Matija Kovačević

Husb& 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Dad · Anthropologist · 🇫🇷 Teacher · 🇬🇧-Trained 🇬🇷 NT Prof in 🇭🇷 · Runner🏃‍♂️ · SDA🔥 · Endlessly Curious💡∞
There's a Real Star Wars.

[earshot.ngo @earshot_ngo]

On the 16th of March 2025, Earshot was contacted by activists in Serbia to investigate the potential use of sonic weapons by the government on a crowd of protestors as they were holding a silent vigil for the victims of the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse.

Earshot received 12 videos that document the moments where a weapon was allegedly used against the protestors. 4 of these videos contain a sound consistent with the noise produced by a Vortex Ring Gun or Vortex Cannon.

As this weapon pushes gas out of its cylinder at speeds of 185mph, its expulsion produces a howling noise which has been compared to a jet engine, along with vortex rings that may be ionized. This would create electromagnetic interference with devices such as hearing aids, corroborating reports made by witnesses at the protest.

Should this be the vortex cannon, these recordings would be more than 700m away. At this distance the combustion of the weapon is no longer audible; only the distinct whistling sound of the pressure wave as it travels away from the shooter location and towards the crowd can be heard, causing mass panic.

As Earshot is looking to further investigate this incident, we ask anyone with video footage from that night that captures the specific sound that can be heard in this post to get in touch with us.

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

This is delicious. 😂🇭🇷>🇬🇧🥳🥇

[Bruno Blumenschein @Brunoblumen]

Must watch:

Sinkovic brothers’ win along with a British TV audio commentary 😁😁😁
🤩🤩🤩🤩💯

320 meters to go:
“The Croatians are sprinting and coming to silver, but there is NO WAY…”

Finish line:
“Brits are going to lose! Nooooo!!!”

This is sooo Wembley 3-2 🇭🇷🤝💪

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

"Those who desire to control others must first control themselves. To deal passionately with a child or youth will only arouse his resentment. When a parent or teacher becomes impatient and is in danger of speaking unwisely, let him remain silent." Ed 292.2

[The Reluctant Theologian Podcast @theRTMullins]

In case you are wondering, this makes no sense. As Gassendi and Charleton pointed out during the Scientific Revolution, no one has explained how a timeless God can act in time, and they will continue to fail till Christ returns.

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

If you think that controlling your impulse to deal harshly is a confession of your lack of power, remember that the most powerful being - God - is far more patient & restrained than we ever can be. By choosing to act calmly & with grace, you chose the way of the Omnipotent One!

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

"To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God." - Tim Keller

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

I was resistant to the hype (as my rebellious counter-cultural self usually is) until this year I finally decided to give Tay a chance. Love her music for the same reasons Ty states. #TaylorSwift is not perfect but she IS a brighter spot in pop culture. Am I a #swiftie? Probably.

[Ty Gibson @tyfgibson]

I’ll take a stab at explaining the Taylor Swift phenomenon, just for fun, from the psychological and sociological standpoint.

I began to investigate the matter a little more carefully, as a student of human nature and a preacher of the gospel, when a few articles came to my attention.

Forbes Magazine reported that a whopping 53% of the adult American population are Taylor Swift fans. That doesn’t even take into consideration teenagers. So she definitely has a massive following.

Then the New York Times ran an article on June 17 with the title: “Taylor Swift Has Rocked My Psychiatric Practice.” Therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists are finding that Taylor Swift’s music is therapeutic for mental health. What! Why? What exactly are people hearing in her songs that would elevate their mental health?

Then one of the foremost Shakespearean experts in the world, Jonathan Bate, published an article with the title: “Why Taylor Swift is a Literary Giant—By a Shakespeare Professor.” It turns out her lyrics are studied in colleges and universities as examples of literary genius.

So why are so many people into her music? What’s the attraction? More specifically, what is the subject matter of her lyricism?

The following spoken-word ending to one of her songs encapsulates her general outlook on life, which shows up thematically in many of her songs:

“I wanna be defined by the things that I love,
Not the things I hate,
Not the things that I'm afraid of,
Not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night,
I just think that you are what you love.”

Then, with that perspective on life in place, she writes about things like the following:

Having a good father and how much she loves her dad because of his love for her.

Being bullied at school by a group of mean girls, but then her mother takes her on a fun little trip after school to build her back up like only a loving mother can.

Realizing your mother has cancer and being with her at the hospital hoping against all hope that she's going to survive it.

The emotional grieving process a woman goes through after experiencing a miscarriage, as she imagines what the child would have grown up to be like.

The pain caused in a relationship when none of the good things you do for the person are noticed, because they just don’t care about you the way you care about them.

