February 2010

2/28/10

A Weekend of Videos!

Oh boy, here in California - it never rains in Southern California - yeah, right - all we have had is copious amounts of rain. Seems like forever since the sun shined! Today I took refuge in beautiful videos... just transported myself right out of the slosh into the beauty that exists elsewhere. It's a lot like reading, in that you are able to go anywhere you wish and never leave the room. I am so grateful for those who know how to make beautiful videos and are generous enough to share them with all of us. These are some that I watched this weekend.

Dancing With Clouds

Paradise garden and morning nature sounds of birds in Spring

Relaxation video, nature paradise, spring flowers soft jazz music

Relaxing Sounds - Spring Morning

Nightingale - Sound of Nature (VERY relaxing classical music!)

I hope you get as much pleasure out of these videos as I did. It was Spring all weekend long!

2010 Christian Nature

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

2/27/10

I Am Not a Monkey's Uncle (or Aunt)!

Perhaps the most bitter pill to swallow for any Christian who attempts to “make peace” with Darwin is the presumed ape ancestry of man. Even many Christians who uncritically accept evolution as “God’s way of creating” try to somehow elevate the origin of man, or at least his soul, above that of the beasts.

God tells us that on the same day He made all animals that walk on the earth (the sixth day), He created man separately in His own image with the intent that man would have dominion over every other living thing on earth (Genesis 1:26–28). From this it is clear that there is no animal that is man’s equal, and certainly none his ancestor.

Thus, when God paraded the animals by Adam for him to name, He observed that “for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:20). Jesus confirmed this uniqueness of men and women when He declared that marriage is to be between a man and a woman because “from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6). This leaves no room for prehumans or for billions of years of cosmic evolution prior to man’s appearance on the earth. Adam chose the very name “Eve” for his wife because he recognized that she would be “the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20).

The apostle Paul stated clearly that man is not an animal: “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds” (1 Corinthians 15:39).

2010 Christian Nature

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

2/26/10

Three-Dimensional Thinking with TSV Chips?

Without a doubt the brain is a marvelous organ, although there is still a great deal to learn about how it works. We do know that brain cells communicate through connections which reach out in three dimensions to other cells. When thought and motion take place, they communicate with each other very quickly. They are even in communication while you sleep.

In contrast to the human brain, the “thinking” parts of a computer are connected in two dimensions to “communicate” with each other. Researchers thought that it might boost performance if a three-dimensional computer chip could be designed. Cell phones already use a three-dimensional chip arrangement, but these are just individual flat chips stacked one on top of another.

Researchers wanted to see what true three-dimensional chips (called TSVs), could do. Now several chip manufacturers have developed working TSVs. They have found that three-dimensional chips transmit information faster and use less power than flat chips. In other words, they are more efficient than flat chips and pack more “thinking” power into a smaller space. Chip manufacturers are now working on ways to successfully mass produce the TSVs.

The three-dimensional computer chip does improve chip performance by mimicking the wiring of the brain. However, except in the area of calculation, we are nowhere close to mimicking the power of the human brain.

References: The Nikkei Weekly, 12/29/08 & 1/5/09, p. 3, “Semiconductor makers head for third dimension.”

2010 Christian Nature

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matthew 22:37

2/25/10

Australia's Smart Dolphins

It was once thought that only man used tools. However, scientists have learned that some monkeys and even some birds use “tools.” Now we can add dolphins to the growing list of tool-users.

Researchers studying dolphins in Australia’s Shark Bay noticed that some dolphins were swimming around with sponges on their beaks. After some observation, both on the surface and beneath the water, scientists discovered what the dolphins were doing.

Holding the sponges in their mouths, they would sweep the sea bottom sand, flushing out fish. Then they dropped the sponge and ate what they had flushed out. When they were finished eating, they retrieved their sponge and repeated the process.

Researchers found that about 10 percent of the females obtained their food using sponges as tools. For some unknown reason, very few of the males used this method. Furthermore, most of the females using this method were related to two maternal tool-using dolphins.

Researchers debate whether these two taught their descendants this method of obtaining fish or whether the behavior is based in genetics.

Since this is not a widespread behavior among dolphins, it seems likely that it is a learned behavior probably taught to younger relatives by the maternal dolphins. After all, dolphins are known to be very intelligent, and intelligence is a gift from their Creator.

References: Science News Online, 12/10/08, www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/39219, Bruce Bower, “Dolphins Wield Tools of the Sea.”

