Skidboot, the world's smartest dog

While we are on the topic of pets --there is a wonderful video about the world’s smartest dog.... Skidboot...... (well, maybe the world’s second smartest dog since you probably think your pet is the smartest).

Anyway, Skidboot, the world’s smartest dog, is truly amazing.

You might have seen him on tv or in person. But, if not, you can watch this 8 minute 30 second You Tube video. HERE’S THE LINK

Notice on the Refrigerator to Dogs and Cats

Well, it has happened again. What?

Why, another funny email that is just too good to read and delete. This time it is about dogs and cats -- our pets.

And, since almost everyone has, has had, or wish they had a pet, you will surely find this as funny as I did.

Of course, my pet is perfect (as is yours) and never does any of these things. But still this is really funny.

So, with thanks to my friend, a new grandmother, and who has cats, HERE’S THE LINK.

Bartholomew Lives His Testimony

It is mid August and the start of the College football season is almost here and those of us who are fans are eagerly anticipating the new season.

You are probably wondering why in the world on this Bible Studies Net blog I am mentioning college football....

Well, let me explain.

Since it is ‘that time of the year’, I was checking my favorite sports sites and while surfing, I came across an amazing article about a former U Tennessee football player who is not your typical College or Pro Football player. By that, I mean this guy is apparently really sold out for the Lord! Wow!

His name is Will Bartholomew and he is a former Tennessee fullback from Nashville who played during UT’s heyday and on the 1998 National Championship team.

What he did then and what he is doing now is most unusual in today’s world.

Whether you are a football fan or not, you will be blessed by this article and I think you will agree that it is very appropriate for this blog. HERE’S THE LINK.

Walking away from God / Turning your Back on God

Was there a time in your past when you felt really close to God but now God seems distant?

Are you no longer seeking His advice and wisdom in your relationships, educational choices, career decisions, family decisions, social and ‘entertainment’ activities, and the myriad of other daily actions and choices you are making?

Are you ‘mad’ at God for some reason or another and, therefore, have walked away from Him and immersed yourself in the world’s activities, choices, desires, and beliefs?

Would you like to once again enjoy fellowship with God but you think that it is impossible?

And, even if you don’t want to enjoy fellowship with God again and don’t want to have anything to ever do with Him in the future, have you considered the ultimate consequences which result from walking away from God?

To read a very short but really great article by Charles Stanley about this, HERE’S THE LINK

Does the Bible say anything about Astronomy?

We have had several posts recently that mentioned various astronomical subjects such as Mars, comets, etc. But, these have been articles from the secular press even though we often made Biblical references or comments about them.

So, the thought might have crossed your mind: “Does the Bible say anything about Astronomy?”

Well, yes, it does. It says a lot of things about Astronomy.

This short article by Dr. Jason Lisle, who is an Astronomer and has a PhD in the field, gives us a wonderful glimpse into some of the things related to astronomy that are in the Bible. I think you will find it very interesting. HERE’S THE LINK

Amazing 3D Murals painted on walls

Well, we have had several days of ‘serious’ topics. So, today, let’s have some fun.

A few days ago, I happened across an article about an artist who does amazing 3D drawings on the sides of buildings. Having always been fascinated by drawings on buildings, this caught my attention.

There is a historical drawing on a wall in the town where I was born (long long ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth) but it is not a 3D drawing.

There are also a lot of wonderful drawings on the waterfront wall in Paducah, Ky. which are also worth a trip to view. But they are not 3D either.

And, yes, there are other drawings on walls in other towns and cities.

But, these drawings, which are in 3D, are truly amazing. They look sooooo real. I knew you would want to see them, too, so HERE’S THE LINK.

The second most important event in the Bible

For a couple of days we have talked about Mars. And, yesterday, in that article about Mars’ magnetic field or lack thereof, I mentioned the Flood of Noah.

Well, that brings us to a good lead in for today’s blog post?

How so? You ask?

Glad you asked. And for one answer (with which I agree, unlike yesterday’s article when I had some questions) there is a very interesting article about the Second Most important event in the Bible.

I thought it was very interesting and thought provoking. So without further ado, HERE’S THE LINK.

Mars magnetic field is missing???

Yes, Yes, I know you just saw this image yesterday. But, it is appropriate to today's post. Let me explain.

But, first let me give you a caveat because as a friend of mine used to say: “I don’t understand anything I know about that!”

And, this is so true re this article which says that Mars is missing its Magnetic Field.

Well, Not being an astronomer, I don’t know if this is a true statement or even how they know that the magnetic field is missing.

But, I wonder it was ‘lost’ (if it is gone) by the method proposed in the article, especially since they say that this happened a half a billion years ago. (How do they know that?)

And, if this was the mechanism, i.e. that comet impacts can really do this, and maybe they can - then, it is more likely that it happened about 4-5000 years ago when there were probably a lot of impacts (as per the scars on moon, mars, etc.) which may have occurred during the year of Noah's flood.

That is just my ‘idea’ so don’t get upset.

But, if they can have an “I suppose”, why can’t you and I also have some ideas. After all, they were not there and neither was I. And I do have a lot of ‘out of the box’ ideas on topics such as this. So, don’t get me started ... (but I wish you would as these are very interesting topics).

