AMAZING FACT: DEVOTION

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Abandoned At Sea

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST

An Amazing Fact: Alexander Selkirk was a quick-tempered, hardened sailor and pirate. In 1703, he joined William Dampier on a privateering expedition, plundering Spanish merchant ships in the Pacific. After a quarrel with the captain over the seaworthiness of their ship, the hotheaded Selkirk demanded to be left ashore on the uninhabited island of Juan Fernandez, 400 miles west of Chile. However, when Selkirk realized that none of the crew would join him, he had a moment of regret and begged the captain to be let on the ship—but the captain refused. So Selkirk was left alone with a few basic supplies: clothes, bedding, flint, a pound of gunpowder, bullets, a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, his navigation tools, and a Bible. What Selkirk thought might be a few days until the next ship came by stretched into nearly four and a half years.


The first months were a difficult adjustment. The nights were terrifying: the bellowing calls of sea lions, tree limbs breaking in the frequent storms, and the hordes of rats gnawing on his feet as he tried to sleep. Selkirk was depressed and even contemplated suicide. He was almost glad to be hungry because it diverted his thoughts. However, in time, Selkirk’s mood improved.

He kept busy building a hut, catching wild goats to eat, and taming the feral cats (which eventually helped with the rats). In addition to watching for passing ships, Selkirk spent time singing hymns, praying, and reading his Bible. He later remarked that he was a better Christian on the island than ever before, or, as it seems, after.

In 1709, Selkirk was rescued by another English ship. It was then that he learned the fate of his old crewmates: the ship sank soon after leaving Juan Fernandez, most of the crew was killed, and the rest were captured by the Spanish.

As the poet John Milton wrote, “Loneliness is the first thing which God’s eye named, not good.” God knew that we would need human companionship and gave us marriage, family, and friendship for that purpose. But during those abandoned-at-sea moments when marriages fail, families misunderstand us, and friends desert us, we can find the Companion that Selkirk found—the One who promises “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
- Genesis 2:18

 

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The Love Apple

Posted: 31 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST

An Amazing Fact: In 1820, a crowd of curious people gathered around the county courthouse in Salem, New Jersey. The county fair was in progress, and they jostled one another in eager anticipation, for they were about to witness a daring feat. Soon a man appeared on the steps, holding in one hand a piece of poisonous fruit that had been part of the fair’s decorations. As he held it up for them to see, members of the crowd whispered excitedly to one another. “Is he really going to eat it?” some asked in disbelief.


The man was Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson, and the fruit was a tomato. Returning Spanish conquistadors brought the first tomato seeds from Peru to Italy. Upon arrival, the Italians believed the heart-shaped tomato was an aphrodisiac—thus tomato in Italian, poma amoris, means “love apple.” Love apples were often tokens of courtship. Young men gave them to their girlfriends, who would wear the seeds in sachets around their necks. The fruit was admired for its beauty, but because of its relation to deadly nightshade the tomato was regarded as poison by Americans and no one would dream of eating it.

The crowd gasped in horror as Colonel Johnson deliberately placed the tomato in his mouth and ate it with apparent relish. They waited breathlessly, expecting soon to see him collapse, writhing in dying agony, on the courthouse steps. But nothing happened. Instead, praising the color and texture, he ate a second tomato, explaining that tomatoes were delicious either cooked or raw. He then invited the onlookers to join him in his meal, and a few of the braver ones went forward. Soon they too were relishing the tomatoes’ flavor.

The news rapidly spread, and eventually tomatoes became a widely accepted article of diet, providing a primary source of minerals and vitamins A and C. Today the United States grows about 9 million metric tons of tomatoes yearly and there are more varieties of tomatoes sold than of any other fruit.

The Bible teaches that the devil is a master of deception in convincing people to fear what is good and eat what is bad. But once we taste the goodness of the Lord and learn to trust in Him, He will help us discern between what is bad and what is good. He will be our Guide.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
- Psalms 34:8

 

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Medicine Tree

Posted: 01 Feb 2014 11:00 PM PST

An Amazing Fact: Deadly malaria fevers have been killing people since the beginning of written history, but it wasn’t until the middle of the 17th century that an effective treatment was discovered. Jesuit missionaries in Peru noticed the success of the Quechua Indians in treating malaria with a tea made from the bark of a local tree. While no one knows for sure how the Indians learned this remedy, there is a plausible legend which supplies an account.


The tale starts with an Indian lost in the Peruvian jungle and burning with fever from malaria. He stumbled upon a pool of water and threw himself down at the edge to satisfy his thirst. One gulp of the bitter water told him that it had been tainted by the bark of the quina-quina tree, which the locals assumed was poisonous. Much to the man’s surprise, he did not die but felt his strength returning. He eventually found his way back to his own village, where he made a full recovery.

He told everybody about the pool and the taste of the quina-quina bark, and the quinine tonic water treatment was born. In 1742, the tree was renamed cinchona by a Swedish botanist in honor of the Countess of Chinchon, who may have been the first European to use an extract of the bark to treat her malaria. Quinine was still the preferred treatment for malaria until the 1940s, and it is still used in certain regions of the world because of its low cost. Quinine has also been used to treat arthritis and lupus.

The Bible speaks of another tree that has healing properties: the tree of life. This tree, which has two trunks, one on either side of the river of life, bears 12 different kinds of fruit. Poetically, Revelation tells us that its leaves are for healing the nations. In other words, all that divides us here on Earth will be healed as people from all nations of the world gather under its branches.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
- Revelation 22:2

 

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AF Daily Devotional - Sleepwalking Christians

An Amazing Fact: Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a troubling condition where individuals, mostly children, arise in a state of low consciousness and perform various activities normally performed while awake. These activities can be as harmless as sitting up in bed, walking to the bathroom, and cleaning, or as hazardous as driving, starting fires, walking in traffic, or cooking. The person’s eyes might be open but have a glassy “look right through you” expression. These sleepwalking episodes can last as little as 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes.


Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a troubling condition where individuals, mostly children, arise in a state of low consciousness and perform various activities normally performed while awake. These activities can be as harmless as sitting up in bed, walking to the bathroom, and cleaning, or as hazardous as driving, starting fires, walking in traffic, or cooking. The person’s eyes might be open but have a glassy “look right through you” expression. These sleepwalking episodes can last as little as 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes.