2010 Christian Nature

These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. Psalm 104:27

2/24/10

Looking for a Cave For Sale?

Cavemen. The very word conjures images of bear skin clothing, wooden clubs and perhaps some simple stone tools. We think of the cavemen themselves as part ape and certainly less than modern humans. All of these images help make human evolution look more plausible.

However, in China there are some 20 million people living in caves. The caves there are easily carved in the

silty soil of the Western regions of the Yellow River. The caves are generally 10 to 13 feet wide and can extend as far as 25 feet back into the hillside.

Sometimes the caves are connected to one another, creating a larger place to live. Many of the people who live in these caves would not think of moving out of them. Caves are warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and they are fireproof.

These caves include flues for venting the exhaust from cooking fires. But these caves are not primitive dwellings by any stretch of the imagination. They feature plumbing, electrical wiring and even cable television! Except for windows, some of these cave homes are as modern as anything you’ll see in the rest of the developing world.

Throughout the ages, people have taken shelter in caves and even set up housekeeping in them. The fact that they lived in caves does not make them primitive at all. How about you? Wanna look for a cave for sale?

References: Minneapolis Star Tribune, 12/21/08, p. AA5, Tim Johnson, “Cave, sweet cave: Many Chinese find home in a hillside.”

2010 Christian Nature

And he came unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him....1 Kings 19:9

2/23/10

Ever Met Intelligent Bacteria?

We all know that there is strength in numbers. Many animals have even discovered this and, for example, migrate in large herds. However, one would never expect bacteria to have discovered this or know enough to organize themselves collectively.

Bacteria consist of a single cell that doesn’t even have a nucleus. They have no nervous system, and they reproduce by simply dividing in half. Of course, there is no brain; yet, they seem to display a sense of consciousness that totally baffles the neurosciences.

Some marine species of bacteria are able to sense when there are other bacteria around them. Then, when a sufficient number have gathered together, their metabolism changes, and they begin to produce a slime that then holds them together.

While all this is now known, new research shows that the slime, called biofilm, includes chemicals that are poisonous to the very predators that would ordinarily feed on the bacteria. In fact, the biofilm seems to protect the bacteria! The more bacteria there are, the more biofilm they make and the more protection they have from predators.

There are no simple forms of life. Even bacteria, which are an important part of the ecosystem, have been designed with the ability to protect themselves – something they could never have invented for themselves.

References: Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7/29/08, p. A5, David Brown, “Cellmates: Research shows that bacteria, when under attack, stick together to survive.”

2010 Christian Nature

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. Ecclesiastes 4:9

2/22/10

No Eyes, Yet It Sees Light! - Roundworm C. elegans

It turns out that not all creatures need eyes to see light. It all depends on what the creatures were designed to do. The roundworm, C. elegans, lives below the soil surface where it needs no eyes. At the same time, this roundworm needs to sense light because too much exposure will kill it. Researchers noted that the roundworm has only 302 nerve cells. Study of these cells showed that some of them sense light in the same way that similar cells in vertebrates sense light.

Evolutionists suggested that this is an example of an early step in the evolution of eyes. However, there is no evolutionary pressure for this roundworm to evolve eyes, because light will kill it. Besides, animals that supposedly evolved long before C. elegans already had eyes. A better explanation is that, like the cave fishes, this roundworm lives in the dark and needs no eyes and would, in any case, be constantly filling with dirt. No, this is not an example of evolution, but of good design by God.

God has designed all things to fit well into their respective environments. The fish that lives in the dark depths of the ocean and has lighted lures, the fishes that live in the darkest caves have no eyes and neither does the roundworm, C. elegans. All these show God’s fingerprints.

References: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/33889/title/Seeing_without_eyes

2010 Christian Nature

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? Psalm 94:9

2/21/10

Move Over, Ugly Overload! Weird Parakeet!

Move over, Ugly Overload! I found a bird that's really weird-looking! This bird was abandoned at birth because of his looks, and is, without a doubt, the weirdest bird I have ever seen. And yet... there's something beautiful about him! Anyway, enjoy!

VIDEO

2010 Christian Nature

O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Psalm 71:17

2/20/10

Phil Keaggy - Beyond Nature

To look upon God's creation and believe He doesn't exist is hard for me to imagine. These Oregon scenes are accompanied by the music of Phil Keaggy from Beyond Nature CD.

