Monday, December 30, 2013

When Nothing Created Everything

I follow a blog called "The Gospel Coalition"  (click here)  and came across this posted and really liked it and wanted to share with you.

When Nothing Created Everything

Throughout history people have been awed and thrilled by retellings of their culture's creation story.
Aztecs would tell of the Lady of the Skirt of Snakes, Phoenicians about the Zophashamin, and Jews and Christians about the one true God—Yahweh. But there is one unfortunate group—the children of atheistic materialists—that has no creation myth to call its own. When an inquisitive tyke asks who created the sun, the animals, and mankind, their materialist parents can only tell them to read a book by Carl Sagan or Richard Dawkins.
But what sort of story are they likely to find? Should they be told, as famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking claims in his book The Grand Design, that "the universe . . . create[d] itself from nothing"?
Since Hawking's explanation is a bit too drab and not specific enough for bedtime reading, I've decided to take the elements of materialism and shape them into a purportedly accurate, though mythic, narrative. This is what our culture has been missing for far too long—a creation story for young atheistic materialists.
******
cartoon-earth1In the beginning was Nothing, and Nothing created Everything. When Nothing decided to create Everything, she filled a tiny dot with Time, Chance, and Everything and had it expand. The expansion spread Everything into Everywhere carrying Time and Chance to keep it company. The three stretched out together leaving bits of themselves wherever they went. One of those places was the planet Earth.
For no particular Reason—for Reason is rarely particular—Time and Chance took a liking to this little, wet, blue rock and decided to stick around to see what adventures they might have. While the pair found the Earth to be intriguing and pretty, they also found it a bit too quiet, too static. They fixed upon an idea to change Everything (just a little) by creating a special Something. Time and Chance roamed the planet, splashing through the oceans and sloshing through the mud, in search of materials. But though they looked Everywhere, there was a missing ingredient they needed in order to make a Something that could create more of the same Somethings.
They called to their friend Everything to help. Since Everything had been Everywhere she would no doubt be able to find the missing ingredient. And indeed she did. Hidden away in a small alcove called Somewhere, Everything found what Time and Chance had needed all along: Information. Everything put Information on a piece of ice and rock that happened to be passing by the former planet Pluto and sent it back to her friends on Earth.

Along Come the Otherthings

Now that they had Information, Time and Chance were finally able to create a self-replicating Something they called Life. Once they created Life they found that it not only grew into more Somethings, but began to become Otherthings, too! The Somethings and the Otherthings began to fill the Earth—from the bottom of the oceans to the top of the sky. Their creation, which began as a single Something, eventually became millions and billions of Otherthings.
Time and Chance, though, were the bickering sort and constantly feuding over which of them was the most powerful. One day they began to argue over who had been more responsible for creating Life. Everything (who was forever eavesdropping) overheard the spat and suggested that they settle by putting their creative skills to work on a new creature called Man. They all thought this was a splendid plan—for Man was a dull, hairy beast who would indeed provide a suitable challenge—and began to boast about who could create an ability, which they called Consciousness, that would allow Man to be aware of Chance, Time, Everything, and Nothing.

How Man Got His Beliefs

Chance, always a bit of a dawdler, got off to a slow start, so Time, who never rested, completed the task first. Time rushed around, filling the gooey matter inside each Man's head with Consciousness. But as he was gloating over his victory he noticed a strange reaction. When Man saw that Everything had been created by Time, Chance, and Nothing, his Consciousness filled with Despair.
Chance immediately saw a solution to the problem and took the remaining materials she was using to make Consciousness to create Beliefs. When Chance mixed Beliefs into the gray goo, Man stopped filling with Despair and started creating Illusions. These Illusions took various forms—God, Purpose, Meaning—and were almost always effective in preventing Man from filling up with Despair.
Nothing, who tended to be rather forgetful, remembered her creation and decided to take a look around Everything. When she saw what Time and Chance had done on planet Earth she was mildly amused, but forbade them to fill any more creatures with Consciousness or Beliefs (which is why Man is the only Something that has both). But Nothing took a fancy to Man and told Time and Chance that when each one's Life ran out, she would take him or her and make them into Nothing too.
And that is why, children, when Man loses his Life he goes from being a Something created by Time and Chance into becoming like his creator—Nothing.
Joe Carter is an editor for The Gospel Coalition and the co-author of How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator. You can follow him on Twitter.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Happy New Year