In 2005, a 34-year-old computer expert was reportedly caught sleepwalking by his wife. He was mowing the lawn at 2 a.m. … naked. Rebekah Armstrong was awakened by a noise coming from the garden. When she realized her husband, Ian, was not in bed she went downstairs and looked outside to see what was happening. Rebekah found Ian was mowing the lawn in his birthday tuxedo. She was afraid to wake him up because she had heard it could be dangerous to disturb someone in a sleepwalking trance. So she just unplugged the electric mower, went back to bed and let him go through the motions. Later Ian came wandering back to bed. In the morning he didn’t believe Rebekah when she told him what he’d been up to. “It wasn’t until I told him to look at the soles of his feet that he finally believed me—they were filthy.”

Is it possible to be a sleepwalking Christian? I don’t mean physically getting out of bed and walking around in a state of unconsciousness. Can Christians be spiritually asleep, walking through life in a low state of awareness about the things of God? Absolutely! Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins describes a group (representing the church) who were awaiting the coming of the bridegroom (Jesus). Notice, “But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept” (Matthew 25:5).

Do you know what divides these sleeping saints into two different groups? Half of them, though slumbering, still had made preparations for the coming of the bridegroom. When the midnight cry was heard, part of the group had extra oil (representing the Holy Spirit) and were immediately ready to follow the wedding party. Are you making necessary
preparations for Jesus’ soon coming?

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
- Romans 13:11

 

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Flex Your Muscles

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 11:00 PM PST

An Amazing Fact: Eugen Sandow, a Prussian man born in 1867, is known as “the father of modern bodybuilding.” Besides performing feats of strength with barbells, Sandow was one of the first individuals to develop his muscles to exact proportions. He greatly admired the classical Greek and Roman statues. When he visited museums containing these statues, he would carefully measure them. He then used these figures to build his physique to the same proportions, which he considered the “Grecian ideal.” Eventually, more people became interested in bodybuilding, and Sandow later created a gym and shared his knowledge on how to develop muscles. He is credited with initiating and popularizing the fitness craze that continues to this day.


Sandow’s strength and muscles were only moderate compared to those of modern body builders. Take, for example, Isaac Nesser, who holds the record for the largest naturally obtained muscular chest and arms. His chest measures 74 inches around and his arms bulge at 29 inches in circumference. He has bench pressed as much as 820 pounds
and curls barbells up to 315 pounds.

This is impressive, but a small feat compared with the exploits of Samson. According to the Bible, he was the strongest man who ever lived, and he killed thousands of the enemies of his people. When he was tied up with new rope, he simply broke free. Another time he picked up the gates of a city and carried them to the top of a hill. He even killed a lion with his bare hands! How many people do you know who could do that? Can you imagine the size of Samson’s muscles? Yet, when it came to spiritual muscle, for most of his life Samson was a real wimp, chasing
after heathen women and making other disastrous moral choices.

The Scriptures tell us that God is the one who gives us strength, both physical and spiritual. “The Lord will give strength to His people …” (Psalm 29:11). “The Lord is my strength and my shield …” (Psalm 28:7). “It is God who arms me with strength …” (Psalm 18:32).

God strengthens our spiritual muscle through regular prayer and Bible study, through trusting His promises and sharing His goodness with others. And like Sandow with his statues, we have an “ideal”—Jesus—and He will empower us to be like Him.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
- Isaiah 40:29

 

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Sleep Deprivation

An Amazing Fact: Did you know that one hour of sleep deprivation increases the number of highway accidents by 8 percent and an hour of extra sleep decreases them by 8 percent? It’s true, and studies have shown that it happens every year during the daylight saving time changes.

Getting a good night’s rest is nothing to snore at. Your efficiency driving after you have been awake for 18 hours is the same as driving after you have had two alcoholic drinks. When you have been awake for 24 hours your driving efficiency is equivalent to driving under the influence of 4-6 drinks!

Are Americans sleeping less than their great-grandparents? Yes. An estimated 60 million Americans have trouble sleeping. Today, because of artificial lights, TV, the Internet, and the caffeine craze, people are sleeping about one hour less than their great-grandparents did. This figure might not be startling in itself—but considering that proper sleep is one of the most important elements in the process of healing, America is also in for a disease-ridden wake up call.

So what's wrong with a little caffeine to keep you awake? The hormone adenosine induces relaxation to help us sleep, but caffeine blocks the communication between adenosine and the brain, keeping you “awake” and shutting off the body’s defense against exhaustion-related injury. Alcohol also robs the body of deep sleep. Tobacco users miss out on deeper sleep due to nicotine withdrawal during the night. And antidepressants (even sleeping pills) can also decrease levels of REM sleep, a type of sleep that keeps your mind healthy.

Optimum performance comes with nine hours of sleep each night. Sending your kids to bed early is no longer a “because I said so” event. According to one study, school-age children who had less than nine hours of sleep had dramatically higher rates of obesity and increased temperament issues. And those going to bed after 9 p.m. were the most at risk for developing these complications.

Getting enough sleep is important when it comes to performance, but Jesus said there is a time to stay awake at any cost. Paul explains, “Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let
us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness” (Romans 13:13, 14). When we properly get our rest, physically and spiritually in Christ, we will be able to function with clear minds.



KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
- Romans 13:11

 

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Mr. Unforgettable

AN AMAZING FACT: When Kim Peek was born in 1951, his parents knew he was different. He had an enlarged head, and tests revealed that his left and right brain hemispheres were not separated like most people, forming a great single “data storage” area. Kim’s motor skills and physical development proved slow, and he did not walk until age four. But early on his parents noticed other remarkable abilities. By 20 months Kim was able to memorize every book that was read to him. By age three Kim was reading the dictionary. Since that time until his death in 2009, Kim had read and could clearly recall over 12,000 books!
Peek was called a “mega-savant” because his photographic memory made him a virtual genius in about 15 different subjects. Known as “Kimputer” to many, his vast knowledge included: world and American history, British monarchs, Bible history, geography (he was acquainted with all main roads and highways in the U.S. and Canada), professional sports statistics (for baseball, basketball, football, Kentucky Derby winners, etc.), the history of the space program, movies and music themes, the complete works of Shakespeare, telephone area codes, major zip codes, and all TV stations and their markets. He could identify most classical music compositions and tell the date the music was written and the composer’s birth date and place of birth and death. He especially enjoyed calendar calculations. If you told him your birth date, he would tell you the day of the week you were born and what the day of the week will be when you turn 65 so you can retire.