And I also have great doubts concerning what they say in the article about how the field formed in the first place, since this is also a lot of supposition from the long ages evolutionary worldview.

So, bottom line, this article probably wouldn’t ‘hold water’ (much less a 'magnetic field') if evaluated correctly (i.e. from God’s, instead of man’s, point of view).

But, since we were thinking about Mars in yesterday’s blog posting, I thought you might find this interesting. So to read this article, HERE'S THE LINK.

The Annual August Mars Email Hoax

It is that time of the year, i.e. August, and though I have not yet seen this email this year, I have seen it in the past. And you probably have seen it also.

But, the BBC website is anticipating the email and alerting folks that it is time for it to make its rounds again so we will not be duped into standing outside with the biting bugs looking at the sky hoping to see a reallllly big Mars.

They recently wrote: “Every August e-mails circulate which suggest we are about to have a close encounter with Mars. The e-mails are a hoax, but they say something about our fascination with the Red Planet. The e-mail seems to promise something truly remarkable. It often starts: "The Red Planet is about to be spectacular." It ends with the screaming caps: "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN." The message tells of Mars being close to the earth on 27 August, close enough to be as big as the moon with the naked eye.”

Well, yes, this is a hoax. So, even though there are a lot of real events including eclipses and other amazing things happening in the sky these days, apparently Mars being the size of the moon is not one of them.

To read the rest of the article, HERE’S THE LINK

Aesop’s fable may be true

I first read this on Yahoo news but it is also on the BBC website. So this must be realllllly big news. Well, maybe not.

But it is more evidence of the detail God put into His created beings. Of course, these two articles will not say or even intimate that God had anything to do with this because we all ‘know’ that birds just evolved by accident and were not created. So this seeming ability to ‘think’ that has now been found in birds is just an accident. NOT!

Anyway, it is news that has to do with smart birds. So, Hmm. A ‘birdbrain’ might not be so bad after all.

In what way are they smart? Well, they might not actually play the card game of “Rook” or the game of Chess, but ‘Rook Birds’ do seem to be able to figure things out in order to get food, etc. Imagine that! But, I am giving too much away. You will enjoy reading this for yourself, if you haven’t already.

So, to read the article on yahoo, HERE’S THE LINK

And the article on BBC gives even more details, so to read it, HERE’S THE LINK.

And to see a 54 second video of the Rook in action at the task, HERE'S THE LINK

Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive

For the past couple of days we have been thinking about astronomical things (and I am not referring to the gov. debt). So, staying on the topic of astronomy for one more day. Let me ask you....

Do you know about NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive? Hopefully you do, but if not, you are going to love this !!!!

And, yes, this is one realllllly good example of ‘your taxes at work’.

Each day a new, fascinating, and astounding (to me) picture is posted. Sometimes the pictures are of a scene on earth such as an aurora, sunrise, etc., but most of the pictures are from deep space. And, of course, the comments have the expected secular worldview. But, ignore that and just look at the pictures. You will be thrilled at what is ‘out there’.

The Horsehead Nebula in the upper left corner of this blog entry was the ‘Picture of the Day’ for July 21, 2009.

And one more thing. If we can see these distant nebula, stars, galaxies, etc. why can’t we see the Oort cloud? Oh well, just a thought.

Anyway, to see some fantastic views of the Universe that God created, HERE’S THE LINK

The Oort Cloud. Does it really exist?

Yesterday, we posted an article about “Comets not being the cause of extinctions”. In that article was a reference to the “Oort Cloud”. And, as we indicated, the Oort Cloud is hypothetical.

What? There is no proof that the Oort Cloud is real? How can this be? It is taught to be a ‘fact’ in our secular schools, textbooks, on TV, etc.

Well, amazingly, the Oort Cloud is a still a ‘figment of imagination’, has not been proven to exist, and has never been seen, even with the fantastic Hubble and other high powered telescopes. Wow. Imagine that !

So, that being said, and to find out more about the Oort Cloud, or the lack thereof, today, as promised, here is some more information about the hypothetical Oort Cloud.

First, let’s listen to a 1 minute 30 second audio recording. It is titled “The Oort Cloud - does it exist?” HERE’S THE LINK

And to read a short article about the “Oort Cloud” written by Dr. Danny Faulkner, HERE’S THE LINK

Finally, if you want to know even more about the hypothetical Oort Cloud as well as a lot of fascinating information about Astronomy in general from the Biblical perspective, there is a very interesting article written by Dr. Jason Lisle. The information about the Oort Cloud is about half way down the page.

But before I link you to it, let me add that

This article by Dr Lisle was in an excellent publication which you can still obtain from Answers In Genesis. It was in the “Astronomy Issue” of Answers Magazine. You can buy this issue as a stand alone purchase. But, better yet, why not also subscribe to this Magazine. It comes 4 times a year and I consider it to be worth its weight in gold re the information it provides in each issue. Information re how to subscribe is given in a click through link on the page with the article. You will find that link near the top of the page and just to the right of the opening paragraph of the article.