The New Year quickly approaches---are you one to make a New Year's Resolution?  If so, how successful are you in keeping them?   Measure your resolution against God's word.   If your resolution is in His will, He will enable you to do it.   So Pray for His wisdom and strength in setting and achieving your goals for the New Year



I found a great posting on Yahoo:  5 Bible Verses for New Year Resolutions  that took some of our most common New Year Resolutions

1. Repairing Relationships:  Colossians 3:13 - "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

When we remind ourselves of all that God has forgiven us for, through the blood of Jesus Christ, then how can we not forgive those who have hurt us?  Forgiving someone who has hurt you is a wonderful gift---not just to them, but to you too.  Pray to God to help you to forgive them and to heal your heart and relationships.

2. Helping Others:  Matthew 25:34-40 - "Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."

You can be a blessing to others in so many ways, donating food, money, clothing.  Giving of your time to help others, serving at homeless shelters or visiting nursing homes.  

#3 Losing weight or getting in better shape:   1 Corinthians 19:20 - "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Practical Application: Ever considered that God actually wants you to take care of your body? While in context this verse is actually dealing with sexual immorality, the overarching theme is often missed. We ought to honor God with our bodies through everything that we do; thus, taking care of bodies physically falls under this umbrella and ultimately is a matter of good stewardship. If your New Year's resolution is to get in shape, use this Bible verse to remind you that you're working to improve something that you ought to make the best anyways.
#4 Spend more time with God:   Matthew 14:22-23 -  "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone..."
When I first began learning about Jesus, I was impressed with how much time he spent in prayer---no one is as good and pure as Jesus, and yet he spent so much time in prayer.   Should we spend any less time with God?  Should we pray any less than He?   The second thing I figured out is that all relationships take work to maintain---if you don't spend time with someone, if you don't talk to them, how do you have a relationship with them?  The same is true of our relationship with God.
#5  Be a Better Person:  Mark 12:29-31 - "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
I love the song by Brandon Heath--"Give me your eyes" where he asks God to give him God's eyes so he might see all of us the way God sees us, and to love everyone the way God loves everyone.

My New Year's Resolution:  To be closer to Jesus through Charity to others.  

I am making a "Charity Jar" to put loose change in all year long and at the end of 2014 I will pick a charity to donate it to.  And through out the year I want to be more giving to others and I pray God helps me to recognize every opportunity to do so!

What is your New Year's Resolution?


Monday, December 23, 2013

Exponents

Have you learned about Exponents in School?

Take a number like 10^2  ("ten squared")
that would be 10 with 2 zeroes behind it:  100

Or 10^5 would be 10 with 5 zeroes or 100,000.



I recently learned that scientist agree if you take all the atoms in the universe
it would be 10^18 atoms, or:
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms.

I don't even know what that number is!!



I also recently learned of the work of Fred  Hoyle, a British mathematician and astronomer.

He calculated the odds on life evolving here on earth.

"Could life have evolved at random?" asks Hoyle in one of his books, "The Intelligent Universe".  

He compares the probability of life appearing spontaneously to 
horde of monkeys being able to type Shakespeare if enough time is given 

or the chance that even one protein appeared spontaneously 
is equal to the odds that a blindfolded person could 
solve the Rubik cube using 1 move per second--that would take 300 times the age of the Earth!


And the odds to randomly produce the 2000 universal cellular enzymes required by all cells 
 would be 10^40,000 !  Yes, a "one" with 40,000 zeroes trailing it!



Sunday, December 22, 2013

String Theory And God

I recently read a book regarding how string theory can reveal God's nature.   Physicists search for a unifying theory, something that explains everything.  And to date the newest attempt at this universal "truth" is string theory.   (For information on the string theory click here: What Is String Theory?)  

Based on this theory there is now believed to multiple dimensions, maybe as many as 10 or more!   We are familiar with 4 dimensions----length, width, height and time, but there are more that we cannot perceive.  

We know that God live outside of time---He is eternal and He has told us that to Him a day is like 1,000 years and 1,000 years is like a day.  So I think this is His way of telling us that he exists in a different dimension, which is outside of time.



It is hard to think of an existence outside of time, and I really thought about that A LOT.  Then I thought about Plato's Allegory of the Cave.   In the allegory, Plato describes a cave in which prisoners live and are chained such that they can only see one cave wall that they face.  Behind them burns a fire.  Puppeteers cast shadows on the wall that the prisoners see, and this is all that they can ever see---and it becomes their reality.  All that the prisoners know about the world is this world of shadows.  That is all their world is comprised of.  Think of how their minds would be blown if they were able to turn around and see the true world!!


