It’s Memorial Day! Is your Flag flying?

“Old Folks” understand the meaning and the why of Memorial Day but, alas, I fear that most “young folks” today think it is just another 3 day holiday and a time for fun.

But is it? Should we look at it as just another occasion for cookouts, the opening of swimming pools, the beginning of summer vacations, and goofing off?

I remember my Parents and Grandparents putting flowers and flags on graves (of military and family) and referring to this special day as “Decoration Day”, its original name. The name was changed to Memorial Day after World War I, but they still referred to it as Decoration Day.

So, what exactly IS Decoration Day / Memorial day and why do we observe it?

The opening paragraph in Wikipedia says:

“Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.”

To learn more about this very significant Holiday and there is much more to know CLICK HERE.

and
To hear a short media file of taps CLICK HERE.

The London 2012 Olympic Mascots

Surely you have seen these by now.  But, if not, this is reportedly a picture of the one-eyed creatures that are to be the mascots for the 2012 London Olympics.

I really find it hard to believe that these are the ‘final choice’ but if so, then, wow, talk about odd.

What are they?

I have no idea.  I guess someone does but they sure are odd critters to me.

To read more about them, HERE’S THE LINK

Are your car mirrors adjusted properly?

 Email has struck again. 

What this time? you ask.

Well, a friend sent a really interesting link about car mirrors and how to adjust them to get rid of those blind spots. 

This is a very interesting and helpful video and, after you finish viewing it, you will notice that there are several other videos on various topics (how to have proper tire pressure and why, more about blind spots, gas mileage by various SUVs, comparing various navigation devices, and more.)

So you will likely want to ‘stay around’ for awhile and check those out also.

But to get you started with the video “Are your car mirrors adjusted properly” HERE’S THE LINK.

The Moon -- is it moving away from earth?

Tonight we are having a full moon. 

Of course this is not really unusual since it happens every month. Duh.

But thinking about the moon reminded me of another interesting thought about it. 

Such as -- Is the moon moving away from the earth?

Well, yes it is.  And its movement provides additional information about the age of the earth, the moon, and the universe. 

Interested?  Then listen to this 1 minute 50 second audio by Ken Ham of AIG which provides some fascinating information about the moon.  HERE’S THE LINK.

Grow your veggies upside down

Well, it is the time of the year for gardens.

And, likely, you have seen those bag things into which you put your tomato plants and hang them upside down to grow, and you wondered if they really worked. I know I did.

A friend tried this a couple of years ago and it didn’t work, not because of the ‘upside down’ placement but because she had put the bag where it did not get enough direct sun light.

Another person I know tried this, put it where it got a lot of sun, and got a huge crop of tomatoes.

Sooo, yes, it seems that some plants can grow upside down. At least most tomatoes can.

But, how do you do this and do you really have to use those special ‘growing bags’? 

Well, this article will answer those questions and more.  HERE’S THE LINK.

Moishe Rosen dies at 78

You surely have heard of the Ministry, Jews for Jesus.  It was founded by Moishe Rosen in 1973. 

Many Jews and Gentiles have come to know the Lord God Jesus Christ through this ministry. And many others, including me, have been encouraged and grown in their faith though his writings, lectures, and teachings.

He retired a few years ago but continued to be active in the Ministry even though it later became widely know that he has been fighting cancer for many months.  

To read the article in the New York Times telling of his home going, which is how I first learned of his death HERE’S THE LINK

And to read more about his life and his last words, HERE’S THE LINK.

The Moishe Rosen Tribute website is HERE.

He will be sorely missed here on earth but there is great rejoicing in Heaven as this servant of the Lord, upon his arrival, surely heard the words from Jesus, “Welcome home and well done thou good and faithful servant !”

Acts And Facts Magazine

Yesterday we linked to a wonderful article which gave the ‘Young Earth World view glasses’ answer to the Old Earther’s interpretation of the earth and rock layers.

We mentioned at the time that the article came from an Acts and Facts magazine published by ICR (Institute for Creation Research).

You might have noticed, as you read the article, that there was a link on the side where you could learn more about the magazine.

Hopefully you clicked on the link and subscribed.

But, if you didn’t, today we are giving you the link to the link so that you can read this magazine monthly.  It is FREE (I like that price) and has many articles that will be of great help and interest to you.

Also they will include a Days of Praise magazine.  You will love this as it is a ‘daily devotional’ booklet which is sent Quarterly. 

Both of these are ‘must haves’. We, at Bible Studies Net, get them and highly recommend them to you.  So, without further ado,  HERE’S THE LINK TO THE LINK.