Kim struggled with simple tasks like dressing and shaving himself or finding the silverware drawer at home. Still, it was his encyclopedic memory that became the inspiration for the 1988 Oscar-winning movie Rain Man, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman. In his later life, when home in Utah, Kim spent afternoons at the Salt Lake City Public Library poring
over books, even memorizing phone books. It only took him about eight seconds to read an average page and he read two pages at a time—one with his left eye the other with his right.

If you had a photographic memory, what would you want to remember? King David provides the perfect answer in today’s Bible text. What could be more important than to keep in mind all of God’s law. David also wrote: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.
- Psalms 119:93

 

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The Human Touch

AN AMAZING FACT: In 1915, Dr. Henry D. Chapin reported that in infant-care homes throughout the U.S. nearly every child under two years died. The mortality rate was almost 100 percent. Knowing the babies were given adequate nourishment and cleanliness, he wondered what the problem was. He then discovered the policy at the time was “no coddling of the babies was allowed.” The babies died from lack of touch.
During WWII, an orphanage in London was a warehouse for a wave of unwanted babies. Children there were only given essential care like clothing, food, and shelter. It was all they could do just to attend to the many physical needs that were obvious. At this particular orphanage, the mortality rate was high. Fifty percent of all babies that came in died within a year and a half of their arrival. They simply did not know then, what we know today, about the importance of human touch and the role it plays in the physical, as well as emotional, well-being of babies.

Someone came up with the idea of touching the babies more, not just when they were fed or clothed. All workers, from the janitor to the director, were ordered to reach down and stroke or gently touch every baby they passed in the course of their day. They were not required to pick them up or spend any significant amount of time being physical.
They just had to touch. The results of this new mandate were astonishing. Within two years, the mortality rate of infants brought to the orphanage dropped from 50 percent to 15 percent.

The 13th-century historian Salimbene described an experiment made by the German emperor Frederick II, who wanted to know what language children would speak if raised without hearing any words at all. Babies were taken from their mothers and raised in isolation. The result was that they all died. Salimbene wrote in 1248, “They could not live without caressing.” Nor can anyone else. Human babies definitely need tender loving care to survive. Untouched adults may not die physically, but they will experience emotional and social atrophy.

Could this be why everywhere Jesus went He touched people? Whether He was blessing children or healing a leper, Jesus made it a point to reach out and lovingly touch people. Who will you bless today with your touch of Christian love?
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
- Mark 1:41

 

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Healing Prayer

An Amazing Fact: Did you know that nearly 80 percent of Americans believe spiritual faith and prayer can help people recover from illness or injury? In a survey of 269 doctors in the American Academy of Family Physicians, 99 percent said religious beliefs can contribute to healing. When asked about personal experiences, 63 percent said God had intervened to improve their own medical conditions.


“Many Americans rely on prayer and spirituality for the benefit of health,” said Stephen E. Straus, MD, former director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Indeed, a 2004 survey of more than 31,000 adults conducted by researchers at the National Center for Health
Statistics and NCCAM found that prayer was the most commonly used practice among all the approaches mentioned in the survey.

In one study in the American Journal of Health Promotion (May-June 2005) it was discovered that people who pray have more favorable health-related behaviors, have less preventive care visits, and are more satisfied with the services of their medical care. About 47 percent of the subjects in this study prayed for their health and 90 percent believed that prayer improved their health.

So compelling is the evidence for the “faith factor” that even prestigious medical journals like the Archives of Internal Medicine have developed spiritual questionnaires to assess a patient’s level of trust in God. Science indeed has recognized what every person of faith has known intuitively for centuries—trusting God can be very beneficial to your health!

Paul encourages the Philippian believers to pray about everything. What is the result? “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding [expectations] will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). James actually gives us clear instructions on praying for the sick. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:14, 15).

Sometimes God chooses to miraculously heal our bodies, but what is assured is that our sins will be forgiven and we will enjoy everlasting life. We are safe in God’s hands when we pray.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
- James 4:14

 

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Water Gives Life

An Amazing Fact: About 100 years ago, a pile of bones was found on a sand dune in Saudi Arabia. Evidently, a man had died while lost in the desert. In one of the pockets of his tattered clothes was a scribbled note that read, “Dying of thirst. I cannot go on any longer.” The lost soul had apparently assembled a small makeshift shelter there and, without water, sat down to die. Tragically, his remains were found right across a sand dune from a lush oasis—he died from thirst only a few hundred yards from artesian springs. Millions today are slowly dying from dehydration simply because they do not drink enough water.


About 83 percent of your blood is water. If that ratio drops just 5 percent, you will no longer be able to see. Another 10 percent and you will be unable to hear. A 12 percent reduction leads to your blood thickening, making it impossible for your heart to pump, which leads to death. On the other hand, a camel can lose 40 percent of the water content in its blood and do just fine!

Drinking other beverages (fruit juice, coffee, tea, etc.) does not provide the same health benefits as plain water. In fact, research has shown that women who consumed large quantities of non-water beverages increased their risk of a fatal heart attack by two-and-a-half times. The same study showed that men increased their risk by 50 percent!

Unless you are proactive in your daily intake of water, dehydration could become a way of life. It is little wonder that 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated. In 37 percent the thirst sensation is so impaired it is mistaken for feelings of hunger. But you can do too much of a good thing. Drinking too much water is rare, but it can happen. Forcing yourself to drink massive amounts of water can cause low blood sodium levels and lead to brain swelling and even death.

Water is so important that Jesus used it as an illustration of Himself. When talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Christ compared the message of salvation He brings with life-giving water. He added, “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Every time you drink a
glass of water, remember that Jesus is the ultimate thirst quencher!

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
- John 4:13

 

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Flipped Over Breakfast

An Amazing Fact: Many people love to eat pancakes for breakfast. Did you know one of the tallest (it keeps growing!) stacks of pancakes on record is 29.5 inches high set by chefs Sean McGinlay and Natalie King of Glagow’s Hilton Grosvenor Hotel. It contained 672 pancakes made with 100 eggs, 17 pints of milk, 11 pounds of flour, and 6.6 pounds of butter. But if you think that’s big, the largest pancake made weighed three tons! The Co-operative Union Ltd of Manchester, England, created a pancake measuring 49 feet, 2.55 inches in diameter on August 13, 1994. It contained an estimated two million calories!


