Hello everyone!
I haven't been on this blog for like forever because I've actually made another blog.
olivethinks.tumblr.com
I realized I have like 10 more followers than the last time I've posted something. eeeek.
Anyways sorry about the delay.
I update olivethinks.tumblr.com almost everyday so drop by and say hello.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Friday, July 23, 2010
Martyrdom
Matthew
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia , killed by a sword wound.
Mark
Died in Alexandria , Egypt , after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.
Luke
Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.
John
Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos . He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.
Peter
He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
James the Just
The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller’s club. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
James the Great
Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem . The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
Bartholomew
Also known as Nathaniel. Was a missionary to Asia . He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey . Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
Andrew
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras , Greece . After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: ‘I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.’ He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.
Thomas
Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.
Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
Matthias
The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
Paul
Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
This was copied and pasted from my friend Jimmy's blog.
http://backtobaesics.tumblr.com/post/762602015
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia , killed by a sword wound.
Mark
Died in Alexandria , Egypt , after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.
Luke
Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.
John
Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos . He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.
Peter
He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
James the Just
The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller’s club. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
James the Great
Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem . The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
Bartholomew
Also known as Nathaniel. Was a missionary to Asia . He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey . Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
Andrew
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras , Greece . After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: ‘I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.’ He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.
Thomas
Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.
Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
Matthias
The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
Paul
Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
This was copied and pasted from my friend Jimmy's blog.
http://backtobaesics.tumblr.com/post/762602015
Sunday, July 11, 2010
THE WORSHIP OF THE WORK
"Labourers together with God." 1 Corinthians 3:9
Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest. But the other side is just as true - when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."
- Oswald Chambers
Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest. But the other side is just as true - when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."
- Oswald Chambers
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Convo with God Part 2
Another moment conversing with God.
This morning, I was in the shower and was constantly thinking about the laptop that was recently purchased and was on its way to me. My thoughts were so consumed by the idea of having something new and tangible and also at the same time bringing limitless opportunities. All of a sudden, my thoughts were interrupted.
God asked me, "Why are you eagerly waiting and counting down the days to get your laptop but you dont do that for me?"
It struck me hard that I immediately dropped my thoughts and admitted. It's true. Why would I let something that is going to waste away in this life be what my life is revolving around? I saw God's desire for me to want him more than the temporary things. So I told Him, " God, sorry. You're right. I have to make my heart right before you and not idolize stupid things like that. HAHA. Plus, You are the one that provided it anyways. I cannot cherish the gift more than the Giver."
After getting ready, I got into the car and started to listen to the radio.
After listening to Charles Stanley on 107.9 I turned it off for a second and as I left my thoughts to wander and question, I grabbed my pen, knowing how easily I forget.. and started to jot down my conversation with God.
(I advise you not to do this while driving.)
Since our natural tendency is to want control .. and how we get mad because it usually doesn't go the way we planned it.. we blame God when He's simply showing us in his mercy the truth about us... and that is we are not in control. We are not god.
Then I started to think about the iphone and how lots of people are dying to see it and have it but the more imprisoned it can make man. The more caged, imprisoned man becomes as he selectively chooses what he wants... the level of gratification.. becomes no longer gratifying cuz it all levels out to become the same... The more greener it is on the other side becomes a lifestyle that many choose when it's actually an illusion.
I realized the shorter our attention span becomes, the more picky, dependent, particular, self centered, and ultimately egotistical man becomes. The more we choose to indulge in the right now... but the less we understand that it'll lead us to self destruction.
How we refuse to confront and how we actually willingly choose to believe that avoidance is the way out when it actually leaves a more shallow, regretful life.
Risks aren't wanted because pride cannot stand failures or pain.
The value of waiting and being patient can no longer be found... which is sad because moving in the direction we are going, we will no longer understand and experience what it means to have depth in relationships and experiences. Man refuses wisdom because that means man has to be in a place of uncomfortableness where he is not in control...
And in order for us to find freedom, we must submit to truth.. BUT because man refuses to receive the truth.. he will forever be bound.