The Biblical Timescale

A recent article in the ICR magazine, Acts and Facts, is a must read.  Why?

Well, for one thing, it has the chart that you have been looking for all your life whether you know it or not. 

We all have seen ad nauseum the chart of the old earthers (with their world view glasses) that supposedly gives the various earth and rock layers with the long ages time scales. 

But, I have been patiently waiting for the young earthers to produce a chart that correlates these layers with a Biblical chronology. 

At last, such a chart has been posted.

It is a preliminary chart and likely will not end up being the one ‘cast in stone’ (pun intended) but as of now it comes close to being pretty accurate as to what layers formed when and why.  This chart alone is worth your time in checking out the article.

But that is just one small part of this very interesting article.  There is even more that you will find helpful, interesting, and informative.  HERE’S THE LINK.

Pentecost

Today is Pentecost as celebrated by the Christian Church.

But the ‘real’ Pentecost as observed by the Jews was actually on May 19 this year.

I recently saw a very interesting video by Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News in which he relates some very interesting facts about how the Jews observe this special day.

Some of what he says you probably already know, BUT, he also relates considerable information that is not commonly known to those outside the Jewish faith.

You will definitely want to see this 9 minute video. So, HERE’S THE LINK

10 over the top wedding cakes

Weddings. Weddings. Weddings.  So many folks are getting married at this time of the year.

Some make their own cakes or have others make them.  And, of course, most purchase them from the Specialty Bakeries.

One of the friends of this ministry has two (count them: 1, 2) of their children getting married this year !  And not at the same time. Wow.  That will surely keep one busy - what with all the parties, decorations, etc.

I don’t know if they are planning on having ‘traditional’ wedding cakes or not.  But, if not, they might get a kick out of these cakes which truly are ‘over the top’. 

To see these cakes, I found a site on Woman’s Day.  You might have to wait a few seconds for the opening page to do its advertising ‘thing’.  So, be patient (or click on the 'skip this screen' box in the upper right corner.) Either way, it will come up. HERE’S THE LINK.

37 Photos of Mt St Helens

This seems to be Mt St Helens week.  And rightly so, though we will not spend the entire week on the topic.

For those of you who remember the day and the eruption, it is likely a very vivid memory.  And these pictures will flood you with thoughts of where you were and what you were doing when you heard about the event.  I know it does for me. Long story. ...

But, for you ‘young whippersnappers’ who have only heard about this as an 'historical event long long ago', then these pictures will bring you up to speed.

An article on the net has 37 astounding pictures of the eruption and the aftermath.

Also the comments at the end of the article are worth reading.

So, with that said, HERE’S THE LINK.

7 wonders Museum of Mt. St. Helens

For the past couple of days we have been thinking about Mt St Helens, its eruption, and the amazing changes to the landscape and to the ‘history’ of the world that it produced.

You hopefully now are wondering if perhaps you should go visit this site for your summer vacation.

Yes, indeed, if at all possible you should do this.

And, when you go, as you wend your way up the road to the mountain, there is a place you should visit before you go to Mt. St. Helens. 

It is the 7 Wonders Museum

We personally visited this small museum a few years ago and highly recommend it.

Do not let the small size fool you.  It is packed with very interesting information and the folks who run it are great.  Best of all, it is FREE.

So, when you plan your trip to Mt. St. Helens, be sure to include this museum on your itinerary.

Why?

Well, this brief article will tell you about the museum and what it does.  HERE’S THE LINK.

And to learn more about the folks who established it and why, HERE’S THE LINK.

What can Mt St Helens tell us about Coal Formation?

Yesterday we mentioned that it has been 30 years since Mt. St. Helens erupted.

And we noted that the eruption provided many clues and insights into such things as the formation of the Grand Canyon, how long it takes (or doesn’t take) to make rock layers, and more.

Well, today, let’s look at one of the “and more” things.

Specifically, Coal Formation.

An informative article was written only 3 years after the eruption.  But, already, in that short period of time, significant information was being discovered about how coal is formed.

Interested?  Then, HERE’S THE LINK.

30 Years ago today Mt. St. Helens erupted!

So what does this mean? After all,  It is ‘just’ another volcano, you say.  And Volcanoes erupt all the time.  Well, perhaps not allllll the time but frequently.

So what is so special about Mt. St. Helens?

Well, the Mt. St. Helens eruption has provided mountains (pun intended) of scientific information which actually validates many young earth theories concerning the creation of the Grand canyon, the effects and after effects of  Noah’s flood, and more.

For example, the eruption “dug deep holes into the idea that ‘millions of years’ are needed for rock layer, canyon, and fossil formation.”