So, without further ado, to read the article by Dr. Lisle and to find out how to subscribe to the Answers Magazine, HERE’S THE LINK

“Comets ‘not cause of extinctions’”

This is another “Oh Oh” for the ‘long agers’ / ‘old earthers’, and the evolutionists.

According to a recent article on the internet, “Comet strikes are an unlikely cause of past mass extinctions on Earth, according to computer simulations.”

Oh, No! You mean that the dinosaurs who supposedly lived long long ago, before man existed (contrary to what the Bible teaches) were NOT killed (extinguished) by an asteroid strike 65 million years ago? Horrors!

And, by the way, the Oort Cloud referred to in the article, which is supposedly the source of these comets, has apparently never been seen and is not a proven ‘cloud’. Hmmmm. In tomorrow’s posting, we will give you some links which will provide more information about the hypothetical ‘Oort Cloud’, so be sure to return to this blog tomorrow.

In the meantime, to read the article about “Comets are not the cause of extinctions” HERE’S THE LINK

10 Lost Cities of the World

A recent article in the Telegraph.co.uk tells of 10 ‘Lost Cities’ with a picture of each.

These are not places that most people visit so this should be an interesting armchair journey for all of us wanderlust travel folks.

I love to travel! Indeed, it has been one of my all time ‘favorite’ things to do. But of these 10 cities, I have to admit, I have only been to one of them. Sigh.

But, hmmm, they are not really ‘lost’ or we wouldn’t have these pictures or be able to go to them, would we?

Anyway, the article opens with the first picture. To see the rest, one at a time, look on the right hand side of the page near the top and click on the NEXT arrow. It took me a while to find the place to click so thought I would save you some time.

Well, enough of this rambling (pun intended). You surely want to see the pictures so HERE’S THE LINK.

Oh, wow, evolution has done it again. Not !

What is it this time that is so amazing, you ask.
Wellllll....
A recent article, written, of course, from the secular, ‘it just happens by chance’ view of evolution
tells us that
“honey bees sterilize their hives with antimicrobial resin...”

Amazing. Astounding. But most amazing of all is how anyone could think that this happened by accident, oh, excuse me, by evolution.

Of course, it couldn’t.

And talk about chutzpah (hutzpah), this information was originally published in the Journal Evolution. Since I do not subscribe to that journal, I only read about this finding on the BBC website.

Anyway, read this BBC article. It is amazing what GOD (not evolution) has designed for His creatures. Amazing.

HERE’S THE LINK

Personal Submarines?

I thought we were having some kind of depression or recession or whatever.

Well, maybe not. At least these folks must not be worried because they are making these recreational machines.

So for those of you with a million or two to spend, you could get a Personal Submarine and tool around in the lake, river, whatever.

HERE’S THE LINK

Satan’s Strategy

This ‘thought for the day’ came in an email and though I know who sent the email, I have no idea who actually wrote this particular ‘strategy’. But, it sounds a lot like a 21st Century version of Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.

If you have not read that classic book, Screwtape Letters, you really should. I checked on the web and apparently this classic book is still ‘in copyright’ so there are no free versions on the web. Sigh. So, I guess you will have to borrow it from a friend or check it out from a library, or whatever.

In the meantime, it would be very instructive if you would read this short and succinct version of the overall concept that is in Lewis’ book.

So, to read the email with shorter version of the same concept, CLICK HERE.

90 Minutes in Heaven

This is an excellent book written by Dan Piper. I read the book awhile back but had forgotten about it until tonight when I got an email from a friend who had recently ‘read’ it. Well, actually she listened to it as an audio book since she is now having vision problems. You know how it is when you get ‘old’.

Anyway, her book review is so succinct, that I decided to just cut and paste it so you could get her take on it.

So, here is what my friend said about this book:

“I recently "read" a book you might enjoy. I get them on tape, so miss all the pictures. Anyway, the name of it was 90 Minutes in Heaven by a Texas Baptist minister who's name, I believe, is Dan Piper. When he wrote this he was minister at a Pasadena, TX, church that had 10,000 members.

“He'd gone to a Baptist conference and on the way home was crossing a bridge when an 18 wheeler ran over his car. The medical people said he was dead, covered him with a tarp, and sent away the ambulances.

“90 minutes later another minister came by and went to see what had happened. He got as close as he could to him and prayed for him a lot, then he discovered that he was alive and told the rescue people, who said that he wasn't, but it turned out that he was and he wrote all the things he'd seen when he was out for this 90 minutes. It also talks about all his rehab .... He and one of his children had also graduated from LSU. It was an interesting book.”

Well, there you have it, the ‘book review’ by my friend. She is a graduate of LSU, which is why she picked up on his education and that of one of his children.

And, Yes, she is so right. This is an interesting book and she and I highly recommend it to you. The experiences which he recounts during his 90 minutes in heaven are very interesting, believable, and encouraging.

Really Unusual Vacation Hotels and Hostels

As you know, from time to time on this blog we suggest places to go or things to do for vacations. But, the link posted today tells of “the Top 5 Incredible Eco-Hotels and Hostels of the World”. And indeed they are incredible!