For those of you who are truly desperate for the freedom and truth, it begins with admittance. Christ then brings you to a place of no longer living for the world but leaves you in a state of rebelling against it. We begin to rebel against ourselves and our flesh.. determined to have victory in the hope of knowing that it was already overcome through Jesus Christ on the cross. Realizing this truth, sets you free. True freedom where no matter where you are.. no matter who you meet.. no matter what circumstance... you are able to walk in peace and freedom.
I desire for Christ to be the center of my life. I desire to take the reigns of my thoughts and submit before Christ so that I may walk in the freedom and peace and love that Christ has purchased on the cross for me.
John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Amen.
This morning, I was in the shower and was constantly thinking about the laptop that was recently purchased and was on its way to me. My thoughts were so consumed by the idea of having something new and tangible and also at the same time bringing limitless opportunities. All of a sudden, my thoughts were interrupted.
God asked me, "Why are you eagerly waiting and counting down the days to get your laptop but you dont do that for me?"
It struck me hard that I immediately dropped my thoughts and admitted. It's true. Why would I let something that is going to waste away in this life be what my life is revolving around? I saw God's desire for me to want him more than the temporary things. So I told Him, " God, sorry. You're right. I have to make my heart right before you and not idolize stupid things like that. HAHA. Plus, You are the one that provided it anyways. I cannot cherish the gift more than the Giver."
After getting ready, I got into the car and started to listen to the radio.
After listening to Charles Stanley on 107.9 I turned it off for a second and as I left my thoughts to wander and question, I grabbed my pen, knowing how easily I forget.. and started to jot down my conversation with God.
(I advise you not to do this while driving.)
Since our natural tendency is to want control .. and how we get mad because it usually doesn't go the way we planned it.. we blame God when He's simply showing us in his mercy the truth about us... and that is we are not in control. We are not god.
Then I started to think about the iphone and how lots of people are dying to see it and have it but the more imprisoned it can make man. The more caged, imprisoned man becomes as he selectively chooses what he wants... the level of gratification.. becomes no longer gratifying cuz it all levels out to become the same... The more greener it is on the other side becomes a lifestyle that many choose when it's actually an illusion.
I realized the shorter our attention span becomes, the more picky, dependent, particular, self centered, and ultimately egotistical man becomes. The more we choose to indulge in the right now... but the less we understand that it'll lead us to self destruction.
How we refuse to confront and how we actually willingly choose to believe that avoidance is the way out when it actually leaves a more shallow, regretful life.
Risks aren't wanted because pride cannot stand failures or pain.
The value of waiting and being patient can no longer be found... which is sad because moving in the direction we are going, we will no longer understand and experience what it means to have depth in relationships and experiences. Man refuses wisdom because that means man has to be in a place of uncomfortableness where he is not in control...
And in order for us to find freedom, we must submit to truth.. BUT because man refuses to receive the truth.. he will forever be bound.
For those of you who are truly desperate for the freedom and truth, it begins with admittance. Christ then brings you to a place of no longer living for the world but leaves you in a state of rebelling against it. We begin to rebel against ourselves and our flesh.. determined to have victory in the hope of knowing that it was already overcome through Jesus Christ on the cross. Realizing this truth, sets you free. True freedom where no matter where you are.. no matter who you meet.. no matter what circumstance... you are able to walk in peace and freedom.
I desire for Christ to be the center of my life. I desire to take the reigns of my thoughts and submit before Christ so that I may walk in the freedom and peace and love that Christ has purchased on the cross for me.
John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Amen.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Carbon Dating: Is the earth really 4.6 BILLION YEARS OLD?
AGE DATING THE EARTH - (Print)
The earth is commonly estimated to be about 4.6 billion years old, and the oldest rocks on earth have been dated to 4.28 billion years ago. (Zircons found from grains in Western Australia are considered slightly older - 4.36 billion years old.) Geologists depend on radiometric age dating to give dates to different strata and the rocks and bones and artifacts found in those layers. Most will say that the dating methods have been confirmed over and over again, but there are questions about whether the dating methods used are reliable and whether they give scientists true dates - or whether they give dates that fit those secular geologists' preconceived ideas.
