CREATION MOMENTS: 12.31.16

BIG BANG BOOM?

1 Corinthians 15:41

"There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."
The Big Bang theory holds that in the very early stages of our universe, there were few galaxies, and they were small by today's standards. In this theory, no star can be older than its home galaxy.

 But this tidy model of our universe appears to be in trouble. For this discussion, we are going to use the inflated ages used by astronomers. When astronomers look through their telescopes at a star that is, say, 10 million light years away, they say they are looking at what was there 10 million years ago. Now, the universe is said to be 14 billion years old. Galaxies formed nearly that long ago are a very long way off, expected to be small, and their stars young, just as it was supposed to be after the Big Bang. Work with the Hubble telescope in 2004 revealed many such young galaxies, including one only 800 million years old, but it is six times more massive than our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Most significantly, these young galaxies contain some old red stars. It's said to be like looking in a nursery of cooing babies and finding a few grown men!

 These findings not only call the Big Bang theory into question but support the view that God created a mature universe, just as Scripture teaches.

Thank You, Father, for the glory, beauty and variety You have created in the heavens which praise You. Amen.

Science News, 10/8/05, pp. 235-236, Ron Cowen, "Crisis in the Cosmos?"

 

A TUCK AND A NIP

1 Thessalonians 4:6

"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified."
Most listeners have heard of the little "cleaner fish" or wrasse that clean the teeth of larger fishes. New research on the behavior of these fishes shows that they are not always honest-business fish. Other fish, including those who might ordinarily consider a meal of "cleaner fish", actually stand in line for their services. That's because they need to have parasites and diseased tissue removed. They also know that the little "cleaner fish" offer massages.

 It's amazing enough that even potential predators will become clients for a good cleaning and massage. Researchers from the University of Cambridge in England observed 28 cleaning stations and discovered some unexpected behavior. Now and again, as a "cleaner fish" nibbles parasites off a customer, it might also bite out a chunk of healthy flesh. Wisely, they avoid this behavior when cleaning predators that could bite them back. Researchers also observed that potential customers were aware of this risk and closely watched how the current customer was being treated. They were more likely to seek services from a wrasse that didn't nip any of the customers ahead of them. Of course, the wrasses were also aware of this and were observed to offer those customers they were likely to nip four-star treatment, including a massage.

 Scripture teaches that man's sin infected the whole creation. Thankfully, Christ came to bring us forgiveness.

Father, I thank You for Your laws, but as a sinner, I thank You even more for forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Science News, 11/2/02, p. 277, S. Milius, "Fish Fraud." See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOC2Qc2Qedw

 

SOME MOMS ARE GREEN

Luke 13:34

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"
Chickens aren't the brightest creatures in the animal world, but the mother hen knows to protect her eggs and keep them warm. Many species of snakes also care for their young. Amazingly, scientists have learnt that even some plants have been designed with "motherly" instincts.

 The plantain is a common North American weed, and when it blooms, the warmer it keeps its developing seeds, the more seeds its offspring will produce. Researchers have found that cooler air temperatures cause the mother plant to produce a darker bloom cluster. The darker color absorbs more radiant energy from the sun, and this gives its offspring a boost in life even before they sprout. The shooter plant, as it is commonly called in America's southeast, does something similar. It blooms for several months over the southern summer. The leaf-like bracts that sheathe each flower-cluster have a brown pigment. Researchers observed the plants over several months and found that the bracts that formed in cooler April were darker than the bracts that formed in warmer June. The increased levels of brown pigment in April enabled the bracts to absorb more infrared light that helps to warm the flowers.

 Just where did those plants learn the necessary physics, not to mention the genetics, to produce these motherly provisions? Of course, the answer is God's Intelligent Design from the very start.

Father, I thank You that You are a loving God Who teaches us love ultimately through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Science News, 7/23/05, pp. 59-60, Susan Milius, "Mommy Greenest."

 

WHALES; WAILS SPOOK SEALS

Genesis 11:7

"Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
You hear a bird sing. Can you tell by its dialect where it spends the winter? Birds, like some other creatures, do have different dialects, depending on where they live. However, for most of us, animal dialects are not easy to detect.