Having traveled with family and friends to many really interesting locations and having stayed in some really unusual places in the past, I think it is safe to say that we have never done anything quite as unusual as these.

I am not necessarily suggesting that you go to these hotels and hostels, but it is interesting to know about these new ‘options’ for ‘unusual places’ to stay. And, thanks to the internet, we can check them out even if we don’t make the trip. HERE’S THE LINK

Blind border collie has is own guide dog

You have probably already heard about this, but just in case you haven’t, this is really a heart warming story and I knew you would be interested. And, no, no dog dies in this story so it is safe to read it.

Seems that there is a Blind border collie named Clyde who has a dear dear dog friend, Bonnie, who takes care of him and actually serves as a guide dog for Clyde.

These were strays who “were rescued after being abandoned on a street in the middle of a storm three weeks ago.” They are up for adoption in England. It is truly amazing.

So, without further ado, HERE’S THE LINK

New Webpage Online !!

Wow ! It has finalllllly happened. After a long and often frustrating few weeks, the Web page snafu for BibleStudies.Net has been resolved and the new shiny web page is now on line.

The new website is not yet complete and is a work in progress but the exciting new changes have begun.

You will notice that some 'click throughs' take you to our mirror site. But not to worry. That is a 'real' site and you are still on Bible Studies Net.

Anyway, soooooo excited about this development and just had to let you know.

If you would like to see the new site HERE'S THE LINK

Mini Scale model of Solomon’s Temple

An article on the Arutz Sheva Newspaper website tells of a Mini-scale Model of Solomon’s Temple. This model is located in, of all places, England!

The builder has been working on this model for 30 years. Some say this is the most accurate model of the temple in existence today.

There is a Sunday School Class in the Atlanta area that will find this article exceedingly interesting as they have been studying about the Temple and its components for months, perhaps even years.

And, by the way, if you live in the Atlanta Area and would like to attend this class which obviously does a truly in-depth study of the Word of God, email me and I will tell you where it is and how to find it. Email address written to prevent spamming is BibleStudiesNet (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Anyway, that class will find this article interesting and so will you. So, HERE’S THE LINK

The Hamster dance and Singing Horses

Well, after that scary picture yesterday, today let’s have some fun and ‘silliness’ (is that a word?). And tomorrow we can get back to 'serious' for awhile.

While looking at Cards the other day (birthday cards, graduation cards, etc) I noticed that a lot of them these days play music when you open them. (Guess I need to get out more as this is probably not a ‘new’ thing).

Anyway, upon opening one, it played, you guessed it, the Hamster Dance. Wow. The Hamster dance. Hadn’t heard that ditty in years.

Have you missed it? Well, good news, the Hamster dance is still out there on the net in all its ‘glory.. HERE’S THE LINK

And another ‘great one’ is the Singing Horses. It is one of my all time favorites. Surely you have seen it. But, if not, HERE’S THE LINK

Oh Wow. Talk about scary

There were several things that were in the ‘running’ to be the post for today but then, pow, I found this picture and well, you just have to see it.

It was aptly titled “Dude, how did you get up there?”

I don’t know who took it, though a caption on the click through said it was made in Glacier National Park in Montana.

Well, where ever it was made and whomever took it, this is amazing.

HERE’S THE LINK

“Green Beetle’s super-shiny secret”

Guess what, the green “jewelled beetle” has cells which are almost identical to hi-tech liquid crystals. Then when polarised light shines on them the light causes the cells to have different colors, including green. Yet, the beetle does not have green pigments, just these interesting cells.

This and more is detailed in a recent BBC article.

I guess this is just another evolutionary ‘accident / chance innovation.’ Not!

To read this interesting article, HERE’S THE LINK

The Toucan uses its big Beak/Bill to regulate heat ? !

Hmm. This is very interesting!

A recent article in ‘Science’ proposes that the purpose of the humongous beak on the Toucan bird is a mechanism for the bird to regulate its temperature and to cool off. Apparently some studies have been done using infrared cameras to detect heat radiation from bills of Toucans.

”The scientists found that as the surroundings got warmer, the toucan's bill would rapidly heat up, effectively acting as a radiator to draw heat away from the bird's body, allowing it to stay cool. Conversely, in cooler temperatures, little heat would radiate from the bill, letting the bird conserve its warmth.”

What a great idea ! Using the huge beak to regulate heat! Makes sense to me.

But, did this just happen by random chance? Again, I don’t think so. Rather, it looks like another example of design and a Creator.

Anyway, thought you would be interested in this. So, HERE’S THE LINK

The Days Do Matter

Henry Morris, Ph.D has written a very interesting review of the book, “A Matter of Days” by Hugh Ross, PhD.

You have probably seen and heard Dr. Ross articulate his views on various TV and radio programs and perhaps have visited his website.

Thus, you probably know that Dr. Ross does not believe in the literal 6 days of Creation as presented in the Bible. Instead, he is a proponent of the Day Age Theory.

Bottom line: this book by Dr. Ross is not one that I would recommend for you to read (unless you are doing research on various views, etc.). Life is too short to read it since there are so many other books that we like to recommend on this site that you do need to read and they will surely keep you busy. : )

But, you do need to know what Dr. Ross believes and teaches-- and this short, concise, to the point book review by Dr. Henry Morris adequately covers what is in the book and clearly explains why the views presented by Dr. Ross do not line up with what the Bible teaches.