That is how I think it is for us.  We, in our world of 4 dimensions, are like these prisoners watching the shadows on the wall.  When we die and enter the eternal world of Heaven (or Hell) it will be like turning around and seeing reality rather than the shadows on the wall.  We will see these other dimensions, we will be allowed to exist in them, outside of time, with God.  How amazing will that be!


I have also read many stories of people on their death bed, surrounded by family.  In the moments before their death, the person tells their family things that they see, that the family cannot see.  The may say they see Heaven, or Jesus, or loves ones, or a bright light, a beautiful garden.  All the family sees is the ceiling!  I think perhaps upon the moment of our death, these other dimensions appear to us---like a portal--and our soul leaves our bodies and the confines of these 4 dimensions, and go to our true home with our Lord.


I also think that it is in these alternate or parallel dimensions that angels and demons exist and can be among us, but be invisible to us.  I think this is basically told to us in 2 Kings 6: 17 when the King of Syria was trying to catch Elisha the prophet, he surrounded the city where Elisha was with a large army.  Elisha's servant was scared but Elisha  prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 

Based on my readings and this verse, I am convinced that there are angels and demons around us that we are unable to see or sense and may even be fighting for our mortal souls, trying to lead us towards or away from God.  



Thursday, December 19, 2013

Duck Dynasty

Rule Breakers 2013


There is a reality TV show that is super popular on A&E.  It has more viewers than any other cable show in cable history!   Why?  I think because it centers on a group (the Robertson family)  that puts God and Family First.  They are good people---and just weird enough to be wildly interesting!   I truly believe their show has been blessed by God and that God is using this show to spread reach His "lost sheep."

The patriarch of the the Robertson family, Phil, was interviewed for GQ magazine.   They asked Phil for his opinion regarding homosexuality.  To keep it simple, Phil said that he could not relate to a gay man's interest in another man (and any honest heterosexual would say the same) and that in his religious point of view it is a sin against God.

If you were not aware of the war on Christianity before, follow this story----both sides.   Because you will see how Satan works in the media, Hollywood, and politics to push forward his agenda of separating us from God.

A&E has fired Phil Robertson.  That is in their right to do so.  They own the show, they can essentially do what they want.  But here is what I mean when I say watch Satan at work.

Here is one example I came across on the site:  hollywoodreporter.com

"GLAAD on Wednesday condemned his remarks as "some of the vilest and most extreme statements uttered against LGBT people in a mainstream publication" and said "his quote was littered with outdated stereotypes and blatant misinformation."

Vile??  Extreme??  I have searched the web over for vile and extreme content spoken by Phil against gays.  I can't find it!  All he said is that he doesn't understand it and he thinks it is a sin. 

On that same site comes these lies:     "Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe," GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz said. "He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans -- and Americans -- who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors, who now need to re-examine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."

Claim to be Christian?  If you know what a Christian is, you will, without a shadow of a doubt, know that Phil IS a Christian. 

What true Christians believe?  A true Christian believes what the Bible teaches us, that homosexuality IS a sin.  But it also teaches us to love the sinner.

The Majority of people support gay marriage?  Poll after poll of American show otherwise, and when gay marriage is on the ballots they vote it down.  The courts and state legislatures make laws against the wishes of the majority of their citizens.

Phil's decision to PUSH vile and extreme stereotypes?  PUSH?? Really???  He was asked in an interview!!  He did not march around in the public arena with a bull horn shouting obscenities regarding gays. 

This is a clear example of Satan at work.  The response to Phil's comments are over the top and hate filled.   But Jesus has told us this would be the case.  The more you support Christ and share His word and His love, the more you will be persecuted.    (verses taken from: Click Here )


John 15:18 ESV 


“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV 


Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

1 Peter 3:17 ESV 


For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

1 Peter 4:12-14 ESV 


Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 John 3:13 ESV 


Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.





Regardless of your beliefs, we, in the United States of America, have the constitutional  right to speak our minds freely, without fear of retribution.   We also have the constitutional right to practice our religion freely.


Satan, however, feels otherwise.


May God  Bless and Protect the Robertsons.





Sunday, December 15, 2013

Noah's Ark Discovered! Again!