Meteorites:
During its history, the earth has suffered constant change. Erosion, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, catastrophes change the surface of the earth, melting rocks, grinding them up and spitting them back out in different forms than they had when they started. Because geologists have a difficult time finding truly ancient earth rocks, they have dated meteorites - assumed to have formed at the same time as the earth (and the rest of the solar system) in order to give a reliable age for the earth.
Those who trust in radiometric dating methods point to G. Brent Dalrymple's 1991 book The Age of the Earth, in which he lists the ages of various chondrite samples age-dated through several methods. Dalrymple shows that the dates of chondrite samples derived through different methods all give similar ages. A list of samples dated by the rubidium-strontium (Rb-Sr) method gives dates in a range from 4.37 +/- 0.34 billion years to 4.59 +/- 0.06 billion years. Samarium-neodymium (Sm-Nd) dating of chondrites gives a date of 4.21 +/- 0.76 billion years, and both eucrites dated by lutetium-hafnium (Lu-Hf) and iron dated by rhenium-osmium (Re-Os) gives dates of 4.57 billion years. Dalrymple lists other sets of samples and shows that the samples consistently date between 4.29 billion and 4.57 billion years, regardless of the dating method used.
This looks like convincing evidence that the earth is truly about 4.6 billion years old and the dating methods work reliably, (even though the Rb-Sr dating has a margin of error of 340 million years and Sm-Nd of 760 million years). Dalrymple's results appear to be fairly consistent in giving the earth an age of well over 4 billion years.
As we noted last week, however, the use of these dating methods depends on a number of assumptions. When these methods give dates hundreds of millions of years apart, even without taking the margins of error into consideration, we can reasonably hesitate to put our full faith in them. On tests of rocks considered much younger, those result differences really matter.
Grand Canyon:
Despite claims to the contrary, dating methods do not always give consistent dates, and can give widely different results for samples of rocks from the same layers.
In 2005, geologist Andrew Snelling and creationist researchers had multiple samples of Grand Canyon basalts age-dated using at least three of the main radiometric dating methods, and found the tests gave discordant results. The Cardenas Basalt samples gave an age of 516 (+/-30) million years when dated by the K-Ar method, 1111 (+/-80) million years when dated by the Rb-Sr method, and 1588 (+/-170) million years when dated with the Sm-Nd method. The range in dates for just the Cardenas Basalt was therefore more than a billion years. That's a huge range considering the low age-date for the basalt was "only" 516 million years.
The Grand Canyon Brahma amphibolites samples dated by the Rb-Sr, Ur-Pb, and Sm-Nd methods gave ages that ranged from 1240 to1883 million years ago. In a couple of cases, layers farther down in the Grand Canyon (and therefore relatively older) were dated younger than layers higher up. These results, and other similar tests by Steve Austin and other creationists (see links below), have demonstrated that these dating methods are not necessarily as reliable as old earth geologists often claim.
Assuming A Great Age:
One of the problems with using the Rb-Sr or K-Ar or other certain age-dating methods is that they do not give accurate ages for items that are young. Andrew Snelling reports that in 1996, samples were taken from 20th century lava flows on New Zealand's Mt Ngauruhoe - "two each from the 11 February 1949, 4 June 1954, and 14 July 1954 flows and from the 19 February 1975 avalanche deposits, and three from the 30 June 1954 flow..." The samples were sent to Geochron Laboratories in Cambridge, Mass for whole-rock potassium-argon (K–Ar) dating. Even though the rocks were from lava flows less than 50 years old, the samples gave greatly exaggerated dates for the rocks.