Phil Keaggy is, most think, the greatest guitarist in the world, and I have written about him extensively. His motto is "Jesus first, music second," and yet most guitarists would be thrilled if they could play just his mistakes!

If you are a classical guitar buff, and you'd like to know about Phil Keaggy's life (both personal and professional), you can find him at the link above. And if you would like to hear my favorite album, The Song Within, you can click on the link.

How could anyone doubt the existence of The Creator, God Almighty, after listening to this song? My soul sings, with the Psalmist: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.(Psalm 19)

(c) 2010 Nature Girl and Musician, April

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

2/19/10

Delicate Beauty Seaweed - Enchanting!

Bacteria and fungi form bio films on just about every wet surface, like that bowl of water you left out last night! In this bio-film state, bacteria cause 70 percent of all human bacterial infections. On underwater pipelines, bio films cause corrosion. Such bio films even form on seaweed. That is, except for the seaweed called Delicate Beauty.

Delicate Beauty, grows off the coast of Australia, and researchers long wondered why bio films never form on this seaweed. Researchers have now discovered that Delicate Beauty secretes chemicals called furanones. Furanones don’t kill the bacteria, but prevent it from colonizing by repelling them.

This observation is important because it is believed that since the furanones don’t kill the bacteria, the bacteria will not develop a resistance to the furanones.

Commercial production of these chemicals are now beginning to be used in water-cooling towers to prevent bio film buildup and in clinical trials on contact lenses to prevent bacterial growth. So far these trials have been successful, and further applications are under study.

It was not God’s desire that disease and death should come into His creation because of our sin. But He knew that it would. So He stocked the creation with things for us to discover to alleviate and avoid some of our suffering in this world. Christians know that there is no disease or death in heaven.

References: Science Illustrated, 7-8/08, pp. 62-69, “Inspired by Nature.”

2010 Christian Nature

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

2/18/10

The Serpent Knows When To Run

The Tiger Keelback snake has a bite that delivers slow-acting venom and prevents the victim’s blood from clotting. An adult human could bleed to death from a bite, but it takes a while for the snake to deliver a lethal dose.

When threatened, the average Keelback will raise its head and display its colorful swollen neck. Should the attacker bite the snake near its head, it will get a mouth full of a much stronger poison from glands in its neck. Where does that poison come from?

For years scientists have debated whether the Keelback produces its own poison, or does it get the poison from some other creature that it ate? Now research has revealed that the Keelback actually does store the poison of a poisonous toad that it eats. Moreover, it seems to know that it has this poison stored. For example, on an island where there are some Keelbacks but no toads, these Keelbacks when threatened do not display their neck to an attacker. Rather, they flee from their attacker.

God has used many ingenious designs in His creation, knowing that some would recognize this and, by doing so, acknowledge His existence, power and glory. His desire is always that we might be driven to His Word to learn of the salvation He has prepared for us in Jesus Christ.

References: Science News, 2/3/07, p. 69, S. Milius, “Bite This.”

2010 Christian Nature

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up....John 3:14

2/17/10

Maybe Homer Knew What He 'Saw'?

Homer, the blind Greek poet, spoke of Odysseus’s return to Ithaca and describes some astronomical events that seldom happen in the order he describes. Yet, the setting of the events he writes about took place 400 years before it is thought Homer lived.

As Odysseus sails home five days before a banquet, he notes that both the constellations Boötes and Pleiades are visible. Because of their placement in the sky, they are very rarely visible in the same sky in Greece. Homer also mentions Odysseus’s sighting of Venus just before dawn. Then, on the day of the banquet there is a solar eclipse. Some have dismissed these details as just colorful descriptions in a fictional poem.

However, a solar eclipse did take place in that part of the world on April 16, 1178 B.C., just the time period Homer is writing about. Researchers then figured out the positions of the other astronomical features Odysseus is reported to have seen, and they were indeed happening on and within days of that date as described.

The problem is, Greek astronomy at Homer’s time was not believed to be sophisticated enough to figure out where these astronomical bodies were 400 years earlier.

Perhaps man, who has made astronomical observatories since before most historic cultures were established, was originally given such knowledge by his Creator.

References: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/33683/titleToo_much_information_in_the_Odyssey

2010 Christian Nature

He tells the number of the stars; he calls them all by their names. Psalm 147:4

2/16/10

Depending On The Security Force

The potter wasp is a solitary wasp that makes a mud nest with several rooms in it. At egg-laying time, the wasp lays one egg in each cavity and leaves some food in each cavity. She also leaves behind a security force!