The most pancakes ever made by an individual in one hour is 956 and goes to Steve Hamilton of Indiana. He claims to have flipped over 34 million pancakes in his lifetime. If they were laid end to end they would stretch from Los Angeles to Springfield, Illinois. And the most pancakes made in eight hours by a group of 300 volunteer cooks is 76,382. Thirty-eight griddles were used to cook almost 6,000 pounds of batter. People who ate them up used about 136 gallons of maple syrup and 365 pounds of butter. There is actually no official record for the number of pancakes
people have eaten at one sitting since the Guinness Book of World Records tends to track things that people don’t normally enjoy eating in large quantities (like garlic cloves or onions). Some say the unofficial record is 72. (I like pancakes, but that is going just a little too far!)

Obviously, overeating pancakes for breakfast is not good for your health. But, did you know that skipping breakfast could be deadly? In one study, skipping breakfast was linked to an increased risk of premature death. By far, the best meal to skip, or at least minimize, is dinner. Another study reported better weight loss, improvement in diabetic
conditions, and increased thyroid efficiency among a group of 595 people who consumed their last meal of the day by 3:00 p.m.

Wise eating can make a difference in your body and spirit. Daniel knew this when he turned away from eating the rich foods offered to him in Babylon. He challenged the steward overseeing him and his friends to let them only eat simple food. The result? “And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in the flesh than all the young
men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies” (Daniel 1:15). So, eat a healthy breakfast and enjoy better health!

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
- Daniel 1:8

 

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Natural Superglue

AN AMAZING FACT: Sandcastle worms live along the shallow seas off the California coast that stretches from Baja, California in the south to Sonoma County in the north. These tiny sea creatures are also known as honeycomb worms because they build clusters of tube-shaped homes in colonies. The micro-cities are situated in places where wave action will swirl up tiny pieces of sand and broken bits of sea shells. The feathery worms catch these particles and then, like miniature masons, cement them one grain at a time to the tube opening. To enable them to do this, God has created these little creatures with the perfect formula for producing a sturdy underwater adhesive. After catching a grain of sand, the worm will secrete two little dabs of glue onto the particle, then stick it onto the end of the tube. It holds it there for about 25 seconds, wiggling it a little to see if the glue is set, and then it lets go. This amazing glue is designed to set up and harden within 30 seconds after the worm secretes it.
One grain of sand at a time these clever creatures build big, reef-like colonies that look like stacks of organ pipes. Now, after years of studying the sandcastle worm, scientists from the University of Utah have succeeded in duplicating their miraculous adhesive and invented underwater super glue. Doctors have long sought a medical adhesive to repair moist bones shattered in accidents or battlefield injuries. The traditional method of repairing shattered bones is to use mechanical connectors like wires, pins, nails, and screws for support until they grow together and can bear weight. Up until now there has never been glue that would work in the wet environment of the body during surgery. The
new glue will help doctors repair bone. After the bone regrows, the non-toxic glue dissolves.

Did you know the Bible speaks of a super glue that will keep families together? “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). The Bible word “join” comes from the Hebrew word “daw-bak,” which means “cling” or “adhere”—in other words, glue! God’s super glue is what we
need to build homes that will last for eternity
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- Joshua 22:5

 

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Bulletproof Washington

An Amazing Fact: On July 9, 1755, during the French and Indian War, a force of 1,500 British soldiers was ambushed in the open by a small force of French and American Indian fighters shooting from the woods. The British soldiers—trained for European war—made easy targets standing shoulder to shoulder in their bright red uniforms. And their officers were even more exposed on horseback, high above the men on the ground, making perfect targets. The slaughter continued for two hours as nearly 70 percent of the British soldiers were cut down.


One by one, the chief’s marksmen shot the British officers from their horses until only one remained. Amazingly, round after round was aimed at this one man. Twice the young lieutenant’s horse was shot out from under him. Twice he grabbed another horse. Ten, fifteen, twenty rounds were fired by the sharpshooters. Still, the officer remained unhurt. The native warriors stared in disbelief. Their rifles seldom missed. The chief realized that a mighty power must be shielding this man and commanded, “Stop firing! This one is under the special protection of the Great Spirit.”

Eventually the lieutenant colonel gathered the remaining British troops and led them to safety. That evening, as the last of the wounded were being cared for, the officer noticed an odd tear in his coat. It was a bullet hole! He rolled up his sleeve and looked at his arm directly under the hole. There was no mark on his skin. Amazed, he took off his coat and found three more holes where bullets had passed through his coat but stopped before they reached his body. Nine days after the battle, the young lieutenant colonel wrote his brother: “By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side!”

The 23-year-old officer went on to become the commander in chief of the Continental Army and the first president of the United States. During the years that followed in his long career, this man, George Washington, was never once wounded in battle. Washington also escaped flying bullets on four other occasions and survived contracting diphtheria, malaria, smallpox, and tuberculosis.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
- Psalms 91:7

 

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Glowing Humans

An Amazing Fact: Did you know that as you are reading this right now you are glowing? That’s right; it has recently been discovered that human bodies emit a visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall through the day.


Research has shown that this light is about 1,000 times fainter than the levels we can see with our naked eyes. In fact, virtually all living creatures emit varying amounts of weak light, which is thought to be a byproduct of biochemical reactions involving free radicals. This light is different from the red glow of body heat captured by infrared cameras. In fact, infrared cameras show some of the hottest body parts give off very little light.

To learn more about this light, scientists in Japan used extremely sensitive cameras capable of detecting a single photon, the smallest unit of light. For three days, five healthy young men were placed bare-chested in front of the cameras. They sat in perfectly dark, light-proof rooms for 20 minutes every three hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The researchers found the body glow of the men rose and fell over the day, with its lowest point at 10 a.m. and its peak at 4 p.m.

The findings suggest these light emissions are linked to our fluctuating metabolic rhythms. Since this faint light is linked with metabolism, these findings suggest that in the future special cameras that can spot a person’s light emissions may help identify medical conditions. It was also discovered that our faces glow more than the rest of the body, possibly because facial circulation is more dense and closer to the surface.

Did you know the Bible also speaks about a man with a glowing face? It says that when Moses came down from the mountain after speaking with God, “the skin of his face shone” (Exodus 34:30).

Spend time with God and you will emit a spiritual glow. With His help we can become lights in the darkness, reflecting the “true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9).