Snelling reports, "The 'ages' range from <0.27 to 3.5 (± 0.2) million years for rocks which were observed to have cooled from lavas 25–50 years ago. One sample from each flow yielded 'ages' of <0.27 or <0.29 million years while all the other samples gave 'ages' of millions of years. " Geologists complain that this sort of testing is ridiculous to do because everybody knows that K-Ar dating will not give accurate dates for extremely young rocks. Ah, and that's just the problem. When geologists do tests of ancient rocks, they assume extremely old ages, and so they use age-dating methods that would be appropriate for extremely old rocks. If the rocks truly aren't that old, how can geologists know? What would indicate to a lab that the correct date is the lower date rather than the 3.5 million year date? If they used dating methods appropriate for young rocks, would those give relatively consistent young ages for the rocks? Speed of Light and Inflated Dates: While there are definitely some difficulties with the age-dating methods, Andrew Snelling believes they can still be useful for the most part in giving relative dates - that is, determining that this sample is older than that sample. Some young-earth physicists like Lambert Dolphin, Barry Setterfield, and Trevor Norman argue that these dating methods are not wrong in theory - but they give wildly exaggerated dates because radioactive decay rates have slowed down over time. The speed of light has a direct effect on the atom and atomic decay rates. These physicists argue that the speed of light has been slowing down, affecting the rate of radioactive decay. If decay rates were much higher in the past, then dating-methods based on today's rates of change would be inflated. Unless the physicists get on the ball and build a good time machine, not one of us can go back in time and watch the formation of the earth and its familiar geologic wonders. Yet, we believe we already have a good account of what happened. The first five books of the Bible were written by a man who glowed after his encounters with the I AM (Exd 34:29-30) and who spoke with God "face to face" (Exd 33:11). While secular scientists scoff at divine revelation, we have confidence that it is truly the best way to know what happened at the beginning of the world. -Chuck Missler Related Links: On The Constancy Of The Speed Of Light »
- Lambert Dolphin
Radiometric Dating: Making Sense of the Patterns »
- Answers In Genesis
Radioactive Dating Failures »
- Creation
Excessively Old 'Ages' For Grand Canyon Lava Flows »
- ICR
Oldest Rocks on Earth Found »
- LiveScience
The Age Of The Earth »
- The TalkOrigins Archive
ASU Researchers Recalculate Age of Solar System »
- Arizona State University
History of the Light-Speed Debate »
- Koinonia House
The earth is commonly estimated to be about 4.6 billion years old, and the oldest rocks on earth have been dated to 4.28 billion years ago. (Zircons found from grains in Western Australia are considered slightly older - 4.36 billion years old.) Geologists depend on radiometric age dating to give dates to different strata and the rocks and bones and artifacts found in those layers. Most will say that the dating methods have been confirmed over and over again, but there are questions about whether the dating methods used are reliable and whether they give scientists true dates - or whether they give dates that fit those secular geologists' preconceived ideas.
Meteorites:
During its history, the earth has suffered constant change. Erosion, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, catastrophes change the surface of the earth, melting rocks, grinding them up and spitting them back out in different forms than they had when they started. Because geologists have a difficult time finding truly ancient earth rocks, they have dated meteorites - assumed to have formed at the same time as the earth (and the rest of the solar system) in order to give a reliable age for the earth.
Those who trust in radiometric dating methods point to G. Brent Dalrymple's 1991 book The Age of the Earth, in which he lists the ages of various chondrite samples age-dated through several methods. Dalrymple shows that the dates of chondrite samples derived through different methods all give similar ages. A list of samples dated by the rubidium-strontium (Rb-Sr) method gives dates in a range from 4.37 +/- 0.34 billion years to 4.59 +/- 0.06 billion years. Samarium-neodymium (Sm-Nd) dating of chondrites gives a date of 4.21 +/- 0.76 billion years, and both eucrites dated by lutetium-hafnium (Lu-Hf) and iron dated by rhenium-osmium (Re-Os) gives dates of 4.57 billion years. Dalrymple lists other sets of samples and shows that the samples consistently date between 4.29 billion and 4.57 billion years, regardless of the dating method used.