So, rather than reading the whole book, I suggest you read this excellent book review.
HERE’S THE LINK.

The 21st Century’s Longest Eclipse

The 21st Century’s Longest Eclipse occurred July 22, 2009.

We didn’t see it here in America but it was seen in Asia as it tracked over India, China, and the South Pacific during the daylight hours bringing near darkness to the areas involved. This was a Total Eclipse of the sun.

“At its peak over the Pacific, the total phase of the eclipse lasted 6 minutes and 39 seconds. That made it the longest-lasting total eclipse since July 11, 1991, when a stretch of totality lasting 6 minutes and 53 seconds was visible from Hawaii to South America. There will not be a longer total eclipse ... until 2132.”

“The next total solar eclipse is due to occur on July 11, 2010, and will be visible from the South Pacific and parts of South America. That dose of totality will last no longer than 5 minutes and 20 seconds. The continental United States isn't due for a total solar eclipse until Aug. 21, 2017, but on that day, the track of totality will stretch from Oregon to South Carolina.”

MSNBC has an article about it, pictures, and some video.
HERE’S THE LINK

Why Recent Creation?

Well, AIG has done it again. This time it is a really good article about Recent Creation and why it is important.

As you know, most of our schools today teach an old earth and long long ages. But, the Bible teaches a young earth of approximately 6000 years in age.

Because of the teachings in our current secular educational system, "...many scholars today do not believe that the Bible is historically accurate prior to the time of King David in ancient Israel, despite archeological evidence that confirms biblical information from the times of Abraham, Joseph, and the conquest of Canaan.”

This article, which was posted on the AIG website on June 16, gives a clear and easy to understand explanation of these different world views (old earth vs. young earth), their implications, and why Recent Creation is important. I think you will find it very interesting.

HERE’S THE LINK.

Vacation Suggestion

Well now I think I have heard everything. Talk about a vacation suggestion.

When my siblings and I were young, our mother used to take us to interesting places such as a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant and we watched the making of aspirin tablets, cough tablets, etc. Really fun. We also went to other factories to see such things as Newspapers and Magazines being printed, patterns (for dresses, etc) being made and folded, Chili and other foods being made and canned, etc etc etc. It was such fun and very educational and I still remember the scenes as if they were yesterday.

But, Wow, if we could have seen this ! Seen what? you ask. Welllll....

It seems that there is a dairy farm, located in Fair Oaks, Indiana, about an hour south of Chicago, just off I 65. It has an ‘Adventure Center’ with all kinds of exhibits, electronic figures, etc.

At this humongous farm 32,000 cows are milked daily! And believe it or not, about 80 calves are born daily !!! And they say you can see it all happen.

There is a 5 minute 2 second video on You Tube that tells about it. I have not been to this place but, if I were in the area, it would be on my list of things to do, especially since they have Senior Citizen admission fees. : )

Anyway, to see the video, HERE’S THE LINK.

And to go to the Webpage for this amazing farm HERE’S THE LINK.

D.L. Moody - Hero of Faith

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that the Moody Church (Chicago) puts its Sunday Worship programs on the internet to hear or view. And they keep having very interesting, informative, uplifting, God-honoring services. This week and last week are no exception.

Why? Well, Moody Church, as you recall, was started by D.L Moody in the late 1800s and still exists today. Its current pastor, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, preached this excellent, most informative, and spiritually uplifting 2 part series about the life of D.L. Moody.

You might think that it would be boring to hear 2 sermons about one person. But, think again.

D.L. Moody only had a 5th grade education but was powerfully used by God to preach to MILLIONS of people in America and in England, Scotland, etc.

This 2 part series is a MUST listen (or see, depending on your computer). Each part is 1 hour since it includes the music, Scripture reading, etc.

Note, I tried to watch the video but it seemed to link to a previous week. But the Audio links worked fine. So if you have the same video problems, just cancel and load the Audio.

Please take the time to listen. You will be glad you did.

To Listen to 7/12/09 D L Moody A hero of Faith Part 1 HERE’S THE LINK

To listen to 7/19/09 D L Moody A hero of Faith Part 2 HERE’S THE LINK

Moths outwit bats by Jamming Sonar

There is a most interesting article on the web that tells how some moths can “outfox bats by jamming their signals”.

Apparently “Aaron Corcoran, a graduate student at Wake Forest University, was intrigued by a species of moth that also makes ultrasonic sounds. He wondered if this was some kind of bat deterrent. The moth, a 1- to 2-inch-long orange species called Bertholdia trigona, has organs on its body called "tymbals."

This article even has a 15 second video that shows the “tiger moth jamming the sonar of the big brown bat”. Wow! Amazing.

But did this just happen by evolutionary processes? Ultrasonic jamming of the bat’s ‘radar’ using ‘tymbals” just happened by accident?!? You have got to be kidding me.

Of course this news release was written with the assumption that this all ‘just happened’ by evolutionary processes.