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
- Matthew 5:14-16

 

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The Crowbar Case

An Amazing Fact: On September 13, 1848, a 25-year-old railroad foreman in Vermont, named Phineas P. Gage, was packing explosive powder in a hole with an iron rod. Unfortunately, someone forgot to put the sand in the hole over the powder. A spark flew and there was a powerful blast. The 13-pound tamping iron, over one inch thick and three feet long, was propelled with the force of a bullet, through Gage’s head. It entered under his left cheekbone, went through his brain, and then out the top of his head. Amazingly, this traumatic accident did not kill Phineas. In fact, he regained his physical strength and lived for another 13 years. He seemed mentally sound; he could speak and do physical tasks just as well, and his memory seemed unimpaired. But friends and family knew he was no longer the same man.


Before the accident he was a well-loved, responsible worker. He was known by all as a pious, reverent, and dependable man with high morals. But after the accident Phineas experienced a major moral decline. He became very short-tempered, rude, foul-mouthed, and lost all respect for spiritual things. It seemed as though all of his ethical filters had been turned off. As a result he had difficulty keeping jobs. Around 1850 he spent about a year as a sideshow attraction with P. T. Barnum’s New York museum, putting his injury and the tamping iron on display. Gage kept the iron rod throughout his life as a souvenir and even had it buried with him in death. In medical circles, his story became known as the “crowbar case.”

In 1867 his skull and the original rod that pierced it were exhumed. Both became part of the exhibition at the Harvard Medical School Museum in Boston, where it remains today. Phineas’ traumatic accident cost him his personality, his moral standards, and his commitment to loved ones. Researchers have concluded that he had lost an important
part of his brain called the “frontal lobe.” The frontal lobe, behind the forehead, is the largest section of the brain and is responsible for moral reasoning, judgment, social behavior, and most of all, spirituality.

It is interesting that in the book of Revelation, the enemy of God, the beast, seeks to place a mark on the foreheads of all, while the 144,000 have God’s name “written on their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1). Which mark represents the controlling force in your life?

What a powerful example of our Bible text for today!

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
- Revelation 13:16

 

[JaneBond007]

Our scriptures tell us that spirituality comes from the heart, not the brain. He had allowed himself to go down into depression. Surely, he suffered some brain damage, but belief in G-d is not cerebral, aside from perception and reasoning. If it were, none of us would need the bible and a commitment to serve Him. It would be automatic. Just reading the scriptures, one could not use reason because it is a most unreasonable accounting of mankind, the universe and our relationship with G-d. Faith comes differently, not through intellect and every person has this heart knowledge to either accept or reject the King of the Universe. Imho, it's through reason that people often do reject Him.

 

[blazingthru]

The Blessing of Water

AN AMAZING FACT: Have you heard these water statistics? 1. By some estimates, about 75 percent of people in the U.S. are “chronically dehydrated.” 2. Perhaps one-third of people in the U.S. have a sensation of thirst so weak that it’s often mistaken for hunger. Maybe this is why one study revealed that a glass of water will shut down nighttime hunger pangs for most people. 3. Even a small amount of dehydration can slow a person’s metabolism down. For this reason, lack of water is the primary cause of fatigue during the day. 4. A 2 percent drop in body water can cause fuzzy short-term memory, difficulty with basic math, and trouble focusing on a computer screen or on a printed page (by the time a person feels thirsty, the body has already lost about 1 percent of its water volume). 5. Drinking sufficient water every day decreases the risk of colon cancer, bladder cancer, and very possibly other cancers. The American Cancer Society recommends drinking at least 8 cups of liquid a day.
It’s obvious that proper water intake can eliminate or ease a whole host of common health problems. This shouldn’t be surprising, since our bodies are up to 75 percent water. Water plays a role in almost every body function, carrying nutrients and oxygen to every cell, helping us to breathe, cushioning and protecting our vital organs and joints, converting food into energy, and removing waste.

While water is the cure for physical dehydration, the Bible teaches that living water will save us from spiritual dehydration! When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, He asked her for a drink. When she tried to change the subject, He offered her “living water” (John 4:10). It all sounded good to the woman who asked about the source of such water.

Jesus told her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (verses 13, 14).

If you’re thirsty today, He invites you to come to Him and drink.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
- Revelation 7:17

 

[blazingthru]

Our scriptures tell us that spirituality comes from the heart, not the brain. He had allowed himself to go down into depression. Surely, he suffered some brain damage, but belief in G-d is not cerebral, aside from perception and reasoning. If it were, none of us would need the bible and a commitment to serve Him. It would be automatic. Just reading the scriptures, one could not use reason because it is a most unreasonable accounting of mankind, the universe and our relationship with G-d. Faith comes differently, not through intellect and every person has this heart knowledge to either accept or reject the King of the Universe. Imho, it's through reason that people often do reject Him.

JaneBond007
Honestly, the word says Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? whereas, the brain holds our understanding. The Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God are both on the forehead. One is placed, the other written, The forehead - because we follow what we believe, the hand for the beast because of actively participate in what is believe and do and encourage others. Though for the beast it could be one or the other or both. Our hearts are deceitful and not to be trusted, but the brain holds our understanding. In this post I believed that whatever the man was doing before he was struck down was sealed with God. He cannot be held accountable for his actions if his brain was damaged. But God is the final judge and only he can say whether that man would be saved or not. I do not know if it was this man decision to leave God or his injury led him to be open to whatever. It is the same with the Elderly, especially those with dementia who lived a full life in the service of God, I guess it depends on the person.

I am not disagreeing with all your points, just some I have different views on.
You view the bible as unreasonable accounting of mankind. Why??

 

[JaneBond007]

Remember, there are various levels of meaning, esp. in allegory. That scripture is not referring to how one comes to belief in G-d and His Son. If we used intellect/reason, every man would believe it, except for mentally disabled and they are some of the most sincere believers in G-d on the planet (in whichever belief system they are born into). As far as the guy with dementia, I'm not judging him at all. His illness and/or condition has presented itself in a certain way but one could not biblically say that his belief rests in his frontal lobe. He could be suffering depression. The soul is part of our intellect/our spirit...however, it's not only our mind. I don't judge anybody because I know that none of us are saved ...until they make it into heaven. That's after death. lol In other words, I ain't saved.

As for the biblical accounting of man, it's like a fairytale that looks incredibly ridiculous. How could one use his intellect and knowledge of the observable world and come to the conclusion that a virgin gave birth to a child, or that he rose again? That we eat His actual body and drink His blood via a gold cup every mass (transubstantiated)? A burning bush talked to Moses? G-d held back the armies from ensuing by fire and then opened up the sea by drying it out for a short while? Yeah, sure. Intellect ain't gonna cut that at all. Even the existence of G-d. One might conclude that there are way too many coincidences with design as it turned out to say it wasn't just by Big Bang chance but a directed Big Bang (random became quite ordered and looks like it were designed). Not through intellect, not through man's wisdom, but through the miraculous gift of faith that takes the ridiculous and makes it truth in the believer.