I came across this really cool story:  Click this link for more info:  LINK

Noah's Ark Is (still) In Turkey
Share This Siteby Dan Eden for viewzone
Why is this not a BIG story?
I'm often amazed at our lack of knowledge about history. Ordinary people are hungry for this information, yet the organizations responsible to disseminate these facts seem to have an agenda to keep us in the dark. This is especially true when it comes to our ancient human history.
I won't hold you in suspense with this article: The Ark of Noah has been found. It's real. I'll describe the evidence in some detail and end with the historical and religious implications.
How it was discovered
In 1959, Turkish army captain Llhan Durupinar discovered an unusual shape while examining aerial photographs of his country. The smooth shape, larger than a football field, stood out from the rough and rocky terrain at an altitude of 6,300 feet near the Turkish border with Iran.
Capt. Durupinar was familiar with the biblical accounts of the Ark and its association with Mount Ararat in Turkey, but he was reluctant to jump to any conclusions. The region was very remote, yet it was inhabited with small villages. No previous reports of an object this odd had been made before. So he forwarded the photographic negative to a famous aerial photography expert named Dr. Brandenburger, at Ohio State University.
Brandenburger was responsible for discovering the Cuban missile bases during the Kennedy era from reconnaissance photos, and after carefully studying the photo, he concluded: "I have no doubt at all, that this object is a ship. In my entire career, I have never seen an object like this on a stereo photo."
In 1960 the picture [above] was published in LIFE magazine under the heading of Noahs Ark? That same year a group of Americans accompanied Capt. Durupinar to the site for a day and a half. They were expecting to find artifacts on the surface or something that would be unquestionably related to a ship of some kind. They did some digging in the area but found nothing conclusive and announced to the anxiously waiting world that it appeared to be a natural formation.
Most of the global media turned away from the find and it became a non-story.
In 1977 Ron Wyatt visited the site. Obtaining official permission, Ron and others conducted more thorough research over a period of several years. They used metal detection surveys, subsurface radar scans, and chemical analysis -- real science -- and their findings were startling. The evidence was undeniable. This was the Ark of Noah.
#1 -- the Visual Evidence
The first part of the survey was to examine the object and take its measurements. The shape looked like hull of a ship. One end was pointed as you would expect from bow [below: D] and the opposite end was blunt like a stern. The distance from bow to stern was 515 feet, or exactly 300 Egyptian cubits. The average width was 50 cubits. These were the exact measurements mentioned in the Bible.
On the starboard side (right) near the stern there were four vertical bulges protruding from the mud [B], at regular intervals, that were determined to be the "ribs" of the hull [see below]. Opposite to these, on the port side, a single rib [A] protrudes from the mud. You can see its curved shape very clearly. Surrounding it are more ribs, still largely buried in the mud, but visible upon close examination.
Remember that this object, if it is the Ark, is extremely old. The wood has been petrified. Organic matter has been replaced by minerals from the earth. Only the shapes and traces of the original wood remain. Perhaps this is why the expedition in 1960 was disappointed. They anticipated finding and retrieving chucks of wood, long since eroded.
From the position of the object in the middle of an obvious mudflow, it is obvious that the object slid down more than a mile from its original location. Geologists believe it was originally over 1000 feet higher in the mountain and encased in a shell of hardened mud. They think that an earthquake in 1948 cracked the mud shell and revealed the structure. This is confirmed by stories from the surrounding vallagers who tell of its "sudden appearance" around that time.
Biblical accounts of the Ark describe it as having as many as six levels. The assumed shape of the Ark seems consistent with the bulge [C] in the middle of the object. In fact, as we will soon learn, radar scans of the structure suggest that this bulge is the collapsed debris of these levels.
Although most people think of the Ark as being rectangular, that only applies to the top decks. The sleek shape of the hull is necessary to enable the huge ship to remain stable in the water and survive tremendous waves.
#2 -- Ground Penetrating Radar
The human eye needs to see reflected light to recognize an object. To visualize what remains below the earth, scientists use microwaves which can penetrate the ground and bounce back when they hit something solid. This technique is commonly used to locate oil and other minerals. Called Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), the apparatus us made from an antenna that transmits, then listens to receive the "echo" and prints the result on a piece of paper. The delay and strength of this echo tell the geologists how solid and at what depth the objects are under the earth.
The team of geologists didn't scan the entire object. Instead, they marked out lines that crossed the object with yellow tape. Then they dragged the antenna (about the size of a lawnmower) over the lines and watched the output on the paper recorder. When they got a strong "hit" -- meaning there was something solid underneath -- they would record the position on the tape [above]. Later, when they made a map of the object, the tape and the location of the "hits" they realized that there was indeed a structure underneath the mud.
"This data does not represent natural geology. These are man made structures. These reflections are appearing too periodic... too periodic to be random in that type of natural pace." -- Ron Wyatt of SIR Imaging team
The radar cans revealed this structure [above] under the mud. The symmetry and logical placement of these objects shows that this is unmistakably a man made structure, most likely the Ark of Noah.
#3 -- Artifacts retrieved from the Ark
Using the GPR, Ron Wyatt discovered an open cavity on the starboard side. He used an improvised drill to make core sample inside this cavity and retrieved several very interesting objects. Below you can see the artifacts which were sent for laboratory analysis. On the left is the bore hole [see below], followed by what turned out to be petrified animal dung, then a petrified antler and lastly a piece of cat hair.
Even more amazing artifacts were found
