CREATION MOMENTS: 9.30.17

SALIVA IS NOTHING TO SPIT AT

Malachi 4:2

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."
Someday, instead of having to give a blood sample during your physical exam, the doctor might just ask you for a saliva sample. Saliva is an amazing fluid. Besides helping us moisten and digest food, saliva is able to speed healing and fight bacteria, fungi and viruses. Saliva is chemically almost identical to the clear part of your blood. It even has, in lesser concentrations, the infectious organisms found in your blood.

Let's say, for example that you suddenly find yourself in a stressful situation. The level of the hormone cortisol will increase in your blood in response to the stress. Within 20 minutes, that increase will be evident in your saliva. This means that someday saliva tests may replace blood samples. In the United States, saliva tests have been approved to diagnose AIDS, illegal drugs, periodontal disease, alcohol and premature labor. If the hormone estriol rises in a woman's blood before 36 weeks of gestation, doctors know that the woman may go into labor prematurely. Saliva testing is also used to check hormone levels in women who are having a difficult time conceiving a child. Other countries have approved a saliva test for hepatitis B.

Saliva's remarkable abilities are a witness to a loving Creator. He knew that we would sin and thus bring disease into the world. So He gave us saliva that not only defends us against infection but also helps us heal. But the greatest love He has shown us is in sending His Son to give us spiritual healing.

I thank You, Lord, for all Your good gifts, especially salvation. Amen.

Judy Foreman, The spitting image gains credibility, Star Tribune, September 12, 1999, p.E3, Image: Salivary glands. Courtesy of Bruce Blaus. (CC BY 3.0)

 

HOW SMALL CAN LIFE BE?

Job 9:10

"Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number."
How small can a living thing be and still be considered alive? Viruses are not considered living things because they cannot reproduce on their own. But now scientists have confirmed the existence of bacterai that are smaller than the largest viruses and yet can reproduce on their own. They call this amazing class of bacteria nanobacteria. They are less that 20 percent the size of normal bacteria.

The unusual nanobacteria have some unusual abilities. Normally, cells in the immune system detect a bacterium in the bloodstream, engulf it, and destroy it. But nanobacteria are able to trick immune cells into committing suicide. Luckily, nanobacteria reproduce very slowly. While the average bacteria reproduces once an hour, nanobacteria take three days to double their numbers. But they still do a lot of damage. Researchers have found that nanobacteria are apparently able to build a calcium shell around themselves. It appears that when they enter the bloodstream, they quickly migrate to the kidneys, where they begin building their shells. Researchers investigating whether nanobacteria cause painful kidney stones have reported testing 30 stones so far. Each stone showed antibodies that bind to nanobacteria. The good news is that if nanobacteria are a cause of kidney stones, they can be eradicated with antibiotics.

While scientists are unsure of how something so small can be alive, our wonderful Creator is able to fashion even these tiny, amazing creatures.

I rejoice and praise You, dear Father, for the wonder of Your creation. Amen.

John Travis, The Bacteria in the Stone, Science News, v. 154, p.75. Photo: Structures found on meteorite fragment. Courtesy of Allan Hills. (PD)

 

THE DECEPTION OF A GLOW IN THE DARK SHARK

Jeremiah 17:9

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"
The creation is filled with plants and animals which use deception to survive. The glow in the dark cookie-cutter shark is a master at such deception.

The cookie-cutter shark is only a foot to a foot and a half long. It doesn't have powerful muscles and can't swim very fast. But it doesn't need to. Lunch serves itself. The shark typically lives between 600 and 3,000 feet below the surface of the water. Looking down from above one of these sharks, you would probably not see it because the top of its body is as dark as the deep waters where it lives. Looking up from below, you wouldn't see the dark outline of the shark against the light that filters down from the surface. This is because of the shark's first deception: its underside is completely covered with light emitting cells that match the illumination from above. The deception doesn't stop there, however. A small patch beneath the shark's jaw doesn't glow. From beneath, the cookie-cutter shark looks like a small fish, just the kind of dinner a tuna might like. As the tuna speeds toward what it thinks is a small fish, at the last minute the shark turns and takes a bite out of the tuna. Its open, round jaw takes a plug of flesh out of the tuna � hence, the name cookie-cutter shark. Interestingly, most cookie-cutter shark wounds are not fatal.

The fact that the cookie-cutter shark's form, deceptions and habits all match each other perfectly is not a result of chance, mindless evolution but of God's careful design.

Lord, enlighten me with Your gifts that I may not be deceived. Amen.

S. Milius, Glow-in-the-dark shark has killer smudge, Science News, v.154, p.70. Photo: Cookie-cutter shark. Pencil shows its small size. (PD)

 

 MODERN MEDICINE IS CATCHING UP WITH THE BIBLE

Proverbs 3:7-8

"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

For thousands of years the Bible has taught that there is a link between spiritual health and physical health. When rationalism came along, many sought to deny the spiritual aspect of humans. For them, the spiritual and the material have nothing to do with each other. Even medicine was, and still is, taught and practiced by many without any consideration of human spirituality. In one recent survey, only 20 percent of doctors reported that spirituality and healing ever came up during their medical education.