 

[momi]

worry wrong post

 

[blazingthru]

Xeroderma Pigmentosum

AN AMAZING FACT: Long before the initials “XP” were chosen as the name for a Microsoft operating system, XP was short for a very rare incurable skin disease, found mostly among children, called Xeroderma Pigmentosum. The nature of the incurable malady prevents skin cells from repairing once they have become sun-damaged. In healthy people, our skin and eye surfaces are always healing and repairing themselves from the damage resulting from normal exposure to sunlight. But not so for those who suffer with XP. Only about one in one million children are affected by this life-threatening disease, but due to their extremely severe sensitivity to UV rays, those afflicted by XP are 1,000 times more likely to develop skin cancers or lose their sight than healthy children.
In order to prolong their lives, children affected by XP must take very radical measures to avoid all direct and indirect sunlight. That even includes light from fluorescent bulbs. In order to decrease their chances of cancer, they must virtually live their lives hiding from the light behind sunglasses, slathered in sunscreen, sequestered in dim shadows and darkness. These children of the moon can only come out to play after dark and live in virtual fear of daylight! It is so sad to hear how these children with XP must spend their lives in the dark.

While there is currently no cure for those afflicted with Xeroderma Pigmentosum, there is a cure for God’s children who are imprisoned in spiritual darkness. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). While the scribes and Pharisees prided themselves in having great
light, they actually lived in darkness. The disease of sin made them uncomfortable with being in the presence of Jesus, the light of the world.

But there are those who want to be in the light. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). I sure look forward to the day when not only will Christ shine upon our world in the fullness of His glory, but heal all the children who suffer from
diseases like XP.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
- John 1:5

 

[blazingthru]

Rip Van Winkle
AN AMAZING FACT: Most Americans are acquainted with Washington Irving’s short story about Rip Van Winkle. It is a tale about an early American villager of Dutch descent who escapes his nagging wife by wandering up in the mountains of New York. After some bizarre adventures, he falls asleep and wakes up 20 years later only to find out that his wife and his best friends have died. Rip Van Winkle is a fanciful fairytale, but there is a real story much like it.
In 1984, 20-year-old Terry Wallis, married and with a six-week-old girl, was involved in a serious car wreck in Mountain View, Arkansas. The driver died instantly; Terry went into a coma. His family hoped it wouldn’t last long and that he’d soon recover. Well, he didn’t. And for 19 long years he existed in a semi-vegetative state in which he had to be
constantly cared for. Then, much to everyone’s incredible surprise, on June 13, 2003, Terry suddenly awoke in his hospital bed and uttered his first words, which were, “Mom,” “Pepsi,” and then “Milk.”

Strangely, Terry began talking as if nothing had happened, as if he had been in the coma for just a few days, not 19 years. In his mind it was still 1984, Ronald Reagan was president, the Berlin Wall still stood, cell phones were the size of bricks, the Internet was largely unknown, and the Twin Towers were still standing. He thought that Bill Clinton was still the governor of his state, and that he was still only 20 years old. In addition, the last he remembered, his daughter was an infant, not the 19-year-old young woman who stood beside his bed. Doctors are still mystified regarding this “mental resurrection.”

Sadly, Terry’s body has severely atrophied after 19 years in bed, but the Bible teaches that there is a real resurrection coming, in which all those who have been “asleep” in Jesus will arise to eternal life with new glorified bodies! Paul writes, “… in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52). Though time has passed, the dead in Christ will feel as if they have only been asleep in their graves for a short time.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
- 1 Corinthians 15:51

 

[blazingthru]

Remember, there are various levels of meaning, esp. in allegory. That scripture is not referring to how one comes to belief in G-d and His Son. If we used intellect/reason, every man would believe it, except for mentally disabled and they are some of the most sincere believers in G-d on the planet (in whichever belief system they are born into). As far as the guy with dementia, I'm not judging him at all. His illness and/or condition has presented itself in a certain way but one could not biblically say that his belief rests in his frontal lobe. He could be suffering depression. The soul is part of our intellect/our spirit...however, it's not only our mind. I don't judge anybody because I know that none of us are saved ...until they make it into heaven. That's after death. lol In other words, I ain't saved.

As for the biblical accounting of man, it's like a fairytale that looks incredibly ridiculous. How could one use his intellect and knowledge of the observable world and come to the conclusion that a virgin gave birth to a child, or that he rose again? That we eat His actual body and drink His blood via a gold cup every mass (transubstantiated)? A burning bush talked to Moses? G-d held back the armies from ensuing by fire and then opened up the sea by drying it out for a short while? Yeah, sure. Intellect ain't gonna cut that at all. Even the existence of G-d. One might conclude that there are way too many coincidences with design as it turned out to say it wasn't just by Big Bang chance but a directed Big Bang (random became quite ordered and looks like it were designed). Not through intellect, not through man's wisdom, but through the miraculous gift of faith that takes the ridiculous and makes it truth in the believer.

JaneBond007, Thanks for you post, I understand your reasoning, I do not agree, of course. I wanted to comment on your saying your not saved. There's more to that. However, I am in school now and rushing out the door. I wanted you to know I will be getting back to you on that particular subject because Its a more of having faith that your saved, not just hoping and then be surprised that your are or not. But we will not agree in any case, your faith has to many issues or points where we cannot agree.

JaneBond007. Sorry Its been so long, my goodness I have so much work, I thought I would love school, but its tiring. Anyway, 1 John 5:13
King James Version (KJV)
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
This scripture says if you believe on the name of the Son of God then you KNOW you have eternal life.
I know that "the church" says you should not and you must not believe, but the word says KNOW. know that if your walking in the light and that your seeking newer light. Which I know "the church" frowns on that, But we can't grow unless we are seeking newer understandings of the word. Daniel and Revelations was not understood until the 1800's because it all started to make sense, the 2300 years had ended and things started to fall into place that is a new understanding of the scriptures and new light.