Perhaps the most significant find from the Ark itself is a piece of petrified wood. When this was first found it appeared to be a large beam. But upon closer examination it is actually three pieces of plank that have been laminated together with some kind of organic glue! This is the same technology used in modern plywood. Lamination makes the total strength of the wood much greater than the combined strength of the pieces. This suggests a knowledge of construction far beyond anything we knew existed in the ancient world.
Tests by Galbraith Labs in Knoxville, Tennessee, showed the sample to contain over 0.7% organic carbon, consistent with fossilized wood. The specimen was once living matter.
Examination reveals the glue oozed from the layers. The outside of the wood appears to have been coated with bitumen.
Even more surprising were laboratory analyses which not only revealed that the petrified wood contained carbon (proving it was once wood) but there were iron nails [above right] embedded in the wood!
In Genesis 6:14, God told Noah to "make yourself an ark of gopher wood.""Gopher wood" is a misreading and scribal error. "Kopher" wood is correct and means wood (any wood) that is covered with Kopher. Kopher is bitumen. In the Genesis text (6:14), the context is clear. The GPR wood used, (a scribal error) is to be covered in KPR. G and K in Hebrew are so similar that inexperienced Hebrew "scholars," such as those translating the King James Version of the Bible, could have been prone to such errors, indeed, they made many such errors.
Acts 7: 45 & Hebrews 4: 8 are classic examples of such scribal errors.
gpr = "g," as in gopher, k pr = "k,"as in kopher Pictured right is a simple visual comparison of the letters.
We like to imagine that humanity evolved in a neat sequence of eras, each named after the technology that was discovered. We have the Stone Age (where man developed arrows and stone tools), the Bronze Age (where metals were combined and heated to make tools and household items) and lastly the Iron Age (where iron and steel objects were made by heating iron ore and adding other material -- like charcoal -- to strengthen it). The Iron Age is usually placed at 1200-1000 BC, yet we have iron nails being used in this extremely old construction
But wait... there's more!
The most surprising find was discovered with sensitive metal detectors. The team located several strong "hits" that, when dug up, revealed large disc shaped rivets. From simple observation of the metal it was possible to see where the rivet had been hammered after being inserted through a hole [below].
If rivets being used in ancient construction doesn't impress you, this surely will.
An analysis of the metal used to make the rivets revealed that they were a combination of iron (8.38%), aluminum (8.35%) and titanium (1.59%). Remember these trace metals have survived petrification and so do not indicate the exact content in the original material. (see Report from Galbraith Labs)
We know the aluminum was incorporated in the metallic mixture because it does not exist in metallic form in nature. This implies an extremely advanced knowledge of metallurgy and engineering. Characteristics of an iron-aluminum alloy have been investigated in The Russian Chemical Bulletin (2005) and reveal that this alloy forms a thin film of aluminum oxide which protects the material from rust and corrosion. The addition of titanium would provide added strength. This seems to have worked. The rivets have survived from antiquity!
The surrounding area has more surprises
Several miles from the location of the Ark, huge stones were discovered, some standing upright while others lying on the ground. These stones, weighing many tons, have holes carved in them. Scientists have determined that they were anchors and the holes would have been their attachment to a ship with hemp rope.
Often these stones will have crosses carved in them, from centuries ago when pilgrims made the journey to visit the Ark. Yes, the Ark was well known in the Middle Ages and even before. And its location was recorded in many historical documents.
"And the Ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen." -- Genesis 8:4-5
The Gilgamesh Epic (650 BC) gives Mt. Nisir as the landing place of the Ark. The local name for the town where the Ark was found is Nasar.
The annals of Ashurnasurpal II of Assyria (833-859 BC) places it south of the Zab river (correct).
Theophilus of Antioch (115-185 AD) said the Ark could be seen in his day in the Arabian mountains. Later Church Fathers also mention the Ark as late as the mid 7th century.
In the 13th century, Willam, a traveler, stated for the first time that Mt. Masis was the Ark location (present-day Mt. Ararat).
Ptolemy's Geographia (1548) mentions the mountains of Armenia as the place of landing. So does the traveler Nicolas de Nicolay (1558).
Pilgrims to the site would gather bits and pieces of the petrified wood which would be used as charms to ward off evil. When they encountered the anchors, they had no doubt about their association with the Ark. They often carves one big cross to represent Noah and smaller crosses representing his family.
The huge anchors would have been suspended from the keel of the ship. This was a common practice among ancient mariners to stabilze a heavy ship and ensure that the bow is always facing the on-coming waves. A "top heavy" ship, such as the Ark, could easily be capsized by a wave approaching from the side. This is yet further proof that Noah's Ark was a reality and that it has indeed been found in Turkey.
After Noah's Ark landed
When Dr. Brandenburger originally examined and enlarged the photographs of the "strange object" in Turkey, he also saw hundreds of ancient foundations in the region, suggesting to him that this might have been the first town established after the flood, as described in the Bible.
Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. -- Genesis 10:30
Archaeological teams have found many ruins and ancient graves. Many human ribs have been excavated and sent to laboratories for dating. In the midst of this alleged "first city" of Noah, there is an unusual and prominent structure, about 10 feet in diameter, that many believe to be the altar on which Noah made his first sacrifice.
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.
Again, it surprised me when I research a story like this and find substantial evidence that something extremely important has been found, yet it has been ignored by historians and the media. Perhaps it is because the advanced technology discovered in the Ark suggests that Sumerian legends, the Epic of Gilamesh, and other ancient writing might actually be correct when they speak of an extraterrestrial connection. The plural of god -- Elohim -- is used even in Genesis. Who were these "gods" and how did they walk the Earth and interact with humans of the era...
Or perhaps this discovery should be seen as a good reason to accept the Bible at its word.
We all need to look deeper into our past to learn what sort of beings we really are, where we are coming from and where we are going.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