 Killer whales also have dialects that are reflected in their 17 different calls. Some killer whales are homebodies, staying in the same area for all of their lives. These whales create few problems for local harbor seals on the North American west coast since they stick to a diet of local fish. Other killer whales form groups that cruise up and down North  America's west coast, hunting cooperatively. These gangs are not satisfied with fish, and they particularly like harbor seals. Researchers have recorded the calls of both groups and have noted that the calls of each group have differing qualities, which amount to differing dialects. They also found that harbor seals know about this. Though the calls are at a frequency that fish cannot hear, the seals can hear them very well. They ignore the calls of local fish-eating whales. But when a killer gang appears in their neighborhood, harbor seals tend to vacate the area rather quickly.

 The ability to communicate and interpret communication are gifts from God, not just to us humans but clearly also to His other creatures.

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of language. Let my words always bear witness of Your love to us in Christ. Amen.

Science News, 11/16/02, p. 308, S. Milius, "Ear for Killers."

 

LOVE YOUR ANEMONES

Psalm 46:9

"He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire."
The world that God created for us and intended us to live in had no wars and no death because there was no sin whatsoever. Once the first man, Adam, brought sin into the world, murder, wars and disease descended upon the entire creation, including the animal world.

 While sea anemones might seem to be relatively peacefully creatures, researchers have discovered that they have a sophisticated army with warriors as well as scouts. The California anemones that were studied live in colonies of genetically identical individuals. Often, another colony of such clones, but genetically different from the first colony, lives quite close. The colonies are separated by a narrow patch of non-clone anemones. While genetically identical individuals get along with each other within each colony, they engage in warfare with the neighboring colony. Some of the individuals, the warriors, have tentacles that are not used for catching food, but rather for lashing invading anemones with stinging cells. Sometimes, scouts will enter the non-clone no-man's land between the colonies. The non-clones appear to be guards that sting any scout that enters their territory from either colony. Researchers were flabbergasted to find such a complex social system and penchant for war among anemones.

 While warfare is something we added to the creation when we sinned, only Jesus Christ can bring us true peace with God.

Prince of Peace, give me Your peace in the midst of a world filled with wars and rumors of war. Amen.

Science News, 6/4/05, p. 355-356, S. Milius, "Anemone Wars."

 

 

 

 

CREATION MOMENTS: 12.21.16

 

A CAGE OF LIGHT

Psalm 27:1

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
Ask any evolutionist, and he will tell you that the Venus Flower Basket is one of the least-evolved animals. This animal is actually a sponge that is made up of a colony of creatures, and it does some amazing things.

 The Venus Flower Basket builds a basket-like skeleton made up of glass-like silica covered only by a thin layer of cells. The intricate internal structure of this skeleton is reinforced to provide the greatest strength using the least amount of material. The resulting skeleton turns out to be a fiber optic network whose sophistication has been compared to modern fiber optics used for telecommunications networks.

 Symbiotic luminescent microorganisms make a home inside the base of the sponge, sending their light throughout the Flower Basket's fiber optic skeleton. The Flower Basket traps shrimp inside this skeleton, where they spend their entire lives. The food they drop feeds those luminescent microorganisms at the bottom of the basket. The purpose of the light pulses is to attract prey to feed the shrimp, who, in turn, feed the source of the light pulses! All of this is even more impressive, given the fact that the Flower Basket has no nervous system whatsoever.

 That this beautiful creature with no nervous system is designed and works in such an intricate manner is a powerful testimony to our Creator, the only One Who could design this.

Father, in the beginning, You created light which brings beauty, but nothing like the beauty of Your salvation. Amen.

Discover, 8/05, pp. 42-47, George M. Whitesides, "Illuminated Life." See also: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/collections/our-collections/euplectella-aspergillum/index.html

 

 

FROM MOZART TO EINSTEIN

1 Chronicles 15:16

"And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of music..."
Scientists have shown that the so-called "Mozart effect" of music in young children is just a myth. This popular idea said that exposing young children to classical music improves their ability in non-verbal tasks. Nevertheless, researchers did find a more interesting effect of classical music on students.

 At the beginning of the school year, researchers from the University of Toronto randomly assigned 132 first graders into one of four groups. Some received piano or drama lessons while others took chess lessons or joined science programs. At the end of the school year, the students' IQ was evaluated. Those who had taken piano lessons showed a 7 point increase in IQ. Those involved in the other programs showed only a 4¼ point increase in IQ. Researchers believe that the focused attention that learning music requires for extended periods is a major factor in the greater increase of IQ among the music students. They also suggest that the memorization required in a musical education also helps IQ. Further research into these and other factors will be the subject of long-term study.

