life

Let Jesus Calm Your Storm

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As I write this, Tropical Cyclone Alfred is heading for Brisbane and is expected to wreak havoc though the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast areas as well as into the North Coast of New South Wales.

Tropical cyclones, called hurricanes or typhoons in other parts of the world, are very intense low pressure systems that generate huge winds and heavy rainfall, sometimes over very big areas. They can cause destruction and flooding and people rightly get nervous when a cyclone approaches. Readers of a certain age will recall Cyclone Tracey which on Christmas Eve 1974 flattened most of Darwin and killed 66 people.

Cyclones are very important in regulating the earth’s temperature. They are like conveyor belts for energy taking heat energy from the tropics and transporting it to more temperate regions. That is great for the planet, but not so good when people get in the way.

We often speak of storms as descriptions for what is happening in our lives. Relationships can be stormy. Angry individuals act like cyclones, destroying everyone they encounter. Sometimes we might go through a “perfect storm” where everything seems to be coming against us and it all threatens to overwhelm us.

On one occasion some followers of Jesus were caught out on the sea at night time in a tiny boat when a huge storm blew up. The waves threatened to sink the boat. They were already terrified when a ghostly figure approached them, walking on the water. One of them, Peter, called out, “Lord if it’s really you command me to walk on the water.” With that, Peter stepped out of the boat and strode across the waves that had a short time before scared him. (See Matthew 14:22-33)

You might be going through a “perfect storm” right now. Cyclone Alfred is nothing compared to the personal devastation you are fearing or feeling. Hand over all your cares to the Lord and put your trust in Him. He still calms the storms and gives us the grace to stride across them confidently.

Big Questions

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Photo by Simone Secci on Unsplash

Do you ever stop to think about the really deep questions of life? Our secular culture tries to distract us with endless scrolling, loud entertainment and shiny gadgets. So most people avoid thinking too hard.

There are three questions that any person or group has to wok out about life.

1. How did we get here?

You might think that everything is random and that you are just a collection of chemicals. It doesn’t make you feel too good about yourself though. The Bible tells us that everything was made by God and that every person is uniquely designed by Him.

2. What am I here for?

Some people think life is just about making a buck and looking after your family, maybe watching the footy and having a beer on the weekend. If you think that you are just a random collection of chemicals, maybe that’s as good as it gets.

Some really smart men in the 17th century wrote the Westminster Catechism which was a series of FAQs about faith. The first question they asked and answered is “What are we here for?” and the answer they gave was “The chief end of men (and women) is to glorify God and enjoy him for ever.” That’s a big answer that gives us a bigger sense of purpose.

3. Where are we going?

Our culture avoids the issue of death. We hide it away in hospitals and nursing homes. The reality is that we will all die. So what happens next? Is there some purpose for my existence that goes beyond the grave? When you have gained 60 or 80 years of wisdom and knowledge, does it all just get deleted? The Bible tells us that everyone who follows Christ will be raised up to eternal life with him. Death isn’t the end of life but a new beginning.

When we sort out these questions, our life gains purpose and meaning. It is the “abundant life” that Jesus promised to give to us when we trust in him.

Forget Slow-and-Gradual—New Study Says Life “Emerged Fully Formed”

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From Answers in Genesis comes this report that scientists are thinking abut creation as a potential explanation for the beginning of life.

 

Forget Slow-and-Gradual—New Study Says Life “Emerged Fully Formed”

by Ken Ham on August 20, 2020

 
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For decades scientists have debated when, how, and where the first life supposedly evolved. Various hypotheses abound: maybe RNA came first; perhaps life evolved around hydrothermal vents; maybe life arrived on an asteroid—but none have satisfied everyone, due to significant problems with each one. And now an old idea has been revived and refined: maybe there was a “chemical big bang,” and life arose spontaneously in a river, with all the major components in place all at once.

As this article from New Scientist states,

It has long been thought that the ingredients for life came together slowly, bit by bit. Now there is evidence it all happened at once in a chemical big bang.

In other words, it used to be that life evolved so slowly you couldn’t see it happening, and now it happened so fast we missed it!

The article explains that life requires, at the bare minimum, “three core systems”: an outer membrane, the ability to metabolize, and the ability to reproduce using genes. Chemical evolutionists have a problem when it comes to trying to explain the origin of life—you need all three of these systems at the same time for life to even be imaginable. So scientists have argued over which came first, but now some say all three came at the same time. That’s a pretty fortunate set of circumstances!

In other words, it used to be that life evolved so slowly you couldn’t see it happening, and now it happened so fast we missed it!

Geneticist Dr. Georgia Purdom says of this study,

The scientists correctly define what you need for life—something to contain it (membrane), ability to make/utilize energy (metabolism), and ability to reproduce. They’ve given up on bacteria being the first living organism because they know how complex even these “simplest” organisms are. Since none of their other ideas about which came first have panned out, they’ve decided that all three requirements for life must have evolved at once from “Goldilocks chemistry.”

Just like Goldilocks is a fairytale, so is their idea for the origin of life!

So just the right molecules interacting under just the right conditions in just the right place led to a living organism. Just like Goldilocks is a fairytale, so is their idea for the origin of life! All of the research to develop this idea has depended on the scientists adding just the right chemicals (e.g., iron, sulfur) in just the right conditions (e.g., UV light), meaning intelligent design was needed, and they still didn’t end up with anything living! Life only comes from life (the law of biogenesis), and life only comes from the Creator God.

The popular summary of the study concludes with,

Of course, all this depends on the everything-first idea proving correct. Szostak’s protocells and the new biochemical insights have won over many researchers, but some pieces of the puzzle are still missing. Perhaps the most persuasive argument is that the simpler ideas don’t work. As is the case with many things in life, the beginning was probably more complicated than we had thought.

So the strongest support for this origin of life story is this: that the alternatives don’t work? Maybe that’s because life didn’t arise by natural processes! Really, their story is nothing more than a “just-so” story because they have to somehow explain the origin of life without God. They’d rather put their faith in the unbelievable—that something as complex as life could just pop into existence—than put their faith in the One who made them. And not just any “One,” but the only One true God: the Creator God of the Bible.

And information systems don’t just pop into existence. Information only comes from other information and, ultimately, a mind (in this case the mind of the Creator).

Life shows the fingerprints of the Designer. Just consider one of the three categories for life—the ability to reproduce using genes. This requires an information system to code the instructions needed to assemble life. And information systems don’t just pop into existence. Information only comes from other information and, ultimately, a mind (in this case the mind of the Creator).

Just as information only comes from information and, ultimately, a mind, so life only comes from life and, ultimately, the Lifegiver. These researchers, studying the incredible complexity of life, are without excuse for denying the Creator’s existence (Romans 1:20).

It Begins

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The view from across the road tonight.

For the last few months, there have been plans to upgrade the level crossing. But Roads and Maritime Services insisted that the Newell Highway be kept open, so a side track had to be constructed.

The work was ready to go in January, but got stopped by the torrential rain that flooded the site. Then they aimed for 4 am March 31, and in the meantime constructed the most expensive 4 day road I have ever seen.

We were evacuated to a motel as the work is 24 hours a day, but when we returned home this morning we discovered that there was still nothing happening as the rain yesterday again left the site too wet.

Tonight they have made a start. However RMS have expresses dissatisfaction with the signs and markings on the side track and may or may not sign off on it at 7 am tomorrow. If the RMS fail to proceed then the work is postponed until some future date.

Meanwhile if you are wondering where your bugs have gone to, we may have them here.

The Powerful Reason We Keep Getting Out Of Bed

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Ann Voskamp captures it with passion and precision to remind us why we get out of bed every morning.

SEPTEMBER.23.2016

The Powerful Reason Why We All Have To Keep Getting Out of Bed — That Changes a Broken World

A HOLY EXPERIENCE

When I saw it plastered on a wall somewhere in the city, it brought me up short.

I stepped back a few steps, stood there in front of it like a fool farm hick.

Blazoned across the three panels like a wakeup call:

Why do you get out of bed in the morning? 

Some dare devil’s pictured on the billboard plunges off his surfboard:Fear of Failure 

An astronaut lashes himself in for launch:  The Need to Succeed

Some guy holds a a curling cat:The Love of Your Life

And I mean —

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There’s work towering over you like a toppling avalanche about ready to bury you a couple feet deep, mocking you to go ahead and just try to get of bed. There’s bills stacked up like a deafening demand. There’s people counting on you and you’re counting on someOne stronger than you to get you through.

Why in the world do you get out of bed in the morning? 

Read the rest here

Not So Much Water On Mars After All

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Remember all the hype about evidence of flowing water on Mars and the possibility of life being there?

Well NASA is now saying that the gullies on Mars were not caused by erosion due to water, although the presence of some salty deposits that indicate water has not yet been ruled out.

A lot less sexy than the “life on Mars” meme but not unexpected.

From the ABC:

Mars gullies not caused by flowing water, NASA says

 

Gullies on MarsPHOTO: Scientists examined high-resolution compositional data from more than 100 gully sites throughout Mars.(NASA: JPL-Caltech/UA/JHUAPL)
RELATED STORY: Evidence of flowing water found on Mars
MAP: United States

New NASA research has shown the gullies on Mars were not formed by flowing liquid water.

Key points:

  • Study of gullies on Mars found no evidence of water or its by-products
  • Scientists say gullies could have been formed on Mars by freezing and thawing carbon dioxide frost
  • Previous research showed signs of water on slopes and streaks on Mars

 

The data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter released on Monday will allow researchers to narrow down theories about how Martian gullies formed and reveal more details about Mars’ geologic processes, NASA said in a statement.

The gullies are different to another prominent feature of Mars— slopes and streaks called recurring slope lineage (RSL) which are distinguished by seasonal darkening and fading.

Water in the form of hydrated salt was identified at RSL sites in September last year, also using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data.

Chemical analysis of dark streaks on the surface of the planet identified the presence of hydrated salts that are the signature of liquid salty water.

But the new research — which focused solely on gullies — found no trace of water, by looking at the gully formation process and adding composition information to previous imaging, NASA said.

Mars gulliesPHOTO: The highly marked Mars gullies resembles gullies on Earth that are carved by water. (NASA: JPL-Caltech/UA/JHUAPL)

 

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland in the US examined high-resolution compositional data from more than 100 gully sites throughout Mars.

NASA said the findings showed no mineralogical evidence of liquid water or its by-products.

The research suggested the gullies could have been formed by the freeze and thaw of carbon dioxide frost.

The findings were published in Geophysical Research Letters.

“On Earth and on Mars, we know that the presence of phyllosilicates — clays — or other hydrated minerals indicates formation in liquid water,” lead paper author Jorge Nunez said in a NASA statement.

“In our study, we found no evidence for clays or other hydrated minerals in most of the gullies we studied, and when we did see them, they were erosional debris from ancient rocks, exposed and transported down-slope, rather than altered in more recent flowing water.

 

“These gullies are carving into the terrain and exposing clays that likely formed billions of years ago when liquid water was more stable on the Martian surface.”

Lifesitenews: Lego Baby Figurine

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Awesome news from LEGO:

From lifesitenews.com:

Featured Image
Its a LEGO ultrasound – an unborn baby in LEGO!
 

LEGO announces new baby minifigure with awesome ultrasound image

 Abortion , Culture Of Life , Patricia Heaton , Ultrasound

June 3, 2016 (SPUC) — LEGO is tapping into the joy many parents experience when they see their unborn child for the first time on an ultrasound screen.

In an announcement for a new baby minifigure this week, the toy company created a life-affirming graphic depicting a LEGO “baby in the womb.” The company made the graphic look like a birth announcement coupled with a ‘photo’ of the toy baby on an ultrasound screen. The hazy gray ultrasound ‘photo’ shows the smiling ‘baby’, its size and estimated birth date.

“It’s a big day! The first ever LEGO baby minifigure says HEY! to the world, arriving with the LEGO City 60134 Fun in the Park set, tomorrow June 1st !” the announcement reads.

“Simply the best”

The ad was well-received on social media, with many pro-lifers thanking the company for the life-affirming announcement. Actress and pro-life advocate Patricia Heaton tweeted about it, too:

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The power of ultrasound images

The ad taps into the strong feelings that ultrasound images of real unborn babies often create. Ultrasounds have become powerful tools in the abortion debate because they show what until recently was hidden from the public eye – a baby in the womb. Ultrasound images show that unborn babies are valuable human beings who act in much the same way that born babies do. Thanks to the new technology, parents have watched their unborn babies smiling, sucking their thumbs, grimacing, clapping, turning somersaults and much more. Texas Right to Life’s Melissa Conway described the ad as “simply adorable” in an interview with the Independent Journal Review.

“LEGO’s introduction of the LEGO baby acknowledges that life, including preborn life, is literally and figuratively a growing industry,” Conway said. “This campaign and expansion to the toy line is a fun way to acknowledge that life begins in Mom’s tummy and affirms that children can easily and undeniably grasp the importance of life, growth, and family.”

Doritos and “humanising foetuses”

However, abortion activists have gone to extremes to suppress information about unborn babies from the general public. Last winter, they even went so far as to openly criticize a Doritos commercial that showed an unborn baby on an ultrasound screen. Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, saw the new LEGO ad and remembered what happened with Doritos:

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Abortion activists try to avoid anything that “humanises foetuses” because they know the facts change people’s minds. One study found that 78 percent of women considering abortion chose life after seeing their unborn child’s ultrasound image.

 

Read the full article here

Awesome Video- the Flash of Light At Conception

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Scientists have captured a flash of light that occurs at the moment of conception

From Lifesitenews.com

Amazing new video captures the flash of light the moment life begins

 Conception , In Vitro Fertilization , Video

CHICAGO, April 29, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Life begins with a spark – literally.

Researchers at Northwestern University have documented the striking event in a new video that accompanies a study published this week.

At the moment of conception, the egg releases massive amounts of zinc, which creates a spark that can be seen with the aid of a microscope.

“It was remarkable,” said Teresa Woodruff, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s medical school. “To see the zinc radiate out in a burst from each human egg was breathtaking.”

The research team had noted the zinc sparks before in mice eggs but had never observed the process in human beings.

“All of biology starts at the time of fertilization,” Woodruff said, “yet we know next to nothing about the events that occur in the human.”

One of the researchers, Northwestern chemistry professor Thomas O’Halloran, explained the science behind the process in 2014.

“The egg first has to stockpile zinc and then must release some of the zinc to successfully navigate maturation, fertilization and the start of embryogenesis,” he said. “On cue, at the time of fertilization, we see the egg release thousands of packages, each dumping a million zinc atoms, and then it’s quiet.”

“Each egg has four or five of these periodic sparks,” O’Halloran said. “It is beautiful to see, orchestrated much like a symphony.”

Since the amount of zinc in an egg correlates with successful implantation and birth, the Northwestern researchers are highlighting that their research may be used to assist in vitro fertilization.

But that raises concerns given the grave moral issues with IVF, which involves creating numerous embryos that are either killed or frozen. Moral theologians also emphasize that IVF is an injustice even for the children who are born as a result, as they are created in a lab rather than in the union of man and woman.

The study may have far-reaching consequences the research team did not intend, such as strengthening public belief in the longstanding scientific consensus that life begins at the moment of conception/fertilization.

Many of those who saw the Northwestern video said it testifies to the beauty of life and the shallow lies that buttress the argument of abortion-on-demand.

“I saw this, and I was blown away by it,” said Rush Limbaugh on his nationally syndicated radio program Thursday afternoon. “For anybody in the mainstream media to openly admit that life begins at conception” defies arguments that an unborn child is only “tissue mass.”

 

The Startling Truth About Water on Mars

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There is a lot of excitement in the media today about water being discovered on Mars and its implication for finding life there. Some people seem to think that finding water means we have found life.

Let’s put aside the assumption that life must be common in the universe because it arose “spontaneously” on earth then evolved totally by chance to produce us, and look at the logic being ignored by many people.

Back when I did maths at High School one thing that was emphasised in the more advanced subjects was the difference between “necessary” and “sufficient” conditions in proofs.

For example, apart from the number 2, it is necessary for a number to be odd if it is to be prime. However it is not sufficient to show that a number is odd to prove it is prime.

Another example is it is necessary for a car to have fuel in the tank in order to drive it, but that is not sufficient- you need a driver with the key, air in the tyres, an engine that works, and much more.

Returning to Mars, we know that water is essential for life. This is so axiomatic that the scientists looking for life on other places, make that the starting point in their search. No water no life.

But life requires more than water. It needs carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and, above all else, energy.

Water is a necessary condition but it is not sufficient.

Some scientists are so pessimistic about the ability of life to spontaneously emerge from the primordial soup that they believe that the existence of life on earth in itself suggests there must be an infinite number of parallel universes to allow for the possibility that on just one planet in one of those universes life arose all by itself.

To me that is grasping at straws. It makes much more sense to believe in a Creator who made everything that is out of nothing. As Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”