Thoughts...

Just some questions and thoughts that have been sitting in my head for some time...Some have obvious answers, others do not. Some have accompanying thoughts, others do not.

1) Would we have fellowship without Christ's crucifixion and resurrection?



2) Why would a Bible-believing Christian vote for a liberal? No matter if you're serious about the elections or not, who you vote for reflects who you think is an adequate leader for this country. If that candidate who you are voting for does not exhibit Christ-like character and supports things that go directly against God's Word, is Christ your role model for leadership?


3) E-85 Ethanol is a Spurious Solution to our oil problems...

The United States currently spends over twenty billion dollars a year importing oil from the Persian Gulf. With gas prices increasing, many are looking for a solution to this expensive problem. Investors and politicians are pushing for accelerated research into alternative fuels because they see a new fuel as the solution rather than a new form of production or distribution of gasoline. The current alternative fuel being praised is E85 Ethanol. This fuel, made up of eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline, is growing in popularity and use throughout the United States. However, when the facts are examined and an objective conclusion is inferred, it can be seen that gasoline still offers the most appealing solution to the problem of foreign oil dependence.
The production of E85 Ethanol is a complicated process. Corn and sugarcane, the most widespread sources for the fuel, must be grown, harvested, processed, and distributed. The distillation and distribution of E85 are more tedious processes than their equivalents with gasoline. Distilling the fuel requires new technology and the fuel must be distributed in a special environment because of its corrosive and water soluble nature. Gasoline, however, is refined across the United States and can be shipped in pipelines that already exist. Drilling for gasoline and refining it are processes that have been perfected throughout the past century. The costs of refining and distributing gasoline make it economically superior to E85 Ethanol.
Once the fuel is supplied to the consumer, the topic of efficiency arises. Ethanol burns at a higher temperature than gasoline, but gasoline contains more potential energy than Ethanol. For every gallon of gasoline burned, more than one gallon of Ethanol must be burned in order to have the same energy output of the burned gasoline. In fact, reports indicate that a full tank of E85 Ethanol averages fifteen to twenty percent less in efficiency than the same tank filled with gasoline. If the United States wants to pursue a reasonable replacement for gasoline, it follows that the replacement must be greater than or equal to gasoline in efficiency.
Since foreign factors affect prices at the pumps in the United States, many see Ethanol as the solution to high gas prices. E85 Ethanol prices have always lingered within gasoline prices, so the defining factor is fuel economy. As previously shown, E85 Ethanol suffers in the area of fuel economy. Since consumers who use E85 will receive less miles per gallon than gasoline consumers, they will have to fill up more often. Over time, this results in a large amount of money that could have been saved if the consumer had used gasoline. If the United States seeks to replace gasoline with E85 Ethanol, Americans will be paying even more at the pump than they already are and gasoline prices will decrease with a lack of demand. Also, as long as the efficiency of Ethanol does not meet the standard established by gasoline, the environmental impacts of E85, including emissions and waste, will always be greater than those of gasoline.
The United States is the world’s second largest consumer of oil and every day we consume millions of barrels. A predicament arises when the source either becomes
limited or is cut off, and foreign suppliers are in good positions to do just that. When the facts are examined, it is obvious that E85 Ethanol is not the solution to our foreign oil dependence. Until a new fuel can surpass the standards set by gasoline in production, efficiency, and overall environmental impact, the solution will continue to lie within gasoline itself.

Those are my thoughts.

Gimme Three Steps...

I am stumped.

Let me clarify that. Whenever I think of someone as being stumped, a figure with a grimaced face and head cocked to one side always dwells among my thoughts. However, that is not the case this time.

Now it's like I'm someone who's had his arms and legs completely sliced off, like a tree stump (so I feel "stumped"). I can't pick up anything, I can't run anywhere, I just fall the ground with a carnal thud and lie there. Wonderful.

What am I saying? I don't know what is in store for me. Is it necessary for me to know? Of course not, but not knowing what God has in store for me in the future is like being mutilated at all four corners and left to sit and wait. Arrgh.

As frustrating as it may seem, I think it's probably a necessary step. I mean, how can my limbs do what God wants them to do if they aren't submissive to His will? It's like a transplant of sorts. Right now, I'm without limbs. Is it better than having limbs? The absence of my old appendages that only listened to me is a good thing no matter if they have been replaced or not. I'm just waiting for a transplant here, because I have no idea what lies beyond the horizon when I take those first few steps with my new and improved legs.