This looks like convincing evidence that the earth is truly about 4.6 billion years old and the dating methods work reliably, (even though the Rb-Sr dating has a margin of error of 340 million years and Sm-Nd of 760 million years). Dalrymple's results appear to be fairly consistent in giving the earth an age of well over 4 billion years.
As we noted last week, however, the use of these dating methods depends on a number of assumptions. When these methods give dates hundreds of millions of years apart, even without taking the margins of error into consideration, we can reasonably hesitate to put our full faith in them. On tests of rocks considered much younger, those result differences really matter.
Grand Canyon:
Despite claims to the contrary, dating methods do not always give consistent dates, and can give widely different results for samples of rocks from the same layers.
In 2005, geologist Andrew Snelling and creationist researchers had multiple samples of Grand Canyon basalts age-dated using at least three of the main radiometric dating methods, and found the tests gave discordant results. The Cardenas Basalt samples gave an age of 516 (+/-30) million years when dated by the K-Ar method, 1111 (+/-80) million years when dated by the Rb-Sr method, and 1588 (+/-170) million years when dated with the Sm-Nd method. The range in dates for just the Cardenas Basalt was therefore more than a billion years. That's a huge range considering the low age-date for the basalt was "only" 516 million years.
The Grand Canyon Brahma amphibolites samples dated by the Rb-Sr, Ur-Pb, and Sm-Nd methods gave ages that ranged from 1240 to1883 million years ago. In a couple of cases, layers farther down in the Grand Canyon (and therefore relatively older) were dated younger than layers higher up. These results, and other similar tests by Steve Austin and other creationists (see links below), have demonstrated that these dating methods are not necessarily as reliable as old earth geologists often claim.
Assuming A Great Age:
One of the problems with using the Rb-Sr or K-Ar or other certain age-dating methods is that they do not give accurate ages for items that are young. Andrew Snelling reports that in 1996, samples were taken from 20th century lava flows on New Zealand's Mt Ngauruhoe - "two each from the 11 February 1949, 4 June 1954, and 14 July 1954 flows and from the 19 February 1975 avalanche deposits, and three from the 30 June 1954 flow..." The samples were sent to Geochron Laboratories in Cambridge, Mass for whole-rock potassium-argon (K–Ar) dating. Even though the rocks were from lava flows less than 50 years old, the samples gave greatly exaggerated dates for the rocks.
Snelling reports, "The 'ages' range from <0.27 to 3.5 (± 0.2) million years for rocks which were observed to have cooled from lavas 25–50 years ago. One sample from each flow yielded 'ages' of <0.27 or <0.29 million years while all the other samples gave 'ages' of millions of years. " Geologists complain that this sort of testing is ridiculous to do because everybody knows that K-Ar dating will not give accurate dates for extremely young rocks. Ah, and that's just the problem. When geologists do tests of ancient rocks, they assume extremely old ages, and so they use age-dating methods that would be appropriate for extremely old rocks. If the rocks truly aren't that old, how can geologists know? What would indicate to a lab that the correct date is the lower date rather than the 3.5 million year date? If they used dating methods appropriate for young rocks, would those give relatively consistent young ages for the rocks? Speed of Light and Inflated Dates: While there are definitely some difficulties with the age-dating methods, Andrew Snelling believes they can still be useful for the most part in giving relative dates - that is, determining that this sample is older than that sample. Some young-earth physicists like Lambert Dolphin, Barry Setterfield, and Trevor Norman argue that these dating methods are not wrong in theory - but they give wildly exaggerated dates because radioactive decay rates have slowed down over time. The speed of light has a direct effect on the atom and atomic decay rates. These physicists argue that the speed of light has been slowing down, affecting the rate of radioactive decay. If decay rates were much higher in the past, then dating-methods based on today's rates of change would be inflated. Unless the physicists get on the ball and build a good time machine, not one of us can go back in time and watch the formation of the earth and its familiar geologic wonders. Yet, we believe we already have a good account of what happened. The first five books of the Bible were written by a man who glowed after his encounters with the I AM (Exd 34:29-30) and who spoke with God "face to face" (Exd 33:11). While secular scientists scoff at divine revelation, we have confidence that it is truly the best way to know what happened at the beginning of the world. -Chuck Missler Related Links: On The Constancy Of The Speed Of Light »
- Lambert Dolphin
Radiometric Dating: Making Sense of the Patterns »
- Answers In Genesis
Radioactive Dating Failures »
- Creation
Excessively Old 'Ages' For Grand Canyon Lava Flows »
- ICR
Oldest Rocks on Earth Found »
- LiveScience
The Age Of The Earth »
- The TalkOrigins Archive
ASU Researchers Recalculate Age of Solar System »
- Arizona State University
History of the Light-Speed Debate »
- Koinonia House
The Fast of Tammuz
THE FAST OF TAMMUZ
In 2010, June 29th on the Hebrew calendar is Shiva Asar B'Tammuz - the 17th of Tammuz, the beginning of the Three Weeks of mourning leading up to Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) on July 20th.
The 9th of Av is a familiar date for Jewish grief. On both occasions when foreigners destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, they did it on the 9th of Av. Many other tragedies befell Israel on this date throughout history. The 9th of Av is not alone, however. Another date, the 17th of Tammuz, has also been filled with suffering. On June 29th, many observant Jews will fast to commemorate five tragedies that befell Israel on 17 Tammuz throughout history.
On 17 Tammuz:
Moses broke the tablets of the Law after seeing the people dancing around the golden calf they had made while he was on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 32:19). The LORD later replaced the tablets (Exodus 34);
The daily sacrifice ended during Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem for lack of sheep and other sacrificial animals;
The Romans broke through the walls of Jerusalem shortly before the 2nd Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70;
Years prior to the Great Revolt, the Roman general Apostumus burned a scroll of the Torah;
An idol was erected in the Temple.
The three week period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is called Bein Hametzarim - "between the troubles". On the Sabbath during the Three Weeks, passages on the Temple's destruction and the exile of the Jewish people are read from Isaiah and Jeremiah. During this period of time, Orthodox and other observant Jews refrain from the following:
wearing new clothes
listening to music
bathing for pleasure
shaving or hair cutting
weddings
drinking wine or eating meat
long journeys
While the Fasts of Tammuz and Av (the 4th and 5th months) are a time of mourning, many Jews believe that after the future redemption of Israel, these days of mourning will be turned into days of feasts and rejoicing. As the LORD told the prophet Zechariah:
The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace." (Zech 8:19).
Chuck Missler
In 2010, June 29th on the Hebrew calendar is Shiva Asar B'Tammuz - the 17th of Tammuz, the beginning of the Three Weeks of mourning leading up to Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) on July 20th.
The 9th of Av is a familiar date for Jewish grief. On both occasions when foreigners destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, they did it on the 9th of Av. Many other tragedies befell Israel on this date throughout history. The 9th of Av is not alone, however. Another date, the 17th of Tammuz, has also been filled with suffering. On June 29th, many observant Jews will fast to commemorate five tragedies that befell Israel on 17 Tammuz throughout history.
On 17 Tammuz:
Moses broke the tablets of the Law after seeing the people dancing around the golden calf they had made while he was on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 32:19). The LORD later replaced the tablets (Exodus 34);
The daily sacrifice ended during Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem for lack of sheep and other sacrificial animals;
The Romans broke through the walls of Jerusalem shortly before the 2nd Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70;
Years prior to the Great Revolt, the Roman general Apostumus burned a scroll of the Torah;
An idol was erected in the Temple.
The three week period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is called Bein Hametzarim - "between the troubles". On the Sabbath during the Three Weeks, passages on the Temple's destruction and the exile of the Jewish people are read from Isaiah and Jeremiah. During this period of time, Orthodox and other observant Jews refrain from the following:
wearing new clothes
listening to music
bathing for pleasure
shaving or hair cutting
weddings
drinking wine or eating meat
long journeys
While the Fasts of Tammuz and Av (the 4th and 5th months) are a time of mourning, many Jews believe that after the future redemption of Israel, these days of mourning will be turned into days of feasts and rejoicing. As the LORD told the prophet Zechariah:
The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace." (Zech 8:19).
Chuck Missler
Friday, June 18, 2010
A mirror.
A MIRROR
"But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the
right hand of God" (Acts 7:55-56).
Stephen represents what a true Christian is supposed to be: one who is full of
the Holy Ghost with eyes fixed on the Man in glory. He is one who mirrors that
glory in such a way that all who see it will be amazed and filled with wonder.
He is one with a steady gaze fixed on Christ, always looking up to him, fully
occupied with a glorified Savior.
Look at the hopeless condition Stephen was in, surrounded by religious madness,
superstition, prejudice, and jealousy. The angry crowd pressed in on him,
wild-eyed and bloodthirsty, and death loomed just ahead of him. What impossible
circumstances! But looking up into heaven, he beheld his Lord in glory, and
suddenly his rejection here on earth meant nothing to him. Now he was above it
all, seeing him who was invisible.
One glimpse of the Lord's glory, one vision of his precious holiness, and
Stephen could no longer be hurt. The stones and the angry cursing were all
harmless to him because of the joy set before him. One glimpse of Christ's
glory places you above all your circumstances. Keeping your eyes on Christ,
consciously reaching out to him every waking hour, provides peace and serenity
as nothing else can.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord"
(2 Corinthians 3:18). Stephen caught the rays of the glorified Man in heaven
and reflected them to a Christ-rejecting society.
How true that we become what we behold. The proper translation should read, "We
all, with open face mirroring the glory, are changed!" The idea is that the
Christian reflects, like a mirror, the glory on which he gazes continually. It
is we who are "in the glass"—a mirror—looking on Christ, the object of our
affection and becoming like him in the process of beholding.
When the enemy comes in like a flood and troubling circumstances get us down,
we need to both amaze and condemn the world around us by our sweet, restful
repose in Christ. Since we see by our spiritual mind, this is accomplished by
keeping our minds stayed on Christ.
- David Wilkerson
"But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the
right hand of God" (Acts 7:55-56).
Stephen represents what a true Christian is supposed to be: one who is full of
the Holy Ghost with eyes fixed on the Man in glory. He is one who mirrors that
glory in such a way that all who see it will be amazed and filled with wonder.
He is one with a steady gaze fixed on Christ, always looking up to him, fully
occupied with a glorified Savior.
Look at the hopeless condition Stephen was in, surrounded by religious madness,
superstition, prejudice, and jealousy. The angry crowd pressed in on him,
wild-eyed and bloodthirsty, and death loomed just ahead of him. What impossible
circumstances! But looking up into heaven, he beheld his Lord in glory, and
suddenly his rejection here on earth meant nothing to him. Now he was above it
all, seeing him who was invisible.
One glimpse of the Lord's glory, one vision of his precious holiness, and
Stephen could no longer be hurt. The stones and the angry cursing were all
harmless to him because of the joy set before him. One glimpse of Christ's
glory places you above all your circumstances. Keeping your eyes on Christ,
consciously reaching out to him every waking hour, provides peace and serenity
as nothing else can.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord"
(2 Corinthians 3:18). Stephen caught the rays of the glorified Man in heaven
and reflected them to a Christ-rejecting society.
How true that we become what we behold. The proper translation should read, "We
all, with open face mirroring the glory, are changed!" The idea is that the
Christian reflects, like a mirror, the glory on which he gazes continually. It
is we who are "in the glass"—a mirror—looking on Christ, the object of our
affection and becoming like him in the process of beholding.
When the enemy comes in like a flood and troubling circumstances get us down,
we need to both amaze and condemn the world around us by our sweet, restful
repose in Christ. Since we see by our spiritual mind, this is accomplished by
keeping our minds stayed on Christ.
- David Wilkerson
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