The story of a little boy dying of cancer at four years of age, sung from the standpoint of the mother as she moves through the process of knowing her little man is going to die.

What it’s like to have a wonderful grandmother who is always there for you, and when she dies you miss her so much you wish you would’ve saved more memories about her.

What it’s like for a man to go off to war to defend his country only to die on the battlefield afraid, but also with a sense of loyalty to his fellow soldiers because he knows he did the right thing.

The painful feelings a person goes through when they love someone, but the person never love them back.

The fact that having an affair is self-destructive, because it deranges the mind with lots of little lies that never amount to real love.

How unfaithfulness in a relationship is so painful that it feels like the pain will last forever, but then suddenly you realize you are healing and you know the pain will not last forever.

What it’s like to be so loved by someone that they take delight in everything about you.

What it’s like for two people to fall in love and start a home together and all the feelings of security and happiness that come from their commitment to one another.

What it’s like to have a truly loyal friend who will always be there for you.

Those are all Taylor Swift songs. That’s the kind of subject matter she sings about, which explains why there would be such a universal appeal. While so much of popular music celebrates illicit sex, denigrates women as bitches and hoes, glorifies the animalistic impulses of men, expects unfaithfulness as the norm, and reduces the notion of love to lust, Swift’s songs celebrate faithfulness and trust, while warning that justice is coming for those who violate the integrity of their relationships. Basically, her songs are stories about the most common experiences people go through, especially women, as they navigate through life from childhood into adulthood. She presents a positive picture of what ought to be: fathers and mothers should be good to their children, friendships should be loyal, and love should be faithful and trustworthy.

Her lyrical storytelling displays a genius level perception of human psychology, relational dynamics, and the many ways we are impacted by love and selflessness. She sings about the deepest longings and the most painful disappointments of the human experience. The net effect is that there is an overwhelmingly empathetic quality to her songwriting.

So what is the secret of her titanic success? It is, without question, her songwriting. She is a storyteller extraordinaire. With ingenious metaphors, poetic skill, and an above average vocabulary, she captures the most common experiences of life. As a result, when listening to her music many people feel seen, heard, understood. That's the gist of it.

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

"We want something else which can hardly be put into words - to be united with the #beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it." - #CSLewis, The Weight of #Glory

#HappySabbath

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

Why did #God allow #freedom to reject Him and choose #evil? Because He's interested more in #loving than in #ruling. He cares more about #relationship than about #reign.

#lovetrumpspower #loveispower

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

When I see so much #evil and #suffering in this #world, I can only conclude that there is no #God...

...in the hearts of countless men who have misused their God-given #freedom.

Let God into your heart & be that foretaste of the world to come where God will fully reign.

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

@TinoMichelleT Exactly! Actually, that is part and parcel of making sure we really know what EGW said. Otherwise, we'd not be riding our bicycles today. xD

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

Before you say #EllenWhite says something, make sure she really said that. Just saying, lol. #pUnintended

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

Let it be known: I loved #RickAstley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" before #rickrolling & I loved #KateBush before #StrangerThings4. 🤓

[Elise Harboldt @EliseHarboldt]

I am often grieved by the tremendous capacity for human misunderstanding. We need more humility, more curiosity about other peoples minds and experiences, and more Spirit-led thinking and remembering. We need the gospel to confront our self-righteousness and shape our conflicts.

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

Amen and amen.

[NAD Adventist @NADadventist]

“They say ‘never take a day off because the devil never takes a day off.’ But the devil is not my role model. And Jesus took a day off. You are not a human doing. You are a human being that was created with periods of rest.”
-Roger Hernandez at #Called2022
#NADpastors #rest

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

Worth reading this short 7-part thread before continuing your existence on Twitter. #GCSession2022 #Adventist #SDA

[Ty Gibson @tyfgibson]

1/7 Twitter is such raw study of human nature. It is quite astounding & revealing what people will say to others at a physical distance, from the protective perch of an electronic device. Certainly greater reserve and respect would be exercised face-to-face around a dinner table.

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

@SpaceX @elonmusk @Space_Station Gives me ED vibes.

[Ty Gibson @tyfgibson]

As I look at Jesus, I’m under the impression we need to love the world enough to speak the gospel in a cultural language they can understand, rather than speaking to ourselves and expecting them to pull up a chair and listen in. All unnecessary barriers should be removed.

[Matija Kovačević @Matheos86]

"...#Calvinism, which emphasizes #God’s authority to the point of absolute control, would lead to the #dictation theory of #inspiration, and, more relevant to our discussion, a #dictatorial style of #leadership..." Great article by @JenniferJillS! https://t.co/rh4PQwBwiw