure of faith and love to do so. The Lord will bless us if we will spend a few minutes in prayer for others, offer words of encouragement, or help someone in need. He doesn’t necessarily ask us to give a huge chunk of time or a big sum of money, but He rejoices when we give what we can to others. We may not have a lot, but the heart filled with Jesus’ love always has something to give.
We are privileged to fulfill His mission, which is really all about putting love into action. Part of fulfilling the mission involves teaching people to live Jesus’ words and to show His love to others. We know that one of the most effective ways to teach others to love is by being an example of love ourselves. As the old saying goes, charity begins at home. We can prove that Jesus’ words can be lived and that His love can be alive in our hearts and lives through our personal choices to support others, to give, and to bear one another’s burdens.
If we help someone in need or someone who may be weaker in health, we have let Jesus’ love come alive in us, and others will see that love manifested through us. If we are gifted at something, we can manifest our love by teaching others something that we’re knowledgeable in. As we each are attentive to Jesus’ leading concerning others’ needs, I believe that He will pour out His blessings and in turn supply whatever you personally might need.
Imagine what can be accomplished if we each take time to be aware of others in our lives who are in need and to ask the Lord what we can do to help them. Maybe we can pray for those who need help in one way or another. Maybe we can write a note or speak encouragement to those who are discouraged. Maybe we can teach someone a skill that will help them in their mission work. Maybe someone needs a place to stay, and we have an extra room to offer. Maybe a family needs someone to help them with their children while they prepare for a move. This type of assistance goes a long way.
As we do whatever we can, our own needs will be met as well. The Lord has promised, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”2 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”3
I know that God is faithful and that He cares for His own. He has given us the privilege and blessing of helping Him to do this by being His eyes, His hands, and His feet for others. Will you ask Him to show you today what you can do to care for others in need, how to be a channel of Jesus’ love and encouragement to them?
Originally published October 2010. Adapted and republished January 2014.
1 1 Kings 17:10–16.
2 Luke 6:38 NKJV.
3 Mark 9:41 NKJV.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
The Fukushima Fish Story
By William Boardman
Global Research, January 17, 2014
Reassuring the public about something dangerous is tricky
It’s true that the most intensely radioactive part of the Pacific Ocean currently is the area closest to Fukushima, Japan, where the destroyed nuclear power plant continuously adds to the radiation burden in the aquatic food chain. It’s equally true – and somewhat less scary – that Fukushima is but the most recent, best known source of radioactive pollution in a body of water that had a natural, low level of radioactivity long before any human started making it worse.
The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has an elaborate sea area monitoring program around Fukushima and publishes the results of its findings in detailed charts that are likely opaque to most people (and offer data that was collected months ago). Looks like the water has plenty of Cesium-134, Cesium-137, and Strontium-90, but not so much Plutonium-238, Plutonium-239, or Plutonium-240. How bad that is is hard to tell, in part because Fukushima’s operator, TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), withheld 140 of their measurements of Strontium-90 and other radioactive substances for most of late 2013, TEPCO admitted in early January.
When the available information is either withheld or hard to understand, it’s little wonder there’s almost no public trust in the people in charge. When unofficial information is also unreliable, it gets harder and harder to get a handle on what’s real, other than the fact it’s not good.
“Fish with very high levels of Cesium”
Here’s an example of the problem: A story from Japan on January 11 featured a worrisome headline: “Fish with very high levels of cesium found near Fukushima.” Of course that’s also reassuring for most of us: the fish was found, and it was near Fukushima, not California. But still, radioactive fish – that’s scary isn’t it? Yes and no, actually.
No, not so scary: Turns out the headline meant only “a fish,” a black sea bream in fact, one of 37 black sea bream that scientific researchers caught in October-November 2013. Oh, but actually, the story mentions, there were two other fish with elevated radiation, while 34 “were within the safety limits, according to the Fisheries Research Agency.” The story doesn’t report the actual “safe” level, but says “the black sea bream had 12,400 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, 124 times the safety standards for foodstuffs,” which supports a calculation that 100 Bq per kg is the “safe” level. The other two unsafe fish were measured with 426 and 197 Bq per kg respectively. The fish were caught within 22 miles of Fukushima, in water where commercial fishing is restricted.