You see, there is another species of parasitic wasp that seeks out a potter wasp nest to lay its eggs. When it is successful, the baby potter wasps would have no chance of survival if it wasn’t for the security force.

The mother potter wasp has very specialized pockets on its back. Tiny mites live within those pockets, causing no harm to the wasp. Then, while the potter wasp lays her eggs, some of the mites exit and remain in each room with the egg.

These mites will remain in the nest after it is sealed, feeding on the food left for the hatchlings. They also mate at this time, which conveniently provides a population of mites as food for the young potter wasps.

While these mites are peaceful creatures, they are the security force, and should a parasitic wasp get into the nest, they eagerly attack it.

This arrangement that benefits both the potter wasp and the mites is too intricate to have come about by accident. It was designed by the same Creator Who protects His children.

References: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/33774/title/Mighty_mites

2010 Christian Nature

The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee....Psalm 20:1

2/15/10

Armored Fishes Have Uteruses?

It was nice day on a tropical reef in what is now Western Australia when an armored fish began to give birth. Before she could finish, the violence of the Genesis Flood encased her in mud.

Of course, that’s not how evolutionists interpret the evidence. Our mom-to-be is a member of a newly discovered species of placoderm, a family of now-extinct armored fish. Not only were these fish armored, their jaws could apparently crush bones. Evolutionists say that these fish lived between 354 and 417 million inflated evolutionary years ago. This discovery pushes back the first-known example of a fish giving live birth 200 million evolutionary years ago.

After the discovery, scientists went back and studied the fossils of another placoderm and discovered that it, too, had a uterus with three apparent unborn pups in it. Scientists say that the partially born youngster was already a quarter of its mother’s ten-inch length. This helped its survival in a fish-eat-fish world.

Scientists admit that the fish had an unexpectedly sophisticated reproductive system. Such systems, they say, are found only in supposedly much more evolved fish.

Of course, like all other living things, the placoderms did not evolve but were created. Their so-called advanced reproductive system does not show evidence for evolutionary progression, but it does show evidence of a caring Creator.

References: http:www.livescience.com/animals/080528-fossil-embryo.html
2010 Christian Nature

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Job 12:8

2/13/10

The Blessing of Pets To Love

All of my life I have had pets to love. I can't remember a time when I was "petless" and for that I am enormously grateful. I had a very hard childhood, but since I had pets to love, and pets who seemed to love me, I was never alone. I am convinced that pets are a precious gift from God, and He has used my pets to reveal His love for me over and over.

Even my children were blessed with pets who loved them.
Cracke

rs, our opera singer, brought us great joy with her quirky bird ways. She made me wonder if animals and birds really knew how to love, or if they were just responding to our love.

Oh, I'm not a radical pet-lover who makes a fool out of herself by treating pets as if they were human babies! I would never expect to get "pet-ernity leave" from the company I work for when I got a new pet! That's stupid!

But I did cry for a week

when Peanut died in my arms. She was half the size of her mother, but a carbon copy of her, and she weighed only 5 pounds. That's small for a Shih Tzu! She had no idea she was so small and would challenge even a Great Dane!

Cookie, with her stubborn spirit, showed me how stubborn I

can be at times with my Master. Over and over, it was back to obedience school for her master because of her independent spirit. Just watching her disobey me brought me back to reality in my own relationship with my Creator.

I learned, through barking dogs, that routine in my spiritual life can dull my sensitivity to His voice. Jesus never told us to find a

"routine", but rather to be filled with His joy.

Having a sick dog, I saw the parallel between the nature of sick dogs and cold grumpy Christians. Now that was a real eye-opener! Why would I expect anyone to want to come to Jesus if I was joyless and grumpy? Who's attracted by that?

In contemplating the difference between cat people and dog people, I realized

each group has distinct characteristics. Just the natures of dogs vs cats attracts totally different types of personalities. If a cat chooses to snuggle up to you, it's considered a high honor! God did create different personalities, didn't He? Makes it far more interesting!

I think the most important lesson I learned was, once again, through my intimate relationship with each of my Shih Tzu dogs. I

call it 'Shih Tzu Spirituality' Lessons. Unless someone has experienced such a relationship with a pet, they would likely not understand what a significant part of life that can be. God has used each of my dogs to teach me important spiritual truths - His Truth. The one I remember the most is when He taught me the hierarchy between myself and Him by showing me the hierarchy between my dog and me. Both of us were much happier when my pet recognized I was the master and the "head dog". Our intimacy grew deeper as we lined up in that order, just as I am more peaceful when I recognize God is my Master and loves me beyond words. (Read at the link and you will understand what I'm trying to say.)