To read the interesting, informative, and easy to understand article which describes the eruption and explains how it has altered the “...foundation of the geological timescale once believed to be ‘set in stone’”, HERE’S THE LINK

Heloise? or just helpful hints?

Well, hopefully this is not turning into a Heloise type blog.

But, I ran across a most amazing web article the other day.

What now, you ask.

Well, seems that there are many more uses for fingernail polish (clear) than meets the eye.

Some of you, including me, probably do not have such an item handy but it might be worth purchasing a bottle and adding it to your ‘repair’ kit supplies.

Repair kit? What !  Why?  Tell me more.

Well, seems that there are quite a few other uses for clear fingernail polish than just putting on fingernails. HERE’S THE LINK (Oh, one more thing, be sure to check out the comments at the bottom of the article. There are many more suggestions there.)

Again, HERE’S THE LINK.

Yellowstone Park has petrified forests !

Well, folks, it is ‘that’ time of the year.

What time?


It is time to think about .... tah dah... Vacations!

So from time to time we will give you a few suggestions, as we did last year, about places to go and things to see.

And today our suggestion is Yellowstone Park.

For those of you who have been to Yellowstone Park, you will surely agree that it is a beautiful place with several well known and famous features such as ‘Old Faithful’, hot bubbling geothermal springs, and more.

And one of the ‘more’ features is often overlooked and neglected by the average visitor or, if they do see it, the explanations on the signs and by the guides just do not ring true if you stop to think about it.

I am speaking of the ‘petrified forests’, the layers of upright petrified trees at Specimen Ridge and Specimen Creek.  These trees, we are told by those with the ‘old earth glasses’ and viewpoint, grew upright and then died and remained while the layers formed around them.

But is this correct?  Is this what really happened? Does this make sense?  Is this possible?

To read the explanation of what likely really happened, HERE’S THE LINK.   

It all begins with Genesis

A few years ago a friend of this ministry wrote an excellent curriculum on the first 11 Chapters of Genesis.   It was a great resource. I highly recommended it at the time.

But, guess what!

It is now even better!

Having been recently revised and updated, it provides even more important and essential information.  So now my ‘high recommendation’ has increased to an even higher level!

It is designed mainly for youth and teens, but, just between you, me, and the gatepost, it would be great for any age from youth to ‘grey headed’ adults.

This Curriculum has 34 lessons and could be a stand alone study for an individual but it is mainly intended for Sunday Schools, Christian Schools, and Home Schoolers.

The Teacher’s guide is 212 pages, the Student Workbook has 268 pages, and a CD-ROM has many additional teacher resources.

Where can you see more about it and order it, you ask.

Well, to see the individual components (leader’s guide, student workbooks, etc), HERE’S THE LINK.

And if you are going to lead the study and want the entire ‘kit and kaboodle’, HERE’S THE LINK.

What to do if you lose your cell phone

Yes, another entry about cell phones.

But this one should prove helpful and it caught my attention because

A friend of this ministry while on vacation, lost his cell phone. And he was in a foreign country!  What to do !

So they called here and had us call the carrier and get it ‘turned off’ while they continued a very in depth search for it.

Fortunately it was found and was able to be turned on again.

And it is a good thing it was found because it is the one I now have. 

(You will recall that my old one was replaced recently.  Well, it was replaced with this ‘newer’ one. And, wow, this ‘newer one’ has been out of the country and had ‘high adventure’.)

But I digress. The bottom line is that it is a crisis if your cell phone is lost.

So what should you do?   Well, this article has some great advice.

Actually I hope you never need this information.  But if you do, hopefully you will recall some of the advice in this article.  HERE’S THE LINK

6 Evidences of a Young Earth

Is the earth millions or billions of years old? 

Or is it young?

And why is this important?

Well, actually, this is one of the most important questions you could ever ask.

And, you will be glad to know that Answers In Genesis has recently posted another outstanding article that addresses this question by giving Six Evidences for a Young Earth.

This is definitely a must read article.  HERE’S THE LINK

Babies know the difference between good and evil

Well, imagine that!  ‘Science research’ is confirming once again what the Bible has told us all along. 

What is it this time, you ask?

Well, according to recent research, it seems that even babies as young as 6 months old know the difference between good and evil! They are not ‘empty slates’ at birth that have to ‘learn’ to do wrong.  They know and do wrong from the very start.

The Bible explains that all are born in a ‘lost / unsaved’ condition because of the original sin of Adam and Eve.  And the Biblical explanation corresponds perfectly with this ‘new scientific study’.

But even though the Bible explained the cause of why people do ‘evil’, and this study confirms that babies know the difference between good and evil, folks still  poo pooh the Biblical explanation and repeatedly propose other ‘reasons’ for for why a person does evil.