But think about it. Could this realllllly just happen by chance? Or, gasp, could there be a Divine Creator God who programmed this into the moth’s DNA? Which view seems more plausible? Think about it.

Even though this article is written from a secular worldview, it is very interesting. And, when you cut through the fog of that worldview, it reveals another awesome design that the Creator God has placed in His creations, even the little creations such as a moth.

I encourage you to read this article on the NPR website. HERE’S THE LINK.

Marathon .. "What kind of nut?"

This is one of my all time favorite articles written by the Sports writer we have referenced before on this blog. You surely recall his great article posted here on May 12, 2009, “When the Phone Rings”.

Well, he has done it again, this time with an article about his first Marathon.

Even if you are not a runner, (and I most definitely am not, never will be, nor want to be... “what kind of nut...”), you will love this most honest telling of his first Marathon.

Usually folks make this out to be an “oh, no problem, it was a piece of cake” type of experience. Well, this article tells you in a humorous way what really happens in a Runner’s mind and body. And, big hint, just as you suspected, running a marathon is not a 'piece of cake'.

You must read this even if you are not a runner. HERE’S THE LINK

It’s flying! Pet Airways, that is

You will recall that a few weeks back, we mentioned that there was going to be a special airline for Pets only. Well, it has launched and is flying.

To read the article, HERE’S THE LINK.

Book Review: “Already Gone” by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer

A few days ago we mentioned on this blog that a new book, Already Gone, had been published. I also said that I was looking forward to reading it.

Well, I have now read it - not once but Twice, which is unusual for me as I usually only read something once.

As you can suspect from my reading it twice, it is definitely a very important book and one that I highly recommend that you also read especially If you are a Pastor, Youth Director, Music Director, Sunday School Teacher, Bible Study Leader, Deacon, Elder, Administrator, Department Director, Parent, or ‘just’ a concerned lay person, such as I.

Why should you read it? Well, to read my "book review" telling why I highly recommend this book and why I think it is so important that you read it also CLICK HERE

More archeological evidence

“Old Testament 'proof': Royal seal discovered."

Well, hmmmmm. This seems to be turning out to be an 'archaeological week’ or something.

But, I always find it exciting to find articles that shed light upon the Biblical accounts. Having heard so many skeptics for so many years say that the events in the Bible were ‘just stories’ and can’t be taken literally, it thrills my heart to read about the many various archaeological discoveries which continue to confirm the validity of the Biblical accounts.

This time the ‘find’ is that archaeologists have unearth an ancient relic. a Royal Seal, from a prince (Gedaliah) mentioned in Jeremiah.

To read about it and see more pictures HERE’S THE LINK

David’s palace has been found !!!!

More archaeological evidence confirming many Biblical historical accounts has been unearthed.

This time it is the Palace of King David that has been discovered by Dr Eliat Mazar. She said it was amazing to find this after it has been lying undisturbed for 3000 years. A picture of part of the excavation site is in the upper left corner of this blog entry.

Yes, as we mentioned the other day, there are many archaeological discoveries which attest to the validity of the Biblical accounts. And this recent ‘find’ of King David’s Palace is one more very significant archaeological discovery.

To enable you read more about this, I found two really interesting articles and I encourage you to read both of them.

So for article one, HERE’S THE LINK

And for article two, HERE’S THE LINK

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have more time!

“D.L. Moody called it the biggest blunder of his life.

It happened on October 8, 1871, during a preaching series in Farwell Hall, Chicago. His text was “What then shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ.”

At the conclusion of the sermon Moody said he would give the people one week to make up their minds about Jesus. He then turned to Ira Sankey for a solo, and Sankey sang “Today the Saviour Calls.”

But by the third verse Sankey’s voice was drowned out by the noise outside the hall. The great Chicago fire had begun, and the flames were even then sweeping toward the Hall. The clanging of the fire bells and the noise of the engines made it impossible to continue the meeting.

In the years that followed, Moody wished that he had called for an immediate decision for Christ.”

(The source of the above quote is http://woundedheart.org/1-2.htm)

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 burned about 1,200,000 acres, destroyed about 17,450 buildings, killed about 250 people and left about 90,000 homeless.

Are you ready to meet God?

Just as those at the time of the Chicago fire, you may not have a week or a day or even an hour before disaster strikes and possibly even your death.

Bottom Line:

Now is the time to repent of and confess your sins and accept The Lord God Jesus Christ’s free gift of Salvation!

Not next week, next year, next month, or any time in the future. NOW is the time.

Who made God if God made everything?

This is a question that has likely crossed your mind. And it certainly is one that I hear posed from time to time by skeptics and others.

Recently I came across an article that does a good job of addressing this question.

I heard the author, Jonathan Sarfati, speak at a conference a few years ago. In addition to being a good speaker and writer, he is really a ‘sharp cookie’ with a PhD. And, he is a Chess expert and Champion.

At that meeting, he sat blindfolded and played simultaneous Chess games with 15 people! He would call out his move and a person would make the move for him on his board. Then the others would do their moves and the person would call out their moves so Jonathan would know what they did. Guess who won all 15 games? You guessed it. Jonathan Sarfati. I was soooooo impressed that whenever I see a book or article that he has written, I read it.