And when two abandoned kittens appeared at my door, I was gloriously shown by the Holy Spirit how the Spirit of God draws us to God the Father. As I did my simple wooing of those kittens' trust, God does His wooing to the heart of each human being. The individual motivation of each of those

kittens determined the outcome. One came just for the food while the other wanted a relationship! As I said, the outcomes were totally different. 'Mr Blue' the kitten shown) wanted a relationship with ME, not just what I could feed him! So many lessons learned through these two kittens!

I've had so many lessons through so many pets, I have to conclude that God uses what we love as vehicles for communicating His truths. And Lord knows, I have truly been blessed by hundreds of animals, birds, reptiles, and an open heart that listens for His voice.

(c) 2010 Christian Nature

O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Psalm 71:17

2/12/10

Get a Younger Brain!

How did Noah have sons and build the Ark when he was 500 years old? Today, scientists can measure a marked decline in mental abilities even in a healthy 50-year-old man. Undoubtedly there are several factors, with God behind each of them. However, one of the answers appears to be nutrition.

Research done by Tufts University showed that middle-aged men with the lowest amount of vitamin B6 in their blood only scored half as well as men of the same age with the highest level of vitamin B6. Another four-year study looked at a population of people in which 15 percent could be expected to develop Alzheimer's disease. It found that not one person who took vitamin E or C developed the disease.

A Framingham Heart study found that people who ate three extra servings of fruits and vegetables a day reduced their stroke rate by 22 percent. University of New Mexico researchers looked at the effects of vitamin B supplements in older people. They found that those who took the supplements not only scored higher on mental functions than those who did not, but they even did as well or better than young people. Over 50 studies have confirmed that ginkgo biloba helps memory and concentration, reduces confusion and mitigates effects of Alzheimer's disease.

Our wise Creator has given us powerful nutritional tools to help our earthly time be healthy and productive. Perhaps Noah and the other long-lived ancients knew more about how to eat healthily than we do.

References: USA Weekend, 3/5/00, p. 7, "Important News your brain can use."

2010 Christian Nature

And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis 5:32

2/11/10

Who REALLY Discovered Brazil?

Both Spain and Portugal claim to have discovered Brazil in the 16th century. However, mounting evidence suggests that neither country can claim discovery of Brazil.

Guanabar Bay is on the Brazilian coast, less than 10 miles from Rio de Janeiro. In 1976, a diver discovered two unbroken

amphoras at the bottom of the bay. Amphoras were tall storage pots that were commonly made and used by the Romans. In 1982, an archaeologist discovered thousands of fragments from still more Roman amphoras in the same area. Among the fragments were 200 amphora necks. The styles of these amphoras indicate that they were made in second century A.D. Rome.

Ancient Roman shipwrecks have also been found in the Azores islands off the west coast of Spain. The Azores would have been a good European starting point for crossing the Atlantic. The shortest route across the Atlantic from the Azores lands one on the coast of Brazil. Modern sailing ships make the crossing in only 18 days. So even before the amphoras were found, it would not have been unreasonable to suppose that the Romans, who were skilled sailors, had made the crossing. The discovery of the amphoras proves that at least one Roman ship made the trip.

The belief that up to Columbus' time people assumed the world was flat is a myth. God created intelligent and curious human beings with the ability to explore and learn about God's creation.

References: Science Frontiers, p. 25, "Romans in Rio?"

2010 Christian Nature

Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board… Acts 20:13a

2/10/10

Purpose of Leaf-Cutter Ants' Vibrating

Scientists have discovered that seemingly purposeless behaviors among leaf-cutting ants actually serve an important function. Leaf-cutting ants cut green leaves into pieces that they can carry back to the nest. As they cut a leaf, they vibrate, creating an effect like an electric knife. Since they can cut the leaves without vibrating, it would seem to have no purpose.

Smaller worker ants accompany the larger worker ants to their leaf-cutting site. Then they wait around, watching the larger workers. To make matters stranger, once a leaf section is ready to be carried back to the nest, the little do-nothing workers climb aboard the leaf to be carried back home with it.

