ICE AGE OR GREENHOUSE?
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
It is interesting to look at scientific predictions made, say, a generation ago. Here is one that appeared in the December 1977 issue of Science Digest predicting our future climate. This article pointed out that the world's climate is already cooler than at many points in recorded history. It said that at one time Greenland was actually green and England was a major producer of wine. The article noted that while a few scientists think the Earth is warming, most climatologists agree that Earth's climate is definitely cooling. Some even say that we may be in for a new Ice Age. The words "Ice Age" evidently caught the media's attention. Some listeners will recall the same message given on radio and TV.
The certainty of evidence for a cooling Earth is interesting in light of the same certainty, a quarter century later, that the Earth is heating up! And notice how both predictions are working from almost the same temperature records. The article noted the reason for this early fear: the winter of 1976-77 was especially cold and snowy for much of the northern hemisphere. Then, a decade later, after a warmer summer or two, we hear about a runaway "greenhouse effect." Our best response is to remember the Lord's promise to Noah that the seasons, seedtime, and harvest will continue until the end of the world.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I ask that You would protect me and all who are Yours from the fears which so terrify a world which neither knows or regards Your promises. Help Your people to be lights in the midst of this darkness. Amen.
Photo: Southeast coast of Greenland. Courtesy of Ringomassa. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Genesis 8:22
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
It is interesting to look at scientific predictions made, say, a generation ago. Here is one that appeared in the December 1977 issue of Science Digest predicting our future climate. This article pointed out that the world's climate is already cooler than at many points in recorded history. It said that at one time Greenland was actually green and England was a major producer of wine. The article noted that while a few scientists think the Earth is warming, most climatologists agree that Earth's climate is definitely cooling. Some even say that we may be in for a new Ice Age. The words "Ice Age" evidently caught the media's attention. Some listeners will recall the same message given on radio and TV.
The certainty of evidence for a cooling Earth is interesting in light of the same certainty, a quarter century later, that the Earth is heating up! And notice how both predictions are working from almost the same temperature records. The article noted the reason for this early fear: the winter of 1976-77 was especially cold and snowy for much of the northern hemisphere. Then, a decade later, after a warmer summer or two, we hear about a runaway "greenhouse effect." Our best response is to remember the Lord's promise to Noah that the seasons, seedtime, and harvest will continue until the end of the world.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I ask that You would protect me and all who are Yours from the fears which so terrify a world which neither knows or regards Your promises. Help Your people to be lights in the midst of this darkness. Amen.
Photo: Southeast coast of Greenland. Courtesy of Ringomassa. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
RESEARCH SURPRISES SCIENTISTS WITH BIBLE'S ANSWER
Ephesians 6:1
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."
Parents today are under a lot of pressure to be more "permissive" and less "authoritative" in raising their children. Research has now shown the results of this progressive thinking.
In a study of 124 youngsters conducted over a twelve-year period, researchers studied parenting styles and the effect of each style on the development of young people. Researchers divided the parenting styles they saw into categories ranging from parents who didn't seem to care to those who were extremely demanding and restrictive while offering their children little emotional support. They found that parents who consistently set down clear standards of conduct and clearly defined limits, while offering close emotional support, produce teenagers who fared better in academic tests, are emotionally more stable, and are much less likely to be involved with alcohol or drugs than any other group. The so-called "democratic" parenting style, they noted, produced far more heavy drug users than parents who set limits. They also noted that restrictive parents who offer little emotional support for their children tend to produce teens who, while not heavily involved with drugs, are less happy with life and fall below average on academic tests.
Researchers concluded that the limit-setting, rule-enforcing parents who offer strong emotional support to their children are the most successful parents. And this is exactly the style of parenting Scripture teaches us.
Dear Father, I ask that You would provide good support and instructions through fellow believers for Christian parents so that fathers would seek to be toward their children as You are toward us. Amen.
Photo: Teenagers in Oslo, Norway. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Ephesians 6:1
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."
Parents today are under a lot of pressure to be more "permissive" and less "authoritative" in raising their children. Research has now shown the results of this progressive thinking.