Looked at from the official American perspective, this story gets even less scary. The black sea bream with 12,400 Bq per kg of radiation is still too hot to eat safely, but the other two over the Japanese limit are well within the American safety level of 1,200 Bq per kg. Equally casually, the U.S. Dept. of Energy website for “the situation in Japan” was last updated about a year ago.
Yes, it’s a little scary, or at least cautionary: Any fish that radioactively hot certainly poses some small threat to its handlers, but the greater threat is the potential damage it could do to a diner. External exposure to even the highest of these levels of radiation for brief periods of time is pretty close to harmless under most circumstances, especially the older you are. But someone who eats a hot fish risks internal exposure for a much longer time, with a much greater risk of harm – though there might not be, for any given person, any consequential damage.
Looked at from the official South Korean perspective, this story gets even more scary. In September 2013, South Korea banned the import of all Japanese fish caught within about 200 miles of Fukushima. “The South Korean government made the move because of insufficient information from Tokyo about what steps will be taken to address the leakage of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, according to a statement by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries,” CBS News reported September 6.
A month later, the Japanese government appealed to the supra-national World Trade Organization (WTO) “to intervene on South Korea’s atomic fish ban” (as headlined in the South China Morning Post). Japanese officials said that South Korea was the only country with such an expansive ban on Japanese fish. They said they were hoping that discussion in the WTO would persuade South Korea to withdraw the ban voluntarily, since a WTO lawsuit would likely take years to conclude. As of January 2014, the South Korean ban apparently remains in effect.
Is it a scare story if it’s rational to be scared?
Despite its somewhat misleading headline, the story from Asahi Shimbun did not seem designed to be a scare story. It didn’t even mention the danger from consuming radioactive food, or define a Becquerel of radiation.
The World Nuclear Association, an industry group, offers this definition: “Apart from the normal measures of mass and volume, the amount of radioactive material is given in becquerel (Bq), a measure which enables us to compare the typical radioactivity of some natural and other materials. A becquerel is one atomic decay per second, and each disintegration produces some ionising radiation.”
A chart that follows this, which is apparently intended to be reassuring, compares the amount of radioactivity in a variety other substances (uranium ore, smoke detector, coal ash) with the amount of radioactivity in “1 adult human,” which is pegged at 7,000 Bq, or 100 Bq per kg. That’s also the “safe” limit for eating radioactive black sea bream in Japan – and it is enough to temporarily double a person’s radiation load, which doesn’t seem like a naturally good idea, but perhaps it’s a better than multiplying your normal radiation load by 12 as allowed by American safe fish standards. Not surprisingly, those are questions that neither the newspaper nor the nuclear folks chose to explore.
That certainly seems to be the preference of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, 59 – not exploring nuclear questions. The prime minister, an avid nuclear booster, recently injected himself into the current race for Tokyo governor, suggesting that the candidates not focus on nuclear issues, but have a “balanced” debate.
The next day, January 14, a former prime minister and opponent of a nuclear Japan entered the race: Morihiro Hosokawa, 76, who announced that his candidacy would focus on creating a nuclear-free Japan. Hosokawa had resigned as prime minister in April 1994, after less than a year in office, amidst bribery charges that were never resolved. Hosokawa’s candidacy was encouraged by another former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, who has emerged as one of Japan’s leading nuclear-free advocates and who promises to campaign actively for Hosokawa.
The Tokyo prefecture includes the capital city as well as 39 other municipalities and a total population of 35 million people, all under the administration of the Tokyo governor. Tokyo’s government is also the biggest shareholder in Tokyo Electric Power, operator of the Fukushima plant. The former governor resigned in December in the midst of a political funds scandal. The election campaign officially begins on January 23, with the election scheduled for February 9.