I found this very interesting.............

What do you think?

EOWYN STODDARD|12:01 AM CT

Dealing with Demons

After a few months on "our" mission field—a post-communist, dead, atheistic region—my family and I were reeling from shock. No, not culture-shock, though there was plenty of that. It was the shock of coming face to face with demonic forces beyond our comprehension.
6160062_f520Numerous strange events transpired: liters of urine poured into our stroller, blood splattered on our apartment door, a small hole drilled into our front door indicating a planned break-in (the hole is used to insert a small probe camera), much sickness, poor sleep, and even sensing an evil presence in our bedroom.
At first we thought we must be imagining things, but the horrid climax was the nightmares that tormented our 2-year old son. For many months he'd wake up screaming bloody murder, and we could not easily settle him back down. At two and a half, he was finally able to verbalize what he'd been dreaming about for the past few months. One of his most vivid dreams was about a woman with black hair and red eyes who wore only a bra and black pants and would offer him a basket of rotten fruit and force him to eat. His nightmare was X-rated, not a typical toddler-being-chased-by-a-bear dream.
Satan was not playing fair. Now the shock turned to anger. I scanned the recesses of my brain. What had seminary taught me about demonic activity? I couldn't recall any class where we had discussed anything remotely similar to what we were experiencing. "Demonology 101" wasn't even offered! But seminary did teach me not to panic in the face of theological conundrums. It gave me a lens through which I could see everything from the perspective of God's sovereignty.