According to the Bible, all are born in sin and, therefore, have an inbred moral code which causes them to know and to do evil.  That is, of course, why the Lord God Jesus Christ had to die to pay the death penalty for sin / doing evil. 

I was going to give you the link to the interesting study which, 'unbeknownst' to the ‘researchers’, affirms the accuracy and validity of the Biblical account, but, alas, as is so often the case, though the article was interesting, there were side pictures (advertisements and etc) that were ‘not good’ and I didn’t want you to see them by accident.

So, you will just have to trust me that such an article exists and basically said that little babies know and can recognize the difference between good and evil.  Interesting. 

Oh, well, with no link, you have less to read today so ‘technically’ you are ‘through’ for today -- unless, of course, you want to scroll down the page and read or reread some of the previous articles.

That would be a good idea.

So, until tomorrow.

Earthquakes, floods, oil spills, and now more Tornados

You might not have heard about the extensive damage, injuries, and deaths if you were not watching the Weather Channel on Monday  evening, May 9.

I had just finished supper and thought I would quickly check to see if anything important was happening in the world before turning off the TV.

The MSM was reporting about mostly unimportant and / or shallow and insipid things but nary a mention (that I heard) of an outbreak of severe Tornados! 

So, I had no idea that anything unusual weather wise was happening. 

But, since it had been cloudy and rainy here today, I thought I would check about  tomorrow’s predicted weather.

And, WOW, to my surprise, the Weather Channel was on scene in Oklahoma giving first hand, detailed information about a huge outbreak of tornados that was still ongoing!

I watched for hours in stunned amazement at the pictures of destruction while intermittently checking the other networks and channels to see what they were reporting about this.

But they said nothing!  I guess they didn’t know? or care?

But the MSM didn’t say much about the terrible floods in Nashville a few days ago either.  I only found out about them via a phone call from a relative and then, once again, only found coverage of any merit on the Weather Channel.

So, since you might not have heard about this outbreak of severe, destructive, and deadly tornados, I found an article that gives some details and has a few pictures, though not nearly as informative as the Weather Channel reported.  HERE’S THE LINK

Flight of the Bumblebee on the iPad

Recently (on April 26) we mentioned the evolution of the cell phone into doing the amazing things that cell phones can do.

Well, this brings up the topic of another amazing electronic device which has just begun its ‘evolution’.

I am speaking now of the iPad.

No, I do not have one and at the rate of my ‘progress’ of just recently upgrading from a dinosaur cell phone to a later, but still not new, cell phone, it is unlikely that I will be getting an iPad anytime soon.

In fact, I am likely the only person in the world that doesn’t have an iPod, much less an iPad.

So, what can the ‘new fangled’ iPad do? you ask.

Well, glad you asked.  Because recently a Concert Pianist played his iPad onstage at a concert.  I kid you not. (give it a few seconds to load)  HERE’S THE LINK.

Today is Mother's Day

Zettabytes !!!

We’ve gone wayyyyyy beyond the small number of bytes that are stored on a floppy disc such as this -- or on a CD, DVD, or the biggest hard drive on your laptop or desktop.

Believe it or not, there is a new number regarding how much ‘information’ is being stored digitally.  Zettabytes!

In ‘computer memory talk’, we have grown accustomed to bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, and ... well, these numbers and names are increasing faster than I can learn the terms.  And we thought the national debt is big and they are still talking ‘zillions of trillions’!

Anyway, in computer talk (but thankfully not yet the national debt) we are up to Zettabytes!

And still the information grows and more and more bytes will be increasingly needed to store it.

But, as amazing as Zettabytes and whatever ‘bytes’ totals will be in the future, isn’t it wonderful to know that they don’t (and never will) hold a candle to the information the Lord God of the Universe knows!

What is a zettabyte?  Well, I found a brief article which will explain how big a number this really is.  HERE’S THE LINK

Do dogs go to heaven?

Recently we posted about Barbie, the doll, having become an Episcopal Priest.

Well, are the Episcopalians perhaps now under her influence?

To what am I referring? you ask.

Well, Barbie is surely not behind this, but an article in the Denver Post reports that a “Massachusetts church plans to offer worship services for dogs!” 

Apparently this church thinks dogs do go to heaven. 

And, this is their new “Perfect Paws Pet Ministry” which will be a monthly worship service.

I kid you not.  HERE’S THE LINK

Today is the National Day of Prayer

Flooding in Nashville

As you surely know, serious rain and flooding events took place in the South recently including verrrrrry serious rainfall and flooding in Nashville, Tenn.