So. with that said, by way of introduction, to read the article that was first published in Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal 12(1):20-22, 1998., HERE’S THE LINK.

Archaeology and the Bible

You have probably heard folks say that the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is just a bunch of myths and stories and the people and places named didn’t ever exist and were just made up. Then, they usually add that because those places, peoples, kings, etc. never existed, they don't believe the Bible.

Well, guess what! Archaeological digs have repeatedly turned up (pun intended) evidence affirming the validity of the Bible.

Archaeological evidence now confirms that many, rulers, nations, Kings, cities, etc. that were previously thought to have be ‘made up’ were real and actually existed, just as the Bible said. And more and more such confirming evidence is being found as the digs continue.

The evidence is now extensive and many actual sites and artifacts are available for anyone to study and admire.

For example, the picture in the upper left corner of today’s blog entry is of an Assyrian Winged Bull which was unearthed in a dig at the Palace at Khorsabad, the palace of Sargon. Previously folks had contended that Sargon never existed, nor his palace. So they said the Bible can’t be true. But, the Palace has been found (in Iraq) and many artifacts such as this winged bull have been unearthed and placed in various museums around the world. This particular “Winged Bull” is in The Louvre in Paris.

But, don’t just take my word for it. There is a short but very interesting article that tells of other similar finds. The article is titled: “In what ways have the discoveries of Archaeology verified the reliability of the Bible?” I think you will find it most interesting and will aid you in further affirming your confidence in the validity of the Bible. HERE’S THE LINK.

David Barton -- Wall Builders

Most of you know about Charles Stanley, the Pastor of First Baptist Atlanta who has the weekly TV program “In Touch”.

But, are you familiar with David Barton and the Wall Builders Ministry?

Well, you should be because he is probably the most knowledgeable historian today regarding the history of the United States. He has many articles, books, videos and a daily radio program -- all of which are all excellent and informative.

So what does Charles Stanley have to do with David Barton?

Well, David Barton was the guest speaker on Stanley’s July 5, 2009 TV program. Barton presented an outstanding talk about America’s founding fathers. The title of the talk is “Is America a Christian Nation?” and it gives fascinating details about the founding of this Nation that you probably do not know but should.

This is the July 5, 2009 sermon on the “In Touch” website and you MUST watch it. It is about an hour in length but the time will literally fly by. You will be enthralled, amazed, and stunned at the historical information presented (with pictures, books, documents, etc. to support and illustrate what he is saying). This is a fast paced, lively, and most interesting presentation.

Be SURE to listen to this asap. HERE’S THE LINK.

Note: I assume that the sermons on the In Touch website are updated weekly. So, if another sermon has replaced the above link when you decide to watch, then go to the following link (to the video archives) and look for the July 5, 2009 sermon “Is America a Christian Nation?” HERE’S THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVES.

And, to go to David Barton’s Wall Builders website for even more articles, information, etc. HERE’S THE LINK

The Incredible Egg

Kirk Cameron has written a great article about the incredible egg.

But instead of the famous phrase “The incredible edible egg”, he calls it the "The Incredible Evangelistic Egg."

Why? Because it is not just an egg, it is a “Space Capsule.”

Now that should have your attention. It got mine.

Read this brief article. You will never look at an egg in the same way again. HERE’S THE LINK

1600 year old Codex Sinaiticus Bible online

Well, after that distressing news yesterday on the blog, here is some good and really interesting news.

According to an article on the BBC website, “About 800 pages of the earliest surviving Christian Bible have been recovered and put on the internet.”

Originally this Book, the Codex Sinaiticus, written in Greek, had about 1,460 pages according to the BBC article.

The 800 pages of this 4th Century Book which are available and online are not all complete pages. Indeed, many are just fragments but sill this is an very exciting find.

To read a more detailed and very interesting and informative article about this which was published on the Breitbart.com website, HERE’S THE LINK.

To read the short and very limited information in the BBC article, HERE’S THE LINK

And to go to the website where the pages and fragments are posted, HERE’S THE LINK.

Heads up re a movie to NOT see!!!!

Today I received an email from a friend telling about a website advertising a movie which is indicative of what is wrong with our society today.

What is this movie, you ask? Well, it is titled “The God Who Wasn’t There” and apparently is now available on DVD. I assume it has already been in theaters and, if so, it has already corrupted many minds and will be sending folks to Hell who believe what it is teaching.

I tried to find some movie reviews on the Christian movie review sites we suggested awhile back. But, alas, there were none. I guess they correctly figured no review was needed since just reading the promo on the website would let you know that this is not a movie to see.

There were a lot of movie reviews by atheists and secular sites that, of course, loved this movie, which is all the more reason to give this movie a wide wide berth.

But, actually, you don’t need a ‘review site’ to advise you about this movie. All you have to do is read /scan the info on the webpage advertising and selling the DVD and you will know to NOT recommend or even think about seeing this movie!

Let me say this again -- This is a movie to definitely NOT see!