New research has revealed that these apparently pointless behaviors serve a single, important purpose. As the larger worker finishes cutting a leaf section, she vibrates even faster. The increased rate of vibration is apparently a signal to the smaller worker to board the leaf section for the ride home. But why are the smaller workers there in the first place?

Researchers have discovered that they discourage attacks by phorid flies. These flies would otherwise inject an egg into a leaf cutting ant. When the egg hatches, the larva chews its way through the ant, killing it.

This amazingly designed system reminds us that there is purpose throughout the creation. God is the Author of purpose, not mindless chance. God's highest purpose for us is to come to faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

References: Science News, 2/5/00, pp. 92-94, "When ants squeak."

2010 Christian Nature

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

2/9/10

What's Wrong With the Bee Odometer?

When a honeybee finds a good source of food, she returns to the hive to tell fellow bees where it is. Her dance tells nest mates the direction of the source from the nest and how far away it is. Researchers have long puzzled over how the bee knows the distance she has traveled. Several theories have been proposed, but until now, none have been proven.

Several years ago, an international research team convincingly demonstrated how bees know how far they have traveled visually. Researchers trained bees to fly through a 30-foot tube by placing food at the far side. Then they placed a checkerboard pattern inside the tube designed to make the bees think they had flown farther than they really had. Researchers found that the pattern made the bees think they had flown 31 times farther than they really had.

After watching the bees that had gone through the tricky tube, researchers calculated that for every 18 degrees an image travels across the bee's eye, she will dance for one millisecond as she communicates her discovery. As one researcher put it, they have calibrated the bees' odometer.

Bees themselves are a wonder of design. The way they communicate their finds with one another are even more difficult to explain by those who accept evolution. These are all designs of the Creator Who wishes to guide us to Himself. He communicates with us through His Word that tells us of salvation through the forgiveness of sins that is found in His Son, Jesus Christ.

References: Science News, 2/5/00, p. 87, "Bees log flight distances, train with maps."

2010 Christian Nature

For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me. Psalm 31:3

2/8/10

'Oscar' the Cat Predicts Death?

"Animals are remarkable in their ability to see things we don't, be it the dog that sniffs out cancer or the fish that predicts earthquakes. Animals know when they are needed."

I would imagine it takes a special kind of person, someone with a very empathetic personality, to work in hospice.

But what if your character happens to be of the feline persuasion?

That's right… a cat.

Perhaps you've heard of Oscar; known to some as the "hospice cat." He began his "ministry" of furry comfort after being adopted from a shelter with the intent of using him as a therapy animal at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo: REUTERS/Janet Teno/Handout)

There, the patients are suffering from either severe dementia or in the final stages of a terminal illness.

Oscar's skills have progressed way beyond therapy, however. According to a recent Reuters report, when the cat was about 6 months old, the staff began to notice that he would always curl up on the lap of the Steere House's residents just prior to their death.

Oscar has apparently "predicted" 50 deaths thus far.

Once, when the staff tried to encourage the cat to curl up with one patient they knew was soon to pass on, Oscar refused, choosing instead, a resident a few doors down. You guessed it—that person died before the other, much to the surprise of the staff.

Dr. David Dosa, who first wrote about Oscar in the New England Journal of Medicine back in 2007, doesn't want people to see the cat as a "four-legged angel of death." He states that there is a lot of important therapy that the unique feline provides, which is often overlooked in comparison to the phenomenon of his prophetic tendency.

So, Dr. Dosa has written a book about Oscar, which is now available, titled: Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat.

"There is a lot to tell about what Oscar does, but there is a lot to tell on the human level of what family members go through at the end of life when they are dealing with a loved one in a nursing home or with advanced dementia," said Dr. Dosa.

He added, "I don't think Oscar is that unique, but he is in a unique environment. Animals are remarkable in their ability to see things we don't, be it the dog that sniffs out cancer or the fish that predicts earthquakes. Animals know when they are needed."

To read the full Reuters article, and for more information on Dosa's book, follow the source link provided.

Source: Belinda Goldsmith - Reuters

2010 Christian Nature

2/7/10

Why Are 20-Somethings Leaving Church?

In a recently published book Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it the research shows that many “20 somethings” have left the church because they question the truthfulness of the Bible, especially as it concerns the age of the earth. As children, they were typically taught Bible “stories” in church. They were shown bathtub-shaped arks overflowing with colorful animals but no mention of fossils, rock layers, and animal kinds.