 

[blazingthru]

Influenza

AN AMAZING FACT: Most people think the deadliest plague in history was the bubonic plague that killed two million victims a year. Actually, the deadliest plague occurred in the 20th century! And it started right here in the USA. It was the influenza of 1918 that hit right after World War I.
The war killed nine million men in four years, but this killer flu took at least 25 million lives in one year. In the first year, nearly 20 million cases were reported in the United States alone, accounting for almost one million deaths. That’s more than were killed during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined.

It all started on March 11, 1918, at Camp Funston, Kansas, when a company cook reported to the infirmary with typical flu symptoms. By noon, 107 soldiers were sick. Within two days, 522 people were sick, many gravely ill with severe pneumonia, the deadliest part of the sickness. Reports started coming in from other military bases. Within a
week, every state in the Union had been infected by this airborne killer. In two months it spread to South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The United States had the lowest death toll. But a large percentage of the Eskimo population was wiped out in Nome, Alaska. Eighty to 90 percent of the Samoan population was infected, many survivors dying from starvation, too weak to feed themselves. The disease seemed to peak within three weeks of entering a given city, then subsided. In the end, it’s estimated 25 to 35 million people died worldwide.

Eighteen months after the disease appeared, the flu bug vanished, leaving a mystery as to its source, until March 1997, when Armed Forces Institute of Pathology researchers found specimens that 1918 Army doctors had preserved. It appears the virus started from birds, passed to pigs, and then to humans. These are the deadliest of all viruses because when the hearty pig immune system kicks into action the virus is forced to mutate. Both the deadly Asian flu (1957) and the Hong Kong flu (1968) came from mutated pig viruses.

The scary part is that hog farms continue to breed pigs for food near populated areas. It could happen again! Perhaps this is one of the reasons God said people should not eat pigs. His laws are always intended to bless us.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
- Leviticus 11:7

 

[blazingthru]

Quick Transformation


An Amazing Fact: The word “volcano” comes from a small island called Vulcano in the Mediterranean off the northern coast of Sicily, which gets its name from the blacksmith of the Roman gods—the god of fire—Vulcan. Thousands of years ago, the people who lived in this area believed that Vulcano was actually the forge chimney of Vulcan.


But volcanoes are not just a colorful legend; they are one of the most powerful and potentially destructive forces on Earth. For example, the 1980 explosion of Mount St. Helens in Washington State was estimated at 500 times more powerful than the force of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. There are over 500 known active volcanoes on Earth, with around 1,500 that are potentially active, and that’s not counting those that lie beneath the sea. Unfortunately, about 500 million people live within the “danger range” of these active volcanoes. The biggest volcano on Earth is Hawaii’s Mauna Loa. It rises more than 30,000 feet, nearly 5.7 miles above its base on the Pacific sea floor.

For years it was generally accepted and taught by geologists that volcanoes developed slowly over long eons. That was until 1963 when, off the coast of Iceland, the world witnessed a volcano virtually grow up out of the ocean in a matter of months. By 1967 the new volcanic island of Surtsey was transformed into a “mature” island with wide sandy beaches, pebbles, vegetation, birds, and many other features that would suggest great geological age. When the geologists wandered about the island they were mystified and found it hard to believe that this was a volcano whose
age was still measured in months and not millennia!

In like manner, many people believe it would take years for them to turn from their sinful habits and live a Christian life. But they may be underestimating the miraculous power of God to quickly give them a new birth. The Lord promises, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). God’s Word says that the time for salvation is now. The same God who gives volcanoes their tremendous power can give you a new direction in an instant—the moment you accept Him into your heart.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

[blazingthru]

The Great Storm

An Amazing Fact: The deadliest natural disaster in American history occurred just 300 miles west of New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina came ashore in 2005. The unnamed category 4 hurricane struck over a century ago on September 8, 1900, ripping into Galveston, Texas, killing somewhere between 6,000 and 12,000 men, women, and children and wiping away three-quarters of the city.


However, the fatal storm did not come without warning. People in Galveston knew that there was a major storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. Days before the hurricane reached Texas, Galveston received telegraph reports telling of a fierce storm that caused havoc in the Caribbean. One day before the hurricane arrived barometric pressure
dropped rapidly, and warning flags were raised as huge waves pounded the shore. But less than half the population evacuated the island, and some sightseers even came over from Houston to view the powerful surf. People’s attitude of complacency greatly increased the number of fatalities. Wind speeds measured 100 mph before the instruments were blown away. The winds would eventually reach 150 mph.

One of the first buildings to succumb to the storm was St. Mary’s Orphanage that stood near the beach. Of the 93 children and 10 nuns, the only survivors were three boys who managed to cling to an uprooted tree. About 50 people sought shelter in the home of Isaac Cline. Battered by the heavy winds and a 16-foot tidal wave, it collapsed, and all but 18 perished, including Isaac Cline’s wife, May. Strangely, Isaac Cline worked for the U.S. Weather Bureau and had dismissed concerns that a hurricane could someday devastate Galveston. He discouraged the town from building
a sea wall. One in six Galveston residents died in the disaster. A few months after the hurricane, Galveston began construction on a 17-foot -high, 3-mile-long sea wall and raised the ground level of the entire city.

Did you know that the Bible forecasts a terrible storm just before the coming of Jesus, concluding with a great rescue from above? Like the unheeded flags that were raised on the Galveston beach to warn of the coming storm, we must be responsible to be prepared. God has given us many signs of the times. Will you listen to His counsel to watch
and be ready?

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
- Revelation 15:1

 

[blazingthru]

Rooted in the Word

An Amazing Fact: Roots are the underground branches that spread out beneath plants and trees as anchors. They provide water and nutrients from the soil to feed the plant. Some roots are familiar, like carrots, potatoes, and radishes. But because roots are usually out of sight, many people don’t realize how long and vast they can be. An alfalfa plant only two or three feet high may have roots reaching out as far as 30 feet. If you lay all the roots of a corn plant end to end, the resulting strand could be up to 500 feet long. Roots of the giant California redwoods have been known to occupy as much as 50,000 cubic feet of subsoil. Cavers in South Africa found a tree with the deepest-reaching root so far: a wild fig tree with a root that extended nearly 400 feet into the ground!


In addition, roots can be incredibly strong. It’s common knowledge that, given enough time, roots can crack foundations, snap water lines, and lift sidewalks. Once they find even the tiniest crack, a rootlet can break through compacted soil, stone, or concrete and even push aside large boulders. For example, when tree roots become wedged in granite, it is the hard granite that splits while the comparatively fragile-looking root stubbornly continues to grow.

