Devotional

Coming Quickly

Do you know what were the last words of Jesus in the Bible? 

What if I told you He repeated those words 3 times. Seems like it would be important, right?

Reading Revelation chapter 22, it caught my attention that 3 times Jesus said, “I am coming quickly.” (v7,12,20) 

I pondered that it's been close to 2000 years since Jesus spoke those words to John and He hasn’t returned yet. Really, is that a definition of ‘quickly’? Even the original Greek word (‘tachys’) means quick, swift or speedy. Then I remember with the Lord a thousand years are like a day, so I suppose it's only been less than 2 days from that perspective :-).

Time is a human constraint. Fortunately, God operates outside of time:

I suppose it’s because our lives on earth have a beginning and end, usually within a century, so we tend to consume our thinking about this short span of time. Yet, in God’s time, even 100 years would only be 2.4 hours, based on a thousand years being like a day. What could you accomplish in 2.4 hours if that was all the time you had to live?

God gives us such a small window to serve Him here on earth before a boundless eternity we cannot fathom. 

I feel a sense of urgency to serve Him diligently, share the gospel readily, and love others more while the light of day is here. If I forget, I can remember Jesus’ last words, “I am coming quickly.” 

Let’s live in anticipation, but also be about Jesus’ business, to build His Kingdom.

Health Nuggets

Mental Health and the Bible

Greg Mauro recently wrote in his blog about the health benefits of reading the Bible based on research that studied over 2,500 adults. It is based on the American Bible Society’s Research, State of the Bible Report, published in 2024.

Greg concludes the following:

“We’re living in a culture obsessed with self-care — exercise, meditation, journaling, time with friends — and all of those have value. But the data revealed something greater:

• People who regularly engage with Scripture are 50% less likely to report high levels of loneliness.

• Among Gen Z — the most anxious generation in modern history — those who regularly engage with Scripture experience roughly 52% less anxiety compared to those who don’t.

• Weekly Bible readers experienced roughly 26% lower anxiety levels.

• Stress levels were approximately 19% lower among regular readers.

• Hope scores increased by as much as 27% in frequent Bible readers.

• Regular engagement correlated with lower loneliness and greater resilience.”

David knew the benefits of God’s Word to lift his soul thousands of years ago when he penned the following:

Note: Health Nuggets are opinions and not medical advice.

Financial Update

Is The Price of Oil Headed Above $100 (For Good)?

We published our first article on Oil around a year ago, when it was trading around $60 per barrel. Since then, there’s been significant price movement “fueled” by geopolitical tensions, war, and economic speculation; now, the question is: is oil headed above $100? If so, for how long, or will we ever see prices sub $100 again?

Brent crude recently climbed above $106 per barrel, as disruptions to global oil flows tightened supply. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that Brent futures averaged approximately $104 per barrel during the final two weeks of September. 

The significance of oil above $100 goes beyond the price at the pump (although that in itself is significant). Airlines purchase jet fuel, trucking companies depend on diesel, manufacturers consume energy, and farmers rely on fuel to operate equipment and transport crops. When energy costs rise, businesses must decide whether to absorb the expense, raise prices, or reduce other spending. The result can be pressure on profit margins and, eventually, consumer prices.

One distinction in today's market is that crude oil is not the only source of rising fuel costs. A recent analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found that global refinery capacity had declined by as much as 10% amid geopolitical disruptions, shipping challenges, and refinery damage. Diesel, gasoline, and jet-fuel prices have consequently risen more sharply relative to crude oil than they typically would. U.S. distillate inventories were 13% below their five-year average at the end of September, highlighting the particular pressure on diesel supplies.

That matters because diesel powers much of the freight and industrial economy. Higher diesel prices can increase the cost of moving food, building materials, manufactured goods, and other essential products. Even if crude prices eventually retreat, constrained refining capacity could keep some fuel costs elevated.

Oil also complicates the inflation outlook. Higher energy prices can lift headline inflation directly while gradually feeding into transportation and production costs. If inflation proves persistent, the Federal Reserve could have less flexibility to reduce interest rates, potentially prolonging pressure on borrowing costs and interest-rate-sensitive businesses.

We’re in an “odd” part of the financial cycle, where the effects on the cost of Oil seem to have a compounding, and somewhat lagging effect. With that said, and while we’re not in the business of giving stock pick call outs, it’s hard to ignore what combination of charts and economic pressure could be revealing to us.

For the past few days, Oil has been trading in the range of around $90 - $93, with clear resistance at $95, then $104. If Oil does make it back to $105, the next move up could take us to around $127, a 36%+ move from the current day price range.

Of course, there’s many factors that come in to play, primarily geopolitically, but we’ll definitely be watching. 

Tech Update

Noah’s Ark Found?

Recently there has been a lot of news about the possibility of Noah’s Ark being found on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey.

I recently listened to this interview with researcher, Andrew Jones, that perked my curiosity to look into what scientific evidence exists to date. What really got my attention was the ground penetrating radar images that show what clearly looks like a manmade formation. Researchers are led by the Noah’s Ark Scans project, which Jones founded, and academics from Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Turkey. The current compelling evidence includes:

Geophysical Radar Scans: Using advanced radar technology developed through the U.S. Air Force research, the team has identified subsurface anomalies. These include linear and angular features that appear as internal compartments, chambers, and corridor-like voids, evidence of man-made structural design rather than a random geological formation. The dimensions are also relatively the same as the original plans given by God in Genesis 6, including the length of 600 cubits (450 feet), as shown below.

Core Drilling Results: Researchers conducted core drilling at over 22 locations within the formation. Instead of hitting bedrock or solid limestone which they expected, they extracted samples described as rich, black soil.

Organic Material Analysis: Preliminary testing of the soil samples from inside the formation has shown up to 3 times more organic matter and 40% higher carbon levels than the surrounding area. Researchers hypothesize it may be consistent with the remains of decayed wood from a large wooden structure.

The research team aims to release a more detailed scientific report in the spring of 2027.

Regardless of their outcome, as believers, we know with confidence that Noah’s Ark was real. It would, however, be pretty cool to have modern scientific validation of this.

Trivia Corner

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