Curriculum publishers, Sunday school teachers, and parents failed to connect the Bible to the real world. So, these children learned that you go to school to learn about history and science, and you go to church to learn moral “stories” and spiritual truths.

Sadly, many children are being taught in schools and some churches not to trust God’s Word in Genesis. This leads them to question the truthfulness of all of Scripture, and as young adults, most decide Christianity is irrelevant—and they leave the church.

What can we do about it? Continue reading to get answers.

2010 Christian Nature

2/6/10

Hesione, Herakles and The Monster of Troy

While the word "fossil" is a modern term, people thousands of years ago may have known about fossils. If they did, they didn't know what fossils were. That's the new theory proposed by a group that includes a folklorist and some paleontologists. Their theory is based on the figures painted on a 2,500-year-old Corinthian vase.

The colorful vase was made about 550 B.C. Called the Hesione vase; it shows the mythical woman, Hesione, being rescued from the monster of Troy by the Greek hero Herakles. Only the monster's head is shown emerging from a cave. The head looks very much like a giant skull with a tongue and a lizard-like eye socket. Those behind the new theory conclude that these details were added to what was really a very common fossil in the area. The monster was evidently perceived as a sea serpent.

However, paleontologists say that the area around the Aegean Sea and western Turkey contains many fossils of large giraffes, camels and horses. Sometimes these fossils become exposed as the rocky hillsides weather. When the ancient Greeks found these large fossils, they thought that they were the bones of gods and monsters.

While this may seem superstitious to us today, we should be careful. Today's great superstition is that life evolved from non-living matter over millions of years. Belief in evolution is no less an attempt to escape acknowledging our Creator God than the legends of the ancient Greek gods. St. Paul himself wrote that the eternal power and divine nature of God are evident through the creation.

References: Science News, 2/26/00, p. 133, "Vase shows that the ancients dug fossils, too." Creation Moments 2008

2010 Christian Nature

You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. I Corinthians 12:2

2/5/10

Fairy Wren Flirting - Superb, Splendid and Lovely!

There are 13 species of a brightly plumed little songbird known as the fairy wren. The birds are found in Australia and New Guinea. So colorful are their feathers that the various species go by names like "superb," "splendid" and "lovely." However, even more noteworthy is the birds' unusual behavior.

A male courting a female will bring her a flower petal. The petal usually matches his color or is a deeply contrasting color. Normally a perky little bird with an upright tail, when courting he lowers his tail and creeps around close to the ground. As he twists his body back and forth, he puffs out his cheek feathers. If the female accepts his courting, she builds their nest alone, lining it with bright parrot feathers. While they mate for life, they are not known for fidelity to their mates.

This video demonstrates his flirting and is totally delightful!

When mature, females will go off on their own, but males may stay with their parents for a year or more. Their main duty is to guard the family nest. If danger approaches the nest, the guard will puff up his wings, lower his tail and scuttle through dry grass, pretending to be a mouse. The idea is to lure the predator away from the nest.

The beauty and unusual behavior of these little birds testifies to more than God's creativity and love for beauty. They remind us of the beauty that was lost to God's creation when it was tainted by man's sin. Thankfully, some of that beauty that was lost can return to our lives through the forgiveness of sins that is found in Jesus Christ.

References: Natural History, 11/94, pp. 56-62, "Faithful Philanderers."

2010 Christian Nature

I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. Psalm 50:11

2/4/10

The Complexity of a Single Cell

It wasn't until 1839 that cell theory was first described by Theodore Schwann in basically its modern form. By 1858, researcher Rudolf Virchow had learned enough about the cell to conclude that every cell must come from a preexisting cell. But Charles Darwin wasn't paying attention. The very next year he published a book, On the Origin of Species, which theorized that the first cell was formed from non living matter.

In Darwin's day, the cell was thought to be just a simple sac filled with jellied carbon. This concept is the origin of the term protoplasm. However, nearly 150 years of cell research has shown us that even protozoan and fungi cells are hugely complex.

Today we know that even the simplest of these cells, eukaryotes, have an estimated 100,000 parts. Many thousands of different operations are taking place continuously within each of the cell's many parts, called organelles. Furthermore, the cell cannot live until all these parts are working properly. Even the simple E. coli bacterium has 4,000 genes. If we were able to magnify the DNA of the E. coli to the thickness of a clothesline, it would be five miles long!

There is no such thing as a "simple cell." The fact that a cell cannot live without all these thousands of parts shows that cells were created in their finished form, just as the Bible says. Even bacteria declare the glory of our Creator!
Lord, I glorify You, for even the simplest cell testifies to Your glory.