And why are roots so tenacious? They’re looking for water. While some plants like cacti have swollen roots that store water for the dry months, most roots reach out long distances in search of water to transport back to the plant. Plants flourish where there is plenty of water, which is why the trees growing along a stream look more vibrant than the ones growing farther away.

The Bible teaches that a person who delights in the law of the Lord “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water” (Psalm 1:3). Would you like to prosper in whatever you do? Then let meditating on God’s Word become your delight!


KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
- Psalms 1:3

 

[blazingthru]

The Sargasso Sea

An Amazing Fact: One of the most interesting places in the world is actually out in the middle of the ocean. The Sargasso Sea does not even have a coastline but is a separate sea located in the middle of the North Atlantic, between the West Indies and the Azores. The warm waters of the Sargasso Sea cover some 2 million square miles and are encircled by the Gulf Stream, causing the oval-shaped sea to move in a slow, clockwise drift. This makes the 3-mile-deep waters exceptionally clear and blue, with a higher than normal salt content.


The Sargasso Sea is filled with seaweed. Early Portuguese navigators named the sea “sargaco,” the word for grape, after the bulbous little floats on the Sargassum seaweed. Although one-third of the Atlantic’s plankton is produced there, the Sargasso Sea is known as “the floating desert” because the Sargassum seaweed lacks the nutrients to attract commercially valuable fish. But many small marine animals, including tiny crabs, shrimp, and octopuses, live on and among the seaweed.

One of the most amazing facts about the Sargasso Sea is that it serves as the international meeting place for eels. Drawn by unknown forces, each fall millions of these snakelike fish migrate from Europe, the Mediterranean, and the United States to mate, spawn, and die. Some eels have even left their freshwater homes and crossed miles of land, breathing through their skin, to reach the ocean that they might swim to the Sargasso Sea and breed. Once the eggs hatch, their inch-long, transparent larvae, known as “glass eels,” make the long journey back to continental streams and rivers.

For hundreds of years naturalists wondered where eels came from. When it was discovered that virtually all the eels in the Western Hemisphere migrated to the Sargasso Sea, it was an amazing revelation. In the same way, many have wondered where sin and evil spawned. The Bible tells us about one of the highest angels in heaven, named Lucifer,
who turned from God and was eventually cast out.

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God … I will be like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:12-14). It is no secret where sin came from.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
- Revelation 12:7

 

[blazingthru]

Hailstones

AN AMAZING FACT: We’ve all enjoyed stepping outside after a hailstorm and scooping up a handful of the cold pellets on a summer day, but hail can be deadly. Most of the time hail stays small and is harmless. Sometimes conditions can produce large stones that can destroy crops, strip trees of foliage, damage roofs, and break car windows. As a pilot, I’m also aware of how quickly hail can damage an airplane! In the spring of 1986, hail the size of grapefruit fell in Bangladesh, killing over 90 people.
Hail is formed in thunderhead clouds when warm summer air from the ground rises and cools. As the temperature of this air drops and loses its ability to hold moisture, it releases it and forms puffy-looking clouds. The interaction of rising air creates updrafts with vertical wind speeds of over 110 mph. Hail grows in the storm cloud’s main updraft, where most of the cloud is, in the form of “super-cooled” water molecules which then attach themselves to particles and freeze. Often a hailstone will connect with other stones until the weight of the hail overcomes the updraft wind
and it falls from the sky.

The size of hail is best measured with a ruler for accuracy. But most of us don’t carry rulers around when we encounter hail. So, common household objects or coins are used to quickly determine size—such as a dime, penny, nickel, or pea, grape, golf ball, or cantaloupe. The most common area for hail in the United States is in an area where Colorado,
Nebraska, and Wyoming meet. It’s known as “Hail Alley.” The city that gets the most hail in the U.S. is Cheyenne, Wyoming. It averages nine to 10 hailstorms every year! The largest hailstone on record in the U.S. fell on July 23, 2010, in Vivian, South Dakota. This whopper stone had an eight-inch diameter and weighed 1.93 pounds. I don’t think an umbrella would protect you from this storm!

The Bible actually predicts the mother of all hailstorms as happening in the future when the seven last plagues fall on the Earth. The Bible explains the seventh plague: “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent” (Revelation 16:21). A talent weighs about 75 pounds. Only those under the care of God’s mighty hand will be protected from these disasters. Are you living under the Lord’s shelter every day?
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
- Job 38:22

 

[blazingthru]

Raining Fish

AN AMAZING FACT: You have probably heard the expression “raining cats and dogs.” While there is no record of the sky ever showering canines and felines, other creatures have rained from the sky. For example, on March 5, 2000, farmers tending their fields in southern Ethiopia reported seeing, and smelling, an unusual downpour on their drought-stricken land. Suddenly they were being pelted by millions of falling fish. For a country crippled by famine, this was a welcome and unexpected answer to their prayers.
Reports of falling fish, frogs, tomatoes, and even coal date back to antiquity. In the first century, Pliny the Elder mentioned storms of frogs and fish. Jellyfish reportedly fell from the sky in Bath, England, in 1894. Worms dropped from the sky in Jennings, Louisiana, on July 11, 2007, and spiders fell out of the sky on April 6, 2007, in Salta Province, Argentina!

The phrase “It’s raining cats and dogs” probably comes from an era when animals walked on the thatched roofs of homes that became soft during rainstorms, and the household pet came through the roof. Actually, most countries have strange expressions for heavy rain. In Bosnia they say, “It’s raining crowbars.” In Czech it’s “wheelbarrows,”
and the Dutch say, “It’s raining like kittens.” That’s probably better than the Serbians, who refer to “axes,” or the Welsh, who speak of it raining like “old ladies and sticks!”

Meteorologists say it is more common than you might think for cloud bursts to open and release a hail of small fish, snails, or tadpoles. Weather experts explain these freak showers occur because powerful updrafts generated during thunderstorms form mini-tornadoes. If the storm brews out at sea, or crosses a river or lake, the tornado can suck up small fish or frogs swimming close to the surface. These water spouts can then carry away the raptured creatures and deposit them several miles away. Sometimes while still alive! In 1930 an eight-inch turtle fell from the sky during a storm in Mississippi.

The Bible teaches that when Jesus returns the saved will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. But many Christians misunderstand how this will happen. Unlike the popular notion that Christians will be raptured before Christ returns, the Bible teaches that when Jesus comes and the dead in Christ rise, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
- Hebrews 11:13