"We have reached a point of historic crisis."
- Eric Hobsbawm, British author

eather has always fascinated people. Men and women observe the clouds, often noticing the subtleties of shade and color, and they easily discern the changing weather patterns.

When growing up in South Texas, I had plenty of time while driving a tractor on my father's farm to watch weather patterns and even to fancy myself an amateur meteorologist. Keeping a watch on the weather seems natural to many of us.

Nearly two millennia ago Jesus Christ commented on this same predisposition: "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:2-3, New International Version, emphasis added throughout).