According to several recent surveys that rationalistic view is now beginning to change. These surveys include a 1996 poll of family physicians, a 1997 poll of HMO professionals and a 1987 survey of Americans. Now, 87 percent of the Americans public believe that prayer and other religious practices help in the treatment of people who are ill. Most surprising, 99 percent of all physicians polled believe these things help. Forty-one percent of the American public polled said that their ill health had been improved or even cured because of personal prayer. It is not out of place, according to 74 percent of Americans, for doctors to begin a discussion of a patient's spiritual needs as part of the patient's treatment.

It's not surprising to learn that the Bible was right thousands of years before modern medicine learned that spiritual health and physical health are related. But it is nice to see this area of science finally catching up with the Bible.

I praise You, dear Father, because You have shared Your wisdom with us in the Bible. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Better Health, Summer 99, v.15, n.2. Photo: Pixabay (PD)

 

 RARE AND HIDDEN FLOWERS

Luke 11:33

"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light."
Two strange species of orchids are among the rarest flowers in the world. These unconventional plants live their entire lives underground, even flowering underground. Most often, their flowers never break the surface of the ground. One of these species, Cryptanthemus, has been found only three times in this century. Only 150 flowering Rhizanthella plants have ever been found.

Since they live in the dark underground, neither orchid has any need for chlorophyll or leaves. Each looks like nothing more than a white, waxy root. Rhizanthella produces a flower that is initially white, but which turns purplish as it ages. Its fragrance has been described as delicate and sweet. Cryptanthemus produces a candelabra flower stalk that has several white flowers with small red splotches. The flowers remain almost an inch under the soil. Both species begin life in the same way as most orchids. The orchid seeds germinate when threads of a fungus invade the embryo and form coils within the seed. At this point, other orchids grow leaves so they can make their own food. But these underground orchids continue to live in a symbiotic relationship throughout their entire lives, being fed by the fungus.

The wonders of God's creative handiwork never cease to amaze us. But God's greatest creation is a redeemed believer in Jesus Christ, a creation He does not want hidden. That's why He tells us in His Word to let the light of faith and new life He has given us in Christ shine onto those around us.

Thank You, Father, for the new life You have given me through Christ and help me live so that others can see it. Amen.

Margaret Helder, Underground Flowers in Australia, Dialogue, Winter, p.6. Photo: Rhizanthella gardneri (underground orchid). Courtesy of Jean and Fred Hort. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

 

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CREATION MOMENTS: 9.23.17

WHAT DOES THE MILKY WAY SAY ABOUT EVOLUTION?

Job 22:12

"Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!"
When we look at the size of the universe, it sometimes becomes easier to see evolution as credible. After all, when we see galaxies that are said to be billions of light years away, it seems possible that there really have been millions of years. But, in truth, the immensity of space is really not so friendly to evolution's claim that the universe, and the earth, are billions of years old.

The Milky Way galaxy, like many galaxies, is a spiral galaxy. You have probably seen the illustrations showing spiral arms of stars wrapped around the bright center of our galaxy. The stars closest to the center of our galaxy rotate around the center more rapidly than the stars further out on the spiral arms. When these differences in speed are worked out, we discover that our galaxy, no less our earth, cannot be billions of years old. If the Milky Way was that old, the spiral arms would have long ago become nothing more than a disc of stars. Evolutionary scientists recognize this problem, calling it "the winding up dilemma." But they have been unable to come up with an explanation that is satisfactory.

As we look at the creation for evidence of its age, the clues we have so far found can only give us an upper limit. They cannot give us an exact age. But even the size of the universe fails to support the idea that the creation is billions of years old. If instead we piece together the Biblical genealogies, which are really ancient calendars, we arrive at an age for the creation of a little more than 6,000 years.

Father, I praise and thank You that though You are great, You have loved me through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

D. Russell Humphreys, Ph.D., Evidence for a Young World, Creation Matters, July/August 1999. Image courtesy of Yuri Beletsky. (CC BY 3.0)

 

NOT EVERY GIFT HAS VALUE

Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
Human bridegrooms are not the only males who give gifts to their intended. The birds and the flies do it, too. On a previous program we talked about how the bower bird woos his potential mate by building a hut for her and decorating it with bright objects.

The dance fly presents its intended with a gift, the gift is essentially worthless. The courtship takes place early in the morning as the males swarm. Each courting male carries what looks like a balloon in its back legs. These shiny balloons are only a few millimeters in diameter. As far as we know they are of no value to the female, being made of nothing more than the male's saliva. That may be why the females do not necessarily select the males with the largest balloon. Why did God build this behavior into the dance fly? Perhaps it reflects nothing more than the incredible creativity and variety that God built into His creation.

