The news this day contained a story titled: “Dog Chews Lithium-Ion Battery, With Disastrous Results: Tulsa Fire Department Issues Warning after Home Burns”. The article, posted on www.Newser.com included a link to a video posted on www.YouTube.com of the actual fire as it started.
The article reads:
A dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, and video of the moment the sparks began to fly has been enlisted by a fire department to show the potential dangers of those batteries. The footage taken from the home and posted last week on the Tulsa Fire Department's Facebook page shows the dog gnawing on the device atop one of two cushions set on the floor of a living room, per the AP. Another dog can be seen on a couch and a cat on the floor as the dog bites down and sparks begin to shoot from the battery. The dog pulls back and soon the cushions are ablaze. Both dogs watch the growing fire at one point.
The fire department said the Tulsa-area home was significantly damaged by the fire in May but the two dogs and the cat escaped through a pet door. Fire department spokesman Andy Little said in the post that the battery the dog was chewing was intended for charging cell phones. He said lithium-ion batteries can store "a significant amount of energy in a compact space" but when that energy "is released uncontrollably, it can generate heat, produce flammable and toxic gasses and even lead to explosions." He said the batteries can possibly become dangerous when they are damaged, overcharged, or exposed to extreme heat. Fortunately for the pets, Little said, all escaped the flames uninjured.
Now that’s what I call taking a mouthful of something and winding up with serious heartburn!
As I perused the story, I will have to admit, first of all, that I was a little happy that my wife and I have a cat and not a dog. It may pick carpet and furniture with its claws; but at least it does not chew on things that are apt to ignite fires.
But I also found myself asking a basic question: “What energizes me?” Seriously, a major battery manufacturer refers to its brand as the “energizer”. We now know that batteries that energize can also produce unwarranted results if consumed inappropriately.
As I look around, I see a lot of people consuming a lot of things they hope might energize them. For some, it is caffeine. For others, it is nicotine. For yet others, it is medication. And of course, for a great many, it is alcohol, drugs, pornography, and/or a whole host of other illicit substances or activities.
People depend upon any number of things to find strength and/or courage to face their day, their responsibilities, or their lives. Some of those things are legally and morally acceptable. Others are not. But whether legal or socially acceptable or not, whatever we consume can and very often will have consequences.
And if this matters in our everyday lives, how much more does it matter in our spiritual life?! Here, we must truly be careful about what energizes us. And above all else, we must be careful about what we choose to consume!
And so my friend, irrespective of your favorite minister, television preacher, or award-winning artist, even church or denomination, be careful about what all you willfully chew and swallow!
The only entity which should truly energize us is God Himself. And that is why, in the New Testament Book of Philippians (chapter 4, verse 13), the Apostle stated: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The contemporary English version translates this verse as: “Christ gives me the strength to face anything!”
And so, my friend, who or what energizes you? If you are seeking your strength in any other way than the One Who claimed to be “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”, then don’t be surprised if circumstances eventually blow up in your face… And when that happens, things quickly get heated. And soon enough, out of control!
Why suffer that heartburn?
NEWS STORY SOURCE:
https://www.newser.com/story/354147/dog-chews-lithium-ion-battery-with-disastrous-results.html.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/philippians/4-13.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/14-6.htm.
The article reads:
A dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, and video of the moment the sparks began to fly has been enlisted by a fire department to show the potential dangers of those batteries. The footage taken from the home and posted last week on the Tulsa Fire Department's Facebook page shows the dog gnawing on the device atop one of two cushions set on the floor of a living room, per the AP. Another dog can be seen on a couch and a cat on the floor as the dog bites down and sparks begin to shoot from the battery. The dog pulls back and soon the cushions are ablaze. Both dogs watch the growing fire at one point.
The fire department said the Tulsa-area home was significantly damaged by the fire in May but the two dogs and the cat escaped through a pet door. Fire department spokesman Andy Little said in the post that the battery the dog was chewing was intended for charging cell phones. He said lithium-ion batteries can store "a significant amount of energy in a compact space" but when that energy "is released uncontrollably, it can generate heat, produce flammable and toxic gasses and even lead to explosions." He said the batteries can possibly become dangerous when they are damaged, overcharged, or exposed to extreme heat. Fortunately for the pets, Little said, all escaped the flames uninjured.
Now that’s what I call taking a mouthful of something and winding up with serious heartburn!
As I perused the story, I will have to admit, first of all, that I was a little happy that my wife and I have a cat and not a dog. It may pick carpet and furniture with its claws; but at least it does not chew on things that are apt to ignite fires.
But I also found myself asking a basic question: “What energizes me?” Seriously, a major battery manufacturer refers to its brand as the “energizer”. We now know that batteries that energize can also produce unwarranted results if consumed inappropriately.
As I look around, I see a lot of people consuming a lot of things they hope might energize them. For some, it is caffeine. For others, it is nicotine. For yet others, it is medication. And of course, for a great many, it is alcohol, drugs, pornography, and/or a whole host of other illicit substances or activities.
People depend upon any number of things to find strength and/or courage to face their day, their responsibilities, or their lives. Some of those things are legally and morally acceptable. Others are not. But whether legal or socially acceptable or not, whatever we consume can and very often will have consequences.
And if this matters in our everyday lives, how much more does it matter in our spiritual life?! Here, we must truly be careful about what energizes us. And above all else, we must be careful about what we choose to consume!
And so my friend, irrespective of your favorite minister, television preacher, or award-winning artist, even church or denomination, be careful about what all you willfully chew and swallow!
The only entity which should truly energize us is God Himself. And that is why, in the New Testament Book of Philippians (chapter 4, verse 13), the Apostle stated: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The contemporary English version translates this verse as: “Christ gives me the strength to face anything!”
And so, my friend, who or what energizes you? If you are seeking your strength in any other way than the One Who claimed to be “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”, then don’t be surprised if circumstances eventually blow up in your face… And when that happens, things quickly get heated. And soon enough, out of control!
Why suffer that heartburn?
NEWS STORY SOURCE:
https://www.newser.com/story/354147/dog-chews-lithium-ion-battery-with-disastrous-results.html.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/philippians/4-13.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/14-6.htm.