In a study of 124 youngsters conducted over a twelve-year period, researchers studied parenting styles and the effect of each style on the development of young people. Researchers divided the parenting styles they saw into categories ranging from parents who didn't seem to care to those who were extremely demanding and restrictive while offering their children little emotional support. They found that parents who consistently set down clear standards of conduct and clearly defined limits, while offering close emotional support, produce teenagers who fared better in academic tests, are emotionally more stable, and are much less likely to be involved with alcohol or drugs than any other group. The so-called "democratic" parenting style, they noted, produced far more heavy drug users than parents who set limits. They also noted that restrictive parents who offer little emotional support for their children tend to produce teens who, while not heavily involved with drugs, are less happy with life and fall below average on academic tests.
Researchers concluded that the limit-setting, rule-enforcing parents who offer strong emotional support to their children are the most successful parents. And this is exactly the style of parenting Scripture teaches us.
Dear Father, I ask that You would provide good support and instructions through fellow believers for Christian parents so that fathers would seek to be toward their children as You are toward us. Amen.
Photo: Teenagers in Oslo, Norway. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
THE SCUBA BUG
Romans 1:20
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
The familiar little insect known as the water boatman is a marvel of engineering design. About an inch long, it swims on its back on the surface of the pond using two of its legs that are extra long and have little paddles on the end, just like the oars of a boat. Anyone who has tried swimming on his back knows how difficult it is to see where he is going, but not the water boatman. His eyes are especially placed for perfect sight while swimming on his back.
As mentioned, the boatman is an insect so, of course, it does not have gills like a fish, yet he spends a lot of time under water. How does he do this? Well, his Creator gave him the ability to breathe through his tail that he sticks out of the water just like a snorkel tube. There are tiny hairs that keep the water out of this tube while he draws fresh air in to refill his air tanks for another dive. Those tiny hairs also tell the boatman whether a nearby movement in the water is something that would threaten him or something that might be good for lunch.
Surely, the specialized features of this little insect could not have gradually developed by trial and error but are evidences of superb design and a master Designer.
Dear Lord, even though the creation has been scarred and damaged by sin, its beauty and wonder is still marvelous to behold. For this I thank You as I look forward to seeing the New Creation. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Water boatman. Courtesy of Holger Gröschl. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Germany license.
Romans 1:20
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
The familiar little insect known as the water boatman is a marvel of engineering design. About an inch long, it swims on its back on the surface of the pond using two of its legs that are extra long and have little paddles on the end, just like the oars of a boat. Anyone who has tried swimming on his back knows how difficult it is to see where he is going, but not the water boatman. His eyes are especially placed for perfect sight while swimming on his back.
As mentioned, the boatman is an insect so, of course, it does not have gills like a fish, yet he spends a lot of time under water. How does he do this? Well, his Creator gave him the ability to breathe through his tail that he sticks out of the water just like a snorkel tube. There are tiny hairs that keep the water out of this tube while he draws fresh air in to refill his air tanks for another dive. Those tiny hairs also tell the boatman whether a nearby movement in the water is something that would threaten him or something that might be good for lunch.
Surely, the specialized features of this little insect could not have gradually developed by trial and error but are evidences of superb design and a master Designer.
Dear Lord, even though the creation has been scarred and damaged by sin, its beauty and wonder is still marvelous to behold. For this I thank You as I look forward to seeing the New Creation. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Photo: Water boatman. Courtesy of Holger Gröschl. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Germany license.
HOW DO PLANTS KNOW IT'S FALL?
1 Corinthians 15:37-38
"And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."
In the fall the plants and trees of much of the Earth's northern hemisphere prepare for winter. Flowers lose their petals, and the leaves fall from trees as the air begins to become cooler. But there is far more to this change in the plants than simply a response to lower temperatures.
Many, if not most, plants measure the relative length of darkness to light in a 24-hour day to tell them to prepare for winter. In a similar way, they measure the relative length of light to darkness to tell them to prepare for spring. Other living plants seem to integrate time and temperature to prepare for the seasonal change. Apple buds, for example, need 1,000 to 1,400 hours of near-freezing temperatures before they even think about spring.
When winter finally arrives, we may wake up to what is a white and seemingly sterile world. It is then hard to believe that the plants and trees are out there sleeping while measuring time and temperature to be awake again in the spring.