 Music is a gift from God, and the study of music has traditionally been considered an essential element of a good education. Modern research is showing us that this traditional approach to music has more wisdom than is offered by a purely materialistic approach to education.

Father, I thank You for the gift of music. Lord, open my lips that I might sing forth Your praises. Amen.

Science News, 6/19/04, p. 389, B. Bower, "Tuning Up Young Minds."

 

GLOBAL POSITIONING LOBSTERS

Isaiah 40:22

"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in…"
Homing pigeons are valued because of their highly developed sense of direction, and this includes the ability to read the Earth's magnetic field. Some other birds, turtles and even a few salamanders have also shown this same ability. However, bees, ants or people are not born with this ability.

 Until now, those animals classified as "lower animals" on the evolutionary scale were not expected to have such navigation abilities. However, this ability has now been confirmed in – of all things – the Caribbean spiny lobster. Researchers collected more than 100 lobsters from various locations; each lobster was tagged with a number indicating the exact location of their discovery. They were then placed in closed containers and boated about in circuitous routes for an hour so that they would not remember the direction of home. To further confuse the lobsters, some of the containers contained magnets. Each lobster was then fitted with a removable hood so that they were effectively blindfolded. They were then placed in a large tank to see which direction they would naturally seek. Typically, the lobsters would begin trying to walk home, aiming to within three compass degrees of where they were captured.

 Scientists were surprised that a so-called "lower invertebrate" has a navigation system as sophisticated as a homing pigeon. But they shouldn't be surprised. The same wise Creator made both creatures.

Lord, I thank You for Your goodness toward us and all Your creatures in giving them their survival abilities.

Science News, 1/4/03, p. 4, S. Milius, "Homing Lobsters."

 

THE FASTEST FLOWER IN THE WEST

Psalm 105:5

"Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth..."
Can you imagine a plant that moves so fast that science didn't know what it was doing until recently? The plant is a forest wild flower found in North America and called the Bunchberry dogwood.

 A few botanists had noted a strange "poof" associated with the plant, but no one knew what was going on. Researchers at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, were studying the plant when they experienced the "poof." Wanting to track down what the plant was doing, they got a high-speed video camera that can shoot 1,000 frames per second. Amazingly, that camera was too slow to clearly catch what the plant was doing. So they got a higher-speed camera that could shoot 10,000 frames per second.

 When they reviewed the video, they discovered that the flower was releasing pollen at an amazing speed. They calculated that the gravitational force on the pollen as it is released is 800 times the force astronauts endure when they blast into space. This wonder is accomplished by the flowers' very elastic petals which are part of a design that looks like a trebuchet � a medieval catapult.

 The amazing wonders of God's creation should lead us to unceasingly praise Him, something which belief in evolution does not allow. Even if you try to add God to evolution, chance and natural forces still get the credit.

I praise You, Father, for all the wonders of Your creation. Help my life praise you before others as well. Amen.

Science News, 6/11/05, p. 381, "World's Fastest Plant Explodes with Pollen."

 

 

 ONE GENERATION AFTER THE FLOOD

Genesis 8:11

"And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."
Many listeners will recall the volcanic eruption that rocked Washington State as Mount St. Helens exploded in the May of 1980. Fortunately, there was plenty of warning and the event was recorded in detail. Since that time, many studies have been made by the Park service and by creationists, including Creation Moments, on the rate of recovery. In 2005, a generation after the eruption, scientists took a close look at the area to get an idea of how the earth might have recovered a generation after Noah's flood.

 The volcano destroyed 230 square miles of forest. Much of that area was literally sterilized by hot pyroclastic flows. Twenty-five years later, 150 species of plants had established themselves in this area. This included five species of conifers such as the Western hemlock and Pacific silver fir. This was contrary to current ecological theory since these trees are supposed to sprout only after generations of other plants had improved the soil. Many trees were already 15 feet tall. In addition, birds, frogs, toads, mammals and even elk had returned. Again, many of these species were not expected to have returned to the area for a long while yet.

 The Bible mentions the appearance of green plants within two months of the rain stopping at the end of the Flood. Mount St. Helens illustrates such a speedy recovery after the Flood.