References: CRSQ, 3/99, p. 228, "The Putative Evolution of the Animal Eukaryote Cell Ultrastructure." Creation Moments 2008

2010 Christian Nature

Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. Psalm 96:3

2/3/10

Your Eye, Your Biological Clock, and the Horned Frog

Scientists have learned that the eye is a multipurpose organ. They have long tried to figure out how our internal biological clock is set. This amazing clock is located in the brain and follows a period of almost exactly a day. It controls many of the body's rhythms, so it's important that it is properly set.

Scientists do know that the clock is set by light. They also know that your clock is not set by the rods and cones in your eye that see color and images. They had conclusively shown that the eye's rods and cones have nothing to do with setting the clock. Several years ago, researchers bred mice whose eyes lacked rods and cones. As they shifted light periods, the mice still adjusted their biological clocks to the new periods.

Now researchers are convinced they have found how our eyes adjust our biological clock after studying, of all things, the African horned frog. While studying the frog, scientists discovered a photoreceptor called melanopsin. This photoreceptor is found in the skin, eyes and brain of the frogs.

They then decided to test for melanopsin in our eyes. They discovered that a form of the photoreceptor is produced in the inner retina of our eyes. The rods and cones of our eyes are located on the outer retina. The human eye, and those of mammals, is a multi-purpose organ!

The intricate and precise ways in which we have been made increasingly glorify our Creator as we learn more about how we have been made. Surely it takes more faith to believe that such an elegant system as our biological clocks evolved by chance.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

References: Science News, 2/19/00, p. 120, "Protein may help the eyes tell time." Creation Moments 2008

2010 Christian Nature

He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? Psalm 94:9

2/1/10

Foundations, Lines and Measures to Describe Universe

Listen to something I came across in an article first published in the Wall Street Journal in 1997. It was called "Science Resurrects God." (This was from yesterday's post. )

"In recent decades, physicists have noticed an astonishing thing about the fundamental laws of nature. The 20 or so parameters they contain, numbers governing the strength of gravity, the ratio of the proton's size to the neutron's, and so on, appear to have been fine-tuned so that, against astronomically unfavorable odds, conscious organisms could emerge. Make gravity the slightest bit weaker, and no galaxies suitable for life would have formed; make it the slightest bit stronger and the cosmos would have collapsed upon itself moments after the big bang."

Personally, I believe the Bible's account of a seven-day creation, but consider what the author just said. As we progress in our thirst for knowledge, we are discovering that real science leads straight to God! Many scientists of the 19th century may have smugly denied the existence of God, but today, they are recognizing His fingerprints all over the place. The article continues:

"The universe," as cosmologist Fred Hoyle once remarked, "looks like a "put-up job." Who but a Divine Designer could have twiddled with these 20 different "control knobs" until they were pointing at precisely the right values for the full array of life ultimately to appear."

In the light of mounting evidence, the goddess of reason has been forced to nod her head in the direction of the Creator. Cosmologists today are looking for what some call the "theory of everything," or the "God particle," a theory or formula that will explain the architecture of the universe, because more and more, the numbers are pointing to the existence of God.

Robert Jastrow, director of the Mount Wilson observatory, put it like this:

"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

The universe, it turns out, is not just a big empty space that goes on forever. The numbers prove that it has deliberate design.

It reminds me of the discussion God had with Job when he began to have doubts about the character of God. Instead of directly addressing the problem of pain and suffering, God invites Job to lift the curtain of the universe and consider its architecture: (Job 38:1-3 NKJV)

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 'Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me."'

At first, God's words sounds a little harsh, but don't forget that Job has questioned whether or not God really knows what He is doing. God is just making a dramatic point, so He directs Job's attention to the structure of the universe, and invites him to consider how it was made: (Job 38:4-7 NKJV)

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

Now, you'll notice that God uses the language of architecture when He describes the universe. He speaks of foundations, lines, and measures, and while the language may be for our benefit, it does say something important. It tells us that God didn't throw things together haphazardly.

Ancient mythology has a pantheon of petty gods creating the world over and over, trying to get things right. But the Genesis record says God did it right the first time.

In fact, at the close of creation week, God said, "It is very good," and that tells me that we are not a doodle in the margin of the universe. We are the product of careful thinking, and a divine out of print. I'll prove it tomorrow!

2010 Christian Nature

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