And, if you know anyone who has seen it, you need to first pray for guidance and then confront them with the facts that Jesus IS God, that He IS ‘there’/here, and that He came, lived, died, and rose again so that they could have their sins paid for .... etc, In other words, witness to them, tell them the TRUTH, and help rescue them from an eternity in Hell.

Caveat !!!. If you do go to the webpage for this awful awful movie, just scan the page. Don’t waste your time reading and putting the heretical details in your mind and for sure don’t waste your time looking at the trailer and etc....just glance at the page and grieve at what society has come to ! HERE’S THE LINK

Coach Gran and his family

This is a touching and God-honoring story about a coach at UT and his daughter, Sydney. She had “a rare disease called Holoprosencephaly, which caused Sydney's brain to stop developing within the first three months in the womb.”

Likely and understandably you think it odd to have a link to a sports article and, yes, in the middle of the article there is a lot of sports info that will be of interest only to SEC fans (and UT fans in particular). So if you are not one of those folks, you can skim through that middle part. Although even the middle part has some really interesting and God honoring information.

But, It is the beginning and ending of this article (the ending beginning with the section titled “A Prayer Answered”) that is mainly the reason for today’s post.

Bottom line: Whether you are a College football fan or not, this is still worth your time to read.

So, with that said, HERE’S THE LINK.

Two Thirds of Teenagers Don't believe in God!

An article on the Telegraph.co.uk website posted Thursday June 22, 2009.... says
two thirds of teenagers don’t believe in God !!!

Yes, you read that correctly . TWO THIRDS !

And there are several more similarly dismaying statistics in that article.

Read it and weep and then pray! HERE’S THE LINK

It is the 4th of July. Is your flag flying?

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men
who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants,

nine were farmers and large plantation owners;

men of means, well educated,

but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank God for these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!
... patriotism is NOT a sin,
and the Fourth of July has more to it than ...
picnics, fireworks, and baseball games.

.

The Doctrine Debate

From time to time, as you have noticed, I have posted poll results and various articles pointing out the fact that there are serious problems in the Christian Church today. And this is not just a little minor problem. This is a major problem concerning Fundamental Foundational Doctrines.

Specifically, many Foundational Fundamental Doctrines are being ignored, dismantled, dismissed or rejected.

Thus, The Pure Gospel is no longer being preached in most churches.

And, as this has happened, the results are beginning to be visible in society.

What results? Well, such things as significant changes in the individual Christian’s Worldview, in the way a person lives and makes decisions, in the ways that ... well, I could go on and on.... but ... recently I read a great article by Sean McDowell that explains all this in detail.

For those of you in or leading Bible Study Classes and or Sunday School Classes, or who are Pastors or Youth Directors, please consider sharing this article with your group and addressing its concepts.

This is definitely a Must Read Article. HERE’S THE LINK.

God’s Cake

This came in another email and I have no idea who wrote it though I have seen the concept several times in the past. But, today it seems especially appropriate because a nephew has had yet another ‘disaster’. For him and his family, it is getting to be a ‘when it rains, it pours’ situation. You, also, may be experiencing repeated trials and problems. Hopefully this illustration will help him and others in their attempts to understand ‘why’.

So with that by way of ‘why’ this post today, here is the email:

“Sometimes we wonder, “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why did God have to do this to me?”

Here is a wonderful explanation!

A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong:

She’s failing algebra.

Her boyfriend broke up with her.

Her car (truck re my nephew) broke again!

AND her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says,

“Absolutely, Mom, I love your cake.”

“Here, have some cooking oil,” her Mother offers.

“Yuck,” says her daughter.

“How about a couple raw eggs?”

“Gross, Mom!”

“Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?”

“Mom, those are all yucky!”

To which the mother replies:

“Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves.

But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

God Works The Same Way.

Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times.

But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good to those who love the Lord! (Romans 8:28)

We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is CRAZY about you.

He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen.

GOD can live anywhere in the universe and for those who accept his free gift of salvation, He choses to live in your heart. WOW.

I hope your day is a piece of cake.”

Breaking the Sound Barrier

You probably have heard the BOOM that happens when a jet plane hits Mach 1 and breaks the sound barrier. But, I didn’t know till just recently that there is often also a dramatic visual phenomenon that occurs as well.

The picture on the upper left shows one of the several visual appearances that happens. Wow. Amazing. Who would have thought.

Anyway. There was a recent article telling about this. To read the article HERE’S THE LINK

And to see 14 more pictures HERE’S THE LINK

The Movie UP

Several of us went to see the Disney Pixar movie, UP, a few days ago.

And, believe it or not, it was a fun and well done movie with no hidden messages.

Several really young kids (3 or 4 years old) sitting behind us were scared in some of the scenes but older kids would not find this scarey and older kids and adults will find this to be a fun and charming movie.

As you surely know by now, I am not much ‘into’ movies but this one has no dark undercurrent and no hidden messages. It is just a fun fun movie. So, if you get a chance, this would be a good movie to see.

But, as always, don’t just take my word for it. Check out some of those movie links we mentioned awhile back just to be sure it is what you want to see. But I liked it! And that is saying a lot because there are verrrrrry few movies that I like or will recommend.

For one of those reviews from the movie links CLICK HERE