Thank You, Father, for making the living world that is so resilient and for preserving it for our good.

Smithsonian, 5/05, David B. Williams, "Phenomena and Curiosities: Rising from the Ashes."

 

 

CREATION MOMENTS: 12.17.16

BEING RIGHT ABOUT RIGHT AND WRONG

Romans 2:15

"Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another..."
Ethicists who believe in evolution are trying to figure out an evolutionary explanation for why people universally have a sense of right and wrong. This line of study is so new that it doesn't yet have a name, although some have suggested "neuroethics" or "moral neuroscience".

 Much of this study began by looking at the theories of philosophers John Stewart Mill and Immanuel Kant. Mill taught that moral good is defined by those actions that do the most good for the most people, even if some individuals must suffer in the process. Kant said that moral good could be defined by pure reason. Then they add in philosopher David Hume, who taught that people consider an action to be good if it makes them feel good.

 However, researchers in this field noted that even monkeys, who don't read philosophy, have a sense of fair play. In one experiment, monkeys who had been accepting cucumbers as a reward began rejecting the cucumbers after they saw other monkeys getting much tastier grapes. At this point in this new "science", some researchers have concluded that right and wrong are nothing more than the instinctive firing of brain neurons.

 Scripture, on the other hand, says that God has written His law on our hearts. This is a much more logical explanation of Man's universal sense of right and wrong.

I thank You, Father, for Your law, but I find comfort in the gospel of forgiveness. Amen.

Discover, 4/04, pp. 60-65, Carl Zimmer, "Whose Life Would You Save?" Photo: portrait of Immanuel Kant.

 

GETTING RID OF THE TRASH

Psalm 139:15

"My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."
Years ago, evolutionary scientists labeled 180 human organs, such as the appendix, as vestiges left over from evolution. The fact is they did not know the function these organs actually served. Since that time, it has been learned that all of these organs have useful functions and have nothing to do with evolution.

 Now a similar situation is shaping up with DNA. As scientists learned what the different segments of DNA do, they also found segments that appeared to have no function. These segments have often been referred to as "junk DNA". Predictably, evolutionists have suggested that these apparently useless segments of DNA are left over from our evolutionary history. Now researchers at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor,  Maine, have discovered that they may have a function after all. They were studying early mammalian development in fertilized mouse eggs and early embryos. As they traced the genes at work in these early stages of development, they discovered that about 10 percent of the so-called "junk DNA" was actively making protein during the first cell divisions of the egg. Further research is planned.

 Like the so-called vestigial organs, at least some so-called "junk DNA" has a purpose and has nothing to do with evolution. Once again, as ignorance is replaced with knowledge, we gain a greater appreciation of what our Creator has made.

Father, I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by Your loving design. Amen.

Science News, 10/16/04, p. 243, C. Brownlee, "Trash to Treasure." See also: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/19/139757702/dont-throw-it-out-junk-dna-essential-in-evolution (August 2011)

 

The Carnal Mind and Death
“To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Romans 8:6-7)

 

This passage defines for us both the carnal mind and the spiritual mind, not with formal definitions, but by giving equivalent terms.

 

First, the carnal mind is identified as being “enmity against God” (v. 7), a rampant disregard for God’s law. Furthermore, the carnal mind is equated with death, specifically eternal, spiritual death. A physically living person may have a carnal mind, bringing with it a spiritual deadness and eternal doom. This also serves us as a working definition of death—being hostile toward God, or minding the things of the flesh. “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you” (vv. 8-9).

 

Next, we see that the spiritual mind is “life and peace” (v. 6)—a supreme preference for God and subjection to His will. This state not only leads to eternal life but is life, along with peace, even now. There can be no peace for the carnally minded.

 

Some would wrongly teach that the physical death of the unbeliever leads to the total annihilation of his body, soul, and spirit. However, this passage teaches that the minding of “the things of the flesh” (v. 5) does not only lead to ultimate physical death, but is death right now.

 

Death is not the extinction of being but the alienation of that being from Christ. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (v. 13). “If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (v. 10). JDM

 

CAN MONKEYS COUNT?

Ecclesiastes 3:21

"Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?"
Listeners will know from our Creation Moments programs that the scientific establishment is firmly convinced that Man evolved from the higher apes millions of years ago. For this reason, rhesus monkeys have long been used not only for pharmaceutical trials but in psychological tests to determine how Man's intelligence evolved.