With the candidacy of Hosokawa, the race takes on increased national significance since, as Hosokawa said, “I have a sense of crisis myself that the country’s various problems, especially nuclear power plants, are matters of survival for the country.” Hosokawa and Koizumi are trying to make the Tokyo election a referendum on nuclear power for the country.
Meanwhile, the Fukushima site continues to leak radioactive groundwater into the Pacific, it continues to leak radioactive water from damaged containment tanks, Fukushima Unit #3 continues to belch radioactive steam periodically, and the level of radioactivity at the perimeter of the plant hasrisen to 8 times the officially “safe” level. The Nuclear Regulation Authority has increased the number of monitoring stations around Fukushima from 446 to 815. And the Japanese government is saying food produced in the Fukushima region is safe to eat, but neither consumers nor food producers trust the government’s assurances.
And the Fukushima Fish Story continues to circulate on the Internet, getting a little scarier, if not more accurate, all the time.
William M. Boardman has over 40 years experience in theatre, radio, TV, print journalism, and non-fiction, including 20 years in the Vermont judiciary. He has received honors from Writers Guild of America, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Vermont Life magazine, and an Emmy Award nomination from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Global Research, January 17, 2014
Reassuring the public about something dangerous is tricky
It’s true that the most intensely radioactive part of the Pacific Ocean currently is the area closest to Fukushima, Japan, where the destroyed nuclear power plant continuously adds to the radiation burden in the aquatic food chain. It’s equally true – and somewhat less scary – that Fukushima is but the most recent, best known source of radioactive pollution in a body of water that had a natural, low level of radioactivity long before any human started making it worse.
The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has an elaborate sea area monitoring program around Fukushima and publishes the results of its findings in detailed charts that are likely opaque to most people (and offer data that was collected months ago). Looks like the water has plenty of Cesium-134, Cesium-137, and Strontium-90, but not so much Plutonium-238, Plutonium-239, or Plutonium-240. How bad that is is hard to tell, in part because Fukushima’s operator, TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), withheld 140 of their measurements of Strontium-90 and other radioactive substances for most of late 2013, TEPCO admitted in early January.
When the available information is either withheld or hard to understand, it’s little wonder there’s almost no public trust in the people in charge. When unofficial information is also unreliable, it gets harder and harder to get a handle on what’s real, other than the fact it’s not good.
“Fish with very high levels of Cesium”
Here’s an example of the problem: A story from Japan on January 11 featured a worrisome headline: “Fish with very high levels of cesium found near Fukushima.” Of course that’s also reassuring for most of us: the fish was found, and it was near Fukushima, not California. But still, radioactive fish – that’s scary isn’t it? Yes and no, actually.
No, not so scary: Turns out the headline meant only “a fish,” a black sea bream in fact, one of 37 black sea bream that scientific researchers caught in October-November 2013. Oh, but actually, the story mentions, there were two other fish with elevated radiation, while 34 “were within the safety limits, according to the Fisheries Research Agency.” The story doesn’t report the actual “safe” level, but says “the black sea bream had 12,400 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, 124 times the safety standards for foodstuffs,” which supports a calculation that 100 Bq per kg is the “safe” level. The other two unsafe fish were measured with 426 and 197 Bq per kg respectively. The fish were caught within 22 miles of Fukushima, in water where commercial fishing is restricted.
Looked at from the official American perspective, this story gets even less scary. The black sea bream with 12,400 Bq per kg of radiation is still too hot to eat safely, but the other two over the Japanese limit are well within the American safety level of 1,200 Bq per kg. Equally casually, the U.S. Dept. of Energy website for “the situation in Japan” was last updated about a year ago.
Yes, it’s a little scary, or at least cautionary: Any fish that radioactively hot certainly poses some small threat to its handlers, but the greater threat is the potential damage it could do to a diner. External exposure to even the highest of these levels of radiation for brief periods of time is pretty close to harmless under most circumstances, especially the older you are. But someone who eats a hot fish risks internal exposure for a much longer time, with a much greater risk of harm – though there might not be, for any given person, any consequential damage.