Or perhaps it was to remind us that not every gift has value so that we would be doubly thankful for His good gifts to us. And His greatest gift to us was the life, death and Resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

I thank You, dear Father, for the gift of Your Son and the salvation He has made possible for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

S.M., Nuptial balloons, Size doesn't matter, Science News, v. 155, p. 267. Photo: Dance fly. Courtesy of James Lindsey. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

DON'T STRESS OUT YOUR UNBORN BABY

1 Peter 5:6-7

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you."
We all instinctively know that worry and anxiety is not good for us. Previous studies have shown that stress affects our health and makes our immune systems less efficient. But somehow that knowledge doesn't seem to be enough to keep us from fretting about the challenges and problems of life.

A study conducted by researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brook examined the effect of a mother's stress on the birth weight of her baby. They studied 130 women between the ages of 18 and 42 years of age. This exhaustive study examined causes of stress, including daily feelings of anxiety, long term anxiety and financial stress. They also factored in 66 medical risk factors associated with the birth weight of their child. They found that premature births were most likely among women who faced both medical risks and emotional stress. In fact, they concluded that emotional stress was more likely to produce underweight births than just medical risks alone. Researchers admitted that every mother to be faces some stress, often without harm to the baby. But the key is how one deals with negative events in one's life. We can deal constructively with stress by giving all our cares to God. Because God has loved us so much that He even allowed His Son to be sacrificed for our salvation, we know He will carry all our cares.

I thank You, dear Father, that You have loved me so much. I cast all my cares upon You, for I know You love me. Amen.

B. Bower, Anxiety weighs down pregnancies and births, Science News, v.138, p.102. Photo: Pixabay (PD)

 

THE KEY TO REAL LEADERSHIP

Proverbs 12:24

"The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute."
Wasp colonies in temperate zones usually wait until the end of summer to raise male young. That's because male wasps are typically useless consumers of food. They don't do anything worthwhile in the nest, nor do they help gather resources. Female paper wasps often practice what experts call "male stuffing." When food is brought into the nest, a job carried out by females, other females will stuff their brothers head first into unused nest cells. Needless to say, in the typical nest males have short lives.

The first exception to this pattern was recently discovered in Costa Rica. Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle have discovered a species of wasp in which the males are not only in charge, but also help out in the nest. The female wasps still gather the food, but the males demand and get all they want, even from the queen. But the males were also observed fanning an overheated nest to cool it. They helped remove water during a flood, and they helped take care of the larvae. The males of this species remain with their parent colony for an unusually long time for wasps. Yet, at any time, they can father a new colony. Other tropical species are now being studied to see if this behavior is unique.

The Bible teaches that proper authority is respected when it comes from a spirit of servanthood. This pattern seems to extend even to wasps. Modern human culture needs to be reminded of the principle that when males pitch in and help, their leadership will be appreciated and followed.

I submit myself to You, Lord, because You served me with Your life, death and Resurrection. Thank You. Amen.

S. Milius, Male Insects Rule in a Tropical Society, Science News, v. 155, p.116.  Photo: Pixabay (PD)

 

 THE AMPHIPOD'S UNIQUE ESCAPE

James 4:7

"Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
The hunted are smart to stay downwind of the hunter. Many predators hunt using scent, at least in part. The same principle works in water. Many predators smell chemicals given off by their prey and use that scent to help them locate their prey. If you were a predator in a stream you would be smart to stay downstream from your prey. The prey won't smell you. In addition, you might be able to smell him if he gets too close.

Amazingly, the little shrimp-like amphipod seems to be able to smell predators even downstream. Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have discovered that amphipods can even smell a brown trout downstream and try to avoid it. Scientists designed an artificial stream that divided into two branches. Down one branch was a brown trout, while no predator waited down the other branch. Then amphipods were placed upstream of the branch and allowed to go downstream. When the amphipods came to the branch, they avoided the branch with the trout. To check whether the amphipods were actually smelling scents from downstream, researchers put trout scents in the downstream water. This was enough to cause the amphipods to avoid that branch. Yet, when trout were placed in one of the downstream branches in glass tubes, keeping their scent from entering the water, the amphipods did not respond to the sight of the trout.

We, too, are being hunted as prey by the devil and his forces. We would do well to learn how to sense where the devil lies in wait for us, and like the amphipods, flee from him.

Dear Father, I confess that I have not fled the devil when I should have. Forgive me through Jesus Christ. Amen.

S.M., Downstream trout swim but can't hide, Science News, v.154, p.91 Photo: Courtesy of Uwe Kils. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

 

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CREATION MOMENTS: 9.16.17

 

THE SQUID WITHOUT A SHADOW

Psalm 18:28

"For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness"
Many marine creatures reflect surrounding light. They can do so because of tiny light-reflecting platelets. Typically, these crystalline platelets are made of purine, one of the building blocks of DNA, but these particular crystals cannot change how much light they reflect.

The Hawaiian bobtail squid, however, needs to be able to reflect different levels of light because of its unique lifestyle. This squid glides through moonlit waters, but without its special reflective tissue its shadow would be seen as it passes over the bottom. The bobtail squid has light generating tissue on its underside facing the bottom and this produces just sufficient light to make its shadow disappear. In other words, it can generate variable levels of light. What's more, the squid can move its light-generating platelets around so that they might be scattered among its cells or concentrated where needed. Rather than being composed of just one amino acid, this squid's platelets are made up of six amino acids.

God is the source of all light, including spiritual light. According to evolution, the squid is closely related to some of the first animals that evolved in the sea. Yet, its technically sophisticated camouflage, which perfectly fits its environment and life-style is a testimony to God's wise design, not the early stages of mindless evolution. The spiritual light of God's truth makes that clear.

Father, we are surrounded by the darkness of the world. Let the light of Your truth shine in our hearts and minds. Amen.

Science News, 1/10: 2004, p. 20, A. Goho, "Moonlighting."  Photo: Adult Hawaiian bobtail squid. Margaret McFall-Ngai. (CC BY 4.0)

 

GECKOS DON’T NEED FLASHLIGHTS

Psalm 146:8

The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous....
You get up early. The illumination isn't very good, you put on your socks anyway, only to find out, in the light of day, that you have one blue and one gray sock on. That's because our eyes have cone cells to detect color, as well as rod cells that are sensitive to light, but cannot see color. So, as the light level becomes lower, we have a decreasing ability to detect colors.

Not so with the hooded gecko. Based on their study of gecko eyes, some scientists wondered whether they could see in the dark. To test this, they made cards with a checkerboard pattern of blues and grays. Geckos were then trained to take crickets labeled with one of the cards. Then, when they offered the geckos crickets labeled with a blue card, they rewarded with the expected cricket. Crickets labeled with gray cards were made bad-tasting by being placed in salt water. During these tests the light level was so low that researchers could not tell the difference between colors. However, the geckos took the crickets labeled with blue cards more than twice as often, proving that they could see the color differences.

While we marvel at God's unlimited creativity in providing for His creatures needs, we see this truth by faith. Faith also shows us that God redeemed us through His Son.

I thank You, Lord for the gift of sight. Help me to see more clearly through the eyes of the faith You have given me. Amen.

Science News, 11/27: 2004, p. 342, S. Milius, "Color at Night." Photo: Gecko (not the hooded gecko). (PD)

 

WHAT VALUE IS MUSIC?

Genesis 4:21

"And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ."
The Bible tells us that the earliest generations of human beings were making music. By the time the eighth generation of man came along, Jubal, a member of that generation was able to make his living providing musical instruments. On the evolutionary side of things, however, musical ability would seem to provide no survival advantage. Yet, the human brain devotes considerable resources to the processing of music.  Our love of music is wired into our brain. Each of our sense organs is important to our enjoyment of music. And each of these organs is linked to its own part of the brain which is responsible for how we experience the music.

Parts of the brain are reserved for memory which stores the music. Other parts of the brain are dedicated to trying to understand the entire piece of music, referencing back to parts of the music stored in the memory. Even more interesting is that one need not hear music to activate the various parts of the brain devoted to music. Positron-emission tomography reveals that a person only needs to imagine music for these portions of the brain to become active.   The ability to make or appreciate music offers us no apparent survival value, and therefore, according to evolutionary theory, should not have developed. Yet, our brains, and indeed, all our senses, are designed to make and appreciate music.

The obvious message here is that evolution had nothing to do with the formation of human beings. Rather, we were created by God Who loves music, and wants us to praise Him with music.

Father, I thank You for the gift of music and the ability to appreciate it. Amen.

Science Frontiers, No. 141, 5-6/02, "Why Music?" Photo: Courtesy of Pixabay. (PD)

 

RELAX

Genesis 6:3

"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."
Before the Flood, people were living hundreds of years. As man grew more evil, God declared that man's lifespan would be reduced to 120 years. Modern biology has learned that we do indeed have built-in timers in each of our cells that limit the number of times they can divide. When enough cells can no longer divide, we die. We can even do things to speed up the timers.

The timers are called telomeres. However, every time a cell divides, a small part of each telomere is lost. When these telomeres are worn down to nothing, the cell no longer divides and soon dies. Researchers studied 58 healthy women between the ages of 20 and 50. All the women had children, but 39 of them had a child that was seriously chronically ill. Stress levels were measured through questionnaires while blood samples provided information about their cell health. Among other things, scientists checked for levels of an enzyme that maintains the health of telomeres. The mothers who saw their stress levels as high proved to have much shorter telomeres than those who reported little stress. They reported that cells from stressed women had telomeres that were as short as unstressed women ten years older.

Scripture tells us to cast all our cares on the Lord. Among the many blessings of doing so are healthy telomeres.

Father, I cast all my cares on You. You have loved me through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I trust Your love. Amen.

Science News, 12/4: 2004, p. 355, C. Brownlee, "Stressed to Death."  Photo: Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white). Courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Program. (PD)

 

 BIRDS DO MENTAL TIME TRAVEL

Matthew 13:4

"And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up...."
Episodic memory, the ability to remember something that happened in the past is called mental time travel. It has long been thought that only humans are capable of episodic memory. New research suggests that some birds are also capable of mental time travel.

Researchers gave captive Western scrub jays wax worms, one of their favorite foods. As they usually do, the jays made their selections and hid the worms in the trays of sand provided. Five days later, the birds were allowed to recover their treats. The jays discovered that after the five days, the worms had begun to decay. The researchers fooled a second batch of jays by replacing their decayed worms with fresh worms just before the birds were allowed to find their treats. Then both batches of birds were again allowed to take and hide a choice of worms. Those birds that had had experience with the decayed worms, would no longer take new worms to hide. But the birds that had been fooled took the worms and buried them, still expecting them to be good later. In other words, the birds remembered what happened in the past and adjusted their behavior. Other tests offered similar results.

God has given all His creatures the abilities they need to make a living without regard to where those creatures are on the manmade evolutionary ladder.

Father, I thank You that You have given me and all creatures what we need for life here. Amen.

Science News, 2/14: 2004, pp. 103-105, Susan Milius, "Where’d I Put That?" Photo: Western scrub jay. Courtesy of Minette Layne. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

WHICH CAME FIRST, THE DEFENSE OR COUNTERMEASURES?

Luke 11:21

"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace...."
Our Lord recognized that in a sinful world we must be prepared to protect ourselves. The same is true in the animal and plant world. When it comes to trying to explain this truth using evolutionary thinking, there are some serious difficulties.

There are many plants that have effective defenses against the insects that attack them. For example, a plant called Bursera defends itself with poisons that squirt from its leaves when a certain beetle larva attempts to feed on it. However, the larvae have learned to chew on a particular part of the leaf first. When they do this they disable the plant's defense system and can munch away on the leaf without fear of harm. According to evolution, the plant's defense mechanism and the beetle's countermeasures had to evolve simultaneously: countermeasure perfectly matching defense, otherwise the countermeasure would be quite useless. The probability of this happening, even if evolution was true, is extremely remote. Even evolutionists have realized this problem and have published their attempts to explain how this could happen, but such explanations are based on a complex foundation of evolutionary assumptions and little evidence.

According to evolution, such unlikely interrelationships had to evolve by chance many times when one looks at all the defenses that plants use and predators can outsmart. Creationists see these systems as created fully formed by our Creator.

Lord, I thank You that although You created a perfect world, You provided for our needs in a sinful world. Amen.

Science News, 11/15: 2003, p. 318, "Chronicling a war of beetle vs. leaf."  Photo: Bursera simaruba. Courtesy of Kurt Stueber. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

 

 

 

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CREATION MOMENTS: 9.9.17

DUSTY STARS

Genesis 1:16

“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”
The news has again been filled with stories about the search for planets orbiting nearby stars. All these stories assume that our Earth was not formed by God. They perpetuate the idea that the Earth and other planets in the solar system formed when dust around the young sun began to collect into lumps.

 The search for planets orbiting other stars concentrates on stars that have dust around them. Scientists who believe in evolution think that if they find evidence of planets forming around those stars, evolution will have a stronger case against the Bible.

 Research papers delivered at the American Astronomical Society discussed the dust around the star Beta Pictoris. They say that this star, visible from Earth’s southern hemisphere, has chemical elements in its surrounding dust that are similar to the chemical elements they think were in the original dust cloud around our sun. Another paper said that the gaps in the dust surrounding eight other stars are due to the formation of planets around those stars. The distance of all these stars is too great to allow actual sightings of any orbiting planets. As David Black, director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, correctly pointed out, “The landscape of previous efforts to detect planets is littered with the corpses of claims that haven’t been substantiated.”

 Are there planets around other stars? We don’t know. But we do know that the Bible’s account of how the Earth was created by God is perfectly accurate.

Dear Father in heaven, I give You thanks for the wonderful earth You have created for us. Help those of us who know You to make good use of the knowledge we have about other stars and planets in our witness to others about You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Siegel, Lee. 1992. Search for distant planets suggests there maybe some. The Beacon Journal (Akron, OH), June 12. p. A6. . Image: Artist's impression of dust around Beta Pictoris. Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC). (PD)

 

 CODED FOR A POISONOUS LIFESTYLE

Job 28:24-25

�For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.�
The bacterium Bacillus cereus likes to live in soil that would kill most other bacteria. It�s bothered neither by lethal concentrations of metal nor natural antibiotics.

 The bacterium is commonly found in the soil. However, in soil that overlays metal deposits like gold and copper, there may be 100,000 times as many cereus as normal. Soil over such deposits picks up a metallic content from the mineral below. If the metallic content is high enough, only a few plants, metal-tolerant fungi, and cereus can live in the soil. To make matters worse, the metal-tolerant fungi make penicillin and other antibiotics in concentrations high enough to kill bacteria. But none of this fazes cereus.

 How can cereus survive under conditions that would kill any other known bacteria? Researchers believe that cereus performs some sophisticated chemistry that detoxifies the metal and makes the penicillin harmless at the same time. For example, in the case of copper, they believe that cereus removes a water molecule from the penicillin molecule. The resulting gap in the penicillin molecule traps metallic molecules in the soil and makes them harmless. They suspect that cereus may use different sophisticated strategies to deal with different metals. As one of the scientists pointed out, each cereus seems to be genetically coded for its unique location.

 Cereus may be only a bacterium, but its clever chemistry and unique individuality bear witness to both our Creator�s supreme intelligence and His care for each of His creatures.

Prayer: I thank You, Lord, for the wonders You have made. I also thank You that You have not simply formed the earth and then left it to spin off in space on its own. I thank You that You care about all that You have made. Amen.

Weisburd, Stefi. 1985. Cereus bacteria go for the gold. Science News, v.127, Feb. 16.

 

SPECIES CONFUSION MAY KILL APE-MAN

Genesis 1:26

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepth upon the earth."
A debate about the definition of "species" may remove Homo erectus from the human evolutionary tree.

Traditional evolutionists theorize that Homo habilis evolved into Homo erectus, who evolved into Homo sapiens. Some evolutionists now want to reclassify Homo erectus as a primitive form of Homo sapiens. Those who don't want to abolish the Homo erectus classification have been supporting their position by emphasizing the differences between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. Homo erectus has a considerably smaller brain than Homo sapiens. These creatures also had larger teeth and heavier limb bones. Scientists who want to keep the classification conclude that Homo erectus' characteristics are quite distinct from Homo sapiens'. Those who want to reclassify Homo erectus as Homo sapiens want to blur the differences that we generally use to discern between humans and apes. We need to ask, if evolutionists cannot define a species, how do they know when a new one evolves?

How different is Homo erectus? Dubois, who discovered the first fossils that are today recognized as Homo erectus, finally concluded that the fossils were only the remains of a large gibbon. Dubois had promoted the fossils as those of "ape men" for decades, before reversing his position.

The Bible leaves no room for so-called ape-men. Today's human beings are not improved ape-men, nor was Jesus Christ, Who became a man to carry our sins so that we might be forgiven and restored to God.

I thank You, dear Lord, that You became human to carry my sin on the cross. I thank You that evolution is not true and that You originally made us distinct from the animals so that we could have a relationship with You. Amen.

Bower, Bruce. 1992. Erectus unhinged. Science News, v. 141, June 20. p. 408. Photo: Homo erectus from Tautavel, France. Courtesy of Gerbil. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

A PURE FAITH AND A CLEAN EARTH

Genesis 2:15

"And the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to dress it  and to keep it."
The first book that urged us to take good care of the earth was the Bible. The Bible also reminds those who would be careless about their responsibilities that there is a Creator who is going to hold us accountable for how we carry out our responsibilities. Why, then, does Christianity always seem to be taking the blame for destruction of the environment?

The answer is that many of the leaders of the so-called green movement consider Christianity itself to be a form of pollution.

One of the primary goals of the green movement is to change Christianity's focus from Christ to earth as our creator and savior. A group, called the Joint Appeal by Religion and Science for the Environment, brings together Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians and the world's tribal religious leaders into a single coalition. Their goal is to make religion supportive of green policies. The group met with 270 governmental leaders during the U.N. conference on the environment in Rio de Janeiro. They are also encouraging U.S. church leaders to speak up and make their churches more active for the environment. As a result of these activities, many diverse American church bodies are issuing special prayers, holding environmental conferences, and trying to justify New Age Gaia spirituality within the Christian framework.

We Christians recognize our responsibility to be good stewards of the earth. We also have a responsibility to carry forth our witness of the true Creator and the true Source of our salvation in Jesus Christ.

I pray, dear Lord, that Your people would be more knowledgeably alert to the many ways in which the world, the devil, and our own flesh seek to silence the truths revealed to us in Your Word. Give us a well-informed, confident, bold faith and witness. Amen.

Saving the earth. Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 13, 1992. p. 10E. Photo: The sunflower is an internationally recognized symbol of Green politics. Courtesy of RS3. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

 

 

 

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Creation and an Eternal Perspective