As a result, many businesses, schools, homes, roads, etc. were flooded and damaged and even more tragically several lost their lives.

That was definitely NOT funny.

But a group of us had a funny experience this evening which was related to that flooding.

Seems that several of us had gone to a restaurant for dinner.  Due to the large crowd the seating of adjacent tables was very close and it was difficult to NOT overhear conversations nearby.

As our group was quietly discussing the flooding in Nashville, a man at the next table entered into the conversation and began to relate what a friend, who works at the Opryland Hotel, had just told him via cell phone (many many cars under water in the parking lot, water up to about 8 feet or more in the hotel, tourists had been evacuated on buses, etc.)

Then a man at the table behind us entered into the conversation!

And then folks at the table next to him joined in!

None of us knew each other, nor were we in nor did we live in the Nashville area,  but all of us, at 4 different tables, became very engrossed in the conversation about the crisis in Nashville. 

It was a most unusual time.  I have never before experienced such a spontaneous group conversation among total strangers.

Yes, the flooding was severe.  And, yes, there are likely many articles we could link you to today to picture this. 

But, since the dinner topic was mostly about the Opryland Hotel, I thought you would find this article about the Grand Old Opry House (also a well known Nashville Landmark and now part of the Opryland Hotel complex, interesting.   HERE’S THE LINK.

What Killed the Dinosaurs ?

A few days ago, April 27 to be exact, we posed the question “what happened to / i.e. killed the dinosaurs?"

And we gave a link to the AIG website which had a very good answer to the question. 

But, guess what, we were (as usual) just a tad ahead of our time.

How is that you say?

Well, seems that a few days later this very same issue was addressed anew on the AIG website as its lead article.

So, in order to bring further insight to the question of what killed the Dinosaurs and why it was NOT the result of an impact of a comet or asteroid, I thought you would like to read the latest findings from AIG as was featured in their excellent periodical, Answers.

HERE’S THE LINK.

Selecting a college

It is May, students are graduating from High School, and many are wondering where they should go (or if they should go) to college.

If you are one of these graduates, or a parent of, a relative of, or a friend or counselor of, you are likely also pondering the question with them.

There are a zillion colleges from which to chose and so many factors to be considered such as cost, location, career path, etc. etc. etc.

But, for a Christian, there is another verrrrrry important consideration, especially if considering a path in science or other programs which will be secular and anti-Biblical in approach and content.

Dr. Jason Lisle has a PhD in Astrophysics, is a Christian, attended a Secular University, got his PhD, and ‘survived’ as a Christian. 

He has written a great article that should be read by all students and their parents (and those helping them decide) before they make this all important decision about where to go to College and how to survive after they arrive.  HERE’S THE LINK

A second face on the Shroud of Turin?

There is a new finding on the Shroud of Turin.

For years I have had a special interest in the Shroud (long story, too long for here)  and am convinced that the image on it IS that of The Lord God Jesus Christ at the time of His resurrection from the dead.

But now even more confirmation and evidence of the resurrection has been found on the shroud!

WND on April 28 posted this article concerning the finding of a second face on the Shroud of Turin.

This second image is found on the back side of the cloth.

Hmmmm. Verrrrry interesting.   HERE’S THE LINK

Is there Intelligent life in outer space?

Surely you have wondered about this.  Everyone has.

Innumerable movies, radio programs, talk shows, TV specials, etc. address this question, and repeatedly say ‘yes’. 

But is ‘yes’ the correct answer?

What would be the theological implications of a ‘yes’ answer?

A friend of this ministry gets a weekly email from Answers In Genesis. (How had I not heard of this? Oh well). 

And, interestingly, one of the topics of the April 24, 2010 email, among other things, had this to say about the question:

“A number of leading evolutionists, like the late Dr. Carl Sagan, have popularized the idea that there must be intelligent life in outer space. From an evolutionary perspective, it would make sense to suggest such a possibility. People who believe this possibility contend that, if life evolved on earth by natural processes, intelligent life must exist somewhere else in the far reaches of space, given the size of the universe and the millions of possible planets.

One can postulate endlessly about possibilities of intelligent life in outer space, but I believe a Christian worldview, built on the Bible, rejects such a possibility. Here is why.

During the six days of creation in Genesis 1, we learn that God created the earth first. On day four He made the sun and the moon for the earth, and then “He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16).

From these passages of Scripture it would seem that the earth is very special—it is center stage. Everything else was made for purposes relating to the earth. For instance, the sun, moon, and stars were made “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14)."

Ken Ham continues his discussion of the biblical and theological implications of extraterrestrial life in more detail:   HERE’S THE LINK