Demonic Bullying

As Christians, we can be sure of the existence of Satan and demons because the Bible plainly depicts them as fallen angels who work in the world to oppose God and his people, and deceive and blind unbelievers to the truth of the gospel. We have a very real adversary who roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Pe 5:8). As the apostle Paul explains, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12). The Devil is bent on destroying Christians and their testimony, and stopping the progress of the gospel.
What we experienced was "normal" for our context, and many other missionaries can testify to similar kinds of things. I call these sorts of scare tactics "demonic bullying." In a place where the number of Christians is less than 1 percent and the rest of the population is consciously or unconsciously worshiping the enemy, this is not at all surprising. Satan does not want people rescued out of darkness and brought into the light. He will use ordinary, frustrating events to harass the believer, and occasionally he will employ extraordinary means to bolster his scare tactics, as was the case of my son's dream.
Satan, demons, and their power are real, but they are not allowed to toy with us, even though that is what it feels like sometimes. The Devil is only permitted to do what God has decreed. I love the story of Job because the author pulls back the heavenly curtain for us, and we see Satan entering the stage of God's courtroom. God himself brings Job to Satan's attention. Satan is allowed to afflict Job, but within limits, albeit with severe consequences for him and his family. In Job's case, Satan is not allowed to take his life. God's sovereignty has always trumped Satan's power.
From this side of the cross, we know his doom is sure. Our ultimate victory over Satan is guaranteed because our life is hidden in Christ, and he has already conquered all evil through his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit, who indwells believers, is the down payment on our eternal inheritance. Since the coming of the Holy Spirit, the enemy can only harass, and he certainly cannot possess believers.

Our Counter-Action Plan

Because we were so overwhelmed with our situation, we needed help. We called our teammates to come pray with us. While our son was asleep, we prayed at his bedroom windows, that God would not allow any evil to enter into his room and that he would sleep peacefully. The next morning I asked him, "Did you have a nightmare last night?" His toddler answer was flabbergasting: "Yes, but this time the woman was outside my window, and she couldn't come in."
We don't typically enjoy the privilege of seeing when and how God is acting in the supernatural world. But this time, we did! It was as if God were pulling back the heavenly curtain for us, just for a moment. God, in his sovereignty, was ministering to my little boy, protecting and comforting him in ways I could not. We were given a sneak peek into how God uses the prayers of his people to accomplish his will. How that glimpse ministered to our souls during that dark season!
This answer also spurred us on to pray more fervently. We started teaching our children to wield the weapons given to us and described in Ephesians 6, especially prayer and God's Word. We came to expect attacks and be alert but also not become paralyzed by them. When we started evangelistic meetings in our home, one of our five children inevitably became sick, every week without fail. Satan's attacks became so predictable, it was almost laughable.
Instead of canceling the meeting, we would call one of our dear teammates to come babysit and pray on the top floor while we held the meeting downstairs. We learned not to be intimidated and to pursue our calling anyway. We have never experienced an attack of that order again, but we have taken advantage of the gift of prayer on behalf of new teammates facing similar onslaughts. It is an honor to speak from experience and comfort them with the truths of God's sovereignty.
We labor in the land of Martin Luther who summed up our experience quite well when he penned the words to the famous hymn "A Mighty Fortress":
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow'rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.


This Article came from the Blog:    The Gospel Coalition

Saturday, December 7, 2013

The Cherokee Indian


Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Boy's Rite of Passage?


His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds
him and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night
and not remove the blindfold until the rays
of the morning sun shine through it.
He cannot cry out for help to anyone.



Once he survives the night,
he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must
come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. 
He can hear all kinds of noises. 
Wild beasts must surely be all around him.  
Maybe even some human might do him harm.  
The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, 
but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. 
It would be the only way he could become a man!


Finally, after a horrific night
the sun appeared and he
removed his blindfold.

 

It was then that he discovered  his father sitting on the stump next to him.

He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.






We, too, are never alone.

Even when we don't know it, 
God is watching over us,
Sitting on the stump beside us.

When trouble comes, all we
have to do is reach out to Him.





Just because you can't see God, Doesn't mean He is not there.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."


***

I don't know if this Rite of Passage is true or not, 
but I love how it reminds us of God's love and protection for us.









Sunday, December 1, 2013

Happy ×—ֲ× ֻ×›ָּ×”



Or in English:  Hannukah....or is it Chanukah?  Or maybe Hanukah?  

Or XYZVAH ? (I think that is a more literal translation from Hebrew)

Another interesting thing about Hannukah, is that this year it overlaps with Thanksgiving!  The last time it did that was in  1888 and the next time that  happens will be in 79,043 years from now!!



So to all my Jewish Friends: