On Brain Power....

The human brain consists of more than 100 billion neurons (nerve cells)
through which the brain's commands are sent in the form of electric pulses..
Theses pulses travel at more than (250 mph), creating enough electricity to power a light bulb...

The brain consumes more energy than any other organ, burning up a whopping one- fifth of the food we take in..
It is estimated that the mental capacity of a 100-year old human with perfect memory could be represented by computer
with 10 to the power of 15 bits (one petabit)...

At the current rate of computer chip development, that figure can be reached in about 35 years..
However, that represents just memory capacity, not the extremely complex process of thought creation and emotions..
But consider this: for all the complexity of the brain, you still have only one thought at a time...

Make it a positive thought...

Factoids:
One-quarter of the brain is used to control your eye.
We actually see with our brains, with the eyes basically being cameras..
You're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult,
you only have 206..
The rest of them let Innate (in-born intelligence) fuse them...

The body knows what it's doing..
Expecially if it gets the right kind of help...
To stay on track.. To stay well...

Thanks Lyn,

Amazing and wonderful and man can only try and imitate the wonders of our Maker's design. Truly, the more we find out, the more incredible we find out He is. As if looking around and seeing the miracle of life isn't enough, we now have further technology to see microscopic wonders as well and we never cease to be amazed. Does He have any limits? No.

It is us that is limited in our understanding, not He.

Hi Bex, ((( Smiles )))

I like that.. I like what you wrote..
The human body is an amazing concept in design..
Just like the animals are..
The totally amazing honey bee...
I hope we don't lose them it's hard to invent one from nothing.. We just can't design like that...

Oh plus...
I read this and as we all grow old or get sick in life..
This is so true..

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant of the weak & the strong; because, someday in life you will have been all of these".

Take Care
Lynn

Hi Lynn,

That is true. In fact, as I get older, I become increasingly aware that youth is passing and I too will oneday (unless I'm taken early) experience old age. I see myself gradually ageing too and nobody likes it, but it's unfortunately part of us wearing out....I believe personally that it is also a way of us ridding ourselves of youthful vanity and hopefully becoming more aware of our journey towards the grave (and to the next life).

If we did not have this inflicted upon us....would we really wake up? Age is a great leveller and it certainly takes care of alot of superficiality and vanity. I now look at old people in a much different light and see them as myself oneday. Just as they were once young. Yet in my youth, I never so much considered this at all.

I see God is in control of time, of the ageing process, of everything. I have no doubts about the bible and the fact man/woman were created to live forever, NOT age or die. God's intention was good, but our sin is what brought death upon us, via sickness, accident, or gradual through ageing. We know they lived for great ages, even after the fall, but as sin continued and grew at an ever increasingly rate, so God, in keeping with that sin, reduced our long life spans more and more.

Yet the bible also seems to predict that this too will be turned around and we will once again, live to very long ages. No surprise there. If the world itself is cleansed/renewed (which it will be), so too will human beings and a different world/atmosphere will of course make a huge difference to life spans. I think it's Issaiah 65 that talks about this and how at that time, the youth will be of 100 years of age. The days of people will be like the days of a tree (hundreds of years). It always seems unbelieveable when it's something that we have not experienced or observed and so often one can be quick to proclaim as a "myth" or "wishful thinking".

This "renewal" does not seem to refer to the end (last resurrection where Heaven and earth are joined and people will be like angels and live forever and will no longer marry or have children). But rather an intermediate time (renewal) that we have long been awaiting. A time where Christ will reign in the hearts of all people, a cleansed earth and a cleansed mankind and it would seem an extended life span. It also mentions that people will still be having children during that time! When is this era? I hope it is soon. Signs are certainly pointing to the time of renewal. Unfortunately due to mankind's increasing sin and indifference towards God, it would seem the transition to this intermediate era is going to be increasingly painful and one wonders when Christ returns, will He find faith on earth?

Hi Bex, (((( Smiles ))))

You wrote This "renewal" does not seem to refer to the end (last resurrection where Heaven and earth are joined)

About the renewal...
And I think of Isaiah 64:8.. But now, Jehovah, You are our
Father, and You are our Former; and we are all your handiwork..

And I just love how the old and new Testament flow together .. And Isaiah 65:17..
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth...
Which relates to 2 Peter 3:13..
And then the wolf and the lamb shall feed as one..
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
and dust is the food of the snake..
Which goes back to Genesis....
Refers to satan of course..

They shall not do evil or destroy, in all My holy mountain, says Jehovah..
And in that day they won't..
Jehovah will put a stop to it forever..
Nothing but evil in this world now...
And until then....

2 Peter 3:4 .. Where is the promise of His comeing ?
10: But (the) day of (the)Lord will come as a thief in (the) night , in which the heavens will pass away with rushing sound, and burning ,
( the) elements will be disolved, and earth and the works will be burned up..
12: hastening the comeing of the day of God..
13: new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells.. equitable in character or innocent, just, meet, right (-eous)

But in 2 Peter 3:17..
It talks about knowing before the events/watch lest being led away by error of the lawless one..
Which goes back to verses in 2 Thessalonians 2.
About our gathering back to Christ...

And God will send to them a working of error in the literal translation or as written in the king James strong delusion..
In regards to satans deception for them to believe it ...
All powers and signs and lying wonders...

God will help/nurse it along..
Thats what God says He will do..
At that time....
And what a time and event that will be for sure..
And then finally all evil will be destroyed in Gods holy mountain.. And where is Gods holy mountain..
Then no weeping no crying no sickness and no death..
The former things have passed away...
What a day that will be for sure...

Our Amazing Universe...

Though Asteroids are a possibilty.. but melting is more of a probabilty..
At this time but still..
The Huge Arecibo space research center that can track threatening
asteroids..
Because of budget woes.. may signal an end for telescope..
And it is the only facility on the planet able to track asteroids with enough percision to tell which ones might plow into the Earth...

As scientists discovered in the 1930's,
atomic particles whizzing around in space can emit radio waves of various forms and intensities.
Those waves..
which, unlike visible light and other kinds of electromagnetic energy, easily penetrate cosmic dust of Earth's atmosphere --
tell scientists what kinds of matter and energy are out there and how they are behaving..

That kind of information pulls the veil from how the universe matured..
( unevenly , with lumps of unimaginable density and vast expanses far emptier than any vacuum on Earth )
: what it is made of..
( about 95 percent is " dark energy " and " dark matter," compounds that scientists know virtually nothing about);
and what holds it all together..
( nobody understands what gravity really is ),
even as the universe expands..

Life Precious or Cheap?

" Since man is made in the image of God, then the takeing of a man's life is the destruction of the most
precious and the most holy thing in the world."
--- The Plain Man's Guide to Ethics, by William Barclay....

' The most precious thing in the world.' Do you share that view of life?
From the way people behave, it is obvious that many do not agree with that writer.
Millions of lives have been callously snuffed out by violent people who pursued selfish goals without
any regard for the well-being of their fellowman.--- Ecclesiates 8:9

How Precious Is Your Life?

Jesus Christ stated: " Do not two sparrows sell for a coin of small value?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Therefore have no fear:
you are worth more then many sparrows." -- Matthew 10:29-31...

Notice that Jesus did not say that God will simply be aware of what happened to the sparrows and to men.
He said: " You are worth more than many sparrows.
" Why are you worth more?

Because you are made" in God's image"--with the potential for cultivating and displaying moral, intellectual,
and spiritual qualities that reflect God's own elevated qualities. ----- Genesis 1:26,27...

Life Precious or Cheap?
How precious is your Life?
And when I think of that....
The very hairs of your head are all numbered...
Like counting all the more than 100 billion neurons
( nerve cells ) in ones brain..
or the information capacity in a single human cell..
It's like counting the stars....
Or like all the stars in the sky more then just the eye
can see..

Counting the Stars...

Have you ever gazed up at a star -filled night sky ....
and wondered how many stars you could see ?

Sky and Telescope magazine recently addressed this age-old question,
and the answer is not as simple to find as one might assume...
The magazine noted that according to astronomy reference works,
the observer can see 2,862 stars in the skies over a fairly
dark suburb in northern latitudes..

But not all these stars are above the local horizon at any given time;
many rise and set..
Furthermore , many stars that are easily visible when directly overhead are invisible when nearer the horizon.
That is because at such low altitudes, the star's light must pass through
more of earth's atmosphere in order to reach an observer's eyes..

Sky and Telescope concludes that for an observer at a latitude of 40 degrees north , some 1,809 stars would be visable throughout the year..

" Love Jehovah With Your Whole Mind "

The Bible does not discourage the use of the mind.

In fact, Jesus encouraged us to ' love Jehovah with our whole mind.{ Mark 12:30 }

His ministry shows he had a keen interest in current events.
{ Luke 13:1-5 }

Biology.. { Matthew 6:26 , 28 } { Mark,7: 18,19}

Agriculture { Matthew 13:31,32 }

and Human Nature.. { Matthew 5:28; 6:22-24}

His illustrations indicate that he clearly understood the priniciples in God's Word and the background and thinking of
his listeners and that he thought carefully about how to bring the two together.

Paul entreated all Christians to render their service to God with their "power of reason " .
{ Romans 12:1 }

He incouraged the Thessalonians not to let misleading ' inspired expressions shake them from their reason. '
{ 2 Thessalonians 2:2 }

He had some knowledge of Greek and Creaton poetry..
{ Acts 17:28 } { Titus 1:12 }

and military equipment and proccedures..
{ Ephesians 6:14-17 } { 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 }

and he was observant of local customs..
{ Acts 17:22,23 }

Although Jesus and Paul enjoyed so much freedom of thought,
they did not view themselves as the sole authority on right and wrong.

Rather then reject the Bible in favor of his own reasoning,
Jesus repeatedly quoted from the Scriptures...

His swift and severe reply when Peter urged him to consider a course different from the sacrificial death that was God's will for him
shows that he would not even contemplate that line of thinking .
{ Matthew 16:22 , 23 }

Similarily, Paul told the Corinthians :
" When I come to you,
it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy,
but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed ".
{ 1 Corinthians 2:1 , The Jerusalem Bible }

Like Jesus, his reasoning was based solidly on the Scriptures..
{ Acts: 17:2 }

The Bible encourages the use of one's mental faculities to the full but not without restraint.
However, the burden of responsibility for keeping our thinking in harmony with that of Jehovah is based on the individual Christian, not the congregation.

Thus , when a number of Ephesians publicly renounced their practice of spiritism and became Christians,

Paul did not take it upon himself to burn their books,
but a " number of them who had practised magic collected their books and made a bonfire of them in public. "
{ Acts 19:19, JB}

Why did theses Christians feel it necessary to burn their own books ?

The First Line Of Defense...

Consider this illustration.
A succesfull military defense often involves several lines of defensive bulwarks.

No successful general would feel that any one of theses is
unimportant and should be given up without a fight.

In a Christian's fight against sin, there are several lines of defense as well.

James 1:14, 15 states that " each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire.
Then the desire , when it has become fertile,
gives birth to sin."

The first step toward is the cultivation of a wrong desire in the mind.
Thus, the first line of defense is to refrain from cultivating the desire- to control one's thinking..

It is because of this link between thoughts and actions that the Bible warns us :
" Keep your minds fixed on the things above, not on the things upon the earth." { Colossans 3:2 }

When Christians refuse to dwell mentally on immorality, sprititism or apostasy, they make this decision ,
not because they fear that theses idea's may prove superior to Bible truths,
but because they wish to avoid anything that could draw them on a sinfull course.

" All Things Are Openly Exposed "

Another important reason why we should control our thinking is our love for Jehovah and a respect for his ability to know our thoughts.

Imagine that you had a cherised friend or a close relative who was partcularly sensitive to dirt or dust.

Would you stop inviting your friend into your home,
unwilling to do the extra cleaning that your house would require ?

Would love not move you to make that needed extra effort to keep things clean ?

Jehovah's sensitivity to our intermost thoughts is shown in....
{ Psalm 44:21 }

He is aware of the secrets of the heart,

" Paul said we are accountable for thoses thoughts:
" There is not a creation that is not manifest to his sight ,
but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of him
whom we have an accounting ."
{ Hebrews 4:13} { Psalm 10:4 } { Proverbs 6:16,18}

Job acknowledged man's responsibilty to God for his thoughts..

" Job... offered up burnt sacrifices..... ; for, said Job,
" maybe my sons have sinned and cursed God in their heart. "
{ Job 1:5 }

Wllful contemplation of a wrong course could in itself be viewed by Jehovah as a sin.
--- Compare Exodus 20:17---

True Freedom of Thought...

The Bible encourages each Christian to set as a goal the bringing of " every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ ..
{ 2 Corinthians 10:5 }

This is a achieved , not through restrictions placed by religious leaders,
but through an individual's exercise of self-control and through his love for and understanding of Jehovah and His principles.

With the achievement of this goal comes true freedom of thought,
limted only by godly standards and enhanced by the joy of knowing that, even in our thoughts, we are pleasing Jehovah...

The Beauty Of It All..
Inside and outside..
Are Thoses Colors Real?

People who scan the sky with a backyard telescope often feel a sense of disappointment upon first locating a famous galaxy or nebula.

Where are the beautiful colors they have seen in photographs?
" The colors of galaxies cannot be seen directly by the human eye, even through the largest existing telescopes,"
notes astronomer and science writer Timothy Ferris,"
for their light is too faint to stimulate the color receptors of the retina.."

This has caused some persons to conclude that the beautiful colors seen in astronomical photos are fakes,
simply added in the processing somehow. This is not the case, however.
" The colors themselves are real," writes Ferris,"
and the photographs represent the best efforts of astronomers to reproduce them accurately.."

In his book Galaxies, Ferris explains that the photos of faint distant objects,
such as galaxies or most nebula," are time exposures obtained by aiming a
telescope at a galaxy and exposeing a photographic plate for as long as
several hours while starlight seeps into the photographic emulsions..

During this time a driving mechanism compensates for the earth's rotation and keeps the telescope trained on the galaxy,
while the astronomer, or in some cases an automatic guiding system, makes minute corrections."

Does Christian Unity Allow for Variety ?

Unity in the Christian congregation is vital.
Disunity in doctrinal belief would rise to fierce disputes,
dissension , and even enmity.
{ Acts 23:6-10}

The Bible says that " God is a God , not of disorder, but of peace."
{ 1 Corinthians 14:33 }

Are theses words and similar Bible passages encourageing strict uniformity among Christians in every respect ?
{ John 17:20-23 } { Galatians 3:28 }

Does true Christianity as described in the Bible encourage variety when it comes to individual personalities ?

Are all Christians expected to fit into some sort of rigid mold ?

God Appeals to Us Individually.

Some people strongly believe that the Bible is just another tool
for arbitrary control of the masses.
Granted, it has often been misused that way by some sects..
Jesus , however, painted a very different picture of the scriptures and their Divine Author.

He has described God as one who has an intense interest in each of his creatures.
At John 6:44 , Jesus explained;
" No man can come to me unless the Father , who sent me, draws him.
" The verb used here does not suggest that God drags people ,
against their will.,
Instead , God gentally attracts , appealing to the heart.

There is, as one Bible scholar put it ,
" an influence from God to incline the mind to believe. "

The Creator does not view the human family as a faceless mass.
He makes an evaluation of individuals and gentally draws to himself thoses who have a heart that is rightly disposed.
{ Psalm 11:5 } { Proverbs 21:2 } { Acts 13:48 }

Note how adaptable the apostle Paul was..

He recognized the special needs of each individual and acknowledged that certain viewpoints were common to
particular nationalities or backgrounds.

Then he adapted his approach accordingly.
He wrote :
" To the Jews I became as a Jew , that I might gain Jews
To the weak I became weak , that I might gain the weak
I have become all things to people of all sorts ,
that I might by means save some. "
{ 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 }

Clearly , Paul did not stereotype people or treat them all in the same way.
He gave them encouragement:
" Let your utterance be allways with graciousness , seasoned with salt, so as to know how you ought to give an answer to each one."
{ Collossians 4:6 }

Yes , Paul and the other Christians had to recognize and respect each person's uniqueness in order to help them.

God's Original Design.

This respect for a person as an individual continues after one becomes part of the Christian congregation.

God's people do not drown in a sea of complete uniformity and absolute conformity to the preferences of thoses in authority.

Rather, they enjoy a wide variety of personalities and have different abilities, habits , and opinions.
The individuality of each one is not viewed as a bother or nuisance.
It is part of God's originial design.

Hence , in the new world promised in the Bible for the righteous,
perfection among humans will allow for great diversity.
{ 2 Peter 3:13 }

Under the heading " Perfection , "
the Bible encyclopedia Insite on the Scriptures appropriately makes the following comments:
" Perfection does not mean the end of varity, however
as persons often assume.

The animal kingdom, which is the product of Jehovah's perfect activity'
{ Genesis 1:20-24 } { Deuteronomy 32:4 }
contains enormous variety. "

Insight adds :
" Perfection of the planet Earth is likewise not incompatible with variety,
change, or contrast;
it allows for the simple and the complex , the plain and the fancy,
the sour and the sweet , the rough and the smooth ,
the meadows and the woods, the mountains and the valleys.

It embraces the stimulating freshness of early spring,
the warmth of summer with its azure-blue skies,
the loveliness of autumn colors , the pure beauty of freshly fallen snow.
{ Genesis 8:22 }

Perfect humans will thus not be stereotypes of identical personalitys,talents , and abilities."

Concern For Others.

However, true Christianity does discourage a self-centered disregard for thoses around us.
The apostle Paul watched closely every feature of his life and conduct in order to avoid stumbling others.
He said in his letter to the congregation at Corinth:
" In no way are we giveing any cause for stumbling,
that our ministry might not be found fault with,"
{ Corinthians 6:3 }

Sometimes, we must control our personal desires and put the need
of others above our own preferences.
For example, Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome :
" It is well not to eat flesh or to drink wine or do anything over which your brother stumbles."
{ Romans 14:21 }
Similarly today , a person may choose to refrain from consuming alcohol in the presence of one
who has a problem controlling his drinking.
{ Corinthians 10:23,24 }

This is done , not out of a compulsion to conform,
but as a noble act of kindness and love.
" Even the Christ did not please himself.
" Jesus was an individual , but he did not assert his preferences at the expense of others' feelings.
{ Romans 15:13 }

Still, one of the most refreshing aspects of true Christianity is it's respect for individual freedoms and preferences
within the bounds of the Bible guidelines.

It teaches that God made us to be distinct and unique.
At 1 Corinthians 2:11 , we read:
" Who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of man that is within him ? "

We try to understand others as much as possible.
But this verse implies that we each have a uniqueness understood
only by ourselves and our Creator.

We have a " secret person of the heart " that we reveal as we choose.
{ 1 Peter 3:4 }

Unity and Variety -- A Delicate Balance.

The apostle Paul set a good example of Christian balance.
Although haveing authority as an apostle of Christ ,
he was carefull not to impose his opinions on others.

For instance , Paul had a strong opinion about the advantages of singleness in this imperfect world.
He himself was single at the time he wrote:
" Thoses who [ marry ] will have tribulation in the flesh, "and,
" [ a widow ] is happier if she remains as she is, acoording to my opinion."

The fact that his words became part of the inspired Word of God indicates there was nothing wrong with his opinion."
Yet , he allso explained:
" Even if you did marry , you would commit no sin."
{ 1 Corinthians 7:28, 40 }

Evidently, most of the apostles were married men,
as Paul acknowledged with the words :
" We have authority to lead about a sister as a wife ,
even as the rest of the apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas, do we not ?"
{1 Corinthians 9:5 }

Christians knew that in this matter they could make choices different from Paul's and he would still respect them.
Worshipers of God have allways been allowed to express their faith in harmony with their unique personality.

In fact ,
God even allowed the Bible writers to use individual style when writting.
For example in all humilty Nehemiah wrote his account in the first person..
{ Nehemiah 5:6 ,19 }

On the other hand out of modesty the apostle John never once used his own name in his Gospel account and rarely reffered to himself..
God approved of both styles and had them preserved in the Bible.

Similar examples of balance and reasonableness are found throught Scripture.
Clearly, Christian unity allows for varity.
Of course , diversity of backgrounds and opinions can lead to disunity when spiritual qualites are lacking.
{ Romans 16:17, 18 }

But when we ' clothe ourselves with love , the perfect bond of union,'we learn to accept and enjoy the unique personalitys of others.
{ Colossians 3:14 }

" Therefore welcome one another , " says the Bible,
" just as the Christ has welcomed us , with glory to God in view."
{ Romans 15:7 }

With the help of God's spirit ,
Christians can achieve the delicate balance of maintaining unity while enjoying a variety of unique personalitys in the congregation.

1: Corinthians 12.

But concerning the spiritual things, brothers,
I do not wish you to be ignorant.
2:You know that being led away,
you nations were led to voiceless idols.
3: Because of this I make known to you that no one speaking by
the Spirit of God says, Jesus ( is ) a curse.
And no one is able to say Jesus ( is ) Lord, except by ( the ) Holy Spirit.
4:And there are differences of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5: and there are differences of ministries , yet the same Lord.
6: and there are differences of workings,
but the same God is working all things in all.
7: And to each one is given the showing forth of the Spirit to profit ( each).
8: For through the Spirit is given to one a word of wisdom,
and to another a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
9: and to another, gifts of healing by the same Spirit.
10: and to another workings of powers, and to another prophecy,
and to another discerning of spirits, and to another ,
kinds of languages, and to another interpretation of tongues.
11: And the one and the same Spirit works all theses things,
distributed separately to each as He purposes.
12: For even as the body is one, and has many members,
but all the members, of the one body, being many,
( are) one body, so also ( is ) Christ.
13: For also we all were baptized by one Spirit into one body;
weither Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,
even all were given to drink into one Spirit.
14: For also the body is not one member,
but many.

25: and that there not be division in the body,
but ( that ) the members might have the same care for one another.

All the Spirit S's are higher case except one.
Discerning of spirits.
which is lower case in both the Literal Translation
and the King James.

What did Jesus have to say,
When it comes to the Christian congregation.

John 13:33: Little children, yet a little ( while ) I am with you.
You will seek Me; and even as I said to the Jews,
Where I go you are not able to come.
I also say to you now.
John 13:34: I give a new commandment to you,
that you should love one another ; according as I loved you,
you should allso love one another.
John 13:35: In this all shall know that you are My disciples,
if you have love among one another.
We need more Love in the world.

Isaiah 2:4: And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people.
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning -hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
nor shall they learn war anymore.

Micah 4:3 And He shall judge between many peoples,
and will decide for strong nations afar off.
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares;
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
nor shall they learn war anymore..

What a wonderfull world that would be.
I look forward to that promise someday..

Not only do we have an awesome universe..
We have an awesome human body too!

In the time it takes you to read this sentence, your amazing body will have analyzed, synthesized, restructured,
and utilized thousands of nutrient molecules.

It will have split proteins, burned sugars, pumped minerals,
enchanged gases, and transferred electrons.

Thousands of chemical reactions occur each second in your body, every second of your life.
Just imagine the energy required to proform this bio- chemical magic that powers your human machine!

Joyfull Now And Forever..

" Exult, you people , and be joyfull forever in what I am creating.
For here I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joyfullness and her people a cause for exultation." ---- Isaiah 65:18

Does the Bible Discourage....
Feasting and the Giving of Gifts ?

The Giveing of Gifts.
The Bible approves of the giving of presents, Jehovah himself being called the Giver of " every good gift and every perfect present."
{ James 1:17 }

Jesus indicated that good parents would give gifts to their children.
{ Luke 11:11-13 }

Job's friends and family members gave Job gifts when he recovered his health.
{ Job 42:11 }

None of such giveing , however , required specific feast days...
It stemmed from the heart.. --- 2 Corinthians 9:7

Family Gatherings..

Family gatherings can do much to unite family members, especially if they no longer live in the same house.
Jesus and his disciples attended a wedding feast in Cana , doubtless a large gathering of family and friends.
{ John 2:1-10 }

And in Jesus' illustration of the prodigal son , the father celebrated his son's return with a family banquet, which included music and dancing.
{ Luke 15:21-25}

Enjoying a Good Meal.

The Bible frequently speaks's of God's servants as enjoying good food with family, friends, or fellow worshipers.

When three angles visited Abraham,
he prepared a feast for them that included beef, milk, butter, and round cakes.
{ Genesis 18:6-8 }

Solomon described 'eating, drinking, and rejoicing' as a gift from God.
{ Ecclesiastes 3:13, 18:15 }

Clearly, God wants us to enjoy good food in the company of friends and family, and he approves of gift giving.
We have ample opportunity to do that any time throughout the year.

" Almost Designed"?

Have you ever looked at the night sky through a telescope?
Many who have can tell you that they still remember the first time they found themselves looking at the planet Saturn.
It is almost a startling site.
Against a backdrop of endless black dusted with countless glittering stars,there hangs a luminous orb wreathed with flat, elegant rings!

What are theses rings?
Back in 1610,when the astronomer Galileo first looked at Saturn through his handmade telescope, the view was so fuzzy,
that Saturn looked like a planet with ears-- a central orb flanked by two smaller ones.

As telescopes improved over the years, astronomers saw the rings more clearly, but they still argued over the composition of the rings.
Many asserted that the rings were rigid, solid disks.
Not untill 1895 did astronomers have convinceing proof that the rings were composed of many particules of rock and ice.

The book The Far Planets notes: " Saturn's rings, a set of ribbons fashioned from uncountable icy fragments,
rank among the chief wonders of the Solar System.
The gleaming halo is enormous, extending 250,000 miles from an inner edge just above the planet's atmosphere to an outer rim almost to wispy to discern.
It is also astonishingly thin, less then a hundred feet on average."

In June 2004, when the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft reached Saturn
and sent back data and pictures, scientists began learning even more about the complexity of theses hundreds of rings.

An article in Smithsonian magazine recently stated: " Saturn looks almost designed-- an object as perfect as mathematics."
We can sympathize with the writer's sentiments, but we can only wonder about the inclusion of the word, " almost."
In truth, this lovely celestial body is but one of countless others that fit the inspired description penned thousands of years ago:
" The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling." -- Psalm 19:1

Was It Designed?

The Milk Bypass

If you ever watched a sheep, a goat, or a cow giveing birth,
you have probably marveled at how quickely the newborn gets to it's feet and finds its way to the udder for milk.
All mammals feed their young on milk.
But in the case of young ruminants, such as lambs, kids, and calves, there is another, unseen marvel.

Consider: Cows have a four-chambered stomach for the mulitiple processes needed to digest milk and forage.
But newborns feed only on milk, which does not need all thoses processes for digestion.
So when the newborn suckles, a special bypass tunnel opens to allow the milk to go directly to the last chamber.

If milk were to find it's way into the first chamber, called the rumen,the calf would suffer because the rumen
is where hard- to -digest food is broken down by bacterial fermentation.
Fermenting milk produces gas that newborns cannot eliminate.

However , when young ruminants drink milk, whether from a nipple or a bucket, a reflex action snaps shut the entryway to the rumen.

Remarkably, something different happens when a newborn drinks water.
It needs plenty of water in it's rumen so that bacteria and microbes there can multiply, ready for when the youngster begins to live on forage.
Although milk goes directly to the stomach's final chamber, plain water enters the rumen.
The calf's amazing bypass is for milk only!

What do you think?
Did the milk bypass come about by chance?
Or is it the work of an intelligent Creator?

The Bible tells us that life on the earth at all levels is the product of intelligent activity.
And it tells us that the Source of all this intellgence
activity is Jehovah God, the Creator of the universe.
{ Psalm 36:9 } { Revelation 4:11 }

Do not let the fact that we have to endure in a world filled with suffering dissuade you from believeing that there is
a Creator and Designer of the earth and all life on it.
Keep in mind two fundamental truths..

One is that God did not design the imperfection that exists all around us.
The other is that our Creator has good reasons for temporarily permitting it.
Jehovah God has permitted evil to exist for a limited time only in order to settle once and for all the moral issues
that were raised at the time when humans first rejected his sovereignty.
{Genesis 3:1-7} {Deuteronomy 32:4,5} {Ecclesiastes 7:29}
{2 Peter 3:8,9}

Was It Designed?

Job 26:8

He binds up the waters in His thick clouds; and the cloud does not burst under them.

Job 26:13
By His Spirit the heavens were beautiful; His hand pierced the fleeing snake.

The Heavens are beautiful and declare His glory.
No doubt they were designed as so.
The fleeing snake, that serpent, the evil one will not flee far from his Creator.
Jehovah has numbered his days.
Satans time is short.

To assemble them in war against God Almighty
Rev 20:9

And they went up over the breadth of the land and encircled the camp of the saints, and the beloved city.
And fire from God came down out of Heaven and burned them down.
And the devil leading them astray, was thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet (are).
And they were tormented day and night to the ages of the ages.

The word " hell" is used 54 times in the Bible,
and in only 12 cases does it refer to a " place of burning."

The word " hell" is translated from several different words with various meanings, as indicated below:

In the Old Testament
31 times from "Sheol," which means "the grave".

In the New Testament
10 times from " Hades," which means " the grave."
12 times from " Gehenna, " which means " the place of burning."
1 time from "Tartarus, which means "a place of darkness."

54 Times Total

" The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire"
Revelation 20:10

"I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you...
You... shall be no more forever"
Ezekiel 28:18,19

ashes to ashes dust to dust
Stubble up in smoke, ashes under the soles of your feet
Malachi 4:1,3

Truth Never Changes... ((( Smiles )))

To God be the Glory.
Life is far more complex then just being here by chance.
There is so much to observe in this world that relates to God's incredible design...
Intelligent Design and that all eyes are on a small plot of land written about in the scripture's from Ancient Bibilical times.
And more prophecy's yet to be fulfilled, so for many people there is no doubt.
This system of things this planet as it is of now is passing away..
Sick planet, Sick World, we are all incredibly sick too and many of us just don't know it of yet.
We don't see the sickness our own imperfections though we may noticed the imperfections of others more then our own..
but God see's all of our imperfections and that we are in need of a "Savior" in a dying polluted corrupted world.
There is no other way out.
The path is fixed and just going green will not fix this mess.
Humankind can not fix this mess though many believe we can.
It will be God's way or no way because humans solutions are Imperfect at best, Corrupt at worse.

Signature In The Cell..
DNA and the Evidence For Intelligent Design
Stephen C. Meyer

http://www.signatureinthecell.com/

http://www.signatureinthecell.com/quotes.php

Job 26:13
By His Spirit the heavens were beautiful; His hand pierced the fleeing snake.

To assemble them in war against God Almighty
Rev 20:9

"I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you...
You... shall be no more forever"
Ezekiel 28:18,19

And the world will be a much better place to live in too.
Right now it's a total mess but thats not the end of the story....

Thank God For That.

Innate Inborn Intelligence
They may call it intelligent design but it just goes to prove the existence of a higher smarter being then us who designed it all!