It is no less a mystery to all of us that one day the dead will rise and believers will spend eternity with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, life rising so gloriously out of the apparent dead of winter shows a similar power of our Creator on a smaller scale.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I look forward to the time when You shall return to Earth and raise me and all believers to life once again. Help me each day to prepare for eternity with You. Amen.
Photo: Courtesy of Tom O Hitz. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
1 Corinthians 15:37-38
"And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."
In the fall the plants and trees of much of the Earth's northern hemisphere prepare for winter. Flowers lose their petals, and the leaves fall from trees as the air begins to become cooler. But there is far more to this change in the plants than simply a response to lower temperatures.
Many, if not most, plants measure the relative length of darkness to light in a 24-hour day to tell them to prepare for winter. In a similar way, they measure the relative length of light to darkness to tell them to prepare for spring. Other living plants seem to integrate time and temperature to prepare for the seasonal change. Apple buds, for example, need 1,000 to 1,400 hours of near-freezing temperatures before they even think about spring.
When winter finally arrives, we may wake up to what is a white and seemingly sterile world. It is then hard to believe that the plants and trees are out there sleeping while measuring time and temperature to be awake again in the spring.
It is no less a mystery to all of us that one day the dead will rise and believers will spend eternity with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, life rising so gloriously out of the apparent dead of winter shows a similar power of our Creator on a smaller scale.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I look forward to the time when You shall return to Earth and raise me and all believers to life once again. Help me each day to prepare for eternity with You. Amen.
Photo: Courtesy of Tom O Hitz. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
TRULY MATED FOR LIFE
Genesis 2:24
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
Did you know that some fish actually go fishing? Yes, the female anglerfish lives deep down where it is cold and dark, and it has a six-inch-long fishing pole fixed to its top lip with a little orange light on the end. When the angler is not fishing, the rod fits into a groove on the top of its head. The angler's victim swims along and sees the orange light - the bait - to him, it looks like a good lunch for a small fish. He moves in, but it jumps out of reach and the next thing he knows he becomes the angler fish's lunch!
The strangest part of the anglerfish's life is its mating practices. While the female is over three-feet long - and the mouth takes up almost half this length - the male anglerfish is only a half-inch long. He has no fishing pole and no light. Mating starts when the tiny male swims up to the female and sinks his teeth into her side. He never lets go for the rest of his life. In fact, soon his skin and circulatory system actually join the female's, and through this union they become, literally, one flesh. Eggs are eventually laid.
Our Creator has an infinite variety of ways to reproduce the species but this one demonstrates quite literally the one-flesh principle of human marriage.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, at virtually every wedding we remember Your presence at the wedding at Cana where You did the first miracle of Your ministry. Help me always to keep my marriage relationship as You intended it, and through it become enriched. Amen.
Photo: Female anglerfish with atrophied males attached. Courtesy of Robbie N. Cada.
Genesis 2:24
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
Did you know that some fish actually go fishing? Yes, the female anglerfish lives deep down where it is cold and dark, and it has a six-inch-long fishing pole fixed to its top lip with a little orange light on the end. When the angler is not fishing, the rod fits into a groove on the top of its head. The angler's victim swims along and sees the orange light - the bait - to him, it looks like a good lunch for a small fish. He moves in, but it jumps out of reach and the next thing he knows he becomes the angler fish's lunch!
The strangest part of the anglerfish's life is its mating practices. While the female is over three-feet long - and the mouth takes up almost half this length - the male anglerfish is only a half-inch long. He has no fishing pole and no light. Mating starts when the tiny male swims up to the female and sinks his teeth into her side. He never lets go for the rest of his life. In fact, soon his skin and circulatory system actually join the female's, and through this union they become, literally, one flesh. Eggs are eventually laid.
Our Creator has an infinite variety of ways to reproduce the species but this one demonstrates quite literally the one-flesh principle of human marriage.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, at virtually every wedding we remember Your presence at the wedding at Cana where You did the first miracle of Your ministry. Help me always to keep my marriage relationship as You intended it, and through it become enriched. Amen.
Photo: Female anglerfish with atrophied males attached. Courtesy of Robbie N. Cada.
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