 Researchers at Duke University, North Carolina, wanted to know if rhesus monkeys could count, and they set up an experiment to find out. Using two television screens, one showed two monkeys vocalizing and the other showed three. However, the audio of each television could be controlled so that in some trials two monkeys could be seen but three voices heard and vice versa. Each one of the 20 test monkeys spent more time watching the matching number of monkeys and voices. The researchers concluded that the rhesus monkeys could tell the difference between the numbers two and three.

 They also pointed out that that the monkeys can count small numbers because this ability relates to their social worlds. Yes, and by the same token, Creation Moments would add that some insects can count to hundreds, but none of this means that Man is related to insects or monkeys! Scripture carefully distinguishes between Man and animals. God placed Man over the animals and gave him an eternal soul that is saved by His Son, Jesus Christ.

Father, I thank and praise You that You have made me because You wanted to love me through Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Science News, 7/2/05, p. 14, "Monkeys keep track of small numbers." Photo courtesy of Einar Fredriksen.

 

ANCIENT HUMMINGBIRDS WERE QUITE MODERN

Genesis 1:20

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."
Today, hummingbirds are found only in North, Central and South  America. Of course, since Noah's Ark landed in the mountains of Ararat, they had to cross Europe and the Atlantic or Asia to get there. However, until now, there was no evidence for this migration.

 Scientists have now discovered two hummingbird fossils in a clay pit in southwestern Germany. These tiny fossils are remarkable in many ways. Until now, evolutionists claimed the earliest hummingbird fossils to be one million years old. The new fossils are said to be 30 to 34 million years old. While we would not agree with the evolutionary dating, we would expect the hummingbird fossils in Europe or Asia to predate those in the New World. Even more interesting is that the fossils suggest that these older birds are fully functional hummingbirds. Their wing bones are like those of modern hummingbirds, which suggest that they could hover and fly backward just like the hummingbirds we know today. Their beaks were twice as long as their skulls, suggesting that they drank nectar just like modern hummingbirds. In other words, there is no sign of any evolutionary development, another fact we would expect.

 While the evidence for the history of hummingbirds is what we would expect, we do not need scientific evidence to uphold scriptural truth. We have God's Word on it.

I thank You, Lord, for the beauty of Your creation, which remains beautiful, despite our sin. Amen.

Science News, 5/8/04, p. 292, S. Perkins, "Ancient Buzzing."

 

DANCING INFRARED GROUND SQUIRRELS

Numbers 21:9

"And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
The last creature a rattlesnake wants to see is the California ground squirrel.

 When an adult ground squirrel finds a rattlesnake, it begins to taunt the snake. The squirrel dashes into striking range, whips its tail about, bites the snake's tail and kicks sand on it. While a rattlesnake can strike with lightening speed, the little ground squirrel is even faster and well able to dart out of the way. Even if it was bitten, the venom wouldn't kill it since these squirrels have proteins in their blood that detoxify the poison. Frustrated snakes have been known to simply retreat when faced with this treatment.

 Researchers have learned that the squirrels' bag of tricks is even deeper. Rattlesnakes can see heat as infrared light. When the ground squirrel is taunting the rattlesnake, it sends additional blood to its tail, causing it to heat up, producing a very obvious infrared image for the snake, further confusing it. Interestingly enough, when the ground squirrel taunts a gopher snake, which cannot detect the infrared, it does not heat its tail.

 How does the squirrel know that the rattlesnake can be confused with an infrared show while the gopher snake cannot? The only explanation is that the Creator, Who made them both and calls us to saving faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, designed the ground squirrels' unique display.

Father, I thank You for the wonders You have made and for the innocent death of Your Son to take my sins away. Amen.

Science News, 6/26/04, p. 403, S. Milius, "Hot Bother."

 

 

CREATION MOMENTS: 12.9.16

BUSY MUSHROOMS

Joel 1:17

"The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered."
If it weren't for mushrooms, there would be so many un-decayed dead trees that there would be no room on Earth for anything else to grow. But mushrooms don't just recycle dead trees. They help make the trees grow in the first place.

 The mushrooms that we see are merely the part of the fungus that produces the fruit. Most of the mushroom is unseen. If you were to peel back the bark of a decaying tree, you'll see white tissue called mycelia. That is the main part of the mushroom plant. Many species of mushrooms combine efforts to help trees grow. Their mycelium forms a sheath around tree roots that help to deliver water and nutrients. In return, they get excess sugar produced by the tree. This relationship is so close that both the fungi and the tree depend upon each other. For example, researchers estimate that the Douglas Fir has about 1,000 species of fungus working together for its support. The fungi will even form underground mycelial networks to move nutrients between different kinds of tree.

 Clearly, God has designed a finely balanced partnership between trees and fungi for their mutual survival. In the Old Testament, God punished His people through the loss of their planted crops. Is it just possible He tipped the fine balance of other such partnerships to do His bidding?

Father, thank You for the beauty of trees and for the tree on which our Lord died to take away our sins. Amen.

Discover, 2005, pp. 48-53, Greg Mueller, "Dr. Mushroom." See also: http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/mycelium.html (updated June 2011).

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING FATHER

Ephesians 6:4

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
How important is father to a child's religious growth? Due to the way in which census information is gathered in Switzerland, researchers were able to find out. And while their conclusions might shock modern sensitivities, they are really not too surprising.

 If both mother and father attend church regularly with their children, 33 percent of those children will grow up to attend church regularly. Another 41 percent will grow up to attend church irregularly, and the remaining 25 percent of the children will end up lost, not going to church at all. Amazingly, if only the father is regular in his church attendance, and the mother is irregular or doesn't go at all, the number of children who grow up to attend church regularly or irregularly actually increases. On the other hand, if only the mother attends church regularly, and the father doesn't go at all, only two percent of the children will grow up to attend church regularly. Researchers concluded that a father's practice of his faith has 12 times more influence upon his children than the mother's. Similar studies in England showed the same trend.

 While no one would dispute that mothers are a great blessing and provide things that fathers cannot provide, clearly, fathers are essential to healthy spiritual development. This is why, in Scripture, God charges fathers with spiritual leader-ship.

Lord, I thank You for faithful fathers everywhere. Help Christian fathers to take their responsibilities seriously. Amen.

Touchstone Magazine, 2003, Robbie Low, "The Truth About Men and Church."

 

CHICKADEE-DEE-DEE DANGER

Psalm 9:20

"And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
Millions of North Americans are familiar with the call of the Black-Capped chickadee: "Chicka-dee". However, most bird-watchers know that the little chickadee communicates danger with its "chickadee-dee-dee" call. Bird-watchers also know that chickens use different warnings for dangers from the air or from the ground.

 Scientists decided to see if chickadees used specialized calls for different dangers. In their first experiments they used a stuffed hawk to see what the chickadees in an outdoor aviary would do. However, they were only fooled once, and after that researchers had to use live hawks. After studying over 5,000 responses, a pattern emerged. Small, agile raptors like hawks are more dangerous to chickadees than, say, a large, horned owl, which the chickadees can easily evade. When confronted by a smaller raptor, the birds' "chicka" call added up to four "dee"s in rapid succession, instead of two more leisurely "dee"s. Even more "dee"s might be added if the chickadees evaluated the danger as greater. Most frightening to the little birds was a pygmy owl that rated 23 "dee"s.

 God cares for all His creatures and, knowing that predation would enter the creation with man's sin, provided them with ways to warn each other. He also gave man His Word to warn us how to avoid sin and how to escape from it through Jesus Christ, should we become entrapped.

I thank You, Lord, for Your protection from all the dangers we face, especially the danger of our sin. Amen.

Science News, 6/25/05, pp. 403-404, S. Milius, "Dee for Danger." See also: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/sounds

 

THE MASTER OF LIGHT

Psalm 96:9

"O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth."
Over hundreds of years, science has learned a lot about manipulating light. And while lasers and liquid crystals might seem pretty sophisticated, some of God's creatures show us how much more there is to learn.

 The Morpho butterfly is one of the brightest butterflies in nature but looked at closely in artificial light it appears dull gray-brown. However, in the sunlight its color changes to a bright blue. It can do this because the scales on its wings form a type of diffraction grating called a photonic band gap. This diffraction grating is formed by a precise spacing of the scales so that they are similar to the wavelength of sunlight. When white light hits the grating, it breaks down into its various colors. The red light waves cancel each other out, and all the other colors are scattered, except the blue. As a result, the blue color never fades, and it is so intense that it can be seen up to half a mile away. Scientists comment that we do not yet know how to make an optical structure this complex.

 The Morpho butterfly, with all its precise engineering, is a testimony to the skill and love of beauty of our Creator. He considers Holiness the greatest of beauties – a beauty given us through the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Thank You, Father, for the light of Your truth and for giving us the beauty of Christ's holiness. Amen.

Discover, 8/05, pp. 42-47, George M. Whitesides, "Illuminated Life." See also: http://www.bluemorphobutterfly.net/

 

FRESH DUST?

1 Corinthians 15:40

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another."
The last few years have seen a good deal of excitement among astronomers over the possibility of discovering planets orbiting distant stars. Astronomers are looking at stars that are surrounded by disks of dust and debris.

 The idea is that planets form over millions of years from the dust and rock that orbits a star. This was supposedly how the Earth formed billions of years ago. Hundreds of such stars have so far been identified. Often, these debris fields extend further from the star they orbit than, say, Pluto is from our sun. The question is, are the discovery of planets and debris around other stars proof of evolution's story of the formation of the Earth?

 Scientists believe that it takes two or three million years for planets to form out of the orbiting debris. However, they also recognize that it only takes a few thousand years before a star's gravity draws the dust into itself, or the pressure of its radiation forces the dust away from itself. This leaves the hundreds of stars with dusty debris fields a mystery. Astronomers believe that all these stars still have their dust after millions or billions of years because they are getting fresh dust from somewhere else, but scientists don't know where.

 Perhaps a better explanation is that these stars are only about 6,000 years old.

Father, I thank You for Your trustworthy Word, which tells me of the forgiveness of sins through Your Son. Amen.

Science News, 7/2/05, pp. 10-12, Ron Cowen, "Panning Distant Dust."

 

 

 

CREATION MOMENTS: 12.2.16

OXYGEN OPTIONAL CARP

Psalm 77:14

"Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people."
The long, cold winters of Scandinavia not only freeze the lakes, but pile so much snow on the lake ice that no light can penetrate to the cold, unfrozen water beneath. This means that the creatures below the ice can use up all the oxygen in the lake water.

 As a result of the lack of oxygen, lactic acid builds up in the bodies of these creatures as they metabolize sugar to get energy. However, turtles can stand levels of lactic acid in their systems that would kill you or me, and they lower their heartbeat to 10 percent of normal. The Crucian carp, similar to a goldfish, takes a unique approach to this lack of oxygen. As the oxygen disappears, the carp slows its heartbeat. The fish then changes its entire metabolic chemistry to a process that can get energy from sugar without oxygen. This oxygen-free metabolism turns the lactic acid into ethanol, which the fish releases through its gills. The members of this carp family are the only vertebrates that can continue normal life without oxygen.

 That God's wonders seem without number and often seem impossible tells us of God's unlimited creativity and His ability to do anything. His plan of salvation in which His Son, Jesus Christ, carried our sin on the cross makes us thankful for His creativity and wisdom.

I rejoice, dear Father, because Your great wisdom and power are used in love toward us. Amen.

Science News, 10/2/04, p. 213, S. Milius, "Beat Goes On." See also: http://www.crucians.org/

 

THE MONSTER WITH 24 ARMS

1 Peter 5:8

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..."
A real monster prowls the ocean floor from the Aleutian Islands to Southern California. It is a terror to even relatively large bottom dwellers. It eats many things, including hermit crabs, clams, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and even abalone. This monster goes by the seemingly innocent name of the Sunflower Star.

 The Sunflower Star begins life as a microscopic larva, much like other sea stars. But as it grows, it surpasses anything that other sea stars can achieve. Its five arms become more arms as it grows until it finally has 24 arms. By this time it can be 39 inches across. But its size does not limit its speed. It uses 15,000 tube feet to move over 5 feet per minute. This is possible because, like other sea stars, the Sunflower Star's skeleton is made up of just a few pieces of skeletal mesh, making it more flexible. It is such a terror to other creatures that when they sense its approach they flee at surprising speed. Even the Northern Abalone, which normally moves sluggishly, flees in the hope that the Sunflower Star will not capture it.

 The Bible urges vigilance on our part because our spiritual enemy is a monster who seeks to entrap us in sin. We can be thankful that Jesus Christ has provided both deliverance and protection from this monster.

Lord, I thank You that You have rescued me from the devil. Help me stay vigilant so I may resist his traps. Amen.

Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, "The Sunflower Star," http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

 

IT'S A WAR OUT THERE

Psalm 71:2

"Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me."
The enemy prowls the night skies, searching. But its would-be victims may have sensitive sonar detectors, allowing them to flee before detection. If the prey is spotted on sonar, the prey has counter measures, even jamming the enemy's sonar.

 No, this is not a scene from some modern battlefield. Rather, it is a description of things going on all around us. Many insects – including moths, beetles and katydids – have sensors that can detect a bat's sonar before they are spotted and targeted by the bat. When targeted, moths will either fold their wings and drop to the ground, or they will spiral upward erratically. The bat never knows what to expect. Other moths will send out high-pitched squeaks that some scientists think disrupt the bat's sonar.

 While most fish cannot hear at the frequency of the dolphin's sonar, the American shad can. Lab tests have shown that the shad will move away from sounds that simulate foraging dolphins. If the sound becomes louder, the shad will form themselves into a tight ball at the opposite end of the tank, making any single fish less likely to be the dolphin's victim.

 Our greatest enemies – sin and its results – are not so easily evaded. But thank God that we can flee to the wounds of Christ for forgiveness of our sin so we may know God's love.

I thank You, Father, that I can escape Your wrath for my sin through the innocent suffering of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Science News, 5/14/05, p. 315, "Biological Arms Race." See also: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/text/347/moths_and_bat_predation.html

 

MAN: THE MISSING YEARS

Genesis 2:15

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."
According to the evolutionary timetable, mankind has been on Earth for about 100,000 years. Archeologists and Paleo-archeologists claim that 100,000 years ago the earliest true men began to bury their dead, often with flowers and other trinkets, suggesting that he was capable of abstract thought. Paintings on cave walls and ceilings show that early man was capable of creating exquisite art. Other excavations have yielded scale models, toys and jewelry. It is strange, then, that for these 95,000 years, man left no written record of himself.

 We are also told that, according to the evolutionary timetable, that it was only about 5,000 years ago that man discovered agriculture. Why would it have taken at least 95,000 years for man to have discovered that when seeds are planted in the ground, they sprout and produce more food? The truth is, even the most lush jungle on Earth today cannot produce enough plant material to feed people. Anywhere you find people in the jungle, you will also find gardens to supplement their diet.

The answer to this mystery is simple. Those first 95,000 years never happened. The written record we have of man and our knowledge of his agriculture can be easily accounted for within a literal understanding of the biblical history. And the Bible tells us that Adam was the first to engage in agriculture.

Father, I thank You for the blessings of the fruit of the earth, and of the written word, especially the Bible. Amen.

Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Creationism, vol. 1, pp. 73-78, James O. Dritt, "Man's Earliest Beginnings: Discrepancies in Evolutionary Timetables."

 

THE PROBLEM OF GENIUS

Genesis 1:26a

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…"
The piano you hear in the background was being played by Matt Savage. He wrote the music and called this piece "Ladybug Bounce". Matt is an autistic boy, does piano concerts and was then just twelve years old.

 How does evolution explain such extraordinary talent? Certainly it cannot be ascribed to "survival of the fittest" since musical or mathematical abilities are not related to survival. Textbooks based upon evolution generally remain silent about genius. However, when the question is considered from a biblical perspective, a reasonable explanation does present itself.

 God created Adam and Eve and declared them to be "very good". That would mean perfect in every respect – perfect memory, perfect ability to concentrate and so on. Scripture further tell us of Adam's disobedience and Fall. We are the living members of his offspring and note the historical decline in Man's mental abilities. Now, is it just possible that these remarkable qualities exist in everyone's psyche or soul but are normally hidden or covered over? Occasionally, an individual is born, such as Matt Savage, where part of that covering is removed. Science cannot adequately explain these cases, but Creation Moments suggests that God occasionally removes some of the sin-stain on their soul so that a little of the original perfection is revealed to convey to the rest of us what the original creation was like.

Dear Lord, teach us to be sensitive to those You may be using to show us the original perfection of Your creation.

CD album "Cutting Loose" track #14. Other CD albums available from: Savage Records, P. O. Box 35, Francestown, NH  03043, www.savagerecords.com. See also: http://autisticsavant.blogspot.com/2007/05/matt-savage.html