Creation and an Eternal Perspective

by Jayme Durant *

Evidence for Creation

While many of us struggle with daily routines that include high-pressure goals, chasing deadlines, and rushing to beat the tyranny of the urgent, our best-laid plans ultimately collide with another world—eternity. Whether it’s through the death of a loved one, our own failing health, or another significant life event, we all come to moments when we’re forced to stop and consider eternity.
In his feature article this month, “Eternal Perspective,” Dr. Henry M. Morris III says, “If there is any hope of our gaining an eternal perspective during our short lives, it surely must begin, focus, and thrive on the ‘word of God which lives and abides forever’ (1 Peter 1:23).” Dr. Morris reminds us that we only have one very short life. As believers, this compels us to consider how He wants us to use the time we’re given.
With an eternal perspective, we consider what matters most to God. He makes it clear that the souls of people are eternal and His Word stands forever. Our time and resources are best spent on what He says will last.
The souls of people are eternal and His Word stands forever.
At the Institute for Creation Research, our mission pursues both of these God-given priorities. We use scientific evidence to defend and confirm the absolute authority of the Bible, and we do this to strengthen the faith of believers and reach the souls of those blinded by evolutionary philosophy. We are increasingly concerned that the biblical creation message is being rejected by unbelievers and believers alike. Students are pressured to settle for questionable explanations that discredit what God says about our beginnings. This generation willingly accepts evolution as real science.
Decades ago, ICR founder Dr. Henry M. Morris noticed this alarming movement of culture. In our new biography, Henry M. Morris: Father of Modern Creationism, Rebecca Morris Barber recounts his efforts to impact the world with creation truth from science and Scripture. His life story will encourage you—he surely lived with his sights set on eternity.
Building on Dr. Morris’ legacy, we want to equip you with ready answers for your creation questions. In this issue, nuclear physicist Dr. Vernon Cupps points out that “the biblical narrative provides us with a different paradigm for the origin of the elements.” Geneticist Dr. Jeffrey Tomkins shows us how the human brain defies “any explanation that relies on chance.” Physicist Dr. Jake Hebert says, “The answer to the question of human origins is found not in evolutionists’ mental projections and ever-changing evolutionary story but in the divinely inspired Genesis history—the real story of mankind.” As demonstrated in these articles and thousands more on our website ICR.org, God’s inspired Word includes His historical record of how we all got here.
The Bible is inspired from the first word to the last.
Our founder said years ago, “If the Bible cannot be understood, it is useless as revelation. If it contains scientific fallacies, it could not have been given by inspiration.” The Bible is inspired from the first word to the last. Its truth feeds the human soul and shows us what really matters.
So, how do we gain an eternal perspective of life? How do we move beyond the daily activities that distract us from the soul issues? Surrender your life to the One who made you—the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust Him with everything, including the truth about your origins. When you spend time with the Creator of the universe—simply talking to Him and reading His Word—He’ll show you how you can impact souls. You’ll recognize the needs of those around you and be better equipped to point them to the Lord. And as you search the Bible, the Creator’s personal message to us, He’ll give you new eyes to see His wonderful works in creation.

CREATION VIDEO.....

THIS VIDEO REALLY EXPLAINS THE CREATION. I WAS SO IMPRESSED THAT I NEEDED TO SHARE IT.... TERRY


https://youtu.be/xuE7-N5TEZQ

CREATION MOMENTS: 9.2.17

BREW BY DESIGN

Genesis 1:29

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."


You might not all agree with me, but I love to start the day with a cup of coffee. It was not until I came to live in the US, that I fully began to appreciate quality coffee, and this appreciation is enhanced all the more here in the Pacific Northwest, where every block’s corner seems to host a wooden shack, serving this delicious honey-colored beverage.

 I love the flavor, but I also love the waking boost that it gives me. That boost, of course, is due to the presence of caffeine. As its name suggests, the chemical caffeine derives its name from roots associated with the word coffee. But coffee is not the only place where it is found. It is also found in tea, cacao (from which chocolate is made), kola, and even the flowers of orange and grapefruit trees, giving the bees a buzz!

 The range of plants, in which caffeine is found has caused much discussion among biologists. One study has suggested that caffeine production must have evolved independently at least three times. Not only that, but plants contain at least two different biosynthetic routes for its production. Yet evolutionists claim that caffeine production fulfills just one main evolutionary purpose – to modify the behavior of other organisms. For example, pollinating insects will like the caffeine contained in the nectar, and will prefer to return for more caffeine, rather than non-caffeinated plants.

 The problem with such opinions is that evolution is supposed to be a process of blind, random, disinterested chance. The widespread occurrence of caffeine is much better explained by its creation by God.

Thank you, Lord, for all the plants that You have put in this world, which are good for food. I want to thank You for coffee, and for all the ingenuity of people that has gone into preparing it. We marvel once more, Lord God, that You have done all things well. Amen.

Ref: F. Denoeud et al., “The Coffee Genome Provides Insight into the Convergent Evolution of Caffeine Biosynthesis,” Science 345, no. 6201 (September 5, 2014): 1181–1184. Mitchell. E. (2014), Caffeine: Convergently Evolved or Creatively Provided, Answers in Genesis, < https://answersingenesis.org/evidence-for-creation/design-in-nature/caffeine-convergently-evolved-creatively-provided/ >, accessed 04/24/2017. Image: Julius Schworzman. License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

 

BEETHOVEN AND THE LAMB OF GOD

John 1:29

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
One of my favorite classical composers is Ludwig van Beethoven. While Bach wrote theological notes in the margins of his manuscripts, and his well-thumbed Bible also contained comments, Beethoven’s music is honest in its skepticism. There is power and passion in it, as well as a great deal of anger.

 Beethoven rarely wrote church music, but, when he did, he gave it everything. His own assessment of his work suggests that he considered his Mass in D Minor (the Missa Solemnis) to be his greatest work. Following the liturgy of a Roman Catholic mass, in five sections, the work concludes with Agnus Dei – a liturgical prayer, sometimes used in certain Protestant churches. For example, the Church of England Prayer Book has this prayer, translated thus:

 O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

 O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace.

 In this section, Beethoven keeps repeating the word miserere (“have mercy”) over and over again, as if he is saying he is unable to find mercy. After this, the music suddenly breaks into an angry fugue.

 Beethoven spent much of his life in anger. He was angry with God for his various infirmities, especially his deafness, which was total by the time of the premier of Missa Solemnis.