Looked at from the official South Korean perspective, this story gets even more scary. In September 2013, South Korea banned the import of all Japanese fish caught within about 200 miles of Fukushima. “The South Korean government made the move because of insufficient information from Tokyo about what steps will be taken to address the leakage of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, according to a statement by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries,” CBS News reported September 6.
A month later, the Japanese government appealed to the supra-national World Trade Organization (WTO) “to intervene on South Korea’s atomic fish ban” (as headlined in the South China Morning Post). Japanese officials said that South Korea was the only country with such an expansive ban on Japanese fish. They said they were hoping that discussion in the WTO would persuade South Korea to withdraw the ban voluntarily, since a WTO lawsuit would likely take years to conclude. As of January 2014, the South Korean ban apparently remains in effect.
Is it a scare story if it’s rational to be scared?
Despite its somewhat misleading headline, the story from Asahi Shimbun did not seem designed to be a scare story. It didn’t even mention the danger from consuming radioactive food, or define a Becquerel of radiation.
The World Nuclear Association, an industry group, offers this definition: “Apart from the normal measures of mass and volume, the amount of radioactive material is given in becquerel (Bq), a measure which enables us to compare the typical radioactivity of some natural and other materials. A becquerel is one atomic decay per second, and each disintegration produces some ionising radiation.”
A chart that follows this, which is apparently intended to be reassuring, compares the amount of radioactivity in a variety other substances (uranium ore, smoke detector, coal ash) with the amount of radioactivity in “1 adult human,” which is pegged at 7,000 Bq, or 100 Bq per kg. That’s also the “safe” limit for eating radioactive black sea bream in Japan – and it is enough to temporarily double a person’s radiation load, which doesn’t seem like a naturally good idea, but perhaps it’s a better than multiplying your normal radiation load by 12 as allowed by American safe fish standards. Not surprisingly, those are questions that neither the newspaper nor the nuclear folks chose to explore.
That certainly seems to be the preference of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, 59 – not exploring nuclear questions. The prime minister, an avid nuclear booster, recently injected himself into the current race for Tokyo governor, suggesting that the candidates not focus on nuclear issues, but have a “balanced” debate.
The next day, January 14, a former prime minister and opponent of a nuclear Japan entered the race: Morihiro Hosokawa, 76, who announced that his candidacy would focus on creating a nuclear-free Japan. Hosokawa had resigned as prime minister in April 1994, after less than a year in office, amidst bribery charges that were never resolved. Hosokawa’s candidacy was encouraged by another former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, who has emerged as one of Japan’s leading nuclear-free advocates and who promises to campaign actively for Hosokawa.
The Tokyo prefecture includes the capital city as well as 39 other municipalities and a total population of 35 million people, all under the administration of the Tokyo governor. Tokyo’s government is also the biggest shareholder in Tokyo Electric Power, operator of the Fukushima plant. The former governor resigned in December in the midst of a political funds scandal. The election campaign officially begins on January 23, with the election scheduled for February 9.
With the candidacy of Hosokawa, the race takes on increased national significance since, as Hosokawa said, “I have a sense of crisis myself that the country’s various problems, especially nuclear power plants, are matters of survival for the country.” Hosokawa and Koizumi are trying to make the Tokyo election a referendum on nuclear power for the country.
Meanwhile, the Fukushima site continues to leak radioactive groundwater into the Pacific, it continues to leak radioactive water from damaged containment tanks, Fukushima Unit #3 continues to belch radioactive steam periodically, and the level of radioactivity at the perimeter of the plant hasrisen to 8 times the officially “safe” level. The Nuclear Regulation Authority has increased the number of monitoring stations around Fukushima from 446 to 815. And the Japanese government is saying food produced in the Fukushima region is safe to eat, but neither consumers nor food producers trust the government’s assurances.
And the Fukushima Fish Story continues to circulate on the Internet, getting a little scarier, if not more accurate, all the time.
William M. Boardman has over 40 years experience in theatre, radio, TV, print journalism, and non-fiction, including 20 years in the Vermont judiciary. He has received honors from Writers Guild of America, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Vermont Life magazine, and an Emmy Award nomination from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
