A Little Bit of Cheese
“Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?” I love
cheese if I am a little hungry. I am from a land of great cheeses – from light
but sharp Wensleydale, to my favorite, the rich, salty tang of Blue Stilton,
with its noble cheese mold.
Most of these cheeses actually improve with age. So a five-year-old Cheddar is likely to be richer in flavor than one that was only made last year. So perhaps I would have enjoyed the discovery made recently at an archaeological site at Pokrovnik, on Croatia's Dalmatian coast.
I have brought up teenagers, so I know the difficulty involved in getting them to wash the pots. But archaeologists discovered some ceramic bowls at Pokrovnik that neither the original owners nor modern discoverers had washed. To their surprise, when they examined the residue, there were traces of lipids, which strongly suggests that the bowl may once have contained cheese.
The exciting find is tarnished somewhat by archaeologists insisting on an evolutionary date. They conclude that the bowls were used by farmers 7,200 years ago. However, this is impossible by a biblical timescale. Besides, if these were early farmers settling in the Balkans, then they would have been post-Flood – so we would suggest a date of 2,200 years ago. Either way, the cheese has probably passed its best-before date. Now I'm just waiting for the discovery of a 2,000 year old Ritz Cracker.
A serious point is to see how early civilizations had advanced technology, probably passed down from their ancestors who were on the Ark.
Most of these cheeses actually improve with age. So a five-year-old Cheddar is likely to be richer in flavor than one that was only made last year. So perhaps I would have enjoyed the discovery made recently at an archaeological site at Pokrovnik, on Croatia's Dalmatian coast.
I have brought up teenagers, so I know the difficulty involved in getting them to wash the pots. But archaeologists discovered some ceramic bowls at Pokrovnik that neither the original owners nor modern discoverers had washed. To their surprise, when they examined the residue, there were traces of lipids, which strongly suggests that the bowl may once have contained cheese.
The exciting find is tarnished somewhat by archaeologists insisting on an evolutionary date. They conclude that the bowls were used by farmers 7,200 years ago. However, this is impossible by a biblical timescale. Besides, if these were early farmers settling in the Balkans, then they would have been post-Flood – so we would suggest a date of 2,200 years ago. Either way, the cheese has probably passed its best-before date. Now I'm just waiting for the discovery of a 2,000 year old Ritz Cracker.
A serious point is to see how early civilizations had advanced technology, probably passed down from their ancestors who were on the Ark.
A South African Giant
“Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.”
New dinosaur discoveries are always interesting. So, in the week that I
write this script, another new dinosaur has been discovered, this time in South
Africa. <em>Ledumahadi mafube</em> probably weighed about 12 tons,
which would make it about twice the size of an elephant, and was discovered in
Free State Province. Discoverers have suggested that it is an ancestor of the
sauropod dinosaurs. It is a lot smaller than the sauropod giants, such as
brachiosaurus – thought to have been 32 tons.
The ScienceDaily article, announcing this find, has some interesting use of language. The discoverers date this creature at 200 million years ago, whereas brachiosaurus has an evolutionary date of 154 million years. Therefore, ledumahadi is considered older than other sauropods, and the relative shortness and width of its legs led the ScienceDaily writers to suggest that it was an evolutionary experiment with giant body size.
This idea of an evolutionary experiment is interesting because evolutionists insist that evolution proceeds by the natural selection of favorable mutations, which include new genetic information. This reification of a supposed random event underscores the paucity of evolutionary evidence. One researcher commented, The way that these animals solved the usual problems of life, such as eating and moving, was much more dynamic within the group than previously thought. Such a statement suggests a purpose behind the alleged evolutionary changes in dinosaurs, even though they believe in a random purposeless process. But God had His purpose for everything that He had made.
The ScienceDaily article, announcing this find, has some interesting use of language. The discoverers date this creature at 200 million years ago, whereas brachiosaurus has an evolutionary date of 154 million years. Therefore, ledumahadi is considered older than other sauropods, and the relative shortness and width of its legs led the ScienceDaily writers to suggest that it was an evolutionary experiment with giant body size.
This idea of an evolutionary experiment is interesting because evolutionists insist that evolution proceeds by the natural selection of favorable mutations, which include new genetic information. This reification of a supposed random event underscores the paucity of evolutionary evidence. One researcher commented, The way that these animals solved the usual problems of life, such as eating and moving, was much more dynamic within the group than previously thought. Such a statement suggests a purpose behind the alleged evolutionary changes in dinosaurs, even though they believe in a random purposeless process. But God had His purpose for everything that He had made.
An Orchid Outwits a Wasp
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind,
and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God
saw that it was good.”
Some orchids are remarkable. In a previous Creation Moment, we referred to
the bucket orchid and its relationship to the orchid bee. There is a very
strange orchid in Australia, called the hammer orchid, which seems to fool
wasps.
The thynnid wasp is, itself, quite strange. The females have no wings, but emerge from tiny burrows and climb up a plant to await the male wasp, which flies in, attracted by the female’s scent.
The hammer orchid produces a flower which closely resembles the appearance of the female thynnid and even releases a scent similar to that of the female wasp. So, the male wasp flies in, but instead of a female wasp, he finds the flower awkwardly pivoted, and a little hammer knocks him into the anthers to collect pollen. If he is already coated in pollen, then some of this is rubbed off on to the flower’s stamen.
This process cannot be described as co-evolution because the thynnid wasp gets no advantage. One article on the hammer orchid points out that the male wasp would never confuse the orchid for a female if both were side by side. Therefore, the article stated that natural selection has favored plants which flower just before the females emerge. But an incorrectly timed, pre-evolutionary orchid would not have survived to pass on the supposed evolved genes. Therefore, once again, we see that evolution is impossible as a means of explaining this remarkable design.
The thynnid wasp is, itself, quite strange. The females have no wings, but emerge from tiny burrows and climb up a plant to await the male wasp, which flies in, attracted by the female’s scent.
The hammer orchid produces a flower which closely resembles the appearance of the female thynnid and even releases a scent similar to that of the female wasp. So, the male wasp flies in, but instead of a female wasp, he finds the flower awkwardly pivoted, and a little hammer knocks him into the anthers to collect pollen. If he is already coated in pollen, then some of this is rubbed off on to the flower’s stamen.
This process cannot be described as co-evolution because the thynnid wasp gets no advantage. One article on the hammer orchid points out that the male wasp would never confuse the orchid for a female if both were side by side. Therefore, the article stated that natural selection has favored plants which flower just before the females emerge. But an incorrectly timed, pre-evolutionary orchid would not have survived to pass on the supposed evolved genes. Therefore, once again, we see that evolution is impossible as a means of explaining this remarkable design.
Be Like the Sons of Issachar
“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of
the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred;
and all their brethren were at their commandment".
Sometimes there are some tiny passages in the Bible which are easy to
overlook but which can open up a wealth of meaning. One such passage is a little
verse in 1 Chronicles 12. In verse 32, we read:
Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.
This verse is part of a section discussing David's Mighty Men, focusing on their skills in battle. It seems a little different, then, when those from the tribe of Issachar are labeled as those who know what Israel ought to do. However, this is surely a very important attribute in battle – and especially in spiritual battle. The reason they knew what to do was because they had understanding of the times.
I would suggest that this verse has application to an apologetics ministry like this. We are to apply the truths of creation and Genesis, and in order to do so, we need to have understanding of the times. In these Creation Moments broadcasts, we often relate our teaching to the society that we live in. To do this, we must understand the times. To understand the times, we need to read, to watch, and, most especially, to pray. Let's be like those sons of Issachar in our apologetic work and become mighty men and women for Great David's Greater Son as we proclaim His truth. p. f. t.
Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.
This verse is part of a section discussing David's Mighty Men, focusing on their skills in battle. It seems a little different, then, when those from the tribe of Issachar are labeled as those who know what Israel ought to do. However, this is surely a very important attribute in battle – and especially in spiritual battle. The reason they knew what to do was because they had understanding of the times.
I would suggest that this verse has application to an apologetics ministry like this. We are to apply the truths of creation and Genesis, and in order to do so, we need to have understanding of the times. In these Creation Moments broadcasts, we often relate our teaching to the society that we live in. To do this, we must understand the times. To understand the times, we need to read, to watch, and, most especially, to pray. Let's be like those sons of Issachar in our apologetic work and become mighty men and women for Great David's Greater Son as we proclaim His truth. p. f. t.
GOD GIVES THE RAT A SECRET
Job 38:4
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."
A new revolutionary design in metal-cutting blades has been added to the metal-working industry. In use, the new blade is fixed in one position while the metal to be shaped spins on a lathe. This new blade stays sharp six times longer than the old blade design. When cutting titanium, the old-style cutting blades become dull almost the second they are used, but the new blades last up to 30 minutes. This wonderful new blade was developed by two engineers who got the original idea from a rat.
You see, rats' teeth always have a sharp edge. Engineers learned that this is because the teeth are hard on one side and soft on the other. So as they wear, they always keep a sharp edge. Applied to metal-cutting technology, this principle has lowered costs and increased productivity because cutting blades don't have to be changed as often.
Beginning in Job 38, God humbles Job with several chapters of questions about the wise designs found in the animal kingdom. God's message is, "Job, if you think you're so smart, who created all this with such wisdom?"
Even the teeth of the rat are created with such wisdom, and once we learned the principle, our technology was improved. In light of this, how can the claim be made that there is no Creator?
Dear Father, help me not to think that I am wiser or smarter than I really am. Help me to seek Your wisdom and knowledge in Your Word, which is as high as heaven and as real as the creation. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Common brown rat.
Job 38:4
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."
A new revolutionary design in metal-cutting blades has been added to the metal-working industry. In use, the new blade is fixed in one position while the metal to be shaped spins on a lathe. This new blade stays sharp six times longer than the old blade design. When cutting titanium, the old-style cutting blades become dull almost the second they are used, but the new blades last up to 30 minutes. This wonderful new blade was developed by two engineers who got the original idea from a rat.
You see, rats' teeth always have a sharp edge. Engineers learned that this is because the teeth are hard on one side and soft on the other. So as they wear, they always keep a sharp edge. Applied to metal-cutting technology, this principle has lowered costs and increased productivity because cutting blades don't have to be changed as often.
Beginning in Job 38, God humbles Job with several chapters of questions about the wise designs found in the animal kingdom. God's message is, "Job, if you think you're so smart, who created all this with such wisdom?"
Even the teeth of the rat are created with such wisdom, and once we learned the principle, our technology was improved. In light of this, how can the claim be made that there is no Creator?
Dear Father, help me not to think that I am wiser or smarter than I really am. Help me to seek Your wisdom and knowledge in Your Word, which is as high as heaven and as real as the creation. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Common brown rat.
DESIGNED TO EAT
Job 36:5
"Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom."
The shark seems to have been designed for one purpose and one purpose only - to eat!
Up to two-thirds of the shark's brain is devoted to its excellent sense of smell that enables it to find food. In its mouth are many rows of sharp teeth, and when one set wears out, another set behind it moves forward as if on a conveyor belt. And speaking of teeth, did you know that sharks are literally covered with thousands, if not millions, of teeth? That's right - sharks don't have scales or a leathery hide. Called dermal denticles, these are true teeth that are covered with dentine and have a central pulp canal. Meshed closely together as they are, they provide the shark with a strong armor.
The shark's stomach is very large and has an unusual spiral valve so that more nutrients can be absorbed in less space. But more remarkable is that they seem to be able to eat anything. The contents of one large shark's stomach included three overcoats, a raincoat, a driver's license, one cow's hoof, deer antlers, twelve lobsters, and a chicken coop with feathers and bones inside!
The awesome shark stands as another example of God's limitless creativity. Nevertheless, it is certainly a fearsome creature, and I, for one, am glad that God did not create us to live in the same environment.
Dear Father, there are indeed many dangers to us in the creation; they often distract me from seeing that You are in charge and can do anything. Renew my vision and my faith. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Teeth of tiger sharks are serrated to saw through flesh. Courtesy of Stefan Kühn. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Job 36:5
"Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom."
The shark seems to have been designed for one purpose and one purpose only - to eat!
Up to two-thirds of the shark's brain is devoted to its excellent sense of smell that enables it to find food. In its mouth are many rows of sharp teeth, and when one set wears out, another set behind it moves forward as if on a conveyor belt. And speaking of teeth, did you know that sharks are literally covered with thousands, if not millions, of teeth? That's right - sharks don't have scales or a leathery hide. Called dermal denticles, these are true teeth that are covered with dentine and have a central pulp canal. Meshed closely together as they are, they provide the shark with a strong armor.
The shark's stomach is very large and has an unusual spiral valve so that more nutrients can be absorbed in less space. But more remarkable is that they seem to be able to eat anything. The contents of one large shark's stomach included three overcoats, a raincoat, a driver's license, one cow's hoof, deer antlers, twelve lobsters, and a chicken coop with feathers and bones inside!
The awesome shark stands as another example of God's limitless creativity. Nevertheless, it is certainly a fearsome creature, and I, for one, am glad that God did not create us to live in the same environment.
Dear Father, there are indeed many dangers to us in the creation; they often distract me from seeing that You are in charge and can do anything. Renew my vision and my faith. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Teeth of tiger sharks are serrated to saw through flesh. Courtesy of Stefan Kühn. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
MOUSE DOCTOR FINDS WISDOM IN FUNGUS
Daniel 2:22
"He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."
Fungus grows in the dirt virtually all over the world. After millions of dollars of research on the fungus, looking for a usable drug, medical researchers were ordered to stop their research. But one scientist disobeyed orders. And the result is the most important miracle drug since the discovery of antibiotics!
When Jean-Francois Borel, who describes himself as a "mouse doctor," refused to give up research on a white fungus first identified in soil samples from above the Arctic Circle, organ transplant surgery had virtually stopped. Organs could be transplanted, but the body's rejection of the organ killed over half of all transplant patients within a year of the transplant. Dr. Borel's continuing research led to the discovery of cyclosporine, a chemical which prevents the immune system from rejecting transplanted organs. There are now over 150,000 people living with transplants because of Dr. Borel's discovery. Yet, scientists are still not sure how the cyclosporine works.
Fungus might seem like an odd place to look for wonder drugs. But drug companies have learned that microorganisms in soil produce a wide range of medically interesting chemicals. Each year they test some 30,000 samples to see whether a miracle drug might be hidden in one of them.
So although many scientists say they believe there is no purpose or mind behind nature, they regularly look for purpose in the creation.
Dear Lord, as man searches out the benefits offered by the things You have created, do not allow us to lose sight of our greatest need - a relationship with You. This cannot be found in nature, but only in Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His Name. Amen.
Photo: Bracket fungi on a tree stump. Courtesy of André Lage Freitas. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Daniel 2:22
"He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."
Fungus grows in the dirt virtually all over the world. After millions of dollars of research on the fungus, looking for a usable drug, medical researchers were ordered to stop their research. But one scientist disobeyed orders. And the result is the most important miracle drug since the discovery of antibiotics!
When Jean-Francois Borel, who describes himself as a "mouse doctor," refused to give up research on a white fungus first identified in soil samples from above the Arctic Circle, organ transplant surgery had virtually stopped. Organs could be transplanted, but the body's rejection of the organ killed over half of all transplant patients within a year of the transplant. Dr. Borel's continuing research led to the discovery of cyclosporine, a chemical which prevents the immune system from rejecting transplanted organs. There are now over 150,000 people living with transplants because of Dr. Borel's discovery. Yet, scientists are still not sure how the cyclosporine works.
Fungus might seem like an odd place to look for wonder drugs. But drug companies have learned that microorganisms in soil produce a wide range of medically interesting chemicals. Each year they test some 30,000 samples to see whether a miracle drug might be hidden in one of them.
So although many scientists say they believe there is no purpose or mind behind nature, they regularly look for purpose in the creation.
Dear Lord, as man searches out the benefits offered by the things You have created, do not allow us to lose sight of our greatest need - a relationship with You. This cannot be found in nature, but only in Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His Name. Amen.
Photo: Bracket fungi on a tree stump. Courtesy of André Lage Freitas. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES AMONG HONEYBEES
Psalm 19:9-10
"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
A recent study involved sticking little numbered tags on the backs of seven thousand living honeybees. The purpose was the age-old question of what determines our behavior: nature or nurture? genes or environment? The honeybees were used to see if their occupation in the hive was based upon what their father did. That is, was it genetic inheritance? Typically, the queen bee mates with over a dozen males before settling down to a year or two of continuous egg-laying. In one study, the queen was allowed to mate only with a "guard bee" and an "undertaker bee," whose job is to dispose of dead bees in the hive.
It was found that the young bee is likely to take up its father's occupation 80 percent of the time. This means that much of the complex social structure of the beehive is passed on in the genes. But the study also left evolutionary scientists with a mystery. There is a wide genetic variation within the normal beehive, so if the whole arrangement evolved, the very cooperative and complex society actually found would not be expected.
The answer is, of course, that when something is clearly so intricately designed there must be a Designer. Some have even admitted that their main objection to believing in creation is that they would have to accept the fact that there is a Creator.
Dear Lord, I pray that I shall never desire to evade You, either by denying my need for Your forgiveness, by denying my sin, or by denying Your work of creation. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
Photo: Honeybee. Courtesy of Muhammad Mahdi Karim. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.
Psalm 19:9-10
"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
A recent study involved sticking little numbered tags on the backs of seven thousand living honeybees. The purpose was the age-old question of what determines our behavior: nature or nurture? genes or environment? The honeybees were used to see if their occupation in the hive was based upon what their father did. That is, was it genetic inheritance? Typically, the queen bee mates with over a dozen males before settling down to a year or two of continuous egg-laying. In one study, the queen was allowed to mate only with a "guard bee" and an "undertaker bee," whose job is to dispose of dead bees in the hive.
It was found that the young bee is likely to take up its father's occupation 80 percent of the time. This means that much of the complex social structure of the beehive is passed on in the genes. But the study also left evolutionary scientists with a mystery. There is a wide genetic variation within the normal beehive, so if the whole arrangement evolved, the very cooperative and complex society actually found would not be expected.
The answer is, of course, that when something is clearly so intricately designed there must be a Designer. Some have even admitted that their main objection to believing in creation is that they would have to accept the fact that there is a Creator.
Dear Lord, I pray that I shall never desire to evade You, either by denying my need for Your forgiveness, by denying my sin, or by denying Your work of creation. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
Photo: Honeybee. Courtesy of Muhammad Mahdi Karim. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.
DELICATE, PRECISE DESIGNS
Matthew 6:28
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:"
When a flower lives in harmony with and is dependent upon, say, an insect for fertilization, this is known as symbiosis. Creation Moments programs have given many examples of this, and each one defies the notion that these relationships could have developed by chance over very long times. We have another example today.
Chicory spaces out the opening of its flowers through the summer on a precisely timed schedule that is in perfect harmony with its pollinators. Early in the season, chicory flowers nearest the bottom of the flower stalk open first and, as they are pollinated, they close, and the next flower up the stem opens and so on. There is a remarkable efficiency to this, but there is more: The flowers usually open only in the cool morning hours, not only to protect the delicate flower from the heat of the sun but also because this is the time the pollinating insects are about. Other flowering plants open their flowers only at night and tend to have white flowers so that they are easily seen in the dark. These are the flowers that are pollinated by night-flying moths.
Such coordinated inter-relationships between the plant and the animal kingdoms could not have developed through accidental situations. They provide more evidence that the wise Creator designed these and all creatures within their relationships from the very beginning!
Dear Lord, in Your design of the creation, You have seen to the needs of all living things. Take from me a mind that thinks that I must do for myself what You will do for me, and replace it with faith in Your promises. Amen.
Matthew 6:28
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:"
When a flower lives in harmony with and is dependent upon, say, an insect for fertilization, this is known as symbiosis. Creation Moments programs have given many examples of this, and each one defies the notion that these relationships could have developed by chance over very long times. We have another example today.
Chicory spaces out the opening of its flowers through the summer on a precisely timed schedule that is in perfect harmony with its pollinators. Early in the season, chicory flowers nearest the bottom of the flower stalk open first and, as they are pollinated, they close, and the next flower up the stem opens and so on. There is a remarkable efficiency to this, but there is more: The flowers usually open only in the cool morning hours, not only to protect the delicate flower from the heat of the sun but also because this is the time the pollinating insects are about. Other flowering plants open their flowers only at night and tend to have white flowers so that they are easily seen in the dark. These are the flowers that are pollinated by night-flying moths.
Such coordinated inter-relationships between the plant and the animal kingdoms could not have developed through accidental situations. They provide more evidence that the wise Creator designed these and all creatures within their relationships from the very beginning!
Dear Lord, in Your design of the creation, You have seen to the needs of all living things. Take from me a mind that thinks that I must do for myself what You will do for me, and replace it with faith in Your promises. Amen.