 We praise God for creative geniuses like Beethoven. Unlike the man himself, we give Him all the honor and glory, for the mercy He has shown us.

We praise You, Heavenly Father, for the wonderful gift of music, and for the great men and women who use their talents for this art form. Help us to give You the honor and the glory for all the creativity, with which You have endowed us. Amen.

 

 LIFE ON OCEAN WORLDS?

Psalms 147:4

"He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names."
I recently talked about ideas concerning a possible planet-covering ocean on Enceladus � one of the moons of Saturn. There are other moons of Saturn and Jupiter thought to be covered by similar ice-crusted oceans. The reason why such findings excite evolutionists, is that they think these oceans might contain hydro-thermal vents, like those found on Earth.

 At the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and other places, such hydro-thermal vents spew extremely hot material into the cold ocean. This material contains organic sulfur compounds, and there are bacteria which can feed off these minerals, at the right temperature.

 The correct chemicals, and the correct medium � that is water � are assumed to combine, to enable evolution to take place. However, it is not inevitable that the existence of such vents, if found on these Jovian and Saturnian worlds, means that bacteria will be present. And, even if they are, this does not provide evidence that such bacteria have evolved. It is a mark of the strong bias that evolutionists have, that they assume a false logical syllogism. Their assumption is that:

 1. Organism A requires chemicals B to survive.

 2. Chemicals B exist Enceladus.

 3. Therefore organisms A must have evolved on the planet in question.

 The syllogism appears logically sound, until we realize that it is actually an error known as Affirmation of the Consequent. The existence of chemicals B on Enceladus does not imply the existence of the organisms. God has reminded us that His purposes for us are focused on the Earth, which He caused to be inhabited.

Thank You for the wonder and the beauty of Your creation that we see in this Solar System. We thank You for the intelligence and skill of those who design long-term space explorations. We pray that we, too, at all times will use the talents that You have given us, for Your Glory. Amen.

 

SUB CREATION

Colossians 1:16-17

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they bethrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
�What is the place of art in the Christian life?�, asked Francis Schaeffer. Many people have pondered the same question. Writers who might, broadly, be considered within a Christian worldview have commented on this issue before. Perhaps the most famous quote on the subject is from J.R.R. Tolkein, who said this about his fantasy stories:

 The story-maker proves a successful �sub-creator.� He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is �true�: it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside.

 Schaeffer gives two reasons why art has value.

 First, because a work of art is a work of creativity, and creativity has value because God is the Creator�.

 Second, an art work has value as a creation because man is made in the image of God, and therefore man not only can love and think and feel emotion, but also has the capacity to create.

 We create, because our creativity reflects the creativity of God, and because we are made in the image of God, who is the Creator. Therefore, Schaeffer is saying that creativity ought to be a good thing, because it reflects the character of God.

 There is a difference between our creativity and God�s, however. Our creativity is a creativity of imagination. We use pre-existing materials, and there is no reality behind these forms. God, in contrast, created ex nihilo � out of nothing. And He created the reality, in which we live.

When we look at all that You have created, O Lord, we stand in awe of Your greatness. We thank You that You have created us able to be creative. We pray that we will use our creative talents, to bring You honor and glory. Amen

Schaeffer, F. (1973), Art and the Bible, in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, Volume 2, (Westchester, IL: Crossway), p. 375. Tolkein, J.R.R. (1947), On Fairy Stories, page 12, < http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/fairystories-tolkien.pdf >, accessed 04/24/2017. ob cit, p. 394. Image: Adobe Stock Photos, licensed to author.

 

 CHERRY BLOSSOM

Isaiah 55:12

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.�


What can be more appealing, than the sight of a cherry tree in full bloom? Cherry blossom seems to enhance every environment, of which it is a part. Even urban areas can play host to cherry trees, and concrete city can be made attractive for a while, when the blossoms appear.

 Cherry blossom is often fleeting. Many varieties are in bloom for no more than 2 weeks of the year. But for those two weeks, they burst into an explosion of pink, followed by a ground covering of pink snow.

 It is often forgotten how much energy a plant uses, in producing flowers and blossoms. Though cherry blossoms are small, there are a lot of them. The colors they reflect, and the aromas released, are attractive to the insects necessary for pollination. But what an awkward method of reproduction pollination sometimes seems to be. The male pollen cells need to travel from the anthers of the flowers on one cherry tree, to the stigma of another. To attract the right pollinator, the blossoms must be the right color, and the right size. But why would they have evolved this way, if the insects were not originally pollinating these flowers?

 Whichever way you cut it, the burst of energy needed to produce the annual cherry blossoms is not explicable without presupposing the truth of God�s word. But God made everything in six days, so the inexplicable becomes logical. Like the stars of the heavens, bright flowers tell forth the glory of God.

Thank You, Lord, that cherry blossoms, like the lilies of the field, are beautiful. Yet, like the lilies of the field, they are temporary, and they fade away. You tell us that we are worth more than the lilies, and more than the beautiful cherry blossoms. Thank You for Your great love for us. Amen.

 

 

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